Allstate Offers Tips on Cold Weather Driving

Rare winter weather forces Kentucky residents to pull out scarves and gloves, turn up the heat and revise the way they drive. This weekend’s wet and wintry weather may leave the roads slick, and that means many Kentucky residents will be driving in conditions they might not be accustomed to. Allstate has some winter driving tips for drivers to keep in mind to stay safe in these wintry conditions. 

1. Reduce your speed

Snow and ice greatly increase the stopping distance for all vehicles. Even four-wheel drive vehicles need to adjust to hazardous road conditions. Not knowing when you are about to encounter black ice, the best driving advice to those that must be on the road is, slow down.

2.   Maintain your car and check that the:

q Tires don’t show excessive signs of wear

q Battery is fully charged

q Wipers are working and windshield fluid is full

q Cooling system is in good working condition

3.   Prepare for the unexpected and carry:

q A flashlight

q Jumper cables

q Blankets

q First-aid kit

q A shovel

q A cellular telephone

Additionally, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends that the following steps be taken when a vehicle stalls:

q Stay with the car

q Put a bright marker on the antenna or in the windows

q Clear the exhaust pipe, if you can run your car

q Run your car just long enough to remove the chill

Lady Panthers beat Western Hills

Fleming County 59

Western Hills 51

Mr. Sauer

Charles A. "Chuck" Sauer, 57, of Flemingsburg, died Jan. 27, 2010 at the Fleming County Hospital with a two year fight with pancretic cancer. He was born June 4, 1952 to Martha Caproni Sauer and the late Charles "Charlie" Sauer.

Chuck is survived by his loving wife, Carolyn Throckmorton Sauer; a daughter, Melissa (Michael) Denton of Shelbyville; a son, Andrew Sauer of Flemingsburg; a very special granddaughter, Ashley "Boog" Denton; and two sisters, Bonnie Meadows of Flemingsburg and Cheryal (Les) Davis of Aberdeen, Ohio.

Chuck was the proud owner of Sauer Implement, a loving husband, father and Pappy, a cattleman, farmer, a Kibota Dealer and a director of Farmer's Home Mutual Insurance.

Services at 11 a.m., Saturday, at Price Bros. Funeral Home in Elizaville. Rev. Mike Stephenson will officiate.

Burial will follow in the Wedonia Cemetery.

Visitation is from 5 - 8 p.m. at the funeral home on Friday.

In lieu of flowers, contributions are suggested to the Cancer Club of Flemingsburg, P. O. Box 189, Flemingsburg, Ky. 41041.

Mrs. Rucker

Ethel Justice Rucker, 92, of Flemingsburg died Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2010. Mrs. Rucker was born in Willard, Dec. 6, 1917 to the late Charlie and Minnie Flannery Justice. Her parents were formerly of Flemingsburg.

She was preceded in death by her first husband, Eugene Rucker; and her second husband, Victor Rucker and her siblings, Madge Seidenschmidt and Ray Justice.

She is survived by one son, Ron (Jean) Rucker of Palos Verde, Calif.; three daughters, Dianne R. (Steve) Allen of Danville, Connie R. Meinke of Kewadin, Mich., and Vickie Rucker of Flemingsburg; two sisters, Dora Hazel Combs of Dayton, Ohio and Edna Boggs of Jacksonville, Fla.; one sister-in-law, Joyce Rucker of Webbville; eight grandchildren, one great-grandchild; and one great-great-grandchild; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Services 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 6 at the Boone - Nickell Funeral Home.

Visitation from 6 - 7:30 p.m. at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, please contribute to the Humane Society of your choice.

Transportation Cabinet preparing for snow

Storm track, snow totals remain uncertain

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Jan. 27, 2010) — Kentucky Transportation Cabinet crews are preparing for a strong weather maker that forecasters say could dump several inches of snow across much of the Commonwealth.

“It looks like parts of the state could get hammered with significant amounts of snow,” acting Transportation Secretary Mike Hancock said. “Our crews across the state continue to monitor the developments and make preparations accordingly.”

Crews began pretreating priority routes across most of the state today and will be ready to fully mobilize when snow arrives, Hancock said.

Forecasters remain uncertain of the storm’s exact track and total snow accumulations. The National Weather Service this morning indicated the potential for a half-foot of snow in parts of southern Kentucky and 1-3 inches farther north, around the Louisville and Lexington areas.

The state has ample stocks of brine — a water and salt mixture used in pretreatment — salt and calcium chloride, which, combined with salt, is also an effective anti-icing agent.

Local storm response strategies are primarily planned from each of the cabinet’s 12 highway district offices: Paducah, Madisonville, Bowling Green, Elizabethtown, Louisville, Covington, Lexington, Somerset, Flemingsburg, Jackson, Manchester and Pikeville.

“Our district engineering staff and county maintenance crews represent years of experience in planning and effectively responding to these events,” Hancock said. “We will work around the clock to keep Kentucky roads in the best possible condition.”

During significant snow and ice events, staffing in the cabinet’s 24-hour Traffic Operations Center is increased to coordinate and distribute information throughout the state.

The public can access updated travel and weather information online at www.511.ky.gov or by dialing 511.

Motorists should always use extra caution and allow plenty of travel time when driving in wintry weather. Bridges and overpasses typically freeze before surface-level roadways

Mason 72, FCHS 48

Mason County 16 16 19 21 -- 72

Fleming County 11 18 13 6 -- 48

   MC: Setty 7 0-0 16, Gilbert 4 1-2† 11, Bluford 5 0-0 10, B.Lang 1 2-4 5, J.Lang 1 2-2 4, Harris 5 0-2 11, Pawsat 4 1-3 10, King 1 0-0 3, Hamm 0 2-3 2. Totals 28 8-16 72.

   FC: Dugan 7 0-0 18, Gray 3 1-2 9, Jolley 2 2-4 6, Taylor 1 2-2 4, Hicks 0 2-2 2, Gibbs 1 2-3 5, Duncan 0 3-4 3, Kinder 0 1-2 1. Totals 14 13-21 48.

   3-pointers: MC 8 (Setty 2, Gilbert 2, B.Lang, Pawsat, King, Harris); FC 7 (Dugan 4, Gray 2, Gibbs). Records: Mason County 14-6, Fleming County 10-5.

State highway crews preparing for winter weather

 

Snow in forecast this week

FLEMINGSBURG, Ky. – State highway crews are preparing for snow duty as a winter storm once again advances on northeast Kentucky.

At 3 p.m., snow was beginning to fall in Flemingsburg, with accumulation reported along grassy areas. Roadways remained clear.

National Weather Service forecasts call for a chance of continued accumulation overnight and Tuesday, Jan. 26, across much of Kentucky Department of Highways District 9, which includes Bath, Boyd, Carter, Elliott, Fleming, Greenup, Lewis, Mason, Nicholas and Rowan counties.

Crew members in those counties are ready – as they always are during winter months – to work 12-hour shifts to keep 2,000 miles of roadway clear with the district’s fleet of 75 snow plows and salt trucks. Currently, about 13,500 tons of snow-melting rock salt are stockpiled at district facilities.

With wintry weather expected again Thursday and Friday, highway crews will remain on alert throughout the week.

To learn more, visit Highway District 9’s YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/HighwayDistrictNine to watch a video on crews’ winter weather readiness.

Motorists are reminded to always use extra caution when driving in winter weather and remember that bridges and overpasses typically freeze before surface-level roadways.

You can keep up with road conditions and snow removal activities by following District 9 online at http://twitter.com/kytcdistrict9. Information is also available via Facebook by searching for the “KYTC Highway District Nine” fan page. Or, keep up with snow plows statewide using KYTC’s online Snow & Ice Treatment Map at http://kytcgis.ky.gov/snow_ice/.

Kentucky travel information is available by dialing 511 or visiting online at www.511.ky.gov.

Road conditions are described as follows:

• Wet pavement – Ice could form as temperatures drop.
• Partly covered – Markings may be obscured by snow, slush or ice.
• Mostly covered by snow, slush or ice.
• Completely covered by snow, slush or ice.
• Impassable – Conditions unsuitable for all but emergency travel.