Transcript

3.13.25 · The Mountain Eagle

0:01
Speaker 1: Now we turn to the Mountain Eagle to read news
0:04
from Whitesburg. Your reader today is Bill van Arsdale. We
0:09
will begin with the addition dated March twelfth, twenty twenty five,
0:13
which the publishers have donated to RADIOI as a reminder.
0:18
RADIOI is a reading service intended for people who are
0:21
blind or have other disabilities that make it difficult to
0:24
read printed material. The first story is former fire chief
0:31
allegedly stole well over ten thousand dollars. The Electric County
0:36
Grand Jury has indicted a former fire chief, charging that
0:41
he dealt with public money or property as his own.
0:45
Gary Rogers sixty nine of twenty nine forty six Turkey
0:49
Creek Road, Halley is charged with one count of abuse
0:52
of public trust totally more than ten thousand dollars but
0:56
less than one hundred thousand dollars. Rogers was the chef
1:00
chef that Letcher Volunteer Fire Department for several years until
1:03
twenty nineteen, when an argument between him and fire department
1:08
board members ended with him offering to resign and the
1:11
board accepting. Rogers's official title at the time was personnel director.
1:18
The indictment only covers acts allegedly committed between July one,
1:22
twenty seventeen, and August twenty fifth, twenty nineteen, the day
1:27
Rogers left the department. Rogers's stint as chief of the
1:32
Lectuer Fire Department began in September two thousand, when Rogers
1:36
and nine other fire Department members successfully ousted then fire
1:41
Chief Al Adams and the department's board of directors, claiming
1:45
financial irregularities as their reason. Rogers took over running the
1:50
department and had been chief for much of the following
1:52
twenty years. The indictment does not specify how much money
1:58
was involved in the alleged crimes, but sources say it
2:01
was more than forty five thousand dollars over the two
2:05
year period listed in the indictment. According to the indictment, Rogers,
2:11
in his role as a public servant, knew there were
2:13
payments to be made and other dispositions of money and
2:17
property belonging to the fire Department and ambulance service. Instead,
2:21
the indictment alleges Rogers intentionally dealt with the public money
2:25
or property as his own and failed to make the
2:28
required payment or disposition, thereby being in violation of the law.
2:35
Detective Vickie Day of the Kentucky State Police Special Investigations
2:39
Branch presented the case to the grand jury. Abuse of
2:44
public trust concerning those amounts of money is a Class
2:47
C felony in Kentucky. If found guilty, Rogers could be
2:52
sentenced to serve five to ten years in prison. The
2:58
next headline is close Using's proposed bill could affect safety
3:03
of miners others. While Elon Musk's cuts to the federal
3:08
government may have already closed at least nineteen federal offices
3:12
in Kentucky, including all of those tasked with the safety
3:16
of coal miners. Some Kentucky legislators have filed a bill
3:20
to create a state version of Musk's Department of Government Efficiency.
3:25
They've also filed a bill to prevent Kentucky Occupational Safety
3:29
and Health Standards Board from implementing regulations that are more
3:33
strict than federal regulations, which are already under a freeze
3:37
for review order by the Trump administration. A bill currently
3:41
in the US House Committee on Education and Workforce would
3:45
eliminate the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration entirely. Whether
3:51
all of those offices listed will ultimately close is unknown,
3:55
since items are regularly added and then taken off the
3:58
list of closures on the DOGE website, and some of
4:02
the savings listed on the website have turned out to
4:04
be overstated. Also, all of the closures listed are lease cancellations,
4:10
with no notation of what will happen to the employees
4:13
if the office leases are canceled. It's unclear even to
4:17
the people who work for these agencies whether their offices
4:20
are being closed, said Wes Addington, executive director of the
4:24
Appalachian Citizens Law Center, a nonprofit law firm that specializes
4:30
in black long and disability cases for coal miners. What
4:34
is clear is that MSHA is required by federal law
4:39
to inspect underground mines four times a year and surface
4:42
minds two times a year, and history has shown those
4:46
inspections save lives full stop. As of Tuesday, the DOGE
4:52
website lists six MIND Safety and Health Administration offices in
4:56
Kentucky as having been closed, including all offices in Harlan, Hazzard, Prestonsburg,
5:02
and Barberville in eastern Kentucky, and Madisonville and beaver Dam
5:07
in western Kentucky. A London office had been listed last week,
5:12
but was apparently already closed and has now been removed
5:15
from the DOGE website. In all, DOGE claims to have
5:20
canceled the leases for office space to twenty nine MSHA
5:24
offices across the country. In addition, the Office of Surface
5:29
Mind Reclamation and Enforcement in Lexington is listed as closed,
5:34
along with internal revenue offices, social security offices, and the U.
5:38
S Attorney's Office in London, which works closely with the
5:42
Appalachian High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force to prosecute
5:47
drug dealers along I seventy five and throughout eastern Kentucky.
5:52
Addington said the closures, firings and severance promises have already
5:57
had an effect on the ability of disabled persons to
6:00
get their black lung cases heard, and it will only
6:04
get worse as experienced administrative law judges are pushed out
6:07
of the job. He said. An administrative law judge his
6:11
office has dealt with regularly has already retired suddenly. Though
6:15
Addington was not sure why. It's a super complicated area
6:19
of law and you have these judges who have worked
6:22
for years learning it, he said. If you fire those
6:25
judges or encourage them to retire, you're creating a system
6:29
that is set up to fail. Like the retirement or
6:34
firing of administrative law judges. Gutting the Mind's Safety and
6:38
Health administration and expecting it to do the safety inspections
6:42
it is required to do by law is not realistic,
6:45
Addington said. If closures like that are actually going to happen,
6:50
the federal government has decided it's not going to protect
6:52
miners anymore from mind disasters, he said. At the state level,
6:58
the Office of Government accoun Dudability, proposed in the Senate
7:01
Bill two fifty seven, would pave the way for firings
7:05
and other changes in state government, with the office made
7:08
a permanent part of the Auditor of Public Accounts and
7:11
headed up by a Deputy Auditor. Republican Allison Ball is
7:16
currently the Auditor of Public Accounts. The bill, sponsored by
7:21
eighteen Republican senators, has already passed the Upper House and
7:25
been delivered to the House of Representatives, where it is
7:28
waiting in the Committee on Committees. If passed, the law
7:33
would create a whole new office imbued with subpoena power
7:36
and the power to enforce subpoenas by taking state agencies
7:40
to court and recovering court costs. It would also give
7:44
the new agency the power to conduct performance audits and
7:48
identify inefficiencies, waste, compliance with law, and opportunities for cost savings.
7:55
The OGE would be funded by state tax dollars appropriated
7:58
by the General Assembly and from funds saved by other agencies.
8:04
The OGE would make annual reports to the Legislature and
8:07
the Governor on savings and on compliance with its suggestions.
8:12
House Built three ninety eight would make cuts to the
8:15
authority of the State Occupational Safety and Health Board. It
8:18
would require state occupational safety regulations to be no more
8:22
stringent than US regulations, and would weaken whistleblower protections by
8:27
removing the ability of the Secretary of Education and Labor
8:31
to require rehiring of an employee fired because of filing
8:35
a complaint. The next story is six point five million
8:42
dollar replacement of horrible red star bridge is still in
8:46
state's plans. Plagued by potholes and tagged with a weight
8:52
limit that keeps school buses from crossing it, The red
8:55
star Bridge southwest of Blackie is still holding up trafficking
8:59
even though a contract has been let to replace it. Yeah,
9:03
it's horrible. District twelve State bridge engineer Mary west fall
9:07
Holbrook agreed. We still have utilities in the way it's
9:11
been let to contract, but unfortunately it was let with
9:14
utilities as part of the bid. The bridge has been
9:19
slated for a six point five million dollar replacement since
9:23
a bridge inspection in twenty twenty one revealed it was
9:27
structurally unsafe and the weight limit was lowered to just
9:30
three tons. While school buses are taking an alternate route
9:35
to avoid the bridge, tractor trailers and other large vehicles
9:38
are still traveling across it despite the weight limit. Signs.
9:44
Bush and Birchett Incorporated of Prestonsburg has the contract to
9:48
build the new bridge, but a water line and a
9:51
power line still have to be moved before construction can begin.
9:55
Holbrook said. The two lane Steel Trust and Concrete Bridge
10:01
sits eighty feet above the north fork of the Kentucky
10:04
River and the CSX railroad tracks on the riverbank. Its
10:08
four hundred eleven feet from end to end, and the
10:11
longest of the five spans is one hundred fifty feet
10:14
between support piers. The two ten foot wide lanes carry
10:19
nearly seven hundred vehicles a day. Some potholes were so
10:24
deep earlier this year that reinforcing steel was visible before
10:28
they were patched last month, but potholes are not a
10:32
structural danger. Built in nineteen forty, the bridge has undergone
10:37
major repairs several times, but problems keep appearing. When it
10:42
was inspected in May twenty twenty one, bridge engineers found
10:46
loss of bearing area of the beams and some other
10:49
locations that are unstable, according to an email at the
10:53
time from bridge engineer Chris Allen. The next headline is
10:59
fire storm warning issued. The National Weather Service in Jackson
11:06
is warning of an increased danger of wildfires in Lecture
11:10
and the surrounding counties this week ending, with severe storms
11:14
possible for the weekend. A hazardous weather statement from the
11:18
Weather Service says there is a heightened risk of wildfires
11:21
Wednesday afternoon and early evening due to very low relative
11:25
humidity and dusty winds. Minimum relative humidity values were expected
11:31
to range from fifteen to twenty five percent Tuesday afternoon,
11:35
with winds from the southwest to between five and fourteen
11:38
miles per hour, with peak gusts of fifteen to twenty
11:41
five miles per hour in most places. These conditions, combined
11:46
with the recent days of strong drying, were forecast to
11:50
produce elevated wildfire danger levels. Thunderstorms and heavy rainfall are
11:56
possible Saturday into Saturday night. Thunderstorms may be strong in
12:04
the next story. State House Okay's bill pushed by Whittaker.
12:10
The State House of Representatives has voted to approve House
12:13
Bill five oh one, sponsored by Representative Mitch Whittaker of Fleming, Neon.
12:18
The measure establishes guidelines for pharmacists to follow when a
12:22
prescribing doctor passes away. While this bill may address a
12:27
rarely occurring situation, it does happen and pharmacists need clear
12:31
guidelines on how to best proceed, said Whittaker. House Bill
12:36
five oh one prevents patients from being left in limbo
12:39
without access to their essential medications when their prescribing doctor
12:44
passes away, and provides a straightforward process to keep their
12:47
treatment on track. The bill also provides pharmacists with legal
12:52
certainty on whether they can legally fill a prescription from
12:55
a recently deceased medical provider. House Bill five o z one,
13:00
which passed by a vote of ninety seven to nothing,
13:03
would ensure that patients still have access to their necessary
13:07
prescription medications in the event that their prescribing doctor passes
13:11
away if a pharmacist is aware that the prescribing doctor
13:15
of a medication has passed away. This measure would allow
13:19
a prescription issued by the prescribing doctor to continue to
13:23
be dispensed for up to one hundred eighty days after
13:26
the prescribing doctor has died, so long as the patient's
13:30
pharmacist believes that the prescription can be safely taken. Houspill
13:34
five oh one does not apply to prescriptions for controlled
13:37
substances unless permitted by the Controlled Substances Act and DEA Regulations.
13:44
House Built five oh one gives pharmacists the clarity they
13:47
need to best handle these cases while using their professional
13:51
judgment in order for their patients to continue to receive
13:55
access to their necessary medications. Added Whittaker, House till five
14:00
oh one will now head to the Senate for consideration.
14:06
The next story is utility work is first part of
14:10
US one to nineteen project. Drivers anxious to see work
14:15
begin on a pothole riddled section of US one nineteen
14:19
north at Ermine will have to hold their horses. The
14:23
construction being done along the road now is only the
14:26
utilities phase of the project. Power lines, water lines, and
14:31
other public utilities have to be moved for the new highway,
14:35
and right of way purchases have to be completed before
14:38
construction can begin. Utilities are authorized and we're waiting for
14:43
the right of way, said Mary west fall Holbrook, State
14:47
Highway engineer for the District twelve office in Pikeville. That's
14:51
such a long process. You're just going to see some
14:54
utility work going on. We're working on those. The highway
14:59
is supposed to be widened to four lanes from Cougar
15:02
Drive to the four lane section at may King. The project,
15:06
estimated at thirteen million, one hundred ten thousand dollars, was
15:10
in the plan Governor Andy Basheer recommended to the Kentucky
15:13
General Assembly last year, but it was not approved. Another
15:18
slightly shorter option was also in the recommended plan for
15:22
eleven million, four hundred ninety five thousand dollars, and a
15:26
major project to re route US one nineteen through the
15:30
Gateway Business Park at Jenkins was recommended at a cost
15:34
of forty three million, two hundred thirty thousand dollars. That
15:38
project would eliminate the dangerous left turn from the northbound
15:41
side of US twenty three to the northbound side of
15:45
US one nineteen. The next story is Disaster unemployment now available.
15:55
The State of Kentucky is now accepting applications for Disaster
15:59
Unemployment Acts DUA from persons in Lecture and thirteen other
16:04
counties who are out of work due to the severe storms,
16:07
straight line winds, flooding, landslides, and mud slides that occurred
16:12
on February fourteenth. On February twenty fifth, President Donald Trump
16:17
approved Governor Andy Basher's request for an expedited major Disaster declaration,
16:23
which includes public assistance for local governments and individual assistants,
16:28
including disaster unemployment assistance for people living in Leccher and
16:32
nearby counties. Individuals, including unemployed and self employed individuals, who
16:38
were living or working in the affected areas and became
16:42
unemployed or had work interrupted as a direct result of
16:45
the severe storms and flooding are eligible to apply for
16:49
DUA benefits through the Kentucky Office of Unemployment Insurance. The
16:55
deadline to file individual initial applications is sixty day the
17:00
presidential declaration of the major disaster that resulted in the
17:04
individual becoming unemployed. Additional counties added after the initial declaration
17:10
must adhere to the same sixty day application deadline. Affected
17:14
individuals should visit the Kentucky Career Center website at KCC
17:20
dot Ky dot gov or call five two five six
17:25
four two nine zero zero to file their initial claim.
17:30
The deadline to apply for DUA is April twenty fifth,
17:34
twenty twenty five. The next story is Calves Special season
17:41
ends in overtime. The Cinderella season for the Jenkins Cavaliers
17:47
came to an abrupt halt in the first round of
17:50
the fourteenth Region tournament, but not before one last act
17:54
of greatness sent the game to overtime. Jenkins jumped to
17:59
an early ten to six lead, but two fouls each
18:02
by starters Cad Owens and Gavin Gibson proved problematic as
18:08
Powell County went on a huge run, down by seven.
18:13
Late in the second quarter, Jenkins senior Preston Hammonds made
18:16
a three pointer to ignite a ten to nothing run
18:20
to end the half and give Jenkins a twenty eight
18:22
to twenty five lead at the break. Powell County started
18:27
the third quarter on an eight to two run, but
18:30
a silky smooth pull up fifteen footer by Braden's Sexton
18:34
tied the game at thirty three. Yall. Aiden Hayes then
18:37
took over, scoring six straight points to pull the Calves
18:41
within five points entering the fourth quarter. Cameron Hayes had
18:47
a strong take to the hole for a layup to
18:49
start the fourth quarter. Later in the quarter, Sextons stole
18:53
the ball and drained a three pointer to cut the
18:55
lead to fifty one to forty six. Cameron Hayes then
18:59
scored on three straight possessions to cut the Powell County
19:03
lead to a single point. After a Powell basket, Gibson
19:07
made a layup to make the score fifty five to
19:10
fifty four. With three twenty left in the game, cam
19:15
Hayes showed his strength and got an offensive rebound and
19:18
put back to tie the score at fifty eight points
19:21
with one fifty three on the clock. Then senior Braden
19:25
Sexton put on his cape and hit clutched back to
19:28
back threes to take the game into overtime. Unfortunately, overtime
19:34
did not go the Calves way and they lost the
19:37
game by a score of eighty five to sixty eight.
19:41
Jenkins showed the grint and will to win they displayed
19:44
all season, but came up just short to end their
19:47
historical season. With a twenty six and five record. We
19:52
fought through a lot of emotional and physical adversity to
19:55
give ourselves an opportunity to win another game, said coach
19:59
Winston Lee. We fell just short, but what a run,
20:03
what a season. I love our guys. It was special
20:06
to see so much green at a regional tournament. Lee
20:11
said he hopes his team's success this season is a
20:14
sign of things to come. We're hoping this special season
20:18
will open the doors to new goals and heights for
20:20
our returning guys, our seniors. What an effort not just
20:25
in the game, but over the last three years in
20:28
bringing Jenkins Pride back to a well deserving school and community.
20:33
I am so proud of all of them and proud
20:35
to be a Cavalier. The next story is ex liquor
20:42
store clerk faces theft indictment. A former Whitesburg liquor store
20:48
clerk is accused of stealing a significant amount of money
20:52
while on the job. Tosha Howard thirty seven, one thirty
20:56
eight Railroad Hill Jenkins is charged with theft by unlawful
21:00
taking for allegedly stealing more than one thousand dollars but
21:04
less than ten thousand dollars from Food City, Wine and
21:07
Spirits in Weisberg. She is also charged with being a
21:11
first degree persistent felony offender related to a twenty twenty
21:15
one conviction on a charge of drug possession. The new
21:20
charges against Howard are contained in an indictment returned last
21:23
week by the Lecher County Grand Jury after the jury
21:27
heard testimony from Letcher County Deputy Sheriff Isaiah Jacobs. The
21:32
investigation into Howard's alleged crime began after a review of
21:36
the store's surveillance system indicated she was able to take
21:40
money from the store by manipulating a cash register during
21:43
customer purchases. Howard is one of ten Letcher County residents
21:48
named in indictments returned by the grand jury and handed
21:52
up to Lecher Circuit Judge James W. Craft. The second
21:57
others indicted and the charges against them are Robert Bentley
22:01
forty nine, twenty eight High Street, Whitesburg, who is named
22:04
in two indictments. In one indictment, Bentley is charged with
22:08
possession of defaced firearm, buy or possessed drug paraphernalia, and
22:13
manufacture Metham Fediman first offense. In the other indictment, he
22:18
is charged with possession of a handgun by a convicted
22:21
felon and being a first degree persistent felony offender. Seth
22:25
Whittaker of the Whitesburg Police Department testified in the cases
22:31
Michael J. Baker forty twenty two sixty six Highway eleven
22:35
forty eight Isisom who is charged with two counts of
22:38
first degree sexual abuse. Charles Moore of the Kentucky State
22:43
Police testified in the case Michael Morton thirty six eight
22:48
fifty Mountain Breeze Road number three forty one Jenkins, who
22:52
is charged with first degree possession of a control substance
22:55
first defense Metham Fedeman and third degree possession of control
22:59
substance drug unspecified. Neon. Police Chief Dustin Jackson testified in
23:05
the case Cody Ratliffe thirty one three thirty nine Highway
23:10
three forty three Neon, who is charged with first degree
23:13
promoting contraband. He is accused of knowingly introducing dangerous contraband
23:18
into a detention facility. Justin Collier of the Electric Heaty
23:23
Jail testified in the case Kylie Nicole Sandlin twenty two
23:29
thirty nine Charity Drive, Whitsburg, who is charged with speeding
23:33
twenty five miles per hour over the limit, first degree
23:36
fleeing or evading police motor vehicle, first degree wanton endangerment,
23:41
and reckless driving. Jordan Clemens of the Whitesburg Police Department
23:47
testified in the case Chad Tolson forty two Smokey Roe, Jenkins,
23:54
who is charged with theft by unlawful taking or disposition
23:58
when he took property belonging to Eline Kelly. He is
24:01
also charged with second degree criminal mischief related to residential
24:05
rental property. Jim Stevens of the Jenkins Police Department testified
24:10
in the case Dustin Carvell forty also known as Duck
24:16
six seventy three carbon Glow road Ledger, who is charged
24:20
with receiving stolen property ten thousand dollars or more, obscuring
24:24
the identity of a machine valued at ten thousand dollars
24:27
or more, and being a second degree persistent felony offender.
24:32
Brandon Watts of the Kentucky State Police testified in the
24:35
case Robert Comb's forty six fifty brass road Ermine, who
24:41
is charged with first degree possession of a controlled substance
24:44
methan fetomin first offense and Blake Taylor twenty four sixty four,
24:50
spy Rock Road Wichberg, who is charged with being a
24:54
second degree persistent felony offender. The next story is twelve
25:01
accused of being deadbeat parents. Twelve people were charged in
25:06
Letcher Circuit Court with flagrant non support of their minor children,
25:10
and four of them were also charged with being second
25:13
degree persistent felony offenders. Those with the two charges against
25:17
them were James Collins thirty nine, Mono seven College Drive, Weisberg,
25:23
Crystal Smith thirty eight five thirty Carlton Drive, Owensboro, Donald
25:27
Sanders forty three twenty six Watersleet Avenue, Dayton, Ohio. And
25:33
Monica Neil thirty four two forty one Brittany Circle, Richmond.
25:39
Charged with flagrant non support of their minor children were
25:43
Brad Smith forty one five fifty six, Kelley Fork Road Hazard,
25:47
who was charged in two cases of flagrant non support
25:50
of his minor children, Pamela Maggard forty eleven twenty three
25:54
Highway two O three six Letcher, Elizabeth Schamensky thirty nine
26:00
one thirty five, Jim Banks Road Jenkins, Kira Thompson thirty
26:05
four twenty seven thirty one Springwood Drive, Madison, Indiana for
26:09
seven three five oh Casey Williams forty two fifty eight
26:14
to twenty three Kentucky Highway sixty nine to nine Slamp.
26:19
Angela Barton also known as Angela Jones thirty three one
26:23
ninety seven Cameltown Road, Cornettsville, Fred Boggs forty six forty
26:30
Crystal Drive, Weisberg and Rebecca Boggs forty five forty Crystal Drive, Weisberg.
26:39
And the next story is three face charges. Three men
26:43
were charged in Letcher Circuit Court with bail jumping. They
26:47
are Kobe milem twenty three sixty eight seventy Highway eight
26:52
nine nine Pippa Passes and six eighty five Joes Branch
26:56
Road Jenkins, who was also charged with being a second
26:59
degree persistent felony offender. Michael Ingram thirty one one four
27:05
nine seven two Highway one sixty Line Fork and Darren
27:09
Adams eighteen thirty eight bark Camp Road, Delphia. This concludes
27:16
the reading of The Mountain Eagle. Your reader has been
27:19
Bill van Arsdal. Now please stay tuned for continued programming
27:24
on behalf of everyone here at Radio I. Thank you
27:27
for listening, and have a good day.