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Ashland Daily Independent - 3.25.26 · Eastern Kentucky Newspapers

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Speaker 1: We now turn to The Ashland Independent to bring you
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news from in and around Ashland and Boyd County. Your
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reader to day is Jane. We begin with the edition
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dated March twenty fourth, twenty twenty six, as a reminder
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Radioizer reading service intended for people who are blind or
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have other disabilities that make it difficult to read printed material.
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Our first article Paramount opens a new chapter by Aaron
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Snyder of The Daily Independent. Early in twenty twenty six.
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The Paramount Theater's reawakening has had a similar theme to
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one of Colton Dixon's song titles, Our Time is Now.
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Colton Dixon took the stage at Ashland's Historic Venue Saturday
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night as the Paramount and Venue Works celebrated its first
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official show. We couldn't have done it without each and
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every one of you, whether you were in the seats
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tonight or supporting us along the way. The Paramount Theater
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Ashland posted on Facebook Saturday. Seeing our doors open again
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in our community, back inside enjoying live music means everything
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to us. According to the Paramount, one man and his
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daughter traveled eleven hours to check out the show. Moments
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like this are why we do what we do. Thankful
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for our community that helps us give every guest a
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warm welcome. The paramount posted yellow Brick Road. The Paramount
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plans to have movie nights periodically going forward, starting with
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today at six pm with The Wizard of Oz, which
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was the first movie ever shown at the theater. No
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tickets will be required for the showing. Bring a donation
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for the Boyd County Animal Show. Donations may include cleaning supplies, toys, food,
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or treats to support animals in need. Matt Hammond, the
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Paramount's executive director, said the plan is to have about
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ten movies showings annually. Conference Center update. Ashland's City Commission
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continued a recessed meeting in the banquet hall of the
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Paramount last week. The purpose was to meet with AP
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three to engage in conversation about the construction of the
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conference center, which is in its infancy stages, primarily with demolition.
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AP three had to cancel a couple hours prior to
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the meeting. Obviously, we're disappointed where not having the meeting
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we're supposed to, said Commissioner Sonny Martin. Michelle Viach, the
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city's finance director, confirmed the city has received all of
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the fund for the conference center venue maintenance. Hammond, Kolby Rice,
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and Art Lima were present to answer questions from the
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Commission about the Paramount. In general, nothing historical is being touched,
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Hammon assured. He said the staff is gathering quotes regarding
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general maintenance around the building. He said the original carpet
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is made of wool from Great Britain. Hammond said it
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would be three hundred and twenty thousand dollars to replace that.
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He said new carpet would cost in the sixty thousand
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to seventy thousand dollars range. Hammond said some clean up
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has happened in order to make for a more appealing appearance.
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Commissioner DJ Reimer mentioned potentially pressure washing the thirteenth Street side,
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which the Paramount staff said is in the works. City
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Attorney Andrew Wheeler said funding from a possible AM L
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E R grant and Foundation for the tri State could
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help finance future upgrades. In house sales, Hammond said in
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person ticket sales are back at the Paramount. Stop by
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the box office and grab your seats today. The Paramount
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posted on social social media on March nineteenth. Skip the fees,
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pick your seats and get ready for an incredible lineup
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at the Paramount Theater, Ashland. Our next article, Rise to Lead,
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focuses on empowering young women by Aaron Snyder of The
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Daily Independent. Kentucky Christian University recently hosted Rise to Lead,
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a newly launched regional leadership conference to go with the
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local Young Women Lead Conference, which has served the community
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for eleven years. While y w L continues to exist
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beyond our region, Rise to Lead carries forward a similar
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mission right here at home by empowering high school juniors
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while expanding its reach to serve a broader group of students,
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said Candice Stanley, the committee chair and MC for the event.
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Stanley is Chief Marketing Officer at Ashland Credit Union. Building
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on that strong foundation, the conference equipps students with the confidence,
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skills and ethical vision to lead in their schools, communities
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and beyond. Rise to Lead brought together students from Ashland,
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Boyd County, East, Carter, Fairview, rose Hill, and Russell for
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a day of leadership, connection and personal growth. Stanley said speakers,
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breakout sessions, and opportunities for mentorship and reflection were included
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in the event. Keynote speaker Dana Hunter for Della encouraged
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students to embrace their voice, Stanley said, while Kentucky Lieutenant
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Governor Jacqueline Coleman inspired students to recognize their leadership potential
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and community impact. Montana Fouts, who was a star softball
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player at East Carter and the University of Alabama, shared
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about her journey. She emphasized the resilience, hard work, and
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self belief. Stanley said. Breakout sessions included finance, health care,
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law enforcement, marketing, and STEM fields, covering topics like financial literacy,
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career readiness, social media responsibility, personal safety, and healthy relationships.
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The goal of creating this Rise to Lead event was
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to create a space where young women and next year
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young men phil seen, inspired, supported, and empowered to lead,
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Stanley said. Safe Harbor of Northeast Kentucky, led by executive
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director Anne Perkins, served as the official host. Casey You
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provided a welcoming campus. Stanley said, Your two will feature
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expanded programming and the addition of a young Men's Leadership track.
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Anyone interested in supporting or getting involved make contact Stanley
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at Candice dot Stanley at ASHLANDCU dot org. Sponsors included
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the following marathon Petroleum Ashland Credit Union, First Light Home Care,
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Clark's Pumpinshop, UK, King's Daughters, City National Bank, Pathways, Raymy E.
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Steppery Group Continuing the Legacy Foundation, Camp Landing, Kentucky Power,
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Ashland Town Center, Marathon Marine, Second Hand, Rose Consignment, tri
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Span Incorporated, Kelly Galloway Smith, Goulesby, Print My Threads, People's Bank,
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Giovanni's and Safe Harbor. In other news, jury finds teacher
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coach not guilty by Jeremy d Wells, Carter County Times.
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A Carter County jury heard six days of evidence from
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law enforcement, school administrators and personnel, and the alleged victim
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and her family before returning a verdict on Tuesday, March third,
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finding former West Carter and Ashland Blazier special education teacher
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Harley E. Stepp not guilty on all three charges against him,
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including two counts of first degree sexual abuse and one
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count of unlawful use of electronic means to induce a
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minor to engage in sexual activities. The verdict marked the
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end of a tumultuous five years for both the accused
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and the alleged victim since the allegations first surfaced in
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the summer between the alleged victim's freshmen and sophomore years
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of high school. According to the story presented by the
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alleged a victim and her mother, the family was set
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up at the Haldeman Volunteer Fire Department when Eastep allegedly
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sent a text message to the miner. The mother saw
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the message pop up on the unattended phone, displaying the
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name Harley. According to the mother's testimony, the alleged victims
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said it should have come up as h but that
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when the mother, who had her daughter's pass code, opened
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the phone, she would have been able to see the
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full first name. That name was a tip off for
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the mother, who didn't believe her daughter's claimed that it
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was someone else messaging her because of the unique spelling
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of Estep's first name. After discussing the content of the
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text with her husband, which they read as a request
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for new images from the miner without explicitly stating such,
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the alleged victim's stepfather suggested calling the police. During the
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course of those initial police interviews and the subsequent investigation,
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the alleged victim denied any wrongdoing by e step The
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mother of the alleged victim claimed that her child expressed
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concern about the teacher getting in trouble, a sentiment that
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the alleged a victim echoed during her testimony. The alleged victim,
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now a freshman at UK, said that over the time
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that has elapsed since the initial Invents instigation, she'd come
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to understand how damaging Eastep's alleged actions had been and
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no longer felt the need to protect him. After discussing
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the incident with someone at a later date, the incident
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was reported as required by law, prompting the second investigation, arrest,
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and trial. Over the course of the trial, the jury
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heard from Kentucky State Police detectives involved in the original
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investigation as well as the second investigation, about the evidence collected.
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While a number of photos and videos showed e Steps
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spending time with students, including the alleged victim, during weekly
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school field trips for special education students known as CBI
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or community based Instruction days, none of those videos or
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photos showed any of the allegations of inappropriate touching. Likewise,
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the suggestive text message seen by the alleged victim's mother
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was not preserved by the mother or the state police.
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The mother testified that after the initial investigation faltered, she
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deleted her screenshot or photo of the text message because
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it distressed her having it on her phone. School administrators,
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including the principal at West Carter at the time of
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the alleged incident, testified that the CBI trips, including the
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need to document which students participated as student peer mentors
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or in related capacities. While the alleged victim could not
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be a peer mentor yet as a freshman, she was
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involved with the club that peer mentors are drawn from.
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The director of Transportation and Maintenance for the school district
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also testified about the capabilities and limitations of the cameras
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employed on all buses used for such a field trips,
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and reviewed footage from some of those trips with the court.
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Clothing that the alleged victims said Estep gave her to
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wear for him, Estep's lawyers argued, but was actually old
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clothing that Estep had brought into his classroom for instances
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when students had accidents and needed a change of clothing.
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Photos taken by the alleged victim and those items of
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clothing were shared by the alleged victim, but investigators did
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not find any evidence of those photos being shared to
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Estep's phone or any apps on his device that could
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have saved such evidence. Likewise, images from Snapchat that clearly
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showed communication between the alleged victim and e Step were
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from a trivia game that Estep played with individuals or
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the entire peer mentor group. Estep's attorney, Sebastian Joy admitted
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that his client did engage in a non professional manner
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by chatting via social media, but that this did not
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amount to a crime, particularly as the law banning such
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communications had not been enacted yet at the time of
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the alleged incidents. While the prosecution alleged that Eastep engaged
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in a pattern of grooming, including those professional unprofessional communications,
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and according to the alleged victim, express concerns about what
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could happen to him if people found out about his
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inappropriate relationship with a student. Ultimately, the jury agreed that
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there was not sufficient evidence to convict e Step, finding
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him not guilty on all three counts. The verdict elicited
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audible sobs from those in the courtroom, drawing an admonition
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from the judge to remember where they were. Recent obituaries
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include doctor Michael David Nester seventy nine of Louisville, previously
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of Ashland, Bobby J. Vanover eighty four of Ashland, Jeffrey
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Sloan sixty six of Louisa, Wayne Cooner ninety three of
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o'k hill, Ohio, Charles Vernon Crisp Junior sixty eight of Catletsburg.
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In other news, KSP Olive hill Man dies in wreck
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after fleeing from police. A thirty year old Olive hill
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Man died in a car wreck on Saturday night in
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the Sharky area of Rowan County. According to Kentucky State Police.
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The KSP Critical Incident Response Team is investigating the single
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vehicle collision that resulted in Donovan Kyle Porter's death. According
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to KSP, Porter was driving a gray twenty seventeen Chevrolet
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Camaro and was speeding near the U one hundred and
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twenty eight mile marker on I sixty four. KSP Post
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eight tried to stop the vehicle, but the Camaro accelerated
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and initiated a pursuit. A press release indicated the vehicle
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exited the interstate at exit one thirty three, turning onto
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Kentucky eight oh one. The trooper into the pursuit at
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around eight fifty pm. However, some local citizens reported the
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Camaro was heading south on Kentucky eight oh one. The
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trooper located the vehicle and against attempted again attempted a
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traffic stop. The Camaro again increased speed and initiated a
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pursuit around nine pm. According to the news release, as
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the vehicle approached the intersection of Kentucky eight to one
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and Kentucky five nineteen, the driver lost control and struck
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a utility poll. At around nineteen pm, the vehicle caught
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fire and became fully engulfed, according to KSP. KSP s
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had troopers made every effort to remove the driver from
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the car, but were not successful. The Rowan County Coroner's
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Office pronounced pord Or deceased at the scene. KSP is
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still investigating our next article in our view. USPS woes.
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The Postal Service warned Congress it will run out of
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money between October of this year and April twenty twenty seven.
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USPS has lost one hundred and eighteen billion dollars since
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two thousand seven. A sharp reduction in first class mail
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is part of the problem. According to Postmaster General David Steiner.
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First class volume is down from two hundred and thirteen
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billion pieces in two thousand and six one hundred and
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nine billion in twenty twenty five. USPS is considering reducing
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number of delivery days to five days a week and
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closing smaller post offices in rural locations. USPS has not
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received a government subsidy for many years, and they're a
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self supporting agency. They've been successful in slowing the mail
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by delaying deliveries one day for certain packages and first
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class mail going to the boonies. That doesn't help our area,
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as many still depend on USPS for receiving and paying bills.
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They've been aggressively raising stamp prices twice a year. Stamps
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are seventy eight since, but no increase is being sought
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this year. Popular service like ground advantage and priority mail
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prices have increased too. Don't blame your letter carrier for
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slower mail. They're doing the best they can. Many Americans
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have defected to the Internet for paying bills, plus email
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and texting have reduced the number of letter writing. Still,
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USPS provides a needed service. Management needs to find a
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way to move mail and packages faster. There's something about
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receiving a handwritten note. Moving on bills aim to better
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monitor special ed classrooms by Aaron Snyder of The Daily Independent.
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Local legislators have introduced bills with the goal of enhancing
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the safety of special education classrooms. Representative Aaron Thompson, Republican
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Greenup is sponsoring House Bills seven ninety one. Senator Robin Webb,
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Republican of Grayson, has introduced a companion bill. If passed
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into law, the bill will require all public schools to
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have cameras that were video and audio in all special
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needs classrooms in Kentucky. It will also require those cameras
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to be monitored. The bill's purpose is to create a
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new section of KRS one fifty seven point two hundred
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two one fifty seven point two ninety It also includes
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the following Require a public school to notify a parent
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guardian of each child in the classroom of the system
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and parents writes within five days. Permit parents of recorded
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students' access to system footage. Require reasonable redaction and segregation
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to protect student privacy. Designate a retention schedule for system footage.
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Require school districts to notify the parents of each student
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present for an injury in a self contained special education classroom.
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Both Thompson Webb and Thompson and Webb said they had
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conversations with local attorney Tracy Frye, who represented families of
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five students in a civil case stemming from incidents of
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alleged abuse of special need students at mckel Elementary. I
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command Aaron Thompson and Robin Webb for addressing this issue
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and for working quickly to get these bills introduced. For
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I posted on social media, thank you for taking a
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stand for these children and all children in our commonwealth.
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With only ten days remaining in this legislative session, both
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legislators acknowledge time is not on their side this particular season. However,
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it gets the ball rolling in the right direction, so
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to speak. There will be more vetting on the bill overall,
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and there's very limited time left in the session. Thompson
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said this introduction will lead to future opportunities. It's a
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good policy and it enables parents and guardians to look
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out for their children. Web said she called fry after
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her civil case was settled. I asked her what's lacking
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in this and how can we prevent it from happening?
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Web said Aaron and I talked, and we decided it
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was worth it to start the conversation and see about
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the feasibility politically and physically. Web said, in a perfect world,
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she would also like to see more specialty certifications when
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it comes to education. This demographic of children, the way
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things are, that's expensive, and there are teachers shortages. Web said,
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Right now, we are trying to focus on something that
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could bring attention, start a conversation, and work towards something productive.
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Our next article. Former murder suspect pleads guilty to amended
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charges by Aaron Snyder The Daily Independent. A twenty two
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year old man originally facing a charge, pleaded guilty to
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second degree manslaughter and third degree arson Thursday in Greenop
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County Circuit Court. Joshua Minnick entered the plea in front
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of Judge Brian McLeod. He will be sentenced at a
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later date. When MacLeod asked Minick what occurred in March
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twenty twenty three, Minnick responded, I was drunk and unintentionally
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caused a fire that killed my mother. The body of
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Stacey M. Minnick, forty seven, was discovered inside of a
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burned vehicle on Salpit Road in the load area of
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Greenop County three years ago. Joshua Minick was initially charged
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with murder first degree, arson, tampering with physical evidence, and
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abuse of a corpse. He has been in the Greenop
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County Detention Center since the spring of twenty twenty three.
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According to previous reports from the County Coroner's office, Stacy
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Minnick died less than twenty four hours before her body
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was discovered. The vehicle was located near her home. Joshua
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Minnick was ultimately represented by Bonnie Potter of the Kentucky
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Department of Advocacy. She stood alongside Minick on Thursday. Sentencing
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as scheduled for Thursday, April twenty third. Our next article,
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indictment Woman brings Ventnall to jail, causing od by Aaron
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Snyder of The Daily Independent. Drug trafficking was prevalent among
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indictments a Boyd County grand jury handed up this week.
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An indictment is not necessarily an indication of guilt, but
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grandeurors found probable calls to proceed with felony prosecution against
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the following individuals who remain innocent. Shannon are Markham, forty
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seven of a an unknown address, was indicted on charges
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of first offense ventanyl trafficking and first degree promoting contraband.
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According to the indictment, Markham allegedly supplies fentanyl to another inmate,
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causing the woman to overdose. Markham is in the Boyd
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County Detention Center on a one hundred thousand dollars bond.
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Thomas K. Witt, thirty five of Ashland was indicted on
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charges of trafficking marijuana between eight ounces and five pounds,
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first offense, trafficking in synthetic drugs, first offense, and public
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intoxication controlled stuff substance excludes alcohol. Stanley Joe Harper, sixty
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four of Ashland was indicted on these charges first degree
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first offense, meth possession, careless driving, disregarding traffic, controlled device light,
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failure to produce insurance card, operating on suspended review oaked
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operator's license, failure to surrender revoked operator's license, operating motor
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vehicle under the influence of substances. First events, and possession
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of marijuana. Our next article Veterans Meet and Greek Event.
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A Veteran Meet and Greek designed for all veterans and
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their families past and present, is scheduled for Saturday, March
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twenty eighth, from six to eight pm at the Party
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Place in Ironton. Whether you're currently serving, previously served, or
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simply want to spend time with fellow veterans and their families,
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you are invited. The event will include a hot meal
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provided at no cost, live entertainment, a guest speaker, and
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a welcoming space to swap stories, laugh and reconnect. According
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to a news release, the party place is at fourteen
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twenty six South third Street. Veterans of all branches, all
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eras and their families are encouraged to attend. Scott Johnson
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will be guest speaker to speak about federal employment. This
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concludes excerpts from recent editions of the Ashland Daily Independent.
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Your reader, husband Jane on behalf of everyone here at
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RADIOI thank you for listening, Keep on listening and have
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a good day.