PROGRESS 2018

PROGRESS 2018

AR UND THE

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 6 UNSUNG HEROES 12 CITIZEN OF THE YEAR 14 MIDNIGHT WITH A FIREFIGHTER 16 1 A.M. WITH 911 DISPATCHERS 18 2 A.M. WITH A FLOAT NURSE 20 3 A.M. WITH WAFFLE HOUSE STAFFERS 22 4 A.M. WITH A WASTEWATER SPECIALIST 24 5 A.M. WITH A SHEEP FARMER 26 6 A.M. WITH A BUS DRIVER 28 7 A.M. WITH A GARBAGE COLLECTOR 30 8 A.M. WITH A DAYCARE TEACHER 32 9 A.M. WITH A KENNEL ATTENDANT 34 10 A.M. WITH A CAFETERIA MANAGER 36 11 A.M. WITH A FOOD PANTRY COORDINATOR

38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62

NOON WITH A TEACHER 1 P.M. WITH A JUDGE 2 P.M. WITH A LIBRARIAN 3 P.M. AT THE POST OFFICE 4 P.M. WITH SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS 5 P.M. WITH A RESTAURANT MANAGER 6 P.M. WITH A FITNESS TRAINER 7 P.M. WITH A REFEREE 8 P.M. WITH A SLEEP LAB TECHNICIAN 9 P.M. WITH FACTORY MANAGERS 10 P.M. WITH A L&D NURSE 11 P.M. WITH A SHERIFF’S DEPUTY BUSINESS DIRECTORIES

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UNSUNG HEROES 6 PROGRESS 2018

A dreanna W ills C onnie Y oung

I

would like to nominate Adreanna Wills as an Unsung Hero.

She deserves this recognition because of her outstanding performance in the community involving the health and well-being of animals.

As director of the Clark County Animal Shelter, she is charged with many different duties that consume a huge amount of time.

She is dedicated to doing her best to ensure the shelter functions as it should. She has kept our dog placement consistently over 97 percent, which is phenomenal for a county-run shelter.

Many people are not aware she also coordinates the transportation of our shelter animals to approved rescue groups. Arranging the transfer of 20 to 30 animals every week or two is no small feat.

A ton of paperwork is involved and a lot of time — time that she donates. She is not on the county’s time clock when she is doing transport work. Her transport efforts certainly benefit the county

by reducing the number of animals in our shelter, thus reducing overhead cost for the county.

She is really wearing two distinct hats while working for the same goal of helping save animals.

I should also mention she coordinates spay/neuter clinics on her own time as well because she really believes in that program.

She is also now involved in the Winchester Little League, serving on the board and coaching.

Community service seems to run deep in her mindset and I feel she certainly deserves the title of Unsung Hero.

John Ballard

I

A

R

dreanna’s love for animals and their well-being is amazing. She spends long hours at the shelter and is willing to do whatever is necessary to make sure animals are cared for. She does not have a 9-to-5 job and often is called out after hours.

Her dedication is unwavering.

Letha Wade

feel proud to nominate Connie Young as an Unsung Hero.

I work with Connie at Clark Regional Medical Center. She has worked at Clark Regional for 30-some years. That’s dedication.

She stays on track, no matter how much is asked of her, and her willingness to overcome health problems and still not miss a day is amazing. She never misses work. She is never late and always gets her work done, and still finds the time to help others.

She has a great attitude, and I'm proud to call her my friend.

The world would be a better place if we had more people like Connie.

Pearl Allen

Ronnie Hampton

onnie Hampton was born with a congenital heart defect. He had a coarctation of the aorta the day before he turned two months old and weighed five pounds. He also suffered a stroke and seizures.

For more than 20 years, Ronnie has worked a part-time job at Kroger in Winchester and at Haggard Horse Farm full-time in Lexington.

Ronnie has never been one to complain about anything. Ronnie has limited use of his right arm and leg, but that does not slow him down. He is always asking, “Do you need help?” or “How can I help you?”

We have been very impressed with Ronnie’s accomplishments.

Frances Hampton

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Betty Bryant

etty Bryant was hired by the County Attorney to serve as coordinator for the newly-implemented Clark County Mental Health Court approximately three years ago. She functions as the coordinator in addition to other duties assigned by the County Attorney.

As coordinator, she is responsible for completing an initial assessment of individuals referred by both district and circuit court, obtaining necessary medical records related to mental health treatment, providing information to both the judge and the treatment team and serving as case manager for the individuals participating in the program. She assists with

individual needs (housing, employment, community service, treatment, etc.), oversees the compliance of the individuals with the program expectations, works closely with peer support specialists, and provides both support and encouragement in addition to the enforcement of program expectations.

These responsibilities do not fall within an eight-hour work day. Ms. Bryant is on call to assist participants 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

As participants progress through the program, they develop a respect and admiration for her commitment and passion. Though she may be perceived initially as an enforcer, they come to

realize how much she genuinely cares about them as human beings.

In the three years of the program there have been multiple successes — individuals finding a new purpose in life and living a healthier lifestyle. This is in large part attributable to Ms. Bryant’s tireless effort at providing the support and services these individuals need to be successful.

She is a part of a team of court officials, community volunteers, peer support specialists and others who contribute to make this program the success it has been. But in many ways, Ms. Bryant is the heart of the effort, and is truly an Unsung Hero.

Ron Kibbey

B

7

BJ Graham

J has been doing a weekly jail ministry for 13 years.

She gives her time each week to women who are incarcerated in a loving and non-judgmental way. Her only goal is to show these women someone cares and to share the gospel.

BJ is also one of the women who founded New Beginnings of Winchester. She has been a member of the board, served as executive director, volunteer and is currently president of the board. BJ is also an active member of her church. She is married and has two sons.

I feel she is a great candidate for Unsung Hero.

Sue Anderson

Danny B uckingham

D

anny is my next door neighbor. I'm not as young as I used to be, so he looks after me.

He brings my mail and hangs it on my door, shovels my drive when it snows, helps with all kinds of little and big things. He is the best neighbor ever.

Colista Ledford

8 PROGRESS 2018

I

Paula Joslin

f I ever mentioned to Paula Joslin that I would nominate her for an award, she would immediately laugh sweetly and tell me absolutely not to do something like that.

She doesn’t do it for the attention, she is simply a kind, compassionate and dedicated public servant who does everything she can to help others.

Serving more than 40 years in the Circuit Clerk’s office, she has helped so many but, as with most who work in the circuit Clerk’s office, this effort often goes unrecognized. Circuit court clerks are responsible for managing the records of Circuit and District courts, Kentucky’s trial courts. Circuit court clerks receive lawsuits and court documents, record legal documents, provide legal documents and other legal materials, are present during trials, schedule juries, receive and disburse money, maintain the jury system, administer oaths, handle affidavits, and issue driver licenses and non-driver identification cards.

Many of us rarely use these ser-

vices, but when we need them, we expect them to be there. We expect them to be fair and efficient and in perfect order. This is what Paula and her team work so hard to ensure.

In addition to this public role, Paula goes above and beyond in her volunteerism and service.

Paula specifically chooses to help those people enduring some of the toughest moments of their lives. Her support with BCTC, the Hospice Board, and the Kentucky Circuit Court Clerks’ Trust For Life is admirable.

As president of the Kentucky Circuit Court Clerks’ Trust For Life, Paula has gone above and beyond. From Bake Sales & Cookouts with the Hospital, to media, public speaking engagements and church involvement, Paula never stops coming up with creative ideas to promote the mission of organ donation. (And I might add, she is willing to do the media and public speaking because she knows it’s the best thing for the mission, even when she is so nervous to stand up

in front of thousands and speak.

She puts herself out, because it helps others.)

Paula has created the Clark County Trust For Life Task Force including Mayor Ed Burtner and many other community members who have supported several successful events including “Generations of Hope” and “Gift of Life 5K.” Today, Clark County has nearly 90 percent of the county registered as organ donors — by far, the top county in the entire Commonwealth.

Without Paula’s leadership and guidance, this mission would not be where it is today. Because of Paula, more lives will be saved and healed.

With grace and humility, Paula Joslin serves the community of Clark County and the entire Commonwealth. I’m honored to consider her my mentor and my friend for more than seven years and would be thrilled to see her considered as anUnsung Hero.

Shelley Snyder, executive director, Kentucky Circuit Court Clerks’ Trust For Life

y a d o T n i o Kentucky Circuit Court Clerks’

TRUST FOR

LIFE

Organ Donor Awareness Program

www.donatelifeky.org 1-866-945-5433

I

Virginia Turner

would like to nominate Virginia “Jenny” Turner as an Unsung Hero.

Jenny has worked at Rose Mary C. Brooks Place for 13 years, and her experience is a blessing to the residents and staff at Brooks Place.

Jenny greets every resident with a smile and a laugh. Because of her positive Christian attitude, Jenny is loved by everyone who knows her. The residents and their families trust and love Jenny and know that she is always there to help them.

As concierge, she is keenly aware of all their preferences and needs.

Because of her dependability, the residents know they can rely on her.

Jenny Turner is a true Unsung Hero because of her dedication, love and caring for the residents of Brooks Place.

Tim Janes

Lexi Back, Heart Recipient Clark County, Kentucky

10

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Terry

Mary Elizabeth Neal Pritchard M ary Elizabeth Neal is an Unsung Hero because of the way she handles any emergency within her family, friends and jobs.

She will try to help or does during illness.

Ask and she can find help for you.

If you have troubles of any kind, she’ll get help when she doesn’t have the answer.

She has taken care of her dad during bone cancer, now in remission.

Now she’s watching him and me and my health issues. In fact, she took very good care of my mom and dad, Stella M. Schan-

ding and E.T. Schanding, while their health failed them.

I’m so, so thankful for the way she handles any type of emergency.

Our property on Colby Road could no longer be cared for. She saw that we got moved to Rose Mary C. Brooks Place, where we now live in a cottage.

Mary Elizabeth had to move her dad to her son’s bedroom after her son Justin got married. Now she had another child to add to her list.

This is not all. In the last five to 10 years, she has helped or jobbed her-

self out, taking any or all her free time to play the piano in our school system, for Campbell Junior High and GRC’s music department, where she is needed.

When this happens, she will call another caregiver like Stephanie Neal, her daughter-in-law, to help out with staying with her dad.

Then she gives a few piano lessons and plays piano for Heritage Baptist Church.

She’s my Unsung Hero who can sing, play piano and helps me during my many health issues.

Mary Frances S. King

I

would like to nominate my brother, Terry Pritchard, as an Unsung Hero.

I have seen Terry help out people all my life.

We grew up on the “North End” of Winchester where he has helped everyone who has asked him.

He will fix people’s cars, only asking for them to get the parts that are needed. He asks for no pay for his service and sometimes will supply the part if he has an extra one on hand.

He gives people food. He fixes their house when it needs repairs. He never expects anything in return.

He does this while taking care of his wonderful wife, who is blind, and asking no one for help. His wife, Judy, helps everyone she can as well.

He lives his life like our mother taught us, “If you have more than you need, share it with others.”

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11

Michael Michael Vickery Marian Allen I S ublette M ichael Allen is very much an Unsung Hero.

He is very smart and can fix just about anything. He is an exceptional mechanic and fixer of things others would easily give up on and throw away. I guess you could say he has a special gift and a “passion for repairs.”

He is clever with his deeds and laughter, making others feel at ease in difficult times. He never ceases to amaze me with his love and passion to help others.

Even in hard times, Michael is our sunshine. I thank God every day for him, and I'm proud to say he's my son.

Pearl Allen

t’s hard to describe all the ways that Michael Vickery embodies an Unsung Hero. Michael lives every day striving to be a light for God. He is an active member of Calvary Christian Church, where he volunteers for the youth ministry team in many capacities. He has worked since he was a teenager himself showing God’s love to many boys and girls who call Calvary’s youth group home.

Michael’s impact on the youth in our community extends far beyond just being your average Sunday School or Wednesday night Bible Study teacher.

While those are important roles, and ones he takes seriously, Michael is particulary special because of the way he pours into the lives of young people. He meets them for dinner to talk about how school is going or to help them navigate issues at home or with friends. He keeps in contact with them daily, motivating them to be their best selves. His impact continues as he worked as a volunteer at the Rowland Arts Center, helping some of the underserved teenagers in the community find a place where they feel welcomed and accepted.

Acceptance is something that Michael exudes in all he does. He is loving, tolerant and friendly to everyone he meets. He desires so strongly to build connections with others that he is loved by literally everyone he meets.

Now that he is finished with college, Michael is taking his passion for helping others a step further as he starts his career as a social worker.

The world is really a better place because of Michael. If only there were more people who knew how to love others unconditionally in the same fashion as him.

The way he loves others is powerful, selfless and impactful and he is the true embodiment of 1 John 4:19, “We love because he first loved us.”

M

arian Sublette has been in charge of the Wednesday night meals at the First United Methodist Church for 28 years, since 1989.

All of this is volunteer service.

She cooks delicious meals for whoever comes before the Wednesday evening service. She also goes and shops for the food.

At Christmas time, she delivers about 35 plates of cookies (homemade) to friends and shut-ins.

Colista Ledford

12

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CITIZEN of the year

Clark transplant volunteers time, efforts preserving local history

By Fred Petke

I

f there’s ever a question about Clark County history, Harry Enoch’s name almost always comes up.

Enoch, a retired biochemist, built a reputation as a fount of information about 18th Century Clark County history. His information is painstakingly researched and often sees print, either in books he publishes himself or in regular columns in The Winchester Sun. His years of effort earned him the 2018

Citizen of the Year title.

“During his residency here, he has spent countless hours researching and recording information regarding individuals and places of our past of whom or of what we may have heard but had very few details,” lifelong Winchester resident and attorney Michael Rowady wrote in his nomination letter. “He has done a great job of correcting this situation as evidenced by his many articles on these subjects appearing in The Winchester Sun. See HARRY ENOCH, page 13

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HARRY ENOCH

Continued from page 12 He has not been paid for this service nor does he expect any ...”

Nancy Turner, executive director of the Winchester-Clark County Tourism Commission, echoed Rowady’s sentiments.

“There are many, many days that I think what a blessing Harry Enoch is to this community and how grateful I am that he moved to Clark County and has documented so much of our heritage for future generations,” she said. “He pores over tedious historic documents and extrapolates valuable information and then connects the many dots to uncover items that are relevant to our heritage. When Harry discovers something, it’s a given that he didn’t come up with this information on a whim. He has vetted every fact, crossed every T and dotted every I.” A Montgomery County native, Enoch and his late wife, Brenda, moved to Clark County in 1999.

“I’d lived in Lexington my whole professional career and got fed up with

driving in Lexington traffic,” Enoch said. “I always wanted to find a place in the country. We started looking. I wanted a place with trees.”

That place wound up being in Clark County near the Lower Howard’s Creek Nature Preserve. “(Brenda) was out with her sister and she found this place,” Enoch said of his home on Goldwing Drive.

From the basement lined with bookshelves, there is a fabulous view of the reservoir in the distance.

Harry found his trees on the property.

“The landscape is the reason we bought it,” he said. Around the same time, Brenda became ill and Harry retired to care for her until her death in 2006.

About a year later, he met and married Clare Sipple, a seventh-generation Clark Countian.

The seeds for Enoch’s interest in local history were planted early in his life, thanks to a Cub Scout trip in Montgomery County where they were taught about a native American attack at Morgan Station.

“I was fascinated,” he said. “I’d

heard about (American) Indians, but to think they are in Clark County and raided us was quite a shock.”

Information, though, was scarce.

Later in life, Enoch found writings by the Rev. John Shane who recorded oral histories of those who lived in the time period. One of those told the full story of the attack at Morgan Station.

“I got so interested in digging into it, when I got done, I wrote it in a book,” Enoch said. “That was the first book I published.”

Since then, there have been many more books about local history and local characters including Col. John Holder and Capt. Billy Bush. A lot has been connected to the preserve, which Sipple manages, and the buildings around the property.

One of Enoch’s specialties through research is finding the actual story behind the buildings, which is not always the story that has been passed down through generations. One of those was the John Morton house and mill in the preserve. Through his research, Enoch determined the house and mill were actually built by Jonathan Bush.

Through the years, he’s written

13

many books about local history and has helped others conduct research in Clark County. Presently, he is researching the Dry Ridge community near Scholllsville Road and working with the Black History and Heritage Committee on a pictorial history about African-American families from Clark County.

For Enoch, it’s not about selling books.

“I’m not interested if anyone buys a copy,” he said. “I just want to preserve the information and publish it.”

Turner said it’s an example of Enoch’s character.

“One thing that has always amazed me about Harry is his humility,” she wrote. “Many in academia love to tout their knowledge but Harry’s knowledge comes from a place of true humility.

He doesn’t want credit, doesn’t seek credit and certainly doesn’t relish in it.

If anything, it makes him very uncomfortable.”

In the last couple decades, Clark County has become home for Enoch.

“Things have been great here,” he said. “I love this place. They’ll have to take dynamite to get me out.” §

12:00 a.m.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME With 24-hour shifts, firefighters find comfort at station

By Casey Castle

W

hile most of Winchester is fast asleep as the midnight hour tolls, those whose job it is to help keep the community safe … Well, they might also be asleep.

“We’re here for 24 hours, so usually around 10 or 11 o’clock, the guys start to go lay down,” Winchester Fire-EMS Battalion Chief Jason Keller said. “We have our bedrooms here. They’ll try to sleep as long as they can.”

By midnight, they’ve already had a full day. The shift starts at 7 a.m.

“Most of what we do is during business hours, as far as our normal day-to-day stuff,” Keller said.

“From when we get here until 5

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And as the hour gets later, they might take the opportunity to catch up on paperwork and take care of other administrative duties, as is the case for Keller.

The station can be quiet, much like any home in Clark County, which is how Keller describes life there.

“We live our lives here just like a lot of people do at home,” he

said. “We come in, we eat breakfast together — Meal time in the fire service is a time of camaraderie, it’s a pretty sacred time around the kitchen table in the fire service. We have breakfast, every morning, we check our equipment. You never want to go to an emergency and find out something doesn’t work.”

During down time, there’s clean-up be done, too. And if they run out of something? Pack up the truck and head to the store just like — well, maybe it’s a little different.

“We don’t do anything that doesn’t make us available for an emergency call,” Keller said. “We have three firefighters on the engines, sometimes four on the

ladder truck and two on the ambulance and one battalion chief on shift. They never split up. No matter what time of day or night, they’re ready to respond.

“A lot of people ask, ‘Why are they bringing the big fire truck here?’ If a faucet breaks and we have to go to Lowe’s to get a faucet, the fire truck goes to Lowe’s and three guys get off of it. We don’t split people up because if we did, it might make the truck not available.”

A night without at least one emergency call is rare, Keller said, but the nature of that call could be anything.

“People think we just go out See FIREFIGHTER, page 15

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FIREFIGHTER

Continued from page 14 and fight fires, but we have other rescue capabilities,” he said. “Back in the ‘40s and ‘50s, that’s mainly what the fire service did. We incorporated EMS and we also do Haz-Mat rescue, smoke alarm checks, car seat instruction, CPR training, building inspections, helping people who have fallen and everything in between. We’re a full-service department, where if you’re having a bad day, no matter what the case, it’s up to us to make your day better.”

Keller has been with the department since 2006 after working as a volunteer near his home in Farmers.

“I met some people who were on the volunteer fire department,” he said. “I decided to join and got some training there.

nd les som e of lio n Ch ief Jas on Ke lle r ha tta Ba MS e-E Fir er est nch a reWi e wi th his po sit ion du rin g com t tha s tie du e tiv tra nis the ad mi s by Ca sey Ca stl e) cen t 24 -ho ur shi ft. (Ph oto

“Then I realized this was the career I wanted to pursue professionally.”

Keller’s responsibilities now are based largely in logistics.

“My job is to facilitate the needs of the shift,” he said. “As a battalion chief, you’re not necessarily the one out there doing the

work. If a house is on fire, they’re the guys running into the house and doing the work. I make sure they have the tools, training and equipment they need to do that work.”

The top priority for Fire-EMS personnel is to protect Clark County residents as well as them-

15

selves.

“We train for the citizens and we train for us — to make sure we get home safe,” Keller said.

After a quiet night, most personnel will get off shift at 7 a.m.

They’ll have two days off before coming back.

“We’ve got a good department,” Keller said. “There’s a lot of a good people here. We work 56 hours a week. A third of our life is spent with the guys and gals here at the station. You build a bond with the people you work with. They’re your second family.”

And all doing a job that sets itself apart, unlike any other.

“What other profession can you show up at someone’s house and a mother gives their sick child to you — a stranger — and says, ‘Take care of my baby?” Nowhere else is going to be like that,” Keller said. “Being at your best when someone is at their worst — that’s what you strive for.” §

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1:00 a.m.

911, WHAT’S YOUR EMERGENCY? Dispatchers deal with the unexpected in overnight shifts

By Fred Petke

I

t’s almost as dark inside Winchester’s 911 communications center as it is outside.

Dim light comes from more than a dozen monitors and screens around the desks and walls of the windowless room inside the Winchester Police Department.

Communications officers Tristan Rogers and Blake Toombs are on duty, handling all emergency communications for Winchester Police, Clark County Sheriff, Winchester Fire-EMS and Clark County Fire departments.

“It’s hit or miss,” Rogers said. “It may be really busy on a Friday or a Monday.”

“Most of the time, Saturday and Sunday are pretty slow,” Toombs said.

Rogers worked in 911 for about two years, Toombs since May 2017.

The first call comes in at 1:08 a.m.

“What’s going on?” Toombs asks the caller.

“Can you hear anything? I’m trying to figure out what’s going on. What kind of commotion was there? How many people were there?”

The caller says all he’s going to and hangs up.

“That happens a lot, too,” Toombs said. “People won’t give us all the information. He said, ‘I just wanted to report this. Bye’ and he hung up on me.”

Toombs hits his radio console button and broadcasts the information to city officers on duty and sends them to an apartment on West Lexington Avenue.

“People just call here and you try to figure it out,” Toombs said. “Sometimes you call the officer and let them figure it out.”

It would prove to be the only incident during the hour, but not the only call.

The original caller rings again, and is very upset.

“I understand,” Toombs tells him.

“I’ve dispatched an officer.”

Five times, Toombs repeats himself before the caller hangs up again.

“He said it has gotten worse,” he said.

The officer arrives and investigates, but finds nothing.

Several minutes later, the original caller calls again, still upset. This time Rogers answers.

“Are you 100 percent sure it is apartment 7?”

Rogers asks. “Can you explain to me the type of noises you’re hearing? What’s your name?

What’s not fair?”

And the call ends again.

Even on quiet, emergency-free shifts, there’s plenty to do. There is a mountain of paperwork for emergency protection and domestic violence orders or stolen property which must be entered and triple checked. Items are entered in a national database.

Each item entered must be checked by two other people for accuracy. If there’s a mistake made, the correction must be triple checked as well.

There are video feeds from traffic cameras around town to be monitored.

Then there’s the differences between day and night shifts. Most dispatchers work a 12-hour shift, either starting at 6 a.m. or 6 p.m., plus a short shift during the week.

“Day shift and night shift are totally different,” Toombs said. “Day shift is busy, but you can split the channels. Night shift gets a little

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See DISPATCHERS, page 17

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17

DISPATCHERS Continued from page 16

more busy.”

“Lots of fights, domestic (calls),” Rogers said. “We’re getting a ton of juvenile complaints today.”

“We’re trained to handle it all,” Toombs said. “(The public) didn’t train for it.”

On this night, Rogers is scheduled to leave at 2 a.m., meaning Toombs will be the lone dispatcher on duty until the next shift arrives at 6 a.m.

“He just walked out, and I could get seven calls,” Toombs said.

“A lot of times, you’re typing a complaint and talking on the radio and listening to the phone,” Rogers said.

“We’ve both had a structure fire at night by ourself,” Toombs said.

“You’ve usually got to call all the gas and utility companies and the property owners, maybe call other counties for mutual aid,” Rogers said.

Maybe they won’t have to deal with that on this night. Rogers leaves at 2 a.m. as scheduled with Toombs still on duty, ready to answer the call should it come. §

officer s for Winch ester PoTristan Roger s, left, and Blake Toomb s are two comm unicat ions as 911 dispat chers for the — a.m. lice Depar tment who work overni ght shifts — 7 p.m. to 7 Fred Petke) comm unity’ s variou s emerg ency respon se agenci es. (Photo s by

2:00 a.m.

ALL AROUND CARE Every shift is different for interdepartmental nurse

By Whitney Leggett

F

or Misty Wells, every shift is different. In fact, she might not be doing the same job from shift to shift or even from hour to hour.

As an interdepartmental nursing specialist at Clark Regional Medical Center, Misty floats between departments caring for different patients with varying needs.

From night to night, working shifts from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., Misty might work in either the emergency department, med-surg or labor and delivery,

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CL CK meaning she might handle life-saving emergencies one day and help welcome new life the next. Between that? She might spend the night monitoring patients who recently had surgery, administering

medications and checking vitals throughout the night.

Sometimes, she might float from department to department throughout the same shift.

“I started this job last year,” she said. “At first, they had two floating nurses, now they have 14.”

Misty said the goal for interdepartmental nurses is to fill the gaps with shortages of staffing for whatever reason.

See ALL AROUND, page 19

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ALL AROUND

Continued from page 18 “This can help the hospital make sure everything is covered,” she said. “It also eliminates so much of the separation of departments. If there is someone who works in various departments, they have a better understanding of why that department does what it does and they can help others understand.”

Before moving to CRMC, Misty worked in the emergency department at the University of Kentucky. The Powell County native was ready to work closer to home.

“I get to take care of the people in my community,” she said. “When I was at UK, I liked my job, but I didn’t know my patients. Now I’m caring for my neighbors and friends.”

Since every shift is different, Misty doesn’t have a set list of responsibilities from night to night.

Rather, she gets the opportunity to train on all aspects of the health care field.

“The emergency room is my favorite place to work,” she said. “So I still get to do that, but I also get to care for my community more since I’m closer now. I was also just ready for a change.”

Misty said she decided to pursue nursing when she was already in college.

traditionalbank.com

Misty Wells bounc es betwe en three depart ments at Clark Region al Medic al Center as an interd epartm ental nursin g specia list.

(Photo s by Whitn ey Legget t)

“I saw a bad car accident when I was in college,” she said. “I hated that I had to stand by and didn’t know what to do to help. I was studying pharmacy, but I signed up for nursing school the next semester.”

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That experience is likely why Misty enjoys the emergency room setting most, she said.

“I like the critical care aspect of my job,” she said. “When I’m working the ER, I am actively helping save lives. My work can be immediately effective on the patients.”

While Misty finds saving lives rewarding, she said it can be difficult managing the demands of patient care, especially at night when she said things are slower but resources are scarcer.

“It’s a constant struggle to make everyone happy,” she said. “We are always striving to achieve patient satisfaction, but you have to learn to balance effective medical care with satisfaction.”

Misty said she enjoys the spontaneity and exposure to different departments that comes with her job. She will even begin branching out to Bourbon Community Hospital — CRMC’s sister hospital — this month, where she hopes to find a similar atmosphere that she has grown to love in Clark County.

“I really like the personalized feel to everything here,” she said. “From the doctors to housekeeping and dietary, every nurse and technician, we are all working together for our patients.” §

3:00 a.m.

PULL, DROP, MARK Waffle House staffers serve up early-morning meals

By Fred Petke

I

n the wee hours of the morning, there aren’t many options for a hot meal, outside of home of course.

There’s always the Waffle House.

At 3 a.m. on a Friday, there’s a couple sitting quietly in a rear booth while “Neon Moon” by Brooks and Dunn plays from the jukebox.

The cook, John Goodwin, is fixing an order of bacon and two waffles for a to-go order while sisters Heather and Amber Churchwell tend to their customers in between working through the list of middle-of-the-night cleaning chores.

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CL CK “It’s been steady,” Heather said. “It comes in spurts.”

The Churchwells are in the middle of their nine-hour shift while Goodwin is working a 10hour turn.

Between orders, Goodwin mops and scrubs the

back line and takes the garbage out.

Heather and Amber sweep the front, wash the dishes and bag silverware.

“That’s the hardest part of the night,” Goodwin said.

The busiest nights of the week were still to come, typically Saturday and Sunday mornings.

“You get your early birds, your late nighters, your bar-goers, your kids who are out late,” Goodwin said. “A lot of travelers. A lot of people right off the highway.”

See WAFFLE HOUSE, page 21

PROGRESS 2018

21

win are amon g those who keep Waff le Siste rs Heath er and Ambe r Chur chwe ll and John Good ns in Clark Coun ty, runn ing even in the Hous e, one of the only late- night eater y desti natio wee morn ing hour s. (Phot os by Fred Petke )

WAFFLE HOUSE Continued from page 20

Every few minutes, someone walks through the door or places a to-go order over the telephone. With each order, Heather or Amber walk to the same place on the floor and wait until Goodwin is ready.

“Pull one bacon, side of hash browns, all the way.”

There is a lingo to Waffle House, aside from the versions of hash browns (scattered, smothered, covered, chunked, diced, peppered, capped, topped, country or all the way).

The keywords in every order are pull, drop and mark.

“We pull our meat, we drop our hash browns and we mark our plates,” Goodwin said. “I’ve seen people who’ve been here a month and don’t get it.”

The orders keep coming in regularly.

Waffle and hash browns here, a double cheeseburger all the way there, a breakfast bowl with sausage and cheese. Anything on the menu, any time of the day.

Goodman throws in a few flourishes as he works, a flip of a knife, a double flip of a burger patty on the spatula before it goes on the plate, a brief juggle of eggs before cracking them on the grill.

The overnight shift is always easier when things are busy, the Churchwells said.

“When you’re working at night, you get tired,” Amber said.

“About now,” Heather said. “Between 3 and 4.”

Around 4 a.m., the customers have all paid and filed out, giving the overnight crew enough of a break to go outside for a smoke before the next hungry people arrive for a hot meal. §

4:00 a.m.

GOING WITH THE FLOW Wastewater plant operator monitors water quality

By Seth Littrell

B

rad Shindlebower has spent the past six years dealing with other people’s crap, professionally speaking.

At least, that’s how long he has been a wastewater treatment plant operator for Winchester Municipal Utilities.

Speaking generally, Shindlebower makes his job sound pretty easy. He and the other wastewater operators oversee the largely automated operations at two different plants, ensuring the water recycled back into local waterways from the sewer system is clean enough to be safe for the people, animals and plants in the area.

In practice, it is a job that can go from boring to intense in the blink of an eye. The plants must operate on a 24-hour basis to keep up with the nonstop flow of wastewater through the system.

On a particularly cold morning at 4 a.m., Shindlebower is out and about making sure everything is working the way it should be.

Wastewater treatment plants clarify and disinfect water through a number of stages, and the plants in Winchester are no exception. As water flows into the plant, it passes through large screens designed to collect and discard any large objects that could be potentially dangerous to the machinery inside. The water then goes through a process to remove particulate matter, like small rocks, sand, dirt and other things.

After that, the water is sent to large trenches where rotating machines aerate it, or expose it to more oxygen to encourage the growth of the bacteria in the water.

See FLOW, page 23

PROGRESS 2018

FLOW

Brad Shindl ebowe r is a plant operat or at the Strode s Creek Waste water Treatm ent plant operat ed by Winch ester Munic ipal Utiliti es.

(Photo s by Lashan a Harne y)

Continued from page 22 “The bacteria begin to eat each other and grow larger,” Shindlebower said. “As they grow and get heavier, they begin to sink to the bottom of the ditch.”

When water leaves the trenches, it flows through the purification process, which uses focused light to clean away any remaining impurities.

Shindlebower’s normal work day consists of ensuring each part of the process is running as efficiently as it should be.

WMU wastewater plant operators use a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system to monitor both their facilities on opposite ends of Winchester. If a problem occurs, the system sends notifications to the operator, who

can then respond to make any adjustments or repairs necessary.

“It’s a good job,” Shindlebower said. “The overtime is there when you want it or need it, and there’s a lot of things to do that can vary from day to day.”

As dawn begins to approach, Shindlebower bundles up and takes a truck out to all of the different stations on the plant grounds. There, he looks inperson for any irregularities or issues that the SCADA system may not have picked up on.

Wastewater plant operators also are required to take water samples from time to time throughout their shift in order to check the quality of the water. Those samples are returned to a lab on the facility where they are tested and the results are recorded.

But not all the work is observational. Shindlebower said

23

sometimes break-downs happen, and when they do, the operator on duty is the first line of defense in making repairs and getting the facility running at full speed once more.

“One time, the power shut down, and although we have two sources of power for the facility, for whatever reason, the backup wasn’t kicking on,” Shindlebower said. “The pumps had stopped running.”

He called his supervisors and the appropriate people for an emergency response, and soon, a team of specialists was at the plant working to get it up and running again. While they eventually succeeded, Shindlebower said it was a stressful event.

However, in the end, it is a job he said he is proud to do.

“I find it very rewarding,” Shindlebower said. “We’re the last line of defense for keeping safe water in our streams.” §

5:00 a.m.

BONDING OVER BASS Clark County farmer raises sheep to raise kids

By Lashana Harney

I

n the corner of the long, white barn, Endre Fink checks on a lamb and its mother. The lamb is at a critical point in its early life, he said. It must begin bonding with the mother ewe until it’s ready to move on to the weaning pen in the opposite corner.

“They spend about two to three days in the lambing pen,” Endre said.

Endre, 52, moves with confidence indicative of the fact he has been raising sheep for 26 years. His jeans are spattered in dried mud and his hands caked in dirt as if he’s been working with the sheep all day.

Because he has.

Endre’s day begins before the sun rises.

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CL CK 4:30 a.m. Wake up.

5:15 a.m. Work with the sheep at Double F Club Lambs on Boonesboro Road.

7 a.m. Endre begins his day job as a research specialist and unit manager in the department of Animal and Food Sciences at the University of Kentucky.

There, he works with more sheep.

3:30 p.m. Endre is home again, but the work is not

over. He works the sheep and the cattle on the farm.

8 p.m. Most days, the work is finally over.

But some days are longer than others. Some shorter.

There are always chores to do, Endre said.

Luckily, Endre has help from his 23-year-old son, Stefan.

“We do it together,” Stefan said.

Endre said it’s one way they find time to spend together.

“We’ve done it since he was a little kid, and we still do,” Endre said.

They’ve certainly had their adventures.

See BAAA, page 24

PROGRESS 2018

BAAA

Continued from page 24 In 2016, Endre recalls rushing to get the sheep out of the barn as it started to be taken over by flood rain. The incident even made the news.

Despite his long work days, Endre still finds time to be active in the community. He holds the second vice president position in the Clark County chapter of the Kentucky Farm Bureau. He said he tries to be a champion for the rights, needs and wants of Clark County farmers and advocates on their behalf when needed.

Endre spreads the hay evenly throughout the feeder.

Sheep baa, bleat and bump their way through the herd to eat.

Giant webs of dust hang off the barn’s beams, and Della and Meg, Endre’s black and white sheepdogs, pad around the hay-covered dirt floor, lingering close to Endre and the sheep, waiting to work if needed. “(My dogs) come with me to work every day, and they come back with me at night,” Endre said.

From the road, one might not know about the almost 100 sheep residing in the barn adjacent to the Boonesboro Animal Clinic. There is no sign. But just over the wide, wooden bridge topping the creek, is Endre’s livelihood.

Before Double F Farm, Endre grew up in Volcán, Panama, evident by his thick accent.

Volcán is a mountainside town among deteriorated ancient lava flows. It’s even less populated than Winchester.

His parents owned and still operate a hardware store in Volcán. Endre spent much of his time helping them. Now, he said, he visits as much as he can and treats his family to Volcán’s year-round warm weather and its beauty.

Endre said the town had several farms, particularly horse farms, which piqued his interest. Ultimately, he decided to pursue animal science in the midst of horse country. He earned his bachelor’s and masters at the University of Kentucky.

“I grew up around agriculture,” Endre said. “We

had sheep at home too. My grandfather had sheep.”

Endre had initially intended to return to Volcán.

But fate intervened.

Endre met his wife, the former Betsy Farris, at UK. So, he stayed.

Betsy also studied animal science at UK and is now a research associate at UK in the College of Medicine, affiliated with surgery. Betsy’s family has owned the land that is now home to Double F Club Lambs for a few generations. Before sheep, Endre said the barn was used to raise horses.

In 1992, they switched gears and focused on sheep. Endre said it was because of the children. His two children, Stefan and Allison, were active in 4-H and FFA. They wanted to show sheep for projects and as a hobby.

“Our main goal is to raise 4-H projects, show lambs,” Endre said.

Endre said their primary focus is hampshires, which are a distinct breed of sheep. They now raise sheep for show as well as for meat.

“It’s gotten so competitive that only the top end of your lambs are sold as show lambs,” Endre said. “So, you end up with some lambs that don’t make breeding stock or show quality. Those we will market as lamb, as meat.”

Stefan does the majority of the marketing for Double F Club Lambs, Endre said. It’s 50 percent marketing, 50 percent working the sheep, he said.

WWW.JIMWOODRUM.COM

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Stefan said he spends about four to five hours a week just focused on advertising and marketing.

Sometimes, it will be posting pictures on the website, on Facebook, or maybe, placing an ad in a niche magazine.

“Now, people have a lot more availability with the lambs everywhere,” Endre said. “They purchase lambs anywhere.”

Some sheep have sold and traveled across the country to the likes of Washington. Double F has probably sold sheep to about 25 states, Stefan said.

They mostly sell the sheep online, Endre said, but other times, they travel to auctions out of state.

“It’s a winning thing,” Endre said. “The more you win in the show ring, the more the people are going to come.”

Endre said after working with sheep all day, coming home and working with the sheep again can get old.

“When (Stefan) went to college, we wanted to sell the sheep,” Endre said. “... He wanted to keep doing it.”

Stefan said because he grew up showing and raising sheep, he didn’t want to give it up. Stefan also works at Columbia Gas in Lexington, but when he’s not there, just like his dad, he is at home working the farm. Stefan’s been showing and helping raise sheep since he was 4 years old.

Thinking about what’s fun about raising sheep, Stefan joked he just didn’t know anymore.

For Endre, it was fun to see his kids raise sheep, and then show them.

“Now, it’s fun to raise (a sheep), and some other 4-H kid somewhere does well with,” he said.

Raising sheep was a way to teach his kids responsibility and work ethic, Endre said. It keeps kids out of trouble.

“We didn’t do sports,” Endre laughed.

Endre said nowadays, Stefan does most of the work and has hopes of maybe, building a new barn.

When Endre is ready to retire, Stefan will take over. Until then, the father-and-son pair gets back to work. §

6:00 a.m.

MAN AT THE WHEEL Driver seeks to be a positive light for Clark students

By Whitney Leggett

T

he sun still hasn’t awakened for the day but Jim Roarx has already been up for hours.

As he pulls onto a lot tucked behind the Clark County Board of Education, he parks and takes a short walk past rows of the iconic long yellow school buses. He finds the one that will be his home for the next few hours.

The air is still foggy and there is a slight drizzle, but Roarx can’t just hop onto bus No. 0727 and take off.

“Safety is the most important thing when it comes to driving a school bus,” he said. “And that starts before you even leave the lot.”

Roarx needs to complete a thorough pre-trip inspection, checking that his bus is in safe and working order. He can’t leave for his morning route until the bus passes inspection.

As the clock edges near 6 a.m., he begins.

He must test the bus’s brakes, lights, engine and check the fluids including oil,

transmission fluid and even windshield wiper solution. All along he is filling out paperwork for “positive reporting.” It’s a state requirement, he said.

“We walk around the bus and make sure the lights are all working that our mirrors are in good shape and that nothing is out of place on the exterior,” he said.

Though detailed, the process only takes 15 to 20 minutes. But it must be done, rain or shine or snow.

By 6:15 a.m. Roarx boards the bus and heads to the Holiday Hills area, where he will pick up students who attend Justice Elementary School or Baker Intermediate School. His first pick up is as early as 6:25 a.m.

“Baker students are our first school drop-offs,” he said. “They are there by 7 a.m.”

His Justice passengers are at school by 7:15 a.m., and Roarx hits the road again.

See AT THE WHEEL, page 27

PROGRESS 2018

AT THE WHEEL

Continued from page 26 “Next I’ll get the middle schoolers and high schoolers,” he said. “I’ll be at GRC by 8 to 8:05 and then Campbell by 8:05 to 8:10 a.m. and then it’s back to the garage or fill your fuel tank, depending on the day.”

Once morning routes are done, drivers might take on field trips for local classes, as long as they can be back in time for the after-school routes.

“If I don’t take on any extra routes, I clock back in by 2 p.m.,” he said.

Making two rounds as he does in the morning, Roarx said he’s usually back to the office by 4:35 p.m.

“We shut down and I’m clocked out by 4:45 or 4:50 p.m. every day.”

It’s all very calculated, each stop.

Each drop off.

Drivers conduct test trips before the start of each school year, establishing a pick-up and drop-off time for each set of students who will ride the bus.

“It’s important that we stay on that

schedule because parents rely on us to,” Roarx said. “Even a few minutes difference can upset the schedule for us or the family.”

And dealing with parents can be one of the biggest challenges of the job, according to the nearly 10-year veteran.

Topping all the obstacles is simply managing so many students at one time, though.

“I have about 45 students on my elementary and Baker route and then anywhere from 35 to 45 on my high school route,” he said. “You have to do your best to keep them seated, quiet or even somewhat controlled.”

And while he’s managing more than a classroom-full of students, he must watch the road, watch other drivers, problem solve his way through tight residential streets, watch everything happening on all sides of him using seven different mirrors and de-escalate arguments among students or from parents.

It can be a lot to handle, but the job doesn’t come without its rewards.

“You’ve got the cute little guys who

get on the bus and give you hugs or the ones that make drawings for you,” he said. “My fridge is covered in little notes from my students. You get to watch them grow up and graduate.

It’s rewarding. Working with the kids makes it all worth it.”

Not just anyone can take on the monumental task of driving a bus.

The state requires dozens of assessments, driving tests, background checks and certifications before a driver can start training.

“There are 38 steps to becoming a bus driver,” Roarx said. “It’s pretty complex.”

Each written test and every course training is designed to prepare drivers to make safety their biggest priority, he added.

“A lot of things go into making sure our buses are safe,” he said. “That starts before we even leave. We make sure our bus is in tip-top shape. The last thing we want to deal with is a bus that breaks down on the road with 40 kids on it. We depend on them working as they should.”

27

Roarx took on driving a bus as a second career in 2009 after he retired from nearly 32 years with the Bell Telephone Company.

He said he has always had a passion for mentoring and helping children, whether at church, on the bus, on the ballfield or in his own home.

Roarx said there can be a misconception that managing that many children at one time may seem impossible.

“I think people might be surprised once they got on a bus and tried,” he said.

Roarx said he tackles every challenge with the reminder that he is there to put his faith in action.

As a Christian, Roarx said he knows he can’t evangelize to the children, per se. But he can set a good example.

“I try to put aside the frustration that can arise and deal with the kids in a loving way,” he said. “I try to be a good example, and in my life, there’s no better example than a faith-based example. I try to show the kids that there are good people out there.” §

7:00 a.m.

PICKING UP THE TRASH Whether rain, shine or snow, garbage collectors report

By Seth Littrell

T

he cold air of a winter morning blasts through the open doors of Winchester Municipal Utilities garbage trucks as they leave the transfer station at 7 a.m.

But while most drivers on the road that morning are closed up in their cars with the heat on, the temperatures don’t seem to bother Ted Willoughby as he drives to his first street of the day.

Willoughby has worked at WMU for 11 years, and bundled in several layers of warm clothing, he is used to dealing with cold — even frigid — weather during his workday.

“We work as a team to get it all,” Willoughby

AR UND THE

CL CK said. “We don’t want to leave anyone out in bad weather, especially in the winter.”

Willoughby said it was the cold weather that initially brought him to WMU. He said he used to work in construction doing concrete masonry, but every year he would find himself out of work in the winter.

“One year in January I walked in (WMU) and put in an application. It took off from there.”

Willoughby said his job at WMU has several other benefits besides the regular work all year long. It also gives him more time with his family, and he is able to work in the same county where he shares a farm with his wife.

“I was raised in the country,” he said. “I tried to live in town for awhile, but I just didn’t like it.”

Perhaps most importantly, Willoughby said he enjoys his work.

“It’s a good job; there’s just some things you have to get used to,” he said.

“Things to get used to” can range wildly, from extreme temperatures and weather, to operSee PICKING UP, page 29

“

PROGRESS 2018

It’s a good job; there are just some things you have to get used to.”

PICKING UP

Continued from page 28 ating a large vehicle and even to the sometimes odd and disturbing things people will throw away.

“It’s not the cleanest job in the world,” Willoughby said. “Probably the worst thing I’ve seen thrown away is dead animals. Once I found a live snake inside a garbage can.

There’s no way that snake could have gotten in there on its own, someone had to have put it there.”

He said getting used to driving the trucks correctly can be a challenge for some members of the team as well. In addition to the trucks’ large size and having to maneuver them through narrow streets, the vehicles can be operated from both sides of the cab, making it necessary for new hires to learn to drive on the right side.

“I used to drive a dump truck, so driving on the right side took me longer than anything,” Willoughby said. “We pair our new drivers with more experienced people when they need training so they have someone to work with. That way we can help them out and we all get to know each other pretty well.” §

201 BENTLEY DRIVE MT. STERLING, KY 40353

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Bes ide s gen uin ely enj oyi ng the wo rk he doe s, Ted Wi llo ugh by, sai d he is gla d to wo rk in the sam e tow n wh ere he ow ns a far m wit h his wif e.

He als o lik es tha t his sch edu le aff ord s him tim e to spe nd wit h his fam ily.

(Ph oto s by Set h Lit tre ll)

859.520.3021

WWW.CATTLEMANSROADHOUSE.COM Hours: Sunday - Thursday -11:00 am - 9:30 pm Friday + Saturday -11:00 am -10:30 pm

8:00 a.m.

TLC FOR TINY TOTS

Nursery teacher gives loving place for babies while parents work

By Whitney Leggett

T

raveling through the halls at Auntie’s Academy is like taking a trip back in time.

The lavender-colored walls are lined with artwork — footprints morphed into cars, handprint turkeys and paper plate crafts.

As one approaches the various classroom doors, the sounds of childhood become louder.

One teacher sits cross-legged on a carpet with geometric shapes as toddlers pile on her and sing their ABCs. A couple doors down, the echoes of pre-K children can be heard from the gym as they toss rubber balls across the room.

At the end of the hall and around the corner, Renee Wise is in the middle of the ultimate balancing act.

As the nursery teacher at the daycare located in the Wainscott Building off of Lexington Avenue,

Renee is always balancing something, she said.

“It can sometimes be overwhelming,” she said with a slight smile.

This particular morning, Renee has her arms full with a chubby-cheeked two-month-old who has been feeling a bit under the weather. She rocks him gently as she talks with a couple older babies who are navigating the toy selections on a colorful carpet.

A 10-month-old on the verge of walking was climbing Renee’s leg while another baby finishes up some breakfast in a nearby high-chair.

A brand new classroom assistant is starting today and she arrives with the director of the daycare as a mom hurriedly drops her little one off on the way to work.

Renee takes it all in stride. Just as quickly as she can make one child comfortable, another needs a diaper change and a third has spit up down his clean shirt for the second time today.

“His momma always sends him extras,” she laughs. “He’s a real drooler.”

To the outsider, the scene is total chaos, but Renee floats about the room calmly, all the while soothing babies with her soft tone and gentle touch.

After a decade in childcare and raising a daughter of her own, Renee said she has a good grasp on managing children — sometimes five of them on her own.

“We have babies anywhere from six weeks to 12-months old,” she said. “We can have five to ourselves, but we usually have another teacher in the room with us regardless. But it can be tough when one needs to be fed and another starts crying because they need something and you can’t meet both needs at the very same time.”

See TINY TOTS, page 31

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TINY TOTS

Continued from page 31 Renee said she knew from her youth she would care for children some day.

“I’ve just always felt a connection with children,” she said. “It’s hard to explain. But I like watching them learn new things. I love seeing their big smiles when they see me in the mornings. It’s very fulfilling.”

She also feels a sense of pride watching babies grow and develop in their first year of life.

“I like being part of them learning new things,” she said. “I love to watch them master something that they’ve struggled with before. And when they get it, they are so proud of themselves. To watch them accomplish new things is great.”

But at the end of the first year, comes the most challenging part.

“As much as I love to watch them grow, I hate to see them leave me

for the older classrooms,” she said.

“I get very attached to them. They begin to feel like my family.”

The feeling of family is important in the world of childcare, Renee said. Parents need to feel they can trust the person they are leaving their child with.

“I try to communicate with my parents as much as I can,” she said. “The more we communicate, the better I can help the parents and the children. I feel privileged that they would trust me with their most valuable thing — their children.”

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Renee knows from the experience the necessity for a safe place for children away from home. As a single mother, she remembers being in the parents’ shoes.

“I know how they feel,” she said.

“I know how that mom feels when she comes in and hasn’t slept all night but has to go to work. I know that she needs to be assured that someone is taking good care of her baby. I know the frustrations that come with parenthood.”

More importantly, she knows that children can teach adults valuable lessons.

“I pray for my babies often,” she said. “I also pray that I can be calm throughout the day. I strive to be loving with them, because some kids might not get that at home.

At the same time, they teach me that not everything is as big a deal as I think it to be. Sometimes, if you just calm down and try again, it will be better. We don’t have to take everything so seriously.” §

9:00 a.m.

AAnimalLITTLE DIRTY WORK shelter job is much more than cuddling puppies dog in quarantine, we’ll have a bucket with bleach water we step in, and we he Clark County Animal Shelter isn’t open for business yet, but ken- change gloves constantly.”

Those new to the shelter find the amount of cleaning to be surprising. nel attendant Taylynn Britton is already getting the shelter ready for “There’s a lot of cleaning of poop,” Britton said. “Some people think visitors and potential new residents. we’re just sitting around petting on dogs. That seemed like the most obviAround 9 a.m., she is making sure the animals have fresh food and ous thing to me, I guess, because I’ve always had to clean up after my dogs water while cleaning up any messes. growing up. After they eat, they gotta go.”

“We give the animals meds if they need them and any other special at“To me, that wouldn’t be surprising, but we’ve had new people and voluntention,” she said. “We try to spend some time with the animals and pet on teers who were surprised by the dirty work.” them. We go into the kennels and give some attention, especially the ones Despite all that cleaning, Britton said her work is fun. who have been here for a long time. They have it the hardest.”

“The worst days are the days that you’re busy,” she said. “I don’t wake up There’s a certain amount of fringe benefits that come with that work, of and not want to go to work. I don’t hate my job. I like to come in and see course.

“If you’re having a bad day, it’s a good way to cheer yourself up, petting on the dogs. I like to see them get adopted.” the dogs and cats,” she said.

“It’s a bittersweet moment when a dog gets adopted, especially if they’ve But there’s still some cleaning to be done. been here a while. You get attached to them and you don’t want them to “We try to keep it sanitized,” Britton said. “We have detail days where we leave, but they have to.” strip everything completely and clean the bowls with bleach water. Like a See SHELTER, page 33 hospital, we try to keep everything as clean as possible. If we have a sick

By Casey Castle

T

PROGRESS 2018

SHELTER

Continued from page 32 There are tough days, too. Like when an animal dies or needs to be euthanized.

For Britton, who has worked at the shelter for two years, it’s one of the challenges of working with the animals. Another is seeing good dogs get passed over.

“It’s hard to see some of the good dogs get overlooked for a prettier or young dog,” she said. “It’s hard to see some of the animals we get that people have found or were strays with really bad mange or severely underweight, dogs who are scared, shaking and trembling.”

There is, of course, the desire to adopt them herself.

“You see a dog or a cat and you fall in love,” she said. “But, eventually, you learn your limits. You love them all as you get to know their personalities.”

That intimate knowledge is what

makes it tough when an animal gets passed over.

“Some people don’t think of an animal as any more than a piece of furniture, an ornament to look at,” Britton said. “Those people can be a challenge to work with because you’re not going to be able to change their views.”

But for those in the community who want a pet or need to find a better home for an animal, Britton and the shelter is ready to help.

“People can bring unwanted animals or animals they’ve found as strays,” she said.

“If they can’t care for an animal and know it needs medical care, we’re an option for them. You can tell those people are about the animal and are genuine in doing what they think is best for the animal. We can help them.

“We’re an affordable option to get a new family companion that’s up-to-date on everything as well as spayed or neutered.” §

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Clark County Animal Shelter kennel attendant Taylynn Britton said her job can be bittersweet.

She gets to enjoy the companionship of animals in need, but also has to say “goodbye” and watch as deserving pets are passed over, she said.

(Photos by Casey Castle)

10:00 a.m.

FILLING LITTLE BELLIES Cafeteria manager facilitates meals for 800 students

By Whitney Leggett

F

rom the front hall of Baker Intermediate School, the echo of little voices can be heard. Dozens of students are hurrying off to lunch, an opportunity to take a break from the stress of the classroom, mingle with their friends and, more importantly, refuel for the remainder of the school day.

At Baker, cafeteria manager Diana Spicer facilitates free breakfast and lunch for approximately 800 students, a role she has fulfilled for six years.

Though Spicer said she has seen the world

of school lunches change in many ways in that time, the main goal has remained the same.

The task at hand is to feed students healthy, nutritious, but good-tasting food. And some days that is easier than others, Spicer admits.

“I’ve worked at this same school building for 12 or 13 years,” she said. “I was here when it was still Clark Middle. I’ve been manager for about six years.”

Spicer has spent her life working in the food industry. She was a kitchen manager for the Arlington Country Club in Richmond and managed an Arby’s franchise in Lexington.

She even studied food in college, earning a degree in general home economics with an emphasis on food and nutrition.

But she likes her current gig because of the kids.

“I genuinely enjoy being around the students,” she said.

Though her role as manager has her doing more inventory and paperwork and less frontline duties, she still makes time to interact with her students.

See FILLING BELLIES, page 35

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35

FILLING BELLIES

Continued from page 34 “I have always enjoyed being in the service area,” she said. “The students have a different relationship with the lunch ladies than they do even their teachers. They usually will talk to us and tell us about their days a little. We get to hear stories.”

All that during the fast-paced stretch of time getting hundreds of students through the line, to the lunch table and back to the classroom. Beyond the rush of the whole thing, Spicer said there are challenges simply getting students to eat.

“Regulations have changed a lot in recent years,” she said. “We have a lot of guidelines about things like whole grains, calories, sodium content, fruits and veggies. It all has to meet those regulations or we can’t serve it.”

Sometimes the challenge is getting students to try new things.

Maybe they don’t want the apple, but they have to take it.

“We have to make sure they are given certain amounts of different foods, even if they won’t eat it once they take it.”

Spicer combats that issue by offering students a chance to leave their uneaten fruit or packaged foods on a grab table. That meets a couple of needs, she said. Less food ends up in the trash, and fewer students leave the lunchroom still hungry.

“It can be heartbreaking sometimes when a student comes to us and says they are still hungry,” she said. “They might ask for more food, but we aren’t allowed to give it to them. We can only physically serve them so many calories. But, if their friends or classmates don’t want their Pop-Tarts at breakfast or won’t eat their apple at lunch, those kids can pick it up and find the extra food they need to feel full.”

Spicer and her team start the job around 5:30 on school mornings.

They have to prep and serve breakfast to the school by 6:55 a.m. And once breakfast is served and cleaned up, they have only a few hours to get lunch on the line by 10 a.m. They will continue serving lunch until 1:20 p.m., clean up and get ready for the next day.

“We have those time limits to get 881 kids fed,” she said.

It’s a monumental task at times, but it takes a team mentality.

“We are a team. We have assigned places, but we jump in and help out where we are needed,” she said. “We all work together well and that’s why we are able to do what we do.”

With the team at hand, Spicer said she can leave each day knowing she accomplished what she came for.

“I know the kids are eating good,” she said. §

Diana Spicer has been the cafeteria manager at Baker Intermediat e School for six years. (Photos by Whitney Leggett)

11:00 a.m.

FEEDING THE MASSES Food pantry manager coordinates helping hungry in community

By Whitney Leggett

J

oan Lawson said she had no idea how great the need was in her community until she started working at Clark County Community Services.

The local agency facilitates a food pantry and other programs to help families and individuals in need.

As the food pantry coordinator, Joan is tasked with facilitating the distribution of food bags for

more than 800 families and government-issued commodities for almost 400 seniors a month.

Joan is a Winchester-transplant who moved here three years ago to be closer to family.

“My husband died about four years ago and my sister had been living in Winchester,” Joan said from her desk in the warehouse-style food pantry located on Taylor Avenue.

Previously, Joan lived in Georgetown and worked for a trucking company that hauled steel coils for Toyota Motor Manufacturing.

Joand said, although she never managed a food pantry before, her experience lends itself to the job.

“Besides my work experience, I’ve raised five kids, so I’m pretty good at managing how to distribute food,” she said with a laugh.

Joan’s work day usually begins just before 7:30 a.m. She likes to get a head start on preparation for the rush that will inevitably hit less than two See FEEDING, page 37

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FEEDING

Continued from page 36 hours later.

“When I get here, I start putting together food bags, grabbing items off the shelves to fill each one,” she said. “Then I like to get the buggies loaded with anything else that will be distributed that day, whether it’s produce or we give out bread and pastries, too.”

Joan wants everything ready for the first five clients that arrive for the day.

“By the end of the day, we’ll have served 40 or 50 families, sometimes more,” she said.

The pantry distributes food bags to qualifying candidates once a month. Joan does distribution Monday through Friday and the first Saturday of each month.

“And we serve that many fami-

lies or more each day,” she said.

“We normally feed about 800 families a month.”

And then, Joan is tasked with coordinating the senior commodities program.

“We do 384 senior boxes a month in addition to the hundreds of families we feed,” she said.

The commodities food is purchased through God’s Pantry.

Clients usually get spaghetti, spaghetti sauce, soup, two cans of vegetables and other canned goods depending on what is available from the commodities shelf. Families also get a “snack bag” with sweets, along with breads and pastries.

Produce comes from the Feeding America program. Joan picks fruits and vegetables up from Walmart three days week.

“It’s great that we’re able to get our clients some fresh foods through that program,” she said.

Also depending on availability, families might go home with household supplies like detergent or toilet paper, she said.

“It’s a busy job,” she said. “But I like it.”

For Joan, the reward comes from knowing she plays a part in making sure people in her new home aren’t going to bed hungry.

“I don’t think a lot of people realize how great the need really is,” she said. “I didn’t realize the need would be this great in such a small community. We have a lot of people in need in Clark County. We have a large homeless population in Clark County.

“Some of the problem is budgeting. Some of it is the drug crisis. Regardless, I’m just glad to help people.” §

37

foo d pa ntr y at Joa n Law son ma na ge s the Se rvi ces on Tay Cla rk Co un ty Co mm un ity itn ey Leg ge tt) lor Av en ue . (Ph oto s by Wh

12:00 p.m.

INSPIRING ACCEPTANCE Strode Station teacher strives to make learning fun

By Whitney Leggett

I

t’s noon on a soggy day in Clark County, and Anitria Coston is watching closely as a student teacher works with her students.

The chatter of eager students can be heard as you approach the classroom.

A knock on the door is greeted with a bright and cheerful smile, one that breaths an air of comfort as she excuses herself and steps outside the brightlydecorated room.

She finds a knee-high table just a few feet from her classroom door and settles into a tiny chair.

“It might be a little more quiet here, but I can’t make any promises,” she says with a grin.

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“If you ask my mom, she’ll tell you I’ve always been a teacher,” Anitria jokes from outside her third-grade classroom as Strode Station Elementary School. “I briefly thought I would study business, but I went right back to teaching.”

The desire to teach was only strengthened by her

own teachers growing up.

“They always just seemed so knowledgeable,” she said. “You could go to them with anything and they had the answer. And I had some very compassionate teachers as well.”

Anitria earned her teaching degree from the University of Kentucky, where she completed her student-teaching at Strode Station.

The local school has been her home away from home since.

As a 15-year veteran to the teaching profession, Anitria is still relatively new to the world of thirdgraders, though. She taught first-grade at Strode See INSPIRING, page 39

PROGRESS 2018

INSPIRING

Continued from page 38 Station for 14 years prior to the shift to some of the older students in the kindergarten through fourthgrade school.

But she has learned to love the age-group.

“This age is just so accepting of everyone,” she said. “Whether their peers have special needs or behavior issues, they are still loving to everyone. My biggest lesson from them has been acceptance,” she said. “They just accept everyone as they are.”

While Anitria is charged with preparing her students for fourth-grade and standardized testing, her goal is to make learning fun.

She said if she can make the process enjoyable, students will be more successful.

“If they’re not having fun, they’re probably not learning,” she said. “I’m strict, but I like to have fun.

Every day, they learn something new. I love the look on their faces when they have that ‘aha’ moment.”

The journey to those moments is not without hurdles, though. There are larger classroom sizes, that make giving one-on-one attention to struggling students difficult, more regulations and data to chart.

Anitria said teachers are tasked with filling in the

ar y Sc ho ol th ird St ro de St at io n Ele me nt Co sto n sa id sh e ha s gr ad e te ac he r An itr ia r ca lli ng sin ce sh e kn ow n te ac hi ng wa s he s by Fr ed Pe tk e) wa s lit tle gir l. (P ho to

gap in many ways.

“When our students are here, we’re parents, we’re nurses, we’re psychologists,” she said. “There is so much we do beyond just teaching. And it wears on you.”

And while she may bring home papers to grade or lessons to plan, it can be increasingly difficult

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not to take home the worries and concerns over her students.

“We don’t leave it here,” she said.

She said there is a common misconception that teachers work seven-hour days and always have weekends and summers free.

“We start preparing for the school year in midJuly,” she said. “We start working on our classrooms, which have been deconstructed and packed up so the buildings can be cleaned.”

Professional development begins in August even before the school year officially begins. With closing day falling between the end of May and early June and even more professional development, Anitria said teachers keep busy year-round.

“My average day, I get here around 7:20 a.m.,” she said. “I like to stay late, so I am here until around 5 p.m. but I’ll also usually take work home and grade papers.”

But the hard work is worth it to see students find success in the classroom, she said. And that reinforces what she has known since she was a child — teachers are important.

“Everyone has to start somewhere,” she said.

“Even the most successful people had to learn from someone. People lean on teachers so much.” §

1:00 p.m.

UPHOLDING THE LAW Judge hears cases of all types in Clark District Court

By Fred Petke

A

t precisely 1 p.m. Wednesday, a door at the rear of the Clark District Courtroom opens and a black-robed figure takes his seat behind the bench.

“All rise. Clark District Court is now in session, the honorable Judge Earl-Ray Neal presiding,” the bailiff announces.

It’s time for the Wednesday jail docket for those who were recently arrested and just beginning the legal process. The defendants appear on a large television with a closed-circuit feed to the Clark County Detention Center.

“Are we ready at the jail? Please listen carefully. I’m about to read your rights,” Neal said.

Wednesday afternoons, there are two criminal dockets: the jail docket and the preliminary hearing docket. The preliminary hearing docket is generally for felony cases or misdemeanors that have been continued.

On this particular Wednesday, there is a sizable jail docket following holidays and consequently, no criminal dockets on Monday.

In all, more than 60 cases will be called before the judge between the two dockets this afternoon.

Most of the cases set for arraign-

signs the paperwork, you can get out,” Neal said. “Happy new year.”

“Happy new year to you, your honor,” the person replies.

Then, something new pops up: a defendant is charged with obstruction of governmental operations. ment, the first court appearance, on this day “The court would advise there are some are felonies, so Neal sets multiple preliminary governmental operations that need to be obhearings for the following Wednesday. structed,” Neal said. “I’ve been a lawyer for 22 The charges run the gamut from receiving years and I’ve never seen that charge.” stolen property and identity theft to arson, nonAccording to the citation, the defendant was payment of fines and drug trafficking. disorderly when he was brought to the Clark The actions were varied. In felony cases, the County Detention Center and required all depuprocess is fairly straightforward: enter an auties in the facility at the time to drop everything tomatic not guilty plea, schedule a preliminary and assist.

Then Neal finds the statute for the charge hearing and review the defendant’s bond. Sometimes, there are pleas for a low bond because of and determines it doesn’t fit the allegations. He dismisses the charge. a sick family member or a pregnant girlfriend.

“I’ll be able to sleep (well) tonight,” he said.

Sometimes the bond is lowered, sometimes not, After 45 minutes and about 30 cases, Neal depending on the facts of the case, their crimihits the end of the jail dockets. nal history and risk of fleeing or committing “We are adjourned. Call your next case,” he other crimes. said, signaling the transition to the preliminary One person, charged with identity theft, asked for an amendment to his bond after serv- hearing docket.

In Kentucky, a district judge has no jurisdicing 74 days. Neal relented, changing it to a $2,500 surety bond.

See JUDGE, page 41 “That means when someone comes down and

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JUDGE

Continued from 40 tion over felony charges and can not impose a sentence of more than one year. The district court can hold preliminary hearings to determine whether there is probable cause for the charge. If there is, the case goes to the grand jury for further action. If there is not, the judge can dismiss the case. It can still be presented to the grand jury later by law enforcement officials.

Allowing a brief break for attorneys to talk with their clients, Neal retakes the bench at 1:50 p.m., 20 minutes after the preliminary hearing docket is scheduled to start.

Seven prisoners from the Clark County Detention

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Center are sitting in the jury box waiting for their cases to be called. The courtroom has filled up with defendants who are free on bond and relatives

of those still in the jail.

First up is a person charged with felony receiving stolen property.

The charge is amended to a misdemeanor, and the

defendant is sentenced to 180 days. Half of those were conditionally discharged for two years.

If they complete the two years with no other charges or issues, the remaining

41

90 days will be dismissed.

The judge also authorized home incarceration for the 90 days to be served which includes an ankle monitor to track the person’s movements and ensure they are at home.

The next case involves illegal drugs, with a defendant charged with possession of a controlled substance and illegal possession of a legend drug.

Another guilty plea brings a sentence of 90 days, with 88 days conditionally discharged, which applied to both cases, with credit for two days served in the jail.

As the clock passes 2 p.m., Neal, prosecutors and defense attorneys move on to the next case, working their way down the docket through the rest of the afternoon. §

2:00 p.m.

THE STORYTELLER Librarian spreads love of reading with bookmobile

By Casey Castle

I

f the first image that springs to mind of a librarian is someone shushing you from behind a desk, Wendy O’Connor won’t fit that mold.

The head of outreach and Bookmobile services at the Clark County Public Library is usually on the move.

“I visit seven daycares, nine schools — public and private — the nursing home, Rosemary Brooks Place, the Generations Center and I also visit the Community Alternatives of Kentucky,” she said.

All of that between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and some weekend

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And that bookmobile? It’s not the old “library on wheels” some might remember, but a Scion XP roomy enough for plenty of books and totes, all O’Connor needs to spread the love of reading throughout Clark County.

“I always liked reading and books as a kid,”

O’Connor said. “I credit it to a wonderful librarian by the name of Jean at the Marion Carnegie Public Library in Marion, Iowa. She let my sister and me come to the library at night when my mom was at choir practice. We started volunteering, and I fell in love with it.”

O’Connor was 10 years old when she started volunteering and, by 17, she had her first paying job, as a page at the library.

She went to University of Northern Iowa and Iowa Cedar Falls. Then she attended the University of Kentucky for her masters. After stints in Lexington and Nashville working as a See STORYTELLER, page 43

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43

STORYTELLER

Continued from page 42 librarian, she came to Clark County.

“While I love working for big public library systems, I always wanted to work in the smalltown library like the one I grew up in, which was just like Winchester,” she said.

In the mornings, O’Connor makes stops at the daycares, schools and other organizations.

The afternoons are when she visits individual patrons.

“We don’t have the traditional stops where people went on the bookmobile, but we get the books into the schools to help with literacy and supply a lot of the daycares books because they don’t have the money for books,” O’Connor said.

“Teachers have to spend their own money to get books in their classrooms, so this is a way to help teachers get new age-appropriate books in their classrooms without spending money.”

O’Connor has worked with the bookmobile seven years, so some younger Clark County residents have grown up with her as a part of their lives.

“I love talking with the people and I love the hugs and seeing the kids faces and how excited they get for books,” she said. “When I’m walking through the hallways to bring books, I get recognized. ‘Miss Wendy! You read books to me.’

I know I’ve made an impact on them in their literacy and love of books.

“It’s pretty awesome to see a kid remember and make that connection. That fosters that love of books and the love of libraries.”

O’Connor doesn’t just deliver books, particular for the younger children. She reads to them, performs finger plays and sings with them.

Those things can pay dividends when these children enter school.

“That prepares the kids for kindergarten and future success in the classroom,” she said.

“Clark County has a good school system and we’d like to keep that going.

she pla ys no r sai d she lov es kn ow ing on O’C y nd We ian rar lib y ou gh Cla rk Co un ty Pu bli c Lib rar s suc cee d in the fut ure thr kid ty un Co rk Cla ng lpi he y an d d ho me -bo un d ina pa rt in fur the rin g lite rac ssr oo ms , nu rsi ng ho me s an cla , res yca da al loc to s ok he r wo rk ge ttin g bo Ca stl e) div idu als . (Ph oto s by Ca sey

“Kids who have 10 or fewer books in their home versus kids who have more than that, every year they would start behind their classmates and it would compound every year. Just being read to helps keep those kids on par with other kids. So that’s one reason I want to keep books in the daycares and the classrooms, to help the kids who don’t have access to them.”

For the older readers, O’Connor also serves as a kind of curator.

“I get to know them and they tell me what they like to read and what format they want,” she said. “So I choose books based on that.

Some of them make requests, but most will just say they like Westerns or romance or mysteryand I visit them every two weeks.

“For some, they are home-bound so it may

one of the few social interactions they have.”

Those relationships can sometimes be the toughest part of the job, O’Connor said.

“You develop a relationship with these patrons,” she said. “You see them every couple weeks, then you find out they passed away and it breaks your heart because you got to know them over that time. That’s the hardest part of my job.”

The best part? Spreading an appreciation for books.

“I love knowing I am furthering literacy and helping Clark County kids succeed in the future,” O’Connor said. “A kid who loves the library, hopefully, they’ll bring their kids and then those kids will keep it going.” §

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3:00 p.m.

YOU’VE GOT MAIL Post office operates 18 hours a day to deliver mail

By Fred Petke

T

he middle of the afternoon is a quiet time at the U.S. Post Office.

The 22 carriers are all out finishing their routes. The carrier supervisor is at her desk in the back. Those working the front counter will walk through from time to time.

There will be the occasional outgoing delivery dropped off by the back door.

It’s pretty quiet.

“We have an 18-hour operation,” Winchester Postmaster Nate Gabbard said, “from 12:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. At 7 a.m., my carriers come in and start working their routes.”

Technology has brought the postal service to the point that trays of letters arrive from Lexington already sorted by route and in delivery order.

Carriers still have to sort larger items like magazines, large envelopes and parcels, before loading their trucks and heading out on their appointed rounds. Scanners in the back can tell from the mailing label which route it belongs to, in order to be delivered.

“The average time they spend in the office is an hour and a half or two,” Gabbard said. “Most of my carriers are on the road by 9 a.m.”

In the front of the office, there is a steady stream of customers coming through with letters to send, parcels to ship or stamps to buy.

Around 3:15 p.m., the big back doors open as Brandon Jones and Roy Hudson arrive. On two carts are a total of 60 packages ready to be shipped out.

At the other side of the building, carrier Shawn Carmichael returns See MAIL, page 45

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45

MAIL

Continued from page 44 from his daily rounds with a couple cart loads of undeliverable mail as well as new outgoing mail from his route. There were also a couple trays of letters to be sent back through.

The back room settles down again for the next 20 minutes or so.

The silence is broken by the unmistakable cheep, cheep, cheep of baby chicks. Eight boxes of live chicks were just delivered to be picked up by someone from Rural King.

“Live animal shipments haven’t slowed down,” Gabbard said. “Rural King sells live animals constantly and they come through us.”

Cheep, cheep, cheep. The chicks keep going as they wait in secured cardboard boxes with plenty of air holes.

Chicks aren’t the only animals that can be sent through the mail, some more friendly than others.

“One guy sent a frozen rattlesnake,” Gabbard said. “We about lost our minds.”

Snakes can be mailed as long as they are frozen, he said, because they become inactive, as cold-blooded animals.

The cheep, cheep, cheep continues.

After about 10 minutes, someone from Rural King arrives to claim the chicks, and normalcy returns. The front counter will be open for another 45 minutes and carriers will continue to roll in, emptying their trucks and leaving them ready for another day. §

Mail carrier Shawn Carmichael loads his truck with totes of mail to be delivered around Clark County, above. Betty Jo Christopher prepares packages for delivery, left.

Carmichael and Christopher are two of the many employees who work to ensure mail of all types, from letters to frozen snakes, arrives at its intended destination. (Photos by Fred Petke)

4:00 p.m.

BUILDING AN EMPIRE Couple aspires to make at-home business full-time

By Whitney Leggett

F

or Sabra Israel and Jerrell Walker, work never really stops.

The pair of 23-year-olds are parents to fiveyear-old Moriah and almost two-year-old Heze-

kiah.

Parenting can be exhausting, the couple admits, but it’s their children that drive them to do what they do.

Sabra is a stay-at-home mom and Jerrell works for a pharmaceutical company. Those are their “regular jobs,” but aside from that and parenting, the two say they are “building an empire.”

That empire rests on the shoulders of a small busi-

ness they operate from their home just off of Paris Road in Clark County.

Sabra and Jerrell are co-owners of T/S Express, a direct-to-garment company producing a variety of apparel. With their AnaJet printing machine, they can also transfer designs to wood, metal and glass.

Their products are sold using an online platform at expressmykids.com, where customers can pick from dozens of designs or can request a design of their own. The online store handles the payment processing, shipping and more.

All that falls back on a dream of Sabra’s from year’s ago, Jerrell said.

“Sabra had this dream to make bows and sell

them,” Jerrell said. “She started making bows for our daughter.”

They eventually expanded that small endeavor with an embroidery machine and even InkJet printer transfers to add special details to the bows, he said.

That grew into other accessories, like infinity scarves.

“The sales were there, but the quality wasn’t where we wanted it,” Jerrell said.

So he began researching their current machine, which can transfer designs to about 80 shirts and hour — a big step up from the InkJet transfers that took about 10 minutes each, Sabra said.

See BUILDING, page 47

PROGRESS 2018

BUILDING

47

to work every day. He moved on to Taco Bell and when he turned 18, began working in the pharmaceutical industry.

Continued from page 46 The couple had their first child when they were Then came the marketing and the business growth, still teenagers, adding further motivation to be sucwhich is a constant learning experience, according to cessful — in their personal relationship and their Jerrell. jobs.

The whole process starts with a design idea, which “We wanted our children to have a solid family, Sabra recreates using Photoshop to ensure the deso we felt it was important for us to work to stay tosigns are high-quality and reprintable. Those designs gether,” Jerrell said. have to be saved to the website and rendered for the And from that little family grew the business, machine to further enhance the image. Once the where Sabra said no day is the same. images are sent to the printer, each shirt has to be “It’s always different here,” Sabra said. “We might pretreated, which essentially “lays a canvas” for the be in here (their at-home work room) for hours at design, Jerrell said. Then they are steamed with a night making shirts, or we might be in bed and Jerheat press to lay down any fibers and create a smooth rell is deep into research about marketing or learning canvas. Finally, the shirts are run through the printer more on how to use our equipment.” which lays a layer of white first and then the rest of “The trends are always changing, so we are conthe design. One final steam with the heat press locks stantly working to keep up and finding ways to get in the design. ahead,” he said.

There are multiple “stores” within the online site, ir While Jerrell is at work, Sabra is home with the the said Jerrell said, including one for baby and toddler gear, Jer rell Wa lke r and Sab ra Isra el dikids and attempts to manage orders or other busis, a mommy and me attire, dog-lovers and fitness enthubus ine ss ven tur e wit h T/S Exp res lt bui is ness needs. That is not always easily accomplished, y, pan com l siasts. One major bolster for their business has been rec t-to -ga rme nt app are uort opp re though. mo being selected as the T-shirt provider for Strode Staaro und the goa l of pro vid ing old ar-ye “When she’s home with the kids, it’s not like she tion Elementary School. niti es for the ir two chi ldre n, five s oto (Ph ah. eki can really focus fully on the business,” Jerrell said.

Hez old arThat creates a sense of pride, Jerrell said.

Mo riah and one -ye That means the couple ends up doing much of “One of the most rewarding things about this job

by Wh itne y Leg get t) their work in the late hours of the night and into the is when I see people wearing our products,” he said.

“Walking through the halls at Strode Station and “We had families who were there for us, but I want early hours of the morning.

“It’s not easy, and we’re not even as big as we want seeing teachers and everyone in our shirts is really to provide those opportunities for our kids that I to be,” Sabra said. “There is so much to do.” great.” didn’t have,” he said. “In fact, I spent a good part of With all that they have going on, Jerrell said havBut the couple isn’t satisfied stopping there. Their my childhood staying in trouble.” ing his girlfriend as his business partner has been of dream is to make their direct-to-garment business a Sabra and Jerrell, who are Winchester natives, met great benefit. full-time job and eventually grow their business to be as middle school students and dated off and on from “I love her because she makes me pause and stop,” able to provide more opportunities for their children. the time they were 13 year olds. he said as Sabra looks on tearfully. “I’m always dig“I would love to be able to have the business run Jerrell left George Rogers Clark High School in ging and wanting more, but she brings me back down itself and be able to travel the world with my family,” the ninth grade for Bluegrass Challenge Academy, a Jerrell said. military school. He obtained his GED and even began and reminds me the whole reason we are doing this is our family, and so I need to stop and appreciate “We want to make this our main job, but by doing college courses at age 16. that sometimes.” that, we can continue to prioritize our family,” Sabra “When I got my life turned back around, I came “We’re building an empire,” Sabra said. “And Jeradded. back here and Sabra was really motivating me to get myself right,” Jerrell said.

That desire is born out of their own childhood exrell likes to remind me that Rome wasn’t built in a He got a backpack and a job at Kmart and walked periences, Jerrell said. day, so we have to keep pushing.” §

5:00 p.m.

BRINGING THE FIRE Manager finds second home at Engine House

By Lashana Harney

E

mily Durbin just needed a job.

It was time to get back to work after taking time off to focus on her baby boy, Max. Fortunately, her good friend and now co-worker, Emily Mayes, posted on Facebook about a new restaurant looking for servers. Durbin jumped at the opportunity the day before Engine House Deli + Pub opened.

“I’m just trying to build a better life for (Max),” Durbin said.

Having Max changed her life. She said Max made her grow up and gave her a new perspective. “(He) made me realize this is what I got to do,” she said.

Her first day at the Engine House was the same day as Winchester’s infamous Beer Cheese Festival in 2015. They were busy, Durbin said, and it was sink or swim.

“You have to move fast,” she said.

Now, almost four years later, inside the bright red building on West Lexington Avenue, Durbin, 25, has worked her way up to manager at what is now known

as Engine House Pizza Pub. “It was tough,” Durbin said. “I had never managed before… but it was worth it.”

Mayes, 31, said Durbin has been an exceptional manager and is proud of how hard she has worked to rise in the ranks.

“She’s a good manager,” Mayes said. “Very fair, very versatile. She helps out in the kitchen, which isn’t something you get a lot.”

Durbin’s days usually start around noon and can See THE FIRE, page 49

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THE FIRE

Continued from page 48 sometimes go up until 11 p.m. on busy nights.

For the most part, Durbin goes with the flow. She pitches in when needed, makes beer orders, manages payroll and ensures everything goes smoothly.

At times, it’s stressful.

“I feel like I do a pretty good job of not getting stressed to the point where people can tell I’m stressed,” Durbin said. “I’ve been doing it for a couple of years. So, it’s kind of second nature at this point.”

Durbin jumps up to help a stuck pizza crisis in the kitchen; moments later, she’s helping another employee with a payment issue. There’s always something to do, even when it’s slow, Durbin said.

But luckily, her work family has been great, she said. After some previous stints at a local call center, and other various jobs, Engine House is by far her favorite endeavor because of the family feel, Durbin said.

Durbin just fits right at the Engine House. Its black and white checkered floors, paneled walls lined with old pictures, antiqued liquor and soda bottles, bright red booths and ceilings scribbled with graffiti complement Durbin’s vibe. In her black sleeveless jumper, dainty tattoos — arrows, teacups, an anchor and more — adorn her fingers and her arms, and her sharp, pale pink nails even exude a softness.

“Can I get your number just in case?”

Durbin asks a customer ordering take out on the phone.

Durbin said it’s funny she is in a

EnEmily Durbin worke d her up from a waitre ss to manag er of the (Phoester.

Winch in gine House Pizza + Pub on Lexing ton Avenu e tos by Lashan a Harne y)

management position because she’s shyer than most people, and doesn’t feel like she’s good at talking with strangers.

But it doesn’t show.

“That’ll be fine,” she tells customer D.J. Gabbard. They’re making plans for an upcoming Grateful Dead night.

At any given time, customers come up to Durbin, and they talk like they're good friends.

“I’ve grown to know a lot of people here,” Durbin said. “So, it’s gotten a bit easier (to talk with people).”

She spends her spare time trying to become more knowledgeable about the restaurant industry and seeks to improve Engine House however she can.

“I’ve never done this before,” Durbin

said. “So, I just watch everything, and see what I can do differently.”

Durbin grew up in Winchester and has seen downtown Winchester grow.

She had initially wanted to move away like many kids her age, but stayed because of family.

Winchester is getting better, she said. It’s growing because of the local businesses like Engine House. Engine House switched over from a deli menu, and reopened as a pizza pub in October 2017, Durbin said. “(Winchester’s) becoming something really, really cool,” she said. “It’s cool to be a part of that too.”

People have been receptive to Engine House since its inception. People expand their horizons and grow with

49

the restaurant by exploring various foods and craft beers, she said.

One customer asks Durbin to try the White Squirrel brew on tap. He likes it and orders a glass. Durbin said taste glasses are available for undecided customers.

“A lot of people, we’ve introduced them to the craft beer setting,” Durbin said.

Its popularity has even inspired a second location that will feature some options from the older deli menu. It will open on South Main Street later this year.

Selina Arnett, 43, said it was her third time meeting at Engine House just this week. On Tuesday night, she gathered with members of a local group, which works to find ways to improve the community, she said.

They talked, ate pizza and drank beer.

Engine House is a perfect location to meet, Arnett said.

Arnett also volunteers with the Leeds Center for the Arts and often asks Durbin if Engine House can stay open just a bit later when the cast of a show wraps up on set.

“We support them as much as possible,” Arnett said.

She said Durbin is working hard to make Winchester a good place for young people, and overall, just a better place to live.

Durbin is uncertain about her future.

For now, the pizza pub is her home.

And with Max starting preschool soon, she’s doing it all for him.

“I just think about him, and keep going,” Durbin said. §

6:00 p.m.

GETTING INTO SHAPE Trainer finds reward in helping clients reach goals

By Casey Castle

I

f it’s a one-on-one, small group or larger session, Michael Clark is starting the hour thinking about someone else’s health and fitness.

“I’ll assess who is in the class and who is coming that day, so I will set up the exercises, the sets and the times based on that,” Clark said. “Some people aren’t as in shape

as others, so I will cater to them but if I have people who are really in shape, I’ll give them modified exercises so it will be harder for them. Or I will modify it to make it easier for others if the exercises are already hard.”

Clark, who operates Body Evolution Fitness, studied at Eastern Kentucky University while playing on the school’s football team.

After graduation, he started working in Lexington and has expanded into his hometown, Winchester, since last summer.

Clark operates out of the Ludus Gym in Winchester. His boot camp workouts start at 7:15 p.m. Monday through Thursday. He also does personal one-on-one training, small See FITNESS GOALS, page 51

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FITNESS GOALS

Continued from page 50 group training and sports training.

“I want to get close to the community,” he said. “I’ve been working with Todd (Sharrock) and we’re starting an athletic camp for kids here. We realized a lot of kids don’t have the same opportunities as kids in other areas, so we want to provide them with something they can use to better themselves.”

Once a session begins, Clark will get the participants loosened up while checking in on their progress.

“I’ll put them through some warm-up drills,” he said. “I’ll explain what we’re doing for that day. I will explain what it’s good

for and what body parts we’re working. I’ll tell them what the goal is for the day.

“I’ll ask people how their diet is, if we need to correct some stuff. I’ll try to answer their questions. I want to start conversations and get people talking about what they’re going through and how they’re doing with their diet.”

And that’s the important part for Clark: seeing the clients have success.

“If somebody who has tried everything — low-carb, paleo, every fitness fad — out and everything has failed, then they come to me and I can provide the missing piece of the puzzle and assist them in changing their own body, then they come and say, ‘Thank you,’ that’s more rewarding than money,” Clark

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said.

That missing piece is knowledge, Clark said.

“I want to motivate them and keep them inspired but make sure they are doing the right exercises and are on the right diet for them,” he said.

It’s an attainable and important goal for everyone in Winchester, Clark said.

“We have to get healthier,” he said. “We have a lot of people in our community who are out of shape. We have a lot of people who suffer from chronic diseases. Chronic diseases are the No. 1 killer in the U.S. and they are all preventable diseases.

They can be prevented by diet and exercise. There’s no reason for people to suffer the way they do, but if you can learn how to take care of yourself, you can

51

avoid that.”

And don’t let the intimidation of the gym be a barrier to entry.

“A lot of people feel like they have to already be in shape to come out to something like boot camp or similar stuff we run,” Clark said. “That’s not the case.

The majority of the people there are there to get in shape. You can be the most out-of-shape person and still come and go at your own pace and get your own workout.

“You’re not competing with anyone else. You only compete against yourself. The classes are like a small community.

“People are friendly and helpful and inviting. It’s like a family. We laugh and joke. We have a good time.” §

PROUD TO PRINT THIS YEAR’S PROGRESS 2018. w w w.public ationspress.com 884 Lagoon Commercial Boulevard | Montgomery, AL | 334.244.0436

7:00 p.m.

CALLING THE SHOTS Referee offers structure under Friday night lights

By Casey Castle

A

t 7 p.m. on Friday nights in the fall, most football fans are making their way to the stadium or looking for their seats. For Jimmy Powell and his crew of football officials, they’ve been at the venue for at least an hour.

“We try to be there at 6 p.m., depending on where the game is,” he said. “(Winchester resident) Andy Cecil is on my crew for high school

games, so I usually pick up Andy and we go wherever (we’ve been assigned). We’ll do our pregame and walk on the field at 7.”

Kick-off is still a half hour away, but Powell and his crew will check the field and speak to coaches before the game begins. Any other preparation has already been done.

“Our prep never really stops,” Powell said. “Earlier in the year, we’ll do a lot more pregame preparation like any new rules or situations that might come up. As the season progresses, we don’t talk

as much about the new stuff but rather what has been going on recently.

“We will talk about anything pertinent to the game or anything that might catch us off-guard.

We prepare for that. Your hope is you never have to throw a flag, but that’s never the case.”

Powell has nearly three decades spent as a football official of middle school, high school and collegiate football games. That road started on the See CALLING, page 53

PROGRESS 2018

CALLING

Continued from page 52 other side of the sideline stripe, when he was a coach at Belmont Middle School.

After giving an official some grief, he was challenged to give it a try.

“I was getting on Steve (Pittman) a little bit — we’re friends — and he said, ‘You ought to do this,’” Powell said. “I told him I might. So they called me the next season, and I did it.”

It was harder to break into varsity at that point, Powell said. And he couldn’t do any middle school games since he was still coaching at Belmont.

After doing some freshman and junior varsity games, he got a call to do a varsity game the last week of the season.

“I got a call from our assigner, the last game of the season,” he said. “He sent me to a varsity game. Back then, it was an honor to do a varsity game in your first two years, and I got one in the last game of my first. I worked at umpire, which I had never worked and never worked at again. It was the only time I worked the umpire position.”

The next year, they asked him to join that crew full-time and he’s worked with them since.

For high school varsity games, Powell works as

the referee — still working for the same crew.

“I was with that crew my whole career,” he said.

“Now I’m the head of that crew.”

Powell also does middle school games and started doing college games about 10 years ago.

He works mostly with the MidSouth Conference on Saturdays. For varsity football, he works with the Central Kentucky Football Officials Association which covers Fayette, Clark, Anderson, Scott, Bourbon, Estill, Boyle and plenty in between.

As a Clark County resident, Powell is never assigned a George Rogers Clark High School game, but wherever he ends up on Friday, it’s a marquee matchup for Powell.

“Whatever game they give me, I feel like is the biggest game in town,” he said. “That’s the great thing about high school football, it’s the only game in town and people come out and they deserve the best game they can get.”

Sometimes they’re pretty big games — like the NAIA national championship semifinal in Chicago a few years ago or the 4A state football championship late last year.

“I’ve been lucky there,” Powell said. “There’s a lot of traveling. We travel a ton. A lot of times I’ll leave a high school game on Friday night then go home, sleep a couple hours then we’re on the road.”

53

Whichever level and whoever is playing, Powell is looking for the same thing most football fans are — a game that comes down to the wire.

“I want it to go down to the last snap of the game every time,” he said. “It’s what keeps you focused. It’s like being busy at work, the time goes by faster.”

From youth leagues through all the prep levels, the true value of the official is structure.

“We provide the proper structure to play this game. It’s a tough game. It hurts to play football.

Any kids who are playing it deserve a lot of respect because they’re out there playing a man’s game,” Powell said. “Not that the other sports aren’t, but football is a game you have to love to play. It’s not passive. Even at the smallest levels, there’s some good hitting going on.

“And it’s a safety issue. How you officiate the game will dictate how the game goes. It’s important for the kids, the coaches and the parents to have that structure.”

Powell said he works as an official because he loves the game. If he ever stops loving it, he’ll stop officiating, he said. That doesn’t seem to be happening anytime soon.

“I’ve been doing this a long time,” he said. “I don’t know how I would act on a Friday if I didn’t have a football game.” §

8:00 p.m.

8:00 p.m.

ON THE NIGHT WATCH Sleep lab technician helps patients rest easier

By Whitney Leggett

W

hile most of Winchester and Clark County are settling in bed for the night, Ryan Maynard is up watching others as they sleep.

On the top floor of Clark Clinic B on the campus of Clark Regional Medical Center, Maynard works in the sleep lab as a registered polysomnography technician.

Maynard’s job is to monitor patients who are having sleep studies conducted. Patients might be having studies to diagnose anything from sleep apnea to narcolepsy, he said.

“I follow the plan provided by our sleep doctor,” Maynard said. “I get patients hooked up the

monitoring devices for their sleep studies and I monitor them throughout the night, usually to watch for signs of sleep apnea. It’s my job to get a good read on them while they’re here so the doctors can make a plan to help them.”

Beginning around 7 p.m. on his shift nights, Maynard, a Lexington resident, starts prepping rooms for patients, he said.

Patients begin arriving shortly after and Maynard assists with check in, getting their consent of the study, identification and patient history. He shows them to one of the four suites, equipped with Sleep Number beds, televisions and other amenities to make them feel more like a hotel room than a hospital room, Maynard said.

Once checked in, Maynard begins a lengthy process of connecting patients to various monitoring devices, all the while explaining to them the procedure and easing any concerns about the process.

After about an hour spent connecting to the monitors, Maynard lets patients take on last trip to the restroom and they are off to bed.

And Maynard is off to the front office to watch for any lapses in breathing or other signs of sleep disorders. He will need to get at least six hours of recorded sleep time to get a good read on the patient, he said.

See NIGHT WATCH, page 55

PROGRESS 2018

CALLING

ow n sle ep he alt h Af te r ex pe rie nc in g hi s er y to co rre ct iss ue s an d ha vin g su rg yn ar d de cid ed to th e pr ob lem , Ry an Ma gis te re d po lypu rsu e a ca re er as a re n to he lp ot he rs. so mn og ra ph y te ch ni cia gg et t) (P ho to s by W hi tn ey Le

Continued from page 54 “We will let them sleep more, but we try to cut it off at about eight hours,” he said.

Maynard said his interest in sleep health derives from personal experience. When he was in the U.S. Army, Maynard was diagnosed with sleep apnea and had surgery to treat the problem.

After he left the Army, Maynard said he decided to earn the one-year certification required for polysomnography technicians to try to help others.

“I once read a study that about 80 percent of people who have sleep apnea don’t know they have it,” he said. “The field is in its infancy. There is still a lot of room to grow.

“When you consider that we spend about a third of our life sleeping, and if we aren’t aware of our sleep health, then about

a third of our health is unaccounted for.”

Maynard said helping others get good sleep is that important to him, and advocates that people listen to their bed partners and look for the signs.

“If you are tired even after what you thought was a good night’s sleep, if you wake up with extremely dry mouth, if you snore heavily, if you wake with a headache, those are all signs you might have a sleep disorder.”

And in his three years at CRMC, Maynard has seen how treating sleep disorders has improved his patients’ quality of life.

“Most people don’t realize that with sleep, quality is more important that quality,” he said.

“One of the most severe cases I’ve ever seen was a patient who said their partner wanted them to have the study but they didn’t think they stopped breathing in

55

their sleep. This patient stopped breathing for a minute or a minute and a half at times.”

Maynard said when that happens, oxygen levels dip and the oxygen can be limited to parts of the body. That can contribute to heart attacks, heart disease or other complications.

“I woke the patient and had him use a CPAP machine,” he said. “When he woke up the next day, he said he felt like a million bucks. That’s rewarding.”

However, getting patients to wear the mask can be the most challenging part of the job, he said.

“Some people just don’t want to wear the mask, but I wish I could show them how much their body is suffering when they stop breathing,” he said.

And often, the challenge lies in the irony.

“I am sacrificing my own sleep overnight to help others get better sleep,” he said. §

9:00 p.m.

SETTING THE STANDARD Factory shift leaders keep quality as top priority

By Seth Littrell

F

or many people, 9 p.m. on a Friday is a time to spend with friends and family, or to relax and reflect on another week gone by.

For Jeff Fletcher and Casey Cox, it marks the second half of their shift on a factory floor.

Fletcher and Cox are team leaders at Winchester’s Leggett and Platt factory, overseeing the production of thousands of bedding components night after night while, somewhat ironi-

cally, foregoing rest themselves.

“The factory goes 24 hours a day,” Cox said.

“There’s always someone here.”

Cox and Fletcher take the lead on the factory’s second shift, starting at 3 p.m. each day and ending at 11 p.m.

During each shift, Fletcher said the goal is to produce about 9,000 units, assembling the springs for bedding that are then shipped off to be finished.

“We make the inner springs,” Cox said. “We do some box springs too.”

When Fletcher and Cox begin their shifts, they start by taking a look at personnel and what the priority tasks on the floor are that day.

The shift can make for long days, especially for Fletcher, who commutes to Winchester from Estill County each day. However, Fletcher said he has no complaints and enjoys his time at the factory.

“My favorite thing about this place is the family atmosphere,” Fletcher said. “We’re all like a See STANDARD, page 55

PROGRESS 2018

STANDARD

Continued from page 54 big family here. Even if you meet someone who isn’t on your shift, you try to take care of each other.”

Part of taking care of each other is making sure the factory floor runs smoothly. Despite being leads and not tied to any one machine, Cox and Fletcher stay busy making sure the equipment their workers are using and the products they are producing stay up to company standards.

“We do quality checks on the coils and make sure everything is built to the proper measurements,” Fletcher, who has a background in quality assurance, said. “We do those about four or five times during a shift.”

Those checks are made in addition to the close work the two do with quality assurance workers at the factory.

Once the springs made on the floor are finished and pass inspec-

tion, teams use large overhead tracks to transport them across the factory floor, which spans a quarter of a mile, to be processed for transportation.

Once in the prep area, the springs are pushed together into tight packages to be efficiently loaded onto trucks that carry them to the next step in their production.

Both Fletcher and Cox have worked on the factory floor before, giving them an informed understanding of how the members

of their team do their jobs. The knowledge and cameraderie also helps them to effectively communicate with their workers and avoid any workplace accidents.

“Our main thing here is, if you see something, say something,” Cox said.

He said workers are taught to look after and take care of the machines they interact with on a daily basis, giving them more of a sense of pride in the tools they use on the job. The philosophy also makes them more likely to notice if some-

57

thing out of the ordinary is happening with their equipment that may require a call to the maintenance department, which can help elimiate some problems before they begin.

Fletcher, who has worked for Leggett and Platt for more than a decade, said during his time working he has never encountered an issue that wasn’t addressed through vigilance on the part of the staff.

“They’re good people, and they do great work,” he said.

When they aren’t overseeing operations on the factory floor, Cox and Fletcher both say they enjoy spending time at home with their families.

It’s time they cherish, because the shift they work doesn’t leave them a lot of time to spend at home during the day.

But as the afternoon approaches, both say they look forward to spending time with their Leggett and Platt family. §

10:00 p.m.

TWO-FOR-ONE CARE Labor and delivery nurse cares for moms, babies

By Whitney Leggett

T

he halls of the labor and delivery unit at Clark Regional Medical Center are shockingly still and quiet.

A quick pass by the nursery shows one newborn undergoing a hearing test from a careful nurse.

Two nurses await the arrival of an expectant mother scheduled for an indication that night.

An excited family tries their best to keep the

noise down as they visit with their newest member, and somewhere in the mix is Andrea Minix.

Minix is a registered nurse who works the night shift — 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. — in the department. She floats through the nursery and postpartum care and talks excitedly about beginning orientation as a labor nurse.

The mother of three said she wasn’t always sure she wanted to be a nurse.

“When I got out of high school, I didn’t know what

I wanted to do,” she said. “A friend directed me towards nursing and told me they thought it would be a good fit.”

Minix said she quickly developed a fondness for interacting with patients.

“I think that aspect made my personality very fitting for nursing,” she said. “There are a lot of different types of people who would find they like See LABOR AND DELIVERY, page 59

PROGRESS 2018

59

LABOR AND DELIVERY

Continued from page 58 nursing, but interacting with my patients is what really made me love it. And there is always a need for nurses, so it’s a good career choice.”

Minix recently returned to the job after taking some time off with her own children, she said.

“I’ve been at Clark Regional a little more than a year,” she said. “I took a couple years off when my youngest was born.”

This is the first time she has worked in labor and delivery. When she finished college, her first job was in an emergency department.

“I was an LPN at different physician’s offices before that,” she said. “And my husband, Jayson, and I did mission work before that.”

That experience gave her valuable insight into her current career path.

“We helped plant churches in Peru,” she said. “I had my first two children on the mission field in the Andes Mountains. I think if I knew what I know now, I might not have done that.

“But I also put my faith into action in my job. I think the Lord wants us to be an example for him.

In my work, I try to be a light to my patients. I want people to see God in me, even thought I might not talk with them about my faith in the course of my job.”

Minix said while the night shift is more quiet than the day shift, which boasts more visitors and doctors rounding, there is still as much to do.

“We stay busy at night,” she said.

Minix said no shift is typical, but there are certain things that she must do every night.

“A lot of doctors send inductions in to be started overnight, so we get those going,” she said. “We help them with all their paperwork and get consent forms signed. In the nursery, we get the cribs and warmers ready and try to make everything run as smoothly as possible for the moms.”

She said the nursery offers to care for babies through the night, which some parents utilize and

to Aft er tak ing a few yea rs off wo rk rea spe nd wit h her ow n chi ldre n, And shi ft Min ix now wo rks the ove rnig ht rs the mo ant hel pin g new and exp ect s live and bab ies nav iga te the ir new get t) tog eth er. (Ph oto s by Wh itne y Leg

others do not.

“Some parents really need the rest, so if we have babies in the nursery we are charged with caring for them all night,” she said.

Through the night, nurses are conducting hearing screenings and heart screenings.

“And, even though doctors really try to schedule deliveries for the day, we sometimes have unexpected deliveries through the night, so it can be very busy when that happens,” she said.

A unique challenge for labor and delivery nurses is that each patient eventually multiplies. While many nurses are caring for individual patients, labor and delivery nurses are monitoring both mom and baby, Minix said.

“Here, we are dealing with two lives,” she said.

“Even though they are both patients, they are separate but also a unit.”

A lot of the job involves patient education. Nurses might be asked to help moms who are struggling

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with feeding, whether with bottles or breast, or showing basic baby care like swaddling, umbilical cord care and more.

“For me, I work a lot in the nursery,” Minix said.

“So some of the challenges might come when you are dealing with a sick baby. There is a lot of monitoring. We also deal with moms who are on drugs, so their babies are essentially withdrawing and that is hard.”

With every challenge and busy night, there are more rewards, though, Minix said.

“Every birth is a reward,” she said. “We get to witness miracles every shift. I love to see the moms learn to care for their babies. It’s always great to see families get to go home healthy and happy.

“And we don’t always get to sit around and cuddle babies, but that happens sometimes, and who wouldn’t love that?” §

11:00 p.m.

FROM CALL TO CALL Deputies on night shift handle variety of calls

By Fred Petke

I

t’s only a couple degrees above zero tonight.

Most people are home, winding down a day after Clark County was coated in snow.

Deputy Sheriff Ashton Thornberry is sitting in the Clark County Sheriff’s Office with Deputy Ernie Evans, the only two on duty this night.

Thornberry, who joined the department in the summer, is in the middle of his 12-hour shift, which began at 6 p.m. Evans is a couple hours away from the end of his shift: 2 a.m.

They talk about running a little radar tonight, maybe on Boonesboro Road, maybe on Veterans Memorial Parkway, before hitting the streets.

“Work-wise, I like working nights. Family-wise, I’d rather work days,” said Thornberry, the father of two girls, ages 1 and 4.

Working overnight has its advantages, though.

“I like the lack of traffic,” he said. “Tonight it’s me and Ernie. We have the freedom to handle (calls) as we think best.”

After taking a quick spin through town, Thornberry gets his first call of the hour: a suspicious

female walking along Pretty Run Road, just off Kentucky 627 heading toward Bourbon County.

Responding from Revilo Road, it takes about six minutes for Thornberry and Evans to find a 13-year-old girl, walking in the snow along Pretty Run Road, carrying a couple backpacks.

The deputies stop, turn on their cruisers’ blue lights and get out to see what’s going on.

The girl said she’s walking to a relative’s house in Paris.

See NIGHT SHIFT, page 61

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NIGHT SHIFT

Continued from page 60 “We can’t let this happen,” Thornberry said. “If she was an adult and wanted to walk to Paris, so be it.”

While Evans talks with the girl, Thornberry is on the phone with emergency dispatchers to find an address and other information from a previous interaction with the girl.

She lived in foster care about a mile down Pretty Run from their location.

Thornberry heads down the road to find the residence, as Evans talks the girl into going with him. They arrive a couple minutes later.

The girl sits on the front porch, cursing, while Thornberry finishes speaking with the foster mother.

Evans leaves for another juvenile call on Southwind Drive. According to dispatch, there is an out-of-control 14-year-old male who punched his mother.

Thornberry heads across Clark County to assist Evans.

Another juvenile call is already waiting, according to the laptop in Thornberry’s cruiser: a 17-year-old girl is missing from home. Missing juvenile reports have an additional time factor that’s different from other cases.

“We have about two hours to get everything entered,” Thornberry said. Everything includes a full de-

scription of the juvenile and what they are wearing.

By the time Thornberry hits the end of Bypass Road, Evans reports his situation is resolved, so Thornberry heads back across town for the missing juvenile complaint on Vanover Way. “Three juvenile calls in a row.

Crazy,” he said. “It’s how we do it. We

61

go from call to call and try to smooth things out.”

It’s already been a busy night.

Earlier in the evening, Thornberry responded to two accidents, served three warrants and made two traffic stops. There are always warrants to be served, he said. Each deputy is responsible for a certain part of the county for warrants, he said. His contains a lot of rental property, which makes serving those warrants a challenge as people move often, he said.

After speaking with the parents on Vanover Way, Thornberry heads to the office a little after midnight to start working on the report about the missing juvenile.

While stopped for a red light at Maple Street and Broadway Street, dispatchers call over the radio to say the missing girl returned home and everything is OK. “That’s awesome,” Thornberry said, as much that the girl is home safe as it is for not having to hurry and finish the report. §

62 PROGRESS 2018

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