Somerset —
The sky gradually turned slate gray. A winter sun, visible at noon, slowly disappeared in thickening overcast. The thermometer quickly rose six degrees, from 21 to 27, as moisture from an approaching Gulf storm saturated frigid air.
Suddenly it was snowing again; not a happy childlike event with visions of sleigh rides and snowmen. These dancing white flakes were falling on winter-tired Pulaski countians enduring one of the coldest, snowiest winters in 30 years. It was unwanted snow; fresh like meringue, but welcome as a headache—except, perhaps, for Science Hill and Pulaski County School District students who were sent home early yesterday and won’t have classes today.
The winter event wasn’t unexpected. Forecasters accurately predicted the approaching storm. Chances of snow were 100 percent, they said.
Local school systems ended classes early yesterday afternoon to get children home ahead of slick roads. The Pulaski County School District rolled buses toward students’ homes at 1 p.m. Somerset schools stopped classes at 2:30 p.m. and classes at Science Hill ended 30 minutes earlier than normal.
“It’s already snowing in Clinton County and we’ve got salt trucks out,” Neal Shoemaker, chief engineer for the Kentucky Department of Highways’ District 8, said about 2:15 p.m. yesterday. “It’s headed this way,” he assured.
Shoemaker was right. About 15 minutes later it began snowing in Somerset.
“We’ve got plenty of salt ... our trucks are loaded with salt and calcium and ready to go,” said Shoemaker. “As soon as snow begins collecting on roads, we’ll be out. Our men will stay out 24 hours a day until the roads are clear,” he assured.
Shoemaker said highways in Pulaski County have not been pretreated ahead of this storm because “ ... it’s supposed to be a dry blowing snow and the temperature is too cold for pretreating.”
The National Weather Service at Jackson said the developing storm system across the South would spread snow across Southeastern Kentucky by yesterday evening. Snow was expected to fall heavily at times before ending from west to east late last night. Up to 3 inches of accumulation was expected atop nearly an inch remaining from Monday night’s snowstorm.
There is light at the end of the tunnel. After tomorrow, a warming trend will take the temperature into the 50s late this weekend, and long-range forecasts indicate the last part of February will be warmer than normal.
Local News
Related Photos
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Two occupants of this red pickup were injured in a collision on an icy Slate Branch Road just before 5 p.m. yesterday. Donald Maxfield of Faubush and Tina Knight of Somerset were taken to Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital for treatment of their injuries. The driver of the gray vehicle, 18-year-old Brannon Bellar of Somerset, was not injured. By Tricia Neal
Winter Wallop
Schools close, traffic snarls, road ice as another arctic blast hits Pulaski
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Lake Cumberland all better in time for Memorial Day weekend
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Car collides with truck on Ky. 914
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Minor damage reported after local afternoon storms
Pulaski County felt the first wave of strong weather blow through the area Tuesday afternoon, but came out much better for it than those in other parts of the country.
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Local schools prepared for the worst when storms strike
News like that out of Oklahoma this week has a way of striking a nerve with the rest of the nation. Particularly, those charged with the care of children — many of which were victims in the Midwestern tornadoes — find themselves paying close attention.Steve Butcher, superintendent of Pulaski County Schools, said on Tuesday that there was a meeting of his district’s principals that very day — only one day after the storms in Moore, Okla., that killed over 90 people — to address such matters. -
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With 24/7 news channels spouting horrendous tales of terror and rampant crime, it’s easy to conclude the world has gone to the dogs; that these are dangerous times.Sadly, horrific events are nothing new. For those old enough to remember World War II, nothing since has matched the impact this global conflict had on the American people. -
Dwindling numbers close Pulaski Central as education alternative
Students needing instruction in an “alternative education” setting will no longer be going to Pulaski Central High School, according to county school officials.With dwindling numbers at the facility on Bourne Avenue, the Pulaski County School District has decided to transition any students using its services to similar programs at either Southwestern or Pulaski County High Schools.
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A mobile home was destroyed and two others sustained minor damage in a fire Monday afternoon that occurred around two miles west of Somerset.
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Business booming for new liquor store
Five liquor licenses were approved for Somerset and the third store to open was this past week.
Called "First Stop,"the new package store it is located on the west side of U.S. 27 between lights 20 and 21, which is a little north of TSC Tractor Supply. The owner is Charlotte Perdisaris and the manager is Michael Scott.
Perdisaris has been working on getting the store ready for a number of months but was delayed by the shipment and installation of a large 10 x 20 foot walk-in cooler that lines the back of the shop. Otherwise, she thought they could have opened much earlier and, perhaps, have even been the first to open.With such a large cooler, they have a large supply of beer and wine in it to choose from. As to other spirits, they have a large variety of brands, especially high end brands such as Crown Royal and R&R. In addition, they have beer singles on ice. At this time, they are the only local liquor store selling beer in kegs.
First Stop is the last liquor store to open that is locally owned and operated. The remaining two licenses are to drug store retailers. -
Scenic new trails opened at Pulaski County Park
Despite a rainy last several days, outdoor enthusiasts couldn’t help but play in the mud a little this weekend in celebration of the grand opening of biking and hiking trails at Pulaski County Park.
“We’ve been working on this .. for about four years,” said Pulaski County Judge-executive Barty Bullock to a crowd of around 50 people gathered at the head of the new trail at the park. “ ... It’s been such a good project.
“We think it’s going to be a huge asset to this community,” added Bullock.
The essence of the trail has existed at Pulaski County Park for decades as an Eagle Scout Trail. The newest trails, are almost 9 miles long, with five of those miles dedicated to biking.
The trail is built to the standards of the International Mountain Biking Association, a worldwide network that brings together serious bicycle enthusiasts. - More Local News Headlines
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