Latest / Eastern Kentucky Newspapers / Hazard Herald - 8.2.26
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: Now we turn to the reading of the Hazard Herald
- 0:02Speaker 1: for news of Hazard and Perry County Umley townshend. We
- 0:06Speaker 1: begin with the online edition dated July twenty ninth, twenty
- 0:10Speaker 1: twenty six. As a reminder Radioizer reading service intended for
- 0:15Speaker 1: people who are blind or have other disabilities that make
- 0:18Speaker 1: it difficult to read printed material. Six families received keys
- 0:23Speaker 1: a Skyview Estates marks flood recovery progress. Six families received
- 0:28Speaker 1: keys to newly completed homes at Skyview Estates on July
- 0:33Speaker 1: twenty seventh, as state and local leaders gathered reflect on
- 0:37Speaker 1: four years of recovery following the devastating twenty twenty two
- 0:42Speaker 1: Eastern Kentucky floods. Governor Andy Basheer joined community leaders, housing organizations,
- 0:48Speaker 1: and residents at the high Ground Development, where officials commemorated
- 0:53Speaker 1: the lives lost in the disaster and highlighted the post
- 0:57Speaker 1: the partnerships that have helped rebuild houses and communities throughout
- 1:02Speaker 1: the region. Hazard Mayor Donald happy Mobileani recalled the uncertainty
- 1:08Speaker 1: local officials face immediately after the flooding and praised Bashir
- 1:13Speaker 1: and former Senior Adviser Rocky Adkins for maintaining their commitment
- 1:17Speaker 1: to Eastern Kentucky throughout the recovery pretty much four years ago.
- 1:22Speaker 1: Today we faced what I hope is one of the
- 1:24Speaker 1: worst things to ever happen in Eastern Kentucky, said Mobileani.
- 1:28Speaker 1: I was new and my role as mayor, and I
- 1:30Speaker 1: didn't know what to do. Andy and Rocky came down
- 1:33Speaker 1: the next day. We were in shock. We didn't know
- 1:36Speaker 1: how many people we had lost or anything. They looked
- 1:40Speaker 1: at us and they said we would never leave us,
- 1:42Speaker 1: and they haven't. We still have culture shock, we still
- 1:46Speaker 1: have PTSD, kids still worry when it rains at school
- 1:51Speaker 1: and stuff. But he is a man of his word.
- 1:53Speaker 1: He said he wouldn't leave us, and here's proof in
- 1:56Speaker 1: the pudding. Scott mcgrenold's executive director of the Housing Development Alliance,
- 2:03Speaker 1: said the progress made since the disaster has resulted from
- 2:06Speaker 1: cooperation among government agencies, nonprofit organizations, donors, and community partners.
- 2:13Speaker 1: We've had a lot of good days since the disaster,
- 2:16Speaker 1: sediment rentals, and the reason we've had a lot of
- 2:19Speaker 1: good days is because everyone is working together. The city,
- 2:23Speaker 1: the county, the state government, regional organizations like FAI, local
- 2:28Speaker 1: donors to the national donors. Everyone is looking forward to
- 2:32Speaker 1: the same goal, which is making Eastern Kentucky what it was.
- 2:37Speaker 1: So today we're celebrating what happens when I think we
- 2:40Speaker 1: all work together. I want to recognize the HDA staff
- 2:44Speaker 1: for the last four years, it feels like we've been
- 2:47Speaker 1: running ninety miles an hour. Last year, our staff framed
- 2:50Speaker 1: forty eight houses. We're going to try to build even
- 2:53Speaker 1: more in the coming year, Basheer said. The arrival of
- 2:57Speaker 1: six additional families at Skyviews States representative another milestone for
- 3:02Speaker 1: a rebuilding plan that once existed only as an idea.
- 3:07Speaker 1: Today we have six new families moving into Skyview, said Basher.
- 3:12Speaker 1: As you look around, what started as a dream, the
- 3:14Speaker 1: most ambitious rebuilding plan I think in our nation's history,
- 3:18Speaker 1: has now started becoming a reality. Just to look around
- 3:23Speaker 1: at all the houses coming up is amazing, but to
- 3:27Speaker 1: meet the families gives you the emotion of what we're
- 3:30Speaker 1: doing and how right it is. I want to thank everyone,
- 3:33Speaker 1: from Judge Alexander to Mayor Mobilini and the HDA fah
- 3:39Speaker 1: this is how we're supposed to work, not as Democrats
- 3:42Speaker 1: or Republicans, but as human beings. This is one of
- 3:46Speaker 1: the largest investments we have seen in decades in this area,
- 3:50Speaker 1: and you tie that to the Mountain Parkway, you tie
- 3:53Speaker 1: it to new industry. I hope the people of Eastern
- 3:56Speaker 1: Kentucky know that this administration, the Basher administration, is with
- 4:01Speaker 1: them and always will be. The governor said, the development
- 4:05Speaker 1: demonstrates what can be accomplished even after a disaster that
- 4:09Speaker 1: claimed forty five lives and caused widespread destruction across eastern Kentucky.
- 4:16Speaker 1: It is incredible, four years after one of the worst
- 4:19Speaker 1: disasters we've ever seen, to be able to look around
- 4:22Speaker 1: at all the progress and pride said year this started
- 4:26Speaker 1: out as a dream, one that we didn't know was possible.
- 4:30Speaker 1: But as we've come in right after the flood that
- 4:34Speaker 1: came in and took forty five children of God, we
- 4:37Speaker 1: know we had to do something. We had to do
- 4:40Speaker 1: something different. So a dream that started on an apkin
- 4:44Speaker 1: had now become one of the most ambitious rebuils in history,
- 4:48Speaker 1: and we've done it together. It reminds me that even
- 4:52Speaker 1: when we are in the pitch black darkness, God is
- 4:55Speaker 1: still good. There is light. If you look around today,
- 4:59Speaker 1: you see what is possible. But shir also contrasted the
- 5:03Speaker 1: collaborative recovery effort in eastern Kentucky. With the political division
- 5:07Speaker 1: seen at the national level, he said, residents and first
- 5:11Speaker 1: responders demonstrated extraordinary courage and compassion as the floodwaters rose.
- 5:18Speaker 1: This is how it should be, he said. We should
- 5:21Speaker 1: all be working together, and it hasn't been about politics.
- 5:25Speaker 1: You compare that to Washington, d c. Where it seems
- 5:28Speaker 1: you can't go to the bathroom without talking red and blue.
- 5:32Speaker 1: We've been able to recover from something devastating and build
- 5:35Speaker 1: together as Kentuckians. Today, we officially marked the four year
- 5:40Speaker 1: anniversary of the floods of twenty twenty two in July.
- 5:45Speaker 1: Late that year, Kentucky experienced the worst flooding experience of
- 5:49Speaker 1: our lifetime. In the aftermath, we saw the best of Kentuckians.
- 5:55Speaker 1: People using boats, even jet skis, anything that had they
- 5:59Speaker 1: had to make sure their neighbors were safe. First responders
- 6:03Speaker 1: risking their lives for others, helicopters hoisting people to safety,
- 6:07Speaker 1: even though most of these first responders had flooded homes
- 6:11Speaker 1: of their own. Basheer said the region's recovery has been
- 6:16Speaker 1: strengthened by a shared commitment among local and state governments,
- 6:20Speaker 1: nonprofit organizations, and individual residents. This has been a seamless
- 6:26Speaker 1: relationship between local, state and nonprofits. Just people who realize
- 6:32Speaker 1: the goal getting together through the toughest of the problems
- 6:35Speaker 1: and never letting anything else get in the way, said
- 6:38Speaker 1: Basheer during the ceremony. Butshear also announced an additional two
- 6:43Speaker 1: point five million dollar investment to support housing and continued
- 6:47Speaker 1: flood recovery efforts in Eastern Kentucky. He encouraged residents seeking
- 6:52Speaker 1: assistance to begin the process through housing organizations, which connect
- 6:58Speaker 1: the applicants with the Federal Eral Appalachian Housing Enterprises or FG.
- 7:05Speaker 1: We've been spreading the word housing dot org is the
- 7:08Speaker 1: place to go. People need to go there. That's the
- 7:12Speaker 1: first step to connecting to the FACHI folks who take
- 7:17Speaker 1: that burden off you and find what you qualify for.
- 7:20Speaker 1: That's why this week, this is the first time I'm
- 7:23Speaker 1: announcing this. I signed an executive order to invest in
- 7:26Speaker 1: additional two point five million dollars in Eastern Kentucky. The
- 7:31Speaker 1: anniversary observance also followed the releasing of Rising, a documentary
- 7:36Speaker 1: chronicling the historic flooding and the recovery response that led
- 7:41Speaker 1: Team Kentucky alongside local governments, nonprofit organizations, and Eastern Kentucky residents.
- 7:48Speaker 1: The documentary premiere July twenty fourth on Prime Video. A
- 7:54Speaker 1: inaugural free basketball camp owners memory of Stan Begley's Dream
- 8:00Speaker 1: Foundation honored the memory of Charles Carl Stanley stan Begley
- 8:06Speaker 1: by giving young athletes a free day of basketball instruction, activities,
- 8:10Speaker 1: and community fellowship On July twenty fourth at Perry Central
- 8:14Speaker 1: High School. The inaugural Stands Dream Foundation Basketball Camp welcome
- 8:20Speaker 1: children in kindergarten through eighth grade to the schools gymvasium,
- 8:25Speaker 1: where coaches led participants through drills and training sessions focused
- 8:30Speaker 1: on basketball fundamentals. Campers also received free T shirts and
- 8:36Speaker 1: had the opportunity to meet Tom Leats, the voice of
- 8:38Speaker 1: the Wildcats, and former University of Kentucky basketball player Jack
- 8:43Speaker 1: Goose Gibbons. Richard Stidham, executive director of Stan's Dream Foundation,
- 8:48Speaker 1: said the organization grew from an idea developed by Derreck
- 8:52Speaker 1: and Vandy Bowling to establish a nonprofit in Begley's memory.
- 8:58Speaker 1: Derek and Vandy buy had an idea a couple of
- 9:01Speaker 1: years ago about naming a nonprofit after stan Begley, said Stidham.
- 9:08Speaker 1: So I had went to Derek and started to stand
- 9:11Speaker 1: Wooden by Classic over at Buckhorn and it kind of
- 9:15Speaker 1: blossomed into this whole nonprofit if you look at it
- 9:19Speaker 1: from the sky. We know we have a lot of
- 9:21Speaker 1: things to do and a lot of things to process,
- 9:24Speaker 1: but it's going to be built brick by brick. Stidham said.
- 9:28Speaker 1: Organizers wanted to do something for the community and that
- 9:33Speaker 1: kind of idea behind this free basketball camp for kids
- 9:37Speaker 1: took place. We're bringing in Jack Goose Gibbons and Tom
- 9:41Speaker 1: Leach and these kids will get to meet them later.
- 9:44Speaker 1: This is kind of our first big open thing to
- 9:46Speaker 1: the public, this basketball camp. Organizers anticipating several dozen students
- 9:53Speaker 1: would appear throughout the day those students, Stidham said, the
- 9:57Speaker 1: foundation could have considered the event successful regardless of the
- 10:01Speaker 1: number who attended. The turnout has been great. Sidham said,
- 10:05Speaker 1: we had a few with the older group and have
- 10:08Speaker 1: a fewer younger kids as well, and they're still rolling in.
- 10:12Speaker 1: We were going to be satisfied if just one kid
- 10:14Speaker 1: showed up, but we think we will roughly get thirty
- 10:17Speaker 1: to forty kids. Coaches Shannon Black Blank and Andrew Blank
- 10:22Speaker 1: of Buckhorn were among those who volunteered to provide instruction.
- 10:27Speaker 1: Sidham said the camp was designed not only to teach
- 10:29Speaker 1: basketball skills, but also to give participants and opportunity to
- 10:34Speaker 1: form friendships and create lasting memories. We obviously want to
- 10:38Speaker 1: have a little bit of basketball instruction thrown in there,
- 10:41Speaker 1: he said. We have coach Sannon Blank and coach Andrew
- 10:45Speaker 1: Blank from Buckhorn who come in to help us. There
- 10:48Speaker 1: are a few more coaches coming in to help as well.
- 10:52Speaker 1: But the main takeaway from this is we want kids
- 10:55Speaker 1: to have fun, to make a memory they'll have forever,
- 10:58Speaker 1: play with some kids their age, and have a free
- 11:01Speaker 1: opportunity to get out and have fun and meet some
- 11:03Speaker 1: kids they might otherwise not get a chance to meet.
- 11:08Speaker 1: Although the camp mark the foundation's first major public events,
- 11:11Speaker 1: Didham said the organization plans to expand its work and
- 11:16Speaker 1: offer additional programs throughout the year. This is obviously our
- 11:20Speaker 1: inaugural event, said Stidham. We hope it gets bigger and
- 11:24Speaker 1: bigger every year. There will be other events throughout the
- 11:27Speaker 1: year with our nonprofit setting them up. There's a lot
- 11:31Speaker 1: of areas we're going to hope to reach and a
- 11:34Speaker 1: lot of doors we're hoping to open It's going to
- 11:36Speaker 1: take a little time, but as with anything that is
- 11:39Speaker 1: worth having, it takes time to build. We want to
- 11:43Speaker 1: thank everyone who helped put this together, he said. Arh
- 11:47Speaker 1: stepped in and donated free shirts. Appalachian Apparel actually came
- 11:52Speaker 1: up with a design on the shirts. Derek really stepped
- 11:55Speaker 1: in and helped out Logan Smith. There's so many to name.
- 12:00Speaker 1: There's a lot of people who had to come together
- 12:02Speaker 1: to put this together and pull it off. Were so
- 12:05Speaker 1: appreciative of everyone. Team Interns explore local history through Community
- 12:11Speaker 1: Scholars Program. Teenage interns from the Southeast Kentucky African American
- 12:17Speaker 1: Museum and Cultural Center and Vision Hazard recently came together
- 12:22Speaker 1: to research and document the region's history through the Junior
- 12:26Speaker 1: Community Scholars Program. The program was organized by Emily Hudson,
- 12:31Speaker 1: founder of the Southeast Kentucky African American Museum and Cultural Center,
- 12:36Speaker 1: and Helen Williams of Envision Hazard. Participants were required to
- 12:41Speaker 1: compete five components before presenting the results of their work
- 12:45Speaker 1: through individual or group presentations. There are five components to
- 12:50Speaker 1: the program. The first is to do an interview, said Hudson.
- 12:55Speaker 1: Along with that interview, they have to complete an interview
- 12:58Speaker 1: log second, five photos photos that represent the community or
- 13:03Speaker 1: culture and complete a photolog for each photo. The third
- 13:08Speaker 1: is an epigraphic observation and they have to sit and
- 13:12Speaker 1: observe with a form to fill out to help them
- 13:15Speaker 1: to become observant and notice everything about them. The fourth
- 13:19Speaker 1: is interpretation. They can choose one of three things. They
- 13:23Speaker 1: can analyze a photo, analyze an object, or analyze a
- 13:27Speaker 1: primary document. The last one is to complete an exhibit note.
- 13:33Speaker 1: They go to an exhibit or they can look up
- 13:35Speaker 1: and exhibit as a whole or pick a piece of
- 13:38Speaker 1: it and make a comment on that. Hudson said the
- 13:41Speaker 1: program's concluding presentation gives participants an opportunity to share what
- 13:47Speaker 1: they learn while helping preserve the history and culture of
- 13:50Speaker 1: their communities. They also have a final presentation, she said.
- 13:56Speaker 1: They can present individual presentations or group presentations. This is
- 14:01Speaker 1: important and it helps continue the tradition of being the folklorist.
- 14:05Speaker 1: This allows them to become certified community scholars. It's important
- 14:10Speaker 1: to prepare our young generation to become stewards of our history, traditions,
- 14:15Speaker 1: and cultures. There's a lot of bonding that takes place.
- 14:19Speaker 1: They become a part of this community Participants representing Envision
- 14:24Speaker 1: Hazard included brothers Terry and Clinton Davidson, Shelby Moseley, and
- 14:29Speaker 1: Rihanna Odin. Hudson's group included Ava Little Tyrell Kidd, and
- 14:36Speaker 1: Jonas Robinson. Their projects explore topics including the history of
- 14:41Speaker 1: Bobby Davis Memorial Park, the region's railroad history and Gandhi Dancers,
- 14:47Speaker 1: and the Liberty High School Memorial and they perform their
- 14:50Speaker 1: presentations for members of the Berea Appalachian Center on their
- 14:55Speaker 1: biannual tour around the Appalachians region. William said Vision Hazard
- 15:01Speaker 1: was established more than a decade ago as part of
- 15:04Speaker 1: a community led effort to revitalize downtown Hazard. She said
- 15:09Speaker 1: young people participating in the organization's summer internship program have
- 15:14Speaker 1: contributed directly to these efforts. Envision has formed about twelve
- 15:19Speaker 1: years ago when the community decided they wanted to see
- 15:23Speaker 1: a change in downtown Hazard and they wanted to see
- 15:26Speaker 1: some vitalization. She said. We have brought in over fifty
- 15:30Speaker 1: three businesses. Our downtown is looking better than ever. I've
- 15:34Speaker 1: been doing this Summer Internship program for six years now.
- 15:38Speaker 1: They've played a big part in the changes downtown. They're
- 15:42Speaker 1: responsible for trees that have been planted, and they've learned
- 15:45Speaker 1: that the youth can have a voice and make a difference,
- 15:48Speaker 1: to learn what it feels like to give back to
- 15:51Speaker 1: the community. Perry County Schools to upgrade virtual health care technology.
- 15:58Speaker 1: The Perry County Board of Educationation received an update on
- 16:01Speaker 1: technology designed to improve healthcare services for students. During its
- 16:06Speaker 1: meeting on July twenty first, Representatives from Primary Care Centers
- 16:11Speaker 1: of Eastern Kentucky demonstrated new equipment that will be implemented
- 16:15Speaker 1: throughout the school district. The technology will allow school nurses
- 16:19Speaker 1: and medical providers to conduct more thorough virtual examinations, make diagnoses,
- 16:26Speaker 1: and communicate directly with the student's parents. We've been doing
- 16:31Speaker 1: the Edge of Health program in the Perry County school
- 16:34Speaker 1: systems now for about nine years, said Christy Herald, an
- 16:37Speaker 1: Advanced practice registered nurse and family nurse practitioner with primary Care.
- 16:44Speaker 1: What that involves is us having a nurse in each
- 16:46Speaker 1: of the Perry County schools and those nurses can do
- 16:50Speaker 1: laubs such as strip screens, blue screens, COVID swabs at
- 16:54Speaker 1: the school. So if a child goes down to a
- 16:57Speaker 1: school nurse, they make sure they're tree eyes, and they
- 17:01Speaker 1: have paperwork signed from their parents. If we do not
- 17:03Speaker 1: contact the parent, then we do the appropriate labs based
- 17:07Speaker 1: on what the child is complaining to suffer symptoms of.
- 17:12Speaker 1: After the student has been evaluated by the school nurse
- 17:15Speaker 1: and any necessary tests have been performed, the nurse can
- 17:19Speaker 1: contact the primary care provider for a virtual consultation. Once
- 17:24Speaker 1: this is done, they will use this system to alert me,
- 17:27Speaker 1: as the provider at primary care, that there is a
- 17:31Speaker 1: patient there to be seen, she said. We use this
- 17:34Speaker 1: equipment that we demonstrated today to do this virtually. We
- 17:39Speaker 1: can do a complete exam eyes, ears, throat, temperature, heart, skin,
- 17:45Speaker 1: all assessments we can do remotely. The other system we
- 17:49Speaker 1: used has become outdated and this system just lets us
- 17:53Speaker 1: be more efficient with it while also doing a better exam.
- 17:57Speaker 1: Harold said. The updated equipment will also help providers complete
- 18:02Speaker 1: virtual appointments more quickly, reducing the amount of classroom time
- 18:06Speaker 1: students miss. It will also allow parents to participate remotely
- 18:11Speaker 1: in their child's examination. Using this technology, we can make
- 18:16Speaker 1: more efficient and quicker visits so the kids aren't out
- 18:19Speaker 1: of school longer than they need to be, said Harold.
- 18:22Speaker 1: This system will let us connect with parents as well.
- 18:26Speaker 1: We can send them invites to their phone or computers
- 18:29Speaker 1: or even their home phones and they can be part
- 18:31Speaker 1: of the visit and see what we're seeing. The good
- 18:35Speaker 1: for parents is because instead of having to leave work,
- 18:39Speaker 1: they can stay at work and see what's going on
- 18:41Speaker 1: with their child. If the child does not need to
- 18:44Speaker 1: leave school, we've already talked to the parent and called
- 18:47Speaker 1: in the medicine and they don't have to go to
- 18:49Speaker 1: the clinic. Primary Care CEO Barry Martin said the technology
- 18:55Speaker 1: will strengthen the services the organization is able to provide
- 18:59Speaker 1: within the school district. It really does enhance the care,
- 19:03Speaker 1: said Primary Care CEO Barry Martin. It enhances the care
- 19:08Speaker 1: and the solutions. HCTC celebrates re entry Training graduates. Hazard
- 19:14Speaker 1: Community and Technical College announced in the statement and recently
- 19:19Speaker 1: celebrated graduates of its re Entry Training Program, a collaboration
- 19:24Speaker 1: between the college, Kentucky River Regional Jail, and Perry County
- 19:28Speaker 1: Physical Court that helps justice involve learners, develop practical workforce skills,
- 19:35Speaker 1: and prepare for employment and successful reentry graduates attended the
- 19:41Speaker 1: ceremony and were recognized for earning more than twenty combined
- 19:45Speaker 1: certificates in carpentry and related construction fields. The graduates attending
- 19:50Speaker 1: the ceremony, listed alphabetically by last name, included Lee Collins,
- 19:56Speaker 1: Brian David Robertson, Christopher sheff Leppard, Thomas Wesley Stone, Anthony
- 20:04Speaker 1: ray White. This program is about students investing in themselves
- 20:09Speaker 1: in creating a fresh start, said Joshua Kelly, Academic Dean
- 20:13Speaker 1: of Advanced and Professional Technologies. These graduates dedicated their time
- 20:18Speaker 1: and effort to developing new skills and building a better future.
- 20:22Speaker 1: We're proud of their commitment and the accomplishments they're celebrating.
- 20:27Speaker 1: From the opinion page, Rocky two by Russ Cassaday and
- 20:31Speaker 1: what's possibly the worst kept political secret in a while.
- 20:35Speaker 1: Rocky Atkins, a former state representative who served as senior
- 20:38Speaker 1: advisor to Governor Andy Basher until July tenth, has announced
- 20:43Speaker 1: his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for governor. All I
- 20:48Speaker 1: can say is it's going to be interesting. Atkins, a
- 20:51Speaker 1: native of Sandy Hook and Elliott County, is well known
- 20:55Speaker 1: regionally and statewide, especially in recent years as he's traveled
- 20:59Speaker 1: beside and on the behalf of Bashir. Atkins joins Lieutenant
- 21:04Speaker 1: Governor Jacqueline Coleman in the race, and that's where it
- 21:08Speaker 1: all really gets interesting. Atkins has a high profile in
- 21:11Speaker 1: Kentucky politics, serving more than three decades in the Kentucky
- 21:15Speaker 1: House and serving as Minority and Majority leader. His profile
- 21:20Speaker 1: in Eastern Kentucky cannot be underestimated. In fact, in the
- 21:24Speaker 1: twenty nineteen gubernatorial primary, which he ultimately lost to Basher,
- 21:29Speaker 1: he held eastern Kentucky, losing out to the eventual governor
- 21:33Speaker 1: mostly heavily in the West. In his position as senior
- 21:38Speaker 1: adviser to Bashar, Atkins has lost nothing of his profile
- 21:42Speaker 1: and actually has potentially even gained support. However, discounting Coleman's
- 21:48Speaker 1: power could be unwise. While Coleman may not have the
- 21:52Speaker 1: profile Atkins has, she retains influence where it counts in
- 21:56Speaker 1: democratic politics and the Commonwealth, and even more particularly in
- 22:00Speaker 1: Eastern Kentucky, a candidate has to have the support of
- 22:04Speaker 1: teachers and educators. Coleman, a former teacher, coach, and school administrator,
- 22:09Speaker 1: has deep ties to that community, as well as a
- 22:13Speaker 1: reputation for advocating for support of public schools. Coupled with
- 22:19Speaker 1: her experience and connections, it makes her a strong candidate. However,
- 22:24Speaker 1: there's a problem for the Democrats. Kentucky Democrats especially are
- 22:28Speaker 1: really good at tearing themselves apart, and there are already
- 22:32Speaker 1: signs that the twenty twenty seven race could shape up
- 22:35Speaker 1: to be a divisive one. Could this campaign be a
- 22:39Speaker 1: clean one? Sure? Could it also be a knockdown, drag
- 22:43Speaker 1: out fight to the finish? Absolutely, Democrats have to be
- 22:48Speaker 1: looking at both May and November when they're making the choice.
- 22:52Speaker 1: Regardless of which candidate emerges victorious, the winner will be
- 22:56Speaker 1: emerging as the state's minority party candidate. The past twenty years,
- 23:01Speaker 1: the formerly dominant Democratic Party has lost its lead in
- 23:05Speaker 1: voter registration and has seen itself become nearly powerless against
- 23:09Speaker 1: the Republican supermajority in the General Assembly. For all intents
- 23:15Speaker 1: and purposes, the momentumus behind the Republican Party. If a
- 23:19Speaker 1: barroom brawl ensues for the nomination and the party is
- 23:23Speaker 1: ultimately unsuccessful in trying to unite behind one candidate, the
- 23:28Speaker 1: path to victory becomes much clearer for the Republican candidate,
- 23:32Speaker 1: whoever he or she may be, and the probability of
- 23:36Speaker 1: divisive primarya is high. There's no evidence as of yet
- 23:41Speaker 1: that Coleman and Atkins will go for each other's throat.
- 23:44Speaker 1: But the Democratic Party in Kentucky is deeply divided between
- 23:48Speaker 1: its more liberal and more conservative wings. Atkins has already
- 23:53Speaker 1: signaled the softening of his former stances on some issues,
- 23:56Speaker 1: it made him more of a moderate Democrat in the past,
- 24:00Speaker 1: and choosing the place for his candidacy announcement sends a
- 24:04Speaker 1: message as well. Of all the places in the Commonwealth
- 24:07Speaker 1: he could have chosen for his official announcement, Atkins chose
- 24:11Speaker 1: the Burrel, a music venue in Lexington. The Burrel, for
- 24:16Speaker 1: those unfamiliar, is mostly frequented by artists who play country
- 24:20Speaker 1: and other traditional forms of music for a younger and
- 24:24Speaker 1: often more liberal crown. The Burl's target market has a
- 24:29Speaker 1: reputation for being knowledgeable on the issues, but not exactly
- 24:33Speaker 1: willing to go to the polls. Could it be that
- 24:37Speaker 1: Rocky believes he has Eastern Kentucky locked up, but has
- 24:40Speaker 1: trying to cord a traditionally untapped source of votes while
- 24:44Speaker 1: also sending a message that he hasn't forgotten his Appalachian
- 24:47Speaker 1: roots to people for who that's important. However, another question
- 24:52Speaker 1: is whether either Atkins or Coleman can walk the tightrope
- 24:56Speaker 1: and not alienate the liberal and more conservative wingings of
- 24:59Speaker 1: the Democratic Party without absolutely ruining their chances to pull
- 25:04Speaker 1: Republican voters as well. As a candidate, do you push
- 25:08Speaker 1: to get more liberal votes in Lexington and Louisville or
- 25:11Speaker 1: do you hedge your bets for more statewide acceptance. That's
- 25:15Speaker 1: not something the Republican candidates will have to consider. What
- 25:19Speaker 1: they will face, however, is a statewide election next year
- 25:24Speaker 1: of fallout from the One Big Beautiful Bill, which is
- 25:27Speaker 1: slashing benefit programs that impact large swaths of rural electorate.
- 25:33Speaker 1: In some counties, nearly half the population receives Medicaid, which
- 25:38Speaker 1: is being cut back, and if rural hospitals, which are
- 25:41Speaker 1: not only employers but also revenue generators for cash strapped
- 25:45Speaker 1: local governments, begin to close, well, Katie bar the door.
- 25:50Speaker 1: It's certain that the twenty twenty seven will be an
- 25:54Speaker 1: interesting election year in Kentucky. What's a little more uncertain
- 25:58Speaker 1: is whether the citizens of the Commonwealth will be the
- 26:01Speaker 1: ultimate beneficiaries of a robust campaign. Here are the obituaries.
- 26:08Speaker 1: Dennis Allen Adams, fifty one of IPRA, died Monday, July twentieth,
- 26:13Speaker 1: Rodney Colebucket Done sixty six of Ico died Wednesday, July
- 26:18Speaker 1: twenty second. Sandra Eugenia Petrie Blendo, seventy of Hazard died
- 26:26Speaker 1: Tuesday July twenty first. Charles Michael Miller, thirty eight of
- 26:33Speaker 1: Hazard died Saturday, July twenty fifth. Martin Clifton White, sixty
- 26:40Speaker 1: seven of fifteen Mile died Friday July twenty four. Deborah K. Macintosh,
- 26:47Speaker 1: sixty nine of Pound, Virginia, formerly of Perry County, died Tuesday,
- 26:52Speaker 1: July twenty first. The cheer reverses four percent Kentucky Medicaid
- 26:58Speaker 1: provider cuts thanks to an anticipated corporate income tax payment
- 27:02Speaker 1: and revenue surplus. Governor Andy Basheer announced Wednesday that medicaid
- 27:07Speaker 1: providers will not suffer a four percent reimbursement cut after all.
- 27:12Speaker 1: Masher said two hundred and fifty five billion dollars from
- 27:15Speaker 1: the taxes, as well as additional revenue will delay any
- 27:19Speaker 1: cuts to Medicaid reimbursement through this physical year, which ends
- 27:23Speaker 1: at the end next June. This concludes the reading of
- 27:27Speaker 1: the Hazard Herald. Please stay tuned for continuing programming. Thank
- 27:30Speaker 1: you for joining me and on behalf of everyone here
- 27:33Speaker 1: at RADIOI. This is Lee Townsend, wishing you a good day.