News from June 26, 2008 issue

Local News
The Crittenden Press (PDF)
(Selected pages from Sections A & B)
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Scholarship established to honor fallen youth
Family and friends say there is no more fitting way to remember Jake Hodge than through a memorial scholarship fund and an inspirational book because he always lifted up his peers and helped them become better at whatever they were doing.
Hodge, the 12-year-old son of Denis and Shannon Hodge of Marion, died in his sleep early Saturday morning. An autopsy found no medical issues to explain his death, according to Crittenden County Coroner Joe Myers. The autopsy was performed by Dr. Deirdre A. Schluckebier of the Western Kentucky State Medical Examiner's office in Madisonville. Tissue and fluid samples have been sent off for further analysis, the results of which will not be available for six to eight weeks. Myers said every attempt is being taken to expedite the process.
In excellent physical condition, Jake was among the top 15 percentile of students in the country who participated each year in the school-sponsored Presidential Fitness Program.
About 2,500 attended visitation at Gilbert Funeral Home in Marion between 3 p.m., and midnight Monday. The funeral home said it was by far the largest number of callers to attend a visitation. Hundreds more were at the funeral Tuesday at Rocket Arena, a place where Jake earned the affectionate moniker, "Gym Rat." His parents are both high school coaches and Jake grew up around sports. It was through athletics that he became known far and wide and touched the lives of so many people.
"Jake always brought out the best in everybody around him," said Tony James, whose son, Paxton, played on the Crittenden County 12-under baseball team with Jake.
"Everyone kept wondering what we could do for his family because they always have done so much for us and for the community," James continued as tears ran down his cheek. "We thought a scholarship would be a way to pay tribute to Jake."
The fund has been set up at Fifth Third Bank where James is the local branch manager. (See obituary on page 7 for details.)
Jimmy Croft, a former Crittenden County basketball coach, watched Jake grow up in the gym because his father helped Croft with the ball team. He said Jake was destined to be a collegiate athlete.
"Opportunities knock for some kids, but not for others," Croft said. "Jake was going to have many opportunities and I think that's why a scholarship is so fitting. It will allow some kid who wants to go to college to be able to go."
The ball players with whom Jake spent so much time met as a team Saturday afternoon and Jake's father, Denis, went to them and asked them to continue on with their dreams, James said.
The boys Jake played sports with were like one big family. They traveled together with their parents to games many weekends a year, staying together in hotels and playing games during the day.
Jake had just hit his first grand slam home run – a homer with three runners on base – to help keep his Rockets in contention for first place during a tournament at Paducah the weekend before he died.
Jake's father says he is beginning the initial phases of gathering information for an inspirational book that will help others deal with grief during the loss of a child. It will also focus on leading children to Christ. It's going to be called "The Legacy of Jake Hodge: It's not what you take, it's what you leave behind."
"I always tried to instill that in my son, and in other children as a coach," Denis Hodge said. "Right now, God has my undivided attention and this is what he wants me to do. This is what I have to do. The only way to justify this is if we help win more children to Christ."
Vicky Collins, who was Jake's sixth-grade Science teacher and Sunday school teacher, said sports wasn't the only thing on the boy's mind.
"Several times I had looked at Jake's locker. You can tell a lot about a kid from his locker. What hangs on the inside of a locker usually represents something important to that child. For many athletes it's their favorite team's logo or some NFL or NBA player. It might even be a pop star, but it wasn't any of those for Jake," Collins said.
"The inside of his locker was covered with pictures of his family – even from the time he was small. Family pictures with him and his sister Jessi snuggled up next to his dad and mom, and another one was of him and his mom playing in the water.
"It was obvious what was truly important to Jake; and it definitely wasn't some female pop star, it was mom, dad and Jessi," said Collins.
Diana Dodson, principal at the middle school where Jake was to begin seventh grade this fall, said he was an excellent student who was always courteous and respectful to everyone.
"Jake was a strong leader among his peers, always encouraging them to do what was right. He was well-respected and well-liked among everyone at CCMS," said Dodson.
Some of his closest friends and even casual observers remember that Jake was mature beyond his years.
"You never really thought of him as a kid," said Payton Croft, who despite being nine years older than Jake always thought of him as a contemporary.
The two boys grew up together, both sons of basketball coaches, following behind their fathers to games and on scouting trips.
Croft's father, the former head basketball coach at Crittenden County High School, said Jake was "a kid when with other kids, but he acted more like an adult when around older people. He had great things ahead of him," Jimmy Croft said.
His school principal recognized the very same traits.
"Perhaps the most important characteristic Jake possessed was that he was such a person of strong character, even at his young age. Crittenden County Middle School has suffered a huge loss with the passing of Jake Hodge," Dodson said.
Mike Jones, minister at Marion Baptist Church where Jake was a member, calls him a "a truly remarkable young man."
"I am so thankful to have known him," said Rev. Jones. "His family is an amazing family. Jake was gifted in so many ways but what was extra-special about Jake was his faith in Jesus Christ. It is this faith in Jesus Christ that provides the strength for Jake’s family to endure this tragic time in their lives.
The pastor said the Bible speaks of a “peace that passes all understanding” and it is that “peace” that enables those who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ to have comfort, knowing they will see Jake again in Heaven.

Ordinance would legalize carts in city
Emily Shelby has been driving her golf cart for years on city streets, using it to get to and from the golf course and run quick errands. In fact, just last week, she puttered around town on the cart carrying out chores.
“I use it to play golf mainly,” Shelby said. But last Wednesday, “I had to make 15 stops, so I used it to save gas.”
And fuel conservation is one of the reasons the City of Marion is considering enacting an ordinance that would allow use of golf carts for travel along city streets. The measure was introduced Monday by Councilman Jason Hatfield at a special council meeting, but Shelby said the idea is nothing new to her.
“I’ve used it all along,” she said. “I called the Department of Transportation 10 years ago, and they said it was okay anywhere in the city as long as it wasn’t on main streets.”
But the measure entertained by the city this week would adopt new rules outlined in legislation passed this winter by the Kentucky General Assembly. Those laws would require Shelby to be licensed, carry insurance just as for a vehicle, have a $5 inspection by the sheriff’s department and pay a $50 permit fee to the city. It would also specify where Shelby and others like her could operate the golf cart within the city.
“I stick to back streets ,and Main Street is used only to be crossed,” Shelby said of her travel with the cart. “There’s too much traffic (on Main Street) to think the other person is going to watch out, because they don’t.”
Main Street, or at least a portion, is one of the streets City Administrator Mark Bryant has proposed as off limits for golf carts. Most of Bellville, East Depot and West Gum streets, as well as Country Club Drive, Fords Ferry Road, Sturgis Road and Old Salem Road would have prohibited travel for carts. In fact, state law would prohibit use on any road with a speed limit above 35 mph.
Marion Police Chief Ray O’Neal has not had time to digest the impact of allowing golf carts on streets, but initially, he has few problems with the notion.
“But there’s always that concern,” O’Neal said.
The police chief said he occasionally sees someone using a golf cart on city streets, but the department has never issued a citation. Like with ATVs, mowers and other small motorized machines, he usually just asks them to get off the road.
“We’ve never had a problem,” he added.
Councilman Darrin Tabor is afraid city-approved use of golf carts as a mode of travel could set a bad precedent for ATV, mower and other riders.
“This could open Pandora’s box,” he warned.
O’Neal’s concerns are of a safety nature. He worries about some of the areas proposed for golf cart crossings. On Main Street, for instance, he suggests having only one area allowable to cross from the east and west sides of town.
Shelby has been stopped by authorities before, but clarified that she has only been asked to “be careful, and use your head crossing Main Street.”
Living on Leland Drive near Marion Country Club, Shelby spends little time on the road to and from playing golf. But the new law allows anyone within a five-mile radius of golf courses to use prescribed city streets for any reason. That would encompass virtually all of Marion.
Pippi Hardin, an avid golfer and former state police officer, has a golf cart equipped with tail and brake lights, as well as turn signals. But don’t look for him to be driving on any city streets.
“It’s dangerous,” he said.
Senate Bill 93, which goes into effect July 15, allows local governments, such as Marion's, to make their own decision on golf cart usage. There are a number of state-prescribed restrictions above the city’s.
A second reading is required before the city ordinance could become legal.

Habitat for Humanity dissolves
Marion resident Dot Meredith faced a difficult decision on June 5.
Meredith, along with five other board members of the local Crittenden County Habitat for Humanity, decided to dissolve the local affiliate after 10 years of serving the community.
“We were relieved that the decision was made,” said Meredith, a curator at the Crittenden County Historical Museum and last charter member of the HFH affiliate. “We had been thinking about this for a long time and we felt like we were going in the right direction.”
Habitat for Humanity International, a worldwide non-profit Christian-based agency that builds homes for underprivileged families, had altered several of its requirements, which caused the small budgeted Crittenden County affiliate to reevaluate its operations.
“[HFHI] wants different chapters to build more than one house a year, but in this small of a community we wouldn’t be able to raise enough money,” said Ron Padget, president of the local HFH affiliate. “We can’t even raise enough money to build another house.”
According to Padget, the local HFH affiliate has managed to build only one house since its inception in March of 1998. The two-bedroom house, located at 230 N. Weldon St., is home to Brenda Jones.
Jones, who followed Marcia Thompson as the second owner of the home since it was constructed by HFH, was unavailable for comment.
Both Padget and Meredith said they tried to find help from the community in regards to funding and volunteer work, but that their efforts were often unsuccessful.
A six-inch advertisement informing Crittenden County citizens of the pending changes to the local HFH affiliate was placed in the February 14 issue of The Crittenden Press in hopes of increasing interest and involvement. The advertisement sought more volunteers and new board members for the organization.
“We are so close to building our next home in Crittenden County, but if we cannot get more volunteers we will be required to give the funds we worked so hard for to another county, state or even country,” stated the advertisement.
According to Meredith, however, hopes for more volunteers and funding were dashed as only three people responded to the advertisement, including two in neighboring counties requesting that new homes be built for their families.
“We just can’t find any help,” said Padget, of the main reason behind dissolving the local HFH affiliate. “No one wants to do it anymore.”
Habitat being replaced
Although Padget and Meredith are both upset over the dissolving HFH affiliate, neither want to cease helping others in the community.
According to Padget, who has headed the local HFH affiliate for the past six months, a new non-profit called Crittenden County Cares will replace the local HFH once paperwork is finalized. Padget will serve as founder and president of CCC.
Meredith said the disbanded affiliate and Jones’ home will be given to the Hopkins County HFH affiliate. She also said that the HFHI agreed to hand over funds collected by the local affiliate to CCC, which is about $30,000.
“With [HFHI] we couldn’t do anything but just build the house,” said Padget, who believes repairs are needed more so than rebuilding of homes. “We couldn’t go in and fix the house for someone or do any little jobs at all. If we didn’t build the house we couldn’t do anything, where with [CCC] we can do anything.”
Padget also said he has received confirmations from volunteers who have professional experience with electrical work, plumbing and air/heat work.
Some advise structure
Buddy Hix came from humble beginnings. As a boy he grew up with his family in a small, wooden floored chicken house. He would later serve as president and executive director of the local HFH affiliate for nearly nine years, but was unaware that the HFH had dissolved.
According to Hix, the creation of the new non-profit, CCC, intended to replace the dissolved HFH local affiliate, may not suffice for the needs of some homes and that not a lot of repairs are needed in the area.
“You can take an old house and you can spend $10,000 on it and make it look pretty good, but it’s still an old house,” said Hix. “But if it’s still an old house, no matter how much money you spend on repair, it doesn’t meet the family needs – they need to get out of there.”
Hix also warned that organized management might be needed in order to properly function as an effective non-profit, such as CCC.
“If they don’t have any structure or if they don’t answer to someone then they may leave out some people,” said Hix, who is pastor at Unity General Baptist Church in Crayne. “It needs to be set up and have very stiff guidelines, rules and regulations. If you don’t have that then it’s going to be at the whim of whoever has the most power.”
“There has to be that management there,” said Hix of management for a non-profit. “If not, you’ll hurt more than you’ll actually help.”
Mickey Alexander, mayor of Marion, was also unaware of the dissolved affiliate, but said he was appreciative of their efforts over the past decade and thinks Crittenden County Cares will be a boost in the county.
“There’s always been a need for better housing,” said Alexander. “But they may find that there is just as strong of a need to do repairs [in Crittenden County]. At least they’re not totally abandoning the idea of helping people with housing, so that’s great.”
Alexander said their efforts in the community were limited due to a small volunteer base.
“I don’t think its any fault of their own and it doesn’t mean the people don’t care,” said Alexander, who also said that he had never volunteered with the affiliate and acted more as a booster. “It’s just a numbers thing.”
“We have a lot of very qualified, dedicated volunteers in Marion and Crittenden County, but the problem is that the pool [of volunteers] is so small.”
Alexander suggested that the new non-profit, CCC, assist the city in obtaining a Community Development Block Grant, similar to the $1 million grant given to Princeton and two other western Kentucky cities earlier this month, in order to rebuild and repair dilapidated housing within the community. Alexander said the city missed this year’s application date, but would consider applying in the future.
Padget said he was aware of the CDBG, but that the dissolved HFH affiliate had not looked into it and that he would consider discussing these options with city officials.