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Pike Co. News - 9.28.26 · Eastern Kentucky Newspapers

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Now, we turn to the reading of the Appalachian News
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: Express for news in Pikeville and Pike County. As a reminder,
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Radio Eye is a reading service intended for people who
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  Speaker 1: are blind or have other disabilities that make it difficult
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: to read printed material. The Appalachian News Express is donated
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: to Radio Eye by the publisher. Your reader today is nine.
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: We will begin with the edition dated September 25th through 28th.
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: Our first headline is entitled, Wheeler-Whitaker Presents $ 4 Million for
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: Brakes Park RV Development, a special to the News Express.
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: Senator Philip Wheeler, R. Pagsville, and Representative Mitch Whitaker, R. Fleming-Neon,
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  Speaker 1: recently joined local officials and community leaders at Brakes Interstate
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: Park present a ceremonial check recognizing a $ 4 million investment
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: by the Kentucky General Assembly for the development of a
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: new RV site on Wolf 10 Branch, according to a
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: statement from the Senate Majority Council. Quote, This investment is
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: especially meaningful to me and my family, Wheeler said. My
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: wife is from here, and my late father-in-law grew up
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  Speaker 1: just a stone's throw from the entrance to Briggs Interstate Park.
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: Supporting economic development in Eastern Pike County is truly a
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: labor of love for our family, and I am proud
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: that the General Assembly recognizes the potential this area holds.
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: The Wolfpen Branch project, the statement said, will expand recreational
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: opportunities at Brakes Interstate Park through the development of a
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: new RV site. The investment also builds on the potential
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: of the Wolfpen area, located near the Kentucky-Virginia state line
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: and the new U.S. 460 corridor. Quote, My late father-in-law
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: was also an RV enthusiast, so I know he would
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: have been thrilled to see the General Assembly make this investment,
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: Weor said. This project brings together something he loved and
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: a place that meant so much to him. More importantly,
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: it gives us another opportunity to bring visitors into our region,
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: support local businesses, and create new economic activity in eastern
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: Pike County. Whitaker joined Wheeler in recognizing the importance of
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: continued investment in tourism and recreational opportunities throughout eastern Kentucky. Quote,
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  Speaker 1: Drake's Interstate Park is one of the places that reminds
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: us what makes eastern Kentucky special, said Representative Mitchell Whitaker.
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: This investment will give more families a reason to visit,
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: stay a little longer and experience everything our region has
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: to offer. We have an opportunity to build on our
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: natural resources and the improvements being made in this part
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: of the state, and I am proud to see the
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: General Assembly invest in the future of eastern Kentucky. Wheeler
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: said the investment represents another opportunity to capitalize on infrastructure
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: improvements and the natural resources already present in eastern Pike County. Quote,
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  Speaker 1: We have a tremendous opportunity to build an economy around
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  Speaker 1: the things that make this part of Kentucky unique, Wheeler said.
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  Speaker 1: Drake's Interstate Park is an important part of that future.
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  Speaker 1: I am proud to have worked alongside Representative Whitaker and
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: our colleagues in the General Assembly to secure this funding,
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: and I look forward to seeing the impact this investment
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: has on the park and the surrounding communities for years
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  Speaker 1: to come. The $ 4 million appropriation was enacted as part
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: of House Bill 900 during the 2026 regular season session.
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: Our next headline is entitled, Pike County Public Library Celebrates
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: Five Years of Imagination Library by Olivia Morgan, staff writer.
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: Pike County Public Library celebrated its fifth year of Dolly
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  Speaker 1: Parton's Imagination Library in Pike County on September 22nd. with
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: story time with, quote-unquote, Dolly, cupcakes and free books. According
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: to Pike County Library District Program Coordinator Maggie Salisbury-Justice, September
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: marks the fifth year the county has worked with the
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  Speaker 1: Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, a book-gifting program that mails free
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: books to children's mothers. Quote, It gets books into the
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: hands of kids every single month at no cost to them,
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  Speaker 1: she said. They get them free in the mail with
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  Speaker 1: their name on it. Any child under the age of
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: five with a Pike County address can enroll in the program,
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: Justice said. Justice said that by owning their own books,
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: children develop a deeper love for reading. Quote, we check
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: out books to kids all the time, but there is
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: a real difference between borrowing a book and owning a book,
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: he said. It's there. They have that ownership over It
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: builds a solid foundation for reading books and education. Justice
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: said the enrollment numbers have recently seen a significant increase,
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  Speaker 1: especially after Dolly Parton's death. Quote, we definitely have seen
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: a jump, and it's consistently coming in, she said. We've
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: had the best numbers we've ever had. Lots of people
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: in the community have really tried to help get the
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: word out about the Imagination Library after Dolly's passing, and
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: that's been really awesome. The next headline is entitled, County
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: Libraries Offer a Wide Range of Services Along with Books
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  Speaker 1: by Terry Elman, News Editor. The public library is more
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  Speaker 1: than just a building full of books. Maggie Salisbury-Justice, Program
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: Coordinator for Pike County Libraries, told the Pikeville Rotary Club
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: during a meeting earlier this month. During the meeting, she
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: talked about diverse technological, educational, and community services provided by
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: the library district. The district is comprised of five libraries
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  Speaker 1: located across the country in Belfry, Elkhorn City, Phelps, Pikeville,
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  Speaker 1: and Elkhorn City. Quote, a lot of people still have
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  Speaker 1: an idea of the library that is about 30 years
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  Speaker 1: out of date, Justice said. What comes to mind when
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: you hear the word library? Maybe it's books, finds, quiet
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: reading rooms. you haven't been in a library lately, you
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: might be surprised by how much has changed. You wouldn't
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: be surprised what Little Library Card does. Whatever your thing is,
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: there is something at the library for it. One of
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: the things that we are really proud of is that
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: the library services are not just limited to one location,
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  Speaker 1: you can think of. That matters because a public library
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: only works if people can actually get to it. After COVID,
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  Speaker 1: we learned just how important convenient access could be. Justice
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  Speaker 1: said one of the most important aspects of the Pike
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  Speaker 1: County Library District is the amount of technology services offered
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  Speaker 1: across the county through its five libraries. Quote, the library
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  Speaker 1: offers a place for people who may not have reliable
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  Speaker 1: technology or internet at home, she said. Last year, we
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  Speaker 1: provided over 54,000 individual sessions of public internet or computer use.
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: Every library offers free access to computers, Wi-Fi, and scanning.
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  Speaker 1: Laptops and hotspots are available for checkout. She said the
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  Speaker 1: library also offers printing, copyright, and fax service at minimal charges. Quote,
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  Speaker 1: we are not just providing technology, we're providing access to technology,
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  Speaker 1: Justice said. The library is a technology equalizer. End quote.
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  Speaker 1: She said the library also offers 3D printing and large
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: format printing for posters up to three feet wide on
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: either paper or vinyl. Poster lamination is also available. Quote,
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  Speaker 1: these services have proven particularly helpful for teachers and small
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: businesses and students. Justice said, we offer technology assistance, whether
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  Speaker 1: that be through structured classes or more informal drop-ins for
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: patrons drop-in for help with their phone or email. The
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  Speaker 1: Pike County Libraries also offer a variety of things, including
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  Speaker 1: notary services, meeting spaces, and educational programs. Quote, the library
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  Speaker 1: isn't just a place that the community comes to, she said.
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  Speaker 1: It is also a place that the community can use
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  Speaker 1: to do things. Last year, across our five branches, we
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  Speaker 1: offered more than 2,700 programs with nearly 26,000 people attending.
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  Speaker 1: And when I say programs, I don't need 2,700 versions
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  Speaker 1: of Storytel. End quote. Justice said the library district offers
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: free piano and guitar lessons, step-by-step painting classes, cooking classes,
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  Speaker 1: history programs, book clubs, free portraits with Santa and the
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  Speaker 1: Easter Bunny, exercise programs, free identification walking tours, and STEM
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  Speaker 1: and science programs for kids. Quote, The goal is not
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  Speaker 1: to offer random activities just to have activities, he said.
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  Speaker 1: It is to give people opportunities to learn something new,
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  Speaker 1: to try something they've never tried before, to meet other people,
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  Speaker 1: and sometimes to just have a really good afternoon. She
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  Speaker 1: said each library has summer reading programs that include interactive activities,
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: special events, and incentives. Also, the popular story trail at
• 9:56
  Speaker 1: Bob Amos Park has been expanded with similar trails at
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  Speaker 1: the Grants Branch Park and in Elkhorn City, with plans
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  Speaker 1: to have a story trail in each area of the
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  Speaker 1: county serviced by a library brand. Quote, we aren't just
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  Speaker 1: telling kids, come read a book, Justice said. We are saying,
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  Speaker 1: come see what you can discover, and For those who
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: cannot come to the county's libraries, Justice said the library
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  Speaker 1: has an outreach librarian who takes the show on the
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  Speaker 1: road to nursing homes, elderly care facilities, apartment complexes, daycare centers,
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  Speaker 1: and even correctional facilities. The librarians serve their communities as
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: warming centers, voting locations, and a place to charge phones,
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  Speaker 1: he said. Quote, they are public buildings. They are trusted places,
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  Speaker 1: Justice said. In addition to this, of course, we do
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  Speaker 1: have books. I have talked about everything else the library does,
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  Speaker 1: but I don't want anyone thinking that I have forgotten
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  Speaker 1: about books, end quote. She said that the five branches
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  Speaker 1: that make up Pike County Libraries house more than a
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  Speaker 1: quarter million volumes, including large print books, books in Spanish, children's, teens,
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: and adult books, nonfiction books, and reference books. In addition...
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: Tide County Libraries participate in interlibrary loan services, which means
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: that if a book which is not available in the
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: library in that county, the district can borrow it from
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: a library anywhere else across the nation. Quote, Your library
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: card isn't just a card that lets you borrow books,
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: Justice said. It is essentially the key to a huge
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: collection of resources. Our next headline is entitled Morris. Assault
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: incident at jail being investigated. A News Express staff report.
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: An incident at the Pike County Detention Center resulting in
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: the alleged assault of a federal inmate will be investigated
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: by federal authorities. Quote, there was an incident yesterday, Pike
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: County Jailer Brian Morris said, where some inmates attacked a
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: federal inmate. Quote, policies and procedures in place at the jail,
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  Speaker 1: along with experienced staff, Allow the incident to be controlled quickly,
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: he said. High county detention officers conducted a full sweep
• 12:20
  Speaker 1: of the facility and determined it was safe. The federal
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: inmate required three stitches from a subsequent injury, Morris added.
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: Federal authorities are investigating and, if necessary, assault charges may
• 12:34
  Speaker 1: be brought against the suspects, Morris said. Her next article
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: is entitled, PPD Welcomes New Officers. by Gary Sloan, staff writer. Recently,
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: the Pico Police Department welcomed three new officers to their ranks.
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: Levi McCarty, Nathaniel Dodd, and Cyrus Ramsey graduated from the
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  Speaker 1: Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training, or DOCJT, on August
• 13:03
  Speaker 1: 27th in Richmond, Kentucky. The officers received more than 800
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: hours of recruit-level instruction during 20 weeks at the academy.
• 13:13
  Speaker 1: and now are continuing their training with field training officers,
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  Speaker 1: or FTOs, in Pikeville for an additional 12 weeks of
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: training before going on patrol by themselves. Levi McCarty hails
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: from Ironton, Ohio, and wants to learn as much as
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  Speaker 1: possible from his FTOs during his 12-week field training. Quote,
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  Speaker 1: I guess you can say I'm like a sponge right now,
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: McCarty said. I want to learn, and being out on
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  Speaker 1: the streets with an FTO is so beneficial to that process.
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: During this field training time, we get the benefit of
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: learning from veteran officers on all shifts, McCarty continued. Everything
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  Speaker 1: from writing up reports to talking with victims and suspects,
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  Speaker 1: you just soak it all in, end quote. Nathaniel Dodd
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: is from Pikeville and served in the United States Marine Corps.
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: After his four-year stint in the courts, he began looking
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: at law enforcement as a way to continue to serve. Quote,
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  Speaker 1: Pikeville Police was actually the first place where I came
• 14:17
  Speaker 1: to apply, but at the time they had a tattoo
• 14:19
  Speaker 1: regulation that tattoos could not be visible while in uniform,
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: God said. So I put that on the back burner
• 14:27
  Speaker 1: and went to work at the hospital and started going
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: to nursing school. But eventually I kind of burned out
• 14:33
  Speaker 1: on the nursing side, so I went back to my
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: original dream of being a police officer. and was in
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: the application process for the Virginia State Police when I
• 14:42
  Speaker 1: learned that Pikeville had dropped the tattoo regulation. The very
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: next day after that, I reapplied to Pikeville, and after
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: going through the application process, I was hired, end quote.
• 14:54
  Speaker 1: Cyrus Ramsey is from the Mud Creek community in Floyd County,
• 14:59
  Speaker 1: and actually became interested in a career in law enforcement
• 15:02
  Speaker 1: because of a professor he had while in college. Quote,
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: I have a strong interest in forensic science, so after
• 15:10
  Speaker 1: I got some experience on the patrol side, I'd like
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: to pursue that a little, Ramsey said. I mean, eventually
• 15:17
  Speaker 1: I'd like to get into the investigation side of police work.
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: That kind of goes hand in hand with forensic, but
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: that's a few years down the road, end quote. All
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: three officers look forward to meeting the public during community
• 15:30
  Speaker 1: events that they may be assigned to. Quote, we welcome
• 15:34
  Speaker 1: these new officers to the department. Commissioner of Public Safety
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: Philip Reed said, it's always exciting to have newly graduated
• 15:42
  Speaker 1: officers join our ranks, end quote. Our next article is
• 15:46
  Speaker 1: entitled Lucas and Son Funeral Home Acquires New Hurts by
• 15:51
  Speaker 1: Olivia Morgan, staff writer. Lucas and Son Funeral Home has
• 15:56
  Speaker 1: acquired in 1949 Hackard Henry Hurts to add to its
• 16:01
  Speaker 1: funeral service fleet. According to Tommy Compton, the general manager
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: of Lucas and Son's funeral home, the hearse is an
• 16:09
  Speaker 1: original one of the four produced. Quote, From all of
• 16:13
  Speaker 1: our research, there were only four of those cars ever made.
• 16:17
  Speaker 1: End quote, he said. The hearse is completely original and
• 16:21
  Speaker 1: has undergone no changes, Thompson said. Quote, Nothing has ever
• 16:26
  Speaker 1: been changed, he said. It's the original engine. Nothing has
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: been painted on and everything is just like it was.
• 16:34
  Speaker 1: End quote. Compton in the hearse said that the hearse
• 16:38
  Speaker 1: still has the original owner's manual and has only traveled 46,000 miles.
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: It also features power windows and seats, unlike other vehicles
• 16:49
  Speaker 1: during that time. Compton said that for most of its
• 16:53
  Speaker 1: days in service, the hearse was used by a funeral
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: home in Chicago. He said the last dated oil change
• 17:00
  Speaker 1: was in 1974. after which it was put away in
• 17:03
  Speaker 1: storage until it was purchased by the Lucas and Sons
• 17:07
  Speaker 1: Funeral Home. Thompson then said there are plans to restore
• 17:10
  Speaker 1: the vehicle so it can be used in future funeral
• 17:14
  Speaker 1: service fleets. He said it will need some exterior painting, repolishing,
• 17:19
  Speaker 1: and interior and engine work. Quote, Our plan is to
• 17:24
  Speaker 1: get it restored and keep everything as original as possible,
• 17:28
  Speaker 1: he said. We're going to get it back on the
• 17:31
  Speaker 1: road and in service for family. Of course, it will
• 17:34
  Speaker 1: need a lot of work to get it the way
• 17:36
  Speaker 1: we need it, but our goal is to keep everything
• 17:39
  Speaker 1: as original and untouched as possible, he continued. And it's
• 17:43
  Speaker 1: no extra charge to use it. If we can get
• 17:45
  Speaker 1: it to the cemetery, we're going to take it, end quote.
• 17:49
  Speaker 1: Compton says he believes the community will love the hearse
• 17:53
  Speaker 1: for its nostalgic and unique qualities. Quote, It's unique and
• 17:58
  Speaker 1: not like anything else, he said. They just resonate with people,
• 18:01
  Speaker 1: the old classics do, end quote. Although there is no
• 18:05
  Speaker 1: set time frame for the hearse to be ready at
• 18:07
  Speaker 1: funeral services, Lucas and Son Funeral Home is enthusiastic to
• 18:12
  Speaker 1: use it in the future. Quote, we're really fortunate to
• 18:15
  Speaker 1: have it, and we want to share it with the community,
• 18:18
  Speaker 1: end quote, Thompson said. Our next article is entitled, Breeders'
• 18:23
  Speaker 1: Crown Championships to be held at Red Mile in 2027,
• 18:27
  Speaker 1: a special to the Appalachian Express. Management of Red Mile
• 18:33
  Speaker 1: Racing announced on September 22 that the Breeders' Crown Championships
• 18:38
  Speaker 1: will be held at the Red Mile in Lexington on
• 18:40
  Speaker 1: October 22 and October 23, 2027. The Red Mile is
• 18:46
  Speaker 1: the oldest harness track in the country and the second
• 18:49
  Speaker 1: oldest horse track in the United States. Red Mile President
• 18:54
  Speaker 1: and CEO Joe Costa addressed the members in the audience
• 18:57
  Speaker 1: during the press conference and expressed his appreciation for the
• 19:01
  Speaker 1: dedication to the sport and the commitment from the legislators
• 19:05
  Speaker 1: and the city of Lexington to be able to have
• 19:08
  Speaker 1: this prestigious event in Kentucky. Costa also mentioned that hosting
• 19:13
  Speaker 1: this event is a testament to the quality staff members
• 19:16
  Speaker 1: and venue that have made the Red Mile a national success.
• 19:21
  Speaker 1: And now, From our sports section, Coach's Box, a look
• 19:26
  Speaker 1: at the postseason playoff picture by Rick Bentley. This week,
• 19:31
  Speaker 1: we'll step away from football and focus in on the
• 19:34
  Speaker 1: final days of baseball's regular season. But unlike our other
• 19:38
  Speaker 1: times writing about America's pastime, this time we'll look at
• 19:42
  Speaker 1: the teams battling for either of the final playoff spots
• 19:46
  Speaker 1: or their positioning in the postseason. To me, the most
• 19:50
  Speaker 1: interesting race, if you want to call it that, is
• 19:53
  Speaker 1: in the American West. When play began Thursday, the last
• 19:57
  Speaker 1: one of the season, Houston was tied with Texas for
• 20:01
  Speaker 1: the division crown. They were tied with identical records of
• 20:05
  Speaker 1: 78 wins and 80 losses. There were four games left
• 20:10
  Speaker 1: in the season, and the best two teams in the
• 20:12
  Speaker 1: division were two games below. 500. That means that those
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: teams have to win three of their last four just
• 20:20
  Speaker 1: to break even for the season. If one of them,
• 20:24
  Speaker 1: or both, don't win three of four, they will enter
• 20:27
  Speaker 1: the playoffs with losing records. Clearly, neither of them are
• 20:32
  Speaker 1: getting in as a wildcard team, so they're like mid-majors
• 20:36
  Speaker 1: in college basketball. They're in a one-bid league. They're going
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: to play the playoffs. They'll do it as division champions,
• 20:45
  Speaker 1: or they won't go at all. Now, for the rest
• 20:48
  Speaker 1: of this story. Whichever team wins the division will begin
• 20:52
  Speaker 1: the playoffs next, playing a three-game series. And, regardless of
• 20:58
  Speaker 1: the record of the team they play, will do so
• 21:01
  Speaker 1: at home for the entire series. Houston has the slight advantage.
• 21:07
  Speaker 1: It owns the tiebreaker over Texas, so if they end
• 21:10
  Speaker 1: with identical records, the Astros will advance. Texas has to
• 21:15
  Speaker 1: win the division outright. Yesterday, Houston began its final series
• 21:21
  Speaker 1: of playing four games at the Athletics. The Rangers wrapped
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: up a series at the Mets, and today will begin
• 21:30
  Speaker 1: a three-game set in Minnesota. So they're both on the
• 21:34
  Speaker 1: road to the rest of the way. Elsewhere, the playoff
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: teams are all but settled. In the AL, Tampa Bay
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: is a division winner and has an opening round by.
• 21:48
  Speaker 1: That sounds great, but things haven't worked out great for
• 21:51
  Speaker 1: those teams so far. New York and Boston are both
• 21:55
  Speaker 1: secured in wildcard spots. In the AL Central, we know
• 21:59
  Speaker 1: the White Sox and Cleveland are in. We just aren't
• 22:02
  Speaker 1: sure who the winner and the home team in opening
• 22:06
  Speaker 1: round is. And who will be the wildcard team? In
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: the NL, things aren't quite as established. We know the
• 22:15
  Speaker 1: division winners are the Brewers, the Dodgers, and the Braves,
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: probably in that order. The wildcard teams will probably be,
• 22:23
  Speaker 1: in some order, the Cubs, the Phillies, and the Padres,
• 22:27
  Speaker 1: but those aren't locked up yet and could change. Also,
• 22:31
  Speaker 1: the order might be flipped. One of them will get
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: to host next week as well, but we're not sure
• 22:36
  Speaker 1: who yet. The only other team, as of this writing,
• 22:40
  Speaker 1: not eliminated is Arizona. But the truth is, it would
• 22:44
  Speaker 1: take some level of a miracle for them to pull
• 22:47
  Speaker 1: it out. The Diamondbacks are a loss away from being eliminated,
• 22:51
  Speaker 1: as best I can tell. In other words, they'd have
• 22:55
  Speaker 1: to win out and somebody would have to lose the
• 22:57
  Speaker 1: rest of the way. That counted yesterday, so by the
• 23:02
  Speaker 1: time you read this, it could all be moot. All
• 23:05
  Speaker 1: of this will be solved by Sunday evening. because one
• 23:08
  Speaker 1: of the smart things MLB does is start every game
• 23:12
  Speaker 1: the last day of the season at essentially the same time,
• 23:16
  Speaker 1: all of them between 3.05 and 3.20 Eastern. So, by 6-ish,
• 23:21
  Speaker 1: we should have all the answers, and then the fun begins.
• 23:25
  Speaker 1: It's a great time to be a baseball fan. I
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: enjoy it because after a long season of watching the
• 23:31
  Speaker 1: Reds' owners line their pockets with money, I get to
• 23:34
  Speaker 1: focus on teams who are actually trying to win. On Tuesday,
• 23:38
  Speaker 1: 12 teams will remain. Eight will begin playing for their
• 23:43
  Speaker 1: lives this season. And then we'll be able to enjoy
• 23:46
  Speaker 1: October for real before the season ends and winter and
• 23:50
  Speaker 1: the CBA lockout begins. Our next article is entitled, Ritter
• 23:56
  Speaker 1: Named POW, A Special to the News Express. Scoring five
• 24:02
  Speaker 1: goals in a single soccer game tends to get some attention.
• 24:07
  Speaker 1: That happened for University of Pikeville's Sarah Ritter on Saturday,
• 24:11
  Speaker 1: and as a result, she has been named the AAC
• 24:15
  Speaker 1: Offensive Player of the Week for women's soccer. Ritter is
• 24:19
  Speaker 1: a 5'7 junior forward from Louisville. On Saturday, she recorded
• 24:24
  Speaker 1: all five goals in a 5-1 win over Columbia South
• 24:28
  Speaker 1: Carolina College. For emphasis, if any is needed, she did
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: so on only six shots. Ritter opened the scoring in
• 24:37
  Speaker 1: the 20th minute, finding the back of the net at
• 24:40
  Speaker 1: the 19-minute and 29-second mark to give the Bears an
• 24:45
  Speaker 1: early 1-0 advantage. U-Pike continued to pressure the Columbia defense,
• 24:51
  Speaker 1: and Ritter struck again in the 32nd minute to double
• 24:54
  Speaker 1: the Bears' lead. In the second half, she recorded three
• 24:58
  Speaker 1: goals in a six-minute span, scoring in the 82nd, 84th,
• 25:02
  Speaker 1: and 88th minutes. Ritter now leads the AAC in the
• 25:08
  Speaker 1: following categories. Goals with 8, points with 16, and shots
• 25:14
  Speaker 1: with 33. New Pike is now 4 wins to 3
• 25:18
  Speaker 1: losses on the season, 3-0 in the AAC. University of
• 25:24
  Speaker 1: Pikeville football. Who do they play? Bethel, well, 1 win
• 25:30
  Speaker 1: to 2 losses. At New Pike, 2 wins to 2 losses.
• 25:34
  Speaker 1: Kickoff is on Saturday, September 26th at 3 o'clock p.m.
• 25:39
  Speaker 1: The location is Hillard Howard Field at Hambly Athletic Complex.
• 25:44
  Speaker 1: The coaches are Bethel, Chris Springer, and for UPipe, Corey Fix.
• 25:50
  Speaker 1: This concludes today's reading of the Appalachian News Express. Your
• 25:54
  Speaker 1: reader today has been Naya. Thank you for joining me,
• 25:58
  Speaker 1: and now, please stay tuned for more programming on Radio Eye.