Atr

Johnetta Bastin, 58, of Halls Gap, died Saturday, Oct. 1 at the St. Joseph Hospital in Lexington. A native of Lincoln Co., she was born April 6, 1947 to the late Earl and Dollie Slone Bastin. She worked at ATR for 25 years and was a member of the Mt. Moriah Christian Church. Survivors include two sons, Scott Carpenter of McKinney and Danny Smith of Broughtontown; two brothers, Albert Bastin of Halls Gap and Dean Bastin of Burnside; three sisters, Louise Miracle and Jo Board both of Halls Gap and Tootsie Roberts of Liberty; four grandchildren, Brittany Carpenter, Alyssa Smith, Zebadiah Carpenter and Ansleigh Brown; and several nieces and nephews.

Dear Editor: A recent letter addressed the problem that counties have with the cost of housing inmates. While the author did seem to know most of the problems, it would seem that the main reason for the problems has slipped his mind. Kentucky's financial problems come from three things. First and foremost, many jobs have left Kentucky in the past few years. While it is true most people have found work, it pays way below what they were making. When we make less money, the state, county, and city take in less money.

Up until just a few years ago, Randy Southerland had spent most of his working life in a factory. It was steady work, and he got a good paycheck. But when the Hustonville area resident talks about the job he has had over the last five years as mechanic and maintenance man for the Housing Authority of Danville, he sounds like a man who had been in prison for more than three decades and is enjoying his freedom. “Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate having a job and I liked most of my supervisors and co-workers,” says Southerland, who worked for 20 years at the long-defunct ATR plant and a dozen years at two other Danville plants.

The owners of a Boyle County startup business getting in on the ground floor of the push for green energy say their operation will be one of a kind when the assembly line starts rolling next month. Alternative Energies Kentucky LLC, which already occupies the old ATR building, will start manufacturing solar panels soon after the line is installed Dec. 16. Company owner and founder Troy Lay of Harrodsburg said the company, which will assemble and install the panels, already has nine employees and will expand to about 25 total jobs to start.

Roberta Trayner likes to say she grows, cans and cooks her own produce from A to Z. She means that literally and is referring to a combination of gardens and orchards that yield asparagus, zucchini and an entire alphabet of competition-ready food. When judging for perishable items at the Boyle County Fair begins this afternoon, Trayner will be well represented. A regular ribbon winner at the fair, this year Trayner will bring forth a bumper crop of 21 different offerings, her most entries ever.

In the spirit of the recent Thanksgiving holiday, Lassiter offers a cornucopia of the positive economic successes that are shaping Danville/Boyle County’s future growth. See Part I in last week’s paper for more. A review of the EDP’s recent blog posts at www.betterindanville.blogspot.com or Facebook posts at www.facebook.com/betterindanville suggest several other successes for which to be thankful.  On behalf of the City of Danville, the EDP recently presented the Pioneer Vocational/Industrial Services board of directors a check for $75,000 for which the EDP sought and secured state approval.

After working at ATR for more than 27 years, Joe Lee decided he wanted to try to earn a living as a stripper. So the first thing he did was get a specialty license plate that reads "I strip" and turn an old barn into a workshop where he could practice and hone the skills necessary for his new craft. Lee is now offering his services to the general public and can strip - wooden furniture that is - and make it look brand-new again. Lee's Restoration offers complete furniture restoration, including stripping and refinishing, chair caning and lathe work.

Carrol Gene Humes, 69, of Moreland, died Sunday, Jan. 18. A native of Mercer County, he was born Jan. 16, 1940, to the late Irvin and Stella Robinson Humes. He was a member of Junction City Baptist Church, retired from ATR, and worked with the Russell County Agape Prison Ministry for many years. Survivors include his wife, Evelyn Smith Humes; two sons, Michael (Karen) Humes and Dean (Margit) Humes; one brother; and three sisters. Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. today (Jan.

Dear Editor: What is in downtown Danville that is so important that a $1.7 million parking garage should be built for? Ernie Fletcher sure is passing out the money now that it's election time. Where was he back in April when ATR Wire and Cable shut down? Where was he when Penn Ventilator announced they were shutting down? I hope that people in Boyle and surrounding counties have realized what Bush and his boys have done since they took over in D.C. I hope voters in Boyle, Lincoln and Casey will vote smart this year and send a clear message that enough is enough.