Local News

For the past 28 years, Sara Monarch has dedicated her life to helping students learn. During her tenure as an educator, Monarch has influenced the lives of hundreds of local students and is credited with helping push the entire district towards excellence.

And this afternoon, Monarch will clean out her desk at the Shelby County Public Schools central office and walk into her retirement.

Monarch, a self-proclaimed workaholic, said she will miss being able to influence the quality of local education.

Teaching has been a journey, she said.

The Shelby County Public Library reopened recently after shutting down for renovation.

The new additions to the library are nearly complete, and will add 5,500 additional square-feet of space, according to Shelby County Library Director Pam Federspiel.

The library was closed for three weeks while the construction took place and reopened the day after Memorial Day. All that remains now is the delivery of some furniture, which is scheduled to arrive July 25, Federspiel said.

While he won't be traveling to Beijing, a local athlete hopes to win his second gold medal this summer.

Lance Alexander, of Shelbyville, is one 33 athletes from Kentucky who will compete in the 2008 U.S. Transplant Games in Pittsburgh next month.

The competition, which is organized by the National Kidney Foundation, is open to any athlete who has received a tissue or organ transplant.

Panic broke out in the courthouse Tuesday morning after a man pushed a bailiff aside and fled before he could be handcuffed.

Brandon Davis, 26, of Taylorsville, is now lodged in the Shelby County Detention Center after the escape attempt, according to the Shelby County Sheriff's Office.

Davis was in Shelby Circuit Court for probation violation, according to sheriff's detective Jason Rice.