Transcript

8.21.25 · The Mountain Eagle

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Speaker 1: Now we turn to The Mountain Eagle to read news
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from Whitberg. Your reader today is Bill an Arstal. We
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will begin with the edition dated August twentieth, twenty twenty five,
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which the publishers have donated to RADIOI as a reminder.
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RADIOI is a reading service intended for people who are
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blind or have other disabilities that make it difficult to
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read printed material. In the first headline, defense attorneys argue
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Steins deserves freedom on tiny bond. Defense attorneys for former
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Sheriff Sean Mickey Steins have essentially asked Judge Christopher Koran
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for a get out of jail free card on the
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charge that he murdered District Judge Kevin R. Mullins in
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the judges chambers last September. Attorneys last week asked Special
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Lecture Circuit Judge Koran to set a cash or proper
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bond of fifty thousand dollars for Stein's or dismiss the
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indictment against him. Cash bonds can be either the full
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face amount or a percentage of that amount, but a
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property bond would mean the court would file a lean
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double the face amount against property Stein's owns. He would
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not be required to post any money. I anticipate the
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Commonwealth will argue that mister Stein's is not entitled to
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bond because of the way that this case is charged. Okay,
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so in that situation, Judge, they're going to have to
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put on proof. Defense attorney Carry Bartley sit in court Friday.
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It's actually their burden to show the court if if
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that is in fact what they argue, and I don't know,
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I'm just anticipating, but it is their burden if they're
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trying to preclude him from bond at all, to put
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on proof that the guilt is evident. Bartley argued that
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Stein's is not a flight risk and poses no threat
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to himself or anyone else. She said he is the
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lowest possible risk level that one human can be. The judge, however,
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said he has been a prosecutor and a judge and
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that he doesn't put a lot of faith in pre
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trial risk assessments. Bartley argues that Stein's, up until his arrest,
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was a respected member of the law enforcement community, and
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his wife seated behind him in the gallery was someone
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he could go home to. Today, he has no failure
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to appear on record. He has no property in the
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Bahamas that he can run off to. There's nothing, she said.
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This is a man with a great respect for the law,
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and he's built his life around upholding the law and
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serving his community. Koran pointed out that the case has
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a unique set of circumstances. Steyn's was caught on security
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video firing eight rounds from his department issued glock into
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the unarmed judge as he sat at his desk with
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his hands raised. This is not a who done it,
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and said, I mean the actions are very evident.
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Speaker 2: What the end result of that is.
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Speaker 1: Special Prosecutor Jackie Steele argued that Bartley misrepresented what the
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state constitution says about bond. While she said bond is required,
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Steele said it is not required in murder cases. She
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went into a lot of the statutes. Unfortunately she forgot
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the Kentucky Constitution, section sixteen says that all people are
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entitled to bail unless it is a capital offense, Steele said.
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Speaker 2: Steele said that.
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Speaker 1: Contrary to the defense's argument, the only thing that is
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relevant is the current charge, and cited a state Supreme
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Court ruling to that effect. Steele also cited the security
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video shown at Stein's preliminary hearing. He said Carrie and
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Jeremy Bartley were Steins's attorneys during that hearing and that
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they and the court should be aware of what the
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video shows. They didn't cross examination of that is very clear.
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Steele said, the video is very clear that mister Stein's
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in fact took the life of mister Mullen's. So that's
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all that's required. Even on the case law take the constitution,
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he is not entitled to bail. The defense also asked
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that the grand jury indictment be dismissed and asked for
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an evidentiary hearing on the matter. The defense is claiming
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that the indictment should be invalidated for three reasons. The
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prosecutors did not record a grand jury meeting at which
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they asked for subpoena of medical records. At another grand
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jury meeting, defense attorneys say the lead detective answered a
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question of whether Stein's was of sane mind at the
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time of the shooting by saying yes. And the defense
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also claims the prosecution redirected questions from the grand jury
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rather than letting Detective Clayton's Stamper answer them. Special Prosecutor
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Ramsay Dallam said there was no testimony at the first meeting,
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despite arguments by defense attorney Jeremy Bartley that there had
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to have been testimony unless there was some kind of
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telepathic thing going on. Coron asked if dlam As, an
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officer of the court, was representing that there was no testimony,
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to which she answered she was. Officers of the Court
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are required by oath to answer truthfully. Bartley argued that
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Stamper's statement that Stein's was sane had prejudiced the grand
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jury because if they had not been told by some
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one from the government that he was insane mind, they
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wouldn't have indicted him, or at they wouldn't have indicted
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him for murder. He is seeking the release of a
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psychiatric report on Stein's and an evidentiary hearing. The prosecution
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is opposing such a release of the report prior to trial.
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Bartley also argued that there were numerous incidents where the
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witness would start to answer something asked by the grand
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jury and it was shut down. The judge, however, said
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that was not unusual in a grand jury proceeding. When
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Bartley continued to argue the point, the judge assured him
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that he would listen to the tape of the jury meeting. Luckily,
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I've been partied to about twenty thousand cases presented to
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a grand jury, and I'm going to listen to this recording,
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he said.
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Speaker 2: After listening to both sides.
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Speaker 1: At the hearing, the judge gave them until September second
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to submit any further written arguments in the case. He
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will rule on all the motions after reading those briefs.
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The next day line is county officials choose to keep
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meeting at day instead of night, the Electra County Fiscal
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Court won't return to nighttime meetings. After a tie vote
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on a motion to change the current schedule, District five
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Magistrate Benny McCall asked for the change back to nighttime meetings.
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He said because constituents had asked for the change. I
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know when we voted to change the time of the meeting.
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I agreed to it, but just for a period, just
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to see how it goes, he said, adding he's been
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asked several times to change the meetings back to the evening.
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I wouldn't want any citizen to think that we change
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the meeting time to hinder them from coming in to
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voice their opinion, he said. Working people can't come to
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the meetings in the daytime and the court needs to
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accommodate them. The court currently convenes at ten am on
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the third Monday of each month. Citing progressively longer meetings
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were required to conduct its business, the Electric County Fiscal
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Court voted in May twenty twenty four to change its
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regular meetings to the daytime. The court had met at
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six thirty pm for more than twenty years, but the
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meetings sometimes ran four hours or more, keeping employees and
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officials at the table until far into the night. District
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I Magistrate Jack Banks at the meeting on Monday said
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with winter approaching, road conditions at night will be worse
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than during the day. He also said the Fiscal Court
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is one of the few that had meetings at night.
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District four Magistrate Cheddy Smith questioned if there would be
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a time limit for how long the court stay on
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a nighttime schedule, but McCall said he did not intend
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to put a limit on the number of months the
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change would be in effect. Judge Executive Terry Adams suggested
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daytime meetings, saying that the long meetings were keeping people
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away from their families and older people can't see to
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drive after dark. Adams made the same argument on Monday
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and said it is more convenient for staff and for
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state and federal partners to come to daytime meetings when
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they are already scheduled to work. Wade Adams, who has
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been a contractor for the county since the twenty twenty
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two flood and has announced he is challenging Judge Adams
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in next year's election, said the meetings in the daytime
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make it impossible for people who work to attend. He
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said people work at Bloe, Walmart, the hospital, Children's Oil,
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and the school district during the day and can't attend
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a meeting during the day, but can at night. Banks disagreed,
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saying Walmart and the hospital both have a second shift
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and those people can attend during the day. That's one
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of the reasons I voted for this, he said. District
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two Magistrate Kenny Anderson, District three Magistrate Deb Collier and
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McCall voted in favor of changing the meetings. Banks, District
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four Magistrate Smith and Judge Adams voted no, meaning the
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motion failed. The next story is pool repairs may cost
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city an extra two hundred thousand dollars to finish. The
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Wisburg City Pool could cost another two hundred thousand dollars
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to repair. The city had already started on the pool,
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but was halted when the permit for the work was
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not approved. Project engineer Quaid Adams of Nesbitt Engineering told
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the city council that but the city would not be
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allowed to use some of the equipment that was already
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at the pool, and the additional items will be very expensive.
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We submitted a permit for rehab of the existing pool.
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That permit was denied, and they've asked us for upgrades
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to the pool that include a four thousand, seven hundred
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gallon serge tank and an additional main drain, said Adams.
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A serge tank is used to collect the water that
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is pushed out when people get in the pool, and
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then refilters the water and puts it back in when
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people get out and the water level drops. It is
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intended to maintain a constant water level without constantly adding
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water from the main lines. Adams said a six hundred
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gallon tank was required for the pool, but since the
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pool has been closed, the state would no longer allow
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the existing tank to be used. Adams said the state
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would have allowed that tank to be used if the
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permit had not lapsed. Estimated parts and labour will cost
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about two hundred thousand dollars to add the new tank
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and drain. However, Adams and Mayor Tiffany Craft said there
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was good news from the permit inspection. The work the
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city had been doing passed inspection, and the pool shell
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itself was found to be structurally sound. We were originally
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told that it was not going to be salvageable without
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a big cost. But without a big cost, we've been
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able to get approval for what we already have in place,
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Kraft said. City workers and contractors have replumbed part of
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the pool and poured new concrete around part of the pool.
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Also at the meeting, Adams said NESBIT is working on
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a water line extension on Kentucky nine thirty one, and
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the city has money left over from the Marlowe sewer
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extension that can be used in Carltown. Work is also
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continuing on replacement of sewer lines. New lines have been
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laid on the Whichburg bypath us the upper bottom and
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from the parking lot downtown to Hail Drive. The city
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is also planning replacement throughout downtown and to west Weisberg.
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Speaker 2: Adams said.
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Speaker 1: Nesbitt has also completed a comprehensive map of the sewer system.
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Speaker 2: In other business, the city.
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Speaker 1: Voted to buy a John Deere tractor and boom mounted
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bush hog using the state price contract of sixty seven thousand,
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four hundred forty seven dollars and eighty three cents for
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mowing roadsides, river banks and property purchased in the flood
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buyout program. Though the county bought the property, it will
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be deeded to the city when the project is complete.
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The county will eventually turn that over to us and
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we will be responsible for maintaining it, Kraft said. The
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council also gave Craft the authority to sign financing paperwork
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for federal grants it is expecting to get for water
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line projects. The next headline is Jenkins kicks off Fall
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Festival season Friday. The Jenkins Homecoming Days Festival kicks off
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Letcher County Festival season Friday. Food booths open at eleven
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am on August twenty second, and free inflatables and train
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rides will run from noon to six pm both Friday
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and Saturday. Other events will be held in the afternoon,
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including a scavenger hunt and sidewalk art competition. On Friday,
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there will be free watermelon at three pm. Bands include
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Brittany Avery Mullins six pm, Pastime Band seven pm, and
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Elvis and the Coupe Devilles eight pm, and there will
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be a fifty to fifty drawing at nine pm. Saturday,
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August twenty third starts with the Shriner's Breakfast at the
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Masonic Lodge. The parade will line up at ten am
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and food and craft booths open at eleven. The Mayor's
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Welcome and Awards ceremony will be held at three pm,
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The Fire Department of an auction and cakewalk at three
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thirty pm, and the Hey y'all Holler for a Dollar
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contest at four to forty five pm. Music will be
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by John Fowler five pm, Pure and Simple six pm,
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Kennedy Faith seven pm and Jaden Wright eight pm. There
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will be a fifty to fifty drawing before Jaden Wright
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takes the stage, and Landon Lee will perform the National Anthem.
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After the music, Fireworks will close out the night. Kawana's
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Club will honor two women from Jenkins. Two Jenkins women
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will be honored by one of Lectra County's oldest civic organizations.
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During the Jenkins Homecoming Days festival this weekend, Peggy McCoy
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and Eileen Sanders will receive lifetime Achievement awards from the
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Jenkins Kawanis Club, which has been active in Jenkins since
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nineteen thirty nine. The women will be presented with the
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awards by Kawanas Club President Quinn Bowling during a ceremony
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set for three pm Saturday, August twenty third from the
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stage at Schubert Park. Jenkins Mayor Todd de Priest will
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open the ceremony. The Next Story Is Building to reopen Friday.
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A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held at twelve to
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fifteen pm Friday, August twenty second to celebrate the reopening
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of Caudle Hall at the Witchburg campus of Southeast Kentucky
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Community and Technical College. The event will include a brief
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tour of the renovated building and the meet and greet
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with SKCTC President doctor Lee Harrison as part of the
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campus's open House and Resource Fair. Caudle Hall, formerly the
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Coca Cola bottling plant, was severely damaged during the late
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July twenty twenty two flooding that devastated much of Letcher County.
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The reopening marks the first open house and resource fair
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on the Witchburg campus since the flood. The cere will
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be held at the front entrance of Caudle Hall, with
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light refreshments provided immediately afterward. Guests will have the opportunity
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to explore the updated facilities. The next headline is Cougars
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to kick off season Friday by Derek Bartow. The Electra
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County Central High School Cougars football team starts the twenty
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twenty five season in a new class and district when
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play kicks off Friday night.
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Speaker 2: The Cougars have dropped.
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Speaker 1: From KHSAA Class four A to Class three A because
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of a decrease in school enrollment and the formation of
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a new district as well. I asked head coach Junior
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Matthews his expectations for the season and his thoughts about
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joining the new district eight. In the Class three A level,
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we always want to compete for a district title, Matthews said.
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It means a lot for playoff implications. There are great
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teams in every classification. I don't expect the path to
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be any easy in the playoffs, but I do feel
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like we are competing against schools that are more similar
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to us in terms of number of players. The Cougars
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look to build on a six and six season last year,
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and will do so behind returning starting quarterback Gunnar Holbrook.
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The junior is widely considered as one of the best
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quarterbacks in all the Mountains and through for two one
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hundred seventy four yards and twenty four touchdowns last season.
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Gunner has been really good this summer. Coach Matthews said,
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he has a strong arm with more confidence. He looks
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like a three year starter, which is what he will
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be this year. His challenge will be building confidence with
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this new group of skill guys. With the Cougars losing
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all of their starting receivers and running backs from a
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year ago to graduation. I asked coach Matthews who might
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step up in the receiving corps. Jet Outlaw has been
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really good this summer, he answered. Cody Storgel, Sulton Stidham,
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Mason Stevens and Theaden Ramsey are older guys that can
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step in and play. Wyatt Ratliffe is a freshman that
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has a lot of potential. The Cougars are also expecting
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a big year out of senior Garrett Howard, who was
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one of the leading tacklers on defense as a linebacker
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last year, but will also start at running back this season.
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I have really good expectations for the season, Howard said.
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We have a lot of returning players with experience and
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great work ethic. The offensive line will be led by
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seniors Stephen Bingham and Jackson Meade. The LCC defense is
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always swarming and will look to Howard and fellow senior
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Colton Stidham to lead the unit.
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Speaker 2: The Cougars will open.
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Speaker 1: Their twenty twenty five season against Johnson Central this Saturday night.
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The game will be held at nearby Shelby Valley High
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School as part of the Blue and White Bowl, with
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kickoff set for six pm. Shelby Valley will host Iron To,
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Ohio at eight thirty pm. LCC's schedule includes four games
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against Class three A District eight competition Lawrence County September
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twenty sixth, at Estell County October three, at Macgoffin County
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October tenth, and Powell County October seventeenth. Next is a
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photograph captured our Appalachia, a portrait of Barbara Church standing
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inside her store. The oven Fork Mercantile in oven Fork
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near Eolia. Her store has been closed for several years
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due to family health reasons. She recently reopened the reorganized store,
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containing much new merchandise. It would take a shopper days,
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if not weeks, to look through everything she has to offer.
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The next story is jury indicts. Seven seven people have
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been named in indictments returned in Lector Circuit Court. They
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are Samantha Nicole Campbell thirty seven twenty eight Chesney Lane Chavis,
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who is charged with theft by unlawful taking or disposition, shoplifting,
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resisting arrest, first degree possession of control substance, Metham Fetterman,
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first defense, possession of marijuana, buy or possessed drug paraphernalia,
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and third degree criminal possession of forged instrument. Ethan Brown
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of the Weisburg Police.
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Speaker 2: Department testified in the case. Donald D.
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Speaker 1: Collins twenty five five eighty one Garner Fort Jeremiah, who
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is charged with failure to wear seat belts, license plate
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not legible, first degree trafficking in a controlled substance, Metham Fetterman,
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first defense, first degree possession of control substance cocaine, first defense,
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and buy or possessed drug paraphernalia. Roger Allen Miles thirty
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three seventeen eighty one Thornton Road, Whisburg, who is charged
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with first degree promoting contraband, tampering with physical evidence, and
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being a persistent felony offender. Carolyn Stone forty also known
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as Jessica Dixon and Carolyn Holcomb six thirty three, Flintville, Linefork,
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who is charged with promoting contraband, theft by unlawful taking
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or disposition, shoplifting, and giving officer false identifying information. Chad
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Stanley forty five one two four o three, Potter Town, Virginia,
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who is charged with first degree promoting contraband. Justin Hunsucker
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of the Whitesburg Police Department testified in the case. Ashley
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Belcher forty two fifty seven Henry Hutton Road, Neon, who
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is charged with theft of services more than one thousand
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dollars and less than ten thousand dollars and second degree
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criminal mischief restitution repair. In a second indictment, Belcher is
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charged with first degree possession of a controlled substance methan fetomine,
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first offense, and buy or possessed drug paraffinem chief Dustin
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Jackson of the Neon Police Department testified in the cases.
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And Alison Johnson twenty four five twenty six Highway US
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forty one, South Dixon, who is charged with first degree
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bail jumping. And the next story is two sentenced after
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please two defendants entered guilty pleas to charges against them
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in Leeder Circuit Court. Chad Tolson forty three Smokey Roe Jenkins,
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who pleaded guilty to theft by unlawful taking under one
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thousand dollars and second degree criminal mischief residential rental property.
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Tolson was sentenced to three hundred and sixty five days
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in the County jail, probating for two years. Shannon Hall
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forty five, one thirty one Copper Kettle Path, Georgetown, who
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pleaded guilty to second degree terroristic threatening. Hall was sentenced
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to five years imprisonment, probated for five years. The next
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story is Gabby's Fishing Fever by Greg Gabby Caudle All
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fish Love hanging near Rip Ramp. If you have ever
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been around just about any lake, you will see large
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gravel or rocks all around the bank and going down
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into the water, especially around public areas and boat ramps.
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The purpose for this rock, known as rip rap is
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to prevent the water from eroding the bank over time.
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It also helps to clean and filter some things out
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of the water, and it makes conditions safer by preventing
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the bank from being muddy and slick. Fishermen know this
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type of cover makes a great place to catch any
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type of fish in the lake for several reasons. For
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one thing, this form of cover can be very large
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and go a long way down a bank and deep
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into the water, making it a huge draw for a
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lot of fish. Rip rap draws all type of bait
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fish for the bigger fish to feed on. The structures
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also hold plankton and crawfish love to hide in the rocks,
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with crawfish being a favorite food of large mouth and
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small mouth bass. This makes riprap a top choice of
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location for bass anglers. Also, many types of insects use
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these same rocks, which attracts bluegill and shell crackers. Small
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minnows will hang around rip rap, drawing in crappie and catfish,
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so you can see a huge area of rip rap
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can be its own special place. Most riprap goes from
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shallow water on the bank to much deeper water, so
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fish of all kinds can move up and down the
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cover to feed and hold. There is not a fish
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in the lake that will not at some time use
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a rip wrap area as their place to feed. As
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for which bait works best while fishing rip rap, any
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bait made will work at certain times on this form
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of cover. You can fish slow baits like worms and
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jigs in the rocks, or run crank baits and spinners
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the rocks. Even top waters and buzz baits are great
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to use early in the morning. If you get a
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chance to fish, find a spot with rip rap and
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give it a try soon. The next story is Vaught's
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Views by Larry Vaught UK's Gilmore is Hardly Even eighteen.
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When sixteen year old Florida senior Hardly Gilmore verbally committed
25:25
to play football at Kentucky, he made a bold proclamation,
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I think I can be the greatest wide receiver to
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play the game. The four star receiver, who was ranked
25:35
among the nation's top three hundred players, said, I am
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a sponge. I soak up everything I can to try
25:41
and get better. He was convinced then offensive coordinator Liam
25:47
Cohen could fully develop his game, but Cohen left before
25:50
Gilmore arrived for the twenty twenty four season. If that
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wasn't enough, Gilmore was hurt in UK's first preseason scrimmage
26:00
for having an impressive spring practice. Gilmore missed UK's first
26:04
five games, but had six catches for one hundred and
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fifty three yards and one touchdown in the final seven games.
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He earned his first start of his college career against
26:15
Murray State. Gilmore, who did not turn eighteen until early December,
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had some off field issues and transferred to Nebraska. However,
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he opted to come back to UK for his sophomore season.
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Gilmore has no regrets about what he said when he
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committed to UK. My mindset has never changed from a
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football standpoint. I feel like I could still be the
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best in the nation on and off the field, Gilmore said.
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I still have the same mindset. Kentucky is looking for
26:47
a big play receiver to help rejuvenate an offense that
26:51
struggled to score last year. This concludes the reading of
26:55
The Mountain Eagle. Your reader has been billed in Arsdale.
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Now please stay tuned for continued programming on behalf of
27:03
everyone here at Radio.
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Speaker 2: I thank you for listening and have a good day,