The Dawson Springs Progress VOL. 94, NO. 27
Seventy-Five Cents
Dawson Springs, Hopkins County, Kentucky 42408, Wednesday, August 7, 2013
beginning feb. 1
Customers Will Be Required To Dial Ten Digits By Carolyn Walker Saturday marked the start of a six-month “permissive dialing” period during which telephone customers in Western Kentucky will be able to dial either seven or 10 digits when making local calls in area code 270. Mandatory 10-digit dialing of local calls begins Feb. 1, 2014, when area code 364 is added to the same geographic area as the current 270. “The permissive dialing period is intended to allow customers to become accustomed to the new dialing patterns,” said David Armstrong, chairman of the Kentucky Public Service Commission. “They have six months to get used to dialing the area code on all calls and to reprogram phones and other equipment that uses automatic dialing.” Area code 364 was created in December 2012 when the PSC decided the best way to meet the need for more telephone numbers in area
code 270 was through the creation of an overlay, which superimposes a new area code over an existing area code. This is the first area code in Kentucky created by an overlay which is the least disruptive for all customers and imposes the smallest cost on businesses in the area. “An overlay allows everyone who now has an area code 270 phone number to keep that number,” Armstrong said. “The only change is the 10-digit dialing for local calls.” Local calls within area code 270 may now be dialed using either seven or 10 digits — that is with or without the area code. Dialing 1 for local calls will not be necessary under any circumstance, and local calls will not become long-distance calls. “One of the critical tasks during the permissive dialing period falls on anyone who uses telephones for critical functions involving health
TAMMY AUDAS waves her arms in the air as she welcomes students returning to Dawson Springs Elementary School early Monday, Aug. 5, for the first day of classes in the new school year. photo by Jacob Parker
total enrollment was 652
Everything Goes Well On First Day Back To School
—Continued on page A8
has issued 51 citations
Captain Patterson Honored For Efforts Dawson Springs were presented to Police Department officers with the Capt. Craig most occupant Patterson was protection citations honored Monday, in each agency and along with 139 other division. There law enforcement are six divisions, officers from 123 broken down by agencies across the number of officers state, for his efforts within the agency, to increase the use plus a division for of seat belts and Kentucky State child restraints in Police. PATTERSON motor vehicles. The award is The third annual Govenor’s based on the number of citations Occupant Protection Awards given in the fiscal year of July 1, ceremony was held at the Marriott —Continued on page A8 Downtown Louisville. Awards
By Carolyn Walker “I’m glad to be back, if only for a little while,” interim superintendent Alexis Seymore said of her return to the Dawson Springs Board of Education. Seymore stepped back into her former position after Charles Proffitt resigned last month to take a job with another district.
While Seymore had not anticipated the number of changes that have taken place in education in the year since she retired from the field, the first day of school in Dawson Springs seemed like old times. “Everything’s good. Yesterday was really good,” she said of Monday’s opening day. In spite of the usual “controlled
chaos,” everyone settled in without a glitch, she commented. Forty-one students enrolled last week, and Seymore believes there probably will be more after other schools in the area return to classes. Monday’s total enrollment for kindergarten through 12th grade was 652 — 361 in elementary and —Continued on page A8
was on death row in illinois
Exonerated Inmate Speaks Out By Billy Mitchell Kentucky New Era
Since the reinstatement of the death penalty in Kentucky in 1976, there have been 78 people initially sentenced to capital punishment. And according to a two-year study from the American Bar Association’s Kentucky Assessment Team on the Death Penalty, 52 of those people’s convictions were overturned on appeal. That’s a 60 percent error rate, and what the ABA calls a waste of the common-
wealth’s resources. On Aug. 5, one of those people — whose conviction was not only overturned, but also resulted in his exoneration, though in Illinois — spoke to an attentive crowd at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Hopkinsville, sponsored by the Kentucky Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, to bear witness to his experience being a wrongfully accused on death row and why he has dedicated his life to abolishing the death penalty nationwide. —Continued on page A8
‘perfect fit for our family’
Mother Adopts Another Child After Five Years By Jacob Parker
“When I was little, I wanted to be the old lady in the shoe. Well, I’m attempting that apparently.” Lisa Cotton grew up knowing she wanted to be a mother. After graduating from Murray State University with a degree in elementary education, Cotton’s dreams started to come true. After giving birth to her first daughter, Jalyn, and going through a divorce, Cotton still had dreams to be a mother to more children. “After the divorce, I still knew I wanted more kids,” she said. Cotton received information from a coworker who had adopted as a single mother, and contacted
an agency that would help her adopt a child from China. “I didn’t know that China would let single parents adopt at that point,” she said. A year and a half later, Cotton was a mother of two. “It was a very smooth and easy thing,” she said. “An absolute blessing.” Cotton, however, wasn’t finished yet. “As soon as I got home with Brooklyn, I knew that I was going to do this again,” she said. Although already having experience in adopting, the second adoption was a difficult ride. Initially, Cotton had intended to go to China again; but the country had since closed its doors to single-parent adoptions. Subsequent to learning of China’s decision, Cotton
The
Dawson Springs Progress Your Community Newspaper Since 1919
attempted to adopt a child from Kyrgyzstan. But, after Cotton got started with paperwork, the nation closed their doors to all adoptions at that time. “It was so frustrating. I would just get so down,” she said. “That’s what made me start questioning whether God was trying to tell me that you’ve got what you’re supposed to have. But I never felt like that was the case.” The third country she tried, Kazakhstan, seemed to be more promising. The adoption process was finished, and the paperwork was going through when Kazakhstan, too, closed its doors on adoption. “I was in tears,” she said. “It was just a devastating thing, but it was all meant to
Inside
Thomas Chambers, 81 Clouds with scattered A few thunderstorms Scattered thunderthunderstorms. possible. Highs in mid storms possible. Humid. High 88. 80s, lows in low 70s.
Billy Joe Wilson, 84
2013 RAM Tradesman Express Reg Cab
22,755**
$
A few thunderstorms Partly cloudy. Highs possible. Highs in low in low 80s and lows in 80s, lows in mid 60s. upper 60s.
Police Reports…A2 Opinion…A6 Sports…B1-B3 Obituaries…B4 Comics…B5 Classifieds…B6-B7 People…B8
Hudson
1055 Crossing Place - Off Island Ford Rd. Exit 44 Pennyrile Pkwy., Madisonville, KY
Lifetime warranty is a dealer offer only not a manufacturer offer. As low as 2.9% APR financing for up to 36 months plus up to 500 Cash Allowance on select models* *For well-qualified buyers. Not all buyers will qualify for the lowest rates. Must receive financing through Chrysler Capital.
—Continued on page A8
LISA COTTON (center) holds her daughter, Bralyn, while her other daughters Brooklyn (left) and Jalyn stand beside.
LocaL 5 Day Forecast
Obituaries Elaine Thomas, 83
**plus tax, title, license & $299 dealer fee INCLUDES Complimentary
happen.” During this time, Cotton had begun to parent sibling foster children, an experience she labeled as no less than “amazing.” “Every kid that I’ve had has been just great and wonderful,” she said. “I can’t say enough about them.” Five years of not being able to adopt ended last October when Cotton got an unexpected call while in the line at K-Mart. “I had thought, pretty much, okay, I’m not supposed to have another one. It just wasn’t meant to happen,” she said. “You could have blown me over with a feather.” China had once again opened its doors to single-
st. #H1030
270-821-3372 • 800-549-3637 TOLL FREE WWW.HUDSONCDJRKENTUCKY.COM