Local man found in Cedar Creek

A local man’s body was recovered from Cedar Creek after a search by divers that spanned two days. The body of Michael Trent Markem was pulled from the water a day after witnesses said his car was seen going over a cliff near “The Rock,” a popular swimming area on Cedar Creek in Franklin County.

Officials said witnesses called the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department May 3 at approximately 6:30 p.m. to report a car driving over the cliff at the popular recreation spot. Franklin County Sheriff Shannon Oliver said divers were sent to the scene after the witnesses said they were unsure if there was anyone in the car. Divers checked the waters before suspending the search Sunday evening, officials said.

May 4, a missing person report was filed with Russellville Police Department for Markem, authorities said.

Oliver said the vehicle descriptions fit those of the car seen entering the water Sunday near “The Rock,” and divers were sent back to the scene. About 4:30 p.m. divers located and retrieved the body near where the car was seen entering the water.

Students involved with the RCS Rocketry team celebrate after winning the national competition in Washington, D.C. last weekend. The team will compete in the international event in Paris, France in June.

RCS Rocketry reaches new heights

The RCS Rocketry team recently won the national competition associated with the Team America Rocketry Challenge in The Plains, Va., just outside Washington, D.C., and did so in convincing fashion. Head sponsor and coach, Mark Keeton, said this success has been snowballing since earlier this year when he and students began designing and building their rocket.

In March, the group traveled to Huntsville and submitted a rocket for the qualifying round of the competition. Keeton said the rocket had to reach a height of 800 feet, make the trip in between 46-48 seconds, and a chicken egg had to travel in the nose cone up and back to the ground safely.

“After the qualifying round we ended up as one of the top 101 teams in the nation, and we were invited to compete in the national competition,” Keeton said.

In the national competition the first round was identical to the qualifying stage. The RCS team finished in the top 42 teams in the nation after the first round and moved to the final round. And it was there that Keeton and his team shined. “We ended up being in the top ten after the first round, so we knew we had a chance of finishing with a great score,” Keeton said.

This was the first year for the RCS team to qualify for the national competition, and they moved on to the international ring.

Members of the RCS Rocketry Team are Chelsea Suddith, Evan Swinney, Andrew Heath, Katie Burns, Niles Butts, Cady Studdard and Cristian Ruiz.