The Adair County "Meet the Candidates" week will begin on Monday, April 27th at 6pm!

7:30 P.M. – CONSTABLE DIST. 4
Greg Hammond*
John Wayne Grimsley

TUESDAY, MAY 5

6:00 P.M. – MAGISTRATE DIST. 3
Zach Wilson*
Marty Kazsuk
Jamison B. Cooper 
 

6:30 P.M. – MAGISTRATE DIST. 1
Terry Waddell*
Eric West 

7:00 P.M. – COUNTY CLERK
Patti Glover*
Amy Riggins

7:30 P.M. – CONSTABLE DIST. 1
Keith Scholl
Brian Kemp
Travis Lee Bailey
Sheena Jackson

WEDNESDAY, MAY 6

NO FORUM

THURSDAY, MAY 7

6:00 P.M. – SHERIFF
Derek Polston*
Jeff Hancock
Corey Meyer
Nicholas Bertram

6:45 P.M. – JUDGE EXEC.
Randy Marcum*
Chad Aaron
 

Kevin’s Kids Fundraiser another Huge Success this year with over $111,000 dollars raised for local kids

A large crowd was on hand for the event, which is held yearly at the Russell Springs First Baptist and when it wrapped up this weekend the fundraising total announced at $111,757.

That amount could increase in the coming weeks, as there are often late-arriving donations to support the Kevin’s Kids initiative.

The funds are utilized by the school district’s Family Resource and Youth Services Centers in a protected fund to support various needs for local students.

A Tennessee woman was taken into custody for Leaving the Scene of an Accident and Failure to Render Aid in an incident that occurred Sunday

Sara Sunshine Lembach, age 53, of Nashville, was taken into custody by Officer McKinney of the Columbia Police Department, and charged with Operating Motor Vehicle Under Influence, Leaving Scene of Accident/Fail to Render Air or Assistance and Possession of an open Alcoholic Beverage Container in Motor Vehicle.

She was lodged into the Adair County Regional Jail.

The following is a statement from Adair County Sheriff Gary Roy regarding incidents that have occurred over the past couple of weeks...

It’s been an extremely busy last 2 weeks and I wanted to bring the public up to speed on the events that have transpired in Adair County that my office has been involved with.

On Tuesday, April 14th we had a horrible logging accident in Fairplay area that resulted in the loss of life of an Adair County man. Some of you may know few of the details on that and who was there. It was requested that an investigation be done on the accident. Due to what I felt was a conflict of interest with one of the people involved being the son of a former Adair County Deputy Sheriff and him also being a member of my church, we attempted to turn the case over to Kentucky State Police. Our office was notified on April 17th by Sgt. Billy Gregory that KSP would not be investigating the case due to it being accidental. Although it’s a tragic loss of life, we do not feel like there was anything intentional or any foul play involved.

On Monday, April 20th we had the tragic events that happened in southern Adair County on Chestnut Grove Rd. and in the Kelleyville/Mt. Carmel area where 4 Adair Countians lost their lives. We responded to Chestnut Grove Rd. to a male being shot. Upon arriving, Deputy Emily Wall was met with gunfire; Wall was able to exit her car and return fire. She was able to get a civilian safely to cover behind her patrol car. Even though Wall’s patrol car was struck 24 times, praise God neither Wall nor the civilian were hurt. The gunman continued to sporadically shoot at officers. The KSP SRT team arrived and took control of the scene. After negotiations failed, the gunman was shot and killed by KSP SRT. During the standoff it was learned that the gunman had killed his mother and his aunt.

I want to take this time to personally thank the Adair County Deputies, Columbia Police Department, Kentucky State Police, Adair County 911 Dispatch, Adair EMS, Adair County Emergency Management, Breeding Fire Department, Adair County Coroners Office, Air Medical, and all neighboring counties that had officers respond to help us in any way. If you brought food/water or offered to bring anything or assist in any way, Thank You. But most importantly if you prayed, thank you so much because I truly believe your prayers brought us all home safely to our families that night.

As you are aware, on Thursday, April 23rd we had a bomb threat at Adair County Elementary School. I had two resource officers on scene as well as myself, additional deputies, Columbia Police Department and Kentucky State Police. Deputy Mark Harris is leading the investigation. We will continue to follow up on additional information as we work with our school partners and law enforcement agencies.

I love you Adair County and God bless you all!!

Sheriff Gary Roy

The Boil Water Advisory was issued on Friday night, April 24th by Columbia/Adair Utilities District...

The following press release is from Adair County School Supt. Jason Faulkner...

The City of Columbia is planning activities for the 250th anniversary of the United States of America. Activities are going on across the United States to celebrate the 250th signing of the Declaration of Independence.

In 2027, the City of Columbia will be recognizing the 225th anniversary of the founding of the town. As a part of these events, the city will be announcing activities for the community this summer; and, begin to organize events for 2027. Mayor Hoots invites ideas from residents, contact City Hall at 270-384-3603.no

The following statement was released from Adair Co. School Supt. Jason Faulkner...

The city of Jamestown has issued a BOIL WATER ADVISORY for Stephens Ridge Road (& all side roads) and John Street (& all side roads). Until further notice, boil all water used for drinking and cooking purposes, bringing the water to a rolling boil for at least 3 minutes before using.

The health screenings will be held at the RSES gymnasium from 7:00am-9:00amCT, July 27th-Aug. 1st... 

The public is invited to the official groundbreaking ceremony for Salvador & Judd Properties on Thursday, April 30, 2026 at 12:00pmCT. This project marks a significant milestone for the City of Russell Springs, contributing to our economic growth. The celebration will take place at 194 S.K. Lane in Russell Springs, at the Shogun site directly behind Fivestar, next to the Shogun Food Wagon.

A Russell Springs man was taken into custody for Intimidating a Participant in Legal Process and Menacing

William Galbreth, age 39, was arrested by Deputy Young with the Russell County Sheriff’s Office just before 4:30 yesterday afternoon.

He was lodged into the Russell County Detention Center.

A Whitley City man was lodged into the Russell County Detention Center on a Rape charge

Trevor Taylor, age 29, was lodged into the Russell County detention center by State Police, after being taken into custody on the 17th of this month.

Taylor, is charged with Rape, 3rd degree

COLUMBIA, Ky. (April 21, 2026) – In the morning hours of April 20, 2026, Kentucky State Police (KSP) Post 15 received a report of a shooting incident that led Troopers to discover three individuals deceased at three separate residences.  

KSP Post 15 received a call from the Adair County 911 Center requesting Troopers to respond with the Adair County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) to a reported shooting incident at a residence on Chestnut Grove Road in Adair County. Troopers were told by the 911 Center that an individual had reported that his brother, identified as 37-year-old Michael Adam Curry, had been shot at the residence. Upon law enforcement’s arrival, an ACSO Deputy began receiving multiple rounds of gunfire coming from the residence. The Deputy sought cover near her cruiser until she could be safely extracted from the area in front of the residence. The shooter, 38-year-old Ryan Sneed, of Columbia, barricaded himself inside the residence. The KSP Special Response Team responded to the residence to assist Post 15 Troopers until Mr. Sneed could be secured.    

During the lengthy barricade, KSP learned that Mr. Sneed had made threats to kill his family and began attempts to check on the welfare of his family members. Detectives went to a residence on Lakeview Drive in Adair County to attempt to contact Mr. Sneed’s 67-year-old mother, Joyce Sneed, who was located deceased in the residence. Detectives also went to a residence on Henson Road in Adair County to attempt to contact Mr. Sneed's 63-year-old aunt, Debra Clark, who was also found deceased in that residence. The Adair County Coroner pronounced both individuals deceased at each residence. Thankfully, all other family members were located and found to be safe throughout the day.

More information detailing the resolution of the barricade situation can be found in a separate news release. Once the barricade was concluded, KSP entered the residence to continue the investigation of the shooting incident and located Michael Adam Curry deceased inside. The Adair County Coroner pronounced Mr. Curry deceased at the scene. 

The investigations of the murders of Joyce Sneed, Debra Clark, and Michael Adam Curry continue and are being led by Post 15 Detective Josh Dicken. KSP was assisted by numerous law enforcement and emergency services personnel, both from Adair County and surrounding counties.

COLUMBIA, Ky. (April 21, 2026) - The Kentucky State Police (KSP) Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) has been requested by Post 15 in Columbia to investigate a trooper-involved shooting that occurred on Monday, April 20, shortly before 7:00 p.m. CDT in Adair County.

The initial investigation indicates that officers from the Adair County Sheriff's Office (ACSO) responded yesterday to a disturbance call at a residence on Chestnut Grove Road just before 11:00 a.m. CDT. ACSO deputies and another individual encountered Mr. Ryan Sneed, a 39-year-old male from Columbia, Ky. Mr. Sneed was armed with a firearm and began shooting at the deputy and the other individual, and they took cover remaining pinned down for several hours. Additional law enforcement agencies, KSP troopers and officers were dispatched to the scene and upon arrival were immediately fired upon by Mr. Sneed, who was barricaded in the residence. Shortly after shots were fired, the KSP Special Response Team (SRT) was requested to respond, and upon their arrival, successfully rescued both the pinned-down deputies and another individual and escorted them to safety.

Over several hours, law enforcement attempted to communicate with Mr. Sneed and negotiate a peaceful resolution. Throughout much of the afternoon, Mr. Sneed periodically continued firing at law enforcement, who returned fire on several occasions. Shortly before 7:00 p.m., Mr. Sneed exited the residence armed with a firearm. Members of the KSP SRT discharged their agency-issued firearms, striking Mr. Sneed. Mr. Sneed was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Adair County Coroner. No law enforcement members were injured during this incident.

Throughout the course of this incident, KSP Post 15 responded to two other locations in Adair County where two separate individuals were located deceased. Initial information indicates Mr. Sneed may be a person of interest in those death investigations. Additionally, while securing the scene at the incident location on Chestnut Grove Road, KSP located an individual deceased inside the residence. KSP Post 15, Columbia, is conducting the death investigations of these three decedents. Further information about those investigations can be found in a separate news release.

The KSP CIRT is conducting the ongoing investigation into the trooper-involved shooting.

KSP has statewide jurisdiction and investigates officer-involved shootings throughout the Commonwealth as requested by local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. KSP is committed to being transparent while ensuring the integrity of the investigation. To protect the integrity of an ongoing investigation, it is KSP’s standard operating procedure not to release specific details until vital witnesses have been interviewed and pertinent facts gathered. Timelines for completing investigations vary depending on the complexity of the case.
 

According to various news agencies, the suspect shot and killed his mother, aunt and another family member before barricading himself inside a home on Chestnut Grove Road around 11:30amCT on Monday morning.

Officials have confirmed that the suspect is now deceased. It is currently unclear how the suspect was killed. Kentucky State Police reports that there is no threat to the community.

WAVE NEWS will have more on the story, including the name of the suspect and victims, as they’re released by Kentucky State Police.

R.C. School Superintendent Michael Ford has details on Monday's school board meeting...