Chalice Keith/The News
Best of
MURRAY A special publication of The Murray State News
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Best of Murray
The News
March 16, 2017
The News
March 16, 2017
Best of Murray
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And the winners are... Best Asian restaurant
Best bookstore
Best place to worship
Best Mexican restaurant
Best place to get a donut
Best place to grab a sandwich
Best place to get BBQ
Best food delivery
Best student athlete
Best place to cure a hangover
Best place to get a tattoo
Best local band
Jasmine
Los Portales
Bad Bob’s BBQ Cook out
Best place to get breakfast
Cracker barrel
Best fast food restaurant
Cook out
Best bar
Mr. J’s Grill and pub
Best place to get a home-cooked meal
Cracker barrel
Best place to get coffee
Dunkin’ Donuts
Best grocery store
Kroger
Best liquor store
Global Wine and Spirits
Best tanning salon
Campus Tan
Best place to get a haircut
Profiles Salon and spa
Best place to bank
U.s. Bank
Best clothing store
Ribbon Chix
Best place to get your car fixed
Harlan Automotive
Best consignment store
University Store murray Donuts Papa John’s pizza My Reality tattoo and body piercing
Journey Church Subway
Jonathan Stark
641
Best golf course
Best healthcare provider
Primary Care
Frances E. Miller Memorial Golf Course
Best student organization
Best taxi service
Best fraternity
Best place to take a date
Best sorority
Best pizza in town
Best boutique
Best place to get a late-night snack
Best faculty member
Best place to take your parents when they come in town
Best staff member
Best hotel to have your family stay
Best place to live on campus
Best place to go for entertainment
Best place to live off campus
Best sporting event at Murray State
Best getaway spot
Best place to work
Best place to study
Best cell phone provider
Best beer on tap
Best bakery
Alpha gamma delta Sigma phi Epsilon Alpha Gamma Delta Ribbon Chix Ricky Cox
Marion Hale Elizabeth residential College Campus Evolution Villages Land Between the Lakes Waterfield Library Tap 216
Mama Nancy’s cabs Jasmine
Matt B’s main street pizza Cook out
h.r.h. Dumplins
Holiday Inn express Cheri Theatres
Racer Basketball Murray State At&t
Sammon’s Bakery
Goodwill
The Murray State News would like to congratulate all the winners and thank them for their service to the Murray community.
The News
Best of Murray
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March 16, 2017
BEST STAFF MEMBER By Ashley Traylor
Administrative assistant Marion Hale was voted Best Staff Member for the second consecutive year. “The first one was totally unexpected, and well, this one was, too,” Hale said. “But for the second time, it was like, ‘Yeah. Oh thanks. Great!’” Hale has 21 years of experience working at Murray State. She has spent the majority of her time overseeing operations in the Journalism and Mass Communications Department. A typical work day for Hale can include
Marion Hale working on students’ class schedules, payroll and budgets, organizing special events and arranging meetings for interim department chairwoman Debbie Owens or prospective students. She works with organizations, like PRSSA, Ads Club and The Murray State News, as well as faculty. Hale said working with people from all parts of the university makes her job rewarding because she has always liked interacting with lots of people. “You got to have a positive attitude that
what you do today might affect someone today, tomorrow, down the road, and I hope that I can do that for people,” Hale said. Student worker for Hale, Racquell Cunningham, said Hale is determined to do everything placed in front of her, while doing it in a timely manner and delivering quality work. “She is the rock of the department,” Cunningham said. “If Marion is not at work, everything seems chaotic. She’s able to be like the heart of the department and without it, nothing else will work.”
Chalice Keith/The News
BEST FACULTY MEMBER Ricky Cox By Lindsey Coleman
Chalice Keith/The News
Few students innately consider the intricacies of chemistry and biochemistry interesting, but faculty and students alike praise Ricky Cox for his ability to teach even the hardest of concepts effectively while maintaining meaningful relationships with his students. “I want students to embrace the story of science,” Cox said. “When I teach about hemoglobin binding to oxygen, there’s a story there. It has a narrative.” Cox said when he was young, he loved to learn new things and tell others about it. When he was in college, he wanted to be a professor. “I think what drew me to teaching is it’s a life of continuous learning and sharing knowledge
with other people and hopefully helping them in their journey to learn more and get the skills they need to start their own career.” Hal Rice, director of technology support and consulting services first met Cox in 1999, and he said Cox is one of the best educators practicing today at any university, who truly prepares the best students for a great future. Michael Arnett, junior from Murray, said Cox is his adviser, and he has taken several of his classes. He said Cox has been one of the most influential people in his journey to medical school. “This is an honor,” Cox said. “Working with students is definitely the best part of my job. If they think I’m doing a good job, then that makes me happy.”
The News
Best of Murray
March 16, 2017
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Thank you for your support We are pleased to be voted as the "Best Place to Bank" by Murray State University students.
usbank.com
Equal Housing Lender. Member FDIC 150842 9/15
Voted “Best Place To Get Your Car Fixed� by Best of Murray!
Taking Care of People and the Cars they Drive (270) 948-2505 408 N. 4th Street Murray, KY 42071
@harlanautomotive @HarlanAutoKY www.harlanautomotive.com
Best of Murray
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The News
March 16, 2017
Best Student-Athlete Jonathan Stark By Sarah Combs
Jenny Rohl/The News
Murray State junior guard Jonathan Stark set three chief principles this year at the 2017 OVC Tournament. First, don’t leave him open anywhere in the vicinity of shooting range. Second, just when you think you have a comfortable lead he comes back and sinks a pull-up 3-pointer to win the game in second overtime. Third, someone should petition to rename the city of Nashville: Starkville. “It’s a great accomplishment,” Stark said when receiving the Best of Murray Student-Athlete award. “I didn’t know they had a best athlete thing going on. It’s a great accomplishment and a great blessing.” The Best of Murray Athlete was named to the OVC All-Tournament
Team despite Murray State’s elimination by UT Martin in the semifinal game. It’s no surprise Stark earned this title after his break-out performance being his first year on the court for the Racers. Stark had 41 points in the first round of the tournament against Tennessee Tech and added 37 points against Morehead State in the second to combine for 78 points in a span of only two games. In 2015, Stark transferred from Tulane College under then Head Coach Steve Prohm. After sitting out a season, the 6-foot transfer was able to lace up and contribute on paper. Stark received the Conference USA AllFreshman Honors in his first year at Tulane and also received recognition from CollegeInsider.com as a Freshman All-American.
Jenny Rohl/The News
CONGRATULATIONS! Elizabeth Hall home of
#1 ELIZABETH COLLEGE #1 Voted the Best Place to Live on Campus
LIZO YOU KNOW!
BAM!
The News
March 16, 2017
Best of Murray
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Best sporting event at Murray State
Jenny Rohl/The News
By Collin Morris
Racer basketball is one of Murray State’s greatest traditions. Since 1925, fans have packed stadiums to watch basketball at one of its highest levels. More experienced fans remember the play of Popeye Jones or Shelia Smith, and newer fans have enjoyed watching Cameron Payne and
Ke’Shunan James, but they all have one thing in common – a love for watching the Racers. Murray State’s basketball history is rich, with the men’s team amassing 24 OVC Regular Season Championships and 15 OVC Tournament Championships, both of which lead the conference. Individuals involved with Murray State’s basketball
Jenny Rohl/The News
teams have also earned an impressive amount of individual accolades, with 22 combined OVC Players of the Year and 18 OVC Coach of the Year recipients across both men’s and women’s basketball. Both programs have also given fans a taste of the Big Dance, with a handful of NCAA Tournament appearances between the two sports.
Early in November, the sport commences and current students, alumni and future Racers attend games and look to cheer their teams on through March. That dedicated fan base, along with some flashy passing, high-scoring offense and stifling defense have named Murray State basketball games the “Best Sporting Event” of the 2017 school year.
Los Portales Voted “Best Mexican Restaurant” by Murray State students
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1506 Lowes Dr., Murray, KY 42071 (270) 767-0315 Mon - Sat: 11:00 am - 10:00 pm Sun: 11:00 am - 9:00 pm @losportalesky @LosPortalesKY
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Best of Murray
The News
March 16, 2017
The News
Best of Murray
March 16, 2017
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Best local band: SixFortyOne By Nick Erickson In the small vicinity of Murray, therein lies big talent. The country group “641” have been hard at work to spread their art throughout the Midwest region. During the last year, the group has traveled, playing various cities including Nashville, Bowling Green and of course, Murray. The duo, consisting of singers and songwriters Austin Gee and Brooks Hoffman, met at Alpha Omicron Pi’s Mr. MSU Pageant. Hoffman says the two hit it off, and started to write music together the summer after their sophomore year. “Austin had an internship in Louisville that summer,” Hoffman said. “He would come to my
place and we’d write a few times a week.” The duo’s debut self-titled EP was released on June 24, 2016, which reached No. 90 on the Top Country Charts. The band’s music has been streamed exponentially, already more than 100,000 times. Hoffman said the two plan to release a follow-up EP later this year. “We just recorded another EP, with six songs on it,” Hoffman said. “The title of the EP is ‘Picture This.’” Hoffman said he is optimistic at the upcoming events 641 has on the horizon. “We’re playing Gam formal on April 1,” Hoffman said. “We also have a Friday in April lined up to play Mr. J’s.”
In an area where country is plentiful, 641 shine with their work ethic and passion. Don’t miss out on what the boys have to offer.
Other Upcoming Events April 1 at Alpha Gamma Delta Formal April 2 at 4 p.m. The Keg Restaurant & Bar
https://open.spotify.com/ track/4qXlWTso2Wyh9yiWUaClXV Photo courtesy of 641’s Facebook page
Thanks for voting us:
“Best place to take your parents when they’re in town” VISIT US AT
DUMPLIN’S 305 SOUTH 12TH STREET MURRAY, KY 42071 (270) 753-0000
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The News
Best of Murray
March 16, 2017
Best Place to Study Waterfield Library By Alicia Steele
Waterfield Library was voted the Best Study Spot because of its quiet atmosphere and resources available to students. “Personally, I use the library because it forces me to focus,” said Lydia Kiesewetter, senior from Louisville, Kentucky. Waterfield sees an average of 4,500 visitors daily and offers a variety of resources, including the Racer Writing Center, Racer Oral Communication Center, Copy Express and Starbooks. Students can also utilize databases for research, request resources be sent to Waterfield from other libraries and use desktop computers with printing access. “We have the largest computer lab on campus, featuring dual monitors and Macs,” said Ashley Ireland, dean of university libraries. Jenny Rohl/The News
Within the library, Kiesewetter said her favorite place to study is the third floor – better know as the quiet floor. “We recently added new furniture to our quiet study floor, much of which is powered so that our visitors can charge devices from the furniture itself,” Ireland said. Kiesewetter said she appreciated getting the opportunity to learn how to utilize library resources from the business librarian, one of multiple librarians assigned to certain student disciplines to assist with questions and research. “We are staffed to provide assistance,” Ireland said. “I believe Waterfield was voted the best place to study on campus because it is comfortable, provides good technological connectivity and because students can either be social or secluded while here.”
The News
March 16, 2017
Best of Murray
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Best Getaway Spot Land Between the Lakes By Emily Williams
Land Between the Lakes, about a 25-minute drive from campus, has a little something to offer for everybody, no matter the time of year. It’s for that very reason that students voted it Best Getaway Spot yet again in this year’s Best of Murray poll. Whether it’s biking on the Canal Loop Trail on a brisk spring morning, camping by the lake on a summer night, backpacking on the North/South Trail when the leaves are changing color in the fall or simply enjoying the scenery for a few hours, LBL is an easy, carefree getaway for many students. Mike Gowen, program director of recreation and leisure services at Murray State, said he often takes students backpacking on the North/South
Trail as well as utilizing Kentucky Lake to allow students to practice their paddling skills. In addition, he said some of his students do internships and apprenticeships with the U.S. Forest Service at the location. “I think the designation is well deserved,” Gowen said. “The programs and professionals at LBL are world class. It is easy for anyone to find something fun to do at LBL. I’m glad our students are enjoying one of the area’s gems.” Janice Wilson, public affairs specialist at LBL said the staff is proud to be recognized within the community. “We’re proud that we can offer what we can to our neighbors,” Wilson said. “We just want to give everybody an opportunity to enjoy themselves and go outside and play.”
Kelli O’Toole/The News
Gateway Magazine coming Thursday, March 30th
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Best of Murray
The News
March 16, 2017
Voted Best By MSU For 11 Years
My Reality • #1 Tattoo studio in Murray • Largest selection of jewelry • Lowest prices • Free after care for piercings & touch-up on tattoos • Body piercer featured on Channel 6 news for Daith piercing 270.759.5600 707C S 12th St. www.myrealitytattoos.com
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