Messenger-Inquirer from Owensboro, Kentucky • A2

A2 MESSENGER-INQUIRER, Thursday, December 1 201 6 ATHENA Killer storms add to South's misery Crystal VanderWeitThe Decatur Daily via Associated Press People work to salvage items from Sullivan Cycles on Wednesday morning in Neel, after it was destroyed by overnight storms and high winds. was responsible for the death of a husband and wife in southern Tennessee's Polk County, while an unknown number of others were injured, said Tennessee Emergency Management Agency spokesman Dean Flener. No details were immediately available. Shirley Knight, whose family owns a small propane business in Rosalie, said the storm crashed in on them in the middle of the night. Daybreak revealed mangled sheets of metal, insulation and a ladder hanging in trees.

"We had a plaza, a service station and several buildings connected together, and it's all gone," said Knight, adding that the storm also destroyed a church and damaged buildings at a nearby Christmas tree farm. The same storm apparently hit a closed day care center in the community of Ider, injuring seven people, including three children who had left their mobile home to seek shelter, said Anthony Clifton, DeKalb County emergency management director. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. Tornadoes that dropped out of the night sky killed five people in two states and injured at least a dozen more early Wednesday, adding to a seemingly biblical onslaught of drought, flood and fire plaguing the South. The storms tore through just as firefighters began to get control of wildfires that killed seven and wiped out more than 150 homes and businesses around the resort town of Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

In Alabama, the weather system dumped more than 2 inches of rain in areas that had been parched by months of choking drought. At least 10 confirmed twisters damaged homes, splintered barns and toppled trees in parts of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee, the National Weather Service said. Tombstones were even knocked over in the cemetery behind the badly damaged Rosalie Baptist Church, near where three people died in northeastern Alabama. FROM THE FRONT PAGE are qualities sought in leadership award recipients. The program, founded in Lansing, Michigan, more than 30 years ago, has grown rapidly across hundreds of cities in the U.S., Canada and across the globe.

Awards, says Girls Inc. board member Sue Napper, take the form of a hand-cast bronze sculpture in Athena's likeness, but they represent an effort to go above professional success and make personal sacrifices to advance local women and girls. 'We have a lot of people who have achieved a lot of success in their business and professions," she said. "That's a wonderful thing, but what is key to the ATHENA Award is those individuals who have had professional successes, but who, along the way, have used their talents and taken the opportunity to open doors for women." That's key, she said. Anyone can make a nomination, Napper said.

All that's needed is the individual's name and some contact information, including an email and mailing address. That's because once the initial nominations have been made, Girls Inc. staff will send nominee award forms to the individuals named. There they provide detailed information on work experience, professional accomplishments, community service, memberships, achievements, awards, publications and more. Of course, most importantly is a description of how the individual has assisted women in reaching their full leadership potentials.

Initial nominations, including the person's name and basic contact information, must be made by Dec. 28. Once the nominee has received his or her award form, it's due back to the award committee by Jan. 25, 2017. "I think if important that we recognize and celebrate those individuals in the community who have taken the extra step in achieving their dreams and aspirations and giving back," she said.

"It instills within those individuals and into girls a sense of what's possible to see what people have done to help open doors to them." Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Candance Brake said the chamber's role in the ATHENA Award partnership is to promote it within the business community and encourage leaders to do more for others. "(The award) demonstrates to the community an individual who has not only excelled in their profession, but who has taken the time to bring other people forward, mentored and led. Those are special people who build special communities, and Owensboro is full of so many people who are interested in being philanthropists and mentors." Those interested in making nominations can contact the Chamber of Commerce at 270-926-1860 or Girls Inc. at 270-684-7833. Austin Ramsey, 270-691 -7302, aramseymessenger-inquirer.

com, Twitter: austinrramsey "It looks like the rapture happened up there," said church member Steve Hall, referring to the end-times belief of many Christians. "Are we thinking the Lord is trying to get our attention?" said the pastor, Roger Little. The National Weather Service was assessing damage from multiple possible tornadoes across the region. At least five hit Alabama, and three more struck southern Tennessee, and one each was confirmed in Louisiana and Missis Westerfield said his favorite thing was bringing political candidates to Apollo for forums with the students. "One year, we even had gubernatorial candidates," he said.

And one year, Westerfield said, Brescia University had a mock political convention at the Sportscenter, and he was able to take several Kentucky Teacher Hall of created in 2000 from a Nunn, who hoped to recognize role that primary and secondary teachers in Kentucky play in of young people, and that education has on the economy. Lawrence, 270-691-7301, TEACHER FROM THE FRONTPAGE Kentucky Department of Education. Westerfield has been active in politics for decades. He helped register more than 5,000 students to vote through the years. sippi, forecasters said.

A possible tornado was spotted on the ground Wednesday a few miles from Atlanta, and flights were briefly delayed at the city's main airport, but no major damage occurred. Three people were killed and one person critically injured in a mobile home after an apparent twister hit tiny Rosalie, about 115 miles northeast of Birmingham, said Jackson County Chief Deputy Rocky Harnen. A suspected tornado The General Election saw the Kentucky House taken over in tsunami fashion by the Republican Party after decades of Democratic Party control. Republicans now hold a commanding 64-36 majority. "This creates opportunities for the business community," said Adkisson.

"We're nonpartisan, but Republicans in the House, with (Speaker) Jeff Hoover, will line up on some key business issues that have been on the back burner for decades, which I'll be talking about tomorrow. I've met with the speaker-elect. He wants the caucus to focus on four or five issues that will move Kentucky forward, rather than a scattershot approach. I think that's wise and will be very constructive." Adkisson predicted that The Fame was gift by the the education the impact state's Keith "When I was in charge of recruiting industry for Owensboro-Daviess County, we lost prospects to Southern states because we did not have right-to-work," Adkisson said. Adkisson said the state still loses recruiting battles because of the lack of right-to-work status.

"Yes, it is still happening," he said. "I'm in touch with economic development officials. Especially with foreign companies, they won't even include Kentucky on their list." By not being a right-to-work state, Kentucky is on the wrong side of a perception problem, according to Adkisson. "It's very much a perception issue on both sides," he said. "Unions consider it an affront, but businesses often consider it the signal of how business-friendly a community is.

A German company looks at a map, and it doesn't know the difference between Iowa and Illinois. But the people they have figuring out the difference say, 'here are the and Kentucky doesn't show up on their list. Ifs more important to manufacturers than banks or shopping centers." Steve Vied, 270-691-7297, sviedmessenger-inquirer. com Republican legislators will push hard on right-to-work (promoting a worker's right not to be required to join a labor union), repeal of prevailing wage on public construction projects and some sort of legal reform as yet to be defined, perhaps medical review panels or other tort reform on liability, plus charter schools." Adkisson said the some legislators may try to go even farther than a charter school bill that failed previously that would have established some pilot charter schools in Louisville and Lexington in persistently poor performing districts. Pushback on right-to-work and prevailing wage bills will happen, Adkisson said.

But not having a right-to-work law in place hurts the state when it tries to lure manufacturing companies, he said. Only Shopping iDays Until Christmas I Protecting low-cost energy. "We're in a pretty deep hole in terms of the state's public pension problem," Adkisson said in the release. "Some progress was made in the last legislative session, but to make the entire system sustainable, we must focus more on other issues such as transparency." Adkisson said he will talk some about the election and its impact during his time at the Rooster Booster breakfast meeting. "The political environment has changed dramatically," Adkisson said in a Tuesday afternoon interview.

"I refer to election night like Kentucky was hit by two earthquakes: The House and Trump. The House (Kentucky House of Representatives) was not only flipped, but no one in Frankfort saw 64." be combined with $69,500 from the Daviess County Agriculture Development Board for a total of $233,002. Kunze said the funds from the two ag boards have to be matched by the farmers market board. "Getting this grant from Independence Bank was a huge shot in the arm because it helps us with our matching funds," Kunze said. 'We've made a lot of progress, but it's critical we get community support to match these dollars." PRIDE of Owensboro-Daviess County Inc.

has donated $5,000 for signage and landscaping, Swedish Match has committed $5,000 and the farmers market board has allocated $6,590. To further its cause, the farmers market board has a couple fundraising campaigns underway. One fundraiser has 10 donation levels, ranging from $100 to $75,000. And last week, the group set up a GoFundMe page at gofundme.com owensborowensboro regional-fm-new-building to raise $50,000 by the end of the year. Don Wilkins, dwilkins 270-691 -7299, Twitter: DonWilkinsMI CHAMBER FROM THE FRONT PAGE on the need for pension transparency and tax reform, according to a news release provided by Adkisson, an Owensboro native and former mayor of the city.

The other eight priorities on the Chamber's to-do list are: Protecting Kentucky's academic standards; Work force investment accountability; Enabling smoke-free workplaces; Reforming the criminal justice system; Improve the workers' compensation system; Enacting legal liability reform; Investing in 21st-century infrastructure; MARKET FROM THE FRONT PAGE portion has yet to be added, she said. "The board members and the vendors have been working toward this for three years," Coomes said. But it wasn't until April that the board struck a partnership with Owensboro Health Regional Hospital that made constructing a structure possible. OHRH agreed to a renewable 20-year lease for the 1.75-acre parking lot space it owns at the southeast corner of Triplett Street and Parrish Avenue. Until then, Coomes said the farmers market's vendors were mainly selling their fruits and vegetables out of the Owensboro Christian Church parking lot.

"The hospital was very helpful, especially with the whole idea of a permanent structure a building that we could call the farmers market," Coomes said. "Owensboro Christian Church was great but, obviously, we could not build there." In October, the project received another financial lift with the Kentucky Agriculture Development Board approving $163,502 that will Messenger-Inquirer (USPS 341-660) Published seven days a week by the Periodical postage paid at Owensboro, Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer Inc. KY 42301 telephone (270) 926-01 23. at 1401 Frederica Street, Owensboro, POSTMASTER: Send address changes KY 42301. to: MESSENGER-INQUIRER, P.

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