Winchester

Looking into your family's history can be a large task to tackle. But digging into African-American ancestry can be an even more difficult task because of inadequate record-keeping, genealogists said. Questions about your great-grandparents, slavery, segregated schools and restaurants can pose challenges. The African-American Genealogy Group of Kentucky (AAGGKY) will be meeting this weekend at Clark County Public Library in an attempt to help some of the residents of Clark County answer some of those very questions.

Julia Boggs, 80, of Winchester, passed away Monday at her home. Arrangements are incomplete with the Rolan G. Taylor Funeral Home, 289 S. Main St

An upgrade in technology will help keep more Winchester Police officers on patrol and ultimately save the agency money, according to Chief Kevin Palmer. “Technically, (an officer) doesn't need to come to the police department. He can stay on patrol longer,” Palmer said. After receiving a 2006 grant from Kentucky Homeland Security, Winchester became one of the first police departments in the state to use mobile data units, special laptops designed to help police officers do paperwork online and provide a database of important information.

The Clark County Board of Health may raise the public health tax to ensure Dr. Rankin Skinner's pediatric oral health program stays in place upon his retirement this summer. At their meeting Thursday evening, the board heard from Skinner, who discussed the program he started in Ecuador in 2002. He utilized fluoride varnish treatments and cared for children by going into the schools and helping parents understand the importance of their children's dental health. He saw such great success in the program that he brought it to Clark County, examining children in grades one through five and giving them two applications of fluoride varnish a year.

A woman charged with setting her home on fire will have to serve 90 days of a five-year sentence after the judge said she hadn't served enough time. Amy Feltner, 31, of 770 Dogwood Lane, pleaded guilty to third-degree arson in April, six months after her home was burned. Prosecutors recommended five years probation for Feltner after the charge was amended from second-degree arson to third-degree. On Thursday, Clark Circuit Judge William Clouse said the six days she served in jail wasn't enough.

Jerry W. Miller, age 52, died Tuesday, April 30, 2013, at Maine General Medical Center, Augusta Campus. He was born in Amarillo, Texas, on Aug. 14, 1960, to John and Essie (Caskey) Miller. Mr. Miller was a graduate of George Rogers Clark High School in Winchester, Ky. He was extensively educated in Automotive Repair by GMC for numerous years. Jerry headed the service department at a local dealership for many years before opening his own shop 15 years ago. Mr. Miller was pre-deceased by his father and three brothers: Johnny, Earl and Paul Miller.

A Winchester filmmaker will debut his feature film on June 20 after overcoming many obstacles to make the project a success. Bruce Barnett wrote the script for “Red River Moon” in 2007, which was put on hold by the creation of his documentary called “The Bruce Girls and Dee,” a film that chronicled the lives of five Winchester siblings and their journey through the 20th century. The documentary was narrated by Winchester's own Matt Long, who is Barnett's cousin. Barnett's father passed away in 2008 from Alzheimer's disease, which further halted the movie's progess.

The Bluegrass Heritage Museum quite literally burned away its debt last night. An estimated 100 people attended the museum's mortgage note-burning celebration, which took place in honor of the museum's recent debt-free status. Sandy Stults, museum director, said this is the museum's way to pay back the community for helping pay off the debt. “We're going to burn the notes to show we're debt-free,” Stults said. Gardner Wagers, president of the museum board, said the note-burning will serve as “tangible evidence” that the debt is paid off. Winchester Mayor Ed Burtner, who attended last night's event, said the event celebrates the community's hard work.

Grace Baptist Church has decided to drop a local chapter of the Boy Scouts. The church, which charters Boy Scout Pack 22, made the decision following the Boy Scouts of America National Council vote in May to remove the restriction banning openly gay scouts to participate in the organization. The ban will be officially lifted Jan. 1. However, the ban on gay adult leaders will be retained. Pat Finley, pastor of Grace Baptist Church, said the church's reasons for dropping the charter are strictly biblical.