Latest / Eastern Kentucky Newspapers / Hazard Herald - 10.25.26

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Hazard Herald - 10.25.26 · Eastern Kentucky Newspapers

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  Speaker 1: Now we turn to the reading of the Hazard Herald
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  Speaker 1: for news of hazard in Perry County. I'm Lee Townsend.
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  Speaker 1: We begin with the online edition dated October 22, 2026.
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  Speaker 1: As a reminder, Radio Eye is a reading service intended
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  Speaker 1: for people who are blind or have other disabilities that
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  Speaker 1: make it difficult to read printed material. Failed restaurant tax
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  Speaker 1: proceeds remain an escrow account, ultimate destination unknown. While Hazard's
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  Speaker 1: quest to impose a 3% restaurant tax to fund tourism
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  Speaker 1: is over from a legal perspective, one question remains unanswered.
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  Speaker 1: What will happen with the more than $ 1 million the
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  Speaker 1: city collected from the tax it imposed before legally being
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  Speaker 1: allowed to do so? In September, a Kentucky Supreme Court
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  Speaker 1: decision stopped Hazard's quest to override a law that prevented
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  Speaker 1: it from having a restaurant tax. However, Hazard Mayor Donald
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  Speaker 1: Happy Mobolini told the Hazard Herald that the city is
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  Speaker 1: still working to decide how to handle the $ 1. 2 million
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  Speaker 1: in taxes it collected and placed in an escrow account.
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  Speaker 1: If we do have to give it back, we know
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  Speaker 1: where the money came from and we'll do what we
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  Speaker 1: need to do, Mobolini said. The city did not immediately
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  Speaker 1: respond to follow-up questions from the Hazard Herald sent to
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  Speaker 1: City Attorney Denise Davidson regarding topics including the exact amount
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  Speaker 1: collected and any interest collected from the account. Davidson told
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  Speaker 1: the Herald for a story published in the October 14th
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  Speaker 1: edition that she was not aware of a plan to
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  Speaker 1: redistribute the tax money. However, the issue of what to
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  Speaker 1: do with the funds may be complicated by its very nature.
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  Speaker 1: The taxes were collected by the city from restaurants in Hazard, However,
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  Speaker 1: it was ultimately the restaurant's customers who paid the tax.
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  Speaker 1: Tax's history wrapped up in legal filings. Hazard restaurant tax
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  Speaker 1: was a legal issue before it was instituted. The genesis
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  Speaker 1: of the legal issue was 2014 legislation that defined the
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  Speaker 1: cities in the Commonwealth which were authorized to assess a
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  Speaker 1: restaurant tax. Hazard was not one of those. In 2023,
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  Speaker 1: the City of Hazard filed a lawsuit in Franklin Circuit
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  Speaker 1: Court challenging the constitutionality of that law, pointing out that
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  Speaker 1: other cities with similar populations and situations were allowed to
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  Speaker 1: assess a restaurant tax under the 2014 legislation. In May 2024,
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  Speaker 1: the City of Hazard won the first round of the legislation,
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  Speaker 1: when the Franklin Circuit Court issued a ruling that the
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  Speaker 1: 2014 law change was unconstitutional and Hazard was able to
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  Speaker 1: assess a restaurant tax. Also, in May 2024, the Attorney
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  Speaker 1: General's Office appealed the ruling, and just six months later,
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  Speaker 1: the Hazard City Commission voted to institute the tax, effective
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  Speaker 1: January 1, 2025. In October 2025, The Kentucky Court of
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  Speaker 1: Appeals reversed the ruling of the Franklin Circuit Court, prompting
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  Speaker 1: the city and its co-litigants, including the Perry County Fiscal Court,
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  Speaker 1: to take the case to the Kentucky Supreme Court. In
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  Speaker 1: December 2025, in the wake of the Kentucky Court of
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  Speaker 1: Appeals decision, the Hazard City Commission voted to repeal the
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  Speaker 1: attacks effective January 1, 2026. In September of this year,
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  Speaker 1: the Kentucky Supreme Court decision to decline to hear the
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  Speaker 1: case effectively ended Hazard's attempt to legally be allowed to
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  Speaker 1: impose a restaurant tax. Warnings issued before taxes passage. That
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  Speaker 1: the tax would be difficult to unwind once imposed was
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  Speaker 1: not ignored by Attorney General Russell Coleman's office. Records show
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  Speaker 1: that as early as August 2024, the office was concerned
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  Speaker 1: about Hazard's intent to approve the tax without a final
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  Speaker 1: resolution on the legal issue. In a filing, the AG's
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  Speaker 1: office noted Mogollini's statements to the media that the city
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  Speaker 1: intended to go ahead with the tax in asking the
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  Speaker 1: Kentucky Supreme Court of Appeals to prevent the city from
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  Speaker 1: doing so. An immediate risk threatens to undermine the Commonwealth's appeal.
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  Speaker 1: The Circuit Court's judgment lets Hazard levy a tax now,
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  Speaker 1: and its mayor has publicly expressed the desire to do
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  Speaker 1: just that, the Attorney General's office wrote in the motion.
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  Speaker 1: Doing so is a recipe for confusion, given that this
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  Speaker 1: court might reverse the Circuit Court's judgment. In the filing,
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  Speaker 1: the AG's office noted that there were two potential harms
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  Speaker 1: that could result from Hazard being allowed to impose the tax.
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  Speaker 1: Financial reliance harms stemming from Hazard's premature exercise of taxing
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  Speaker 1: authority and the irreparable harm imposed on the Commonwealth by
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  Speaker 1: non-enforcement of a duly enacted law. Coleman's office renewed its
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  Speaker 1: objections in a second motion filed in October 2025 after
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  Speaker 1: the Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the ruling of the
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  Speaker 1: Franklin Circuit Court. Hazard is collecting a restaurant tax in
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  Speaker 1: violation of Kentucky law based on a current circuit judge
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  Speaker 1: order that's been unanimously and forcefully reversed by this court.
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  Speaker 1: The AG's office wrote this in an October 25th motion.
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  Speaker 1: No doubt Hazard hopes to benefit from the delay that
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  Speaker 1: seeking discretionary review will bring. Perhaps Hazard thinks that the
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  Speaker 1: longer it collects the tax, the harder it will be
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  Speaker 1: for the Kentucky Supreme Court to rule against it, given
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  Speaker 1: how difficult it will be to unwind potentially several years
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  Speaker 1: of collecting the tax, the motion continued. Every day that
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  Speaker 1: Hazard relies on the reverse court order is another day
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  Speaker 1: of confusion for restaurants and restaurant-goers in Hazard and another
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  Speaker 1: day of irreparable harm to the Commonwealth and its citizens
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  Speaker 1: stemming from a non-enforcement of a Kentucky statute. Coleman's office
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  Speaker 1: declined to respond to questions about the redistribution of the
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  Speaker 1: collected funds, saying only that the office has pleased the
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  Speaker 1: courts upheld the law. The Kentucky Restaurant Association also declined
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  Speaker 1: to respond to questions regarding what will happen with the
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  Speaker 1: funds collected by the city through the tax. Tourism was
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  Speaker 1: the intended target of tax funds collected. While no one
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  Speaker 1: is able to answer the question of what will now
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  Speaker 1: happen to the money collected, officials have said in the
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  Speaker 1: past that the intent of the tax was to fund tourism.
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  Speaker 1: In a meeting in December 2024, Prior to the tax
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  Speaker 1: going into effect, officials with the City of Hazard and
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  Speaker 1: Perry County held an informational meeting at Hazard City Hall
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  Speaker 1: to discuss the tax. The City of Hazard will basically
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  Speaker 1: just be the ambassadors, Mo Bellini said during the meeting.
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  Speaker 1: The money will not go to the city or to
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  Speaker 1: the county. It will go to tourism. We've been trying
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  Speaker 1: to do this, and we hit every criteria in the
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  Speaker 1: state to qualify for that tax. Our reasoning for enacting
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  Speaker 1: the tax is to make the quality of life better
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  Speaker 1: for the people of Hazard and Perry County. Both Mogollini
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  Speaker 1: and Perry County Judge Executive Scott Alexander pointed out at
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  Speaker 1: the meeting that other cities, including London, Somerset, Pikeville, Jackson, Stanton,
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  Speaker 1: had restaurant taxes. We're doing everything we can to compete
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  Speaker 1: with places like London and Somerset and Pikeville, Alexander said.
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  Speaker 1: They all have the tax, and that's what led us
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  Speaker 1: to looking at doing it. Ultra 4 Racing USA Nationals
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  Speaker 1: bring thousands of off-road enthusiasts to Perry County. Perry County
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  Speaker 1: welcomed thousands of off-road racing enthusiasts from across the country
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  Speaker 1: as the Ultra 4 Racing USA Nationals took center stage
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  Speaker 1: on October 14th through 18th, bringing high-intensity racing, entertainment, and
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  Speaker 1: visitors from more than 35 states to the region for
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  Speaker 1: a multi-day event showcasing the area's growing reputation as a
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  Speaker 1: destination for motorsports and outdoor recreation. The event, organized through
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  Speaker 1: collaboration between Ultra 4 Racing, Leatherwood Off-Road Park, Backroads of Appalachia,
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  Speaker 1: and local and city-county officials, featured several days of activities
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  Speaker 1: beginning with practice runs and continuing with a block party
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  Speaker 1: on Main Street in downtown Hazard on Thursday, October 15th.
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  Speaker 1: The main racing event took place October 17th, followed by
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  Speaker 1: an awards ceremony and a concert featuring a performance by
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  Speaker 1: Halfway to Hazard. According to Hazard Mayor Donald Happy Mobolini,
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  Speaker 1: More than 5,000 tickets were sold for the event, drawing
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  Speaker 1: participants and spectators from more than 35 states to Perry County.
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  Speaker 1: Matthew Roberts, co-owner of Leatherwood Off-Road Park alongside his father,
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  Speaker 1: Terry Roberts, said the opportunity to bring an event of
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  Speaker 1: this magnitude to Perry County began taking shape more than
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  Speaker 1: a year ago through conversations involving Backroads of Appalachia and
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  Speaker 1: Ultra 4 Racing. This really started with Eric Hubbard with
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  Speaker 1: Backroads of Appalachia, said Matthew Roberts. He's known from Dave
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  Speaker 1: Cole and what he did with Ultra 4 long before
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  Speaker 1: we did And a little over a year ago, he
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  Speaker 1: had brought this idea to Dave, and Dave came out
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  Speaker 1: here to Kentucky to see what kind of land we
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  Speaker 1: had to offer. It began to fall into place and
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  Speaker 1: became the perfect fit. Matthew Roberts said the event exceeded
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  Speaker 1: expectations with participation from across the United States and even internationally.
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  Speaker 1: He noted that exposure provided an opportunity to introduce Leatherwood
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  Speaker 1: Off-Road Park and the surrounding region to racing enthusiasts from
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  Speaker 1: areas where the sport already has an established following. This
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  Speaker 1: was a great event with a great turnout, Matthew Roberts said.
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  Speaker 1: Ultra 4 has a great team and we do as well.
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  Speaker 1: It went really well. I think it was a pretty
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  Speaker 1: good billboard for the park with people turning up from
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  Speaker 1: over 30 states to come to the event. We had
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  Speaker 1: people who were here from California, Colorado, Oregon, I believe
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  Speaker 1: a lot of West Coast people. This sport is a
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  Speaker 1: lot bigger out there currently. It was really awesome bringing
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  Speaker 1: them here and showing them what we had to offer.
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  Speaker 1: We also had people from other countries visiting as well.
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  Speaker 1: Beyond the turnout and regional exposure, Matthew Roberts said, the
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  Speaker 1: racing itself offered benefits. Spectators a unique experience with competitors
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  Speaker 1: navigating challenging terrain in heavy modified off-road vehicles and side-by-sides.
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  Speaker 1: Hazard Perry Schools districts receive assessment data. The Kentucky Department
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  Speaker 1: of Education has released assessment results for the 2025-26 school
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  Speaker 1: year with both Hazard Independent Schools and Perry County Schools
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  Speaker 1: showing areas of strong performance and academic growth according to
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  Speaker 1: district officials. Hazard Independent received an overall performance rating of
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  Speaker 1: green at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, while
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  Speaker 1: Perry County received green at the elementary level and yellow
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  Speaker 1: at both the middle and high school levels. Kentucky School
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  Speaker 1: Accountability System uses a color-coded scale ranging from red, representing
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  Speaker 1: the lowest performance level, to blue, representing the highest. Hazard
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  Speaker 1: Independence Superintendent Sandra Combs said she was pleased with the
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  Speaker 1: district's performance across multiple academic areas. I'm extremely proud of
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  Speaker 1: our KSA results achieved by our district, said Combs. Our
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  Speaker 1: general academics are strong across the board, especially in combined
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  Speaker 1: writing and high school. We have steadily improved scores in
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  Speaker 1: social studies and science at HHS. Combs also pointed to
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  Speaker 1: reading and math performance along with gains in graduation and
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  Speaker 1: post-secondary indicators. Reading and math scores are good, which is
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  Speaker 1: shown consistent with ACT SAT scores. Also, the graduation and
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  Speaker 1: post-secondary indicators have shown significant growth. At the elementary and
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  Speaker 1: middle school levels, Combs highlighted the performance of Roy G.
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  Speaker 1: Eversole Elementary and Hazard Middle School as particular points of
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  Speaker 1: pride for the district. Indicators at RGE with a rating
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  Speaker 1: of five in reading and math and HMS with a
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  Speaker 1: rating of four in reading and math gives us an
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  Speaker 1: overall ranking of green. That's a point of pride for
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  Speaker 1: our district, Combs said. These scores reflect hard work, dedication,
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  Speaker 1: and commitment of our students, teachers, administrators, staff, and families.
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  Speaker 1: Combs said the results of this demonstrate what students can
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  Speaker 1: accomplish when expectations or support are combined with cooperation among students, educators,
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  Speaker 1: and families. Our students have demonstrated that we set a
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  Speaker 1: high expectation level, provide the right support, and work together
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  Speaker 1: so that great things can happen, she said. At Hazard,
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  Speaker 1: we believe in our students and the ability to achieve
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  Speaker 1: at high levels. While celebrating the district's results, Combs said
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  Speaker 1: Hazard Independent will continue working toward further improvement. While we're
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  Speaker 1: proud of these results, we'll continue to use this success
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  Speaker 1: as motivation to achieve even higher, she said. We're proud
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  Speaker 1: to be Bulldogs and we're proud of the incredible work
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  Speaker 1: happening in Hazard Independent. Perry County School Superintendent Ken Campbell
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  Speaker 1: also reflected positively that on the district's assessment results, pointing
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  Speaker 1: to continued improvement across several academic indicators. I'm very proud
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  Speaker 1: of the continued success and improvement of Perry County schools
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  Speaker 1: over the last few years, said Campbell. Teachers will take
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  Speaker 1: pride in their profession, and our students' performance on the
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  Speaker 1: state assessment reflects a great deal of hard work on
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  Speaker 1: everyone's behalf. Campbell said the district either improved or maintained
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  Speaker 1: its performance in nearly every measured academic area. As a district,
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  Speaker 1: we have improved or maintained at almost every assessed academic indicator,
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  Speaker 1: he said. Reading, math, social studies, and combined writing scores
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  Speaker 1: improved at the elementary level. At the high school level,
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  Speaker 1: Campbell said, Perry County also recorded improvements in several subject
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  Speaker 1: areas while graduation and post-secondary readiness continued to trend upward.
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  Speaker 1: At the high school level, scores improved in science, social studies,
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  Speaker 1: and combined writing, Campbell said. Our graduation rates and post-secondary
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  Speaker 1: readiness data also show growth. Beyond academics, Campbell said, Perry
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  Speaker 1: County Schools showed an improvement in student responses regarding school
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  Speaker 1: climate and safety. Across all levels, Our school climate and
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  Speaker 1: safety survey results improved. We're very excited about these improvements
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  Speaker 1: and we're always looking for ways to continue to learn
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  Speaker 1: and grow. Luke Glasser was recognized during the Hazard Board
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  Speaker 1: of Education meeting on October 15th for being named one
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  Speaker 1: of nine finalists statewide for Outstanding Teacher Award presented by
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  Speaker 1: the Pritchard Committee for Excellence in Academics and was honored
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  Speaker 1: with a plaque for this recognition. Glasser, who initially joined
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  Speaker 1: Hazard Independent Schools as a temporary substitute teacher, quickly embraced
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  Speaker 1: the Bulldog culture and became an integral part of the
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  Speaker 1: school community, BOE officials said. He continues to serve the
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  Speaker 1: district as both a teacher and vice principal. Perry Mann
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  Speaker 1: indicted on charges linked to alleged online threats. A Perry
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  Speaker 1: County grand jury has indicted a Perry County man on
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  Speaker 1: several charges related to threats he allegedly made against Perry
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  Speaker 1: County officials. According to court documents on October 16th, a
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  Speaker 1: Perry County grand jury indicted Kevin Combs, 40, of Arizona
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  Speaker 1: Lane Hazard on charges of first-degree stalking and third-degree terroristic threatening.
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  Speaker 1: The charges are related to Combs' September 4th arrest at
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  Speaker 1: his residence. According to a warrant taken out by Deputy
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  Speaker 1: Chris Jones on September 3rd, he was made aware of
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  Speaker 1: threats that Combs had made on the Perry County Fiscal
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  Speaker 1: Court's Facebook page against Judge Executive Scott Alexander and Magistrate
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  Speaker 1: Jimmy Lou Spencer. According to the warrant, Combs accused the
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  Speaker 1: officials of corrupt conduct and said that he was ready
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  Speaker 1: to murder all of you sons of bitches. Further, the
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  Speaker 1: warrant said, that by Combs' posts indicated he knew where
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  Speaker 1: Alexander and Spencer lived, Combs has intentionally stalked the victims
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  Speaker 1: and has made explicit and implicit threat with the intent
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  Speaker 1: to place the victims in reasonable fear of death. Combs,
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  Speaker 1: the warrant said, also made comments indicating he was setting
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  Speaker 1: up a sniper's nest and they were all dead men walking.
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  Speaker 1: Perry County Sheriff Joe Engel said the time of the
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  Speaker 1: arrest During a search of Combs' residence, officers found a
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  Speaker 1: ghillie suit and firearms. Combs is also facing charges related
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  Speaker 1: to an incident that allegedly occurred at the Kentucky River
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  Speaker 1: Regional Jail after his initial arrest in September. According to
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  Speaker 1: a citation in that case written by Jones, several hours
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  Speaker 1: after Combs was arrested, Jones went to the KRRJ to
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  Speaker 1: update Combs' charges and asked jail deputies to bring him
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  Speaker 1: out of the cell in which he'd been held. According
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  Speaker 1: to the citation, once outside, Jones informed Combs of the
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  Speaker 1: updated charges, at which time Combs got upset and raised
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  Speaker 1: his voice, clenched his fist, and pointed his finger at
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  Speaker 1: Jones's face. The citation said jail deputies restrained Combs, who
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  Speaker 1: threatened Jones, and used racial slurs, eventually swinging at one
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  Speaker 1: of the jail deputies and grabbing him by the throat.
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  Speaker 1: The citation said Combs threatened one of the deputies, saying,
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  Speaker 1: I'll shoot you in the head. Combs was further charged
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  Speaker 1: with menacing, third-degree terroristic threatening, third-degree assault. Records show the
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  Speaker 1: charges were bound over to the grand jury, but no
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  Speaker 1: indictment has been issued in the case. Pastor of Perry
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  Speaker 1: County Church arrested on child porn charges. A Knott County
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  Speaker 1: man who serves as a pastor of Perry County Church
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  Speaker 1: has been arrested on charges of child pornography. According to
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  Speaker 1: an arrest warrant citation on October 13th, Jared O'Neill Sammons, 48,
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  Speaker 1: of Wiley Fork Road, Liebern, was arrested on 17 counts
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  Speaker 1: of distribution of matter portraying a sexual performance by a
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  Speaker 1: minor under 12 years old. Sammons is a pastor of
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  Speaker 1: Mount Olivet Baptist Church in Cornettsville. Kentucky State Police said
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  Speaker 1: in a statement that Sammons was located, interviewed, and arrested
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  Speaker 1: as a result of an Internet Crimes Against Children investigation.
• 20:53
  Speaker 1: KSP Electronic Crime Branch began the investigation after discovering the
• 20:57
  Speaker 1: suspect uploaded sexually explicit images of juveniles to one of
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  Speaker 1: his social media accounts, the statement said. A search warrant
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  Speaker 1: was issued at Salmon's residence on October 13th. The statement
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  Speaker 1: said an equipment used to facilitate the crime was seized
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  Speaker 1: and taken to KSP's forensic lab for identification. The citation
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  Speaker 1: said that when interviewed, Salmon's admitted to creating AI-generated images
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: and admitted to being the owner of the email associated
• 21:30
  Speaker 1: with the illegal internet content. Salmon's was lodged in the
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: Kentucky River Regional Jail. KSP said in statements that the
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: investigation is ongoing. Lawrence Smith, communications director for the Kentucky
• 21:47
  Speaker 1: Baptist Convention, said the organization is aware of his arrest
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  Speaker 1: and the charges. The KBC takes seriously the physical, spiritual,
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  Speaker 1: and emotional safety of all who attend our affiliated churches,
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  Speaker 1: and this news is deeply troubling, Smith said. As this
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  Speaker 1: case makes its way through the judicial system, we ask
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  Speaker 1: that Kentucky Baptists pray for the church, for all individuals
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  Speaker 1: and families who may be involved, and that justice be served.
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  Speaker 1: Smith said the KBC has not been advised as to
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  Speaker 1: Salmon's current status with Mount Olivet. Kentucky River Regional Jail
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  Speaker 1: distributes free firewood. With colder weather approaching and the rising
• 22:33
  Speaker 1: cost of utilities placing financial strains on local households, the
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  Speaker 1: Kentucky River Regional Jail continued its efforts to assist residents
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  Speaker 1: in need on October 17th, distributing free firewood and hot
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: meals to community members as part of their annual outreach drive.
• 22:51
  Speaker 1: The firewood distribution program established by Perry County Jailer Minor
• 22:55
  Speaker 1: Allen approximately three years ago was created to in response
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  Speaker 1: to requests from citizens and residents struggling to afford adequate
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  Speaker 1: heating for their homes. While the program provides relief to
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: residents struggling with utility costs, Allen said it also serves
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  Speaker 1: individuals and families who lack access to basic utilities stalled together.
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  Speaker 1: Through his position as jailer, Allen said, he hopes to
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  Speaker 1: continue addressing these needs and providing assistance to some of
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  Speaker 1: the community's most vulnerable residents. A Perry County man is
• 23:31
  Speaker 1: facing charges after a Perry County Sheriff's Office said he
• 23:34
  Speaker 1: set fire to two mobile homes and hindered firefighters who responded.
• 23:39
  Speaker 1: According to an arrest citation by Deputy A. Messer on
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  Speaker 1: October 14th, deputies responded to the report of arson at
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  Speaker 1: Deason Park Drive On arrival, Messer wrote, he observed two
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  Speaker 1: mobile homes that were on fire and fire department members
• 23:57
  Speaker 1: attempting to extinguish the blazes. A hazard man has been
• 24:02
  Speaker 1: indicted on charges related to the alleged sexual abuse of
• 24:05
  Speaker 1: a young child. According to court documents on October 16th,
• 24:10
  Speaker 1: a Perry County grand jury indicted Richard Walker, 55, of
• 24:14
  Speaker 1: Highland Avenue, on charges of first-degree sodomy, victim under 12, incest,
• 24:20
  Speaker 1: and first-degree sexual abuse. According to the warrant in the case,
• 24:25
  Speaker 1: taken out by Hazard Police Officer Malcolm Trent in August,
• 24:28
  Speaker 1: HPD was asked by the Department for Community-Based Services to
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: serve paperwork on Walker related to his being left to
• 24:37
  Speaker 1: care for two preschool relatives. From the obituaries, Carolyn Sue Ambergy, 73,
• 24:45
  Speaker 1: of Ico, died Tuesday, October 13th. Peggy Campbell, 85, of Yerkes,
• 24:51
  Speaker 1: died Wednesday, October 14th. Lorraine Harvey Duff, 94, of Hazard,
• 24:57
  Speaker 1: died Saturday, October 10th. Iva Caudill-Lieper, 95, of Viper, died Thursday,
• 25:04
  Speaker 1: October 15th. and lindsay dickie williams seventy one of cornersville
• 25:10
  Speaker 1: died tuesday october thirteenth lance buttons hall seventy eight of
• 25:16
  Speaker 1: feisty died friday october sixteenth from the opinion page no
• 25:21
  Speaker 1: excuse for inaction by jeff vanderback if you're waiting for
• 25:26
  Speaker 1: something to happen between now and the election you may
• 25:29
  Speaker 1: want to find a comfortable chair and your favorite beverage
• 25:33
  Speaker 1: It's that time of season when government manages to accomplish
• 25:36
  Speaker 1: less than normal, which is a remarkable achievement. During election season,
• 25:41
  Speaker 1: democracy seems to take a suspension of productivity. For the
• 25:46
  Speaker 1: next few weeks, some elected officials will be too busy
• 25:49
  Speaker 1: shaking hands and kissing babies to govern. Those seeking reelection
• 25:54
  Speaker 1: may be wishing January would come faster than it will.
• 25:57
  Speaker 1: Those not seeking reelection can't get a damn thing done
• 26:01
  Speaker 1: because the vote's they need for approval are being pushed
• 26:04
  Speaker 1: to the next administration. So we have a bona fide stalemate. Meanwhile, taxpayers,
• 26:11
  Speaker 1: the honest ones, will continue to do their part, and
• 26:14
  Speaker 1: that's paying taxes. During this time when democracy stands still,
• 26:19
  Speaker 1: roads will still have potholes, budgets will still have shortfalls,
• 26:24
  Speaker 1: and working projects will be halted because current officials don't
• 26:27
  Speaker 1: want to make the wrong decision that might hack off
• 26:31
  Speaker 1: a newly elected official and God forbid, hack off the public.
• 26:35
  Speaker 1: Lest we worry there will be another ribbon cutting somewhere
• 26:38
  Speaker 1: touting an accomplishment that's finally coming to fruition. What's most
• 26:44
  Speaker 1: entertaining is watching incumbents certainly discover problems have existed during
• 26:50
  Speaker 1: their term. A deteriorating road or a bridge becomes an emergency.
• 26:55
  Speaker 1: Economic development is now a priority. Transparency is a campaign
• 27:00
  Speaker 1: slogan and the public who have spent the last few
• 27:03
  Speaker 1: years invisible, have become important. The incumbents who are not
• 27:08
  Speaker 1: running well, God bless them, they've served their time and
• 27:13
  Speaker 1: came to the realization that the game of politics in
• 27:16
  Speaker 1: the age of unrestricted and unregulated social media is just
• 27:21
  Speaker 1: too much BS to carry and choose civilian life. This
• 27:26
  Speaker 1: concludes the reading of The Hazard Herald. Please stay tuned
• 27:29
  Speaker 1: for continued programming. Thank you for joining me, and on
• 27:32
  Speaker 1: behalf of everyone here at Radio Eye, this is Lee
• 27:36
  Speaker 1: Townsend wishing you a good day.