Latest / Eastern Kentucky Newspapers / Hazard Herald - 3.22.26

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Hazard Herald - 3.22.26 · Eastern Kentucky Newspapers

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Speaker 1: Now we turn to the reading of the Hazard Herald,
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for it is a Hazard and Perry County hum Lee Townshend.
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We begin with the online edition dated March eighteenth, twenty
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twenty six, as a reminder of Radio Eyes of Reading
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service intended for people who are blind or have other
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disabilities that make it difficult to read printed material. Prime
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real Estate Group celebrates grand opening and Hazard. Local officials
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and community leaders gathered on March sixteenth to celebrate the
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grand opening of Prime real Estate Group, a new business
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in Hazard owned and operated by longtime real estate professional
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Header Hughes, located at one eighty two Willis Way, Suite A.
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The new office marks a milestone in Hughes's career, which
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spans more than a decade in the industry. I'm the
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primary broker and owner of Prime real Estate Group, said Hughes.
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I started selling real estate in July twenty eleven, received
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my broker's license in January twenty twenty two, and officially
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opened Prime real Estate Group in September twenty twenty five.
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I didn't officially move into my Willi's Way space until
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January twenty twenty six. Hughes said. The new venture is
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built on a commitment to guiding clients through important decisions
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while strengthening the community as a whole. At Prime real
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Estate Group, our mission is to empower individual families, businesses,
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and to make informed real estate decisions that enrich their
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lives and communities. She said, We're committed to providing exceptional
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service and expert guidance through every step of the buying
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and selling process. With integrity as our foundation, we strive
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to build lasting relationships while contributing to the growth of
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the neighborhoods we serve. Perry County Judge Executive Scott Alexander
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welcome the new business, highlighting ongoing growth and opportunity to
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end the region. We're so excited and we all want
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to welcome everyone, Alexander said. We have a lot of
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growth and opportunities in Perry County and Hazard right now,
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and we're so appreciative to have new businesses opening up
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and we appreciate having this family here. Fiscal Court approves
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funding draws for Skyview disaster recovery infrastructure by Justin Begley.
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The Perry County Fiscal Court approved several funding draws tied
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to Skyview Sewer Phase two project during its March tenth
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regular meeting. As county officials continue infrastructure work connected to
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regional disaster recovery efforts. Magistrates approved DRAW twenty four for
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ARC Project twenty three A zero fifty one totaling ninety
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two thousand, one hundred ninety one dollars and fifty seven cents,
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along with DRAW twelve from Kia Kentucky and Infrastruy Structure
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of forty Project twenty two EKS two an the amount
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of one hundred five, four hundred thirty five dollars and
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eighty cents, and DRAW twelve for KIA Project twenty one
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CWS one four eight totaling one hundred forty eight thousand,
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two hundred and sixty seven dollars. All funding is tied
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to sewer improvements at the Skyview high Ground housing development.
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Perry County Joy's executive Scott Alexander, said the work a
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Skyview represents a major step forward in recovery efforts following
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recent flooding across eastern Kentucky. This is all for Skyview,
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which is an amazing place, said Alexander. I've encouraged everyone
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to drive up there and look, but we've also had
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questions so I'd like to go over this again. This
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is due to the disaster and a lot of this
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money is a disaster recovery funds and East Kentucky's Safe
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Funds to help get flooded victims out of floods well.
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Alexander said residents sometimes ask why disaster related funds are
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not used for other infrastructure needs around the county, but
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he noted such funding sources come with strict limitations. We
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get asked the question, why didn't you blocktop by Road,
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which is a fair question, he said, when you're dealing
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with disaster recovery, it's specific to the project. There's no
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disaster recovery funds that can be used to black talk
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roads that we'd like. The blacktop disaster, EK Safe funds
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and FEMA all work like grants and are specific for
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what you're trying to work on. Alexander added that the
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funding sources involved in the Skuyview project require careful oversight
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and must be used only for the purposes they were
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approved for, with funds accounted for down to the Penning
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Ferry County transfer Station temporarily closed. The Fairry County Garage
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solid Way transfer Station in the Christopher community has been
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temporarily closed after violations were cited by the US Environmental
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Protection Agency. County officials say that the closure, which began
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in March eleventh, is necessary to address the issues and
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complete improvements before we open the site to the public.
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Free County Judge Executive Scott and Alexander said the county
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is already working to correct problems and bring the facility
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back into compliance. As of now, there's not an official
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time frame on when it will reopen, said Alexander. We
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have to get a fence back up, and they want
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us to control some of the runoff, and they also
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don't want any material remaining on the pan whatever. When
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we open back up. We can't make the improvements we
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need to make if we continue to let people dump.
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So we shut it down and we're getting a design
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on what we need to do, and once we get
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a crew freed up, they will come in and get
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started on it. The county operated transfer station has been
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available for your charge to Perry County residents for more
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than a decade during Alexander's administration, a service he said
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has helped reduce illegal dumping across the county. We want
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people to be patient and to please not go back
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home or to a strip mine or wherever they might
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and start dumping. He said, we felt like the transfer
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station has worked really well for ten years and it
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really has improved things in regard to the illegal dumps,
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while it's also been very beneficial for the working families
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for them to have a place on weekends to dispose
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of debris and material. Alexander acknowledged the temporary closure may
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create inconvenience for residents, but said the county remains committed
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to reopening the facility as soon as improvements are complete.
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It does hurt the community to have a transfer station
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shut down and all my time and have the transfer
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station open. We've not had any complaints from anyone, with
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no known complaints from anyone who lives around the garbage
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as well, Alexander said, But we do have a plan
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in place and it will be back opening again soon.
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In the meantime, residents needing to dispose of waste can
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take items to Waste Connections in the Chavis community of
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Perry County, located off Kentucky fifteen. The facilities open from
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eight am to five pm Monday through Friday and is
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closed on weekends. The Appalachian Arts Alliance celebrated Saint Patrick's
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Day with its Art Stations sixth annual Saint Patrick's Day
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fundraiser Friday, March thirteenth. This year's celebration featured Howlan at
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the Moon Doolin Pianos for a night full of music
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and fun. All proceeds generated from the event went to
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the Appalachian Arts Alliance Scholarship Program. Jewels by Julia Open
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second location. City officials, along with the Hazard Prairie County
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Chamber of Commerce, celebrated Jewels by Julia's boutique new location
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with a ribbon cutting ceremony on March thirteenth. The second
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location opened at one fifty one East Main Street. House
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passes measure aimed at modernizing and updating county gravel road systems.
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On March thirteenth, the Kentucky House pass legislation aimed at
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modernizing and improving county gravel road systems across the commonwealth.
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According to a statement from the House Majority Caucus, House
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Bill six point twenty two, sponsored by House Transportation Committee
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Chair Representative John Blanton, a Republican from Sayersville, would require
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the Department of Rural and Municipal Aid to oversee a
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project evaluating the use of chipseal and reclaimed asphalt pavement
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on county gravel roads. The polloup project would begin on
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July one and end on June thirty, two thousand and thirty.
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Our state has a significant number of county gravel roads,
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particularly in rural areas. Said land gravel roads can be
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expensive to maintain, putting strain on county budgets. A House
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Bill six twenty two would allow counties to utilize County
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Road Aid funds to modernize and update their county gravel
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road systems through a chip seal or reclaimed asphalt pavement
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to cost effective road maintenance treatments. Under House Bill six
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twenty two, a county may spend County Road Aid funds
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on a chip seal or rap up to the percentage
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of roads in its county road system that are surfaced
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with gravel on July one of that fiscal year October
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thirty one of each year beginning in twenty twenty seven
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an ending in two thousand and thirty, the Department of
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the Rule and Municipal Aid would be required to submit
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a report on the use of chipseal and wrap on
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County Roads to the Legislative Research Commission, the administrative arm
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of the General Assembly. H six twenty two would also
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prevent the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet from redistricting the use of
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cycle recycled asphalt products used on a project, provided that
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the asphalt mixtures meet the performance standards and criteria used
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by the Cabinet. The Cabinet would also be required to
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submit an annual report by October thirty first of each
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year beginning in twenty twenty six on the use of
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wrapping projects undertaken by the Cabinet to the LRC. Kentucky
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would require a photo ID to open records following requests
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under a new bill passed by the House with no
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questions on the floor of the Kentucky House past The
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bill that would allow public agencies to require photo IDs
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from residents who request public records. House Bill five sixty seven,
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from Representative Patrick Flannery, or Republican from Olive Hill, gained
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approval from the House with a vote of seventy one
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to nineteen Friday morning. The nineteen votes against the bill
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included thirteen Democrats and five Republicans. The bill now goes
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to the Senate for further consideration. If passed by the
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General Assembly this year, the bill would change the state's
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open records laws to allow a public agencies records custodian
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to ask for a government issued photo ID, such as
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a driver's license, to prove records requesters residency. The General
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Assembly changed the state law in twenty twenty one to
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allow only Kentucky residents to request public records of agencies
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in Kentucky, with some exemptions for news organizations. Rescuer says
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God put him in the right place at the right
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time to save a life. There was no natural reason
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while Larry Miller was on Carcreek Lake also known as
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car Fork Lake in Not County on August tenth. However, Larry,
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who serves as general manager of Appalachian Marless Arena, believes
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it was God who placed him there so that he
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could play a role in saving the life of a
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young man. Larry, a Perry County native, was recently awarded
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the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources Kentucky Game
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Wardens Citizens Award for his actions on that day, which
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began with a snap decision. Larry said he had just
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gotten his boat back from being repaired and was on
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his way elsewhere to get the boat in the water
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when he changed his mind. I was headed to Paintsful Lake.
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That's where we always go, he said. I get over
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to the exit at Floyd County and something told me
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to go to Car Fork. Larry said he would listen
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to that voice and called his wife, Trediana, who questioned
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why he would go to Carl Creek. After arriving, Larry
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got his boat in the water and after a brief time,
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saw a family in distress, which turned out to be
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Dylan Law and his family. While two bit in the lake,
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Dylan had gotten caught in the rope and pulled into
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his father's boat's propeller. Miller immediately responded and recognized the
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situation was serious, an assessment which was made easier by
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the experience he had during his service in the US
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Marine Corps, where he worked on boats and participated in
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water rescues. I did this job in the Marine Corps,
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so I knew there was going to be something bad
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when I got in there. So I grabbed my first
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aid kid and threw it on the boat, Willer said.
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When he got the wall, Miller said he could feel
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the Wall's leg was in the propeller and the rope
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was wrapped around his leg. However, another strange circumstance in
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the rescue's favor. No one had a knife except Billin's
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sister Kristen, who had her son's Mila pocket knife that
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she said didn't believe would be sharp enough to cut
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the rope. I started cutting the rope in two and
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as soon as I got it loose, the water goes red,
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Miller said. The rope, Miller said, had been acting as
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a tourniquet. With the help of Kristen, her and Dylan's father,
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Miller said he was able to get law on the
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boat since the family's boat was disabled and rescuers would
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be unable to get there quickly. Miller said he began
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towing the boat toward the dock where first responders were waiting.
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As we were pulling into the dock, the helicopter was laying.
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When Miller said, the circumstances behind the rescue, Clarry said,
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have strengthened his faith. In my last opinion, God put
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me there, Miller said. Order the odds of a man
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that helped save people's lives in the water. In the
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marine Corps worked on a boat even and something just
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tell him to head for the lake that he never
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goes to, doesn't visit. Miller said that he enjoys telling
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the story not because of his participation, but because of
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the involvement of God and saving Dylan's life. To me,
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there's no other rhyme or reason God wanted that boy's
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life saved, Miller said. Dylan, who lives in Powell County,
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is currently working in Kansas. He said his initial worry
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was that he would lose his leg and not be
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able to work to support his poor children. However, because
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of the rescue, doctors were able to save the leg
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and after a few months, he was able to return
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to work. Kristin agrees that God was at work that
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day as the family ignored several red flags that were
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indicating they shouldn't go, including their fathers forgetting the keys
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to the boat, necessitating a trip to Hazard. God had
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everybody in the right place at the right time, Kristen said.
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Larry's presence and ability, she said, made the difference. I
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don't know what any of us would have done if
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we hadn't been there, Kristen said. Dylan said the experience
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is confirmed for him that his life has a purpose.
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What I've taken from it is I'm here for a
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reason because I could have been killed. Larry said his
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faith has been strengthened through not only Billin's rescue, but
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also his wife Treviyana, battling cancer as well. We learned
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a whole different level of faith, he said. You learn
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to listen when you go through stuff like that. He'll
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put you where you wants you and will put you
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where you need to be. Andy said, it's important that
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people listen and give credit to God where it's due.
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Never be afraid to admit it, and never be afraid
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to listen. Willer said from the opinion page a letter
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to the editor, disregard for community is visible. I saw
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to day the disregard for this community. One creek filled
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with tires, two dumps, and numerous houses with garbage and
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jump automobiles cluttering the yards, political signs on telephone and
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power polls, trash in every ditch, a ditch line running
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into the road containing sewer and who knows what instead
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of going down the ditchline. This has not just happened today,
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but it's going on for years. The political offices of
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this county are not doing anything about it now or ever.
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When a concerned citizen even tries to report it, you're
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wasting your time as they take a message that's never answered,
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or in the case of the Sheriff's office, no one
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answers the phone. You're sent off to any different offices
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that do not answer. I have worked as a volunteer
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in this community for over thirty years and this has
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not changed. My boy Scouts cleaned tires from the North
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Fork as a service project, and it's just as bad
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as ever. Wa cup Perry County and care who wants
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to visit this dump. As for me and my spouse,
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we're considering leaving this dump to spend what time we
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have left in a clean community somewhere. Bobby Brown Krypto
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Too Far Gone, a column by rus Cassiday. I said
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it before, and I'll say it again and again until
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I'm blue in the face. It's possible to hold two
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opinions simultaneously. For example, it's entirely possible to believe that
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the Iranian regime is responsible for evil and that it
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should be ended, and at the same time believe that
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the United States should not be involved in the war
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in which it's currently engaged there. It's a difficult position
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to hold because the United States is uniquely positioned to
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be one of the few nations that has a military
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strong enough to do so. However, the war launched at
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the end of February could end up being one of
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the worst foreign policy mistakes the United States is made
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in decades, aside from costing numerous lives. This is especially
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true if what Secretary of State Mario Rubio said about
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the genesis of the war is true. We knew there
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was going to be an Israeli action. We knew that
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that would just precipitate an attack against American forces, and
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we knew that if we didn't creemptively go after them
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before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties
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and perhaps even higher than those killed. And then we
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would also be there answering questions about why we knew
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that and did not. Rubio told the press on March second,
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the administration and President Trump had denied that it's the
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reason for the US action, But I believe that Secretary
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Rubio's statements held a lot more truth than he intended
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to reveal. If that's true, then our greatest ally in
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the Middle East has forced our hand and potentially, though
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hopefully not, jump started World War III. Anti war advocates
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had been sounding the alarms this very possibility for decades,
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but no one with decision making capabilities seem to be listening.
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Blood is spilling, oil crisis are soaring, while worldwide economy's
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tank and we've not yet begun to see the impacts
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of these actions. I've even seen it said by an
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expert that if we intend to end Iran's desire for
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nuclear weapons, then we failed, as Altola al Kamani, who
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was not a good guy by any stretch of the imagination,
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was the very force inside Iran's government, staying in the
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military's hand through a thought law or religious order he
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issued against the acquisition, development, and use of nuclear weapons.
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Whether that's true remains means to be seen. But we've
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certainly destabilized the situation in the midst of negotiations and
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given Iran very little reason not to proceed if it's
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capable of doing so. A lot of the discussion has
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been about nuclear warheads carried by missiles. However, I believe
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that ignores the Iranian regime's connection to terror and the
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possibility of dirty bobs being created using the nuclear materials
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we've yet to secure in our misadventure. Now, Iran's leadership
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is in flux. There's no bulwark against the extremists, yes,
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even more extreme than commanding and this remnants of the
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regime are lobbing missiles at US allies in the region
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like there's no tomorrow because for them there may not be.
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For an administration that rode into office on promises that
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forever wars would be ended, it sure seems like they're
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hankering for one or more. So what's next, Well, no
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one really knows but the President and his advisers, since
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they're not asking the people's elected representatives in Congress for
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advice or commission. While some are standing up against the war,
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it's a costly proposition and mostly performative since the executive
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is overstepping its bounds on a daily basis. I understand
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the general reasoning for war, but I cannot support one.
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There are too many lives being lost, and our world
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is being shaped through violence in ways that may be
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more costly than expected for generations of Americans. One of
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these days, I pray will tell Israel no, But until then,
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I pray for peace to rule, not only in the
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Middle East but across our world. The cost of war
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is high and we're only beginning to pay it. So
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just pray it's not too late to reverse course, and
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that we have the will to do so. And a
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guest column, Sunshine Week, twenty twenty six. People are requesting
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more government records than ever? Why are they getting less?
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Diana Masoglia muckwock More. Americans are filing freedom of informationation
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requests than ever before, topping one point five million in
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twenty twenty four, and I'll try for another record in
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twenty twenty five. This will mark the third consecutive year
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that FOIA requests have reached seven figures. But more requests
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does not necessarily equal more access to public government information
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in an age when trust in government is at an
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all time low. The surge in FOIA requests has been
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driven in part by arising public interest in government accountability,
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but the growth has also been impacted by an increase
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in requests by advocacy groups and corporations, as well as
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technology making it easier than ever for Americans to find
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out information about what's going on in their government As
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the volume of records requests has swelled, so has the
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proportion of those requests that are rejected or otherwise incomplete.
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A growing number of requests considered process is driven by
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administrative closures, such as rejections for technicalities or claims of
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no responsive records, rather than the release of meaningful information.
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The likelihood of a requestor receiving everything they ask for
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is lower than ever. Even when the government does release records,
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information is increasingly obscure. Of the requests that actually made
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it to a substantive review last year, the majority were
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only partially released, often heavily redacted under broad exemptions. During
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the twenty twenty four fiscal year, which is the most
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recent available, just twelve point one percent of process freedom
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of Information I requests were fully granted. Governments can only
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be held accountable when we know what's happening inside them.
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That's what freedom of information laws are no will to prevent,
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and right now they're losing ground. Sunshine Week is an
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annual celebration of transparency and an opportunity to cherish the
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right all Americans shared the access government information. Together, we
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can hold power to account and shine a light on
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government transparency. Here are the obituaries. Sanford Lee Coddles, sixty
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four of IPRA died Sunday, March eight. Jimmy Counts forty
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four died March second, Marcida Napier Hoffman ninety three of Gainesville, Florida,
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passed away February sixteenth. Elizabeth Betsy and Cornett eighty four
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of Hazard died Sunday, March eighth, Pat Miller eighty seven
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of Hazard died Saturday, March seventh. And Ralph Hicks Junior
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fifty one Thursday March twelfth. New Kentucky Energy Planner would
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be exempt from open records law under advancing bill, a
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taxpayer funded commission that the legislature is looking to for
26:10
advice on energy policy would be exempt from Kentucky's Open
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Records Act. Under a bill that a Senate committee approved Wednesday,
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Senate Bill one hundred, sponsored by Senator Robbie Mills or
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Republican Henderson, would shield records and correspondents of the Energy
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Planning and Inventory Commission, or EPIC, which the Republican controlled
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legislature created in twenty twenty four to review utilities plans
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to retire fossil fuel fired power plans. The bill also
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removes Rodney Andrews, the director of the University of Kentucky's
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Center for Applied Energy Research, from EPICS powerful executive committee,
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and replaces him with the commission's vice chair, currently Jeffrey Brock,
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a business manager and engineer for a subsidiary of Alliance
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Resource Partners. Alliance's CEO is Republican mega donor and coal
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magnet Joe Krapt. This concludes the leading of the Hazard Herald.
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Please stay team for continuing programming. Thank you for joining
27:18
me and on behalf of everyone here at RADIOI. This
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is Leith Townsend, wishing you a good day.