The federal grand jury meeting in Bowling Green, Kentucky this week charged three Henderson County, Kentucky residents with multiple counts of bank robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, announced David J. Hale, United States Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky.

Weston Neel Hurd, age 39, of Henderson, Kentucky, was charged with robbing two banks located in Owensboro, Kentucky and one bank located in Henderson, Kentucky between August 6, 2012 and December 28, 2012. Specifically, Hurd is alleged to have brandished a firearm during the robbery of the First Security Bank, located on Frederica Street, in Owensboro, of $1,131 on December 28, 2012. Further, according to the indictment, Hurd, through force, violence and intimidation allegedly robbed the Ohio Valley Financial Group, in Henderson, Kentucky of $2,651 on August 6, 2012 and that Hurd robbed the Kentucky Telco Federal Credit Union, located in Owensboro, of $2,878 on October 2, 2012.

If convicted at trial, Hurd faces no more than 20 years for counts one and two, no more than 25 years for county three, and no less than seven years to life for count four, for a combined total of 72 years in prison including life, a $250,000 fine for each count, and five years of supervised release. Hurd is being held in the Daviess County Detention Center.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel P. Kinnicutt, and is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Owensboro Police Department and Henderson Police Department.

Meiesha R. Sharp, 23, of Henderson, Kentucky, was charged in a four-count federal grand jury indictment with robbing a convenience store and a bank, both located in Henderson, Kentucky and with brandishing a firearm, specifically an AMT, Model Backup, .380 caliber pistol, during a crime of violence. According to the indictment, Sharp robbed the Kangaroo Express store, located in Henderson, on June 25, 2012 and robbed the Fifth Third Bank, located in Henderson, of $29,068.95 on June 29, 2012, and on both occasions did assault and put in jeopardy the life of another person by the use of a dangerous weapon, that is a firearm.

If convicted at trial, Sharp faces 77 years and up to including life in prison, a fine of $1,000,000 and no more than five years of supervised release for each charge. Sharp remains in the Henderson County Detention Center.

This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Micah Reyner and is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Henderson Police Department.

James A. Morris, 53, of Henderson, Kentucky, was charged with robbing five banks in Henderson, and one bank in Webster County, Kentucky between July 23, 2010 and January 17, 2013. An additional charge of money laundering was added in the superseding indictment. According to the indictment, Morris, through force, violence, and intimidation, allegedly robbed Green River Credit Union located in Henderson on January 17, 2013; Independence Bank located in Henderson on August 22, 2012; Bank of Henderson on August 22, 2012; Green River Credit Union in Henderson, on July 11, 2012; U.S. Bank in Henderson on May 24, 2011; and Integra Bank in Poole Kentucky on July 23, 2010.

If convicted at trial, Morris faces no more than 20 years in prison for each count for a combined maximum of 140 years, a $250,000 fine for each count for a combined maximum of $1,750,000, and supervised release for a period of three years. Morris remains in custody awaiting arraignment on the new charge.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Judd and is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

SOURCE: www.fbi.gov

1) OWENSBORO:  A contractor for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet plans to close the US 60 ramps to the westbound lanes of the Audubon Parkway at Owensboro, KY, starting at 7:00 p.m., CDT, on Friday, April 19, 2013.

The closure of US 60 ramps to the Audubon Parkway westbound is to allow reconstruction of the ramps.  Starting promptly at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, April 19th, westbound ramps B and D connecting US 60 to the Audubon will be closed through the weekend.  The Westbound ramps will reopen to traffic by 6:00 a.m. on Monday, April 22nd.

A marked detour for traffic from US 60 to the eastbound Audubon will be provided via US 60, KY 81, KY 56 and KY 1554 to Exit 18 at Sorgho. All eastbound lanes on the Audubon Parkway remain closed for reconstruction from the KY 1554 Exit 18 at Sorgho to the Audubon Parkway/US 60 Interchange at Owensboro. 

This section of the eastbound Audubon Parkway and eastbound ramps to US 60 are expected to remain closed until about May 4th.  There is a marked detour for eastbound traffic via KY 1554 at Audubon Parkway Exit 18.  The contractor has 20 working days to complete work on the eastbound ramps or face substantial penalties.

This closure of Audubon ramps to and from US 60 at Owensboro is to allow reconstruction of the ramps as part of a larger general rehab project along the Audubon from mile point 16.5 near the Green River Bridge at the Daviess-Henderson County Line to the Audubon Parkway/US 60 Interchange in Owensboro.
 
Once all of the ramp work is completed on the Audubon/US 60 Exit 24 Interchange on May 4th, the contractor will start work on the main line of the Audubon from the 16 mile marker to the 24 mile marker.   There will be a crossover at Audubon Parkway mile point 14.5 and at mile point 24 so two-lane traffic can be established on the eastbound lanes to allow the contractor to work along the westbound lanes.


2) OWENSBORO:  As a reminder, prep work for painting the KY 2262 Ohio River “Blue Bridge” in downtown Owensboro, KY, will be kicked off Sunday night, April 21, 2013, with the start of overnight closures running Sunday through Thursday.  The contractor is allowed to close the bridge from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. CDT, Sunday through Thursday, for rigging work needed to secure containment tarps that will go up when the main cleaning and painting work starts after Owensboro’s International Bar-B-Que Festival in May. Kentucky Transportation Cabinet officials want everyone to be fully prepared for the overnight closures starting April 21st and closure of the bridge to all traffic starting May 13th. 

The Blue Bridge in downtown Owensboro – formally called the Glover Cary Bridge and the KY 2262 Ohio River Bridge– will be open with no lane restrictions the weekend of Owensboro's International Bar-B-Que Festival.  However, the contractor can schedule lane restrictions and overnight closures before then to prepare for work to start immediately after the festival. The painting contract calls for the bridge to be closed to all traffic from about May 13 through Nov. 15. Work on approach spans can be completed from beneath the bridge with only minor traffic disruptions. 

During the Sunday through Thursday 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., CDT, overnight closures farmers should continue contacting the Owensboro Police Department to make crossing arrangements for farm equipment to cross during hours that the bridge is open.


3) HENDERSON: A house moving company plans to transport a Habitat for Humanity House from Henderson High School to 732 5th Street in Henderson during overnight hours sometime in the next week. Kenneth Barker with Heartland Home Movers of Benton, KY, says the move will most likely be Friday night or Monday night, providing preparations work out as planned.
 
The home will be moved from the high school down KY 351/Zion Road/Second Street into Henderson.  The home movers will turn onto Heilman Avenue and follow it to 5th Street to place the home on a lot. Barker expects the move to start about midnight and the 2-mile trip to take about an hour to complete. Motorists should be aware of this home move during the overnight hours. Barker’s permit requires him to have a police escort.  In case of weather issues, the permit is good for a ten day window.

A contractor for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet plans to be on-site to start prep work for painting of the KY 2262 Ohio River Bridge in downtown Owensboro about April 15th. It will take the contractor several days to get equipment delivered, set up, and prepared for actual work to start on The Blue Bridge. 

No lane restrictions or overnight closures are planned until after that date.  According to Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 2 spokesman Keith Todd, that would mean about the earliest motorists would see lane restrictions and/or overnight closures on the The Blue Bridge would be around April 21st.

Current plans call for the Blue Bridge to be closed to all traffic for the painting project after May 12th, allowing it to be fully open during Owensboro’s International Bar-B-Que Festival. Prior to the Bar-B-Que Festival, periodic overnight closures and lane restrictions will be allowed during the week to configure rigging and position equipment to ensure that work begins quickly once the contractor is given full control of the structure. 

Todd said the contractor will be meeting with engineers in the next week or two where they will firm up a start date for preliminary work required to prepare for the cleaning and painting.  

The painting project is jointly funded by Kentucky and Indiana.   The Blue Bridge was originally scheduled for painting in 2017.  Following the re-development of Owensboro’s riverfront, local lawmakers moved funding for new paint up in the Kentucky road plan.  The Indiana Department of Transportation agreed to advance their share of the funding to put the project on track for the 2013 construction season.  

Closing the bridge after May 12th will impact commuters and about 30 businesses that depend on bridge traffic.  Many of the businesses affected by the 6-month closure are along IN 161 between the bridge and Indiana 66 at Reo.  Closing of the bridge requires a detour via the U.S. 231 William Natcher Bridge that adds about 10 miles to a trip from Reo to downtown Owensboro, KY.  The Blue Bridge was also closed for 3 months during the 2011 construction season for a partial rehab of the bridge deck. 

The painting contract calls for the bridge to be closed to all traffic from about May 13th until November 15th this year in an effort to complete work on the main span during one construction season.  The Blue Bridge would be expected to reopen to traffic by November 15th in time for Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday traffic.  Work on the approach spans can be completed from underneath the bridge with only minor traffic disruptions.  

Spartan Contracting, LLC,  of Ohio, was the successful bidder at  $10,070,000 for painting of the KY 2262 Ohio River Bridge in Downtown Owensboro.  The contract came in almost $10.4 million below the engineer’s estimate for the project.
 
The KY 2262 Ohio River Bridge is also known as the Blue Bridge and the Glover Cary Bridge.  The 4,622 ft. structure connects KY 2262 and Indiana State Route 161 over the Ohio  River at Owensboro.  Approximately 8,500 vehicles cross the Ohio River on the Blue Bridge between Kentucky and Indiana in an average day.  The structure opened to traffic in September 1940 as a toll bridge.  The tolls were discontinued in 1954. The Blue Bridge is at Ohio River navigation mile point 756.3.


SOURCE: Kentucky Transportation Cabinet

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet plans to restrict traffic to one lane on the Audubon Parkway Green River Bridge on Friday afternoon, September  28, 2012.

This lane restriction for both eastbound and westbound traffic is to allow required maintenance work on the bridge navigation lights. The Green River Bridge is at Audubon Parkway mile point 15.839 at the Henderson-Daviess County Line.  

Motorists should be alert for slowing and merging traffic as they approach the bridge.  This work zone is expected to be in place from approximately 12 Noon to about 4:00 p.m., CDT, on Friday. 

Timely traffic advisories for the 11 counties of KYTC Highway District 2 are available by going to www.facebook.com/kytcdistrict2.  You do not have to be a Facebook member to access this page.


SOURCE: KYTC

REO, Ind. – The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) is announcing that there will be a temporary road closure on State Road 161 (S.R. 161) near Reo in Spencer County. 

Scheduled for Saturday, September 8, 2012, the Gary Clover Bridge (Blue Bridge) over the Ohio River will be closed from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. local time.  The closure is for the City of Owensboro’s East Bridge Art & Music Festival.  S.R. 161 will be closed from S.R. 66 in Reo to the Ohio River; however, local traffic will have access up to the bridge. The official detour during the event follows S.R. 66 and US 231.

Vanderburgh County - Monday, June 4th: The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) is announcing there will be temporary lane restrictions on Interstate 64 (I-64) in Vanderburgh County. 

Starting Monday, June 4, crews will begin their milling and paving operations in the west bound lanes of I-64. Restrictions will be from the junction of US 41 to the junction of Interstate 164 (I-164). Once complete, crews will then move their operations to the east bound lanes. Crews will begin work at approximately 5:30 a.m. local time, and complete by 6:00 p.m. each day. All work is scheduled to be complete by December, weather permitting.  INDOT encourages motorists to slow down and pay special attention while traveling in work zones throughout Indiana.  For the latest news and information about INDOT, please visit www.in.gov/indot and www.trafficwise.in.gov


Owensboro - Monday, June 4th: The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet plans to restrict traffic to one lane on the KY 2262 Ohio River Bridge in downtown Owensboro starting Monday, June 4, 2012. The daytime lane restriction is to allow a detailed inspection of the bridge structure. Also known as the Blue Bridge and the Glover Cary Bridge, the 4,622 ft. structure connects KY 2262 with Indiana State Route 161 over the Ohio  River at Owensboro. 

Motorists should be alert for one lane traffic with alternating flow controlled by flaggers from approximately 8:00 a.m., CDT, to about 4:30 p.m. on weekdays.  The inspection work should be completed by about June 15th, weather permitting. Approximately 8,500 vehicles cross the Ohio River on the Blue Bridge between Kentucky and Indiana in an average day.  The structure opened to traffic in September 1940 as a toll bridge.  All Kentucky bridges get a detailed safety inspection every two years.  Long-span river and lake bridges get additional inspections on an annual basis. Timely traffic advisories for the 11 counties of KYTC Highway District 2 are available by going to www.facebook.com/kytcdistrict2.  You do not have to be a Facebook member to access this page.


Daviess County - Wednesday, June 6th: A contractor for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet plans shoulder restrictions with lane restrictions from time to time on the US 231 William Natcher Bridge over the Ohio River near Owensboro starting Wednesday, June 6, 2012. The shoulder and lane restrictions are to allow inspection and maintenance work on the bridge.
 
For about the first week, only shoulder restrictions will be required with occasional lane restrictions while the contractor is placing rigging along the bridge railings. Starting around Monday, June 11th, lane restrictions will be required in the work zone during daylight hours.  All traffic will move to the left-hand or passing lane on the bridge deck.  No delays are expected.  This lane restriction is expected to be in place on weekdays through the summer months.  The William Natcher Bridge is at the 14 mile marker on US 231 in Daviess County, Kentucky.  The US 231 Ohio River Bridge opened to traffic in October 2002 and is named for long-time Western Kentucky Congressman William Natcher.  The 4,505 ft. long cable-stayed bridge carries approximately 6,000 vehicles across the Ohio River each day between Owensboro, KY, and Rockport, IN.


Hopkins County - Wednesday/Thursday, June 6th & 7th: A contractor for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet plans a rolling road block and brief traffic stoppage that will disrupt traffic flow on Interstate 69/The Western Kentucky Parkway near the Caldwell-Hopkins County Line on Wednesday and Thursday, June 6 & 7, 2012.  This work zone is between Princeton and Dawson Springs. These rolling road blocks on I-69/the WK Parkway are to allow for reconstruction of the KY 2619 Overpass at mile point 20.8.  The rolling road blocks will start about 9:00 a.m., CDT, each day, beginning about 6 miles from the work site.  Traffic will be slowed to 10 miles per hour by police, creating about a half-hour break in traffic flow that will allow the contractor to erect portions of the new overpass structure.  The contractor expects 4 or 5 rolling road blocks each day with a duration of about a half-hour each to place the bridge support structure. Motorists should be alert for variable messages boards and appropriate signage as they approach this work zone.  Travel delays of about 20 to 30 minutes are expected during each rolling road block.
 
The rolling road blocks and traffic stoppages on the westbound lanes are scheduled for Wednesday, June 6th.  Police will assist with slowing and stopping westbound traffic with the first rolling road block to start about 9:00 a.m., CDT.  The contractor will use the break in traffic created by the rolling road block to place beams for the new overpass above the westbound lanes. During work along the westbound lanes, the westbound entry ramp at KY 109 Dawson Springs Exit 24 will be closed once each rolling road block starts.  Some minor traffic stoppages may also be required to facilitate the work. The rolling road blocks and traffic stoppages on the eastbound lanes are scheduled for Thursday, June 7, 2012.  Police will assist with slowing and stopping eastbound traffic with the first rolling road block to start about 9:00 a.m., CDT.  The contractor will use the break in traffic created by the rolling road block to place beams for the new overpass above the eastbound lanes.
 Motorists who regularly travel this section of I-69/The WK Parkway between Princeton and Dawson Springs should be aware of this planned work and expect delays of about a half-hour during each rolling road block.  Motorists may consider a self-detour via US 62 which provides a parallel route.

Gibson County, IN - Tuesday, May 29th:  The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) is announcing that beginning on May 29, County Road 400 South (C.R. 400 S) in Gibson County will close permanently. C.R. 400S will be closed permanently from the junction of County Road 900E (C.R. 900E) to the junction of County Road 950 East (C.R. 950E) in Gibson County. Crews will close C.R. 400S for construction of the I-69 Corridor. No through vehicle traffic will be allowed, however local residents will have access to the point of closure. INDOT encourages motorists to slow down and pay special attention while traveling in work zones throughout Indiana.  For the latest news and information about INDOT, please visit www.in.gov/indot and www.trafficwise.in.gov


Owensboro, KY - Tuesday, May 29th:  The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet plans to restrict traffic to one lane on the KY 2266 Ohio river Bridge in downtown Owensboro on Tuesday, May 29, 2012. The lane restriction is to allow routine bridge maintenance. Also known as the Blue Bridge and the Glover Cary Bridge, the 4,622 ft. structure connects KY 2262 and Indiana State Route 161 over the Ohio  River at Owensboro. The lane restriction with alternating flow controlled by flaggers is expected to be in place on the Blue Bridge from approximately 8:30 a.m., CDT, to about Noon, on Tuesday.  Motorists should use appropriate caution.   Delays in this work zone should be minimal, generally less than 4 minutes. Approximately 8,500 vehicles cross the Ohio River on the Blue Bridge between Kentucky and Indiana in an average day.  The structure opened to traffic in September 1940 as a toll bridge.  The tolls were discontinued in 1954. Timely traffic advisories for the 11 counties of KYTC Highway District 2 are available by going to www.facebook.com/kytcdistrict2.  You do not have to be a Facebook member to access this page.

Winslow, IN - Monday, June 4th:  The Indiana Department of Transportation announces that State Road 61 (S.R. 61) will be closing near Winslow.  Railroad contractor crews will be closing S.R. 61 from the junction of State Road 56 (S.R. 56) to the junction of State Road 64 (S.R. 64).  Crews will be making repairs to the crossing 3.3 miles north of S.R. 64. Work will begin on Monday, June 4, at approximately 8:00 a.m. local time.  It is anticipated the roadway will re-open to traffic by 2:00 p.m. local time on Friday, June 8. No through vehicle traffic will be allowed, however local residents will have access to the point of closure.  All lanes of traffic will be closed at the rail crossing.  The official detour will follow S.R. 56, S.R. 257 and S.R. 64.

KY54/E. Parrish Ave - A contractor for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet plans to restrict eastbound traffic on KY 54/East Parrish Avenue in Owensboro on Tuesday, May 8, 2012. The lane restriction is to allow construction of a right-turn lane on KY 54 at mile point 2.39 to mile point 2.47.  This is along KY 54/East Parrish Avenue just east of the intersection with US 60/The Wendell Ford Expressway. To facilitate this work, eastbound traffic on KY 54 will be moved to the left-hand or passing lane in this work zone. Preliminary work is expected to start at this site on Monday, May 7th, with the lane restriction expected to be in place on Tuesday, May 8th, to allow the start of construction. Caution is required in the work zone where equipment, flaggers, and construction personnel will be working in close proximity to traffic flow. Yager Materials is the prime contractor on this $151,398 highway improvement project.  The expected completion date is May 30, 2012. 


Downtown Paving - A contractor for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet plans asphalt paving work along several streets in downtown Owensboro starting on Monday, May 7, 2012.  The municipal street group paving project involves asphalt resurfacing on sections of 4 Owensboro City streets as follows:

• West 7th Street starting at Walnut Street and extending 0.03 of a mile northward.
  
• Hickman Avenue starting at West 12th Street exteneding northward to West 9th Street, a distsance of 0.18 of a mile.
  
• Bittle Road starting at Venetian Way extending eastward to an asphalt joint, a distance of 0.14 of a mile.
  
• East 20th Street starting at KY 2155 extending westward to J.R. Miller Boulevard, a distance of 1/4th of a mile.

Motorists should avoid on-street parking at these locations that might interfere with paving work. Signs will be in place to alert motorists to paving activities at these locations and flaggers will control traffic during paving operations. This group paving project should be be complete in about 2 weeks, weather permitting. Yager Materials is the prime contractor on this $107,909 street improvement project. 

Source: KYTC

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet plans to restrict traffic to one lane on the US 231 William Natcher Bridge at Owensboro on Wednesday, May 2, 2012. The lane restriction is to allow the Kentucky Transportation Research Center to inspect a portion of the bridge to help plan future maintenance projects.

Motorists can expect to encounter one-lane traffic on the Natcher Bridge starting at about 8:00 a.m. CDT, on Wednesday morning.  Work at the site should be completed by about 4:00 p.m., on Wednesday.  Appropriate caution is required in this work zone where equipment, flaggers, and engineering personnel will be on the bridge deck in close proximity to traffic flow.