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(Whitesburg) Mountain Eagle - 2.5.26 · 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 Dean Arsdale. We
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will begin with the addition dated February fourth, twenty twenty six,
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which the publishers have donated to RADIOI as a reminder.
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RADIOI is a reading service intended for people who are
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blind or have other disabilities that make it difficult to
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read printed material. The first story is the caption of
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a photo a cold run to the store with snow
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and eyes covering the roads and temperatures dipping into the
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single digits. Elizabeth Bates and Dalton Sturgel of Elk Creek
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used their four wheeler late last week to get out
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of the halla and pick up staples at the Dollar
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General store at Frog Pond near Blackie. Temperatures are expected
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to be slightly warmer the rest of this week, ranging
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from a high of thirty seven degrees four kia asked
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for Friday to a low of fourteen degrees early Sunday.
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If you need to get out and about on a
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four wheeler, you'd best bundle up like this couple did.
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The next headline is Lecture Schools budget two hundred thousand
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dollars extra for higher electrical bills. The Electra County Board
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of Education has approved a draft budget for the next
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school year that includes a two hundred thousand dollars increase
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in the amount budgeted for electric bills. Director Josh Johns
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said the draft budget is based on the past three
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years budgets, while much of the budget remains the same.
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He said the district is expected to see significant increases
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in the cost of electricity, even if the rate increase
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Kentucky Power asked for is not approved by the Kentucky
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Public Service Commission. One of the biggest costs in our
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draft budget was electricity. That's a big expense. Through period six,
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which is December, we had already spent almost seven hundred
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thousand dollars in electricity costs for our district, Yacht said.
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We had it the total for one point two million dollars.
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I've upped that to about one point four million dollars.
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Board Chairman Robert Kaiser said the board needs to be
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prepared for an even bigger increase than just what's caused
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by cold weather usage. At whatever point they decide they're
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increasing our rates, we need to come back at that
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same point and look at increasing that again. Kaiser said
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he jokingly suggested a solution to the problem of increasing
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electrical costs. Can we not tax the electric company a
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little bit higher rate to make up for what they're
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going to make us pay for a power bill?
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Speaker 2: Kaiser said.
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Speaker 1: The draft budget is one of three that the district
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is required to approve each year. The tentative budget is
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due in May and the working budget is due in September.
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Speaker 2: In addition to increased.
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Speaker 1: Power costs, Yachts said, the budget also includes one percent
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higher salaries due to the step increase for certified employees.
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He said that is not an actual raise, but a
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pre planned increase as teachers years of experience increases. Also
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at the special called meeting, the board took the following action.
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Voted to donate the old Lecher County Central High School
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baseball scoreboard to the county for use at the Ernest
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Cook Memorial Park in Whitesburg. The park hosts youth leagues
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and middle school baseball and softball. The board heard a
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report that Martha Jane Potter Elementary School is still labeled
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as an ATSI school, meaning a targeted support and improvement
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plan is required because one group of students Special education
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scored significantly lower than other schools. Several other schools have
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had those plans in the past but have moved out
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of that category. Martha Jane Potter remains in the ATSI
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category with a three year goal for improvement. The board
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received the monthly attendance report. Director of Pupil Personnel Karen
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Baker said the district hasn't had enough school in January
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to have accurate numbers, but the percentage is eighty eight
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point sixty four percent for the day's school was in session.
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Wichbourg Middle School has had an attendance rate above ninety
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percent since the beginning of the school year and was
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at ninety four percent for January, Baker said, and the
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board received its financial report showing the district had a
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total of fourteen point six million dollars in cash. The
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next story is are County hydrants fire ready? Firefighters water
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district disagree? A dispute between local fire departments and the
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Electric County Water and Sewer District spilled into public view
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last week, revealing that the hydrants seen around the county
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are not traditional fire hybrants at all, and that at
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least some of them are turned off The disagreement centers
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on whether the water district's flushing hydrants are reliable and
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accessible for emergency firefighting, with fire officials saying inoperable or
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unmarked hybrants are putting response efforts at risk, while water
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district officials say most hydrants are functional and that restrictions
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are necessary to prevent damage, freezing, and water theft. The
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hydrants are apparently intended only for flushing water lines as
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part of routine maintenance or after outages or line repairs,
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though fire departments are allowed to use them. The problem,
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officials said, is that no one is certain how many
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of the hydrants have been shut off. At least one
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fire department says it has been difficult to find a
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hydrant that is operational, while the hitdle of Water District
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said he knows of only three that are not working.
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I bet there's not five turned off in the whole county,
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said Jason Lewis, manager of the Water and Sewer District.
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Coulson Volunteer Fire Department Chief David Bentley appeared before the
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Electrofiscal Court last week to complain about the hydrants and
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to update the court on his department's activities. Bentley said
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Coulson firefighters recently battled a house fire overlooking Kentucky fifteen
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at Isisom and attempted to use three hydrants before finding
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one that worked located near Park City on im Drive.
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Because the department's trucks carry only nine hundred to one
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thousand feet of hose, firefighters were forced to fill a
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tanker truck instead of laying hose to the fire, Bentley said.
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Bentley asked the court to compel our county Water and
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Sewer services to get our hydrants going. We are running
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into entirely too many dead hydrants and they are not
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properly marked, Bentley said. He said he has been told
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the hydrants are turned off because we're afraid you're going
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to use it. Lewis said hydrants that are not working
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are either frozen and broken and have not yet been replaced,
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or were intentionally turned off to prevent theft by individuals
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filling swimming pools or by companies filling trucks and reselling
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the water.
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Speaker 2: If they're off, there's a reason they're off, Lewis said.
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Speaker 1: Lewis said there is a valve box at the base
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of the high hydrance and fire departments can use a
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tea handle to turn them on just as quickly as
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they would a standard hybrid. Lewis, who previously worked for
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the Cumberland Water Department before joining the Electric County Water
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and Sewer District ten years ago, agreed with Bentley that
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traditional fire hydrants should be marked based on water output,
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but said that requirement does not apply to flushing hydrants.
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Lewis said he has not received complaints about hybrants during
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his decade with the district, and suggested some firefighters may
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be frustrated that the hydrants are metered and that departments
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are required to complete log books documenting water usage during
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fires and training exercises. Lewis said the Kentucky Public Service
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Commission allows the district only fifteen percent water loss, requiring
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it to track usage, even though it does not charge
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fire departments for fire fighting or training. Terry Adams, Letcher
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County Judge Executive, said the Fiscal Court has no authority
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over the water District, which is governed by an independent board.
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He said fire departments with concerns should direct them to
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the district's board. Also at the meeting, Bentley reported on
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progress the department has made in wild Fire Management and
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announced that the department received a grant to purchase a
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RAM pickup truck for first response. The truck is equipped
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to respond to emergency calls until an ambulance arrives. The
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next story is Jenkins Mayor is now back home and recovering.
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City Council hears Jenkins Mayor Todd de Priest is out
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of the hospital following a heart attack a month ago.
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Councilman Chuck Anderson, who is chairing city council meetings until
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de Priest can return, said, de Priest is home and recovering.
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We're blessed to see Mayor Dupriest has been released from
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the hospital and he was able to come by City
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Hall today and visit with the staff and go over
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the council agenda with us, Anderson told the rest of
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the council at its meeting Monday night. Du Priest suffered
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a heart attack at home January first, and was flown
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to Pippo Medical Center for treatment. Du Priest is in
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his third term as mayor. Much of the meeting Monday
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night focused on paying bills for public works projects, including
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the sewer inflow and infiltration project, the elevator and handicapped
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accessibility project at City Hall and opening a new bank
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account to handle money from a new Appalachian Regional Commission
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of grant. In other business, during the twelve minute meeting,
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the council received reports from the Police Department and reports
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on snow removal. City Attorney Randall Tackett told the council
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auction documents for the sale of the old City Hall
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have also been prepared and sent to parties that have
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expressed an interest in buying the building. The next story
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is LCC girls near top of fourteenth Region standings. Powered
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by a six game winning street, The Letcher County Central
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Lady Cougars have their aims set on the Hazard Lady
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Bulldogs for the top spot in the fourteenth Region. The
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teams don't play each other in the regular season, but
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seem destined to do so when tournament play begins. Going
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into action at fifteenth Region Power Floyd Central fifteen and
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five Tuesday night, the Lady Cougars, now fifteen and eight overall,
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carried an eight and one record in the fourteenth region,
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while Hazard remained unbeaten at six and oh. The Lady
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Cougars began their current winning street with a sixty eight
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to forty seven win over Harlan on January sixteenth. The
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following day, else C edged Pulaski County by one point
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in the Roy Bowling Classic at South Laurel High School,
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then added wins over Accordia, Wise County Central, Knox County Central,
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and Jenkins. A recap of those games follows. El c
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C sixty eight Harlan forty seven, Letter County Central opened
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its winning streak with a strong performance against Harlan, pulling
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away behind balanced scoring and consistent defensive pressure. Molly Caudle
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led the Lady Cougars with eighteen points, including four three pointers.
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Bailey Howard added thirteen points, while Ally Bailey and Sadie
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Johnson scored nine points each. Scarlett Stamper controlled the boards
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with eleven rebounds, as Elsie C finished with forty teen rebounds.
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Lady Cougar's edged Pulaski County by one The Lady Cougars
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followed with a tight one point victory over Pulaski County
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at the Coach Roy Bowling Classic at South Laurel High School,
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surviving a back and forth contest that came down to
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late free throws and defensive stops.
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Speaker 2: Caudle again led el CC.
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Speaker 1: With eighteen points, while Howard finished with thirteen and Bailey
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added twelve. Sadie Johnson pulled down a team high nine rebounds,
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and elsiec shot better than fifty seven percent from three
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point range to help offset a narrow margin at the
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free throw line. L c C ninety two Cordia fourteen.
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L CC returned home and overwhelmed Cordia, using relentless defense
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and depth to cruise to a ninety two to fourteen win.
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Multiple players scored in the route, with le Lady Cougar's
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forcing turnovers and converting them into easy scoring opportunities throughout
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the game. LCC seventy one Central fifty three Lady Cougar's
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continued their thurge with a convincing win over Wise County's
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Central High School. Cardal paced LCC with seventeen points, while
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Sadie Johnson added fifteen, Bailey chipped in thirteen, and Maret
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Dixon scored eight. LCC shot better than fifty seven percent
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from the field and knocked down sixty three pointers while
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Stamper again anchored the rebounding effort. LCC fifty four not
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Central thirty seven defense took center stage as LCC limited
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Knot County Central to thirty seven points. Calvill led the
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way with seventeen points, while Dixon added eleven and Bailey
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scored nine.
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Speaker 2: Stamper pulled down twelve rebounds.
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Speaker 1: Helping the Lady Cougars control the paint and pull away
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in the second half. Elsie c seventy eight, Jenkins sixteen.
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Letcher County Central capped the winning streak with another dominant
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performance against Jenkins. Sadie Johnson scored thirteen points, Carble added twelve,
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and Dixon finished with eleven. Elsie C forced turnovers throughout
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the game and converted at the free throw line, closing
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the stretch with confidence heading into a key non region
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match up. Jenkins was led by Emily Whittaker, an eighth grader,
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who scored six points, including two three pointers. Isabella Holbrook
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added four points, while Raylan Newsom scored three and pulled
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down a team high five rebounds. The Lady Cavaliers struggled offensively,
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shooting twenty five percent from the field and three of
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nine from three point range. Jenkins finished one of four
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at the free throw line and totaled twelve rebounds in
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the game and in the next headline. El c C
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Boys split four games among fourteenth Region foes. The Letcher
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County Central Cougars split four games against fourteenth Region competition
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during a nine day span, leaving their one loss record
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in the fourteenth Region at seven and four and their
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overall record at twelve and nine as they prepared to
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visit Lawrence County Wednesday. The Cougars walloped winless Cordia on
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January twenty second, sixty five to fifteenth, before falling to
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Hazard eighty seven to sixty four and Nott County Central
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sixty six to fifty eight, before returning to the win
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column with a sixty three to forty four win over Jenkins.
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On January thirtieth. Elsie C versus Cordia Lefscher County Central
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used balanced scoring and strong shooting efficiency to defeat Cordia
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sixty five to fifteen based on team totals. Jaden Ambergy
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led elsie C with fifteen points, hitting seven of eight
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shots from two point range and adding a free throw.
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Mason Boggs followed with thirteen points, including three three pointers,
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while Nehemiah Robinson added twelve points on six made field goals.
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Logan Khan chipped in ten points, knocking down a three
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pointer and going up perfect one for one at the
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free throw line. Elsie C finished the game shooting sixty
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two point eight percent from the field and fifty percent
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from three point range. On the boards, Ambergy pulled down
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a team high six rebounds, while Robinson, Logan Khan, and
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Stephen Bingham each grabbed four as elsie C finished with
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twenty nine rebounds. ELCC versus Hazard Lester County Central fell
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to Hazard eighty seven to sixty four despite strong individual performances.
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Cameron Hayes paced l CC with nineteen points, scoring from
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all three levels and going five for six from the
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free throw line. Terry Delaney added eighteen points, while Jaden
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Amberge also finished with eighteen, combining inside scoring with a
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three pointer. ELCC shot fifty percent from the field, but
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struggled from the three point line, connecting on five of
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fifteen attempts. Free throws also proved costly, with the team
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converting seven of twelve. Hayes and Delaney led the rebounding
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effort with eight rebounds each as ELCC finished with twenty
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six total rebounds. ELCC versus Not County Central Lecher County
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Central fell to Mott County Central sixty six to fifty eight,
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despite a strong scoring night from senior Terry Delaney. Delaney
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led all l CC scorers with twenty three points, hitting
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nine two point field goals and going a perfect two
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for two at the free throw line. Jaden Amberge and
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Cameron Hayes fallen with ten points each, while Alex Gilliam
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chipped in six points, including two three pointers. ELSC shot
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forty four point nine percent from the field, but managed
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just four.
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Speaker 2: Three pointers on fourteen attempts.
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Speaker 1: The Patriots also left points at the line, finishing ten
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for fourteen on free throws. Delaney controlled the glass with
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eleven rebounds, while Hayes and Logan Khan each added four
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as ELCC totaled twenty three rebounds. El c C versus
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Jenkins Metro County Central rebounded with a sixty three to
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forty four win over Jenkins, using strong rebounding and free
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throw shooting to secure the victory. Terry Delaney led the
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way with sixteen points, while Jaden Amberge and Tameron Hayes
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each scored thirteen. Mason Boggs added eight points, including two
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three pointers. Elsie C shot forty nine percent from the
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field and matched Jenkins with four made three pointers, but
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made the difference at the free throw line, converting twelve
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of twenty four attempts. The Patriots dominated the boards with
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forty three rebounds, led by Jaden Wright's eleven rebounds. Hayes
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and Delaney added eight and nine rebounds, respectively, helping elsie
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C control the paint throughout the game. And the next
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story is Jenkins Boys now twelve and nine. After notching
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consecutive wins over Council of Virginia and Cordia January twentieth
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and January twenty first, the Jenkins Cavaliers ran into stiffer
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competition with a game against the Electra County Central Cougars
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on January thirtieth, sandwiched between contests against fourteenth Region power
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Not County Central on January twenty third and February second.
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The weary Cavaliers came up empty in all three contests,
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as they saw their season one loss record dipped to
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twelve and nine and their record against fourteenth Region teams
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fall to four and seven. Jenkins's three and three and
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fifty third district play. While game statistics were not available
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for the January thirtieth and February second games. Here's a
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rundown of how the Cavaliers have fared over the last
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couple of weeks. On January twentieth, Jenkins had a solid
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offensive showing scoring fifty seven points behind senior Tale Owens's
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team high eighteen points in a fifty seven to thirty
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eight win over host Council Virginia. Owens was effected inside
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and at the free throw line, while Chase McNeely added
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twelve points on efficient shooting despite struggling from three point range.
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The Cavaliers leaned on interior scoring and rebounding, with Connor
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Rose pulling down a team high eight boards as Jenkins
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controlled the glass and found enough offense to secure the win.
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Jenkins followed with its most complete performance of the week
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in abdominant seventy five to thirty three victory over visiting
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Cordy A High School on January twenty first. The Cavaliers
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shot better than fifty two percent from the field and
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were nearly automatic at the foul line, converting twenty four
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of twenty eight free throws. Owens again led the way
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with eighteen points, including two three pointers and a a
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perfect night at the strike, while McNeely finished with thirteen
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points and Malachai Atkins added eleven. Jenkins also showed improved
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perimeter balance, knocking down five three pointers from four different
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players while building an early lead and maintaining control throughout
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the contest.
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Speaker 2: The Cavaliers closed.
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Speaker 1: The week on the road January twenty third at Knott
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County Central, where they were unable to keep pace in
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a seventy five to thirty eight loss. McNeely led Jenkins
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with ten points and Atkins added nine points and a
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team high seven rebounds, but the Cavaliers struggled to convert
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scoring opportunities, shooting under thirty nine percent from the field.
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Jenkins attempted just two free throws in the game, limiting
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chances to cut into the deficit as Knot County Central
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steadily built its lead and controlled the tempo down the stretch.
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Not Central, which groove to fourteen and six on the
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season with the win in Hinman, remains unbeaten in fifty
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third District play with a record of five and oh.
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The Patriots are now eight and two in the fourteenth region.
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Jenkins is three and two in district play, while Kordia
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is zero and five. Lecher County Central has a District
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one loss record of five and one. The next story
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is Letcher cheer teams compete in national competition. Fleming Neon
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Middle School and Whitesburg Middle School both competed this past
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weekend at the UCA Division two National High School Cheerleading
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Championships in Orlando, Florida, advancing to the semifinal round in
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the Junior high non tumbling Game Day category. A total
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of seventeen teams advanced to the semifinals in the division.
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Fleming Neon Middle School LUO finished third in the semi
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final round with a score of eighty five point one,
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while Watchburg Middle School placed twelfth with an event score
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of seventy nine point six. Only the top nine teams
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advanced to the final round, which was held February first.
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Fleming Neon went on to earn a fourth place finish
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in the national finals, placing among the top teams in
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the country in its division. Watchburg Middle School's run ended
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after an injury suffered by a team member proved to
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be too much to overcome. The competition as part of
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the UCA National High School Cheerleading Championship, held annually at
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the ESPN wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World.
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Teams qualify for the national event through regional competitions during
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the season. The Next story is Elizabeth Barrett, dies was
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best known for award winning film Elizabeth Banks Barrett, seventy
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four of Whitsburg, a documentary filmmaker known for her work
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with Apple Shop, passed away Tuesday.
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Speaker 2: At her home.
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Speaker 1: Liz was born in Hazard, and she attended Hazzard High
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and the University of Kentucky, where she was a member
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of Tri Delta Sorority. The day after graduating from UK,
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Liz began working as a filmmaker at Apple Shop, a
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media arts center in Wichburg, where she met her husband, Herbie,
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and began a half century of documenting the place she
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was a part of. She earned many awards, including a
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Guggenheim Fellowship and recognition at the Sundance Film Festival. Elizabeth
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was the founding director of the Apple Shop Archive, where
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she dedicated much of her efforts at the end of
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her career. She was perhaps best known for her documentary
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Stranger with a Camera, which chronicled the nineteen sixty seven
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shooting death of Canadian filmmaker Hugh O'Connor by Hobart Eisen,
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a landlord from Jeremiah. As a native of nearby Perry County,
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she used the film to explore the impact of the
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story on the community and on filmmakers from outside the region.
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The family extends heartfelt gratitude to the devoted caregiver, Margaret Rudd,
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and the teams from Village Caregiving and Bluegrass Care Navigators.
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The next story is what is a doula and what
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a new bill could mean for mothers in Electra County.
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A bill moving through the Kentucky General Assembly could change
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how pregnancy and childbirth are supported for families in Electric
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County and elsewhere across the state, including those who rely
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on Medicaid. The legislation, officially known as House Bill for
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seventy one, would require Kentucky Medicaid to cover DULA services,
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a type of non medical birth support that has become
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more common nationwide but remains largely unavailable in rural Appalachia
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because it is not covered by insurance. If passed, the
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bill would not create a new clinic or replace doctors
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or nurses. Instead, it would add another layer of support
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for pregnant women, one focused on education, advocacy, and hands
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on help before during and after birth. Nationwide, twenty three
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states now offer Medicaid coverage for DULA care to improve
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maternal health outcomes. And this concludes the reading of The
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Mountain Eagle. Your reader has been Bill of and Arsenale.
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Now please stay tuned for continued programming on behalf of
28:53
everyone here at Radio I. Thank you for listening and
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have a good day.