Meeting in regular session March 1, the Vanceburg City Council moved to make its annual donation to the Buffalo Trace Area Development District for its Narcotics Task Force.

The $800 donation is to match state or federal funds applied to fighting the use and sale of illegal narcotics it he Buffalo Trace area.

Vanceburg Fire Chief James "Bubbles" Switzer spoke on behalf of the local firefighters and expressed gratitude to the mayor and city council for their efforts in acquiring the new fire truck for the Vanceburg Volunteer Fire Department. He lauded City Clerk Jeanna Billman for doing the large volume of paperwork necessary to obtain the vehicle.

That rating would lead to lower home insurance costs to city homeowners.

Councilman Tim Bowden expressed concern about some limbs hanging over Alltel's phone lines near the Lewis County Central Elementary on Lexington Avenue. He said that Alltel had been contacted but had so far not responded to the need.

Mayor William T. "Bill Tom" Cooper told the council that he had also been trying to contact Jim Rummage, Chief District Engineer for the Department of Highways office in Flemingsburg, about the matter.

After adjourning the meeting, the members of the council went outside in a light rain to inspect the new fire truck.

Deputy Mark Snedegar said the accident happened about 2:15 p.m. Wednesday as a 1992 Chevrolet Lumina, operated by Mary McClurg, 55, of Vanceburg, was traveling east on Ky. Rt. 344 about two miles from Ky. Rt. 59.

Snedegar said the Lumina reportedly veered left and into the path of a 1999 Ford 350 truck pulling a 24-foot gooseneck trailer. The truck was operated by Kerry Rex, Elam, 53, of Vanceburg.

Snedegar said Elam attempted to avoid colliding with the Lumina and the truck and trailer jackknifed. He said the Lumina struck the truck, then an embankment, and continued about 100 feet before coming to rest in a ditch on the north side of the roadway.

He said the truck and a school bus, which had been following the Lumina, also collided causing minor damage to the driver's side of the bus.

The truck and trailer also came to rest in a ditch on the north side of the roadway and the bus stopped in the eastbound lane, Snedegar said.

Elam and his passenger, Chris Elam, and the bus driver, Michael Thomas, 35, of Vanceburg, were not injured, Snedegar said. There were no students on the bus.

Traffic on Ky. Rt. 34 was blocked for nearly three hours until the scene could be cleared.

The incident remains under investigation by Snedegar who was assisted at the scene by Deputy Tom Polley, Lewis County Emergency Management, Portsmouth Ambulance, and Camp Dix, Kinniconick and Vanceburg Fire and Rescue Squads.

House Bill 596, sponsored by Rep. Mike Denham and co-sponsored by Reps. Robin Webb and Tom McKee, would form a 10-member covered bridge authority for the five-county Buffalo Trace area.

"This transfers control of our covered bridges to local authorities," Denham said. "I think the area has come to realize how necessary local input can be."

The authority would make recommendations on bridge repair, restoration and maintenance to the state Transportation Cabinet, and to local fiscal courts. In addition, no large-scale project could begin on any bridge in the area without considering the authority's recommendations.

The authority would also oversee bridges that are closed to traffic, such as Cabin Creek Bridge in Lewis County. Those bridges are under the jurisdiction of the Department of Parks. The Kentucky Heritage Council also has some oversight of those bridges.

There are 13 covered bridges still standing in Kentucky out of hundreds that were originally built. Eight of the 13 are in the Buffalo Trace area.