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Local News

  • Murder case sparks second plea deal

    A second man has plead guilty to lesser charges in the 2012 murder of a Franklin County man whose body was dumped on the side of Interstate 64.
    James Simons, 37, of Grant County, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter, first-degree robbery, first-degree assault and tampering with physical evidence.
    Simons’ trial began March 17 but ended early on March 18 in a plea agreement.
    Simons was sentenced the same day to 25 years in prison. He will have to serve 17 years of his sentence before he will be eligible for parole.

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  • Chase Jewelers opens in DR

    Dry Ridge welcomed its newest business venture when Chase Jewelers officially opened on April 1 at 61 Broadway, next to Great Clips Hair Salon.
    Charles Nigg, owner, has spent 31 years honing the art of jewelry making and repair.

    The Oxford, Ohio native worked at Rogers Jewelers, as well as with the Tiffany and Company division of jewelry repair, before going into business for himself when he purchased a jewelry store in Cynthiana.
    He commuted from his Grant County home for eight years before deciding the time was right to open up a shop closer to home.

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  • Grant Adult Ed Hosts Open House April 8

    The road to earn his GED was long and difficult for Cody Strong but ultimately rewarding.
    The 19-year-old Williamstown resident moved Grant County from Indiana where he was home schooled.
    He decided to begin his path toward a GED in 2011 at the Grant County Adult Education Center.

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  • Community asked to get involved in Child Abuse Awareness

    In 2013, there were 596 reports of child abuse in Grant County.
    Karla Hurley, the family resource director at Mason-Corinth Elementary, wants to focus on solutions for the problem.

    “We hear about the numbers, but our focus has got to be on how to fix the problem instead of just being horrified by a problem,” she said.
    To bring awareness to the growing problem, a variety of activities have been scheduled for April, which is designated as Child Abuse Awareness Month.
    Those activities include:

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  • Former bank employee embezzles thousands

    A long-time bookkeeper for Grant County Deposit Bank admitted in U.S. District Court on March 25 to embezzling more than $100,000 over a three-year period.
    Linda Penick, 58, of Dry Ridge, plead guilty to bank embezzlement after admitting that, from 2010 until 2013, she defrauded her employer by transferring bank funds to her personal account and issuing cashier checks and money orders to herself.
    Penick, who worked for Grant County Deposit Bank for 23 years, embezzled $118,775, which she said she used to pay bills and taxes.

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  • ‘Snow days’ law cuts school calendar

    A new law passed by the General Assembly will give some relief to Grant County Schools and others around the state.
    Gov. Steve Beshear signed into law House Bill 211 that will give school districts until June 6 to complete all 1,062 instructional hours required by the state per school year.
    The law drops the required 170 school days for school districts.
    Districts may choose to extend school instructional time for the remainder of the school year to make up the lost time, as long as instructional time does not exceed seven hours a day.

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  • Neighbors helping neighbors

    Josiah Goins was taking out the trash at his Crittenden home on Feb. 13 when he heard a feeble cry for help coming from across the street.
    Goins, a fourth grade student at Crittenden-Mt. Zion Elementary, rushed over and found his elderly neighbor lying between two parked cars in her driveway.
    Della McCoy, 82, had been lying outside in freezing temperatures after falling and breaking her hip. McCoy was unable to stand and her daughter, who lives in the bottom story on her two-story home, couldn’t hear her cries for help.

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  • Mother advocates for Casey’s Law enacted to honor dead son

    Charlotte Wethington did not have any evidence that her son was addicted to drugs, but she had a gut feeling that something wasn’t quite right. Her instincts proved to be correct, as her son Casey would overdose three times and eventually die at age 23 after the third time.

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  • HEROIN HITS HOME

    Northern Kentucky has been called the “heroin ground zero.”
    The deadly statistics validate that moniker.
    Four heroin overdose deaths have occurred in Grant County in less than three months this year.

    Last year, there was only one heroin death.
    “It should be alarming to everybody,” said Robert McDaniel, Grant County coroner. “It’s extremely problematic to everyone in the community.”

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  • Loss of uncle sparks desire to help others

    Lee Wilson remembers the exact moment he found out his uncle, Joey Smallwood, had died from a heroin overdose.
    He got the call at 4:18 a.m. March 4.
    “Growing up I was inseparable from him,” the 20-year-old Grant County resident said. “He was like the older brother I didn’t have. I guess the first thing that hit me was tears. I’m not going to lie. I was crying and thinking that I would never ever get to see him again. The memories of playing video games, watching him ride his street bike.”

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