Beech Tree News Network

The Morgantown  City Police have made arrests in an early week break-in at Pizza Zone in Morgantown. According to Officer Andy Gidcumb of the MPD four individuals have been arrested in connection with the burglary. Gidcumb told BTN that thieves used a crowbar to break in to Pizza Zone sometime between 10 and 11:30 on Sunday night. The burglars then used the crowbar to pry out and break into a floor safe. “That told us we were looking for some big guys right there,” said Gidcumb.

Beech Tree News provides courthouse statistics on a regular basis. Courthouse information provided in this article is a matter of public record. The following records are from the Butler County Circuit Clerk’s and Butler County Clerk's offices and cover November 1 – December 12, 2011.

Civil Cases:
Discover Bank vs. Alisha Cox
Banks Crandell, et al vs. Joey Dockery, et al
Lien Solutions, LLC vs. Phillip B. Phelps, et al
Lien Solutions, LLC vs. John W. Childress, et al
Capital One Bank vs. Sammy E. Naighbors

Butler County Fiscal Court held its final regular session for 2011 on Monday night at the courthouse. All members were present.

The Butler County Board of Education held its monthly meeting Tuesday, December 13, at the Butler County Education Complex.  Anita Cardwell, teacher at Butler County Middle School, was recognized for becoming a National Board Certified Teacher.  Another middle school teacher, Kyllie Doughty, was recognized for achieving her renewal certificate as a National Board Certified Teacher. 

Doug Morris has been named Morgantown Volunteer Fire Department Fireman of the Year.  He received the award based on his contributions to the department throughout the year.

The award was announced Saturday, December 10 at the Morgantown Fire Department annual Christmas awards dinner.  About 60 people were in attendance.

While many of you were sleeping in the early morning hours of Tuesday, December 13, 2011, the Butler County High School Marching Band was preparing for a day they would not forget. The band left at 2:30 AM for a trip to Frankfort, Kentucky to participate in the 59th Governors Inaugural Parade. 54 bands marched in the 1 mile parade which lasted two hours. Each band was recognized as Governor Beshear watched. The parade was broadcast on KET and is in the video archives with KET.

Butler County Sheriff Deputy Chris Reneer and Morgantown Police Officer Travis McIntosh were recently honored in Lexington as part of the Governor’s Campaign against Drunk/Impaired Driving. The officers were honored for having the most drunk/impaired driving arrests for their respective departments between October 1, 2010 and September 30, 2011.

Jones Funeral Chapel has undergone a major remodel.  The renovation took nearly two months to complete, but the results are striking, from the foyer to the selection room.  The main chapel is half-again larger than before, with a new pulpit area and a beautiful, inviting fireplace.  The chapel can now seat 200 people.  Just off the main chapel is a sitting room that has also been enlarged.  A fireplace and TV (used for slide shows) were added to this room as well.

They formed a circle of chairs in the lobby of Morgantown Bank and Trust. Included was a chorus of guitars, a mandolin and a dobro. As the microphone was passed to the next in line, each one took a turn with a song of their choice.

Around 1:15 Saturday afternoon, Morgantown Volunteer Fire Department and Fourth District Volunteer Fire Departement responded to a possible structure fire at 2707 Brownsville Road.  Upon arriving, firemen found heavy smoke coming from the upstairs of the house.  The occupants of the house were all out of the house uninjured when the fire departments arrived on the scene.  The fireman made entry, and the fire was quickly extinguished.