M
THE MUR R AY STATE
NEWS
6
Ways to
Cope with
Tragedy
1 Take care of yourself
4 Get enough ‘good’ sleep
out to friends and 5 Take care of pets or get out2 Reach family side into nature
3 Talk to your children
6 Know when to ask for help
Baseball starts practice Page 3
February 1, 2018 | Vol. 92, No. 16
Former MCHS practicum student reacts to shooting Ashley Traylor News Editor
atraylor@murraystate.edu
“I’ve always tried to take the extra effort and understand where each of my kiddos come from,” she said. “How is their home life? How are they treated by their peers? Are they happy?” Kenley McNamara, Murray State alumna and teacher at Crittenden County Middle School, said she has caught herself worrying about each of her students even more since a 15-year-old male student opened fire on his classmates at Marshall County High School on Jan. 23. “Even the ones who never give me a reason to think they’re anything other than happy and cared for,” McNamara said. “I don’t want to miss anything.” McNamara completed her mega-practicum at Marshall
see PRACTICUM, page 2
Photo courtesy of Kenley McNamara
McNamara speaks out about how to address students’ questions and concerns about the Marshall County High School shooting.
Red Cross provides aid to victims Ashley Traylor News Editor
atraylor@murraystate.edu
When disaster strikes local law enforcement calls on the American Red Cross to assist those affected, and it was no different last week when the
community was shaken by the Marshall County High School shooting. The Red Cross provided comfort and care by helping with community assistance, feeding first responders and volunteers, as well as working directly with those affected.
“The Red Cross was called within minutes (of the shooting) to provide on-site care for first responders including food, water and coffee,” Evelyn Miller, Red Cross executive director, said.
see RED CROSS, page 2
Payroll Tax goes into effect despite strong opposition Lindsey Coleman
Assistant News Editor lcoleman7@murraystate.edu
Julie Boeker/The News
QDOBA now delivers within the city limits including to Murray State.
QDOBA delivering in city limits James Turner
Contributing writer jturner@murraystate.edu People on campus now have another option when it comes to food delivery. Two weeks ago, QDOBA rolled out a new delivery service for the residents of Murray who are within the city limits. The Mexican restaurant now delivers daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. to all of Murray . QDOBA is owned and operated by Bluegrass Fresh Mex Company, which is headquartered in Paducah, Kentucky. Managing Member, Tony Page said over the past six months, QDOBA has begun delivering in many locations nationwide to better serve their customers. Page added that college students are their primary audience. Page said people have been asking about delivery since their lo-
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cation in Murray opened in 2013. “If something as simple as delivery makes their day a little easier, we figured why not,” Page said. The cost is $2.50 per delivery plus the price of the meal. Shift supervisor, Taylor Crawford, said business is starting to pick up now that they have expanded beyond just the Murray State campus. She also said there are big incentives for the delivery drivers. “We get paid more than most delivery drivers,” Crawford said. “We get minimum wage and we get to keep our tips.” Additional staff were hired to make sure orders are kept up, quality food is made and customers are ensured quick deliveries. “Murray has been great to our family over the past 4 years and this is simply another way to show our customers how much we appreciate them,” Page said. “Catering is a big part of our business
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and we’ve always made it a point to deliver those orders. This is the next step, a way of expanding our services to better take care of our customers.” With the new service only coming out a couple weeks ago, students are just learning about the new delivery option. Tyler Covington, junior from Murray, said he admires QDOBA for making the change.
“I commend QDOBA on efficiently taking advantage of the market,” Covington said. “Murray people want better food, more quickly, without it being an inconvenience to themselves. It’s evolution of society.” Page said they are opening another QDOBA location in Paducah, Kentucky, in front of the Kentucky Oaks Mall, next month.
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On Jan. 1, 2018, the City of Murray implemented a 1 percent occupational tax for any employee working in the city, including non-residents, and the Murray community is speaking out. A committee of concerned Murray citizens formed and collected almost 1,500 signatures for a petition to oppose the payroll tax. One of the members of the committee, Orville Herndon, staff member in the Journalism and Mass Communications department, said the idea to create a petition came about after he perceived it to be clear that Murray’s City Council was going to enact a payroll tax regardless of any opposition. “A payroll tax in many ways is an invisible tax,” he said. “It is another deduction on the check stub. In time, few people notice it is there,
Contributed by Orville Herndon
A payroll tax was imposed on the city of Murray, but now concerned citizens are speaking out. and fewer will notice when it gets nudged up.” In early August, the committee began collecting signatures via social media and collection points in Murray: Greg Taylor’s law office, Primary Care, the Curris Center and County Judge Executive Larry Elkins’ office. Taylor said his involvement with the committee to reverse the payroll tax has
been limited, other than providing his office as a collection point for petitions. He said the bulk of the work on the petitions was done by Ed Davis and his committee of citizens, which included Orville Herndon, Donna Herndon, Jennifer Lynn and Kimberley Griffith. For Donna, she said she
PAYROLL, page 2
Beaver Dam opening delayed Destinee Marking Staff writer
dmarking@murraystate.edu
The opening of the Beaver Dam Rest Area has been delayed. The Jan. 26 reopening of the popular rest area along the Western Kentucky Parkway has been postponed due to construction issues. Finance and Administration Cabinet Secretary, William M. Landrum III said the construction issues were unforeseen. “A grand opening date has not
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been determined but is expected in late February or early March,” according to a press release from the Finance and Administration Cabinet. The rest area, which had a gas station and an Arby’s restaurant closed a year ago after the lease expired. As a halfway point between cities like Lexington and Louisville, Murray State students used to utilize the stop before it closed. Sarah Burden, sophomore from Mount Washington, Kentucky, said she used to stop
nearly every time she traveled home. “It was always a nice place to stop to rest and get gas before making the final stretch back home,” Burden said. “I was pretty bummed out when it closed.” Burden said, now, she does not stop anywhere when she travels home. “The convenience of being able to stop without getting off the exit was just really nice,” Burden said.
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@MurrayStateNews
see BEAVER DAM, page 2