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Ashland Daily Independent - 5.6.26 · Eastern Kentucky Newspapers

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Speaker 1: We now turn to The Ashland Independent to bring you
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news from in and around Ashland and Boyd County. Your
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reader today is Jane. We begin with the addition dated
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May fifth, twenty twenty sixth as a reminder Radioizer reading
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service intended for people who are blind or have other
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disabilities that make it difficult to read printed material. Our
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first article Cornhole King to compete at Sandy's Tournament by
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Lee Ward of the Daily Independent. There's royalty among us
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and he will make an appearance this month. Greg Rice,
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also known as the Cornhole King, is planning to compete
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in a cornhole tournament May seventeenth at Sandy's Racing and
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Gaming at Camp Landing. Rice, seventy two, a lifelong Ashland resident,
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spends at least a couple of hours a day playing cornhole.
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I watched it on tea and got hooked on it,
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he said. He even has fans in the neighborhood who
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like to watch as he practices every day. The nineteen
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seventy two graduate of Paul G. Blazer High School did
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not participate in athletics as a student, but has always
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been a sports fan. I know ball scores like nobody else,
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he said. A feather in his cap. He want to
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shootout against Kevin Greevy. In the nineteen seventies, Greevy played
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basketball for the University of Kentucky and went on to
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have a professional basketball career. Not only does Rice claim
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to be the Cornhole King, he also says he's UK's
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number one fan. Besides cornhole and sports, Rice loves hot
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dogs and eats about ten per week. He also likes
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to tell jokes he has learned from his collection of books,
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and he attends Christ's Covenant Baptist Church. In fact, the
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church gave him a plaque honoring his forty plus years
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of attending Sunday school without missing a day. He frequents
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local grocery stores, but mostly to visit with the workers.
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For the tournament, Rice said he's not doing anything special,
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just playing as usual. I'm going to be ready to
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sign autographs because I'm the King of Cornhole, he declared,
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noting he expects to win. Many of his fans will
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be attending, including his aunt, ninety seven year old Evelyn Tussey,
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with whom he lives. He said he doesn't have a
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good luck charm or ritual, but his aunt sits on
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their porch and watches him every day, so it's possible
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she brings good luck. Individuals and businesses have formed teams
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for the tournament, with more than twenty teams committed. Friend
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and helper Kristenstone offered to play with him on a
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two person team, but he rejected her offer, saying I
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want to win. However, he said, if he wins the
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five hundred dollars prize, he has no idea what he
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will do with it. Our next article from Roaring twenties
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to twenty twenties. World War II veteran celebrates one hundred
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and third birthday by James Jewett for The Daily Independent.
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When World War II veteran Virgil Headley was born on
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April nineteenth, nineteen twenty three, Warren G. Harding was US
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President before Headley was four months old. Harding died of
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Vice President Calvin Coolidge became president seventy one years later.
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Another Harding was replaced when US figure skating champion Tanya
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Harding was stripped of her title and banned for life
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by the US Figure Skating Association following the attack of
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skating rival Nancy Kerrigan that Harding's husband helped organize in
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this now over one hundred and three years of life.
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Hedley has been around for all sorts of such crazy incidents,
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historic events in politics, entertainment, sports, pop culture, fads, pandemics,
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and much more. It would be nice if everybody could
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hang out and afternoon with Hedley in the comfortable home
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where he lives with his youngest daughter, Joyce Kirk. In
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the lovely countryside a few miles from the center of
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South Shore, one can learn about simpler times from the past,
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the challenges of being in a war and growing up
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in a very big family. Up until he was about
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one hundred, he would walk about three or four miles
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a day, said Kirk's daughter Amy Russell from dan Layton,
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of her grandfather, who is still in good health. Le's
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been legally blind for eleven years, but said he can
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see a little bit with one eye and can hear
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with hearing aids. The VA Hospital in Huntington provides audio
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books that Headley enjoys listening to. They have been really
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good to him, especially in helping him get things he needs,
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Russell said. She said her grandfather only leaves the house
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to go to church on Sunday and to go to
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doctor's appointments. Him and Mom do get out and do
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walk down the road to get exercise. He uses a
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cane now to walk for stability. Russell said, He's my world,
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the love of Hedley's wife. His wife, Weltha, who went
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by Marie or Eke, died in twenty fifteen after sixty
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six years of marriage. They both grew up in Lincoln County,
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West Virginia, and were married on March twenty first, nineteen
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forty nine. I lived at the foot the hill. She
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was raised up on top of the ridge. Hedley said
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he was a lot older than her, said Russell of
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her beloved grandfather. What do you mean, I was a
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lot older than her? I wasn't but ten years older
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than her. Hedley. Let it be known, Mom always said eleven.
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Kirk lightheartedly replied. Kirk said her father has a great
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sense of humor. Hedley said he met Eke at church.
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He was baptized in icy conditions in a creek in
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January nineteen fifty six, and said faith is very important
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to him. He worked farming and logging in Lincoln County
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before being offered a job in Kentucky. The Hedleys then
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loaded up their belongings and moved to Naples in southeastern
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Greenop County in February nineteen fifty nine, where Hedley worked
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on a farm. Kirk said her mother liked living in Kentucky.
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The couple had four other children, Sheila Hedley, Smith k
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O Hedley, Leonard Hedley, and Ada Fay Hedley. Sheila, ko,
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Leonard and Joyce all attended Wortland High School. Adafay died
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as an infant and Leonard is also deceased. Hedley had
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eight grandchildren, but his granddaughter, Priscilla Hedley, died in twenty
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twenty four. He has ten great grandchildren and seven great
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great grandchildren. Hedley set it's hard outliving your children and grandchildren.
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Hedley grew up on a farm and was one of
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ten siblings. He is also the last one still alive.
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Hedley said when he was fourteen, he was plowing land.
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As a sixteen year old, he cut twelve acres of corn,
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raised tobacco, dug potatoes, and helped his dad work on
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an acre of sugar cane that was used to make molasses.
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His father also delivered mail three days weekly, and when
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Headley turned sixteen, he helped his dad by delivering mail
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on a mule. From grades one through six, Hedley attended
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a one room school with forty eight children. One teacher
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took care of all of them, classes and everything, he said.
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Hedley continued going to school through the eighth grade. In
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March nineteen forty three, Hedley was drafted into the Navy
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and served until December nineteen forty five. He went to Hawaii.
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Of course, he went to school for radar. Hedley said
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of his early days in the Navy, he said the
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Navy was easy compared to the work he was raised
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doing on the farm. Hedley was aboard the U S. S.
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Yorktown for fourteen months and was part of twenty different
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attacks during World War II. He received the Presidential Unit
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Citation along with eight bars, medals, and eight stars. Uncle
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ko Keith was named after Papall's best friend, Keith Ellison.
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They met at the Navy. Russell said. Navy papers at
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Hedley's home show that he boarded the USS Yorktown at
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Pearl Harbor and was aboarded in the Pacific Ocean, the Philippines, Japan,
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and the China Sea. Hedley said eight sailors were killed
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and buried at sea when the USS Yorktown was bombed.
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After Headley moved to Contrucentucky, he would sometimes go north
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to accept good jobs. He worked for Chrysler in Detroit,
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steel mills in Astabula, Ohio, and Fremont, Ohio, and for
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Hines Ketchup in Kenton, Ohio. Kirk said he would come
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back to work in Kentucky if a job ended. Hedley
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also worked in timber, worked for a contractor and for
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the foundry in Huntington before it closed. He worked for
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twenty years in Ashland for Southern States before retiring. Hedley
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has a great memory. He said. He was sixty three
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years and eight months old when he retired. Rick Kitchen
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said Hedley was his supervisor at Southern States. He's just
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been a real good friend of mine. He is like
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a father figure. He taught me a lot about patience.
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In my mind, he's top of the chain. He would say, no,
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I'm not, Kitchen said. In nineteen eighty eight, Hedley bought
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a trailer and he and Eke began spending a lot
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of time in Cannonsville, Florida. We'd stay in the wintertime.
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Headley said. It was about an hour from Orlando. It
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was about dead center of the State, said Kirk. On
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April nineteenth, a huge crowd showed up for Hedley's birthday
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party at Brush Creek Freewheel Baptist Church in South Shore.
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There couldn't be a better place for the celebration for
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the church's former Sunday School teacher and Sunday School superintendent
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since it was almost sixty years to the day that
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he first attended that church. According to Headley, that was
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on April twenty fourth, nineteen sixty six. Next article Arts
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season closes with String Therapy. The Ironton Council for the
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Arts will conclude its twenty twenty five twenty six subscription
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concert series with a performance by String Therapy at three
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pm Sunday in the Ohio University's Southern Bowman Auditorium, replacing
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the Juggernaut jug Band, which had to cancel because of illness.
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The Lancaster, Ohio based band was formed in two thousand
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and one and referred to themselves as a progressive bluegrass
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band in the same vein as their heroes who have
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influenced their sound, including Tony Rice, Sam Bush, Jerry Dugglas,
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Bella Fleck, and New Grass Revival. They also play an
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occasional rock song, such as a Beatles or an Alman
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Brothers band tune. One String Therapy member explained what makes
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bluegrass unique. It's definitely the drive and the timing that
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separates bluegrass from anything. One of the band members said,
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you've got to have good timing or it just falls
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apart because there is no drummer. The mandolin holds the
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back beat or the down beat opposite the base, and
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if the rhythm section isn't locked in, it all just
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kind of falls apart. It's as brutally honest as you
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can get. String Therapy recently opened for the legendary Sam Bush,
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originator of progressive bluegrass music, at the Paramount Art Center,
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and they frequently perform throughout the Tri State. The band
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consists of Ironton area Resins residents Dave Bond guitar voice
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and Josh Klick bass voice. Todd Sam's banjo, Brandon's Shopping
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mandolin voice, and Caleb Powers fiddle round out the band.
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The band is involved with Musicians Against Childhood Cancer, which
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is a charity for Saint Jude's Children's Research Hospital. The
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band plays at a benefit festival in Columbus each July
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for the charity season, tickets will be honored. Admission is
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fifteen dollars payable at the performance with cash, card or credit.
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Students and children will be admitted free. The twenty twenty
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six twenty seven season of the Ironton Council for the
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Arts will be the annual Free Patriotic Concert featuring the
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Grady Huntington Jazz and Symphonic Band at six thirty pm
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June thirtieth at the Ironton Farmers Market Second Street Pavilion.
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In other news, local Day of Prayer events set, A
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local National Day of Prayer celebration is scheduled for a
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Thursday at eight thirty a m. At the Highlands Museum
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and Discovery Center. The theme is Glorify God in all
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the Nations, seeking Him in all generations. First Chronicles sixteen
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twenty four tell of His glory among the nations, his
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wonderful deeds among all the peoples. The event will feature
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several area speakers representing seven pillars of community influence, military, government, church, education, family,
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media and business. Reverend Steve Melvin Catletsburg Southside Nazarene will
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lead in worship. The Ironton Area Ministerial Association will celebrate
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National Day of Prayer Thursday at the Lawrence County Courthouse
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at noon. The event starts with a meeting on the
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steps for prayer, launch and fellowship will follow. Key points
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of prayer include the following national leaders, government, the Church
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and spiritual awakening, families and future generations, Unity and reconciliation,
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life and freedom, and the world in Military. The theme
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is Glorify God. Moving on First Friday season underway. Visit
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Ashland's first Friday of the season was on Friday, May first,
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and the community showed up in full force and made
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it a night to remember. According to the Visit Ashland
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Facebook page, event amid unseasonably cool weather, music from Willhouse
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filled the streets, great food was everywhere, classic car line
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the avenue, and the energy was exactly what First Friday
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is all about, people coming together and enjoying our city.
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Visit Ashland posted The next First Friday is scheduled for
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the evening of June fifth in downtown. It will feature
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In America two hundred and fifty themed classic car show.
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Local rock band Redefined will provide live music from six
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to nine pm. Recent obituaries George Patrick Acres, eighty of
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Flatwoods William Ray Griffith ninety four, formerly of Olive Hill,
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and Gregory kirk Collier, sixty six of Ashland News. In brief,
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Lawrence County Health Department secures three hundred thousand dollars. The
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Lawrence County, Kentucky Health Department is one of more than
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one hundred organizationsans selected as a recipient of the Kentucky
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Opioid Abatement Grant to implement the Community Project, an initiative
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aimed at preventing substance use among local youth. Attorney General
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Russell Coleman announced the award, totaling two hundred and ninety
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nine thousand, nine hundred and seventy three dollars over two years,
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as part of the state's largest distribution of obioid settlement funds.
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We are incredibly grateful for this investment from the Kentucky
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Obioid Abatement Advisory Commission, said Debbie Miller, public Health director
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at the Lawrence County Health Department. This grant is a
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testament to the strength of our Lawrence County partners and
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our shared commitment to our youth. By launching the Community Project,
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we're coming together to build a foundation of support that
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ensures every child in our county has the opportunity to
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thrive in a safe, drug free environment. The project, according
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to a press release, will bring the Icelandic Prevention model
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to Lawrence County. The Health Department will partner with Iceland's
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Planet Youth to develop and refine prevention strategies tailored to
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Lawrence County. The release stated, the model addresses gaps in
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services using a data driven, community based approach to identify
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and implement solutions. The project will focus on prevention of
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first time substance use among youth by strengthening community wide
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protective factors and bolstering recreational programs for students. According to
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the release, in Your View a powerful example of loving
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your neighbor. Last Thursday evening, after the mission had closed,
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Casey and Melissa were outside when they noticed a young
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man who had been sitting at a picnic table suddenly
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stand up and immediately fall without hesitation. They went to help,
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unsure of what was happening. Thankfully, he was experiencing balance
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issues and was not seriously injured. As they spoke with him,
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they discovered he was a young man who had been
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reported missing from Flat Woods. He had sebrol palsy as
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a child and requires daily care. He had wandered away
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from home and had been staying in the woods near
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the mall. He shared that he came to the mission
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because he felt safe there. He had previously received dental
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services and remembered the care he experienced. Casey quickly formed
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a connection with him. When police and emess arrived and
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it was time to go to the hospital, the young
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man specifically asked if Casey would go with him. Melissa
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drove Casey, who stayed by his side until his parents
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and family arrived. There are a couple of powerful reminders
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in this story. First, we often say that how a
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person feels after receiving services matters more than the services themselves. Second,
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loving your neighbor is the foundation that guides everything we do.
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If this young man hadn't felt safe and cared for
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during his previous visit for dental services, he may not
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have come to the mission that night. If we weren't
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committed to loving our neighbor, it would have been easy
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to overlook someone sitting outside for after hours. So thank
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you to our dental team, our front desk staff, and
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everyone who works every day to make each person feel
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valued and cared for. A special thank you goes to
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Casey and Melissa for truly living out that mission. Moments
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like this remind us that the impact you make every
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day is real. We may not always see it so
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clearly that it is happening and it matters. Next, Rowan
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man sentenced to life for double homicide. A Rowan County
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man was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty
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to the stabbing desks of a woman and her teenage
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daughter inside their residence. According to multiple media outlets, Joshua Cottreil,
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forty four, admitted to the double homicide of Caleb Blake,
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thirty seven, and Kennedy McCarter, thirteen in Morehead. The crimes
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occurred on September nineteenth, twenty twenty five, when the Rwan
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County Sheriff's Office discovered two deceased victims at a South
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Spring Street home upon conducting a welfare check. According to
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Kentucky State Police, evidence indicated Cottreil had moved their bodies.
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Authorities eventually found Cottreil at a Paducah hospital, where KSP
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said he had blood on his clothes. Cottrell initially pleaded
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not guilty to killing his girlfriend Blake and her daughter.
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He changed his plea recently, according to reports, Circuit Court
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Judge Elizabeth Davis sentenced Cottrell to two life terms. There
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is no possibility of parole. He was also sentenced to
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five years for tampering with physical evidence. According to court records,
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Cottrell has a violent criminal history. He was convicted of
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the murder of Richie Phillips of Reineyville in two thousand
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and three. Court records show Cottrell put Phillips's body in
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a suitcase and threw it into a lake. Charges were
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amended to second degree manslaughter and he was sentenced to
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twenty years for that crime. Conley was a Tomcat for
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the Ages. By Mark Mayard for the Daily Independent, Herb
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Conley was a kind of man communities are built on
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and sustained by. Tough, faithful, loyal, and unwavering in his convictions.
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He was in every sense a man's man, but also
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a steady friend, a devoted husband, and a guiding presence
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to generations who needed one. And in Ashland he will
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forever stand as a Tomcat for the Ages. His passing
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Tuesday Night leaves a void that soon won't won't soon
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be filled. It is a sad day for Tomcats everywhere,
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but for Conly it was also a day of fulfillment.
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He lived with a deep and abiding faith in Jesus Christ,
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one he didn't keep to himself. He shared it often,
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especially with his former players, and in his final chapter
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he embraced that calling even more, becoming, as some would say,
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an overnight evangelist. He stepped into a tternity with what
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he believed was the ultimate victory, holding fast to the
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promise of Second Corinthians five eight. There is comfort to
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in knowing what that moment meant to him. He was
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reunited with Janie, his wife and the love of his life.
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That reunion was something he spoke of in his final days,
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a hope that eased the weight of goodbye. No more pain,
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no more suffering, only peace. Conley's story began in South Ashland,
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where he grew up admiring the great Tomcat teams of
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the nineteen fifties. As a boy, he looked up to
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players whose names echoed through the community, never knowing he
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would one day join and redefine that legacy. When he
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broke onto the varsity roster as a sophomore in nineteen
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fifty six, it was almost unheard of, but once he
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stepped on the field, he never stepped off. That moment
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sparred a three year run that culminated in an undefeated
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nineteen fifty eight season, a feat that stood unmatched for
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more than six decades. He carried that same drive into
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his playing career, beyond high school and later into coaching,
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where his true imprint was made. HERB. Conley didn't just
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coach football, he shaped men. His philosophy was simple and unmistakable,
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get tough. His teams reflected him, physical, relentless, and unyielding.
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When you play against a Nationlan team under Conley, you
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didn't forget it by Monday morning. From his early days
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as an assistant to his tenure as head coach from
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nineteen sixty eight to nineteen seventy six, Conley built a
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program rooted in grit. His teams earned respect across the state,
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highlighted by a runner up finish in nineteen seventy two
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and a championship run in nineteen seventy five. That same year,
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he was named Kentucky's Coach of the Year, a fitting
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recognition for a man whose teams mirrored his identity, but
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His influence didn't stop on the field. Conley stepped away
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from coaching to invest in his family, raising his three
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sons with Janice, whom he often called my inspiration. Even
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in education, first as an assistant principle and later as
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a principal, he carried the same standard. Discipline, accountability, and
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respect weren't optional. They were expected in whether you were
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a student, teacher or player. You understood quickly that he
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meant every word. There was an edge to him, no doubt,
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a certain look, a scrunch of the nose, and you
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knew you were in for it. That beneath that toughness
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was consistency and a desire to bring out the best
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in people, whether they appreciate sheated it in the moment
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or not. This concludes excerpts from recent editions of the
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Ashland Daily Independent. Your reader has been Jane On behalf
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of everyone here at radio. I thank you for listening,
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Keep on listening and have a good day.