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Pike Co. News - 12.15.25 · Eastern Kentucky Newspapers

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Speaker 1: Now we turn to the reading of the Appalachian News
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Express for news in Pikeville and Pike County. As a reminder,
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Radio Eye is a reading service intended for people who
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are blind or of other disabilities that make it difficult
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to read printed material. The Apalachian News Express is donated
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to Radio I by the publisher. Your reader today is
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Darcy macardom. We will begin with the edition dated December
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twelfth through the fifteenth of twenty twenty five. Our first
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article from the front page is Pike BOE accepts two
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resignations by Terry L. May, news editor. Emotions running the
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entire spectrum from happiness, pride and laughter to sadness, nostalgia,
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and tears filled the December ninth Pike County Board of
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Education meeting as resignations for two icons within the district
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were accepted. The meeting began with presentations honoring members of
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the Pike Central High School Marching Band, honoring of the
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Valley Elementary State Corps winners, and the distribution of blue
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and green banners to schools and to the district based
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on recent assessment scores. However, the excitement of those presentations
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was quickly overshadowed as the board moved on to the
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resignations of long term board member Ireland Heavy Blankenship and
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Director of Finance Treasurer Nancy Ratliffe Heavy Blankenship. This is
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my friend Heavy's last meeting, said BOE member doctor Joshua Leonard.
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None of us are happy about it. Not one person
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up here is happy about that, but we understand. I
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want to congratulate him. No one cares about the school
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system and the kids of the district more than Heavy.
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This place will not be the same without you. Blankenship
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has served on the board for eleven years and is
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its longest serving chairman. In recognition of his retirement, the
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board presented him with a rocking chair with a plaque
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reading the Bocking Chairman. In addition to his tenure on
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the board, Blankenship was previously employed by the school district
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for thirty years. Each member of the BOE talked about
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their relationship with Blankenship and their respect for him. He
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was called a friend, a mentor, and a brother. Heavy,
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you set the bar for me not only as a
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board member, but as a friend. Stephanie Lowe said, you
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taught me how to be a board member. I never
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lived up to your standards, and I don't think I
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ever will. THEOE chairman, Duayne Absher, who succeeded Blankenship as
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chairman last year, was overcome with emotions several times during
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the meeting, at some points being unable to speak. There
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are few people you find in life that you care about,
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I mean closely care about, he said. Every board member
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here said it, including me, and I believe it. There
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will never be another board member who cares for the
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school system like you do. Blankenship's time as a board
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member was praised by Superintendent Freddie Bowling and former superintendent
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doctor Reed Adkins, along with several members of the school
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district's staff and audience members. When it came time to
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formally accept Blankenship's resignation, none of the members would make
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the motion, and that task fell on Absure's shoulders. After
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a long pause, fighting back tears and trying to find
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his voice, he made the motion. It was seconded by
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Leonard and unanimously approved. The vacancy left by Blankenship will
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be published. Residents of District one who are interested in
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taking over this position may contact the Central Office for
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board consideration. Nancy Sloane. Sloane's resignation was also met with
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sadness by the b OE. She has been at the
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helm of the district's finances for twenty eight years. Superintendent's
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Bowling and Adkins both attributed the district's current financial stability
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to our decision and guidance. As with Blankenship, their comments,
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along with those of all five board men, were filled
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with praise for the work she has done. I have
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been here since Rio John's administration, Sloane said, so, I
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have been here a long time. It has been a
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pleasure and an honor to serve with boards like you.
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It has not always been easy. I have told every
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superintendent you may not like me, but I am here
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to protect you. Bowling and Atkins both said Sloane has
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developed a reputation across the state as one of the
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best district treasurers in the Commonwealth, and that her expertise
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has been sought out by many other school districts. Sloane
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said she was worried about leaving the district. However, she
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is very happy with Rodney McCoy, who has been tapped
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to fill the office once she leaves on December the
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thirty first, I wanted somebody who spoke Nancy. She joked,
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Nancy is kind of a different language. When McCoy came in,
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he spoke it, and he spoke it well, just with
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a different dialect. Honestly, I couldn't be happier that this
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gentleman is going to be your treasurer. There's a lot
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about the district. He had kids in the school district,
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and his wife is a teacher. He is intelligent, and
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he has asked all the right questions already. Absher joked
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with Sloan about her retirement and talked about always aggravating her.
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I tell her all the time, though she truly is
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the best in the state, he said. She knows how
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much I think of her. She is so fiscally responsible.
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Our next article from the front page is the app
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Act Present Christmas Performances by Terry L. May, News Editor.
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Two Christmas themed plays are currently being presented by each
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of Pike County's theatrical companies. The Appalachian Center for the
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Arts is doing Annie the Musical, and Actor's Collaborative Theater
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is hosting a Bluegrass Christmas carol. Annie the Musical, an
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ensemble of around sixty performers has been cast in the
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apps twenty twenty five stage production of Annie the Musical.
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Shannon Kirkpatrick Daniels, executive director of the APP, is serving
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as a director of the play and said Annie is
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a play the company has been looking at for several years.
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Because of the large number of roles for both children
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and adults, especially during Christmas time, we wanted to be
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able to have as many opportunities for our community as possible,
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she said. In addition to being able to involve more participants,
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Annie truly became a family event for the APP. There
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are several families in the show. Daniels explained. There is
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one family that is three generations, a grandmother, mother, and
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daughter who are all in the show. There are some sisters,
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a sister and brother crewe and a mom, dad, and
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daughter who are all in the show. That is a
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beautiful thing about it. It is just an opportunity for
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families to come together, have an arts experience and bond together.
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She said. This play also fits into the Christmas season. Well,
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everybody knows the story and there is a certain nostalgia
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with Annie. Daniel said. There is a story, one theme
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of hope and wonderment through a child's eye and eternal optimism.
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There are hard times all around, but that optimism brings
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a certain amount of joy. Daniels was not the only
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one captivated by the idea of producing Annie. The App's
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traditional performers, along with many from the community, answered the
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casting call. We knew we were at a point where
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there were enough people in our community interested in participating
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because it is a big cast, she said. Actually, we
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had the biggest turnout we have ever had for auditions.
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This is definitely our biggest cast. So many people came
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that we split it into two casts, Daniels said. All
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in all, we have sixty people cast in the show
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and three dogs. The fact that we had so many
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people interested in participating was really special. She said, both
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the play itself and the audience response to it has
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exceeded her expectations. Annie the Musical will be performed at
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the Appalachian Center for the Arts, located on Second Street
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in downtown Pikeville Fridays through Sundays, December twelfth through December
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Attorney First at Friday and Saturday shows will be at
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seven thirty each night, with Matinee's at three pm on
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Sundays A Bluegrass Christmas Carol. This play is an adaptation
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of the classic tale about Ebenezer Scrooge and his famous
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ba humbug opinion of Christmas. A Christmas Carol. This adaptation
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by Trayton Blackburn is the latest in a long line
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of translations and adaptations for the big screen, television, and stage.
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Blackburn's version of Bluegrass Christmas Carol puts an Appalachian twist
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with music producer E. B. Scrooge, who calls Christmas hogwash.
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On Christmas Eve, EB is visited by the ghost of
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his business partner and fellow music producer Jay Marley, who,
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instead of being bound by chains and heavyweights, is wrapped
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in production chords anchored by heavy studio equipment. Following that,
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Eb is also visited by three hats, Yes, the haint
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of Christmas Past, Yes, the haint of Christmas Present, and
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the haint of Christmas Future. Because of the bluegrass theme
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running throughout, it is considered a musical. However, Blackburn said
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it is not your typical musical. If you are looking
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for chorus lines and high kicks, this is not it.
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Blackburn said, I wanted the music to serve a purpose,
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not for the characters to randomly break into song. It
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is intentional and connected. It is a kind of like
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a bluegrass concert, except it revolves around a story you
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know super well, he continued. If you love bluegrass and
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would like to see how much a story could be translated,
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this is the show for you. A Bluegrass Christmas Carol
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is set during the nineteen forties and fifties bluegrass music
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Heyday in the Kentucky town of Howdy Valley think renfro Valley,
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Kentucky's country music capital. Blackburn, who grew up in the
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Shelbania Millard area and graduated from East High School East
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Ridge High School, was approached by Tim Davis, the chair
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of the Bluegrass Community and Technical Colleges theater department, who
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asked him to take on a project. The play premiered
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in Lexington two years ago and act performed it last year.
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It was so successful ace he decided to bring it
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back for another run. It was a challenge to take
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a familiar story like this and drop it into my
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own Appalachian culture, Blackburn said. But we have all heard
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of so many artists being exploited by music producers. So
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in this version, Ebenezer Scrooge becomes eb Scrooge. The music
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producer Charles Dickens's message is that there is hope for
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all of us to be better than we are. He
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continued to reckon with our past and present and to
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become better. I hope people can take that away after
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seeing A Bluegrass Christmas Carol. A Bluegrass Christmas Carol with
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a large ensemble of more than fifty people is directed
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by Jason Justice. A Bluegrass Christmas Carol will be shown
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Fridays through Sundays December twelfth through December the twenty first
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at the Pikeville High School Auditorium. Friday and Saturday shows
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will be at seven thirty pm each night, with matinees
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at three p m. On Sundays. Our next article. Our
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next article is ECFD changes entity structure by Gary Sloan's
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staff writer. The Elkhorn City Council voted unanimously to approve
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a resolution regarding the Elkhorn City Fire Department during its
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meeting on December ninth. During the November meeting, the department
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requested the council to allow the department to transition from
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its current structure as a KRS Chapter ninety five City
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government organization to a KRS Chapter two seventy three DASH
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five oh one three five oh one C three nonprofit entity.
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Like I said in November, this is a win win
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for the city and for the Fire Department. Elkhorn City
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Mayor Nathan Bryant said the department will still work with
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the city and will remain housed at City ball, but
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now it will be able to seek additional funding avenues
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that were not available to them while under the city umbrella.
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The change to a non profit entity allows the department
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to be eligible to apply for grants, donations, and additional
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funding opportunities. Under the current city government organization, the fire
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Department was not eligible to seek out additional funding opportunities.
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This will allow the department to seek funding avenues for
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better equipment for the firefighters and the department. Bryant said,
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the main thing I want people to understand is that
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nothing has changed with how the Fire Department operates, and
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the department will continue to work with the city government
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in ways it currently does. The next regularly scheduled meeting
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of the Elkhorn City Council will be seven pm January
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thirteenth at Elkhorn City Hall. Our next article is audits
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presented to Pikeville City Commission by Gary Sloan's staff writer.
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Two audits were presented to the Pikeville City Commission during
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the December eighth regular meeting, one audit for the Exposition
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Center Corporation and the other for the City of Pikeville.
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Lori Dealfield of Kelly Galloway Smith goulesby PSC presented both
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audit reports via video conference call. The City of Pikeville
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audit for the fiscal year ending June the thirtieth shows
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the city had total primary government revenue of thirty seven million,
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six hundred and sixteen thousand, seven hundred and seventy two
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and had total expenses of thirty five million, one hundred
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and forty three thousand, nine hundred and forty four. This
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is a clean audit. Deerfield said. There were no questions
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and no recommendations regarding this audit. Like I said, this
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was a clean audit. The audit of the Exposition Center
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Corporation for twenty two twenty four to twenty twenty five
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shows total revenue of three million, four hundred and thirty
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three thousand and five dollars and total expenses of million,
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four hundred and twenty three thousand, one hundred and forty dollars.
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Again this, as with the city audit, this audit for
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the arena is a clean audit. Deerfield said there are
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no questions and no recommendations. Deerfield said the Exposition Center
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Corporation had made some minor changes to the way it
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operates and that appears to have been successful with the
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bottom line. In other business, the commissioners voted unanimously to
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award a proposal to Palmer Engineering for one hundred and
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twenty nine thousand, nine hundred and fifty five dollars for
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the Hambley Boulevard Complete Street Study project. This study project
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will look at traffic patterns and pedestrian safety issues. Bradsloan,
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City Assistant Manager City engineer, said this will allow us
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to know what issues there may be and will allow
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us to apply for grants and other funding avenues to
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improve the traffic flow and increase pedestrian safety on Hambley Boulevard.
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Next article another News Express staff report. Coroner woman found
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dead at Millard. An investigation is under way after a
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woman was found dead at Millard, according to Pike County
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Coroner Kevin Hall on December ninth, employees with Diversified Energy
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found the woman dead near a gas well rowed off
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Biggs Branch and Milliard. The employees, Hall said, contacted Kentucky
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State Police, who responded and in turn contacted his office.
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Hall said the woman was identified as Valerie mc peak
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fifty three. Hall said a cause of death has not
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been determined, but that foul play is not suspected. According
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to Hall, the incident remains under investigation by k s
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p Our. Next article is Pike man pleads guilty to
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lesser charge in manslaughter case by Rus Cassidy Regional Editor.
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A Pike County man originally charged with second degree manslaughter,
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pleaded guilty December eleventh to a lesser charge during a
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hearing before Pike Circuit Judge Howard Keith Hall. Jimmy Gage Agkins,
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twenty eighth of Groundhog Lane, Robinson Creek, pleaded guilty to
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a charge of first degree possession of a controlled substance.
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Atkins was originally charged with second degree manslaughter, a Class
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C felony which carries a potential princes in sentence of
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five to ten years, and being a persistent felony offender
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in the first degree, which will be dismissed as part
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of the plea deal. According to the indictment in the case,
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on March eighteenth, Akins distributed fentanyl to another man, leading
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to the man's death. Pike Assistant Commonwealth Attorney Don Smith
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said the plea agreement in the case was reached with
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involvement of the victim's family. It was an agreement reached
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through felony mediation with the victim's family present in participating.
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Smith said problems with the sufficiency of evidence led us
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to make the significant amendment. The prosecution has recommended that
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Adkins be sentenced to two years in prison, probated without
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supervision for two years. Hall set the formal sentencing in
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the case for January twenty second. During the hearing, Hall
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followed the request of Adkins' attorney, Michael de Bourbon, to
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remove an home incarceration component from Agkins's current bond, a
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move Smith agreed to with the understanding that other bond
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provisions would remain in place prior to sentencing. Adkins is
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currently free on bond. Our next article is West Virginia
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woman facing attempted murder other charges in Freeburn incident. An
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Appalachian newspaper staff report, a West Virginia woman is facing
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felony charges, including attempted murder after another woman was found
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assaulted near her burned residence. According to court documents, on
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December ninth, Angel Joy Hunt twenty eight of left Fork
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of ben Creek Road, warren Cliff, West Virginia, was launched
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in the Pike County Detention Center on charges of attempted murder,
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first degree assault, first degree strangulation, non domestic violence related,
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and first degree arson in relation to the incident. According
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to a warrant taken out by Kentucky State Police Trooper
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Terry Mounts, on December the sixth, k SP Post nine
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received a call reporting an unresponsive woman found near a
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burned residence on Chestnut Branch, Freeburn. The coller reported that
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the woman had been found lying on a bench, beaten
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half to death and was bleeding from the ears and
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nose with her eyes swollen shut. Upon arrival, Mounts wrote
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he made contact with the woman, who was identified as
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the occupant of the burned residents, and found that her
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feet had been burned. The warrant said the woman was
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unable to speak and he was unable to Unfortunately, that
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is the remainder of that article. We'll go on to
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our next article. Pike man pleads guilty to threatening judge executive.
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A News Express staff report a Pike County man has
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pleaded guilty to making threats against Pike Judge Executive Ray S.
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Jones the Second, according to court documents, on December eighth,
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Ronald Ferguson, forty eight, of marrow Bone Creek Road, pleaded
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guilty to the U. S District Court in Ashland before
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Chief District Judge David L. Bunning in a charge of
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interstate threat to injure. The charge, according to court documents,
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carries a maximum prison sentence of five years. Ferguson will
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be sentenced on March the sixteenth. According to a proposed
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plea agreement filed December fifth in the case, on February
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the twenty seventh, Ferguson publicly posted to Facebook threats to
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kill an injured Jones. In one post, the agreement said,
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Ferguson accused Jones of killing one of his dogs and
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goes on to say you are going to pay Ray
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Jones and every explicative one of you. Explicative. The agreement
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quotes Ferguson is saying to the post. Tomorrow's your explicative day, bitch, TikTok.
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You done run out of time. Other videos Ferguson posted
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to Facebook according to the agreement included I will hunt
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you down. I may just do it on the courthouse
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explicative steps, maybe in the explicative lobbying. In all your
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infinite wisdom, you got taken down by me, flat smoke. Ray.
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You've been wanting your name to go down in the
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history books. Oh buddy, your name is going to go
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down in the history books. There, Judge Ray Jones, for
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a long time coming. You're dead. You wanted to be famous.
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I'll make you famous. Ferguson is being held in the
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Boyd County Detention Center in Katlitzburg. We will end this
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week as we do most weeks, with our community calendar ongoing.
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We have. The Belfry Branch of the Pike County Library
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hosts a sign language class at five thirty pm each Tuesday.
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The library is located on US one nineteen in Belfrey.
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The Mountain Mover's Toastmasters Club meets at six pm in
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the Lee Avenue branch of the Pike County Libraries. The
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club meets on the second and four Thursdays of each month.
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For more information, contact George Thornberry or Judy Smith at
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sixty or six four three four four three nine four
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or eight five nine four four three nine eight seven six.
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Narcotics Anonymous meetings are held at seven pm on Thursdays
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at Christian Life Fellowship Church six one five five Damren Lane,
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North Mayo Trail and Pikeville. For more information called six
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oh six four seven eight five four three three. The
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Belfry Young Adults Crafts Group conducts social craft classes for
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adults ages eighteen to twenty five on alternating Saturdays at
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three pm at the Belfrey Public Library. Registration is not required.
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The Teen Activity Club, a craft group for youth ages
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thirteen to eighteen, meets at the Pike County Public Library
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on Lee Avenue on alternating Mondays. Sessions begin at four
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pm and last approximately an hour and a half. Belfrey
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Quilting Enthusiasts meets on this second Saturday of every month
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from noon to three Bring your talents and share your creativity, ideas,
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projects and interests at the Belfrey Public Library. All skill
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levels from beginner to expert are welcome. Registration is not required.
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December twelfth through the twenty first, the Appalachian Center for
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the Arts will present Annie the Musical. The show features
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equal measures of luck and positivity as Little orphan Annie
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arms everyone's hearts despite a next to nothing start to
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do in nineteen thirties New York City. The performers will
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take place each Thursday and Friday night, beginning at seven
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thirty pm, with Sunday matinees at three pm. The Appalachian
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Center for the Arts is located at two one eight
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Second Street. December twelfth through the twenty first, The Artists
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Collaborative Theater will present a Bluegrass Christmas Carol. Written by
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Trayton Blackburn and directed by Jason Justice. The show puts
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a bluegrass spin on the classic tale by Charles Dickens.
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The performances will be each Thursday and Friday nights, beginning
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at seven thirty pm, with Sunday matinees at three pm
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in the Pikeville High School Auditorium. December the eighteenth, pike
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Central High School Music will perform its annual Winter Concert
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in the Booth Auditorium and the University of Pikeville's Record
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Memorial Building, beginning at six p m. The event will
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feature the school's concert and jazz bands in choir under
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the direction of Jason Johnson, Steve Westfall, and Jacob Thacker.
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December twentieth, the Sharondale Church of Christ forty Little mud
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Lick Road, Belfree off Us one nineteen will host a
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free community breakfast in the church's fellowshipal In addition to
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ten am breakfast, there will be a visit by Santa.
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December the twenty first, the Sharondale Church of Christ forty
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Little mud Lick Road, Belfrey off one nineteen will present
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its annual Youth Christmas Play at six p m. December
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the twenty fourth, the Sharondale Church of Christ forty Little
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mud Lick Road, Belfrey off Us one nineteen will conduct
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a Christmas Eve candlelight service beginning at five pm. There
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will be a brief service consisting of scripture reading and
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Christmas songs. This concludes today's reading of the Appalachian News Express.
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Your reader, husband Darcy macartol, thank you for joining me,
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and please stay tuned for continued programming from Radio I