Local News The Crittenden Press Full Version (PDF) Blackout Monday exposes problem City residents were left largely in the dark for almost two hours Monday night when a Kentucky Utilities transmission line broke and caused widespread power outages.
Some KU customers in the Crayne and Mexico communities were without power until about 1:30 a.m.
All of downtown was without electricity from about 5:15 p.m., until 6:50 p.m.
Marion City Council was in session when the lights went out, but a backup generator at city hall kicked on automatically and power was restored almost immediately.
Cliff Feltham, a spokesman for KU, said a high-voltage transmission line broke loose and fell onto a low-voltage line below it. The low-voltage line fell to the ground, creating a small fire.
When the lines touched, it caused an arcing that lit up the night sky, several witnesses reported. The power outage initially affected 2,925 KU customers. Kenergy power customers were not affected.
In Marion, there was a glitch in the countywide communication system. It was a recurrence of the same problem encountered during last winter’s ice storm.
A backup generator that runs the communications transmission system failed. The LP generator is located atop Wilson Hill where the transmitting antenna is located.
Rescue Squad Chief Donnie Arflack said the generator was supposed to have been fixed after the ice storm, but those repairs didn’t solve the problem.
“We are going to get another one to put up there,” Arflack said.
The communications system is shared by fire, rescue, police and Crittenden Hospital.
The generator that didn’t start is about 10 years old. Arflack says there has been some debate as to who is responsible for replacing the device.
When the communications repeater on Wilson Hill does not work, dispatchers have only limited communication abilities. Another generator was quickly taken to the site Monday in order to get the transmission equipment going.
After last winter’s ice storm that created major power outages, some rescue personnel said Monday’s blackout was a good “fire drill” to see how well new systems would work.
Woman charged with assault A Marion woman is charged with first-degree assault, domestic violence, for allegedly running over her boyfriend with an SUV at 2:45 p.m., Friday. The incident happened on the parking lot of Harminie Enterprises, Inc., the former Chrysler building, at 250 Sturgis Road.
Witnesses told police they saw Rodney McKinney, 38, of Marion get out of the blue Ford Explorer just before Lacey Reader, 27, of Marion drove over him. They also told police that she was yelling at the man while he was on the ground. The couple’s three-year-old child was also in the vehicle.
PHI Air Ambulance was called to take the man to an Evansville trauma hospital after he complained of pelvic and abdominal pain. He was treated and released the next day.
Reader was arrested shortly after the incident and lodged in Crittenden County Detention Center on a $10,000 cash bond.