Latest / Eastern Kentucky Newspapers / Hazard Herald - 10.11.26

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Hazard Herald - 10.11.26 · Eastern Kentucky Newspapers

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  Speaker 1: Now we turn to the reading of the Hazard Herald
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  Speaker 1: for news of hazard in Perry County. I'm Lee Townsend.
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  Speaker 1: We begin with the online edition dated October 7th, 2026.
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  Speaker 1: As a reminder, Radio Eye is a reading service intended
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  Speaker 1: for people who are blind or have other disabilities that
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  Speaker 1: make it difficult to read printed material. LKLP hosts domestic
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  Speaker 1: violence awareness kickoff event. LKLP Community Action Council held a
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  Speaker 1: domestic violence awareness kickoff event on September 30th at The
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  Speaker 1: Grand on Main Street in Hazard, bringing together local organizations
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  Speaker 1: to provide information, resources, and support related to domestic violence.
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  Speaker 1: Organizers said the event was designed to raise awareness of
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  Speaker 1: many issues connected to domestic violence and help community leaders
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  Speaker 1: better understand the services available to victims. Local organizations, including
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  Speaker 1: the Care Cottage, the Rising Center, and Mountain Comprehensive Care
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  Speaker 1: attended the event and provided educational materials and information about
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  Speaker 1: available resources. The event also featured gift baskets and free
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  Speaker 1: meals for all attendees with lunches sponsored by Little Caesars, Subway,
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  Speaker 1: and Shenanigans. Organizers said the event also sought to bring
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  Speaker 1: together professionals who may work with domestic violence victims, including attorneys, psychologists,
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  Speaker 1: social workers, court personnel, and those who provide trauma-informed care.
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  Speaker 1: The goal, organizers said, was to increase awareness of how
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  Speaker 1: domestic violence services operate and help victims better understand and
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  Speaker 1: access the resources available to them. The event ran from
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  Speaker 1: 5 to 7 p.m. and concluded with a memorial walk
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  Speaker 1: around the block to honor those who have been lost
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  Speaker 1: or affected by domestic violence. The Hazard Fire Department conducted
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  Speaker 1: search and rescue training October 2nd through 4th at a
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  Speaker 1: home schedule for demolition at 501 Elizabeth Drive. Firefighters used
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  Speaker 1: theatrical smoke to simulate conditions encountered during structure fires. Hazard
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  Speaker 1: Fire Chief Robert Keith said 16 firefighters participated in exercises
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  Speaker 1: involving the search and rescue of civilians and fellow firefighters.
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  Speaker 1: Bright Mountain Solar Project hosts Career Expo at HCTC. The
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  Speaker 1: Bright Mountain Solar Project held a Career Expo on October
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  Speaker 1: 2nd at Hazard Community and Technical College to provide information
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  Speaker 1: about upcoming employment opportunities connected to the project. Organizers said
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  Speaker 1: future positions are expected to include laborers, equipment operators, commercial drivers,
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  Speaker 1: license holders, contractors, and other construction-related jobs. Adam Edelman, founder
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  Speaker 1: and CEO of Edelman Renewables, said the event marked an
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  Speaker 1: important step for the project and for Eastern Kentucky. This
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  Speaker 1: is a historic day here in Hazard and a special
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  Speaker 1: and important day for East Kentucky, said Edelman. This is
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  Speaker 1: the career expo where folks can learn about the job
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  Speaker 1: opportunities associated with the Bright Mountain Solar Project in Chavez.
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  Speaker 1: The Bright Mountain Solar Project is an 80 megawatt, $ 200
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  Speaker 1: million private capital investment that's going to create a couple
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  Speaker 1: of hundred jobs in the construction phase. So we're here
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  Speaker 1: promoting the opportunities to the potential workforce. Elan said the
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  Speaker 1: region's history the coal industry has created a workforce he
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  Speaker 1: believes is well suited for jobs in the solar industry.
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  Speaker 1: We think with the history of this area, with its
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  Speaker 1: coal background, are the perfect folks to work in solar,
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  Speaker 1: he said. These are people who show up for work
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  Speaker 1: and they work hard, they're trustworthy, they understand teamwork, and
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  Speaker 1: creating these 21st century economic opportunities is really an exciting
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  Speaker 1: part of what we're doing. He said the project also
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  Speaker 1: represents an opportunity for Eastern Kentucky to continue its longstanding
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  Speaker 1: role in the nation's energy jobs while creating.
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  Speaker 2: New jobs and payroll in the region.
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  Speaker 1: To make this place that not only powered the old
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  Speaker 1: economy but will power the new economy for the next
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  Speaker 1: hundred years is very gratifying, said Elan. It's been a
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  Speaker 1: real personal motivation for me and everyone in this company.
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  Speaker 1: These hundreds of jobs mean a lot.
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  Speaker 2: It means millions in new payroll.
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  Speaker 1: It means creating opportunity for people to learn about a
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  Speaker 1: specific job segment that's going to be relevant for the
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  Speaker 1: next 50 to 100 years. We want to create opportunities
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  Speaker 1: for as many people as we can. Beshear removes employment
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  Speaker 1: barrier for veterans and active duty military, fast tracks commercial
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  Speaker 1: driver's licenses. Governor Andy Beshear announced in a statement September
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  Speaker 1: 29th that he had removed an employment barrier for veterans
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  Speaker 1: and active duty military by signing the emergency regulation to
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  Speaker 1: fast-track commercial driver's licenses. The action waives the written CDL
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  Speaker 1: test for eligible current and former service members who operated
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  Speaker 1: commercial-style vehicles within the past two years. easing their transition
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  Speaker 1: into civilian employment, the statement said. Our veterans sacrificed to
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  Speaker 1: keep us safe, and it's our sacred duty to make
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  Speaker 1: sure they have access to a good job in the
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  Speaker 1: same American dream they're willing to fight for on our behalf,
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  Speaker 1: Beshear said. This step will remove barriers and ease access
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  Speaker 1: to employment for those who've bravely and selflessly served, helping
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  Speaker 1: them better support their family who sacrificed alongside them. This
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  Speaker 1: is the right thing to do. Eligible military personnel can
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  Speaker 1: request an application form established by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet
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  Speaker 1: to request a waiver of written knowledge and skill tests,
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  Speaker 1: the statement said. Completed forms are submitted to KYTC with
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  Speaker 1: notification of approval or disapproval to be delivered by mail
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  Speaker 1: within 30 days of submission. Approved applicants can then take
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  Speaker 1: their approval form to any KCTC driver's license regional office,
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  Speaker 1: the statement said. To be eligible, military personnel must be
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  Speaker 1: a resident of Kentucky and have operated a commercial-style vehicle
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  Speaker 1: within the last two years and have one of the
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  Speaker 1: following occupational classifications, Army Motor Transport Operator, Marine Vehicle Operator,
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: and Navy and Air Force Equipment and Vehicle Operator. Coal
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  Speaker 1: miners traveled to D.C. to advocate for black lung protections
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  Speaker 1: and benefits. Coal miners, their families, and medical professionals from Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Virginia,
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  Speaker 1: and West Virginia gathered in the nation's capital on September
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  Speaker 1: 30th to meet with senators and representatives to advocate for
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  Speaker 1: improving black lung benefits and protections, according to a statement.
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  Speaker 1: The statement said the group, which also included surviving relatives
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  Speaker 1: of minors who died from black lung, urged senators and
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  Speaker 1: representatives to pass the Support Our Minors Act, which would
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  Speaker 1: increase black lung disability benefit payments and make sure future
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  Speaker 1: payments keep up with inflation. They also stressed the importance
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  Speaker 1: of protecting minors from silica dust exposure by implementing the
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  Speaker 1: 2024 plan silica dust rule intended to curb the rise
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  Speaker 1: of black lung disease. That rule would have limited miners'
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  Speaker 1: exposure to silica dust to 50 milligrams per cubic meter
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  Speaker 1: of air, which is currently the legal standard for all
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  Speaker 1: other industries. But the Trump-Vance administration has delayed implementation of
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  Speaker 1: the rule for more than a year and is now
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  Speaker 1: drafting a new version according to the statement. During the visit,
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  Speaker 1: the statement said, black lung doctors, clinical professionals, and an
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  Speaker 1: attorney also participated in a forum hosted by Senator Tim Kaine,
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  Speaker 1: Democrat of Virginia, and attended by Senator Mark Warner, Democrat
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  Speaker 1: of Virginia. The forum speakers addressed the causes and extent
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  Speaker 1: of the worsening black lung epidemic in Central Appalachia, as
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  Speaker 1: well as the impact it's having on families and communities.
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  Speaker 1: They also spoke about the difficulty of coal miners and
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  Speaker 1: their families having access to black lung disability benefits promised
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  Speaker 1: to them in federal law once a miner is diagnosed
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  Speaker 1: with black lung, the statement said. Thomas Edwards, a former
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  Speaker 1: coal miner with black lung disease from Big Stone Gap, Virginia,
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  Speaker 1: said black lung is not just an issue of the past.
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  Speaker 1: I'm here to try to help those people understand what
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  Speaker 1: we're talking about, Edwards said. People in Congress are from
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  Speaker 1: an area totally the opposite of where we're from. If
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  Speaker 1: you wanted a living wage, you work for a coal
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  Speaker 1: company or around a coal company. Now I've got black
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  Speaker 1: lung and I'm paying that price, Edwards continued. In the
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  Speaker 1: coal industry, all the easy coal is mostly gone. Now
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  Speaker 1: we're going in and they're getting the smaller seams of
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  Speaker 1: coal and they have to cut the rocks just to
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  Speaker 1: get to the coal. So they're being exposed to a
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  Speaker 1: lot more dust and silica than they were three years ago.
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  Speaker 1: And now at a younger age, they're becoming more disabled. Lawmakers,
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  Speaker 1: county jail funding at a crisis point changes under consideration.
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  Speaker 1: With funding for county jails reaching a crisis point, a
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  Speaker 1: Kentucky legislative committee on October 1st discussed possible changes to
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  Speaker 1: sustain the struggling system. State Representative Michael Meredith, a Republican
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  Speaker 1: from Oakland, told the members in the interim joint committee
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  Speaker 1: on judiciary that the legislators past actions, including increasing the
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  Speaker 1: per diem or per day rate the state pays county
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  Speaker 1: jails to house inmates has not been enough. When we've
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  Speaker 1: addressed it from a funding standpoint, a lot of what
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  Speaker 1: we've done has really been focused on the per diem
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  Speaker 1: rate and increasing the per diem rate of what the
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  Speaker 1: state pays to house state inmates. A more comprehensive approach,
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  Speaker 1: I think, is necessary as we go forward. Kentucky Association
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  Speaker 1: of Counties Executive Director Jim Henderson told the legislatures that
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  Speaker 1: between 2019 and 2025, county general fund support for jails
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  Speaker 1: increased by 76 percent. The House Bill 56 557 in
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  Speaker 1: this year's session, which did not pass, would have made
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  Speaker 1: several changes that Meredith said could bring county jails towards sustainability.
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  Speaker 1: Included in the bill were measures that would have incentivized
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  Speaker 1: the establishment of multi-county regional jails, including a million dollars
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  Speaker 1: incentive grant to any fiscal court that establishes a new
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  Speaker 1: regional jail or joins an existing one and a $ 500, 000
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  Speaker 1: incentive grant to each county already in the regional jail
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  Speaker 1: authority that agree to accept a new county into the authority.
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  Speaker 1: Meredith said House Bill 557 would also have changed the
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  Speaker 1: way the state reimburses counties for holding state inmates. Currently,
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  Speaker 1: he said, from the time a person is charged with
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  Speaker 1: a felony up until the time they're sentenced, The county
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  Speaker 1: in which they're being held bears the costs of their detention.
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  Speaker 1: When they're sentenced, Meredith said, fellow felony defendants are given
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  Speaker 1: credit for time served waiting in a conviction and sentencing,
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  Speaker 1: and that credit is deducted from the sentence they have
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  Speaker 1: to serve. One option would help local jails if the
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  Speaker 1: state is to reimburse counties for the credit time served. However,
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  Speaker 1: Meredith pointed out that the per diem rate the state
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  Speaker 1: pays is out of step with the costs jails are incurring. Currently,
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  Speaker 1: the state pays $ 35. 34 a day for state inmates, but
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  Speaker 1: the average cost is estimated to be $ 66.
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  Speaker 2: 44 a day.
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  Speaker 1: Meredith told the committee that he and others working on
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  Speaker 1: the legislation for upcoming session want to hear from the
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  Speaker 1: other legislators. We're at a crisis point among the county
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  Speaker 1: governments related to county jails. and we're open to listening
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  Speaker 1: to any ideas that you think you can bring forward,
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  Speaker 1: but I do think it needs to be much more
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  Speaker 1: comprehensive than just increasing the per diem rate. From the
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  Speaker 1: opinion page, State Sanctioned Murder by Bryce Cassaday. The murder
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  Speaker 1: that Krista Pike was convicted of committing in Tennessee was
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  Speaker 1: horrific and evil and is evidence that she should not.
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  Speaker 2: Be allowed to live among us.
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  Speaker 1: However, it's also true that what was done to her
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  Speaker 1: as a form of justice by the state was also
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  Speaker 1: horrific and evil and proof that our nation has a
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  Speaker 1: long way to go before our system of justice is
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  Speaker 1: truly just. Pike's botched execution should serve as a reminder
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  Speaker 1: and shock our consciences into truly questioning whether the benefits,
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  Speaker 1: if there truly are any, of the death penalty are
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  Speaker 1: worth the cost we pay for it. Had the execution
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  Speaker 1: been successful in its outset, it would not have been justice.
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  Speaker 1: True justice requires correction, restoration, and redemption when possible. Pike's execution,
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  Speaker 1: such as it is, will not bring her victim, Colleen Slimmer,
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  Speaker 1: back to life, nor will it restore her to her
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  Speaker 1: family and friends. It will simply end another life. Maybe
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  Speaker 1: someone will feel better as a result, but justice is
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  Speaker 1: not about feelings or emotions. It's bigger than that. Some
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  Speaker 1: may posit that I have no say since I have
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  Speaker 1: no relation to the victim or the murderer. However, I
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  Speaker 1: do have a say. After all, it is the state
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  Speaker 1: that has decided Pike should die for her crime.
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  Speaker 2: I am the state. We are the state.
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  Speaker 1: When the death penalty is handed down, it's on our behalf.
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  Speaker 1: It's supposed to be our interest and that's being represented.
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  Speaker 1: And as such, a murder committed by the state is
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  Speaker 1: committed by us. The blood is not on the hands
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  Speaker 1: of some theoretical construct.
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  Speaker 2: It's on our hands.
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  Speaker 1: The death penalty satiates the darkest desires of our hearts
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  Speaker 1: for vengeance, but for the feeling, not the substance of
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  Speaker 1: victory over evil. The satisfaction of these desires comes at
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  Speaker 1: a price. Those who take a human life often tell
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  Speaker 1: us that it leaves a mark on their soul that,
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  Speaker 1: even when it's justified under the law, our own moral codes,
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  Speaker 1: is indelible. We, as a society, carry the same burden
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  Speaker 1: in cases like Pike's. The fact that her execution turned
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  Speaker 1: into a state-sanctioned torture makes this mark burn even more deeply.
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  Speaker 1: True victory over evil comes after we sacrifice our own
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  Speaker 1: base desires for the greater good when we seek to redeem,
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  Speaker 1: to restore, not when we collectively commit murder. Killing Colleen
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  Speaker 1: Slimmer's murderer will not only continue a circle of violence.
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  Speaker 1: An old saying tells us an eye for an eye
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  Speaker 1: makes the world blind. May God give us the mercy
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  Speaker 1: in our hearts before we find ourselves blind. And a
• 16:10
  Speaker 1: letter to the editor, USPS, supporting breast cancer awareness month.
• 16:15
  Speaker 1: October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the Hazard Post
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  Speaker 1: Office is supporting the cause by promoting the sale of
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  Speaker 1: breast cancer research semi-postal stamps with fun decorations. Breast cancer
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  Speaker 1: has touched most of us in some.
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  Speaker 2: Way, and our community is no exception.
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  Speaker 1: Choosing the breast cancer research semi-postal stamp to mail letters,
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  Speaker 1: pay bills, or send cards to loved ones is an
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  Speaker 1: easy way to keep attention on the research for better prevention, treatment,
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  Speaker 1: and survivorship outcomes. Through August 2026, more than 1.2 billion
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  Speaker 1: breast cancer research stamps have been sold, bringing the total
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  Speaker 1: revenue raised to more than $ 99.
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  Speaker 2: 9 million.
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  Speaker 1: By law, 70% of the net amount raised is transferred
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  Speaker 1: to the National Institutes of Health and 30% is transferred
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  Speaker 1: to the Medical Research Program at the Department of Defense.
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  Speaker 1: The price of semi-postal stamps pays for the first-class single-piece
• 17:17
  Speaker 1: postage rate in effect at the time, plus an amount
• 17:21
  Speaker 1: the fund causes determined to be in the public interest.
• 17:26
  Speaker 1: Other semi-postal include Save Vanishing Species, Healing PTSD, and Alzheimer's stamps.
• 17:35
  Speaker 1: On October 6, the Postal Service issued the Know the
• 17:38
  Speaker 1: Facts About Fentanyl semi-postal stamp. We look forward to seeing
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  Speaker 1: you at the Hazard Post Office and hope you join
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  Speaker 1: us to help fund the cause. The letter was signed
• 17:49
  Speaker 1: by Christy Couch, Postmaster, Hazard Post Office. The guest column
• 17:53
  Speaker 1: is by Benji Hamm, vital for the nation's future. When
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  Speaker 1: the Declaration of Independence was signed 250 years ago, newspapers
• 18:02
  Speaker 1: throughout the colonies shared the life-changing.
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  Speaker 2: News with their readers.
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  Speaker 1: With all of the enormous changes in this country and
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  Speaker 1: media since 1776, it's noteworthy that more than 5,000 newspapers
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  Speaker 1: are still informing their communities about what their leaders are
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  Speaker 1: doing and how those actions affect them. Often, newspaper reporters
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  Speaker 1: are the only journalists who cover actions of local school
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: boards or city councils or youth sports teams. In 2025,
• 18:33
  Speaker 1: a state of local news report by Northwestern University's Medill
• 18:40
  Speaker 1: School of Journalism revealed that there are more than 1,500
• 18:45
  Speaker 1: counties in the United States served by only one.
• 18:48
  Speaker 2: News media outlet.
• 18:50
  Speaker 1: In almost all of those counties, the news source is
• 18:53
  Speaker 1: a local newspaper. It used to be hard to imagine
• 18:57
  Speaker 1: how different communities would be without local news sources, but
• 19:02
  Speaker 1: in recent years, the changing business models for new organizations
• 19:06
  Speaker 1: have led to increasing numbers of so-called news deserts, places
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: where residents don't have access to independent coverage of their communities.
• 19:16
  Speaker 1: Research shows that the lack of news coverage can lead
• 19:20
  Speaker 1: to a number of problems, fewer people voting, more corruption,
• 19:24
  Speaker 1: higher costs of government, and a reduced connection among residents.
• 19:29
  Speaker 1: One of this country's most famous founders, Thomas Jefferson, wrote,
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  Speaker 1: or it left to me to decide whether we should
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government,
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  Speaker 1: I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.
• 19:45
  Speaker 1: That doesn't mean Jefferson always liked what newspapers wrote about him.
• 19:49
  Speaker 1: It decisions, or his policies. He often disagreed vehemently, but
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  Speaker 1: he and other founders inherently understood the importance of having
• 20:00
  Speaker 1: a government watchdog and independent voices that are free to
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: challenge policies and leaders with the goal of better informing
• 20:09
  Speaker 1: residents about the world around them and their improving society.
• 20:14
  Speaker 1: The founders understood this nation needed guarantees to protect vigorous
• 20:19
  Speaker 1: discussions and disagreements. So they created the Bill of Rights
• 20:25
  Speaker 1: in 1791, starting with the First Amendment that ensures free
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  Speaker 1: speech and a free press. Sustaining a free press isn't free,
• 20:34
  Speaker 1: nor is it easy. The type of news coverage that
• 20:37
  Speaker 1: helps to change laws and change lives, including exposing problems
• 20:43
  Speaker 1: and wrongdoings in communities that some would prefer to keep hidden,
• 20:48
  Speaker 1: can be difficult, time-consuming, and expensive. It was true 250
• 20:54
  Speaker 1: years ago, and it's true today. Some critics have been
• 20:59
  Speaker 1: predicting the death of newspapers since at least the invention
• 21:02
  Speaker 1: of radio. and those predictions have increased with the creation
• 21:06
  Speaker 1: of television, the Internet, and social media. Yet newspapers have persevered,
• 21:12
  Speaker 1: adapted their business models, and remained as essential institutions in
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  Speaker 1: their communities. In this time of another upheaval of the
• 21:20
  Speaker 1: media business model, newspapers are again adapting for the future.
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  Speaker 1: Their news is shared not just in print as it
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  Speaker 1: was in 1776, but also to millions of readers online,
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  Speaker 1: and through society, social media outlets, by the news organizations themselves,
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: and countless other people. Surveys that cite how many Americans
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: receive news from their phones these days doesn't consider where
• 21:48
  Speaker 1: those phones get their news and information. Many readers don't
• 21:52
  Speaker 1: know the origin either, but much of the commentary and
• 21:56
  Speaker 1: sharing of news that's abundant online and in social media
• 22:01
  Speaker 1: can be traced back to the original sources, journalists. As
• 22:06
  Speaker 1: we celebrate National Newspaper Week during October 4th through 10th,
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  Speaker 1: it's important to reflect on why the founders believed so
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  Speaker 1: strongly in the need for a free press to cover
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  Speaker 1: this nation without government control, without fear of favor, and
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  Speaker 1: without undue influence from powerful people. The value of a
• 22:27
  Speaker 1: free press is not simply to protect the press, but
• 22:30
  Speaker 1: to protect democracy. It's based on the belief that a
• 22:33
  Speaker 1: better informed citizenry is essential for the United States to
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: not only survive, but to thrive. In today's crowded media market,
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: where misinformation and disinformation are abundant, it's crucial that newspapers
• 22:48
  Speaker 1: continue to serve in their role as watchdogs and as
• 22:53
  Speaker 1: trusted sources to inform, inspire, and educate, and connect the
• 22:58
  Speaker 1: communities they serve. There's no way to predict how the
• 23:01
  Speaker 1: United States will change and evolve over the next 250 years,
• 23:07
  Speaker 1: but it's certain we will continue to need a free
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: press and independent journalists to document those changes and provide
• 23:14
  Speaker 1: the important news coverage that is vital for this nation's future.
• 23:20
  Speaker 1: Benji Hamm is the director of the National Institute for
• 23:23
  Speaker 1: Rural Journalism and Community Issues and an associate professor at
• 23:27
  Speaker 1: the University of Kentucky's School of Journalism and Media. He
• 23:32
  Speaker 1: previously served as an editorial director for landmark community newspapers
• 23:37
  Speaker 1: and an editor at the Virginia Pilot, the Associated Press,
• 23:41
  Speaker 1: and the New York Times Regional Newspaper Group. From the
• 23:46
  Speaker 1: obituary page, Susan Ann Byrne, 66, of Hazard, died Thursday,
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  Speaker 1: October 1st. Marvin Edward Pugh, 78, of Hazard, died Monday,
• 23:57
  Speaker 1: September 28. Ida Trent, 69, of Hazard, died Thursday, September 24.
• 24:05
  Speaker 1: Samuel Joseph Oliver, 30, of Jeff, died Wednesday, September 30.
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  Speaker 1: CPE President, as Kentucky's high school classes shrink, colleges must
• 24:17
  Speaker 1: prove their value and enroll a larger share. Kentucky's colleges
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  Speaker 1: and universities must increase the value of a post-secondary credential
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: and make that value more visible to students and employers,
• 24:30
  Speaker 1: Council on Post-Secondary Education President Aaron Thompson said at a
• 24:35
  Speaker 1: meeting on campus on September 29th. According to a statement
• 24:42
  Speaker 1: from CPE, Thompson warned that a shrinking pool of high
• 24:45
  Speaker 1: school graduates means the state will need a larger share
• 24:49
  Speaker 1: of traditional-age students to enroll in college, as well as
• 24:53
  Speaker 1: more adult learners. Thompson delivered his annual education address, Increasing
• 24:58
  Speaker 1: Higher Education's Value Proposition for Students and Employers, at the
• 25:04
  Speaker 1: 2026 Kentucky Post-Secondary Education Trusteeship Conference at the Owensboro Convention Center.
• 25:12
  Speaker 1: CPE Vice President and Vice Chair Elaine Walker introduced the address.
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  Speaker 1: Thompson opened by highlighting Kentucky's progress. Kentucky's improvement in enrollment, retention,
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  Speaker 1: and graduation rates over the past five years rank among
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  Speaker 1: the highest in the country. A share of working-age Kentuckians
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  Speaker 1: with a post-secondary credential has climbed from 45% in 2013
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  Speaker 1: to 55% today. equal to the national average and within
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  Speaker 1: striking distance of the 60% goal. Thompson noted that House
• 25:52
  Speaker 1: Bill 1, which created CPE in 1997, set what many
• 25:58
  Speaker 1: consider was an unattainable goal, reaching the nation's average in
• 26:03
  Speaker 1: post-secondary education attainment by 2020. Standing here in 2026, I'm
• 26:07
  Speaker 1: proud to say that together we fulfill the original promise
• 26:14
  Speaker 1: of that legislation. Those gains pay off for the state.
• 26:19
  Speaker 1: A Kentuckian with a bachelor's degree earns about $ 1. 2 million
• 26:23
  Speaker 1: more over a career than a high school graduate. Every
• 26:27
  Speaker 1: dollar the state invests in higher education returns $ 4. 50 in
• 26:31
  Speaker 1: tax revenue and $ 17 in consumer spending.
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  Speaker 2: Yet only 38% of U.S.
• 26:40
  Speaker 1: Adults express strong confidence in higher education, Thompson said, and
• 26:45
  Speaker 1: employers report that many new graduates need additional training. He
• 26:50
  Speaker 1: called increasing higher education's value proposition an urgent priority. Hazard
• 26:58
  Speaker 1: Police Department Sergeant Michael Ritchie recently graduated from the Academy
• 27:03
  Speaker 1: of Police Supervision Class 109. According to a statement from
• 27:08
  Speaker 1: the HPD, law enforcement supervisors learn how to positively influence
• 27:13
  Speaker 1: groups of people, as well as how to apply situational leadership,
• 27:18
  Speaker 1: demonstrate an understanding of constitutional and administrative law, emotional and
• 27:24
  Speaker 1: social intelligence, ethical decision-making, problem-solving, emotional survival, and public speaking.
• 27:32
  Speaker 1: This concludes the reading of the Hazard Herald. Please stay
• 27:35
  Speaker 1: tuned for continued programming Thank you for joining me, and
• 27:38
  Speaker 1: on behalf of everyone here at Radio Eye, this is
• 27:41
  Speaker 1: Lee Townsend wishing you a good day.