Transcript

10.23.25 · The Mountain Eagle

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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 October twenty second, twenty
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twenty five, which the publishers have donated to RADIOI 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 item is a
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photograph captioned where our injured deer go to get well.
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Beth Vaughan, owner, founder and director of Mountain View Wildlife
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Rehabilitation Center located in Hazard, gets some final loving from
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one of fifteen deer she rehabilitated this past summer. Vaughan,
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who has been running the non profit center for ten years,
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is licensed by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife
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as well as the U s Department of Agriculture. She
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rehabilitates up to forty deer per year and releases them
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back into the wild. Most have been injured by automobiles
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and dogs or abandoned by their mothers. Vaughn takes care
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of their medical needs while ensuring they don't become domesticated
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and can survive in the Forest. Not only does she
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rehabilitate deer, but also about any other animal native to
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our region, including squirrels, flying squirrels, raccoons, possums, otters, and beavers.
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Animals that she works with come from Letcher and several
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other counties in Eastern Kentucky. Funding for her work mainly
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comes from donations and on occasion, small grants. And the
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next headline is construction at raven Rock could begin by
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next summer. Construction will probably begin next summer on the
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raven Rock Resort on Pound Mountain, Pine Mountain Partnership Executive
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director Jeffrey Justice said speaking to the Electrofiscal Court on Monday.
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Justice said there is still engineering to be done of
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the Thunder Mountain Shooting Resort and said the trail system
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for Raven Rock Resort is already designed and the thirty
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five miles of trails will be flagged in early November
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so the environmental impact study can be done. We will
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have that out for bids in the spring and construction
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will begin in the summer or fall. Justice said they
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like to work when the leaves are off. The resort
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is being built by Eastern Kentucky Heritage Foundation, which was
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formed by Missy Matthews, Mike Cardle, and Angie Hatton expressly
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to create tourist attractions here. The nonprofit bought about eight
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hundred acres on the side of Pine Mountain at Jenkins,
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including the geological feature called Raven Rock, a long shelf
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of sandstone and law limestone that offers a view of
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both the Big Sandy River Valley and the Kentucky River Valley.
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Pine Mountain Partnership is a partnership between the Eastern Kentucky
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Heritage Foundation, Lecher County, the three cities here, and the
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Chamber of Commerce. An architect has already been selected to
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design cabins that Justice said will be nice cabins that
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will compare to Gatlinburg. The group is also in the
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process of selecting architects for a conference center on the site.
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The trails are being designed for extreme sports, mainly mountain biking.
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Justice said the people riding them are expected to be
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professional competitors who might pay up to fifteen thousand dollars
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for a bicycle. I see national competitions coming to ride
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the trails at Raven Rock. Judge executive Terry Adams said.
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Justice said entrepreneurs should be beginning planning now to open
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businesses that compliment the attraction. We want to make sure
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people understand that we want businesses to pop up around this,
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he said. I met with a guy from North Carolina
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that took two hundred dollars and started a bike shop
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near some trails that started there and turned into a
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million dollar a year business. The next story is 'tis
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the season for deer car crashes. Peak season has arrived
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for deer activity on roadways in Lectter County and elsewhere
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in Kentucky, and motorists are reminded to stay alert for
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wildlife to keep safe as state transportation officials issue their
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annual antler alert. Nearly half of wildlife collisions occurred during
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the last three months of the year. We see deer
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related crashes rise sharply this time of year, said State
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highway engineer James Ballinger. Last November we had more than
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seven hundred wildlife collisions, the highest of any month. Drivers
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should be extra alert, especially at dawn and dusk, and
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slower speed in areas where deer are likely to cross.
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A moment of caution can prevent a serious crash. According
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to Joe McDermott, Deer Program Coordinator, with the Kentucky Department
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of Fish and Wildlife Resources KADFWR. Deer movement is near
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peak activity this year, when the rut otherwise known as
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mating season, begins at the end of October and continues
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through December. Deer activity peaks in the fall not only
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because of the rut, but also because their food sources
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and cover change as the seasons shift. McDermott said as
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foliage disappears and crops are harvested, deer are more likely
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to travel greater distances and cross roadways in search of
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food and shelter. That means drivers should expect to encounter
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deer almost anywhere, anytime this season. In Kentucky, three thousand,
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four hundred six highway crashes reported in twenty twenty four
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involved a vehicle striking a deer, up nearly one hundred
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eighty over the previous year and the highest recorded in
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the last five years. As a result of those collisions,
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six people were killed, three more than the previous year,
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and twenty two were seriously injured, a decrease from last year.
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Hopkins County saw the highest number of reported crashes last year,
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one hundred thirty three. Half of the top ten counties
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with the most crashes were in western Kentucky. While only
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six deer related accidents were reported in Letter County in
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twenty twenty four, the number is much higher as many
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collisions here go unreported. Of the county's neighbouring Lecture Pike
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count reported the most deer collisions in twenty twenty four,
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with forty five in Knot County, where several deer are
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killed annually after running in front of a vehicle. In
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the car Creek Lake area, only nine deer related wrecks occurred.
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Despite a national decrease in wildlife involved collisions. For the
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year ending June thirty, twenty twenty five, State Farm reported
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more than one point seven million animal collision claims in
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the United States, of which more than one point one
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million involved deer. Seven collisions were reported in Perry County
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in twenty twenty four, and ten were reported in Harlan County.
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Information on the number of deer vehicle collisions in neighbouring
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Wise County Virginia are not available. West Virginia continues to
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be the riskiest state for animal collisions, where the chance
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of doing so is one In forty Kentucky drivers have
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one chance in one hundred five. The Transportation Cabinet offers
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these driving tips to stay safe, Stay aware, be vigilant,
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especially in forested terrain and during dusk and dawn when
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deer are most active. Be prepared. Always wear a seat
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belt it's the law, and eliminate distractions. Phones down, turn
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on headlights, keep them on bright unless other vehicles are approaching.
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Slow down, take your foot off the gas immediately. If
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you spot a deer crossing the roadway, they tend to
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travel in groups. Don't swerve. Trying to avoid a deer
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can result in a more serious crash with an oncoming
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vehicle or roadside object. If there is a crash, keep
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both hands on the wheel and apply breaks steadily until stopped.
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In the next headline. Three years after flood, Blackie still
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has no library or center, one up, one down, and
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one still in limbo. That's the situation in Blackie where
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public officials are still struggling to meet the Federal Emergency
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Management Agency requirements for rebuilding the community center and the
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public library. The Letcher Fiscal Court on Monday voted to
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award an eight hundred thousand dollars contract to Trace Creek
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construction of Vanceburg to act as general contractor for the
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new community center. The company is to finish all architectural
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plans and construction for that price. The court originally planned
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to lift the old community center above the twenty twenty
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two flood level on stilts, but soon found out that
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that was too expensive. Instead, it will build in the
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former Blacky water treatment plant next door, which was already
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built above the floodplain. The old Community Centre, which sat
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between the water plant and the library, has been torn down.
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But while the new center is up for construction and
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the old one is down and cleared away, the library
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is still in limbo. Three years and three months after
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the twenty twenty two flood, the bottom level of the
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library is still gutted and unusable, and the Lesser County
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Library Board learned on Monday that it will have to
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go back to plans from two years ago and start
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over again. Architect Charlie Robinson of Summit Architects and Engineers
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said soil samples taken at the site showed a flood
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wall that had been designed to go around the library
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would have had to have its footers buried twenty five
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feet below ground to support itself as a result, the
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two bids for the building came in at one point
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five million dollars and one point nine million dollars, far
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more money than is available. The board voted to go
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back to the original plan, which was to raise the
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bottom height of the windows, wrap the outside with a
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waterproof barrier, cover the barrier with stone, and then repair
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the inside of the building. The one door below the
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flood level would have to have a barrier installed to
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prevent water from getting in. We're going down the road
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of dollars and cents? How many times could we rebuild
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this building for one point nine million dollars. Newly installed
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board president Brad Sheppard said we would eventually have to
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give up on the Blackie Library. The board asked Robinson
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to have the revised plans at the next board meeting,
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which is the third Monday in November. The board will
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then vote again to advertise for bids for contractors. The
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Fleming Neon Public Library, which was also severely damaged by
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the flood, is under construction. The windows had been raised there,
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the interior framing and insulation are finished and dry wall
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was hung last week. The areas around the doors have
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to be redesigned However, because the automatic flood doors that
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had been designed will cost more than a quarter of
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a million dollars, instead, the library will have aluminum panels
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that can be inserted into the door frames when storms
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are forecast. The next story is guilty pleas are entered.
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Two Letter County residents entered guilty pleas to charges against
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them in Letter Circuit Court. They are Sandra Donnelly thirty
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nine thirty three, Brass Drive, Ermine, who pleaded guilty to
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charges in two indictments of resisting arrest, giving officer false
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identifying information, third degree possession of a controlled substance and
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possession of drug paraphernalia. Donnelly was sentenced to thirty days
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in the county jail with credit for time served, and
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three hundred sixty five days in the County jail, also
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with credit for time served. Mitchell Mullins Junior, forty eight
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thirty four, Pert Creek Road, Weisburg, who pleaded guilty to
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flagrant non support of his minor children. Mullins was sentenced
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to imprisonment for five years probated for five years. The
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next story is County pays forty thousand dollars for kitchen hardware.
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The Lectrier Fiscal Court has voted to spend forty thousand
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dollars to buy the restaurant equipment that is in the
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former general store at Pine Mountain Crossing. The county owns
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the building and had been leasing it to Tiffany Bullock
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Scott for five hundred dollars per month. She and her
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late husband had installed equipment and appliances and sub leased
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the store to another manager. After Ernie Lee Scott died suddenly,
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Tiffany Scott appraised the equipment at forty three thou eight
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hundred ninety five dollars. Judge Executive Terry Adams recommended buying
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it because of the damage it would do to the
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building to remove it, and because it would be harder
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to lease the building if that equipment is gone. If
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we buy all this equipment, there would have to be
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a new lease district for. Magistrate Cheddy Smith said it's
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not going to be five hundred dollars. County Attorney Jamie
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Hatton said the court can't legally buy the equipment for
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more than forty thousand dollars because of state procurement laws
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that require bids for any purchase of more than that
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The court agreed and voted to offer that amount. It
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will not purchase the stock, which was also offered. Adams
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said the store is an asset to the county as
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a tourist stop because of its location near Bad Branch Falls.
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The county will attempt to lease it to someone else.
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The court also agreed to lease the church building next
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door for one dollar per year for ten years, with
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the lease renewable every ten years. The church property comes
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right up to our building, so most of the parking
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is on church property. Adams said. The church has not
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been used as a church for years, but was remodeled
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by the owners of the store to be used as
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a wedding venue. The lease is restricted. However, under the
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lease accepted by the county, alcohol cannot be sold or
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consumed on the premises, The church sign must remain on
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the building and a Bible must be displayed inside. The
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next headline is shut down, brings yet another delay in
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getting airport project going. The new airport planned for Electric
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County is facing yet another delay, though this one should
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be short lived. The Electric County Airport Board signed the
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grant agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration in September for
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funding to design the airport, but the agreement came just
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in time for the government shutdown. After twenty one years
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of planning, the board is waiting now to get the
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first design for the runway. It will need at least
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one and possibly two more rounds of funding to build
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it and the associated buildings. Jeffrey Justice said the airport
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should cost the county nothing beyond what has already been spent.
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The biggest part of that is the commitment by the
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Kentucky Department of Aviation to pay the local match, he said.
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Justice said five Airport Board members have died since planning
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began in two thousand four. R F. Kaiser, Randall, Cardle,
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Joe DePriest, John Combs, and Don Childers all died before
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the first grant agreement was signed. In the next headline,
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separate fights result in indictments against two accused of assault.
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Two men were indicted on first degree assault charges after
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apparently unrelated fights at a veterans club near Weisburg. Robbie
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Dale Collins twenty nine of nineteen. Number one Bottom Jenkins
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was charged following an incident on August twenty fourth, when
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he allegedly cut Sheldon Yaunce with a knife. He was
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also charged with persistent felony offender first degree, as this
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was his fourth indictment in Leccher County in four years.
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In a different indictment, Cody Collins twenty eight of twenty
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five Johnson's Fork Premium is charged with first degree assault
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for allegedly hitting Stephen Kinser with a chair on September
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twenty eighth. It is not clear if the Collins is
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are related or if the incidents were connected. However, both
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alleged assaults occurred at the American Legion on Pine Mountain,
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just south of Wisburg. Robbie Collins was also charged in
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two additional indictments. He was indicted on charges of flagrant
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non support and possession of a control substance first degree,
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second defense methamphetamine after he was arrested on September twelfth.
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The indictments were handed up Thursday. The next story is
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Cougar's run over Powell earned number two seed in playoffs.
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Letcher County Central dominated visiting Powell County and won by
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a score of fifty six to fourteen. Last Friday's win
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at Ermine improved LCC's one loss mark to six and
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three on the season. More importantly, the Cougars are now
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three and one in their district, assuring them of the
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number two seed in the playoffs. Against Powell County, Gunner
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Holbrook continued his hot streak by throwing four touchdown passes.
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Garrett had one hundred nineteen yards rushing and two touchdowns.
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He also led the defense with fourteen tackles. Colton Stidham
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had two interceptions for the LCC defense and caught a
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thirty four yard touchdown from Holbrook. Theaden Brown had an
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impressive interception and receiving touchdown from the balanced Cougar offensive attack.
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It was good to be back home after two straight
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road games, coach junior Matthew sid We played well in
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most areas, but still have some work to do as
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we head into the playoffs in a couple of weeks.
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Our offense was really efficient. Our defense was very good
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in the second half, forcing a couple of turnovers. After
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LCC received the game's opening kickoff, running back Brett Sturgell
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had two runs for thirty two yards that led to
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a twenty three yard touchdown pass from Holbrook to Theayden
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Brown on a corner route. Emma Adams made the extra
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point to give LCC and early seven to nothing lead.
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After the Cougar defense forced a punt, the offense methodically
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moved the ball down the field until Garrett Howard took
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a handoff and broke two tackles on his way to
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a twenty six yard touchdown run. Adams's extra point made
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the score fourteen to nothing. The LCC defense forced a
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three and out to give the offense great field position.
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Colton Stidham made a leaping grab and shrugged off a
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defender for a thirty four yard touchdown reception. The extra
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point split the uprights to increase the LCC lead to
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twenty one to nothing. Powell County answered with a long
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scoring drive of their own, capped off by a four
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yard run on a quarterback keeper by Easton Skidmore. The
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extra point was good to make the score twenty one
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to seven. Early in the second quarter, Holbrook threw a
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pass to Sturgel out of the backfield for a twenty
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eight yard game to start the next LCC offensive drive.
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The offensive line took over from there as the Cougars
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ran five straight times, ending with a five yard touchdown
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run up the middle by Sturgel Adams made her fourth
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straight extra point to give ELCC a twenty eight to
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seven lead. Still, Powell County showed some fight and quickly
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moved the ball downfield into the LCC red zone. Skidmore
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rolled to his left and found receiver Braxton Snowden just
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inside the front pylon for a fifteen yard touchdown connection.
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The extra point cut the Cougar's lead to twenty eight
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to fourteen. With letter central back and control of the ball,
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Stidham made a diving twenty two yard catch on the
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first play of the drive. On the next play, Howard
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took a hand off and went untouched up the middle
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for a thirty one yard touchdown run. The extra point
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was good, making the score thirty five to fourteen with
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three three left in the second quarter. Elsie c's defense
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then allowed Powell County to drive the ball into LCC territory,
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but Colton Stidham intercepted a pass from his safety position
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and returned it forty six yards to the Powell thirty
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four yard line. Holbrook threw a twenty five yard touchdown
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pass to Mason Stevens on a post route to make
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the halftime score forty two. To fourteen after Adams's sixth
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kick for an extra point in the game. After Powell
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County got the ball to start the second half, ELSIECS
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Stidham made an incredible interception, his second of the day,
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to give the ball to the Cougar's offense. After Howard
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showed his power with a thirteen yard run into Powell
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County territory, Stgel showed his speed with a twenty one
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yard run up the middle. Receiver Preston Combs made a
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juggling catch and dove into the end zone for a
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fourteen yard touchdown reception. The extra point made the score
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forty nine to fourteen and started a running clock for
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the remainder of the game. Notable plays after that included
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elcc's Caleb Osborne out jumping a Powell County receiver for
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an interception, the Cougar's third interception of the game. LCC
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freshman Gunner Hall had a long thirty nine yard run
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to the one yard line and scored on the next
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play to make the final score fifty six to fourteen.
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After the extra point crossed the goalpost. Gunner Holbrook completed
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ten passes on twelve attempts for one hundred eighty nine
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yards and four touchdowns. Garrett Howard carried the ball seven
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times for one hundred nineteen yards and two touchdowns. Brett
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Sturgell had six rushing attempts for sixty yards and a touchdown.
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Gunnar Hall recarries for fifty three yards and a score.
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Colton Stidham caught four passes for seventy three yards and
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a touchdown. Theayden Brown had two catches for forty six
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yards and a score. Mason Stephens and Preston Combs also
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had receiving touchdowns for the balanced LCC offensive attack. Garrett
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Howard again led l CC's defense with fourteen tackles. Colton
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Stidham was all over the field, wreaking havoc with two interceptions.
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Mason Stephens had nine tackles out of the secondary. Canaan's
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sergeant had eight tackles and a sack. Caleb Osborne also
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had an interception for a Cougar defense that shut Powell
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County down the entire second half. LCC will have a
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bye week before hosting perennial power Belfry for the final
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game of the regular season on October thirty. First kickoff
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set for seven thirty Peter at Cougar Field and the
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next story is Gabby's Fishing Fever by Greg Gabby Caudle
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more praise for the fish known as shell cracker. I
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fished car Creek Lake since the nine hundred and fifty
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acre lake opened in nineteen seventy six. In the very beginning,
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there were some big small mouth bass stocked into the lake,
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and I still remember tales of big bass being caught
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in the early years of the lake. As with any
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new lake, there will be good years for certain types
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of fish and slow years as well. A bad spawning
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year can have a negative effect on the lake for
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several years. Every new lake takes several years to become
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established as a good fishing lake. I feel car Creek
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Lake has done this for sure. On nearly every trip
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we make there, we catch good sized and large numbers
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of fish, either largemouth bass, crop bluegill, or catfish. However,
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during the last couple of years, I have been catching
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a whole new species of the bluegill family, known as
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the red ear sunfish or shell cracker. These fish are
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much bigger than a standard bluegill. They will hit a
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bait like a red worm or nightcrawler like crazy and
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run and pull like a large bass. There hasn't been
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much in the way of reports or news about this
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lake having such a large amount of these fish, which
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has become my favorite fish to try to catch. The
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reason for this is simply because on every single trip
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to car Creek Lake this year, on almost a weekly basis,
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I have caught several big shell crackers, and a good
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number of them. We have caught several in the ten
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inch range, weighing over a pound to a pound and
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a half. My personal best one was two pounds and
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twelve inches long. I caught it early this fall. A
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week ago. I hooked one that got right to the
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boat before breaking a four pound test line while acting
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as if no fish were bigger. So I'm very excited
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about this huge upswing in this big fish at this
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lake and feel it will just get better as time
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goes on. The next article is Vaught's Fuse by Larry Vaught.
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Is Trent Noah UK's best three point man. He might
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not be Kobe Brea, who shot forty three point five
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percent from three point range last season for Kentucky, but
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sophomore Trent Noah continues to draw praise for the way
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he's shooting from long range. For coach Mark Pope, he's
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a vet that knows exactly who he is. He just
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brings this calm to our team. I think he's going
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to bail us out of situations like Kobe did last year,
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Pope said after the Blue White Game. Noah won the
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three point shooting contest at Big Blue Madness and hit
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two three pointers in the Blue White Game, but also
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had three assists, two rebounds, and no turnovers. This concludes
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the reading of The Mountain Eagle. Your reader has been
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Bill then Arsenale. Now please stay tuned for continued programming
28:17
on behalf of every One here at Radio. I thank
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you for listening, and have a good day.