Local News

Though this year's WHAS Crusade for Children collection total fell short of last year's total by $24,714, that figure is misleading.

The figures for this year and last year would actually be pretty close if not for a bequest to the Crusade in a will last year.

This year's total was $162,077.18, compared to last year's of $186,791.43. But without last year's donation of $25,000 from Lola Register the total from 2007 would have been $161,791.43. That means firefighters collected about $300 more on the streets this year than they did last year.

Long-time Shelby County Judge-Executive Bobby Stratton died Saturday at Baptist Hospital Northeast Hospice Unit in LaGrange. Stratton was 86.

A businessman and owner of Stratton Sporting Goods for 25 years, he was the county's judge-executive from 1981-2002. As judge-executive, Stratton presided over the building of the current jail, the buying of the courthouse annex and the building of the Multi-Purpose Community Action Agency and the Stratton Center, which was named for him. He extended water lines in the county and saw most of the county's roads get paved.

The family of Maxine Ethington, who has been missing for two and a half weeks, is now offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to her immediate recovery.

Shelby County sheriff's deputy Jim Insco, who spoke at a press conference called by the Ethington family on Friday, said that time has become a very important factor for the missing 87-year-old woman with dementia.

In his first official act as superintendent, James Neihof got to hand out diplomas to over 300 seniors at the graduation ceremony last Friday night.

Neihof, who took office on Monday, said seeing all of the Shelby County High School students receive a certificate for 12 years of successful education reminded him of why he wanted to be superintendent of Shelby County Public Schools.

"This is why we do what we do," he said. "To see those kids succeed in school and be prepared to excel in whatever they go on to next."