MURRAY – Murray-Calloway County Hospital (MCCH) is pleased to announce the appointment of Brian Craven as the hospital’s new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Craven brings more than 25 years of healthcare financial leadership experience and a proven track record in fiscal accountability and operational excellence.
In this role, Craven will oversee the hospital’s financial operations, including budgeting, revenue cycle management, and financial reporting. His leadership will be instrumental in supporting MCCH’s mission of providing high-quality, compassionate care to the communities it serves.
“We are excited to welcome Brian to the MCCH team,” said Reba Celsor, CEO of Murray-Calloway County Hospital. “With his depth of knowledge in healthcare finance and commitment to community-focused care, we are confident that he will help guide MCCH toward continued financial health and growth.”
Prior to joining MCCH, he served as CEO at Ironwood Healthcare Solutions, where he led initiatives that improved financial performance and enhanced overall efficiency. He holds a degree in Accounting from Union University and is a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA).
“I am honored to join the team at MCCH and be part of a hospital that is deeply rooted in its community,” said Brian Craven. “I look forward to contributing to its continued success and supporting the incredible staff who make quality patient care their top priority every day.”
Please join MCCH in welcoming Brian Craven, CFO, to our leadership team.
FRANKFORT, Ky. (KT) – The State Budget Director’s Office said receipts for both the General Fund and Road Fund exceeded the Consensus Forecasting Group’s official estimate for Kentucky state government’s 2025 Fiscal Year (FY25), which ended on June 30.
General Fund receipts for FY25 totaled $15,703.2 million, exceeding FY24 total revenue by $131.9 million, or 0.8 percent. General Fund revenues exceeded the official revenue estimates by a nearly identical amount, $131.3 million.
Road Fund revenues totaled $1,863.5 million, 0.6 percent less than the FY24 total. Compared to the official FY25 Road Fund estimate of $1,825.0 million, actual revenues exceeded the estimate by $38.5 million.
State Budget Director John Hicks stated, “Both funds produced revenues in excess of the enacted estimates. Major business taxes far exceeded the official estimates offsetting lower than forecasted income and sales tax receipts. Strength in business taxes demonstrates that Kentucky businesses are producing at a profitable level. On the Road Fund ledger, the use tax paid on the sales price of new and used vehicles provided the collections needed to surpass the official estimate by $38.5 million. Car and truck sales are evidence that Kentucky consumers are earning working wages sufficient to finance these purchases.”
Of the eight accounts that are part of the General Fund, four accounts had differences that were within $10 million of the actual amounts. The other four accounts had variations ranging from $125 million to $500 million. The larger differences cancelled each other out so that, in total, General Fund estimates were within one percent of the actual receipts.
Looking at the seven accounts make up the Road Fund, three accounts finished below the estimated amount while four accounts exceeded the official estimate. The forecasting differences ranged in magnitude from -$30.4 million to $69.4 million. Among the accounts, motor vehicle usage tax was $69.4 million over the official estimate while motor fuels revenues came in $30.4 million under the estimate. All other accounts, taken together, were $0.5 million below forecasted levels.
The final budget surplus amount for FY25 will be known once the accounting records for expenditures are completed later this month.
The Circuit Clerks of Kentucky are once again making a lifesaving difference across the Commonwealth. Through a longtime partnership with Donate Life Kentucky Trust (Trust), they are helping to raise critical funds for transplant patients and donor families through the 2025 Summer Raffle featuring a brand-new Axis UTV as the grand prize.
“This raffle is just one of the ways we continue to support the nonprofit we helped create,” said Melinda Starks, Calloway Co. Circuit Clerk. “Since 1992, we have been proud to stand with the Donate Life mission to ensure no family faces the donation or transplant journey alone.”
Donate Life Kentucky Trust was founded by the Circuit Clerks of Kentucky in 1992 and continues to thrive because of their leadership and commitment. Over the years, their efforts have helped the donor registry grow to over 2 million Kentuckians.
Their dedication allows increased donation education in communities, scholarships, and supports thousands of families across the state. With over 1000 Kentucky kids and adults waiting for a lifesaving transplant, the need is greater than ever.
Thanks to Hopkins Co. Circuit Clerk Tanya Bowman for securing the Axis UTV donation, all proceeds from the raffle will directly support the Trust’s programs including travel and lodging for donor families, care packages for transplant patients, and early kidney disease detection efforts in underserved communities.
Founded in 1992 by the Circuit Clerks of Kentucky, Donate Life Kentucky Trust is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that provides vital funds for transplant patients and donor families and increases public education to grow the Donor Registry through scholarships, driver’s license education, and more. Learn more by going to www.donatelifeky.org or text or call or text 1-502-694-3015.
The United States stands at a pivotal moment in the 21st century—a chance to lead a new technological era defined by artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and next-generation infrastructure. President Trump’s call for a “Golden Age of American Innovation” isn’t just a slogan—it’s a strategic necessity. But that vision is being undermined from within by outdated regulatory thinking better suited to the past than the future.
Despite the administration’s pro-business momentum, Biden-era antitrust activism still lingers, especially in the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ). These agencies continue to target leading American tech companies—Meta, Google, Microsoft—even as the world’s most formidable authoritarian regime, China, pours trillions into its own high-tech ambitions.
It’s a bizarre contrast: while China subsidizes its tech giants and pushes AI worldwide through its Belt and Road Initiative, American innovators are dragged into courtrooms and buried in compliance costs. In a global tech arms race, we’re tying the hands of our own champions.
The FTC’s push to undo Meta’s decade-old acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp—deals previously approved and in fiercely competitive markets—is a prime example. Likewise, the DOJ’s effort to break up Google and slow its AI progress ignores legal precedent and economic logic. These aren’t consumer protections; they’re self-inflicted wounds that drain resources from research and development.
This isn’t about defending monopolies, it’s about strategic coherence. As President Trump rightly said, “We want to have great companies. We don’t want China to have these companies.” In a world where scale equals strength, we cannot afford to dismantle the very firms that keep America competitive.
China is executing a unified strategy to dominate future technologies. Its $3 trillion tech investment plan dwarfs ours. It’s building national AI platforms, funding strategic acquisitions, and exporting tools that embed Communist Party values. If successful, China won’t just lead innovation—it will set the global rules, spreading censorship, surveillance, and centralized control.
To win this race, America must act with equal clarity. Every arm of government must align behind a single mission: ensure U.S. leadership in innovation. Right now, we face internal contradictions—where one branch fuels growth while another fights it.
The President should act immediately on four fronts:
Realign Executive Agencies: The FTC and DOJ must support, not sabotage, the administration’s tech vision. Their focus should be curbing real abuse, not punishing success.
Launch an AI Moonshot: We need an Apollo Program for AI. Public-private partnerships should accelerate innovation, promote American values, and ensure global reach.
Modernize Tech Infrastructure: Infrastructure now includes data centers, energy grids, and a skilled workforce. The $500 billion tech plan is a start—but must expand to include cyber resilience, STEM education, and energy security.
Leverage Scale for Innovation: Big tech is not the enemy of innovation—it enables it. Their resources fund startups, support risky R&D, and help America outpace global rivals.
If the U.S. is to win the battle for technological supremacy, we must stop sabotaging ourselves. The Golden Age of American Innovation will only come if policy, law and leadership move in concert. Anything less is an unforced error—one that risks not just our economic edge, but the values we hope to lead with.
Because the real question isn’t just who wins the tech revolution. It’s what kind of world that revolution creates, and whose values it reflects.
Colson Thomas is the founder of the College Republicans chapter at Murray State University and vice chairman of the Trigg County Republican Party.
MURRAY – The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) plans to repave Murray’s main thoroughfare, U.S. 641/12th Street. While that state project is on the horizon, the current construction on the south side of town, which has Glendale Road blocked to through traffic from 12th Street to KY 121 and one northbound lane closed from Glendale to Pogue Avenue, is a local project, being coordinated by the city.
Mayor Bob Rogers said that, after receiving notification about KYTC’s plans to repave 12th Street, city officials asked the cabinet to delay its project in order for the city to replace six manholes.
“We just had to ask them to hold off on the paving until we replace them,” Rogers said, adding that he did not think it will take long to complete the project.
Late last week, crews began placing “road closed” signs and barrels along the east side of South 12th Street, starting just south of Glendale Road and extending north to Pogue Avenue in preparation for the construction project that began Monday.
Glendale Road is currently closed to through traffic from 12th Street to KY 121. City officials anticipate re-opening the intersection on Thursday. (JESSICA PAINE/The Murray Sentinel)
That caused some confusion, according to Rogers. “We had to deal with it on the weekend because they went ahead and put the signs up too early. Of course, we were getting ready for the Fourth of July, and we had to call and say, ‘Hey, wait! We don’t want those signs up until Monday morning.’”
A flashing arrow guides northbound traffic on U.S. 641/12th Street to merge into the left lane. The right lane is closed from Glendale Road to Pogue Avenue while the city replaces manholes. (JESSICA PAINE/The Murray Sentinel)
Nearly all – five of the six manholes – are located on South 12th Street, and one is on Glendale Road. City Administrator Jim Osborne said that the city does not plan on replacing any manholes north of Pogue Avenue at this time.
Osborne further advised that the city anticipates re-opening Glendale Road on Thursday; however, the timetable for the rest of the manhole replacement project, barring any unforeseen problems, will largely depend on the weather.
A dump truck is parked on 12th Street beside a new precast concrete manhole. (JESSICA PAINE/The Murray Sentinel)
Few details about KYTC’s repaving project are being released at this time, but KYTC District 1 Public Information Officer Carrie Dillard confirmed that the project has been scheduled, advising that engineers anticipate starting sometime in August and that more information will be released as the start date approaches.
Wylecia Wiggs Harris, PHD, CAE, Chief Executive Officer of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, issued the following statement in response to the President’s signing of the reconciliation bill on July 4.
“The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is discouraged by President Trump’s signing of the reconciliation bill, which enacts sweeping cuts to federal nutrition and public health programs that millions of Americans rely on for nutrition and food security.
Changes to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will disrupt the direct certification process for school meals, putting millions of children at greater risk of hunger. The elimination of funding for the Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Grant Program (SNAP-Ed) after 2025 disregards decades of success in helping families eat balanced meals on a budget, improve overall health and reduce chronic disease.
There is overwhelming evidence that demonstrates these legislative and budgetary actions will have harmful consequences to public health and none of these actions gets us closer to improving the health and nutrition security of Americans, which the Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture share as common goals. On June 13, we sent a letter with 19 other organizations to Congressional appropriators urging the immediate protection of these programs.
We are deeply grateful to our community, partners and advocates who raised their voices and took action. Together, over 35,000 action alert letters were sent to Congress and we generated more than 5,500 social media engagements in support of protecting nutrition and food security. Your dedication and commitment made a measurable difference.
While we oppose the harmful cuts enacted through this legislation, the Academy remains committed to working with Congress and the Administration to restore vital nutrition programs and address the challenges these cuts create. We believe solutions are possible, and we are ready to help shape a path forward that increases nutrition security and ensures all Americans have access to the nutrition programs they need.”
FRANKFORT, Ky. – As travel increases this summer, Kentuckians are encouraged to slow down, obey posted speed limits and help keep everyone on the road safe.
Speed limits are not merely suggestions; they are in place to protect everyone on the road. Driving over the speed limit greatly reduces a driver’s ability to react to unexpected situations, such as stopped traffic, road debris or encountering vulnerable road users such as highway workers, pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists.
Speeding and aggressive driving are major contributors to roadway fatalities. In fact, approximately one-third of all traffic fatalities in Kentucky involve a speeding or aggressive driver. In response, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s Office of Highway Safety (KOHS) is partnering with law enforcement agencies statewide to implement the “Not So Fast, Kentucky” speed awareness campaign through July 31.
“We want families to have a great time exploring all the beautiful things Kentucky has to offer this summer,” said Gov. Andy Beshear “But to keep everyone safe on the road, I’m asking all Kentuckians to slow down, stay focused and be patient with each other on the road. Together, we can prevent crashes and make sure everyone gets home safely.”
Funds for the campaign are provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and distributed by KOHS to law enforcement agencies that applied and were approved for full-year grants.
“With the summer construction season underway, we’re asking drivers to be especially vigilant in work zones,” added Transportation Cabinet Secretary Jim Gray. “Your choices behind the wheel affect more than just you – they impact your family, friends and everyone sharing the road. Let’s work together to make Kentucky’s roads safer this summer.”
As construction season ramps up, drivers need to stay alert and use extra caution in work zones. A work zone is any part of the highway where government crews, contractors or utility companies are doing construction, repairs, resurfacing, inspections or maintenance. To keep everyone safe, slow down, watch for signs and stay alert.
Legislation passed last year – Senate Bill 107 – increased fines for speeding and aggressive driving in work zones. In addition to fines of $500 or more, drivers may even have their license revoked, depending on the violation. These tougher consequences are in place for a reason. Work zones are active job sites where workers are often feet from traffic. Reduced speeds and attentive driving help prevent crashes and protect everyone on the road.
The KOHS provides the following tips for dealing with speeding and/or aggressive drivers:
Wear your seat belt! It is your best defense against injury and death.
Do not challenge the driver by speeding up or attempting to hold your lane.
Give them plenty of space, as they may lose control of their vehicle more easily.
Avoid eye contact and ignore gestures.
If you can safely report an aggressive driver to law enforcement, provide a vehicle description, license number, location and, if possible, direction of travel.
If an aggressive driver is following you, drive to a safe place such as the nearest police or fire station, gas station or other areas where there are people. Use your horn to get someone’s attention. Do not get out of your car and do not drive home
MURRAY – Around 4 a.m. Saturday, hours after the amateur fireworks shows that capped Independence Day celebrations across the city were long over, families living near the intersection of Ash and North Cherry streets were startled awake by frantic knocks at the door from neighbors, alerting them of the raging house fire on the corner.
According to scanner communications obtained from murrayscanner.com, the Murray Fire Department (MFD) was dispatched to the area at 4:10 a.m. for a “fully-involved structure fire, flames through the roof.” The caller advised that a homeless man normally inhabits the front porch, but she did not see him at the time of the call.
Videos and photos provided to The Sentinel show the home, located at 408 N Cherry St., fully engulfed in flames before first responders arrived, the earliest of which was timestamped at 4:09 a.m. Sirens can be heard in the distance on a video taken at 4:14 a.m. In the next video, taken three minutes later, approaching sirens can still be heard, but a fire truck can also be seen parked near the fire hydrant closest to the structure.
Sarah Hughes captured this photo from her yard at 4:09 a.m. Saturday. (Photo provided)
Sarah Hughes lives diagonally across the intersection. She said that, upon seeing the inferno, she loaded her three children in the car and took them to their father’s house.
Laura McDaniel, who lives directly across the street from the house, stayed, first, taking shelter with her family in their car down the road. She said that her home never lost power, but the internet did go out for a brief period of time.
Laura McDaniel made this video while sitting in the car with her family. (Video provided)
At 4:31 a.m., fire fighters reported to dispatch that the fire had been “knocked down” but was not yet extinguished. It is not clear when the fire was fully extinguished.
Late Saturday morning, neighbors, including Hughes and McDaniel, at the scene told The Sentinel that the house – along with the three houses immediately to its south – have been abandoned for many years; however, a man named Charles frequently squatted in the residence. He was reportedly not injured in the fire.
All photos by Jessica Paine/The Murray Sentinel
While some suggested there were suspicions that the fire was intentionally set, most speculated the blaze was instigated by a rogue fireworks spark, noting that several people were setting off fireworks, including mortars, just one block over. Saturday morning, a large pile of spent fireworks could be seen in the back of truck parked on Pine Street, and substantial amounts of debris from aerial fireworks and firecrackers littered the road and sidewalks around the intersection of North Cherry and Pine.
No further details are known at this time. The Sentinel reached out to Fire Chief Eric Pologruto for more information regarding the fire but did not receive a response prior to press time.
Republican Massie, Democrat McGarvey are Kentucky delegation’s only ‘no’ votes
By: Jamie Lucke/Kentucky Lantern | Originally published July 3, 2025
Despite Kentucky hospitals’ warnings of “devastating” consequences, four of the six Kentuckians in the U.S. House voted “yes” Thursday to President Donald Trump’s tax and spending plan.
Republican Thomas Massie and Democrat Morgan McGarvey opposed the measure but not for the same reasons.
Republican U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, whose Appalachian district is one of the country’s most dependent on Medicaid, issued a statement claiming the One Big Beautiful Bill Act “strengthens Medicaid and SNAP benefits.”
An independent analysis of the bill’s effects on rural health care found that Kentucky will suffer the biggest hit of any state — a decline of $10 billion in Medicaid payments to rural providers over 10 years as 130,000 rural Kentuckians are expected to lose their Medicaid coverage. The analysis is by KFF, a nonpartisan health research organization.
The Kentucky Hospital Association has warned the legislation would eliminate 33,000 jobs as Medicaid underfunding forces hospitals to reduce services or even close.
The bill also trims future funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, in which 575,000 Kentuckians participate, and shifts to states part of the costs.
In his statement, Rogers hinted that the measure headed for Trump’s desk is not the final word. “Ultimately, this is not the end of our reconciliation work, and as a cardinal member of the House Appropriations Committee, I will continue working to improve funding options for our rural hospitals and clinics.”
Rogers, of Somerset, also said, “While the House-version of the bill would have been far better for rural healthcare, the Senate added a $50 billion safety net for rural healthcare providers, carving out funding specifically for rural states like Kentucky, and delaying implementation of new provider tax rates to 2028.”
The House version, shepherded out of committee by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Brett Guthrie, a Republican from Bowling Green, protected supplemental Medicaid payments that narrow the revenue gap between Medicaid and private insurance by pumping billions of dollars into Kentucky hospitals that treat a large share of low-income patients. The supplemental payments are funded by a tax on health care providers.
The House in the end adopted the Senate version. It effectively eliminates the supplemental support that Kentucky hospitals say is critical to their viability, Kentucky Hospital Association President and CEO Nancy Galvagni told the Lantern.
In the Senate, where Vice President JD Vance cast the tiebreaking vote, Rand Paul of Kentucky was one of three Republicans who voted against the bill, objecting to its deficit-raising effects. Sen. Mitch McConnell voted for it.
Guthrie hailed passage of the bill, calling it a “a victory for millions of Americans, providing a historic tax cut, securing Medicaid, and ensuring American energy dominance.”
But his fellow Republican, Massie of Vanceburg, pointed to the bill’s effects on federal deficits and debt and the economy. The bill will add $3.4 trillion to deficits during the next decade compared to current law, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
“Although there were some conservative wins in the budget reconciliation bill (OBBBA), I voted No on final passage because it will significantly increase U.S. budget deficits in the near term, negatively impacting all Americans through sustained inflation and high interest rates,” Massie posted on X.
Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, of Lexington, who’s seeking the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate next year, issued a statement saying, “This is the latest and greatest chapter of the Trump economic comeback — and the theme is promises made, promises kept.”
Barr echoed a familiar GOP talking point: “We achieved all of these goals while protecting and strengthening Medicaid for Kentuckians who truly need it — not ineligible recipients or illegal immigrants.”
Rogers, likewise, said: “The bill protects the longevity of Medicaid benefits for our most vulnerable population by slashing waste, fraud and abuse of the program. With 4.8 million able-bodied adults receiving Medicaid, who choose not to work, the bill enforces a 20-hour weekly work requirement for those individuals who do not have small kids. Without question, we are adding integrity and strength to Medicaid and SNAP assistance for those who need it most in the years ahead.”
Rogers said the bill “reinvests in coal country, by expanding a tax credit that some coal mines will now be eligible for, including Eastern Kentucky.”
Democrat Morgan McGarvey of Louisville slammed the GOP budget bill’s priorities calling it “a slap in the face to Kentucky and all of rural America. It will kick millions of Americans off their health insurance, take food away from Kentucky families, kids, and seniors, and add trillions to the national debt. All so that Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos pay even less in taxes. It is cruel and indefensible.
“I don’t want to hear any Republican who voted for this say they care about rural America or our national debt ever again,” McGarvey said.
Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, who has been an outspoken critic of the measure, repeated his warnings that the changes will be “devastating” for Kentucky.
In an interview on MSNBC, Beshear said 200,000 Kentuckians stand to lose health care and states cannot possibly make up for the federal government’s retreat from funding social safety net programs.
“No state has the budget to fix what the federal government, that Donald Trump and the Republicans are about to break. No state can make up for hundreds of billions of dollars of Medicaid payments flowing through our economy. If you just look at the economy at large, health care is one of the fastest growing segments out there. And this is the Republicans just taking a hatchet to it. We’re going to see job losses across America.”
This article was originally published by Kentucky Lantern. Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
Jamie Lucke has more than 40 years of experience as a journalist. Her editorials for the Lexington Herald-Leader won Walker Stone, Sigma Delta Chi and Green Eyeshade awards. She is a graduate of the University of Kentucky.
Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
Jamie Clay Vance, a Nashville healthcare executive who was known nationally for his work in the addiction recovery space, was stricken critically ill and died Saturday, June 28, 2025, while driving his daughter Eloise home from his Jiu jitsu practice. Despite heroic efforts by Nashville first responders at the scene, Jamie did not survive. Eloise was uninjured.
Jamie was a beloved leader in the recovery community with clients from Florida to California. In recent years he partnered with the Bradford Group of Atlanta and Nashville to found Healthy Minds, a concept he developed to deliver outpatient psychiatric and counseling services to patients throughout middle Tennessee. The concept was born of Jamie’s belief that mental wellness is the critical component to overall health in today’s fast-paced world beset at times by depression, grief and loneliness.
Ali Farooqui, M.D., Jamie’s partner and Medical Director of Healthy Minds clinics, described Jamie as “the most pure-hearted person I have met. The passion, care, energy and thoughtfulness that he expressed not just towards his work, but towards all people that he encountered, was palpable. Every interaction with him was a delight, and he will be missed dearly.”
Jamie Clay Vance was born on September 7, 1978, to Tommy Vance of Murray, Kentucky and Beverly Wright of Nashville, who survive. He also is survived by son Xander, 15; and by daughter Eloise, 8; and her mother Millicent, all of whom he loved dearly. Jamie is also survived by his stepfather Scott Wright; brother Adam Wright and sister Bethany Wright, as well as Bryn Vance, Jamie’s niece. Jamie was predeceased by a brother, Tom Vance.
Jamie grew up and attended public schools in Murray, as well as Murray State University before setting out on his own for a series of jobs “out west” that included long-haul driving an 18-wheeler, ranch hand, and outdoor adventure guide for at-risk youth. As a young adult, he struggled with addiction, but with recovery more than 22 years ago he discovered not only a new self he liked better than the old one, but a career. He was a counselor and business development officer at Cumberland Heights for several years before setting up his private practice and working for mental health start-up companies.
As accomplished as he was professionally, Jamie was perhaps most effective and personally rewarded by the service he rendered “for fun and for free” within the recovery community.
Jamie had a remarkable ability to connect with people from all walks of life, and he kept the connections strong throughout his too-short life. If Jamie was your friend and counselor, he was your friend for life. He was an imposing physical presencebig and strong and consistently winning or showing well in his age-group Jiu jitsu competition throughout the region and nationally. But he was a kind and gentle soul at heart, and a loving and devoted father.
A celebration of Jamie’s life will be held at Cumberland Heights, 8283 River Road Pike, in the auditorium of the Frist Family Life Center, on Sunday, July 6, 2025. Visitation will begin at 2:00 p.m., and the service will follow at 3:30 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Jamie’s memory to Cumberland Heights, reflecting Jamie’s enduring commitment to making a difference in people’s lives.
Vance, center, is seen on the judge’s stand with daughter Eloise during the skateboard competition at Petefest 2023. (JESSICA PAINE/The Murray Sentinel)
This obituary was originally published by The Tennessean.
