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(Whitesburg) Mountain Eagle - 3.5.26 · Eastern Kentucky Newspapers

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Speaker 1: Now we turn to the Mountain Eagle to read news
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from Whitesburg. Your reader today is Bill an Arsdale. We
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will begin with the addition dated March fourth, twenty twenty six,
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which the publishers have donated to RADIOI as reminder. RADIOI
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is a reading service intended for people who are blind
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or have other disabilities that make it difficult to read
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printed material. The first story is civil rights suit tied
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to ex bailiff settled pre trial. Four years after a
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former inmate filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against former
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court bailiff Ben Fields and the Letter County Sheriff's Department,
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the case has been settled. The case had been scheduled
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to go to trial Tuesday. A jury had arrived at
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the courthouse, but the matter was resolved before jurors were seated.
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Sabrina Atkins sued Fields, then Sheriff Mickey Steins, and East
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Kentucky Correctional Services EKCS in January twenty twenty two, alleging
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that Fields coerced her into having sex in exchange for
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not activating an electronic monitoring device she was required to
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wear as a condition of her bond. At the time,
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Fields was moonlighting for EKCS supervising individuals released on bond
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with electronic monitoring. Atkins alleged that the Sheriff's Department and
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EKCS failed to adequately train Fields regarding sexual harassment and
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appropriate conduct. She further claimed that Steins failed to follow
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departmental policies governing training and outside employment. According to the lawsuit,
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Atkins had fallen behind on monitoring fees when Fields told
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her they could work something out. Fields maintained that Atkins
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initiated the relationship by sending photos and sexually suggestive text messages. However,
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Fields later admitted wrongdoing and pleaded guilty to third degree rape, sodomy,
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and perjury in connection with the case. E KCS settled
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with Atkins last year and is no longer in business.
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Steins is currently charged with the murder of District Judge
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Kevin R. Mullins. The shooting occurred in Mullins's chambers, located
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in the same office suite where Fields admitted taking Atkins
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after hours before the courthouse opened to have sex in
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a restroom. Atkins's attorney, Joe Childers of Lexington, filed a
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writ of habeas corpus in December, seeking to compel Stein's
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to testify at trial. A federal judge denied the motion.
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Steins had sat for a deposition in the civil case
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three days before a security camera recorded here standing up
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from what authorities described as an informal meeting with Judge
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Mullins and shooting him at least eight times. Stein's has
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been incarcerated in Leslie County since the shooting. He retired
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from his position shortly after his arrest. Following his arrest,
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Steins was dismissed as a defendant in the civil case
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in his official capacity, and Sheriff Billy Jones was substituted
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in that role. Before being elected sheriff, Steines served as
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bailiff in Mullins's court, and, like Fields, worked part time
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for EKCS. No evidence has been presented indicating that Steins
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engaged in inappropriate conduct with individuals he supervised. However, the
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timing of his deposition relative to the shooting has prompted
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public speculation about motive. The terms of the settlement were
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not disclosed. Fields has completed his six month jail sentence
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and is currently on probation. The next headline is State
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trooper visitor injured in dog attacks a Kentucky State Police
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trooper investigating a reported dog attack at Dry Fork was
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forced to shoot one of the animals after it also
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attacked him. Authorities said the incident occurred February twelfth in
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the four hundred block of Dry Fork. Kentucky State Police
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Post thirteen in Hazard received a report of an animal
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attack at four thirty seven pm, and Trooper Charlie Moore responded.
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According to police and neighbors, a twenty one year old
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man from Lexington was in Letcher County to attend a
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funeral and was walking along the road when several dogs
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attacked him. His name was not available at press time.
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Matt Gayheart, public affairs officer for Kentucky State Police Post thirteen,
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said the man was transported to whitech Bourg Appalachian Regional
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Hospital for treatment. Neighbours said his injuries were to his
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legs and ankles. When Trooper Moore arrived and began investigating,
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the dogs returned to the area. Gayheart said Moore attempted
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to deter the animals by deploying the electrical arc from
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his taser, but the dogs continued their aggressive behavior. One
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of them latched onto his uniform pant leg and Trooper
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Moore drew and fired his issued service weapon, striking and
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killing one canine. Gayheart said. Neighbours alleged the dogs have
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not been properly fed and have bitten at least two
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other people. Kim Sturgell, who oversees the county's sanitation department
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and serves as Electric County Dog Warden, said she has
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received multiple complaints about the dogs, including one from Moore.
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Following the incident, Stergil said at least two dogs and
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possibly more, remained roaming the neighborhood. The dog Warden has
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set a live trap in an effort to capture a
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smaller dog believed to be part of the group, but
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so far neither animal has been caught. Court records show
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that in twenty fifteen, the woman neighbours identify as the
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dog's owner was sued in small acclaims court after her
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dogs entered a neighbour's yard and attacked his Pomeranian. The
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dog required surgery and two veterinary visits. The court ordered
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her to pay five hundred eighty five dollars and ninety
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nine cents in restitution for veterinary expenses. The next story
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is weather wipes out spring break and lecture schools. Students
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in the Electra County School District will not have a
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spring break this year. After a string of winter weather
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closures forced the school system to miss thirteen days of classes,
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the Electra County Board of Education voted at its February
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meeting to use the entire spring break period as make
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up days. Karen Baker, director of pupil Personnel, told the
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board the district had exhausted its available weather days. The
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district has missed more school this winter than in any
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of the past five years. Baker said the previous high
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was eleven days, not including non traditional instruction days used
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during the COVID nineteen pandemic. Schools in Whitesburg also lost
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instructional days earlier this year because of water outages. Board
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reviews next year's calendars. Board members also reviewed three possible
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school calendars for the twenty twenty six twenty seven school year.
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Under the earliest option, teachers would begin August third and
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students August fifth. The school year would end May twentieth
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for students and May twenty first for staff, and would
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include a full fall break and Thanksgiving break along with
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the usual holidays. A second option would begin August third
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for staff and August sixth for students, with the school
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year ending May eighteenth. That calendar would include a shorter
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fall break, a full Thanksgiving break, President's Day, and other
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customary holidays. The latest starting option would begin August tenth
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for staff and August thirteenth for students. Classes would end
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May twenty fifth for students and May twenty sixth for staff,
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while still including a full fall break and Thanksgiving break.
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Renovations nearing completion. Contractors also reported that renovations to the
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Alternative Education Building in Whitesburg are nearing completion. Zach Duncan
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of Trace Creek Construction said about ninety percent of the
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work has been finished, the buildings moving along. Duncan told
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the board, we've gotten all the mechanical electrical plumbing completed,
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all of the L B T flooring installed, rubber bases installed,
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and all the ceiling grids installed. Final construction work and
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clean up were expected to wrap up soon, though painters
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will return to complete touch up work after the remaining
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construction is finished. The Alternative Education Building serves students who
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have been removed from regular classes for disciplinary reasons or
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who need additional academic support. The former vocational school also
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contains large rooms once used as mechanics bays that now
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serve as practice space for archery, cheerleading, and wrestling. Located
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near the Kentucky River, the building was flooded in twenty
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twenty two. While temporary clean up made the facility usable,
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repairs to flood damage are only now being completed other business.
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In other actions, the board voted to allow Superintendent Denise
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Jaants to take steps to obtain three surplus police vehicles
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for school resource officers. Lecher County School's police chief, Jackie Joseph,
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has applied for Kentucky State Police grant to provide the cruisers,
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which the district would insure and register. The board also
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heard several reports. Amber Stewart, director of Instruction, said classroom
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coaches have been working with teachers at elementary schools to
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strengthen K through five reading and math instruction despite weather disruptions.
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A team from the Kentucky Department of Education also visited
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the district to assist with reading training. Baker reported that
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Lecher Elementary Middle School had the district's highest attendance in
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February at ninety five point one two percent district wide,
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attendants averaged about ninety two percent, though Superintendent Yahns noted
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the figures were skewed because schools were in session only
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five days and held two NTI days. Said the district
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expects to reduce the number of teachers next year because
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of declining enrollment and reductions in federal Title I funding.
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Letcher County Central High School is projected to have twenty
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six teachers next year, down from twenty nine. Student Representative
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Colby Ambergy reported that several winter sports teams are heading
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to regional tournaments, and the Letcher County Central High School
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speech team placed third in nor region and will advance
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to state competition. Ambergie also qualified for the state Student
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Technology Leadership Program competition and recently received a forty thousand
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dollars scholarship. The board also re hired Darryl Hall as
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board attorney and Bridget Begley as board secretary. Board members
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met in closed session to discuss a lawsuit filed by
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the late Roger Hall, who alleged injury from long term
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exposure to asbestos while working at the former Lectra High School.
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And in the next story, Weather Railroad slow progress on
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Roxanna Mill Branch project water lines to the Roxanna Mill
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Branch area have been held up by the weather and
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the railroad and likely won't be completed until late spring.
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Commonly called the Federal Bureau of Prisons Project, because the
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lines are needed to supply water to the proposed federal
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prison there at Roxanna, The lines were still on schedule
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in January, the contractor asked a ninety day extension to
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make up for the time spent waiting for permits from
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the railroad and for the snow and ice to thaw.
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An engineer for the project told the Electra County Water
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and Sewer District that contractors have laid sixteen thousand, five
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hundred feet of eight inch ducto iron pipe, two hundred
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six feet of four inch plastic pipe and see thy
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two hundred feet of four inch ductel iron pipe, and
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has made most of the road bors that need to
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be made for the lines to cross Kentucky five eighty
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eight and other roads. The company was still waiting to
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bore under the railroad. At the regular February meeting of
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the water district Board of Directors that work was planned
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to be done last week. The company completed an agreement
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with a property owner on Judy Branch to drill from
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their land to the opposite side of the Kentucky River.
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The project is seventy six point eight percent complete, but
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ninety two point six percent of the contract time has
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been used. Work is progressing a land purchase for a
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water treatment plant at Ova. That project had been temporarily
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paused after the landowner became concerned that the plant would
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be too close to his home. The district and its
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engineers are now working with the same landowner on finding
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a different site on the same property. Work is also
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expected to begin soon on water lines to a proposed
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autism center to be built by Mountain Comprehensive Health Corporation
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near Dry Fork. That line will also serve nearby areas.
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The district also voted to hire Vanguard Utility Services the
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low Bidder to install water meters damaged by floods in
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twenty twenty two, twenty twenty three, and twenty twenty four
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in Loggy Hollow. In the next headline, girl fourteen hurt
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after dirt bike hits her in Fleming. A fourteen year
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old girl was flown out for medical treatment after being
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hit by a motorcycle in Fleming, Neon Kentucky State Police
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were called to the three hundred block of Kentucky three
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forty three in the Fleming section of town about six
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forty six p m. On February twenty eighth. The call
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was originally dispatched as a female being ejected from four wheeler,
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but that original call was not correct. The girl was
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apparently walking across the road when she was struck by
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a dirt bike being ridden on the highway. The dirt
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bike was being operated by a juvenile boy. Police said
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dirt bikes are not legal to ride on public roads
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unless they are street and trail motorcycles with working headlights,
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tail lights, stop lights, turn signals, mirror and a muffler
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and are licensed operator under twenty one or with lerner's permit,
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must wear a helmet. Trooper Matt Gayhart, spokesman for Kentucky
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State Police Post thirteen in Hazard, said the girl was
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flown out by helicopter due to critical injuries suffered in
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the incident. Trooper Charlie Moore is in charge of the investigation.
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The next story is Marker recognizes Italian Stonemasons. Part of
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Lectra County's melting pot is high highlighted on a sign
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just installed in front of the Graham Memorial Presbyterian Church
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in Whitesburg. The sign highlights construction of the church by
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Italian Stonemasons who moved to America to work for the
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railroad and coal companies. It also recounts the placement of
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a stone shaped like a boot in commemoration of their
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home land, and how that stone was split into pieces
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during World War II. The sign was created as a
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result of family research by John Ranieri, a descendant of
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one of the early Stonemasons, who happened to see a
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college thesis written by Justine Richardson, formerly of Whitesburg. Mountain
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Eagle reporter Sam Adams wrote the text and the sign
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was designed by graphic artist Claudia Ergot of New Jersey.
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Ergot's family name is Codispatti, and they came from the
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same small Italian town as the late August Codispatti, who
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lived here on College Hill. The sign was paid for
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by a grant from the Lectri County Community Foundation and
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private donations. The next story is PSC grant's rate hike.
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In a detailed two hundred twenty five page order issued
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over the weekend, the Kentucky Public Service Commission PSC approved
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a fifty five point zero five million dollar rate increase
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for Kentucky Power Company, cutting more than forty million dollars
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from the utility's original request and modifying a settlement agreement
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reached earlier this year. Kentucky Power had sought a ninety
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five point five to six million dollar increase, or about
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fourteen point nine per cent above current base rates. A
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January settlement between the company and several interveners proposed reducing
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that amount to seventy seven point four million dollars. For
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the average residential cutoustomer using one thousand, two hundred eight
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kilowat hours per month, the five point eight seven percent
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increase will amount to about ten dollars and seventy six
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cents per month in the first year, hiking the bill
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from one hundred eighty three dollars and thirty seven cents
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to one hundred ninety four dollars and thirteen cents. An
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additional point seven six percent increase will take effect next year,
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putting the increase at six point sixty three percent. Many
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Eastern Kentucky residents, however, pay an average monthly base rate
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of about four hundred and fifty dollars. Those customers will
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see their bill increase to four hundred seventy six dollars
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and forty two cents a month before taxes and other
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charges are added in. When those extra charges for a
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fuel adjustment clause, a securitized search charge rider, an environmental
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adjustment clause, and a school tax are added in, their
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total monthly bill will from five hundred forty dollars and
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forty eight cents to five hundred sixty nine dollars and
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seventy eight cents. The next story is Medicaid changes advance
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in Frankfort What residents here should know about it. The
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Kentucky House of Representatives has approved House Bill II, a
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seventy seven page Medicaid overhaul that would require certain adults
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to work, volunteer or attend school at least eighty hours
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per month to maintain coverage, and would mandate eligibility reviews
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every six months. The bill passed the House on February
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twenty eighth by a vote of seventy seven to twenty one.
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Among those voting in favor of it were ninety fourth
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District Representative Mitch Whitaker of Fleming, Neon eighty fourth District
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Representative Chris Fuget of breathatt County, ninety second District Representative
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John Blanton of Saliersville, ninety seventh District Representative Bobby McCool
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of Johnson County, and Chris Feuget of Perry County. All
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Republicans voting against the bill were twenty Democrats, including one
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from Eastern Kentucky ninety fifth District Representative Ashley Tackett Lafferty
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of Prestonsburg. One Republican voted against the bill eighty second
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District Representative Nick Wilson, who represents all of Whitley County
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and a portion of Laurel County. Should the bill become
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law beginning in twenty twenty six, the Cabinet for Health
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and Family Services would be required to conduct semi annual
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eligibility reviews and cross check enrollees against a wide array
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of federal and state databases, including unemployment records, tax records,
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vehicle registrations, corrections data, and national address databases. The legislation
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also means the Cabinet for Health and Family Services would
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no longer allow how Medicaid enrollees to self declare their income, residency,
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and age. In most circumstances, Supporters argue the bill strengthens
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program integrity and accountability. Opponents warn the increased documentation requirements
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could lead to coverage losses for eligible residents, particularly in
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rural and economically distressed regions. Here's what the bill would
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do and what it could mean locally if it passes
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the Senate and is signed into law. An eighty hour
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monthly requirement for some The most talked about section of
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House Bill to would require certain adults covered through Medicaid
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to complete at least eighty hours per month of community engagement.
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That engagement can include paid employment, community service, participation in
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a work program at least halftime, enrollment in school, a
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combination of these activities, or earnings to at least eighty
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hours at Kentucky's minimum wage. The requirement applies to adults
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ages nineteen through sixty four enrolled under Medicaid expansion unless
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they fall into one of several exemption categories eligibility checks.
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Under current practice, most Medicaid recipients renew coverage once a year.
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House Bill two would require the state to conduct eligibility
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redeterminations every six months for certain adults, beginning in mid
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twenty twenty six. That means twice as many renewal notices,
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twice as many paperwork deadlines, and twice as many chances
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for a coverage interruption. In addition, the Cabinet for Health
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and Family Services would be required to check multiple state
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and federal databases when determining eligibility. If conflicting information appears,
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the state could issue an initial finding of ineligibility, which
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the recipient would have to appeal. Another major change in
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House Bill two is the tightening of documentation rules. The
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bill states that the Cabinet may not accept self attestation
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of income, residency, or age, except in limited situations. Self
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attestation could only be used as a last resort for
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certain other eligibility factors. In practical terms, that means many
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applicants and current recipients may need to provide documentation such
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as pay stubs, tax records, lease agreements, utility bills, or
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government issued identification. For people with steady employment and stable housing,
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this may not pose a problem data matching and address checks.
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House Bill two would also require the state to routinely
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check Medicaid recipients against multiple databases, including unemployment insurance records,
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tax records corrections, data change of address databases, and other
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public data systems. If mails sent to a Medicaid beneficiary
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is returned as undeliverable and a valid Kentucky address cannot
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be confirmed within fourteen business days, the Department could move
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to disenroll that individual, subject to federal law, new co
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payments for some adults. House Bill two would also introduce
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limited cost sharing for certain adults on Medicaid whose income
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is above one hundred percent of the federal poverty level.
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Beginning January first, twenty twenty seven, those patients would be
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required to pay an eight dollars copay for non emergency
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use of an emergency room and a thirty five dollars
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copay for an inpatient hospital stay. Beginning October first, twenty
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twenty eight, the cost sharing rules would be expanded to
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include a twenty dollars general copay, a thirty five five
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dollars in patient copay, a one dollar copay for preferred
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prescription drugs, and a five dollar copay for non preferred drugs.
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Total cost sharing would be capped at five percent of
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family income. Primary care, metal health services, substance use disorder treatment,
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federally qualified health centers, and rural health clinics are among
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services exempt from these copays more changes. Not all provisions
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of House Bill two focus on eligibility. The bill also
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strengthens oversight of Medicaid managed care organizations and creates new
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accountability standards. It establishes a Medicaid Managed Care compliance Fund,
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financed by penalties imposed on contractors. Lawmakers state their intent
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that money in this fund support future Medicaid reimbursement rate
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increases if appropriated by the General Assembly. For rural hospitals
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and clinics in eastern Kentucky, many of which rely heavily
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on Medicaid reimbursement, any future rate support could be significant. However,
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no rate increase is automatic. It would require legislative approval.
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House Built two also includes reforms aimed at non emergency
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medical transportation services for residents who must travel long distances
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for a dialysis, specialty care, or behavioral health treatment. Reliable
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transportation is often essential. Whether those changes improve service will
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depend on how they are implemented. House Built too was
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received Monday in the State Senate. It has been assigned
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to the Committee on Committees. This concludes the reading of
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the Mountain Eagle. Your reader has been built in Arsdale. Now,
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please stay tuned for continued programming on behalf of everyone
26:58
here at Radio. I thank you for listening and have
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a good day.