M
THE MUR R AY STATE
NEWS
Racers fall to Bruins Page 3
January 19, 2018 | Vol. 92, No. 14
Winter storm stalls semester
Connor Jaschen
Editor-in-Chief
cjaschen@murraystate.edu
Freezing rain and winter chills dragged Murray to a standstill late last week, packing on layers of snow and ice to welcome students back for the spring semester. Chris Noles, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Paducah, Kentucky, has been following the storm from the original predictions. Noles said the first round of snow – in the early morning of Friday, Jan. 12 – produced only an inch or more than original estimates had called for. This first accumulation reached 6 to 7 inches in some places. The second snow, reaching Murray on Monday, was not as predictable. While forecasters staked bets on only accumulating a few more inches of snow, the second helping of winter left almost another 6 to 7 inches, Noles said. The total accumulation for the past week, he said, reached almost a foot. Murray State canceled the first week of classes and much of Murray was brought to a crawl. The city had dispatched salters and snowplows to clear as much of the main roads as possible. Shawn Touney, director of communication for Murray State, said cleaning campus has been a coordinated effort between Murray State staff, specifically Facilities Manage-
ment who have been clearing sidewalks and parking lots. Efforts to dig the community out of the snow were met with several nights of freezing temperatures, refreezing whatever ice had already melted and resetting the clock on hopes of drivable roads. Noles said the community’s turning point should be seen in the coming days. “It’ll depend on how aggressive they get out with the plows and salting,” Noles said. “With some sunshine and high’s above freezing, we should see some turnaround Thursday, especially Friday.” While main roads are being treated for the snow, some concerns remain for side roads and county back roads which have yet to receive the same treatment – some of which still have almost an inch of ice still over top of them. Looking forward, Noles said he expects the weather to clear up and even warm up in the coming weeks. Sunday night there are chances of more precipitation – though the only real danger will be the water accumulation from new rains and old snow melting. Noles said some forecasters are calling for another cold front to move in about mid-February, though its too early to predict if Murray will be seeing another Winter Storm Hunter anytime soon. While Murray State has been
see HUNTER, page 2
Brock Kirk/The News
Winter Storm Hunter left Murray with almost a foot of snow, shutting down campus for the week. Community members took to the hills of campus for sledding and snowmen building.
A week of fire and ice Split Rail Stables fire
Miller Avenue fire
Lindsey Coleman || Assistant News Editor
Lindsey Coleman || Assistant News Editor
lcoleman7@murraystate.edu
lcoleman7@murraystate.edu
Tuesday was the most terrifying day of Dani O’Bryan’s life. A phone call notified her that she needed to go to Split Rail Stables as soon as possible. Upon arrival, she saw smoke billowing from the barn where her precious horse was being kept. “Everything I had for my horse Harley is gone,” O’Bryan said. “But I am not the only one who lost a massive amount of supplies. Several other boarders and the farm owners lost thousands of dollars of equipment.” The barn, which is about five miles from campus on 121 North, caught fire Tuesday afternoon. Barn owners Lance and Marsha Harper were able to evacuate three horses, 11 goats, a mini donkey, two dogs and two cats, but one horse and one rabbit were lost in the fire. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. The horse that died did not belong to a Murray State student, but Lance said about seven of the boarders are Murray State students or are in some way affiliated with Murray State. There are 10 total boarders at the barn. O’Bryan, junior from Bullitt County, Kentucky, said she has been a boarder at Split Rail for about a year, and she is a friend of the Harper family. “They have really taken a lot of the girls under their wing,” she said. “They are the heroes of this story for sure. If not for Lance and Marsha, my horse, my baby, would be dead.” She lost absolutely everything in the fire, which totaled over $10,000 worth of supplies that took 12 years to accumulate. This included brushes, reins, a helmet and many other items. O’Bryan started a GoFundMe page for the barn on Tuesday, and so far, about $500 has been donated. “The donations have absolutely blown us all away,” O’Bryan said. “Without the support of those donating and offering services, I wouldn’t even be able to feed my horse, much less have a place for him to stay while we rebuild.” Lance said in addition to the GoFundMe, people have shown up in his driveway to drop off buckets, lead ropes, halters, hay and money. Donations have come from as far as Michigan, Texas and Illinois. Ballard’s Tack and Supply in Paducah gave a $100 gift card to each boarder and is offering discounts to help them get back on their feet. “I can’t keep up with the people who are texting, calling, messaging…” Lance said. “The response has been over-
On the first day of 2018, administrative assistant Wendy Briere and her son Noah were devastated by the news of a fire in their home on Miller Avenue, but the community generously helped them land on their feet. Alison Brown, lecturer and clinical supervisor in the Center for Communication Disorders, started a GoFundMe page for Wendy and Noah. In just two weeks, supporters donated almost $3,000. Brown said Wendy is an amazing administrative assistant for the center, and the faculty knew they needed and wanted to support her after the catastrophe. “Wendy goes far beyond the expectations of her job to support our faculty and students,” Brown said. “She never seeks recognition, and she moves mountains independently. We were concerned that she would not ask for help, and rebuilding after losing everything is daunting.” Brown was not surprised the people of Murray and the Murray State community rallied to support Wendy and Noah. “Not only does it show how wonderful our community is, but it also shows the impact that Wendy has had on those around her,” Brown said. “Despite the division we see in our world these days, neighbors often care for each other.” Wendy has lived in Murray for 14 years and worked at Murray State for over three years in the Center for Communication Disorders. “I work with a fantastic group of people who really do look out for each other,” she said. Wendy said the GoFundMe was an absolute lifesaver, and the way various groups banded together to help her and her son has been amazing. Without the support of the community, she said moving into a rental home and buying the bare necessities would have been almost impossible. She noted the generosity of her family, friends, coworkers, church friends, current and past students from Murray State, the student group called National Student Speech Language Hearing Association, her daughter’s co-workers, the 4-H Robotics Team, a local homeschooling group and total strangers who heard of their disaster. “We have received donations of funds, gift cards to various eateries in town and many clothes, shoes and coats, even a coffee pot,” Wendy said. “There is no way we can repay what everyone has done for us and no way to express the magnitude of our gratitude.” In the fire, Wendy and Noah lost almost everything, including
Photo courtesy of Brooke O’Bryan
see STABLEFIRE, page 2
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see HOUSEFIRE, page 8
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