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Owensboro Mayor Ron Payne likes to

say that “Owensboro is on the move,” and he often follows it by saying that no other city in Kentucky has as much going on as Owensboro.

Last week, in his annual “State of the City” address, Payne made that case again, with details supporting the claim. He seized on the fact that 58 public and

private projects are currently under way in the community with a total value of $759 million, all of which he said contribute to a strong local economy.

Larry Boswell doesn’t doubt it. “I’ve lived here all my life, and it’s been a long time coming,” Boswell said.

Boswell is business manager of the 386-member Owensboro Local 1701 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union. These days, according to Bowell, it’s full employment time for the local,

with more than 200 members working on the new Owensboro Medical Health System hospital

between Pleasant Valley Road and Daniels Lane off U.S. 60 East.

The hospital and a long list of other projects outlined by Payne keep the local’s other electricians working steadily, with

journeymen earning the top rate of $29.02 a hour, plus benefits, Boswell said.

“It’s been very beneficial to us,” Boswell said. “All our members are working. It’s definitely a boost compared to

the two years prior (to 2010). We started seeing the increase toward the end of 2010. 2012 is projected to be great. ... It’s really looking good for any electrical contractor, union or nonunion.”

Some of the projects on Payne’s list are close to completion, such as the Kentucky National Guard Readiness Center, the new state office building and the downtown river wall project. But others, including the downtown convention center and Hampton Inn & Suites hotel, are set to begin this spring. Boswell said spin-off projects related to the hospital and downtown projects hold potential for more construction jobs.

“It looks like several years of work,” he said.

For his fourth “State of the City” speech Thursday at the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce’s Rooster Booster breakfast, Payne delivered a glowing report on the city’s health, shining a light on the size of the surplus in the city’s general fund and moderate-to-low tax rates compared to 13 other first- and second-class cities. He spent the bulk of his time presenting the list of ongoing, just finished or soon-to-start projects and the city’s lower-than-average unemployment rate. While the national unemployment rate is

SEE BLOCKS/PAGE A2

BUILDING BLOCKSBY STEVE VIED

MESSENGER-INQUIRER

SUNDAY SERIES

Gary Emord-Netzley, Messenger-Inquirer gemord-netzley@messenger-inquirer.com 691-7318Salsman Brothers Inc. employees, Jewell Galloway of Madisonville, left, and C.J. Brummett of Dawson Springs, cover a section of concrete wall on the second of two bridges on Ken-tucky 144 on Thursday afternoon. The bridge work is part of the first phase of the U.S. 60 Bypass Extension project under way east of Owensboro. The Bypass Extension is one of 58 public and private projects currently under way in the community with a total value of $759 million.

Projects boosting employment, economic growth

The total economic impact, according to Mayor Ron Payne, will be $1.3 billion.

INDEX

Goodfellows drive tops $121,000/C1

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Agriculture/D5Astrology/G2Classified/ F1-6Crossword/G2Lotteries/C4Movies/B3

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2012 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airpor t had another record-breaking year in 2011.

And officials there are hoping to set yet another record for pas-sengers in 2012.

In 2010, the airport boarded slightly more than 16,000 passen-gers, primarily on Allegiant Air flights to Orlando, Fla.

Last year, boardings continued to climb to 16,849.

And Ray Assmar, board chair-man, says, “We should bounce

close to 20,000 this year.”The 2011 numbers might have

been closer to 20,000, but Alle-giant suspended flights to Orlando for most of August and September, which are typically slow months for travel to Florida.

The airline did the same thing in 2009.

The 2010 numbers were the most passengers the airport had seen in a single year since com-mercial ser vice began here in 1951 with Eastern Airlines.

SEE AIRPORT/PAGE A2

Airport boardings keep breaking records

BY KEITH LAWRENCEMESSENGER-INQUIRER

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Mitt Romney brushed aside rivals’ criti-cism Saturday night in the open-ing round of a weekend debate doubleheader that left his Repub-lican presidential campaign chal-lengers squabbling among them-

selves and unable to knock the front-runner off stride.

Three days before the first in-the-nation New Hampshire pri-mar y, Romney largely ignored his fellow Republicans and turned instead on President Barack

SEE DEBATE/PAGE A2

Romney brushes off debate barbs

in New HampshireBY STEVE PEOPLES

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BY JAMES MAYSEMESSENGER-INQUIRER

The decision to cite certain low-level of fenders to cour t rather than arrest them during the COVID-19 pandemic does not seem to have resulted in an increase in criminal activity in Daviess County.

Crime overall in the county

has decreased by 15% over the last two years, and there were fewer reports of thefts during the m o n t h s w h e n p e o p l e w e r e being released from jails because of the pandemic, according to the Daviess County Sheriff’s Department.

An official with the Owensboro Police Department said crime did not seem to increase in the city in recent weeks.

Law enforce-ment agencies b e g a n c i t i n g more people to court for non-vi-olent, non-sexual of fenses, rather than ar rest ing them, when the pandemic began being felt across

the state. Many inmates who were awaiting trial in detention centers for low-level of fenses were also released, after being screened by pretrial services, because of the danger presented

by the pandemic.The idea was to reduce the

number of inmates going to the Daviess County Detention Center, where inmates grouped together could be susceptible to the virus.

Damon Preston, head of the state Depar tment of Public Advocacy, said the population of county inmates in jails fell from about 11,000 inmates before the pandemic to 5,500 inmates by mid-May.

Since then, the population in county jails has risen and was about 7,000 last week, Preston said.

The change did not result in a higher crime rate statewide, Preston said.

“I have heard the State Police talk publicly, and acknowledge they have not seen an increase in crime,” Preston said.

The change did not result in a large percentage of people who were released from jails later being rearrested for new offens-es.

In a presentation to Gener-al Assembly members in June, state Chief Justice John Minton

County sees an overall drop in crime rateEarly release of

offenders showed no negative effects

Andrew Boggess

Maj. Barry Smith

Photo by Alan Warren, Messenger-Inquirer | awarren@messenger-inquirer.comBrooklynn Moore, left, a graduate from Ohio County, gets some help from her mother, Tina Moore, and sister, Lela Moore, as she moves into her dorm Wednesday morning on campus of Kentucky Wesleyan College. Students have been moving in during the week for the start of school on Monday.

MOVING IN

BY BOBBIE HAYSEMESSENGER-INQUIRER

Owensbor o Catho l ic Schools announced Wednesday that the school system will be proceeding forward with its original plans to resume in-person classes Aug. 26.

The decision comes after Gov. Andy Beshear’s recommendation on Mon-day that students continue with virtual learning until Sept. 28.

According to the Catholic Schools Office for the Diocese of Owensboro, their school officials respect and appre-ciate Beshear’s recommendation but

OCS will stay with in-person class plan

OH HOTLINEOwensboro Health has created a 24/7

coronavirus hotline: 877-888-6647.

WHO SHOULD CALL THAT NUMBER?

• Regional residents who recently traveled or have been exposed to the virus and now have COVID-19 symptoms, which are fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, or new loss of taste or smell.

• Anyone with those symptoms should call their health-care provider or call the hotline, especially those who suffer from lung or heart disease, or immunosuppression.

• Call the hotline before going to an urgent care clinic or hospital emergency department.

• Triage nurses answer hotline calls and ask callers questions to determine appropriate steps.

• Green River District Health Department provides free drive-thru COVID-19 testing. Appointments are necessary. To register, go to healthdepartment.org and follow the prompts.

• Expect test results to take up to three days, depending on lab capabilities.

BY JACOB MULLIKENMESSENGER-INQUIRER

The Independence Bank-sponsored Labor Day fireworks dis-play held annually at Pan-ther Creek Park has been canceled.

The $8,500 display ini-tially scheduled for Sept. 5 has become a much anticipated tradition for the community and the Daviess County Parks Department.

But this year, due to social distancing guidelines and the continued rise of COVID-19 cases, the Daviess County Parks and Recreation Board of Directors in conjunction with Daviess Fiscal Court have decided to forgo the 2020 show in anticipation of being able to maintain the show next year, said Daviess County Judge-Execu-tive Al Mattingly.

“It is a disappointment for the fiscal court and the citizens as well as the parks department,” he said. “We have

all gotten used to the show and look forward to it. The fireworks display has served to honor our laborers that work hard and play hard. Given the spikes in COVID-19, we all felt it was the correct move to make. It will be back next year.”

While the Labor Day show has become another

community event that has fallen victim to the pandemic, the parks department is still planning on moving forward with Christmas at Panther Creek Park, said Ross Leigh, parks director.

“When you have the kind of crowd that we expect for Labor Day, there is

County cancels Labor Day fireworks at Panther Creek Park

Ross LeighAl Mattingly

BY BOBBIE HAYSEMESSENGER-INQUIRER

The Owensbor o Publ ic Schools Board of Education is considering for approval the schematic drawings for the Cra-vens Elementary School reno-vation project at its board lun-cheon on Thursday, Aug. 13, at the district central office, 450 Griffith Ave.

The Cravens project will include a renovation similar to the one at Newton Parrish

OPS to vote on schematic

drawings for Cravens renovation

SEE FIREWORKS/PAGE A2SEE DRAWINGS/PAGE A2

SEE CRIME/PAGE A2

SEE OCS/PAGE A2

THursday, augusT 13, 2020