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(Whitesburg) Mountain Eagle - 5.7.26 · Eastern Kentucky Newspapers

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Speaker 1: Now we turn to the Mountain Eagle to read news
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from Weisberg. Your reader today is Bill van Arsdale. We
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will begin with the addition dated May sixth, twenty twenty six,
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which the publishers have donated to a Radio Eye as
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a reminder. RADIOI is a reading service intended for people
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who are blind or have other disabilities that make it
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difficult to read printed material. The first story is rose
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theft is caught on video. Though one hundred year old
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roses at Lewand Vermilion's home are often admired by passers by,
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but one woman allegedly took that admiration a step too far.
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Vermilion of Weisberg was at work when her security cameras
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recorded a white suv parked outside her fence with shrubbery
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hanging out of a window and a woman walking around
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her yard and porch with a shovel for fifteen to
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twenty minutes. When Vermilion returned home, she found that one
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of her rose bushes and several other flowers had been
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dug up in broad daylight, loaded into the suv and
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taken away. I called the police, and I really thought
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they would laugh at me, because they have so many
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other things to deal with, Vermilion said of last Thursday's incident,
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then I thought if she came back and took something else,
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I'd at least have a record. While some might consider
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a rose Bush trivial, it is anything but to Vermilion,
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an art teacher at Jenkins Middle and High School whose
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family has deep roots in Letcher County. Her grandfather, William
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Irving Uncle Billy Vermilion, was a traveling salesman, banker, and
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a founder of a doctor pepper bottling company in Whitsburg.
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His father, William Scott Bill Doug Vermilion, for whom a
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fishing hole in the Kentucky River is named, once owned
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the farm where Weisburg, Aarh Hospital now stands. Before Tunnel
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Hill had a tunnel, it was known as Doug Hill.
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William Irving Vermilion was twenty nine when he built the
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house where leu Anne now lives in nineteen ten. After
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building the house, Uncle Billy married Leuanne's grandmother, Ava Pendleton,
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who was twenty five and caring for her grandparents in Wise, Virginia.
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It was a package deal. He got her and her grandparents,
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Vermilion said. Uncle Billy brought Ava and her grandparents to Whitsburg,
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and Ava brought the roses. A lot of the roses
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in the yard were planted by my grandmother when she
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married my grandfather, Vermilion said. She came over by horse
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and wagon. Roses typically live about fifteen years. The one
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in Germany is estimated to be between seven hundred and
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one thousand years old, reaching one hundred years. Like Vermilion's roses,
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he's rare. I've been very careful with them, she said.
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They weren't used to fertilize her, but they were getting weak,
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so I gradually started feeding them and they're doing much
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better now. While the rose bush taken last week was
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not one planted by her grandmother, Vermilion said the theft
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itself was what mattered most. She posted still images from
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her security camera on social media. Though she did not
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recognize the woman, someone on her Facebook friends list identified
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her as Nora Towery, forty, of may King Weisburg. City
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police officers Jordan Clemens and Josh Little responded to Vermilion's home,
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obtained the images, and went to Towery's residents, where they found
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the missing rose bush already replanted near her mobile home.
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I guess she wanted to make her trailer look better,
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Assistant Police Chief Justin Hunsucker said, according to a citation
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written by officer Little, Towery admitted to taking the rose bush.
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Officers dug it up and returned it to Vermilion, and
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Towery was taken to jail. Because of the low monetary value,
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Towery is unlikely to face a significant penalty. She was
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charged with theft by unlawful taking with a value of
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less than five hundred dollars. The charge is a Class
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A misdemeanor punishable by up to twelve months in jail
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and a fine of up to five hundred dollars under
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Kentucky law. She received administrative release and was released without
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appearing before a judge. Vermilion lived near the three way
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stop where Solomon Road, Fifth Street, and Jenkins Road meet.
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The busy intersection on the eastern edge of downtown Whitesburg
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seized more than two two hundred vehicles Dailey, according to
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the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. With that much traffic, one might
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expect a thief to be noticed, and she was. Several
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people reported seeing a woman digging up flowers, but assumed
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Vermilion had hired someone to do yard work. A similar
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theft occurred several years ago when someone parked a work
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truck at an empty store, set up a ladder, and
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stole a heat pump from the roof. Vermilion said some
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day lilies and other flowers were also taken, though she
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was less concerned about those. The roses, however, are a
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different story. Their roots at the Vermilion home run too
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deep to be taken so easily. The next item is
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the caption of a photograph watching and celebrating horse racing history.
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Jesse Campbell watches the screen as his sister By Adams
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and Jesse's wife, Kathy Campbell celebrate the fact that history
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was made when the first woman Kentucky derby trainer Cherie
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du Vau won the race with golden tempo. The three,
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who were among a modern day record of twenty four
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point four million people viewing the race on television, were
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attending a derby party hosted by Kevin Adams at his
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home on top of the mountain at the head of
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Blair Branch. Nearly fifty West Letter Countians were in attendance
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At Mountain Eagle. Press time, trainer Duvaux hadn't decided whether
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to run Golden Tempo in the Preakness Stakes, the second
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leg of the famed Triple Crown set for Saturday, May sixteenth.
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The next headline is sex crime plea adds new layer
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to murder case. Allegations of sexual abuse, alcohol provided to miners,
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influential connections, and adults who may have looked the other
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way are all part of a Peerry County vehicular murder
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case that continues to deepen with each new revelation. Noah Back,
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twenty six, who is charged with murder in the death
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of sixteen year old Emmelin Clark in an ATV crash
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in Vico on February twenty eighth, has now pleaded guilty
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in federal court to transporting a fourteen year old miner
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across state lines for sex. The girl involved with Back
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was initially charged with driving under the influence in the
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crash that killed Clark. According to the Hazard Herald, the
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Peerry County Sheriff's Department has video showing Back purchasing alcohol
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prior to the crash. Back pleaded guilty to a single
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count of transporting a miner for sexual activity. However, an
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affidavit filed by an FBI agent and attached to the
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federal criminal complaint all a broader pattern. Investigators say Back
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took the girl to Atlanta on at least two occasions
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and recorded sexual encounters multiple times over nearly two years.
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According to the affidavit, the girl had just completed eighth
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grade when she began a relationship with Back, who was
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then twenty four and serving as a volunteer coach at
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the middle school she attended, where his mother was principal.
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Soon after, he allegedly took her to his apartment in Lexington,
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where he recorded their sexual activity. The girl disclosed those
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details during a forensic interview at the care Cottage and Hazard.
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When they arrived at the residence, Back told his two
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roommates that Ac was fourteen years old. FBI Special Agent
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Matthew T. Haynes wrote in the affidavit. In his bedroom,
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Back took AC's cell phone and recorded having sexual intercourse
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with a Back allegedly sent the videos to himself via Snapchat.
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He has not been charged with child pornography, and there
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is no indication in the criminal case that the recordings
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were distributed to others. However, investigators say he saved the
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videos to his phone. The affidavit alleges the pattern continued.
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On October twenty eighth and twenty ninth, twenty twenty four,
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shortly after his twenty fifth birthday, Back took the girl
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from Perry County to Atlanta to attend a Don Tolliver concert.
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While there, he allegedly bought her clothing, took her to dinner,
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and paid for a hotel room where they had sex,
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and recorded it again, this time using his iPhone. The
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girl told investigators that Back was stopped for speeding during
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the trip, but was released after an officer received a
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call from one of Back's associates. Kentucky, the state police
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records show Back was stopped on the Hall Rogers Parkway
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at one forty nine pm on October twenty eighth, twenty
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twenty four, and was issued only a verbal warning. No
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additional details were recorded. Back allegedly took the girl to
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Atlanta again in October twenty twenty five, when she was fifteen.
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According to the FBI affidavit, those acts would constitute violations
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of Georgia statutory right law, though no charges have been
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filed there. The affidavit also references photos recovered during the investigation,
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including one showing Back and the girl kissing in what
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appears to be a hotel room, and another of her
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sitting on his lap during a trip to what investigators
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said was a cheerleading competition. Back's guilty plea applies only
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to the October twenty twenty four trip. No additional federal
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charges have been filed. The charge carries a mandatory minimum
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sentence of ten years in federal prison, followed by at
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least five years of supervised release. Back will also be
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required to register as a sex offender and comply with
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state and federal requirements. The next story is school threat
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case in hands of court board. Two Whitesburg Middle School
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students accused of making a school shooting threat may face
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school board expulsion hearings in addition to penalties from Leccher
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District Court. The students were detained April thirtieth after allegedly
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telling a classmate to kill herself and later making threats
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of a school shooting. They were taken to a juvenile
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detention facility in Jackson, where they remained as of Tuesday.
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Juvenile records are confidential under Kentucky law, but one hearing
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for the two was held by zoom on Monday. The
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two appeared in person for a second hearing on Tuesday.
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The school district must hold expulsion hearings if it intended
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to prevent the boys from attending for the remainder of
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the school year. According to a statement from the school,
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the situation began the night of April twenty ninth through
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text messages between the two students. The messages were reported
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to the Letter County Sheriff's Department and the Letcher County
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School District Police Department early the following morning. School police
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officers detained the students before the start of the school
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day and searched their belongings. No weapons were found. School
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officials said both students were removed from school, and sources
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say they are not expected to return this year. Some
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parents expressed concern that action was not taken sooner. However,
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Letcher County School Superintendent Denise Yants said the threat to
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carry out a school shooting was not reported to the
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district or the Sheriff's department until the morning of April thirtieth.
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She declined to comment on social media claims that the
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students told a girl to kill herself the day before.
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Yance said the school was not placed on lockdown because
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the students were removed before entering the building. She also
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said that, contrary to rumors, no list or similar document
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was found. Some parents alleged one of the students made
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threats last year and that the other used racial slurs.
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They say the students were not disciplined harshly enough in
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the past. Schools in Perry and Knot Counties were placed
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on lockdown the same day due to unrelated call in threats.
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Lectric County received no such calls. At least two area
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school districts have received threatening robo calls over the past week,
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and others have been reported across the state. Kentucky State
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Police issued a statement Tuesday about the calls, but said
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the calls appear to be hoaxes. The Kentucky State Police
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is aware of and actively investigating multiple school bomb threats
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reported across the commonwealth. KSP is working in coordination with
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local law enforcement agencies to investigate these incidents. The statement said,
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at this time, none of the threats has been deemed credible.
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Preliminary findings suggest the threats may be linked to a
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robocalling campaign. These threats are illegal, disruptive, and unacceptable. We
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will thoroughly investigate each incident and hold those responsible fully accountable.
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Perry County and Not County schools were shut down last
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Thursday after what sources said appeared to be scam calls
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from telephone numbers in Texas using a computer generated voice.
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In the next headline, Kentucky Power lists storm costs near
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twenty million dollars. Storm related costs being tracked by Kentucky
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Power Company have now reached nearly twenty million dollars this year,
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according to filings with the state Public Service Commission. As
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the utility continues seeking approval to defer expenses that could
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eventually be charged to customers, and a filing submitted recently
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in case number twenty twenty six zero zero one zero one,
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the company told the Public Service Commission PSC that a
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January winter storm cost about three point seven million dollars
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in damage and restoration costs. That filing comes on top
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of an earlier case in which Kentucky Power reported about
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sixteen point seven million dollars in costs from major storms
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in January and February, which the PSC has already allowed
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the company to defer for a possible future recovery. Taken together,
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the filings showed the company is tracking roughly twenty million
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dollars in storm related expenses from multiple weather events in
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early twenty twenty six. The January storm known as Winter
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Storm Fern, knocked out power to nearly five thousand customers
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at its peak and required a large scale response involving
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about nine hundred twenty five workers, including crews from outside
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the state. Kentucky Power said that due to the magnitude
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and severity of the storm damage, external resources were brought
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in to assist with restoration efforts. The company reported that
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nine hundred twenty five internal staff and contract workers, including
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mutual assistance crews from Michigan and Indiana, were involved in
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restoring power in its Ashland, Pikeville, and Hazard districts from Sunday,
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January twenty fifth to Wednesday, January twenty eighth. The company
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said its preliminary records indicate the storm damaged fifteen transformers,
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twenty five sets of cross arms, broke twenty two poles,
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and downed two hundred seven spans of electrical wiring. Kentucky
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Power set about two point four million dollars of those
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costs represent additional expenses not already included in base rates.
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Under current rules, the company is not automatically allowed to
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charge customers for those costs. Instead, it must seek approval
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to record them as a regulatory asset, which is an
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accounting mechanism that allows the expenses to be reviewed and
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potentially recovered in a future rate case. The PSC approved
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that accounting treatment in March for earlier storm costs, but
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emphasized that the decision to not guarantee customers would ultimately
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pay the full amount. The filing indicates that total storm
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related costs are still being calculated and could change as
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final accounting is completed. The case remains pending before the PSC.
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What could twenty million dollars in storm costs mean for customers?
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Filings by Kentucky Power Company show the company is tracking
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nearly twenty million dollars in storm related costs from early
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twenty twenty six weather events. What that could mean for
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customers depends on future decisions by the Kentucky Public Service Commission,
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but some rough estimates help show the scale. Kentucky Power
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serves about one hundred sixty two thousand customers. If all
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twenty million dollars were eventually recovered from customers, the cost
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would be about one hundred twenty dollars per customer total.
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If spread over three years, the cost would be about
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three to four dollars per month. If spread over five years,
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the cost would be two dollars per month. These figures
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are estimates. Only actual impacts would depend on how much
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of the costs the Kentucky Public Service Commission approves, how
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those costs are allocated among customer classes, and how long
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recovery is allowed. KeyPoint customers will not see any immediate
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increase from these filings, but the costs could be added
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to bills later depending on future rate cases. The next
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story is can Eastern Kentucky Reverse Rain Drain Panel will
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gather in Hazard to discuss it. A bipartisan group of
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national leaders studying the future of rural America will bring
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its work to Eastern Kentucky next week, holding a public
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hearing and Hazard focused on jobs, healthcare, and recovery from disasters.
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The Brookings AEI Commission on US Rural Prosperity, co chaired
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by former U S Senator Heidi Hike Camp of North
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Dakota and former New Hampshire Governor Chris Sanunu, will host
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a two day visit in Hazard and Manchester beginning May thirteenth.
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Organizers say the goal is to hear directly from people
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in Appalachian communities about what is working and what isn't
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as the region works to rebuild from flooding, improve health outcomes,
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and create jobs that keep young people from leaving. This
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is about listening to rural communities, organizers said in announcing
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the visit. Local voices will drive the conversation. A public
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session is scheduled from four to five thirty pm Wednesday,
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May thirteenth at Hazard Community and Technical College. The panel
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will focus on job creation, workforce training, and the role
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of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence in rural economies.
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Among those taking part in the discussion will be Dreama Gentry,
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president and CEO of Partners for Rural Impact, Hazard City
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Commissioner Luke Glazier, and Rocky Massey of Appalachian Regional Healthcare.
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The Commission's visit comes as Eastern Kentucky continues to recover
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from recent floods while also facing long term challenges such
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as population loss, limited job opportunities, and gaps in healthcare access.
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Commission members say they are especially interested in how communities
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like those in the Mountains are working to reverse brain drain,
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the loss of young workers, and build new opportunities that
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encourage people to stay or return. The Eastern Kentucky stop
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is the third in a series of field hearings held
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around the country. Earlier sessions took place in the Mississippi
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Delta and in rural communities in North Dakota and Minnesota.
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Information gathered during the visits will be used to develop
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a national Strategy for Strengthening Rural Economies, which the group
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plans to release in twenty twenty seven. While the commission
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includes national policymakers, business leaders, and nonprofit officials, organizers say
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the focus and hazard will remain on local perspectives. The
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May thirteenth session is open to the public. The next
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story is Double Quick to mark milestone with Bronco giveaway concert.
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Double Quick, the Wisburg based family owned convenience store company
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that has served eastern Kentucky and southwest Virginia since nineteen
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sixty six, is celebrating its sixtieth anniversary with a campaign
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focused on giving back and thank you its customers keeping
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it quick since sixty six. The celebration includes anniversary deals.
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A twenty twenty six Ford Bronco Giveaway sixty thousand dollars
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in community giving a free concert, commemorative collectible glasses, and more.
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What began in nineteen sixty six when Don Childers purchased
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a small fueled distributorship in Whitsburg has grown into a
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regional network built on fresh food, family recipes, and treating
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customers like neighbors. Sixty years later, that mission remains the same.
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We are so thankful to have spent the past sixty
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years serving the communities we love, said Double Quick President
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Missy Matthews. My parents, our founders, grew up in eastern Kentucky,
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raised their children here and were active in the community
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through church and school. This is our home and it
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is an honor to celebrate this milestone with our friends
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and neighbors. Ford Bronco Giveaway. The Ford Bronco first rolled
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off the assembly line in nineteen sixty six, the same
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year Doublequick was founded. To mark the occasion, Double Quick,
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in partnership with Pepsi, is giving away a twenty twenty
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six Ford Bronco Heritage Edition in a Kentucky blue finish,
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purchased locally at Bruce Walters Ford. Customers can enter through
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the Double Quick Rewards app. Each twenty ounce pepsi purchased
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through the app earns one entry, as does every ten
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gallon fuel purchase made through the app. Beginning May twenty second,
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customers may also enter online with no purchase required. The
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bronco will be given away during the free concert in
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Whitesburg on August twenty nine. Local Hero donations. Through its
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Eky Local Hero initiative, Double Quick is donating sixty thousand
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dollars one thousand dollars for every year in business to
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individuals and organizations making a difference across the region. Beginning
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in mid May, community members can nominate local heroes at
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doublequick dot com. Selected recipients will receive a donation to
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support their mission or a charity of their choice. Winners
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will be announced at the anniversary concert in August. Anniversary
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concert the celebration will culminate August twenty nine with a
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free concert at the Mountain Heritage Stage in downtown Wisburg.
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The event will include the live bronco, drawing, Eky Local
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Hero announcements, and additional festivities. Performer announcements and further details
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will be released at a later date. Anniversary deals will
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run at all Double Quick locations throughout twenty twenty six
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this fall, while supplies last, Customers can collect commemorative glasses
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featuring regional landmarks with every ten gallon fuel purchase. In
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the fourth quarter, Double Quick will continue its tradition of
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employee appreciation and community giving, including its annual Secret Santa
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program in local schools. The Double Quick Rewards app is
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available for free on the App Store and Google Play
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and provides access to deals, rewards, and sleep stake entries.
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In the next story, Governor Bisher's order will lower gas prices.
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Governor Andy Bisheer has signed an executive order declaring an
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emergency related to gas prices, a move the governor said
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should decrease prices by ten cents per gallon as gas
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prices continue to rise due to the ongoing war in Iran.
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Bashir froze the gas tax, activated the state's price gouging laws,
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and sent two letters to Congress for requesting it suspend
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the federal gas tax. The executive order Bacher signed Tuesday
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declared a state of emergency to reduce the gas tax
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by ten cents, which he urged the Attorney General to sign.
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The move should result in a ten cent per gallon
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price decrease for Kentuckians. The governor requested the order to
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take effect as soon as possible for both regular and diesel,
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with the potential to save Kentuckians twenty six point eight
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million dollars combined over a one month period. He also
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signed an executive order to freeze the motor vehicle assessment
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rate on January first, twenty twenty seven. The American people
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are paying the costs of the war, and families are
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struggling at the gas pump, grocery and more, including right
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here in Kentucky, said Bascher. I recognize the pain our
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families are feeling, and I'm taking steps to help because
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it's the right thing to do. Bashir also signed an
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emergency regulation to freeze the gas tax at twenty six
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point four cents per gallon ahead of an expected increase
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to twenty seven cents per gallon on July first. The
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action to freeze the current rate is projected to save
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Kentuckians about one point seven million dollars combined each month.
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This would be huge for our families, but it requires
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one step for it to become a reality, and that's
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sign off from Kentucky's Attorney General based on a Supreme
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Court case from years ago. The governor said, my hope
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is that the age also believes gas prices are too
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high and will sign quickly so we can deliver results
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for Kentuckians. This concludes the reading of the Mountain Eagle.
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Your reader has been Bill an Arsenal. Now please stay
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tuned for continued programming on behalf of everyone here at
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Radio I thank you for listening, and have a good day.