Transcript

3.26.26 · The Mountain Eagle

0:01
Speaker 1: Now we turn to the Mountain Eagle to read news
0:04
from Witzburg. Your reader today is Bill an Arsenale. We
0:08
will begin with the addition dated March twenty fifth, twenty
0:12
twenty six, which the publishers have donated to Radio Eye
0:16
as a reminder. Radio Eye is a reading service intended
0:19
for people who are blind or have other disabilities that
0:22
make it difficult to read printed material. The first article
0:27
is a new kind of golf takes flight in Jenkins.
0:33
In golf there are links courses, parkland courses, and desert courses,
0:38
and of course put putt, but down a muddy trail
0:42
scattered with fallen limestone and sandstone from an old railroad cut.
0:47
A completely different kind of course is taking shape in Jenkins.
0:51
When finished, the Boulder Run disc golf course will wind
0:56
through the woods and climb the side of Pine Mountain
1:00
behind the Little Shepherd Amphitheater at Jenkins. Disc golf is
1:04
similar to traditional golf with one key difference. Instead of
1:08
hitting a ball into a cup, players throw hard plastic
1:12
discs into chain baskets. The discs are like frisbees, but
1:17
they're shaped a little differently, said Addison Williams, who is
1:21
building the Boulder Run Course. While disc golf may sound
1:26
like a modern trend, its roots go back decades. Frisbee
1:30
golf began gaining popularity in the nineteen sixties, evolving from
1:34
a game called tin lid golf played by Canadian school
1:38
children in the nineteen twenties. That pastime grew after Whamo
1:43
introduced the frisbee, turning a simple toy into a nationwide phenomenon.
1:50
The sport took another step forward in nineteen seventy five
1:53
with the opening of the first official disc golf course
1:57
in Oak Grove Park, California. A year later, the Professional
2:01
Disc Golf Association PDGA was formed. Today, the sport includes
2:07
a national tour, with players competing using specialized discs such
2:12
as drivers, mid range discs, and putters. This course probably
2:17
won't be on the national tour, but there are some
2:20
pro players out of Tennessee who are going to come
2:23
and play it and we'll get some publicity. Williams sid
2:27
Unlike traditional golf courses, which require carefully manicured landscapes, disc
2:32
golf can be played anywhere there's enough space for a
2:35
disk to fly. At Jenkins, the terrain will provide a
2:39
natural challenge. The first hole is relatively open, but the
2:44
course quickly climbs into the woods and up the mountain.
2:48
It's through the woods, but there are walking paths through there.
2:51
Williams sid discs fly straight though. Williams expects the main
2:57
eighteen hole course to play to a par of fifty,
3:01
meaning a skilled player would need fifty nine throws to
3:04
complete the round. That's a mix, he said. Some holes
3:08
are pretty long. Additional layouts will also be available for beginners.
3:15
Like traditional golf, disc golf uses a scoring system where
3:18
lower scores are better and players can compete using handicaps. Williams,
3:24
a Jenkins native, operates an online business, Variety Disc Golf,
3:30
selling discs, baskets, and equipment. He also runs a YouTube
3:34
channel of the same name, where he reviews gear and
3:38
demonstrates throws on local courses and fields. Boulder Run will
3:43
sit across the valley from Raven Rock Golf Course, one
3:46
of Kentucky's top rated public courses, offering a new kind
3:50
of challenge for outdoor enthusiasts in Letcher County. The next
3:55
story is superintendent stepping down after eight years. Lecher County
4:01
Schools will have a new superintendent this fall. Denise Jans,
4:06
who has served in the position for the past eight years,
4:09
announced this week that she will retire at the end
4:13
of June after thirty three years in the district. The
4:17
Lecher County Board of Education worked with the Kentucky School
4:19
Boards Association to conduct a search for her replacement. Jance
4:25
is a nineteen eighty nine graduate of Whitesburg High School
4:28
and attended Moorhead State University. She began her career as
4:32
an instructional assistant at West Whitesburg Elementary School in nineteen
4:37
ninety three and landed her first teaching position at Whitesburg
4:41
High School in nineteen ninety four. She later served as
4:45
an English teacher, assistant principal, and eventually principal, becoming the
4:50
last principal at Whitesburg High School before it closed during
4:53
consolidation with Lecher High School and Fleming Neon High School.
4:59
Following consult Nation, Yance became an assistant principal at Leisure
5:03
County Central High School. She was hired as superintendent eight
5:07
years ago after the retirement of Tony Sargent, who has
5:11
since returned to the district and now works in the
5:13
finance department. Yance said she does not have firm plans
5:18
after retirement. I'm going to try to retire, she said.
5:22
I don't know if I'll like retirement or not. I've
5:25
worked since I was fourteen. As superintendent, Yance led the
5:30
district through two major crises, the COVID nineteen pandemic in
5:35
twenty twenty and the devastating flood of twenty twenty two.
5:41
Schools were closed for extended periods during the pandemic, with
5:45
instructions shifting online using hundreds of laptops purchased by the district.
5:50
In twenty twenty two, floodwaters damaged multiple school facilities, displaced
5:56
students and staff, and claimed the lives of two high
6:00
school custodians who were attempting to reach Letter County Central
6:04
High School. During the disaster response, the high school served
6:09
as a relief center and command post, its parking lot
6:13
filled with donated supplies, while the cafeteria housed emergency management
6:18
and FEMA personnel. Teachers, staff and volunteers distributed water and
6:24
other necessities to the community for months. The district continues
6:28
working to recover enrollment losses caused by both events. A
6:32
field of wild flowers planted across from the high school
6:36
honors Clarence and Jewel Sturgel, whose truck was swept from
6:40
a bridge during the flood. Despite those challenges, schools had
6:45
been rebuilt, Attendance is improving, and some students who had
6:49
been home schooled are returning to class rooms. Yaunce said
6:53
she is most proud of the district's students. Our kids
6:58
live up to our expectations, and when we give them
7:01
high expectations, they meet and exceed them, she said. Our
7:05
kids are as bright as any anywhere in the world.
7:09
Although her contract ends in June, Yahnce said she plans
7:13
to remain through September first to help ease the transition
7:17
to a new superintendent. After that, she hopes to spend
7:21
more time traveling and with family. The next headline is
7:26
work on coal plant may cost Kentucky Power customers extra dollars.
7:32
As residents across eastern Kentucky struggle with rising electric bills
7:37
and worry about the next increase, Kentucky Power has asked
7:41
state regulators to approve a nearly two hundred million dollar
7:45
project at a coal fired power plant that helps supply
7:49
electricity to the region. The utility filed an application with
7:54
the Kentucky Public Service Commission PSC earlier this year, seeking
8:00
permission to build a new cooling at the Mitchell Generating
8:03
Station along the Ohio River near Mountsville, West Virginia. The
8:08
plant is one of the largest sources of electricity serving
8:11
Kentucky Power's customers. The project is expected to cost about
8:16
one hundred and ninety one million dollars, with Kentucky Power
8:20
responsible for a roughly half about ninety five point five
8:24
million dollars because it owns a fifty percent share of
8:27
the plant. The other half is owned by Wheeling Power Company,
8:32
another American Electric Power AEP subsidiary. The filing, officially known
8:38
as Case number twenty twenty six one, was in place
8:44
before the Public Service Commission approved a nearly six percent
8:48
rate increase for Kentucky Power's customers in eastern Kentucky, and
8:53
just weeks after the PSC ruled in early January that
8:57
Kentucky Power could continue taking electricity from the Mitchell plant
9:01
beyond twenty twenty eight. In that decision, which resulted in
9:06
an average household rate increase of about two dollars and
9:10
thirty three cents per month, the PSC's three commissioners said
9:14
the aging coal plant remained the least costly option available
9:18
in the near term, but warned that any additional investments
9:22
at the facility would require separate review. The cooling tower proposal,
9:28
now before the PSC represents the first major request for
9:32
new spending at the plant since that ruling. The proposed
9:36
project has already drawn scrutiny from consumer advocates, environmental groups,
9:41
and large industrial power users, who say regulators should closely
9:46
examine whether investing tens of millions of dollars in the
9:50
fifty five year old coal plant is the most economical
9:54
option for ratepayers. The Sierra Club has asked the Commission
9:59
to allow it to intervene in the case, saying it
10:02
wants to ensure the project represents the least cost way
10:05
for Kentucky Power to provide electricity to its customers. In
10:10
its motion, the group said the project would require rate
10:13
payers to fund a major capital investment in a coal
10:16
plant that began operating in nineteen seventy one. The organization
10:21
argued regulators should carefully examine whether cheaper alternatives could meet
10:26
the region's electricity needs. Industrial customers have also asked to
10:31
participate in the case. Kentucky Industrial Utility Customers, a group
10:37
representing some of the state's largest electricity users, including Marathon
10:41
Petroleums Refinery in Catletsburg, has filed a motion to intervene,
10:46
saying the decision could directly affect electric rates from major
10:50
power consumers. At the center of the case is the
10:54
Mitchell Generating Station, a two unit coal plant that has
10:59
long been a key part of Kentucky Power's electricity supply.
11:03
Kentucky Power owns half of the plant, while the other
11:07
half is owned by Wheeling Power. Together, the two units
11:11
have a generating capacity of about one thousand, five hundred
11:14
sixty megawatts, according to Kentucky Power's filing, structural problems have
11:20
developed in the cooling tower that serves Mitchell's unit. Two.
11:25
Engineers discovered cracks and other deterioration in the tower's concrete shell,
11:31
raising concerns that the structure could eventually become unsafe to operate.
11:36
The company began a project to reinforce the tower in
11:39
twenty twenty four, but construction was halted in twenty twenty
11:44
five after workers discovered additional damage that required a broader
11:49
evaluation of possible solutions. Kentucky Power says it examined four options,
11:55
including retiring the generating unit altogether. They ultimately concluded that
12:01
building a new mechanical draft cooling tower and partially demolishing
12:06
the existing one would be the least expensive way to
12:10
keep the plant operating. The utility asks the PSC to
12:14
grant it a Certificate of Public Necessity CSPN to start
12:19
work on building the new cooling tower, saying the project
12:23
is necessary to preserve a significant source of electricity for
12:26
its customers. Kentucky Power relies on its share of Mitchell
12:31
Unit two for about three hundred eight megawatts of generation capacity.
12:37
Without that capacity, the company told regulators it could be
12:40
forced to buy replacement electricity in regional wholesale markets operated
12:46
by PJM Interconnection, the organization that manages the electric grid
12:51
across much of the eastern United States, including Kentucky. Those
12:56
markets have become increasingly volatile in recent years as older
13:00
power plants retire and demand for electricity grows. Without addressing
13:06
the structural issues, the company wrote in its application, continued
13:11
operation of Mitchell Unit two will be at risk. Critics
13:16
of the project say regulators should consider whether additional investments
13:20
may be needed if the plant continues operating for decades.
13:25
In its filing, the Sierra Club noted that aging coal
13:28
plants often require a series of major repairs as they
13:32
grow older. The group argued regulators should examine whether other
13:36
costly upgrades could be needed in the future if the
13:39
Mitchell plant remains in service. Across Appalachia and the broader
13:45
Pjam Electricity region, utilities are grappling with similar decisions about
13:50
aging coal plants that still supply large amounts of electricity
13:55
but increasingly require expensive repairs. Residents in the region, however,
14:01
the central question remains how such investments will affect their
14:05
monthly power bills. Electricity costs already represent a significant burden
14:11
for many households in Electric County and elsewhere in eastern Kentucky,
14:15
where incomes are lower than the national average and many
14:19
homes rely on electric heating during the winter months. While
14:24
the cooling tower project itself is relatively straightforward, the bigger
14:28
fight is about a generation rider referenced in the filing.
14:33
Generation riders allow utilities to recover costs between rate cases,
14:39
reduce regulatory lag, and pass capital investment costs to customers faster.
14:45
Consumer advocates often oppose them because they can increase bills
14:49
incrementally reduce PSC oversight and shift risk to customers. Opposition
14:55
groups may argue that approving the cooling tower while the
14:59
rider is under resolved pre commits customers to paying for
15:02
it later. Kentucky Power is asking the PSC to allow
15:06
it to create a regulatory asset to track the costs,
15:10
or to defer recovery of the costs until later. Those
15:14
costs would then be recovered through a proposed generation rider
15:19
or a future base rate case if that rider is
15:22
not approved. This accounting treatment lets the company begin spending
15:26
money before the PSC decides exactly how customers will pay
15:30
for it. The case could also signal how Kentucky regulators
15:34
approach future investments in aging coal plants. Across the PJAM
15:40
regional power market, utilities are weighing whether to retire decades
15:45
old facilities or spend millions of dollars to keep them operating.
15:50
Decisions in the Michial case may indicate whether the Kentucky
15:53
Public Service Commission is willing to support continued investment in
15:58
older coal plants as a way to maintain reliable power supplies,
16:02
even as those investments placed additional pressure on electric rates
16:07
for many Eastern Kentucky residents. The Mitchell case revives memories
16:11
of Kentucky Power's decision a decade ago to retire coal
16:16
generation at the Big Sandy plant in Louisa and shift
16:19
much of its power supply to the Mitchell plant in
16:22
West Virginia. While regulators agreed at the time that Mitchell
16:26
was the cheaper option, the change eliminated coal jobs and
16:31
tax revenue in the region. Now, as the company asks
16:35
regulators to approve another major investment tied to that same plant,
16:40
customers across the mountains are left to wonder how much
16:43
more they may ultimately be asked to pay to keep
16:46
it running. According to an analysis by Energy Innovation, Policy
16:51
and Technology, the cost of burning coal at the Mitchell
16:55
plant increased by fifty five percent between twenty twenty one
17:00
in twenty twenty four and continues to rise today. The
17:05
next story is Kentucky Power challenges PSC ruling on rate increase.
17:12
Kentucky Power Company is asking state regulators to reconsider parts
17:16
of a recent decision on its proposed rate increase, arguing
17:20
that cuts ordered by the Kentucky Public Service Commission could
17:24
harm the company's financial stability and electric service reliability. In
17:29
a motion for rehearing filed with the PSC. The utility
17:34
challenges several elements of the commission's February order in its
17:37
rate case, which approved a smaller increase than the company
17:41
originally sought. The PSC's ruling resulted in a net increase
17:46
of about fifty two million dollars annually, less than the
17:50
company's initial request, but Kentucky Power says regulators reached that
17:55
figure by disallowing certain costs rather than using other tools
17:59
to reduce customer impacts. The company is asking the Commission
18:04
to revisit five major issues, including tree trimming programs, employee compensation,
18:11
transmission costs, rate case expenses, and how it can recover
18:16
future investments in its power plants. The most significant dispute
18:21
involves vegetation management, the trimming and removal of trees near
18:25
power lines, which the company says is critical to preventing outages.
18:31
In its order, the PSC changed how some of those
18:34
costs are treated, shifting them from long term investments to
18:38
annual operating expenses. Kentucky Power argues that change will force
18:43
it to scale back work and could lead to increased outages.
18:48
The company also warned the decision could result in the
18:51
loss of contractor jobs in Eastern Kentucky tied to that work,
18:55
and leave it unable to recover millions of dollars already
18:58
spent on vegetation management. Kentucky Power is also challenging the
19:03
Commission's decision to disallow certain employee compensation costs, including incentive pay,
19:11
and to deny recovery of some transmission related expenses tied
19:15
to the regional Pjam power grid. The company argues that
19:20
some of these transmission costs are set by federal regulators
19:23
and cannot be reduced by the state Commission. In addition,
19:28
Kentucky Power is seeking clarification on whether it can recover
19:32
future capital investments at the Big Sandy and Mitchell Power
19:36
plants through a new rate mechanism known as a generation rider.
19:41
That issue could be significant as the company continues to
19:45
pursue upgrades and repairs at the Mitchell plant, including a
19:49
proposed cooling power replacement now under review by the PSC.
19:54
In its filing, Kentucky Power said the Commission's order could
19:58
reduce its ability to earn them return on investment regulators
20:02
themselves determined was reasonable and could negatively affect its financial condition.
20:08
The company warned that without changes, it may need to
20:11
file another rate case in the near future. Kentucky Power
20:15
emphasized that it remains aware of the financial challenges facing
20:19
its customers and set it is willing to use accounting
20:22
tools such as deferred tax credits to help offset any
20:27
additional impact on electric bills. If the Commission grants rehearing,
20:32
the PSC will decide in the coming weeks whether to
20:35
grant the request and revisit portions of its earlier decision.
20:40
At stake for Eastern Kentucky customers is whether future electric
20:44
bills rise further, or whether regulators hold the line on
20:49
costs tied to maintaining and upgrading the region's power system.
20:54
The next headline is fiscal court withholds opioid funds over
21:00
US reports. The Leccher Fiscal Court has declined to provide
21:05
additional funding from the National Opioid Settlement to a company
21:09
using electrical stimulation to treat withdrawal symptoms, citing the company's
21:15
failure to file required reports with the state. The court
21:19
last year approved fifty thousand dollars for any tea recovery,
21:23
but the company submitted bills totally about fifty seven thousand
21:26
dollars from the county's share of the settlement fund. According
21:30
to County Treasurer D. J. Fraser, the initial funding was
21:35
approved after Ted Adams of Leccher and merle Caudle of
21:38
Blackie asked the court to help cover treatment costs for
21:42
patients using the net device while the company conducted a
21:46
study seeking approval from the US Food and Drug Administration.
21:51
The company has said treatment costs about five five hundred
21:54
dollars per patient. The fiscal court had indicated it might
21:58
provide an additional fifty thouand thousand dollars if the company
22:01
could demonstrate the device's effectiveness. However, Fraser said the company
22:06
has not filed reports required by the Kentucky Opioid Abatement
22:11
Advisory Commission KOAAC, which oversees use of the funds. This
22:17
opioid money turned out to be more difficult than what
22:19
I originally thought. Fraser said the group from anyt recovery
22:23
was supposed to get online and do their paperwork, and
22:26
they never did. Fraser said the state initially would not
22:30
allow the county to submit its own report until any
22:34
t recovery filed its required documentation. She later learned the
22:39
county is now in compliance, but the company's report still
22:43
has not been received. A recent report by KFF Health
22:47
News also raised questions about any t Recovery's use of
22:52
opioid settlement funds, noting that the company has secured contracts
22:56
totally about one point two million dollars with more than
22:59
a dozen Kentucky counties and cities. Critics say those funds
23:04
could otherwise be used for services such as mental health treatment, housing,
23:08
and transportation. The FDA has cleared the device only for
23:13
treating withdrawal symptoms, not opioid addiction. A company's study found
23:18
that while some users who wore the device for extended
23:21
periods reduced drug use, overall results showed no significant difference
23:27
compared to those receiving a placebo treatment. Magistrates said the
23:31
situation reflects increased scrutiny of opioid settlement spending. It makes
23:36
it really hard for us when people that we've helped
23:39
come back to ask for more money if they've not complied,
23:43
said District five Magistrate Benny McCallum. Caudle and Adams returned
23:47
to the court to request additional funding, saying another treatment
23:51
group is scheduled for April. CALLDL said the group may
23:55
need to cancel if reporting issues are not resolved. Judge
23:59
Executive Terry Adams said the court cannot consider additional funding
24:03
until required reports are filed. It's imperative that they get
24:07
their documents in. Adam said the court did approve other
24:12
opioid settlement expenditures. Magistrates voted five to one to allocate
24:17
fifty thousand dollars to the Hemphill Community Center, pending approval
24:21
from the State Opioid Settlement Coordinator. District three Magistrate deb
24:26
Collier had initially requested one hundred twenty two thousand dollars
24:30
for programs including summer and after school camps and wages
24:35
for people in recovery working at the center's Black Sheet bakery.
24:39
Fraser said most of the proposed uses would likely qualify
24:43
under allowable spending guidelines, though she was unsure whether funds
24:48
could be used for clothing and shoes. Some magistrates raise
24:53
concerns about how the center is being used. I have
24:56
a little bit of concern about it not being used
24:59
as a community center for the community, said District for
25:02
Magistrate Cheddy Smith. Collier said the center operates under a
25:07
non profit designation and provides community based services. The court
25:13
also unanimously approved twenty thousand dollars from the Opioid Fund
25:18
to cover the first month's rent for twenty seven residents
25:21
at Mountain Comprehensive Health Corporations Transitional living apartments on the
25:26
former Wisburg High School campus. The program is intended to
25:30
help individuals leaving rehabilitation transition back to independent living. Magistrates
25:36
said recovery is an ongoing process that requires continued support.
25:43
The next story is Parkway Pharmacy expands into Jenkins, adds
25:48
second pharmacist. Parkway Pharmacy of Whitsburg has expanded into Jenkins
25:54
with a new location downtown and the addition of a
25:57
second pharmacist, strengthening its present in eastern Kentucky's retail pharmacy market.
26:03
The new business, Parkway Pharmacy at Jenkins, is located in
26:08
the former Bogs Pharmacy building at ninety five hundred Highway
26:12
eight oh five and is now open to serve customers
26:15
in Jenkins and surrounding communities. Pharmacist Cassie Rose has joined
26:20
the new location after previously working at Walgreens, giving the
26:24
store two pharmacists on staff. James Eric Hicks also serves
26:29
as pharmacist in Jenkins. The opening marks a direct expansion
26:34
into a market currently served by the national chain Walgreens,
26:38
offering customers a locally owned alternative. According to the company,
26:43
the Jenkins Pharmacy will offer a drive through window, prescription
26:46
transfers by phone, and a range of over the counter
26:50
medications and retail items. In addition to pharmacy services, the
26:54
store carries gift items including candles, cologns, perfumes, and seasonal merchantis.
27:01
Store hours are nine a m. To six p m.
27:03
Monday through Friday, and nine a m. To three p m.
27:06
On Saturdays. The pharmacy is closed Sundays. Parkway Pharmacy operates
27:12
other locations in Whitesburg, Iism and Cumberland, and describes the
27:16
Jenkins store as part of its effort to provide fast,
27:19
friendly service close to home. This concludes the reading of
27:24
The Mountain Eagle. Your reader has been built in Arsenal.
27:28
Now please stay tuned for continued programming on behalf of
27:32
everyone here at Radio I thank you for listening, and
27:35
have a good day.