Society

The heads of two of the Paducah groups working together to restore and reopen the downtown Columbia Theatre as a multipurpose facility updated Mayor Bill Paxton and city commissioners last night on their progress. The Paducah Renaissance Alliance and Maiden Alley Cinema have combined efforts to revitalize the historic building. PRA Executive Director Lisa Thompson says they hope to turn it into a space for local events such as performances, music, dance recitals, film showings and more.

Reidland High and Middle schools are back in session today after the McCracken County Sheriff’s Department found that what was reported as a threat was actually two students discussing a video game. The department reports that yesterday afternoon detectives obtained the author’s name of a letter originally sent to The Paducah Sun with concerns about safety at Reidland High School.

The commander of Fort Campbell’s 101st Combat Aviation Brigade says Afghan security forces are becoming more capable both on the ground and in the air. Col. Paul Bontrager says Afghans can now medically evacuate their own personnel using helicopters and that the air corps’ success will be vital when the U.S. removes combat forces in 2014.

Tennessee homeowners facing foreclosure now have a free hotline to turn to for help. The Mortgage Assistance Hotline refers homeowners to free foreclosure prevention counseling. The hotline is staffed Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Callers can get free counseling over the phone or get a referral for in-person counseling at a local non-profit.

The Kentucky Public Service Commission has approved a new area code for western Kentucky.  The new area code, 364, will be added to the current 270 footprint in early 2014. PSC Spokesman Andrew Melnykovich says with the overlay people who currently use 270 won’t have to change numbers, but there will be a different dialing pattern.