News from April 20, 2006 issue


Drug addiction Hotline available

Do you have a child on drugs?

Is your spouse depressed?|

Have you lost a loved one and can't let go?

Have you experienced a trauma you can't forget?

Do you just want to find out how you can help someone else who is hurting?

Help and answers for those and other types of questions is now available thanks to a cooperative effort by Crittenden County Tomorrow, the Crittenden County Coalition for a Drug Free Community, area churches and some local individuals.

Help for area residents dealing with dependencies or depression is now just a phone call away.

Residents can call 965-4300 for help for themselves or for someone close to them suffering from substance abuse or other related problems.

The Helpline started last week and is staffed 24 hours a day by Another Way, Inc.
Another Way Inc., is a licensed substance abuse and mental health counselors with offices coming to 308 South Main Street in Marion.

Anyone with a substance abuse problem who wants help for themselves should call the number for immediate help. Staff will meet with and counsel those who call and can provide advice and direction in helping them to a solution to dependency problems.

The Helpline is not an emergency response number. Any call which requires immediate medical or other emergency help should still go to 911.

By calling 965-4300, you can find out how to get help in learning to cope with personal crises including those related to alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.

When you call the Helpline, you will be speaking with Jennifer Harwood or Marcia Hires who are trained counselors and will be the ones following through with treatment help and advice. Or, you can just call to get answers to your general questions on substance abuse and how to help someone.

Calls to Another Way will be treated with privacy, the group said in a news release issued a few days ago. Only in the case of child abuse will the counselors be required to report anything to authorities.

Several churches are sponsoring the first few months of the Another Way program in Marion. They are Emmanuel Baptist, Marion Baptist, Marion Church of God, and churches and anonymous individuals.

Private tax-deductible donations to help support the program can be made to Crittenden County Tomorrow, 408 West Depot St., Marion, KY 42064. They may also be made directly at Farmers Bank, Peoples Bank or Fifth Third Bank in Marion. Tell the teller you want to make a donation to Helpline for Another Way.

Fire department wants mandatory dues
Crittenden County Volunteer Fire Department wants mandatory fire dues attached to the property tax bills of county residents.

County Fire Chief Gary Armstrong and fireman Orman Hunt presented the proposal to the Crittenden County Fiscal Court during its regular meeting Tuesday morning.
According to the proposal, homeowners would pay $25 annually, farm owners and business owners would pay $50. The maximum any resident would be required to pay would be $50, Hunt told the fiscal court.

A similar plan was proposed by the Salem Volunteer Fire Department a few months ago. Salem, although in Livingston County, provides fire protection for part of the western section of Crittenden County. Salem's fee structure was considerably higher and the fiscal court has never acted upon the request.

Hunt said he thinks the Crittenden County Fire Department's fee structure is fair. It's based on the voluntary dues rate currently used by most of the county's volunteer fire departments.

Crittenden County has five volunteer fire departments that cover different sections of the county. They are based in Shady Grove, Mattoon, Caldwell Springs, Tolu and Marion. The fire departments receive annual financial support through state and county programs. They each receive about $9,500 a year. Those funds cover only a fraction of their expenses, the volunteer firemen say.

Crittenden County Judge-Executive Fred Brown said each of the county fire departments ask residents to voluntarily pay fees. He said that having the fire departments allows residents to receive discounts on their homeowner insurance policies.

Some of the departments send out cards each year reminding residents to pay. Brown said some of the departments get about 20 percent of the residents they serve to pay the voluntary fee and some get more, up to about 70 percent.

Hunt said the Crittenden County Fire Department generally receives fire dues from about 27 percent of the 850 or so residents it serves. By making the fire dues mandatory and attaching them to the county tax bills, it would generate almost $20,000 annually, Hunt said.

Judge Brown said the fiscal court must approve the proposal before the volunteer fire department can implement the mandatory fee policy. Other than that, Brown said the county has no administrative control over the fire departments.

Magistrates said they would consider the proposal, but first want to hold a public hearing and get comments from the community. They also want the fire department to submit a current budget, an estimate of how much the mandatory fee structure would raise annually and where those additional funds would be spent.

The hearing will be held during the May 16 fiscal court meeting at 9 a.m., at the courthouse.