Transcript

2.27.25 · The Mountain Eagle

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Speaker 1: Now we turn to the Mountain Eagle to read news
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from Weisburg. Your reader today is build an Arsenal.
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Speaker 2: We will begin with the.
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Speaker 1: Addition dated February twenty six, twenty twenty five, which the
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publishers have donated to RADIOI.
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Speaker 2: As a reminder.
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Speaker 1: RADIOI is a reading service intended for people who are
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blind or have other disabilities that make it difficult to
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read printed material. The first story is water outages, road
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damages Plague County. School Children in Letcher County have to
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meet their buses outside in at least eleven hollows because
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damage from last week's flooding left the roads impassable by
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school buses, and the county water system has been offline
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sporadically throughout the county. In Weisburg, a landslide on Tunnel
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Hill pushed a water storage tank and separated a water main,
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causing the city to evacuate residents from two homes downhill
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from the tank. The tank has now been taken down
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and a new one will be built at a different location.
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We've got a bunch of roads that are damaged, from
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having mud in them to having the edges washed off.
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Speaker 2: The worst thing is the slides.
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Speaker 1: Letcher County Judge Executive Terry Adams said, we've got a
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lot of them, and we have addressed or are addressing
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the slides right now. Meanwhile, individual aid from the Federal
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Emergency Management Agency is now available to residents and businesses
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that were damaged in the flood. On February fifteenth, The
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Major Disaster Declaration includes Breathett, Clay, Harlan, Knott, Lee, Letcher, Martin, Alsley, Perry,
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and Pike Counties, but more counties could be added as
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damage assessments are completed. The number of homes and businesses
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here was not available at press time, as Emergency Management
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continues to make assessments, but it's not nearly as bad
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as the twenty two flood, Adam said. What I have
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seen in this one that was worse than in the
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twenty two flood is landslides. Some of those are major slides.
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While President Donald Trump signed an emergency declaration on February sixteenth,
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he did not sign the Major Disaster Declaration until February
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twenty fourth. Governor Andy Busheer had asked for the declaration
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early last week and went to the White House on
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Friday and spoke with the Deputy Chief of Staff to
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President Trump and the acting Director of the Department of
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Housing and Urban Development about approving the request. We are
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thankful to President Trump and his administration for approving this funding.
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This support will be a big help for our families
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and communities as they recover and rebuild from yet another
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terrible storm. Governor Busher said, during these tough times, we
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see why Kentuckians are so special. We rally together to
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help each other, and I am so proud to be
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governor of this great Commonwealth. Just like before, we will
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get through this together, and I promise that we will
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be there as long as it takes, until every life
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and structure is rebuilt. The individual aid was somewhat slower
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in coming than in twenty twenty two, when then President
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Joe Biden signed a major Disaster declaration the day after
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the flood and FEMA moved staff and a registration trailer
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to Wisburg two days later. This time around, the federal
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official in charge of the flood here will be former
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Kentucky Emergency Management Director Jeremy Slinker, who now serves as
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a coordinating officer for FEMA. Slinker made multiple trips to
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Lecher County after the twenty twenty two flood in his
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role as em director. According to Basher's office, twenty two
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people have now died as a result of the flooding.
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In twenty twenty two, thirteen counties were declared disaster areas
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and forty four people died. The entire state was impacted
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by the flooding This month, meanwhile, some residents and local
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officials are clamoring for dredging of every creek and river
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in Letcher County, a process that experts say could cause
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more damage by speeding up the water, eroding the creek
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banks and creek bids, and undercutting bridge buttonments and culverts.
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Andrea Dreyer, Kentucky River Basin coordinator with the Kentucky Division
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of Water, said she understands the frustration of residents dealing
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with another flood, but once dredging starts, it has to
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be done after every major flood because of silt deposited
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as a result of erosion. I understand why people want
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to do that, but it makes matters worse down the road,
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Dreyer said. Adams said he believes dredging is necessary. We
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need to get the silt and the debris out of
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the streams. There is a lot of silt that needs
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to be got out of the streams, but we need
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an engineered plan.
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Speaker 2: He said.
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Speaker 1: Dreyer said speeding up water can cause erosion upstream by
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head cutting, the same natural process that creates waterfalls. The
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turbulence of the faster water causes vertical cuts in the
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stream bed, and those cuts keep going farther and farther upstream,
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washing silt back in the creeks. Fast water also carries
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debris into culverts and bridge abutments, damming up water and
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causing silt to back up. Adams said Tuesday that he
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had just left a hollow where a five foot diameter
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culvert had stopped up completely and flooding caused silt to
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back up hundreds of yards upstream. Rather than speed up
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the water, Dreyer said, the more effective means of stopping
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flooding is by slowing the water down so it doesn't
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overflow the banks downstream. That can be done with dry
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basins that collect excess water or dams that impound streams
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before releasing the water Slowly. Planting trees in the upper
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reaches of the head waters, where many areas here have
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been strip mined, might be the most effective strategy. Dreyer said,
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one mature oak tree can suck up one hundred fifty
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gallons of water a day. Dreyer said that's one of
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the things the Army Corps of Engineers is looking at.
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The CORE is currently conducting a study of which method
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would be best in eastern Kentucky, and the Lectrifiscal Court
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is participating in that study. The next headline is city
6:56
cops in process of buying drug dog. Weisburg's police department
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may have a new canine on the force as soon
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as March. The plan to obtain a police dog was
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announced at the Weisburg City Council's February meeting Assistant Police
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Chief Justin Hunsucker, who told the council a grant had
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been offered by Canine Working Dogs International, a firm based
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in Ashland, Ohio. If the city votes to accept the grant,
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he said, it would cover much of the costs of
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supplying a dog, training handlers, and upfitting a police vehicle.
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Hunsucker said the city police department would be responsible for
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about ten thousand dollars of the total thirty five one
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hundred eighty six dollars cost. He named police officer Jason
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Adams as the dog's handler and guardian, expressing confidence that
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this effort would be more successful than past attempts to
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adopt a canine program in Witsburg. I feel like Jason
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is the one who is actually going to work this dog,
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he said. The dog sent by Canine Working Dogs International
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would be guaranteed to alert the officer to fentanyl, heroin, cocaine,
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metham fettermin crystal meth MDMA, ecstasy, LSD, PCP, and mushrooms.
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Hunsucker said a police dog's alert provides an officer with
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probable cause for a vehicle search without a warrant, even
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if the driver refuses consent. Hunsucker cited this as a
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primary reason for obtaining a canine. A lot of narcotics
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moved through our city and we'd like to be able
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to catch it, he said. Hunsucker said that Officer Adams
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typically stops about twenty vehicles per shift and would deploy
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the dog twice per shift. Councilmember Margaret Hammonds asked if
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twenty stops per shift was a normal rate for the force.
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Hunsucker replied that it was a normal rate for d Adams.
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He added that the stops would be for traffic violations,
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not random searches. After the council voted to accept the
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grant for a police dog, Hunsucker said that Adams would
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undergo about ten days of training and the canine could
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be on duty by mid March. After the council approved
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the canine grant, engineer quad Atoms delivered updates from NESBIT
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Engineering on water and sewer projects. In what Adams described
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as a big step forward, a state engineer from the
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Rural Development Office has approved the city's Wastewater Inflow and
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Infiltration I and I project. I and I refers to
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the process of storm water or groundwater entering sewer systems,
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which can lead to overflows and infrastructure damage. Adams said
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that a preliminary engineering report will be provided to the
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Council for review at the next regular meeting. Project designs
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that will soon be submitted to the State Division of
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Dow for approval include the water storage Tank replacement project
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and Sewer Lift Station Rehabilitation project. Adams noted that they
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should not expect to hear results of the DOW reviews
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for several months. Mayor Craft also asked Adams for an
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update on the Whitesburg Pool project, which Nesbit Engineering has
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been reconfiguring since the first proposal did not get funding
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as hoped. Adams told the city council that Paul Nesbitt,
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the owner of Nesbit Engineering, wants to work with the
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city to strategize a way to approach state legislators and
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make the case that the city needs a pool. A
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landscape architect is working on a design to show the funders.
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Speaker 2: He said.
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Speaker 1: It seems like going to representatives personally and showing them
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what we want and how it will affect the community
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would be their best route to get it funded. Adams
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said Mayor Craft supported the approach. I think our biggest
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argument is that while we have a rec center for
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indoor activities, we don't have many outdoor recreation options, she said.
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Adams said that Paul Nesbitt would reach out to schedule
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a meeting with city officials. In other business taken up
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at the meeting, the council reappointed Clayson Black to the
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Housing Authority of Whitesburg HAW for another four year term.
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It also reauthorized the city's agreement with HAW, which states
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that HAW will annually pay Whitesburg ten percent of total
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rent collected from residents minus expenses. The original agreement between
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Whitsburg and HAW had not been updated since first ratified
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in nineteen sixty one. Mayor Craft said in other business,
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the council discussed possible uses of a vacant lot at
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the far end of Main Street, where FEMA had recently
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torn down a house. One council member suggested using the
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lot for the city's long discussed dog park. Craft agreed
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and said the city is awaiting a decision from Letcher
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County Judge Executive Terry Adams on whether ownership lot will
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be transferred to the city. Craft added that she was
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interested in converting FEMA teardown sites into community gardens. The
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next story is can School and in may Lecher County
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and Jenkins Independent School students could still be in school
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in June unless a bill now in the General Assembly
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passes House Built two forty one would allow school districts
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to extend the length of school days in order to
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make up for days missed as a result of the weather,
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and allow a waiver of five attendance days for alternative
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instruction if districts can't meet the requirement of one thousand
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and sixty two hours over the course of the school year.
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It also limits school days to seven hours of instructional
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time each day. Current law requires school to be in
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session for one hundred and seventy days. Elescher County Schools
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currently have June fifth as the last day for students
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and June sixth as the last day for teachers. Jenkins
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Independent Schools has not set an official ending day, but
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superintendent Damian Johnson said it would likely be the last
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week of May if the bill passes. I think once
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that passes, and I think it will pass, we'll be
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able to make up some days and we'll be able
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to set the last day for students on the last
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Wednesday in May, he said, stressing that the date is
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strictly unofficial. As long as we stay in May, I
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won't take their spring break, he said. If the district
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has to go into June, he said, spring break will
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likely have to be eliminated. The June fifth date for
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the county district is with the elimination of spring break,
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meaning students will attend school March thirty first through May.
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Speaker 2: Fourth.
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Speaker 1: House Built two forty one passed the House of Representatives
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on the vote of eighty two to seven and has
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been sent to the Senate for consideration. The next story
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is proposed Medicaid cuts could effect seven thousand, four hundred. Here,
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Republicans consider cuts and work requirements for Medicaid, jeopardizing care
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for millions. Republicans are weighing billions of dollars in cuts
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to Medicaid, threatening health care coverage for some of the
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eighty million US adults and children enrolled in the safety
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net program. Nearly seven thousand, four hundred people in Letter
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County have Medicaid. Millions more Americans signed up for a
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taxpayer funded health care coverage like Medicaid and the Affordable
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Care Acts marketplace during the Biden administration, a shift lauded
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by Democrats as a success. But Republicans, who are looking
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to slash federal spending and offer lucrative tax cuts to
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corporations and wealthier americans now see a big target ripe
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for trimming. The eight hundred eighty billion dollar Medicaid program
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is financed mostly by federal taxpayers, who pick up as
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much as eighty percent of the tab in some states,
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and some states too have said they're having trouble financing
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years of growth and sicker patients who enrolled in Medicaid
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to whittle down the budget. The GOP controlled Congress is
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eyeing work requirements for Medicaid. It's also considering paying a
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shrunken fixed rate to states all.
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Speaker 2: Told, over the next decade.
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Speaker 1: Republican lawmakers are trying to siphon billions of dollars from
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the nearly free health care coverage offered to the poorest Americans,
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largely to help pay for a four point five trillion
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dollar tax cut for the richest Americans. Weeks before Congress
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began debating those changes, Republican governors in Arkansas, Ohio, and
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South Dakota were making moves to implement Medicaid work rules
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of their own, likely to be approved by President Donald
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Trump's administration, and other cuts could be on the way already.
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On Friday, the Republican administration announced it would shrink the
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Affordable Care Acts Navigator program annual budget by ninety percent
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to ten million dollars. Navigators are stationed throughout the county
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to help people enroll in ACA and Medicaid coverage, and
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are credited with boosting the program's enrollment in recent years.
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Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana has floated the idea of
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tying work to Medicaid its common sense.
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Speaker 2: Johnson said, little things like that.
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Speaker 1: Make a big difference, not only in the budgeting process,
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but in the morale of the people. You know, work
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is good for you. You find dignity in work. But
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about ninety two percent of Medicaid enrollees are already working,
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attending school, or caregiving, according to an analysis by KFF,
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a health policy research firm, and using a legislative acts
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on Medicaid could cost counties like Letcher County healthcare jobs,
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potentially adding them to the Medicaid and unemployment roles. In total,
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there are about seven three hundred and seventy nine people
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on Medicaid in Letcher County, and more than sixty five
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percent of the patients who see doctors at Mountain Comprehensive
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Health Corporation, headquartered in Witsburg, have either Medicaid or Medicare.
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Republicans have said they won't cut Medicare, but whether that
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promise is kept remains to be seen. Republicans have suggested
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a work requirement similar to the conditions for the Supplemental
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news Atrician Assistance program commonly called food stamps. Those ages
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sixteen to fifty nine must work or volunteer at least
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eighty hours a month if they are not in school,
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caring for a child under age six, disabled, pregnant, or homeless.
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On average, a snap enrolly's monthly household income is eight
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hundred and fifty two dollars, and the enrolle typically receives
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two hundred and thirty nine dollars in benefits. During a
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GOP house retreat last month at Trump's golf resort in Dural, Florida,
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Republicans said the requirement could motivate people to find employment,
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maybe even a job that comes with health insurance. Representative
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darryl Isa, Republican from California, said the spending cuts should
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not be on the back of the poor and needy,
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but instead target those who shouldn't be getting the benefit.
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Why should somebody literally sit on the beach and surf
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by their sandwiches from the food truck with their food
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stamps and then pick up low cost housing and so
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on while writing a book, Isa said, noting that he
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was describing a constituent from more than a decade ago.
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Other proposed cuts include a proposal to change the government's
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reimbursement to a per person limit that would shift the
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cost to states which might be forced to make tough
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choices about who or what they cover. With Trump now
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back in charge, some Republican led states are pressing ahead
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of Congress to add work rules again, as well as
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co pays for Medicaid patients. House Built four sixty one,
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currently in the Kentucky House of Representatives Health Services Committee,
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would require Medicaid patients to pay a co pay for
19:50
any non emergency medical care. That bill, sponsored by Representative
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Deanna Gordon, Republican Madison County, would require the copay to
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affect all Medicaid members to the fullest extent permitted under
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federal law. The next story is Coach Pope continues to
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instill confidence in Travis Perry by Larry Vaught. Before Travis
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Perry made his first collegiate start at Texas, he got
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a pep talk from coach Mark Pope that included video
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clips of what he had done well this season, just
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kind of reiterating the confidence he has in me to
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play that role, Perry said. The state's all time leading
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high school scorer has been thrust into a much bigger
20:40
role his freshman season than anticipated because of injuries to
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teammates he's fearless and he goes about his business. Pope said,
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he's going to make some mistakes because he's young, and
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everybody makes mistakes in this game.
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Speaker 2: But he's fully capable.
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Speaker 1: He's unbelievably confident, really really aggressive. He's made huge plays
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in huge.
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Speaker 2: Games for US.
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Speaker 1: Perry is always a fan favorite because of his lyon
21:08
county roots, along with winning a state high school championship
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and being named Mister Basketball after his senior season. However,
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Pope has held him accountable from day one, just like
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he has the fifth year players on the team, and
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that has helped Perry. I know my confidence has grown
21:26
a ton just getting more comfortable out there. Filling in
21:30
a different spot at the college level is a pretty
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tall task. I've been blessed with opportunities, but also cursed
21:36
with opportunities for our team, Perry said, We've got guys
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that are great basketball players that are missing some games.
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But I think it's going to make us better for March.
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For all the guys like me, Trenton Noah that are
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getting a lot of minutes now come March, we'll be ready,
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will be confident. It's helped me grow into a college
21:57
basketball player.
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Speaker 2: Like I need to be.
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Speaker 1: The next story is SNAP recipients targeted by state feds.
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State and federal officials are continuing to push for new
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laws that would ban the use of SNAP benefits when
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buying soft drinks, energy drinks, prepared desserts, cakes and cookies,
22:20
and candy and more. In Frankfort, Representative Matt Lockett, a
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Republican state legislator from Nicholasville, has filed House Bill two
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seventy nine, which would outlaw the use of benefits from
22:33
the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program SNAP to purchase JUMP food.
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If approved, the proposal introduced by Lockett would mean the
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five two hundred four SNAP benefit recipients in Letter County
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could no longer use their card to buy ice cream, pies,
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or even potato and corn chips. Lockett said he filed
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the bill not to punish food stamp recipients, but instead
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to make sure of the health and welfare of SNAP
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participants should be the main priority of this program. Chronic
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disease disproportionately affects our low income population in large part
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due to the government funding of unhealthy foods. Lockett, toll WKYTTV,
23:16
and Lexington. SNAP should alleviate hunger, not worsen our national
23:21
health crisis. Trying to cut out junk food isn't the
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only action Republicans in Frankfort are now taking when it
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comes to SNAP benefits. A GOP lawmaker in Frankfort has
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introduced a bill in the Kentucky General Assembly that would
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make it more difficult for Kentucky residents to qualify financially
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for SNAP benefits. House Built three sixty seven, introduced by
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Representative Wade Williams of Madisonville and already approved by one
23:50
House committee, would deny SNAP benefits to anyone with assets
23:54
totaling two thousand, seven hundred and fifty dollars and above.
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Efforts like those being proposed in Frankfort are getting a
24:02
boosted from Trump administration officials.
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Speaker 2: Robert F.
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Speaker 1: Kennedy Junior, the new Health Secretary, and Brooke Rollins, the
24:10
new Agriculture Secretary, favor stripping such treats like soft drinks
24:14
and ice cream from the program, which was previously known
24:17
as food stamps. The one hundred thirteen billion dollars SNAP
24:21
program helps about forty two million low income Americans pay
24:26
for nutritious food. Such changes have been proposed many times
24:30
in past decades, but never approved, but policy experts say
24:35
this moment could be different. Excluding any foods would require
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Congress to change the law or for states to win waivers.
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Kennedy has been most vocal calling for the government to
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stop allowing the nearly one hundred thirteen billion dollar program
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that serves about forty two million Americans to use benefits
24:55
to pay for soda or processed foods.
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Speaker 2: The one place that I would say that.
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Speaker 1: We really need to change policy is the SNAP program
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and food stamps and in school lunches, Kennedy told Fox
25:08
News host Laura Ingram recently. There the federal government in
25:12
many cases is paying for it, and we shouldn't be
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subsidizing people to eat poison. In one of her first
25:19
interviews after being confirmed, Rollins said she looked forward to
25:23
working with Kennedy on the issue. When a taxpayer is
25:28
putting money into SNAP, are they okay with us using
25:31
their tax dollars to feed really bad food and sugary
25:34
drinks to children who perhaps need something more nutritious.
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Speaker 2: Rollins said, these.
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Speaker 1: Are all massive questions we're going to be asking and
25:42
working on in the coming months and years. But removing
25:47
certain foods from SNAP, known for years as food stamps,
25:51
isn't as simple as it sounds. The program is run
25:54
by the USDA, not HHS, and is administered through individuals states.
26:01
It is authorized by the Federal Food and Nutrition Act
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of two thousand and eight, which says SNAP benefits can
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be used for any food or food product intended for
26:10
human consumption, except alcohol, tobacco, and hot foods, including those
26:15
prepared for immediate consumption. Excluding any foods would require Congress
26:21
to change the law or for states to get waivers
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that would let them restrict purchases, said Katie Berg, a
26:28
senior policy analyst for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities,
26:32
a nonpartisan research group. Over the past twenty years, lawmakers
26:37
in several states have proposed stopping SNAP from paying for
26:41
bottled water, soda, chips, ice cream, decorated cakes, and luxury
26:46
meats like steak. None of those requests have ever been
26:50
approved under either Republican or Democratic presidents.
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Speaker 2: Berg said.
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Speaker 1: In the past, Agriculture Department officials rejected the waivers, saying
26:59
in AD seven paper that no clear standards exist to
27:03
define foods as good or bad, or healthy or not healthy.
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In addition, the agency said restrictions would be difficult to implement, complicated,
27:11
and costly, and they might not change recipient's food purchases
27:16
or reduce conditions such as obesity. Anti hunger advocates point
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to research that shows SNAP recipients are no more likely
27:25
than other low income Americans to buy sugary drinks or
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snack foods, and they say that limiting food choices undermines
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the autonomy and dignity of people who receive on average,
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about one hundred eighty seven dollars per month or about
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six dollars and sixteen cents per day according to latest figures.
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And this concludes the reading of the Mountain Eagle. Your
27:49
reader has been billed in Arsenal. Now please stay tuned
27:53
for continued programming on behalf of everyone here at RADIOI.
27:58
Thank you for listening, and have a good good day.