Latest / Eastern Kentucky Newspapers / Manchester Enterprise - 9.25.26

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Manchester Enterprise - 9.25.26 · Eastern Kentucky Newspapers

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  Speaker 1: Now we turn to the Manchester Enterprise to read the
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  Speaker 1: news from around Manchester. Your reader today is Anne Glover.
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  Speaker 1: We are reading from the Manchester Enterprise, dated Wednesday, September 23, 2026.
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  Speaker 1: Here are the stories on the front page. Man found
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  Speaker 1: dead in barn. One charged. Did Clay Board violate the
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  Speaker 1: law on land deals? State says no. All transactions were
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  Speaker 1: KDE approved. Jury gives Clayman life sentence. Struggled to hire
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  Speaker 1: police officers hits home. And then there is a lovely
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  Speaker 1: picture on the front page, Sizemore named Homecoming Queen, and
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  Speaker 1: it shows the CCHS royalty on full display Friday, with
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  Speaker 1: over 50 candidates seeking the crown. Princesses Madison Stevens, Michaela Bayes,
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  Speaker 1: Queen Madison Sizemore, Princess L. Villana Williams, and the 2025
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  Speaker 1: Queen Carly Wolfe. So let's go to the top story.
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  Speaker 1: Man found dead in barn. One charged. Fire Department responds
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  Speaker 1: to barn fire and finds man dead. This is out
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  Speaker 1: of Manchester. A Manchester man has been charged with murder
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  Speaker 1: after Kentucky State Police said a man suffering from an
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  Speaker 1: apparent gunshot wound was found in the debris of a
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  Speaker 1: barn fire on Kentucky 577. Kentucky State Police Post 11
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  Speaker 1: in London said, was contacted by Clay County 911 at
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  Speaker 1: approximately 8.30 p.m. on September 17 after emergency crews responded
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  Speaker 1: to the fire. According to KSP, first responders discovered the
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  Speaker 1: remains of an unidentified man in the fire debris. Investigators
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  Speaker 1: said the victim appeared to have suffered a gunshot wound
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  Speaker 1: to the head, prompting KSP detectives to begin an investigation.
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  Speaker 1: An autopsy was conducted the following morning, September 18, and
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  Speaker 1: the victim was identified as 40-year-old Nathaniel D. Carter of McKee.
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  Speaker 1: As the investigation continued, detectives located and interviewed 28-year-old Dalton S.
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  Speaker 1: Bolling of Manchester. Bolling was subsequently arrested and charged with
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  Speaker 1: the murder. According to Bowling's arrest citation, investigators alleged Bowling
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  Speaker 1: gave contradictory statements during an interview and had what appeared
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  Speaker 1: to be blood on his pants. The citation also alleged
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  Speaker 1: Bowling was the last person known to have been with Carter.
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  Speaker 1: Those allegations are part of the ongoing investigation and have
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  Speaker 1: not been proven in court. KSP said foul play is
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  Speaker 1: suspected and the investigation remains ongoing. Detective Logan Gay is
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  Speaker 1: leading the investigation. He was assisted at the scene by
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  Speaker 1: other KSP personnel, the Clay County Coroner's Office, Clay County
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  Speaker 1: Sheriff's Office, Burning Springs Fire Department, and Foggartown Fire Department.
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  Speaker 1: Additional details surrounding Carter's death and the circumstances leading to
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  Speaker 1: the fire are have not been released by KSP. Bolling
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  Speaker 1: is lodged in the Clay County Detention Center and set
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  Speaker 1: for preliminary hearing on September 28. He entered a not
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  Speaker 1: guilty plea and was not given bond. Bolling's murder charge
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  Speaker 1: is an accusation, and he is presumed innocent until and
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  Speaker 1: unless proven guilty in a court of law. That's the
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  Speaker 1: end of the story. We're going to go Do the
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  Speaker 1: obituaries and then return to the front page. Neville Smith,
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  Speaker 1: age 95, passed away on Monday, September 7th, at the St.
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  Speaker 1: Joseph Hospital in London, Kentucky. Ricky Sizemore passed away September 17th.
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  Speaker 1: He was 69 and he is of Elk Creek, Kentucky.
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  Speaker 1: Roger Williams, 81, of Anville, went home to be with
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  Speaker 1: Jesus on Tuesday, September 15, at his residence. Rosaline Wagers,
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  Speaker 1: age 73, passed away on Saturday, September 19, at the St.
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  Speaker 1: Joseph Hospital in London, Kentucky. Devin Ray Bowling, age 47,
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  Speaker 1: of Oneida, Kentucky, was born in Manchester on September 9, 1979,
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  Speaker 1: to the late Larry Bowling of Leslie County and Terry
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  Speaker 1: Lee Davidson of Oneida. He departed this life on September 16th.
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  Speaker 1: And then finally, the family of Roy Jarvis would like
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  Speaker 1: to thank everyone for their expressions of sympathy during Roy's
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  Speaker 1: long illness and passing. And there is an additional, the
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  Speaker 1: statement does go on. That is, Everything for our obituaries
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  Speaker 1: for this week. Returning to the front page, did Clay
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  Speaker 1: Board violate the law on land deals? State says no.
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  Speaker 1: All transactions were KDE approved. Recent property transactions by the
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  Speaker 1: Clay County Board of Education have prompted questions about whether
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  Speaker 1: school district property must always be advertised for bids or
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  Speaker 1: sold at public auction. Under Kentucky law, the answer is no.
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  Speaker 1: Kentucky regulations specifically provide local boards of education with multiple
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  Speaker 1: methods for disposing of surplus real estate, including a process
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  Speaker 1: that allows property to be sold directly when the sale
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  Speaker 1: price meets or exceeds its appraised fair market value. The
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  Speaker 1: Kentucky Department of Education also oversees the disposal process. Records
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  Speaker 1: at the Clark County Clerk's Office show the district has
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  Speaker 1: sold eight parcels since 2014, with another transaction involving the
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  Speaker 1: City of Manchester currently pending. Under 702KAR4-090, a local board
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  Speaker 1: must declare property surplus to the district's educational needs and
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  Speaker 1: obtain contingent approval through KDE's property disposal process. The regulation
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  Speaker 1: then permits three methods of sale, public auction, sealed bids,
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  Speaker 1: or setting a minimum acceptable price that is at least
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  Speaker 1: the property's fair market value. Fair market value is established
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  Speaker 1: through an appraisal by a Kentucky licensed real property appraiser.
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  Speaker 1: That distinction is important because the advertising requirement applies specifically
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  Speaker 1: when a district chooses the auction or sealed bid method.
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  Speaker 1: The regulation requires those sales to be publicly advertised. When
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  Speaker 1: the board instead uses the minimum price method, the regulation
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  Speaker 1: requires the approval and proposed sale agreement to be submitted
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  Speaker 1: to KDE for review and final approval. It does not
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  Speaker 1: impose the same auction or sealed bid advertising requirements. Clay
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  Speaker 1: County has used both methods. In 2014, during Dr. Eamon
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  Speaker 1: Crouch's tenure as superintendent, the district was facing serious financial
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  Speaker 1: problems following a state audit and was looking for ways
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  Speaker 1: to improve cash flow. The board declared the former Horse
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  Speaker 1: Creek Elementary property surplus and offered it at auction. Fred
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  Speaker 1: Jackson and the City of Hope purchased the property for $ 550, 000.
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  Speaker 1: After auction expenses, the district received $ 521, 614. Board members at
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  Speaker 1: the time expressed disappointment that the property did not bring more.
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  Speaker 1: Its assessed value was approximately $ 1 million, and members compared
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  Speaker 1: the result with the earlier direct sale of Laurel Creek
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  Speaker 1: Elementary to the Church of God for $ 400, 000 during Doug
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  Speaker 1: Adams' tenure as superintendent. That experience contributed to the board's
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  Speaker 1: preference for later transactions for considering direct offers when they
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  Speaker 1: met the property's appraised value. Board attorney Sharon Allen said
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  Speaker 1: the district has not generally gone looking for buyers for
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  Speaker 1: its surplus properties. Instead, the seven properties sold through the
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  Speaker 1: minimum price method were transactions initiated after prospective purchasers approached
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  Speaker 1: the district. County clerk records show that these transactions included
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  Speaker 1: an August 2014 sale of property on Kentucky 80 to
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  Speaker 1: James and Angela Mills for $ 21, 000, a January 2017 sale
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  Speaker 1: to Whitehall Church for $ 20, 000, and the December 2021 sale
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  Speaker 1: of a former one-room school that is now the site
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  Speaker 1: of Darby's Branch Church to Marty Jackson for $ 3, 000. In
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  Speaker 1: July of 2024, Clay County approached the district about the
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  Speaker 1: former B. property along the four-lane for development. The board
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  Speaker 1: declared the property surplus and obtained an appraisal and sold
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  Speaker 1: it for its appraised value of $ 190, 000. The former Pinhook
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  Speaker 1: School property was sold to Paul and Myra Hughes for
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  Speaker 1: for its $ 7, 000 appraised value in September of 2024. In
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  Speaker 1: February of 2025, a former one-room school site on Elisha's
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  Speaker 1: Creek was sold to Hilda Hacker for $ 4, 000. The following month,
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  Speaker 1: property adjoining Laurel Creek Church of God was sold to
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  Speaker 1: Brad Stevens for $ 14, 500. The district also has a pending
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  Speaker 1: agreement to sell the former Manchester Elementary property and current
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  Speaker 1: City Hall location to the City of Manchester for $ 400, 000.
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  Speaker 1: Clay County once had more than 50 schools, leaving the
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  Speaker 1: district with numerous former school sites. Some older deeds contained
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  Speaker 1: revisionary provisions concerning what happened to the property when it
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  Speaker 1: ceased being used for school purposes. The Kentucky legislature abolished
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  Speaker 1: that issue and now requires all property sold in one
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  Speaker 1: of the previously mentioned processes. The central issue surrounding the
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  Speaker 1: more recent transactions, however, is whether Kentucky law requires every
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  Speaker 1: piece of surplus school property to go to auction or
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  Speaker 1: to be advertised for bids. It does not. The current
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  Speaker 1: state regulation expressly permits the minimum acceptable price method as
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  Speaker 1: an alternative to auction and sealed bids, provided the required
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  Speaker 1: fair market value and KDE approval procedures are followed. KDE
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  Speaker 1: approval is part of the process before a district executes
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  Speaker 1: a sale agreement. And that's the end of the story.
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  Speaker 1: Jury gives Clay man life sentence. A Clay County jury
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  Speaker 1: has recommended a life sentence for a man who pled
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  Speaker 1: guilty in connection with the 2015 shooting death of his
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  Speaker 1: father and stepmother at their Manchester home. Greg Jackson, 45,
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  Speaker 1: previously pleaded guilty to murder, first-degree manslaughter, second-degree burglary, and
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  Speaker 1: tampering with physical evidence in the deaths of Leon Jackson
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  Speaker 1: and Shirley Jackson. The following proceedings Tuesday, the jury recommended
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  Speaker 1: that Jackson serve a life sentence. Final sentencing is scheduled
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  Speaker 1: for November 30th. The case dates back to November of 2015,
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  Speaker 1: when Jackson attended a court hearing involving his father. During
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  Speaker 1: the hearing, Leon Jackson sought and was granted an emergency
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  Speaker 1: protective order against his son. According to prosecutors, Jackson left
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  Speaker 1: court and later went to the Manchester residence shared by
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  Speaker 1: his father and stepmother. There, authorities said Jackson fatally shot
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  Speaker 1: both victims. Leon Jackson was shot twice, while Shirley Jackson
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  Speaker 1: was shot 11 times. The couple's bodies were not discovered
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  Speaker 1: until 14 days later, when they were found by the
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  Speaker 1: family pastor. Jackson was arrested the following month for violating
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  Speaker 1: his parole and remained in custody when he was later
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  Speaker 1: indicted in connection with the killings. Kentucky Attorney Attorney General
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  Speaker 1: Russell Coleman announced the jury's sentencing recommendation, saying his office
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  Speaker 1: prosecuted the case on behalf of the Commonwealth. Patricide is heinous,
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  Speaker 1: Coleman said. The recommended life sentence reflects the gravity of
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  Speaker 1: the slayings and holds this killer accountable. Kentucky State Police
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  Speaker 1: investigated the case. Tim Kockenhofer said, Director of Kentucky Attorney
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  Speaker 1: General Special Prosecutions Unit prosecuted the case. Robin Diaz Doe,
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  Speaker 1: Director of the Office of Victim's Advocacy, provided services to
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  Speaker 1: the victim's family. Jackson's life sentence remains a jury recommendation
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  Speaker 1: until the court formally sentences him on November 30th. That
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  Speaker 1: is the end of that story. And the final story
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  Speaker 1: on the front page beneath the fold is Struggle to
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  Speaker 1: Hire Police Officer Hits Home. City, county, and board of
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  Speaker 1: education having hard time filling positions. A nationwide struggle to
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  Speaker 1: recruit and retain police officers is being felt close to
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  Speaker 1: home as Manchester police and the Clay County Sheriff's Office
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  Speaker 1: work to maintain adequate staffing while competing for experienced officers.
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  Speaker 1: Manchester Police Chief Jeff Crouch and Clay County Sheriff Patrick
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  Speaker 1: Robinson said keeping their departments fully staffed has become increasingly difficult,
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  Speaker 1: with both agencies losing trained officers to other departments in
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  Speaker 1: recent years. Crouch said Manchester Police had operated understaffed for
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  Speaker 1: some time before recently adding two officers, bringing the department
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  Speaker 1: back to full strength. Recruiting and retaining officers is one
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  Speaker 1: of the biggest challenges facing law enforcement right now, Couch said.
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  Speaker 1: You put a lot of time and resources into hiring someone,
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  Speaker 1: getting them trained and sending them through the academy. Then
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  Speaker 1: you can lose that officer to another agency and basically
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  Speaker 1: have to start all over again. Robinson said the sheriff's
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  Speaker 1: office faces many of the same challenges and is working
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  Speaker 1: to remain as competitive as possible with salaries in hopes
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  Speaker 1: of retaining officers. experienced deputies. We're doing everything we can
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  Speaker 1: to be competitive with salary and keep trained officers here
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  Speaker 1: in Clay County, Robinson said. When you lose an experienced officer,
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  Speaker 1: you aren't just losing a position. You're losing the training
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  Speaker 1: and the experience that officer has gained, and replacing that
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  Speaker 1: takes time. Both departments send new recruits to the Police
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  Speaker 1: Academy for training. At times, after investing in that training,
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  Speaker 1: the agencies have seen officers leave for positions elsewhere, forcing
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  Speaker 1: them to begin again with inexperienced candidates. Another need for
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  Speaker 1: law enforcement personnel emerged two years ago when the Clay
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  Speaker 1: County Board of Education established its own police department. The
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  Speaker 1: move followed underfunded legislation calling for school resource officers at
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  Speaker 1: school facilities. subject to available funding. Superintendent William Sexton said
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  Speaker 1: the district currently employs four officers and hopes to expand
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  Speaker 1: that number. However, he said the district does not want
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  Speaker 1: to accomplish that goal by taking officers away from already
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  Speaker 1: stretched local agencies. When we start our police force, I
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  Speaker 1: spoke with our sheriff and police chief, Sexton said. They
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  Speaker 1: both had concerns that their officers might leave to come
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  Speaker 1: to work for us. The last thing any of us
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  Speaker 1: wants is to leave our county short on officers and unprotected.
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  Speaker 1: My focus has been on hiring retired officers, Sexton said.
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  Speaker 1: We are seeking to fill these positions as people become available.
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  Speaker 1: Despite their individual staffing challenges, all three agencies stress that
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  Speaker 1: cooperation remains strong. If a serious incident occurs at a
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  Speaker 1: Clay County school, available officers from local agencies will respond.
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  Speaker 1: We do everything in our power to assist the Sheriff's
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  Speaker 1: Department and the school system, Couch said. These are our citizens,
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  Speaker 1: our children, and it is our duty to protect them,
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  Speaker 1: and that is exactly what we're going to do. Robinson agreed.
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  Speaker 1: And all of our agencies work together fantastic, including the
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  Speaker 1: Kentucky State Police, Robinson said. We all have great working
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  Speaker 1: relationships and are willing to assist in any need. Sexton
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  Speaker 1: said that cooperation is especially important as the district works
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  Speaker 1: to strengthen school security without weakening protection elsewhere in Clay County.
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  Speaker 1: We cannot thank them enough, Sexton said. When we need
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  Speaker 1: help and they're always there, and we will return that
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  Speaker 1: favor whenever possible. But we are looking to expand our force,
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  Speaker 1: not in a way that leaves our county unprotected. When
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  Speaker 1: these children leave our schools, we need them protected at home, too.
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  Speaker 1: And that's the end of the story. The Looking Back section.
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  Speaker 1: September 20, 1956. The only Methodist church in Clay County
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  Speaker 1: was unprotected. recently completed at a cost of $ 25, 000. Manchester
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  Speaker 1: Methodist Church is located on Courthouse Hill. And also, newspaper
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  Speaker 1: editor T.C. Sizemore says he was assaulted by a man
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  Speaker 1: over a story he wrote about Charles H. White. September 21, 1961.
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  Speaker 1: A Botto man was convicted of child desertion and sentenced
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  Speaker 1: to two years in the state prison. Mayor Joe B.
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  Speaker 1: White announced he would not be seeking re-election. September 22, 1966.
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  Speaker 1: a 15-year-old boy whose parents admitted they had no control
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  Speaker 1: over him has been charged with the rifle slaying of
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  Speaker 1: a 55-year-old man at Plank. Fire destroyed completely the Mary
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  Speaker 1: Gale coal tipple, causing a half a million dollars in damages.
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  Speaker 1: Deputy Sheriff Jimmy Napier, 67, died of a heart attack
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  Speaker 1: near McKee during a high-speed chase of a car which
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  Speaker 1: had gone through Manchester at a high rate of speed.
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  Speaker 1: And then in 1981, there is a picture. Joe Harris Stinson,
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  Speaker 1: president of the CCHS Track Boosters Club, was honored Monday
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  Speaker 1: night by the members of the club. They presented him
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  Speaker 1: with this plaque in appreciation for his loyalty. dedication, and leadership.
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  Speaker 1: All right. All right, moving to the sports page. Clay
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  Speaker 1: battles but falls 14-13. Down one, Tigers go for a
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  Speaker 1: two-point conversion and fail. And then next story is Tigers
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  Speaker 1: host district rival Rockcastle County. And then at the bottom
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  Speaker 1: of the page, Tiger golf finishes sixth in the 10th region.
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  Speaker 1: Let's start with the top story. Clay battles but falls 14-13.
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  Speaker 1: Down one, Tigers go for a two-point conversion and fail
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  Speaker 1: by Tanner Hoskins. Clay County, two and three, played one
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  Speaker 1: of their best games of the season Friday night, battling
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  Speaker 1: Rowan County for four quarters before falling 14-13 in a
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  Speaker 1: hard-fought contest. The Tigers struck first when Drew Alvarez scored
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  Speaker 1: on a run of approximately 10 yards with 2-0-1 remaining
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  Speaker 1: in the first quarter. Rowan County answered in the second
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  Speaker 1: quarter when Cameron Cross scored with a 5-yard touchdown run,
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  Speaker 1: tying the game up at 7-7 before halftime. Cross scored
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  Speaker 1: again on a 7-yard run with 10-0-9 remaining in the game.
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  Speaker 1: giving Rowan County its first lead at 14-7. Clay County
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  Speaker 1: refused to go away. Weston Bowling's 30-yard touchdown late in
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  Speaker 1: the fourth quarter pulled the Tigers within one, and the
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  Speaker 1: head coach, Mike Sizemore, elected to go for two and
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  Speaker 1: the lead. The attempt was unsuccessful, allowing Rowan County to
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  Speaker 1: hold on for the narrow victory. Despite the challenge, Clayton
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  Speaker 1: County battled on both sides of the football and remained
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  Speaker 1: in position to win until the final moments. Our kids
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  Speaker 1: absolutely battled for four quarters on offense and defense and
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  Speaker 1: put themselves in a position to have a shot to
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  Speaker 1: win the game, Sizemore said. I'm proud of them and
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  Speaker 1: the way they faced adversity head on and pushed through
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  Speaker 1: to play what was probably the best game most of
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  Speaker 1: them have ever played in. The decision to go for
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  Speaker 1: two was consistent with the Tigers' aggressive approach. That decision
• 23:24
  Speaker 1: has always been made before it ever comes up in
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  Speaker 1: a game, because that's who we are and what we do,
• 23:31
  Speaker 1: Sizemore said. We don't want our kids to play on
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  Speaker 1: their heels. We want them to be playing with an
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  Speaker 1: attack mindset and be the aggressor in those situations. Sizemore
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  Speaker 1: said Clay County's success up front and bowling's performance throughout
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  Speaker 1: the game gave the Tigers confidence in the call. Weston
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  Speaker 1: ran well all night. and I felt like we were
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  Speaker 1: playing better up front than they were, so it gave
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  Speaker 1: us a shot to win the game on that play,
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  Speaker 1: he said. The Clay County defense also turned in one
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  Speaker 1: of its strongest performances of the season, holding a Round
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  Speaker 1: County offense that had been scoring at a high rate
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  Speaker 1: to just 14 points. I am really proud of our
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  Speaker 1: kids' defensive effort, Sizemore said. We put a better game
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  Speaker 1: together defensively against them than anyone has all season, and
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  Speaker 1: I felt like we kept them on their heels all night.
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  Speaker 1: The Tigers focused on limiting Cross, who had been one
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  Speaker 1: of Rowan County's most productive offensive players throughout the season.
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  Speaker 1: We knew we had to focus on not giving him
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  Speaker 1: any free ones, and our kids did an excellent job
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  Speaker 1: of that, Sizemore said. Clay County also relied on a
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  Speaker 1: young secondary with several freshmen and sophomores matched up against
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  Speaker 1: Rowan County's experienced senior skill players. Our guys did a
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  Speaker 1: great job playing up and making plays when we needed
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  Speaker 1: them to limit what they could do offensively, Sizemore said.
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  Speaker 1: The Tigers' defensive line and linebackers also played a major
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  Speaker 1: role in keeping Rowan County from pulling away. Our kids
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  Speaker 1: on the line played great all night, and this was
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  Speaker 1: probably the best our linebackers have played all season, he said.
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  Speaker 1: Though the final result was a one-point loss, Sizemore believes
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  Speaker 1: the performance showed how much the young Tigers have improved
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  Speaker 1: throughout the season. We knew going in we were going
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  Speaker 1: to have to build some experience with these kids on
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  Speaker 1: the varsity level, he said. They have been right in
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  Speaker 1: about every game they've played so far and are really
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  Speaker 1: on a play or two away from winning almost every
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  Speaker 1: game we've played so far. And that ends the story.
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  Speaker 1: All right, we're going to start the Rock Castle story,
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  Speaker 1: but we won't get very far in it. Tigers host
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  Speaker 1: district rival Rock Castle County. Following a hard-fought 14-13 loss
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  Speaker 1: to Rowan County, Clay County will return home Friday night
• 26:04
  Speaker 1: for another challenging matchup against an always physical Rock Castle
• 26:10
  Speaker 1: County Rockets group. Coach Mike Sizemore and the boys are
• 26:14
  Speaker 1: preparing for the challenge. Rock Castle is going to be
• 26:18
  Speaker 1: a strong opponent, as they have been for the past
• 26:22
  Speaker 1: 40 years, Clay County coach Mike Sizemore said. They will
• 26:26
  Speaker 1: have a great running game, and they are always very
• 26:28
  Speaker 1: aggressive and opportunistic on defense, with a ton of team
• 26:33
  Speaker 1: speed on that side of the ball. Rock Castle has
• 26:36
  Speaker 1: built its identity around running the football and attacking opponents
• 26:41
  Speaker 1: up front. but Sizemore said the Rockets are much more
• 26:44
  Speaker 1: than a run-first team. They like to run the ball
• 26:48
  Speaker 1: and come right at you on offense, which has been
• 26:52
  Speaker 1: and always will be a successful plan of attack for them,
• 26:55
  Speaker 1: he said. Most people always view Rock Castle as a
• 26:59
  Speaker 1: run-first type team, and I think that creates a misconception
• 27:03
  Speaker 1: about them because they always have a ton of team
• 27:06
  Speaker 1: speed and kids that will play extremely hard on defense.
• 27:11
  Speaker 1: We're going to stop and close. This concludes our reading
• 27:15
  Speaker 1: of the Manchester Enterprise. Your reader today has been Anne Glover.
• 27:20
  Speaker 1: Please stay tuned for continued programming. On behalf of everyone
• 27:25
  Speaker 1: here at Radio Eye, thank you for listening, and we
• 27:28
  Speaker 1: hope you have a good day.