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Pike Co. News - 3.30.26 · Eastern Kentucky Newspapers

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Speaker 1: Now we turn to the reading of the Apalachian News
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Express for News and Pikeville and Pike County. As a reminder,
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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 Apalachian News Express is donated to
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Radio I by the publisher. Your reader to day is
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Darcy macgartyll. We will begin with the edition dated March
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the twenty seventh through the thirtieth of twenty twenty six,
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our weekend edition. First article from the front page is
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m w D Board community members discuss proposed water rate
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increase by Terry el May, News Editor. The Mountain Water
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District's proposed rate case, pending before the Kentucky Public Service
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Commission was the sole focus of a special called meeting
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on March the twenty fourth that turned into a community forum.
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The discussion highlighted the district's financial time challenges and a
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comprehensive plan of action, both of which are included in
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mwd's request to the PSC for a twenty two point
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four percent rate hike. In addition, community members and the
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commissioners addressed issues such as a more proactive grant initiative,
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a cooperative model to manage rates more effectively that is
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similar to one used in Cocheese County, Arizona, more aggressive
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approaches to water loss recovery efforts, and concerns regarding modern quality.
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The meeting Expectations. Commission Chairman Randy Teckett began the meeting
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by setting his expectations for decorum during the proceedings and
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orderly concise presentations to a moderate sized group of Pike
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County residents representing the entire MWD service area from Dornton
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to mccarum. Think this is important that the public hears
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the facts directly from the staff of the Mountain Water
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District to dispel certain mistruths that have been widespread on
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social media recently. He told the group, I have asked
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General Manager Tammy Olsen to prepare and read a statement
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that addresses each of the allegations brought in the formal
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complaint by Ray Ratliffe. Once Miss Olsen reads her statement,
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I will open the floor for questions and comments. Tekeet
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told those wishing to speak following Olsen's statement to move
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forward to an area marked on the floor to be
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better heard by the commissioners. The audience and microphones used
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to record the meeting. He requested that people asking questions
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or making comments state their names and where they live.
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I want to thank everyone in advance for following those
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simple rules that were just stated, he said. We all
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must remember that we are all Pike Counyans and we
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depend on the Mountain Water District to provide the cleanest
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smothis economically produced water possible. We want to address questions
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plan concerns you have, Tacket continued, but I want to
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make it clear that I expect this meeting to be
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conducted in a calm and respectful manner. Tackett told the
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audience that he would have no qualms adjourning the meeting
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if it became raxious, disrespectful, or if it evolved into
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a shouting match. Formal complaint. The complaint posted to the
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Facebook page the Future of Eastern Kentucky States Mountain Water
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District is not in compliance with statutory requirements governing utility service,
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financial management, and public health obligations, and therefore is not
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eligible for the rate increase requested. The evidence demonstrates systematic mismanagement,
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failure to pursue available funding, and repeated violations of state
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and federal drinking water standards. The complaint stressed six issues
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concerning the district and the proposed rate increase. Those are
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statutory misconduct under several sections of the Kentucky Refied Statutes.
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Years of failures without corrective action, failure to pursue available
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state and federal funding, financial mismanagement, and the twenty twenty
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four revenue shortfall. Repeated state and federal drinking water violations,
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and a pattern of p SC approvals without accountability. Olson's request,
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before I get into what I have prepared about the
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formal complaint that we have all seen, I have a
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few things I would like to mention tonight, Olsen said.
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I ask for your patients and for you to be
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open to the information you were going to hear from
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the board, management and staff. We are all customers too,
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and we are all friends, relatives, and neighbors. This is
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not a body corporate that is far removed from the
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realities of daily life here in eastern Kentucky. She continued.
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We live here, our families are here. The great thing
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about this board is that it is all local. They
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know what it is like here too, in the Appalachian Mountain,
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and raise their families. Here we care about Pike County.
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They want us to do what is right for Mountain
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Water District and our customers. Instead of reading directly from
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a lengthy, multi page document, Olsen paraphrased her written report
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in efforts not to lecture, but help you understand, she
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told the audience. Even so, her address to those attending
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ran for forty five minutes. She spoke in detail about
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the district's finances, repeatedly iterating that one of the biggest
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factors necessitating the rate adjustment is the Public Service Commissions
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admittedly miscalculated revenues that should have been generated by the
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rate case completed two years ago. The timing of the
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current rate case is a result of p SC's miscalculation
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of projected revenues, Olsen said, they directed us to do this.
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This is not something we originally decided or arbitrarily decided
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to do. She added that the PSC's mixed calculation of
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revenues had created an eight hundred and five thousand dollars
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shortfall in what the agency had projected, and the bulk
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of funds received if the increase is granted, would be
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for recovery of that loss. If they had not miscalculated
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the revenue, Olsen said, we would not be doing this.
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Olsen also talked about the history of the Mountain Water District,
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its creation by merging several individual districts from across the
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county into one, geography terrain, its status as a non
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profit utility, and its aging infrastructure. We have a system
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where our infrastructure ranges from being as old as fifty
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to sixty years old to as new as only one year,
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she explained. We have more than a thousand miles of
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lines buried underground that is enough to stretch from the
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Pike County line to Key West, Florida. Despite the fastness
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of the district, Olson said, it is held to the
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same standard fifteen percent when it comes to water loss.
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It has districts that are a third of its size
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or smaller. With a thousand miles of lines, you are
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always going to have water loss, She said. Water loss
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is a way of life. You go down to Western
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Kentucky for training and you tell them that you have
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a hundred and eight tanks, a hundred and thirty six boosters,
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and you see if they don't look like you have
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two heads. The amount of infrastructure we have is unheard of.
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She said the size of the system, combined with trying
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to meet the new demands on an aging system, creates
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only ongoing water losses. However, she said the district is
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addressing those losses. She said m w D now has
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two water leak detected shin crews that work day and night,
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new telemetry and monitoring systems that have installed, and workers
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use a variety of technological and sonar equipment to find links.
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She said that before the twenty twenty five flood, the
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district had reduced its water loss to twenty eight percent
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and is working every day to bring the numbers back
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down since the devastating event. Addressing other points on the complaint,
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Olsen said the biggest problem the district is facing was
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caused by the p SC's mixed calculation of revenues and
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that it was a factor beyond the district's control. Olsen
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said that she and her staff are continuously looking for
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ways to extend the district's operating budget by seeking out
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state and federal grants and working with the counties and
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the Big Sandy Area Development Districts grant coordinators. I was
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able to recently get a grant for three point five million.
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She said, this year I have applied for a five
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million dollar grant and we are still waiting to hear
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back from that. Our fingers are crossed. Water quality was
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another point of the complaint, and Olsen said the only
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issue has is a micro organism that is a result
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of the treating and disinfecting of the water with chlorine
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and is only found in water strictly purchased from the
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city of Pie or water produced from mountain water which
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is blended with pike full water. She explained that within
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the city system it is safe. However, the microorganism is
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affected by the time it sits and tanks, the distance
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it travels, and the heat. With the district size, the
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levels rise as the water is distributed. She said. The district,
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while required to sample water four times a day, performs
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monthly samples and added that only when the levels are
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excessive are during the summer. EPA guidance is that you
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would have to drink water with levels above eighty parts
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per million every day, two liters a day for seventy
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years to have a chance of the water leading to
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kidney damage, cancer and those kinds of things. Olson said,
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I am not trying to downplay the concerns. But your
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water is safe to drink. She said. The district populates
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I'm sorry, produces sixty percent of its own water and
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purchase US twenty percent from Pikeville and the remaining twenty
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percent from Williamson, West Virginia, and that the board has
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authorized her to seek grant funding to do a feasibility
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study for the district to construct a second water treatment
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plant questions and comments. Several members of the community, including
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Charles Hawkeye Dixon of macarr and Ratliffe of Ashcamp, who
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wrote the complaint against Mountain Water, spoke with the board
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about their concerns. I am not here to support or
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to oppose the rate increase you are requesting, said Dixon,
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a member of the u m VA fourteen forty and
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a retired member of the u m VA International Executive Board.
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I represent probably one thousand, two hundred u m WA
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retirees in Pike County. What I am here to do
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is to try and get you all to understand that
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my retirees are on a fixed income. My people are
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having a hard time struggling to pay all their bills,
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he continued. They only have so much money to hand out.
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Olsen told him the district understood the concerns of everyone
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living on fixed and low incomes. Because of this, she said,
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when the district did the previous rate case, its billing
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methods transitioned from a minimum monthly usage to a volumetric formula,
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allowing residents to pay for only what they used. By
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doing this, a large number of our customers who use
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a low volume of water are now paying less than
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they did in twenty fifteen, she explained. Olsen and Ratliffe
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further discussed a variety of topics from the complaint and
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other concerns he had meeting results. In addition to Dixon
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and Ratliffe, several other community members addressed the board about concerns.
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Each was allowed to present their respective topics, and the
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commissioners interacted with each during the more than two hour meeting.
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The meeting came to an end with Olsen taking the
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names and contact information of several residents to follow up
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with them on space secific concerns, an officer by the
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Board of commissioners to conduct tours of the water plant,
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and Olsen and Ratliffe sharing information about the potential grant resources.
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Speakers talked about the dedication and quality of work that
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they had observed by m w D field crews, and
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their association of how the commissioners treated them during the meeting.
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I am pleasantly surprised with the demeanor everyone showed. I
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really didn't know what to expect when we came in,
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Tackett said before adjoining the meeting. I hope we have
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answered all of your questions to the best of our
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knowledge and ability. One audience member said, you all, you
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have all done an amazing job. Those sentiments continued after
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the meeting. A Facebook post by Pike County Magistrate candidate
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Rob Elkins stated, we were treated with respect by the
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board members and workers from Mountain Water District. Tonight's meeting
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was very informative. Thank you for taking the time to
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inform the public. Our next article from the front page
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as man charged with murder and crash rejects mediation agreement
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and appalacha newspaper's staff report. A West Virginia man appeared
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in Pike County Circuit Court for a change of plea
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hearing marched the twenty fourth on charges against him including
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capital murder and vehicular homicide. However, he told the court
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he was rejecting the mediation offer. The case against Chad Blackburn,
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thirty seven, of Red Jacket, West Virginia, for the death
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of a Pike County woman resulting from a crash on
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July the twenty sixth of twenty twenty four, will now
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proceed to a jury trial. Blackburn's decision happened as he
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appeared before Special Judge David A. Barber following an order
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stating the matter was resolved by a successful felony mediation.
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As the hearing began, Blackburn asked the judge for permission
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to speak with his family. After that, Blackburn said he
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no longer wished to enter the mediation. Remember, mister Blackburn,
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we are here to day, and I was advised that
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you all had mediated this and you wanted to accept
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the Commonwealth's offer. But your attorney is telling me that
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you want to rethink that. Barber said, if a jury
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gives you fifty years of service, that's what you'll get.
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Defense attorney Susan van Zant told Barber that her client
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wanted to enter a plea of not guilty and that
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she learned of his decision within the last five minutes.
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My client decided he wanted his day in court. Van
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z Aunt told The News Express after the hearing, Barbara
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was assigned to the case. After both Circuit Judge Eddie
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Coleman and Circuit Judge Howard Keith Hall recused from the case.
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The judges withdrew themselves from the case because the victim
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killed in the crash was Linda Wright, the mother of
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Pike District Judge Robbie Wright. A Pike County grand jury
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indicted Blackburn in October of twenty twenty four on charges
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of murder, capital offense, vehicular homicide Class B felony, first
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degree assault, Class B felony, DUI, first degree, first degree
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possession of a controlled substance, Class D felony, possession of marijuana,
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and possession of drug paraphernalia. According to police records, on
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July the twenty sixth of twenty twenty four, Pikefool Police
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Department Patrolman Diaison Lockridge responded to a two vehicle crash
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on US one nineteen, which resulted in Linda Wright's death
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and serious injuries to her husband, Rawleywright. While the collision
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happened on US one nineteen, Linda Wright's vehicle was pushed
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into the U S. Twenty three intersection before coming to
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a final rest. She was transported to the Pikeful Medical Center,
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where she later died from injuries she suffered in the crash.
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The police statement said Lockwidge wrote that upon contact, he
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noted Blackburn had bloodshot eyes and a thick white substance
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in the corners of his mouth. Blackburn, the citation said,
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it admitted allegedly admitted to smoke a marijuana thhc vaatepen
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Lockwood wrote that he also noted Blackburn had a thick,
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slightly green film on his tongue, and Blackburn remains in
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custody at the Pike County Detention Center, where he has
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been incarcerated since the crash occurred. Our next article from
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the front page is Pike based coal company files for
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bankruptcy by Russ Cassidy, Regional Editor. A Pike County based
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coal company has filed for bankruptcy, according to the filing
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in US Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.
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Clintwood Jo D, which has its principal office in Belcher,
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filed on March the twenty third for Chapter eleven protections.
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According to the filing, The company has estimated assets of
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between one hundred million and five hundred million and liabilities
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of between fifty million and one hundred million. Among the
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company's largest creditors is the Kentucky Any State Treasurer's Severance
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Tax Division, which the company said is the filing is
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owned nearly three point four million according to Kentucky Energy
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Environment Cabinet records. Clintwood JOD has several active mining facilities
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in Pike County, particularly in the Phelps Kemper stopover in
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Fed's Creek areas. Pike County Judge Executive Ray S. Jones
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the Second said it is his understanding that Clintwood Jod
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has furloughed all its workers, but the county has received
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no official notification at this point. As of the fourth
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quarter of twenty twenty five, according to Pike County data,
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Clintwood Jod employed two hundred and ninety one people. However,
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Jones said that doesn't mean all the workers are in
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Pike County, but that's the number of the company reported
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to the county government. The loss of John Hub, Jones said,
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hits the county hard. It's a hit on occupational tax,
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but it's also a hit on the net profits tax
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and the coal severance tax, Jones said. The mining industry's
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downturn over the past few decades, Joan said, is not
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something that appears to be changing. I don't think it's
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going to get any better, he said, Contrary to what
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a lot of politicians have said about putting coal miners
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back to work, that's not happening, and people in the
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mining industry don't think that's going to happen. That is
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especially vexing for Pike County, which relied so heavily on
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the industry for its economy. Our problem here is that
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all our eggs were in one basket, he said. The
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hospital and the college and the health care sector has
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picked up some of the slack, but it's not picked
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up anywhere near what we need to offset the impact
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in the county's population decline and the county's long term
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revenue outlook. The county govern month's revenue, despite one piece
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of positive news, is declining, Jones said. Occupational tax was
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up slightly last year. Jones said, while it was declined
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over the previous four years. However, he said that the
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net profits tax was down and there is no indication
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that there will be an upward trend one year, doesn't
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that stop the trend of the previous four years of
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declining revenue, he said. However, Jones said the county has
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made a decision to not raise tax rates, especially in
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light of rising costs for essentials such as electricity. We
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didn't raise the rate when so many people are already struggling,
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he said. The only thing that's going to fix this
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is jobs. Jones said that is why he is supporting
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the proposed landfill project, which was projected to result in
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fifty jobs. Fifty jobs in this climate has nothing to
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sneeze about, he said. The only fix for the county's economy, said,
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is for new jobs to be brought in. That's why
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bringing in other jobs is going to be vital for
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the future of the community. Job said, you can't just
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replace more than two hundred jobs. Our final article from
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the front page of the Pikeville, Kentucky Appalachian News Express
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is Pikeville's superintendent impressive response led to quick resolution and
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threat case by Russ Cassidy, Regional editor. Pikeville Independent Schools
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Superintendent David Trimble said March twenty fifth that an impressive
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response by law enforcement school administrators and parents led to
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a quick response to a threat case. Trimble said that
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on March the twenty fourth, the district was notified by
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a parent of threats being made against Pikeville High School
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and individual students via social medium. The Paifel Police Department
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in Kentucky State Police began investigating, Trimble said, and the
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Federal Bureau of Investigation was in touch with the district
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as the investoration progressed. While initially, Trimble said, the individual
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who made the threats was not identified, through the course
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of investigations, in the early morning hours of March twenty fifth,
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a break led police to place a juvenile student who
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was believed to be the source of the threats, into custody.
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The arrest allowed the district to go ahead with school
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and Tremble said. Attendant said the high school was good
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on March the twenty fifth. The police and community response
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to the incident, he said, showed the connection the community
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has to the school. We had off duty officers come
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in from two different local agencies last night, Paifool Police
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and State Police, and were in contact with the FBI
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as well, Trimble said, adding pikechol High School revenue Officer
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Jason Murlow also responded and assisted in the investigation. In
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addition to the presence of Pichol police. On March the
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twenty fifth, Tremble said two k s P troopers were
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at the school at seven fifteen am, along with new
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KSP Post nine Commander, Captain Brad Reiley. I think it's
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really impressive how passionate our law enforcement is about providing
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a safe environment for our children, Trimble said. Trimble said
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he was appreciative of the relationship the district has with
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parents and students, as he and other district personnel were
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contacted immediately as soon as the threats were found. What
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parents trust us with when they hand their kids over
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is for us to do something that it has a
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level of value that can't be measured. Trimble said. We
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will end this week as we do most weeks, with
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our community calendar. March twenty eighth through April the fifth,
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the Caney Creek Free Will Baptist Church will also present
22:49
a play entitled Easter Story at the church, located at
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one seventy five Booker Fork, approximately four miles from Shelby
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Valley High School. Via US twenty three. The production begins
23:01
at six pm on Saturday and Sunday each weekend. March
23:07
the thirtieth, the Diabetes Support Group at the Pikeville Medical
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Center will meet at four pm. The group generally meets
23:14
on the last Monday of each month in Cafe Room
23:16
three on the eleventh floor of the hospital. PMC offers
23:20
comprehensive diabetes education programs that cover a wide range of
23:24
topics for people with diabetes and their families. Diabetes education
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is a major component of diabetic care. With the proper knowledge,
23:34
people with diabetes and their families can learn to aggressively
23:37
manage the disease and greatly reduce the negative long term effects.
23:43
March the thirty first March, the thirty first first Christian
23:47
Church of Pikeville will provide hot meals and groceries from
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four thirty pm to six pm. This is a drive
23:53
through event. Volunteers will load your items. The church is
23:57
located at three one three Chloe Road, near Pichel Elementary School.
24:02
April fourth, the Warehouse Community Easter Event will be held
24:05
from noon to three. The event, sponsored by the Warehouse Church,
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will be on the Pikeville campus of the Big Sandy
24:12
Community and Technical College. Enjoy an Easter celebration featuring hot dogs,
24:16
games inflatables, and Easter Bunny and six thousand eggs. The
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egg hunt will begin at two thirty April fifth. The
24:27
First Baptist Church of Forest Hills will hold its annual
24:32
Easter sun Rise Service beginning at seven thirty a m.
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At the Haywood Stadium, located on the campus of the
24:40
Belfry High School located at the intersection of US one
24:43
nineteen and Forest Hills. And Finally, state local offices observe
24:51
upcoming holiday and News Express staff report. All state and
24:55
some local offices will observe the Good Friday holiday on
24:59
April third by closing for a half day. However, Good
25:03
Friday is not a federal holiday. All state offices, including
25:07
the Pike County Circuit Clerk's Office, court rooms and associated
25:10
offices in the Pike County Judicial Center, and the Kentucky
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Transportation's Regional Driver's License office will close at noon. The
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Pike County Attorney's Office will be closed at noon, and
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the Pike County Clerk's Office will close at one p m.
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On April three. However, other offices in the Pike County
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court House, including the Judge executive and Solid waste offices
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will be open for standard business hours. Offices for the
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cities of Elkhorn City and Pikeville will be closed the
25:38
entire day on April the third. The Cold Run City
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Hall is currently closed through April to six because of
25:44
water damage caused by a broken pipeline. The Mountain Water
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District will be closed all day April third, and observance
25:51
of Good Friday. Both the Pike County and Pikeville Independent
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School Districts will be closed March twenty seventh through April
25:57
the third for their respective spring breaks. Classes resume April
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the sixth. Because Good Friday is not officially observed holiday,
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the US Postal Service in all banks will maintain standard
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operating hours. According to the Pike County Solid Waste Office,
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the holiday will not affect traps schedule routes on Good Friday.
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This concludes today's reading of the Appalachian News Express. Your
26:22
reader has been Darcy mac Gartold. Thank you for joining me,
26:25
and please stay tuned for future programming from Radio I