News from August 19, 2004 issue


Cherokees want to build musuem
Momfeather Erickson asked the Marion City Council for its blessing Monday night for an effort to bring a Cherokee Museum and Living Village to town.

Erickson moved here a couple of years ago and established the Mantle Rock Native American Cultural Center and other spinoffs with help from family and associates. She told the council that even larger plans are on the horizon.

"This would be the biggest center in the State of Kentucky," Erickson told city leaders. "All we're asking for is your support."

Mayor Mickey Alexander said he and other local and regional leaders met separately with Erickson and Trail of Tears officials in regard to the plan.
"Marion is the closest city to Mantle Rock so it makes sense that the museum would be here," the mayor said.

Mantle Rock, near Joy in Livingston County, is a historic campsite on the Trail of Tears, a forced evacuation of Cherokees from North Carolina to Oklahoma in 1838-39. The route passed right through this area and many died during a terrible winter at Mantle Rock while waiting to cross the Ohio River.

Erickson said that other plans about the museum would be revealed during a meeting with Cherokee officials here on Sept. 14. A couple who now operates a heritage center in Cherokee, N.C., is interested in moving his collection of artifacts and other items here, Erickson said.

"This will bring in many, many people and lots of tourist dollars," Erickson said. "Our biggest problem right now is that there is hardly anywhere for them to stay overnight."

The museum and living village would likely be located on the undeveloped property between the National Guard Armory and City-County Park for which it now has an option to purchase.


City ready to clean up gazebo
Marion is ready to "do what it takes," according to City Councilman Allen Lynn, to eliminate the trashing and abuse of the Crittenden County Courthouse gazebo and memorial bricks.

"It's a disgrace," Lynn said during Monday night's city council meeting. "Enough is enough and we need to do whatever it takes to solve this problem."

Mayor Mickey Alexander agreed, as did other council members who want to stop the loitering, vandalism and general trashing of the gazebo.
Police say they encounter a variety of problems at the gazebo, which has become a hangout for juveniles. Police Lt. Don Perry said officers have broken up fights there, cited people for drinking alcohol, found evidence of drug use and more.

"They're trashing it all of the time," Perry said. "They're mostly juveniles and they don't have any respect for anything."

For the past week there has been a condom lying in front of the gazebo. The courthouse custodian says he has never found a condom there before, but does see all sorts of other garbage.

Lynn, the city council member who led the charge Monday night to clean up the problem, said it's a disgrace to the people who worked so hard to build the gazebo and the memorial walkway, which includes bricks inscribed with people's names. The Beta Sigma Phi social sorority in Marion headed up the effort to build the gazebo and memorial in 1999.
Patty Gilbert, president of the sorority, said her group takes care of maintenance and upkeep of the facility. She said they've found condoms, a hypodermic syringe and other illicit trash during routine cleanup.

"We just think people should take more pride in their community no matter whether it's the gazebo or what," said Gilbert, who added that the sorority would welcome anything the city could do in order to help keep the facility from being held in a bad light.

City council members say they are ready to enact new ordinances and fines if necessary to clean up the gazebo mess and to make it more attractive and more accessible to people with a legitimate reason for being there.

A sign currently hangs on the gazebo prohibiting loitering and expressly making it off limits after dark unless a sanctioned event is taking place.
Lt. Perry said police have few problems after dark because they have leverage to move loiters off the property.

"The problem is between about 3 p.m., and dark," he said. "It's just a few who are ruining it for the majority. There are a few bad ones who are causing all of the problems."

Councilman Lynn said he supports doing something immediately.
"Let's not wait another month. If we have to, let's have a special meeting and get something done about this," he said Monday.

The mayor indicated that he would discuss the issue with police and try to come up with a viable solution which will be presented to the city council in the coming weeks.

Marion policeman, wife hurt in bike wreck
An off-duty Marion policeman and his wife were injured in a motorcycle accident last weekend in Missouri. Officer Greg Rushing and his wife Phyllis both sustained injuries Sunday in a wreck near St. Louis. The couple was returning to Marion from the Sturgis Rally in Sturgis, N.D., when they were involved in a moderate-speed wreck on the interstate in heavy traffic. Phyllis Rushing was flown from the scene to St. John Medical Center where she was placed in the intensive care unit. She suffered broken ribs, a fractured hand, broken ankle and a tear to her spleen. Greg Rushing fractured his hand and collar bone in the accident.