CLIPPINGS FROM THE CLIPPER

May 7, 1903… 
The verdict in the Howard trail last week proves for the third time that a most foul conspiracy was formed to murder Governor William Goebel, and that Jim Howard, W.S. Taylor, Caleb Powers, Henry E. Youtsey and others played leading parts. 
A trick bicycle rider struck Midway Saturday afternoon about five and gave an exhibition of his skill in the public square that was really wonderful. At first, he was surrounded by a big crowd, but when the hat was passed around, the number was decreased considerably. He got several dollars, however, before leaving. 
The rural delivery route recently started out of Midway is growing in popularity every day. The list of patrons now numbers over 200 and is growing. We are told that another route is soon to be applied for, to go down the Spring Station Pike. 
No bids were offered for the telephone franchise in Midway at the advertised sale last week. It was expected that the East Tennessee Co. would bid but they did not. The mayor and council will meet Monday to plan their next step. 
Dr. and Mrs. W.E. Risque of Fayette County spent several days in Midway last week with the family of J.E. Risque. Dr. risqué contemplates locating in Midway if he can find a suitable residence. 
The Clipper deplores, for the umpteenth time, the fact that a town the size and with the dignity of Midway will not get itself a street sprinkler for the hot, dusty summer months.

 

May 5, 1924… 
The election last Saturday to elect two school board members from the Midway District resulted in the following votes: Thomas Roach 176, W.G. Lehman 166, Dr. W.E. Risque 66 and James S. Starks 58. 
Gus Courtney, 35, a former Midway resident, died Monday after noon at his home in Frankfort of tuberculosis. He leaves a wife and six children. 
Misses Mary King Burrier, Susan Peffer, Lucile Stokely and Carrie Watson chaperoned members of the botany class of Midway High School to Clifton Friday, where flowers were gathered, and lunches were enjoyed. Pupils on the trip included Misses Mary Lewis Marvin, Ruth Williams, Viola and Florence Rogers, Edna Cracraft, Frances Lancaster, Ethel Mitchell and James Dragoo, Elmer Smith, O. P. Lancaster and Alfred Portwood. 

 

TAG: MIDWAY NEWS

                                            River States Conference "Pitcher of the Year"

Madison Ludwig, in action

Four Eagles earn All-Conference honors with Ludwig being named Pitcher of the Year

SOUTH CHARLESTON, W. Va. -- Following the opening day of the River States Conference Softball Tournament at Little Creek Park, the RSC announced on Thursday (May 4) the 2023 All-RSC Softball Teams and Awards.

Madison Ludwig was again named the RSC Softball Pitcher of the Year along with her First Team honor, while Mary Andres also picked up First Team honors. Raigan Allbert, meanwhile, brought home an Honorable Mention honor. 

Ludwig posted another terrific season in the circle in her final season donning the Blue and Gold. The senior right-hander was named Pitcher of the Year and picked up First Team All-Conference honors for the second consecutive season.

A nave of Louisville, Ky., Ludwig recorded a 19-9 record with two saves in her 31 appearances in the circle. She tossed 188 total innings and fanned 141 batters while notching a 2.61 earned run average. 

Ludwig carded a 15-6 record with a save in her 23 appearances within RSC play. She struck out 115 and recorded a 1.95 ERA over her 140 innings. 

She leads the conference in wins and innings pitched while ranking second in strikeouts and third in earned run average. She is also tied for second in saves. 

At the plate, she led the Eagles with five home runs and nine doubles. She also ranks second on the team with 27 RBIs and fourth in runs scored (21). 

Mary Andres caps off her terrific career by earning First Team All-Conference honors for the second straight season. Andres, a graduate student from Louisville, Ky., recorded a .364 batting average with 11 RBIs and 10 runs scored. She also stole a team-high 14 bases. 

Within her 21 conference outings, Andres registered a .358 batting average with 19 hits, six RBIs, and eight runs scored. 

Raigan Allbert, a true freshman from White Bluff, Tenn., picked up the first All-Conference honor of her career after posting a .303 batting average in her 38 outings. She had 40 hits with four doubles, 13 RBIs, and 20 runs scored. 

Bringing home the final honor for the Blue and Gold was Makayla McDowell, who was named to the RSC Softball Champions of Character Team. 

The Champions of Character Team recognizes one player from each team who best represents the NAIA’s five-character values of respect, responsibility, integrity, servant leadership, and sportsmanship.

 

(Photo by Al Cross)

THE GREAT HALL OF FAME TRAINER AND TWO TIME DERBY WINNER WOODFORD "WOODY" STEPHENS'S MEMORIAL IN HIS BIRTHPLACE OF STANTON, KENTUCKY, LIVED IN MIDWAY MOST OF HIS LIFE, AND WAS A MIDWAY RESIDENT WHEN HE FIRST GOT IN THE THOROUGHBRED RACING BUSINESS.

KIDS: CAN YOU SPOT THE "HOUSE" IN THE SCULPTURE?

Eagles come up short in RSC Tournament, advance to NAIA Opening Round

CHILLICOTHE, Ohio -- The Midway baseball team returned to VA Memorial Stadium on Saturday (May 6) when they battled Rio Grande (Ohio) in an elimination game on day three of the River States Conference Tournament in Chillicothe, Ohio.

Extra innings would be needed to determine a winner as the RedStorm scored a pair in the top of the 10th before holding on for a 7-5 victory ending Midway’s tournament run.

The loss drops Luther Bramblett’s squad to 27-22 on the season as they’ll now turn their attention to the NAIA National Championship. The Eagles will find out their destination on Thursday (May 11) when the opening round brackets are announced by the NAIA.

The RedStorm (26-27) got off to a strong start scoring one in the first, but Midway answered with a run of their own in the bottom half. Grant Hotchkiss singled and would later steal second before scoring on an errant throw by the catcher to tie the game at 1-1. 

Rio Grande extended their lead to 3-1 after scoring single runs in the second and fourth innings, but the Eagles went back to work in the bottom half of the fourth scoring two runs on four hits. 

Nick Eastham, Shane Taylor, and Barrett McGill opened the inning with three consecutive singles before Hotchkiss stepped to the dish and laced a two-run double scoring Eastham and Taylor to tie the game at three runs apiece.

The game remained tied until the bottom of the eighth when Midway took their first lead of the contest. Noah Phillips had a two out and following an intentional walk to Hotchkiss, Eli Glasscock ripped an RBI single to right scoring Phillips and giving his team a 4-3 advantage. 

The lead was short lived after the RedStorm capitalized on an error that would’ve ended the game in the top of the ninth. The two-out error would lead to a pair of unearned runs that saw Rio Grande regain a 5-4 lead entering the bottom of the ninth.

Midway would answer right back in the bottom of the ninth. Taylor got the rally started with a one out double before two batters later, Ayden Sciandra lined an RBI single to left scoring Taylor from second and tying the game at five.

The tie game didn’t last long as they would score two in the top of the tenth before getting a key double play in the bottom half of the tenth en route to the 7-5 victory. 

Jesse Komoroski was handed the loss for the Eagles after allowing four runs – two earned – on five hits in his two innings of work. Dylan Burton got the start and pitched seven innings allowing three runs on eight hits with six strikeouts.

Offensively, Taylor led the way with three hits, while the quartet of Ryan Davis, Hotchkiss, Eastham, and Sciandra each added two hits apiece. 

MIDWAY COUNCIL HEARS PLANS FOR MOVIE FILIMING

By Scott White 
Woodford Sun Staff

 

Jeff Laub, of Laub Photography, informed the Midway City Council of the filmmakers’ needs from the city for scenes to be shot for the movie “Mr. Manhattan.” 
The movie is a production of Great American Family Media for the Pure Flix streaming channel. Laub described Pure Flix as a faith-oriented channel akin to the movies shown on the Hallmark channel. The filming will take place on either May 9 or 10 and require the closing of the north side of Main Street and intermittent closings of Midway Road near the intersection with Main Street for three to four hours. Midway Maker’s Market, Midway Christian Church and Goose & Gander will be used as locations. 
Mayor Stacy Thurman advised that no action was needed from council during its meeting on Tuesday. Even so, all members were strongly supportive and noted the positive marketing impact since the film will reference Midway in the credits. 
Councilmember Dee Mason asked how the filmmakers planned to deal with expected interruptions from trains. Loeb asked, “Well, how often do trains come through?” which prompted laughter from everyone. When told several times a day, Loeb chuckled and said, “You’d be surprised how flexible directors and actors are in those moments – they just stop, wait till the disturbance is over and then pick right back up.” 
The council also had its second reading of the short-term rentals (STR) ordinance which was then passed unanimously. The ordinance is now in effect. Thurman, noting that there are existing STRs in the prohibited zones that are now grandfathered in, advised that applicants could still file for a conditional use permit for a new STR that would need to be approved by the Board of Adjustments. 
Jeremy Devine, the unpaid manager of Walter Bradley Park, and Midway Park Board member Cecelia Gass presented the 2023 budget request for its operations in the amount of $29,010. Devine covered how the board had used its funding from last year which included a new pedway from the old to the new paddock section, the enormous success of the memorial tree planting program, protection from invasive plant species, and general upkeep of existing plantings, structures, and trails. 
In listing the Board’s priorities for this year, Gass first pointed out that thanks to the thousands of hours put in by volunteers with Friends of Walter Bradley Park, Midway has the equivalent of a professional parks department like those found in other cities. The board’s top priorities, in order, are: fixing the impact of floods and heavy storms on the dog park with a project already approved and partially funded via a grant from the Kentucky Department of Water Management ($13,790); installation of two water hydrants to resolve the untenable situation of having to haul and use hundreds of feet of hose to tie into the water source ($1,470); trail upgrades ($2,050); Eccogrow, Inc., contract for continuing to provide services for invasive species and trail upkeep ($6,200); the construction of a wind-break structure to protect the “porta-potties” which often get blown over by storms ($2,500); and, general supplies, maintenance and storage ($1,000).  
Councilmember Patrick Hall, who is the council’s designee on the Board, pointed out the excellent stewardship of the board. The council will deal with the request during the annual budgeting process in the next few weeks. 
Sammy Lee, C.P.A., Midway’s outside auditor, presented the results and overview of the annual audit expressing the opinion that the city is in “perfect compliance with all accounting principles,” and that the administration and council are “doing an excellent job as fiscal stewards.” Lee noted that this was the highest opinion an auditor can express on a municipality’s financial condition. The council unanimously approved the audit as required by state law.

The council also approved the necessary permit for Midway’s Juneteenth celebration to be held on June 17. Councilmember Mary Raglin provided an overview of the set-up and take-down process as well as what visitors can expect to see and enjoy.

 

TAG: NEWS

Midway Baseball clinches regular season title 

with sweep of Alice Lloyd

THE MIDWAY UNIVERSITY BASEBALL TEAM made history this past weekend by winning the 2023 River States Conference Regular Season Championship for the first time in program history. They earned the honor after sweeping Alice Lloyd (Ky.) in a three-game series where they outscored their opponent 41-5 to clinch the sweep.(Photo by Dylan Brown)

 

 

 Now in their seventh yea existence, the Midway baseball team made history on Saturday, April 29 by winning the River States Conference Regular Season Championship for the first time in program history. 
The Eagles (26-20, 20-7 RSC) accomplished the impressive feat after recording a dominant sweep of Alice Lloyd. Midway won the opener 10-1 before completing the three-game sweep with a 16-0 shutout in game three of the series.
By way of winning the regular season title, Luther Bramblett’s squad has earned an automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship Opening Round for the second time in program history.
In the opener, the visitors scored early and often with two in the first, one in the second, and three in the third and fifth innings before tacking on one more in the ninth. The lone marker for the home squad was an unearned tally in the bottom of the ninth. 
Ayden Sciandra and Barrett McGill led the way at the plate with three hits apiece. Sciandra hit a three-run home run in the fifth and finished with four RBIs and a run, while McGill clubbed a solo homer in the ninth to finish with two RBIs and a run.
Nick Eastham added two hits, an RBI, and a run, while Cameron Nichols hit a solo home run in the opening frame. Nichols recorded two RBIs and a run, and Shane Taylor also drove in a run in the win. 
On the bump, Owen Clark picked up the win and improved to 5-3. The southpaw scattered five hits over seven shutout innings. He also fanned seven in the win. Skyler Lucas pitched the final two innings and allowed one unearned run.
In the nightcap, the Eagles scored in nearly every at bat, scoring 16 runs on 15 hits. Following a single tally first, the Blue and Gold scored two in the third and fourth innings before putting up a seven spot in the fifth. They capped the win by scoring two in the sixth and seventh innings.
Five Eagles recorded multi-hit games led by Cameron Nichols and Shane Taylor who each notched three hits, two RBIs and a run. Grant Hotchkiss went 2-for-4 with an RBI and three runs, and Eli Glasscock went 2-for-4 with an RBI and three runs, while Ryan Davis went 2-for-2 with two RBIs and two runs in the win.
Nick Eastham and Noah Phillips each carded two RBIs, while the trio of Grant Stone, Barrett McGill, and Preston Howard each recorded one RBI. 
On the mound, Dylan Burton turned in yet another gem. The sophomore from Somerset, Ky. took a perfect game into the fifth and a no-hitter into the seventh before allowing a leadoff single in the seventh. He fanned three in his seven scoreless innings. 
The Eagles now turn their attention to the River States Conference Tournament which will be contested in Chillicothe, Ohio at VA Memorial Stadium on May 4-7. 

 

 

 

The Midway Messenger joins The Woodford Sun

University of Kentucky journalism students, reporting for the Midway Messenger as part of a class assignment, interviewed Mayor Grayson Vandegrift and City Council members after a council meeting several years ago. (Photo by Al Cross) 

The Midway Messenger, a mostly online news outlet that recently began its 15th year, is moving into the hands of The Woodford Sun, the county's only newspaper. The transfer will occur Friday.

The Messenger debuted in January 2008 as a service of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues at the University of Kentucky. Institute Director Al Cross, a professor in the School of Journalism and Media, created it as a laboratory for students in his community journalism courses, and as a project to provide more news coverage for Midway and serve as an example of online rural journalism.

During this school year, Cross entered UK's phased retirement program, at 75% of normal. He has stopped teaching, so students have not written for the Messenger since May 2021, but he has maintained its basic news coverage. As part of the handoff, the Sun has agreed to offer internships to students who would cover the Midway area.

"I am very happy to turn over the Messenger to the Sun," Cross said. "It's an independent, locally owned newspaper that is in close touch with its community, including Midway. I very much appreciate its willingness to help students, which was my fundamental motive for starting the Messenger."

Sun Publisher Ben Chandler said, "I want to thank Al Cross for trusting us with the Messenger. His work, and that of his students, made Midway a better place to live, work and play. We aim to, with his continued advice and support, continue the good work of the Messenger and in the process, improve the newspaper my family purchased in 1942."

The Sun was encouraged to accept the Messenger by the Midway Business Association’s favorable response to its request for advertising support. The Messenger has not run advertising, except in some of its twice-yearly print editions, for sponsors who paid for the printing and wanted to advertise. (The last print edition was in summer 2020, because the pandemic made distribution difficult.)

In its 14 years and three months of publication, the Messenger has published 1,733 articles, more than 10 per month. Its blog, where articles appear, has drawn more than 923,000 page views. The top four stories in the last year, all with more than 1,000 page views each, have been about the proposal for a recreational-vehicle resort just north of Midway. Many posts on its Facebook page have thousands of engagements.

"When I decided on a career in journalism, my only goal was to run a rural community newspaper," said Cross, who spent most of his career with the Louisville Courier Journal. "I thank the people of Midway for giving me the opportunity to be a community editor and publisher, and encourage them to continue supporting the Messenger and the Sun."