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Ashland Daily Independent - 9.30.26 · Eastern Kentucky Newspapers

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  Speaker 1: We now turn to the Ashland Independent to bring you
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  Speaker 1: news from in and around Ashland and Boyd County. Your
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  Speaker 1: reader today is Jane. We begin with the edition dated
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  Speaker 1: September 29, 2026. As a reminder, Radio Eye is a
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  Speaker 1: reading service intended for people who are blind or have
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  Speaker 1: other disabilities that make it difficult to read printed material.
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  Speaker 1: Our first article, Legacy Park Opens, features Our Lady. by
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  Speaker 1: Aaron Snyder for the Daily Independent. Continuing, the Legacy Foundation
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  Speaker 1: cut the ribbon to open Legacy Memorial Park and unveiled
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  Speaker 1: the Our Lady statue on Friday on St. Christopher Drive.
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  Speaker 1: When Our Lady of Belfonte Hospital closed in 2020, the
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  Speaker 1: Continuing the Legacy Foundation became a 501c3 organization. The foundation
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  Speaker 1: has been located in the Belfonte Center, but it now
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  Speaker 1: has a new home. Offices are in a renovated building
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  Speaker 1: that previously was a daycare at 110 St. Christopher Drive
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  Speaker 1: in Russell. Adjacent to it is a peaceful, picturesque park.
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  Speaker 1: The Northeast Kentucky Chamber of Commerce conducted a ribbon-cutting ceremony
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  Speaker 1: on an ideal fall morning Friday. Luann Cire, a member
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  Speaker 1: of the Foundation's Board of Directors, unveiled the Our Lady statue,
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  Speaker 1: which was originally placed in front of the hospital, in 2012.
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  Speaker 1: The statue had been in storage in the basement of
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  Speaker 1: the Belfonte Center. Mercy Health allowed the Foundation to retain
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  Speaker 1: the statue and donated the property to the organization. Jimmy
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  Speaker 1: Nizzo and the Belfonte Center were wonderful to us, Siri said.
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  Speaker 1: The park features memorial benches and trees, a pond with
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  Speaker 1: a pair of koi fish, a fountain, and several spots
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  Speaker 1: for praying, picture-taking, and more. Father Andrew Garner offered a
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  Speaker 1: prayer prior to the statue reveal. He prayed the park
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  Speaker 1: would be a sanctuary of healing in the community. a
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  Speaker 1: place of comfort and a haven of deep peace and
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  Speaker 1: quiet reflection. Siri told those gathered Friday, the person who
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  Speaker 1: deserves the most credit is continuing the Legacy Foundation director,
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  Speaker 1: Alania DeBoard. A lot of people had a part in
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  Speaker 1: making all this happen, DeBoard said. We're excited to have
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  Speaker 1: a place for the statue. We've had the statue and
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  Speaker 1: this vision since 2020 when the hospital closed. Every time
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  Speaker 1: the foundation seemed to have secured a place for the statue,
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  Speaker 1: it fell through, DeBoard said, until now. For it to
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  Speaker 1: end up here on the same road that the hospital
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  Speaker 1: was on, St. Christopher Drive, it's a divine intervention. This
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  Speaker 1: is where she needed to be, DeBoard said. I know
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  Speaker 1: the employees of Belfonte Hospital and the patients who loved
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  Speaker 1: her are excited to see her back up. We have
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  Speaker 1: her here for everybody to enjoy. The park is open 24-7,
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  Speaker 1: DeBoard said. Hillcrest Landscaping took care of the park's design.
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  Speaker 1: They started working on revamping the building in December 2025.
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  Speaker 1: Plenty of work took place over the late spring and
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  Speaker 1: summer months to pave the way to Friday. The interior
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  Speaker 1: features a bourbon room, local artwork, DeBoard's office, and a
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  Speaker 1: conference table for foundation meetings. The board consists of DeBoard,
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  Speaker 1: Siri B.J. Burcham, Jennifer Cantrell, Kim Hall, Richard Reams, Kelsey Salyers,
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  Speaker 1: Mary Kat Flath, Jeff Griffith, and Doug Heron. The park
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  Speaker 1: was busy on a sunny Saturday with students dressed for
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  Speaker 1: homecoming dances. It's open for people to come and have
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  Speaker 1: lunch breaks or pray or just come enjoy, Siri said. Continuing,
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  Speaker 1: the Legacy Foundation is involved with numerous community outreach activities,
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  Speaker 1: including backpack programs, school clothing programs, assistance with senior centers,
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  Speaker 1: and more. Our next article, Appreciation for Storytelling. Festival Goes
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  Speaker 1: Beyond Traditional Appalachian Experiences. by Heather Parks, and Brylin Flannery
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  Speaker 1: from The Trailblazer. The annual Cave Run Storytelling Festival closed
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  Speaker 1: the book on its 27th year over the weekend. This
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  Speaker 1: year's edition included a lineup of seven storytellers from across
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  Speaker 1: the world. The two-day event featured daily storytelling, food vendors,
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  Speaker 1: and merchandise stands. We want to instill a love and
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  Speaker 1: appreciation for storytelling and try to make it multi-generational so
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  Speaker 1: that it carries on the art of storytelling at this time,
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  Speaker 1: said Ronetta Brown, the president of the board of directors. Thursday,
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  Speaker 1: the festival opened early for Rowan County middle schoolers to
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  Speaker 1: experience a warm-up telling performance for the weekend's main crowd.
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  Speaker 1: I think within a traditional classroom, we focus on pulling
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  Speaker 1: information from documents and then applying it to a written test,
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  Speaker 1: said Tyler Wages, an RCMS teacher. This is a chance
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  Speaker 1: for them to pull information from an oral story and
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  Speaker 1: be able to hold that in their memory. That is
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  Speaker 1: going to tie into real-world experiences. The storytellers told stories
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  Speaker 1: from multiple cultural backgrounds, allowing students to look into different
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  Speaker 1: lifestyles beyond traditional Appalachian experiences. When I share things about
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  Speaker 1: my life, it builds bridges across communities, said Nestor Gomez,
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  Speaker 1: a Guatemalan storyteller. It makes you see that we are
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  Speaker 1: all human, just trying to make a living and reach
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  Speaker 1: our goals. Along with Gomez, the panel of storytellers included
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  Speaker 1: a wide range of award-winning speakers. Among them were April Armstrong,
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  Speaker 1: Antonio Rocha, Bill Lepp, and others. We have gotten some
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  Speaker 1: tellers that have won lots of awards and have just
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  Speaker 1: great rapport with the audience, said Brown. The festival concluded
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  Speaker 1: on Saturday with traditional Appalachian ghost stories handed down through
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  Speaker 1: the generations. We hope they gain that appreciation for the
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  Speaker 1: stories and just remember that the stories are out there.
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  Speaker 1: We hope that they go home and ask their families
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  Speaker 1: to tell them stories. and that they will pass their
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  Speaker 1: stories on as well, said Braylon Flannery from the Trailblazer.
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  Speaker 1: It is a bit of a lost art, and so
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  Speaker 1: we want to try and revive that lost art. Visit caverunstoryfest.org
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  Speaker 1: for more information. In other news, RWMS has Dolly Parton Day!
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  Speaker 1: Raceland Worthington Middle School celebrated Dolly Parton Day on Friday,
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  Speaker 1: September 25, 925. Students dressed up to honor Dolly Parton,
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  Speaker 1: who passed away on August 25. They wore pink, western wear, butterflies,
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  Speaker 1: and jewelry to honor Dolly. Sixth grader Miley Elam and
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  Speaker 1: seventh grader Georgie Levesque read their essays about Dolly Parton's life.
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  Speaker 1: According to Susie Alvey, a teacher at RWMS, the kids
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  Speaker 1: had a blast singing Dolly's songs and celebrating. It was
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  Speaker 1: a great success. Many students participated, she said, as they
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  Speaker 1: celebrated the Queen of Country, Dolly's kindness, her music, and
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  Speaker 1: her love of reading. The school raised $ 725. 30 for Dolly
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  Speaker 1: Parton's Imagination Library. which sends free books to children each month.
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  Speaker 1: Our next article, Armco Friends Picnic Thursday. The Armco Friends
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  Speaker 1: Picnic is scheduled for Thursday at noon in Ironton. The
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  Speaker 1: two decades-long tradition will continue for Armco retirees at the
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  Speaker 1: farm of John Winters. Winters cooks pinto beans for a
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  Speaker 1: beans and cornbread meal. The 86-year-old has said previously the
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  Speaker 1: focuses are food and fellowship. Winters started at Armco in
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  Speaker 1: 1959 in maintenance. Since he retired 20-plus years ago, he's
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  Speaker 1: had this annual get-together. Winters asks attendees to bring their
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  Speaker 1: soft drink of choice and chairs. The picnic is at
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  Speaker 1: the property is about one and a half miles from Ironton,
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  Speaker 1: on Route 93. Turn on to County Road 119, which
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  Speaker 1: becomes Ben Howell Road. Next, Billy Joel Legacy Concert moved
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  Speaker 1: to October 16th. The Paramount Theater announced the upcoming Billy
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  Speaker 1: Joel Legacy Concert, originally scheduled for September 30th, has been
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  Speaker 1: rescheduled to Friday, October 16th. The Paramount looks forward to
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  Speaker 1: welcoming audiences for an evening celebrating the unforgettable music of
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  Speaker 1: Billy Joel, featuring the songs that have become part of
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  Speaker 1: the soundtrack of Generations, the Paramount stated in a press release.
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  Speaker 1: All tickets purchased for the September 30th performance are will
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  Speaker 1: be honored for the new October 16th date. Ticket holders
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  Speaker 1: should retain their original tickets as no exchange is necessary.
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  Speaker 1: Visit www.paramountashland.com for tickets. We appreciate the understanding and flexibility
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  Speaker 1: of our patrons and look forward to sharing this special
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  Speaker 1: evening with everyone on October 16th, said the Paramount Theater.
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  Speaker 1: Patrons with questions regarding their tickets or the rescheduled performance
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  Speaker 1: are encouraged to contact the Paramount Theater box office at
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  Speaker 1: area code 606-547-9208. Additional event and ticket information is available
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  Speaker 1: through the Paramount Theater Ashland box office. In other news,
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  Speaker 1: judge orders ARC to pay $ 18. 4 million. According to multiple
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  Speaker 1: media outlets in Kentucky, a federal judge has ordered Addiction
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  Speaker 1: Recovery Care to pay $ 18. 4 million to two creditors. Angelica
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  Speaker 1: Capital Trust and Clear Cove Opportunities had both sued ARC
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  Speaker 1: for defaulting on promised payments on loans it made in 2025.
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  Speaker 1: ARC had previously agreed to pay a settlement of more
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  Speaker 1: than $ 16 million to stemming from allegations of Medicaid billing fraud.
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  Speaker 1: The latest obituaries. News in Brief Carter Senior Center to
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  Speaker 1: have rummage sale. The Carter County Senior Center will have
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  Speaker 1: a rummage sale on Thursday and Friday, October 1st and 2nd,
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  Speaker 1: from 9.30 to 11.30 a.m. each day. All proceeds will
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  Speaker 1: go to the Seniors Activity Fund, which assists them with coffee,
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  Speaker 1: bingo prizes, snacks, outings, and more. The Senior Center is
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  Speaker 1: at 200 North Hoard Street. SOAR Summit registration still open.
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  Speaker 1: Tickets for the annual Shaping Our Appalachian Region Summit are
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  Speaker 1: still available for two more days, according to SOAR. The
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  Speaker 1: event will be at Corbin Arena October 7th through the 9th,
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  Speaker 1: bringing together leaders, communities, and partners from across the region
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  Speaker 1: to share what's working and and build what's next according
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  Speaker 1: to the SOAR website. More than 1,200 leaders, entrepreneurs, educators, employers, policymakers, students,
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  Speaker 1: and community champions will convene for the three-day event. Visit soar-ky.org
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  Speaker 1: backslash summit26 for more information. In other news, data center
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  Speaker 1: listening session set for October 1st in Frankfort. Kentuckians concerned
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  Speaker 1: about the growing number of proposed data centers will have
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  Speaker 1: an opportunity to share their concerns directly with state lawmakers
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  Speaker 1: during a legislative listening session Thursday, October 1st in Frankfort.
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  Speaker 1: The data center legislative listening session will be held from
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  Speaker 1: 11 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. in room 171 of the
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  Speaker 1: Capitol Annex at 702 Capitol Avenue. State Representative Adam Moore
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  Speaker 1: organized the session. One of the biggest concerns I hear
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  Speaker 1: is that people don't feel like they have enough of
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  Speaker 1: a voice in decisions that could have a major impact
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  Speaker 1: on their communities, Moore said. This is their chance to
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  Speaker 1: come to Frankfort. share their concerns directly with lawmakers, talk
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  Speaker 1: about how these projects could affect their communities, and tell
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  Speaker 1: us what they believe the state needs to do. Data
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  Speaker 1: centers have drawn increasing attention as projects are proposed in
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  Speaker 1: communities across Kentucky. Residents have raised questions about their enormous
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  Speaker 1: electricity demands and the potential effect on utility bills. along
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  Speaker 1: with concerns about water use, noise, land use, local infrastructure,
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  Speaker 1: and how much, say, communities have before projects move forward.
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  Speaker 1: The listening session will give residents, local officials, and others
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  Speaker 1: an opportunity to discuss those concerns and offer ideas about
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  Speaker 1: what safeguards Kentucky may need as lawmakers consider the issue.
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  Speaker 1: Moore is inviting members of the General Assembly's Natural Resources
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  Speaker 1: and Energy Committee and Agriculture Committee to attend. People have
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  Speaker 1: legitimate questions about what these projects could mean for their
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  Speaker 1: utility bills, their communities, and their quality of life, Moore said.
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  Speaker 1: Those voices need to be heard by lawmakers as Kentucky
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  Speaker 1: decides what comes next. Our next article, One More Step.
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  Speaker 1: Pathways Unites with Community to Fight Suicide by Tammy Hetzer
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  Speaker 1: Womack for the Daily Independent. The fear of suicide among
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  Speaker 1: her friends becomes an all too familiar uncertainty, anguish, and
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  Speaker 1: uneasiness filling Addison Balder's 15-year-old mind. The Boyd County High
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  Speaker 1: School student fields phone calls from peers considering self-harm and
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  Speaker 1: end of life. Addison's mother, Rebecca Balder, Pathways Chief of
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  Speaker 1: Residential and Emergency Responses, has more than three decades of
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  Speaker 1: mental health experience and training. She is always ready to
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  Speaker 1: step up to help families. Her daughter is not afraid
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  Speaker 1: to offer help when she sees a friend at risk
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  Speaker 1: of suicide. We are needing therapy. I get it too,
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  Speaker 1: Addison said. She said mental health care is necessary for
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  Speaker 1: teenagers due to many reasons, including bullying, the effects of
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  Speaker 1: social media and body shaming, or simple isolation from peer groups.
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  Speaker 1: Of course, there's fear of stigma and fear of being
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  Speaker 1: judged if you go to therapy, she said. But it
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  Speaker 1: is not always like what teenagers imagined. there are many
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  Speaker 1: options for help. Over the past 20 years, the suicide
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  Speaker 1: rate in Kentucky has increased by 34.6%. It is now
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  Speaker 1: the second leading cause of death of those between 17
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  Speaker 1: and 24. Addison is doing her best to stop the increase.
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  Speaker 1: She arranged colorful swag bags, free t-shirts, temporary tattoos. notebooks
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  Speaker 1: and pens, and colorful beads, each color representing the relationship
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  Speaker 1: of the person who lost to suicide. It's easy to
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  Speaker 1: feel hopeless, stupid, and have fears of beating the stigma
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  Speaker 1: or being judged for calling out for help, Addison said.
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  Speaker 1: It is hard to get people to give in and
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  Speaker 1: talk to a parent or guardian or even a Pathways worker.
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  Speaker 1: We have a therapist in my school who but it
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  Speaker 1: is hard to get students to open up about how
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  Speaker 1: they are feeling. According to Kentucky Youth Risk Behavior Survey,
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  Speaker 1: 15% of Kentucky high school students reported having seriously considered
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  Speaker 1: suicide within a 12-month period. For licensed clinical counselor Rebecca Balder,
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  Speaker 1: those numbers are shocking. Pathways is now seeing suicidal thoughts
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  Speaker 1: and attempts in children under 10. Children whose ages are
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  Speaker 1: in the single digits, that scares me, Balder said. She
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  Speaker 1: was not much older when she lost her father to suicide.
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  Speaker 1: I lived with a lot of guilt for a long time,
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  Speaker 1: but I did what any 13-year-old would do. I turned
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  Speaker 1: my life to strive to help people in the same
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  Speaker 1: sorts of crisis as my dad, she said. We are
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  Speaker 1: now finding many more people are willing to learn the
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  Speaker 1: signs and what to do in that moment. One young
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  Speaker 1: man's story sticks with her. He was in a treatment
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  Speaker 1: facility for nine months and making strides. Within 24 hours
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  Speaker 1: of release from the center, he committed suicide. He spent
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  Speaker 1: the entire time planning to end his life. I think
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  Speaker 1: one of the great misconceptions is suicide can be preventable,
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  Speaker 1: Balder said. Suicide is not always preventable when someone sets
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  Speaker 1: their mind to it. At their first Walk for Hope,
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  Speaker 1: mostly Pathways staffers attended. On Thursday, 85 plus community members
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  Speaker 1: united to walk, honoring a family member or friend who
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  Speaker 1: died by suicide. Family members and friends of suicide victims
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  Speaker 1: and survivors wore commemorative colors of purple and teal as
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  Speaker 1: they departed the walk around Camp Landing three times. There
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  Speaker 1: was a moment of silence for remembering those lost. From
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  Speaker 1: a young woman's perspective, Addison urges to please accept therapy
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  Speaker 1: whether you need it or not. I am really happy
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  Speaker 1: a lot because of my therapy. It makes you feel good,
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  Speaker 1: she said. Although my moms are amazing and so open-minded
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  Speaker 1: and supportive, sometimes you need another person to listen, like
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  Speaker 1: a therapist. She hopes to start a support group in
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  Speaker 1: her school. Trained helpline staff are available to take emergency
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  Speaker 1: calls 24-7 at 1-800-562-8909 or by calling or texting the
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  Speaker 1: 988-SUICIDE-AND-CRISIS lifeline. Our next article, Russell Moves Forward on Athletic Complex,
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  Speaker 1: by Aaron Snyder of the Daily Independent. The Russell Independent
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  Speaker 1: School District Board is in the preliminary phases on an
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  Speaker 1: athletic complex. Mike Sparkman, owner and president of Alt32 Architecture,
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  Speaker 1: provided schematic design plans for the facility during the board's
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  Speaker 1: meeting on Wednesday evening. Sparkman outlined a rough schedule of events,
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  Speaker 1: including design development approval at the upcoming October board meeting
• 21:47
  Speaker 1: and construction document approval in November. If all goes to plan,
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  Speaker 1: he said, the bid opening may take place by February 2027.
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  Speaker 1: An ideal completion date would be in early 2028. The
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  Speaker 1: facility would be situated on what is now an open
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  Speaker 1: field near the three-way stop of Red Devil Lane, Powell Lane,
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  Speaker 1: and Seton Drive, within walking distance of Russell High School
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  Speaker 1: and Russell Middle School. Based on preliminary renderings, the complex
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  Speaker 1: would include an outdoor practice field, indoor facility for multiple sports,
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  Speaker 1: and a parking area. A road would lead from Red
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  Speaker 1: Devil Lane to the complex. Sparkman said the building would
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  Speaker 1: ideally serve all student-athletes, have a positive presence in the community,
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  Speaker 1: be efficient and economical to operate, have low energy costs
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  Speaker 1: and responsible stormwater management. He said the apex of the
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  Speaker 1: roof would reach about 30 feet. The interior of the
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  Speaker 1: pre-engineered steel building would feature a weight room and both
• 23:03
  Speaker 1: a hardwood floor for volleyball and basketball and a multi-purpose
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  Speaker 1: turf surface complete with school spirit graphics. It would include
• 23:14
  Speaker 1: hanging court curtains and suspended basketball goals and volleyball nets.
• 23:21
  Speaker 1: We have a good site, Sparkman said. The district has
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  Speaker 1: planned for many years to have this site secured for something.
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  Speaker 1: So far, it's turning out to be good. He said
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  Speaker 1: both a geotechnical investigation and site survey have been conducted.
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  Speaker 1: Sparkman said there will be an opportunity for a future addition, too.
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  Speaker 1: After Sparkman left Wednesday's meeting, the board voted to approve
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  Speaker 1: a payment for the schematic design phase services of the project.
• 23:53
  Speaker 1: According to Superintendent Dr. Sean Horn, a more detailed and
• 23:58
  Speaker 1: accurate rendering will be released next week. Next, City to
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  Speaker 1: Purchase Property for Additional AFD Parking by Erin Snyder of
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  Speaker 1: the Daily Independent. Two hairstylists, including one who has been
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  Speaker 1: in Ashland City Limits for 16 years, have found new
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  Speaker 1: places to work after learning their studio location is would
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  Speaker 1: be sold to the city. Ashland City Commission voted unanimously
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  Speaker 1: on first reading for the city to purchase property next
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  Speaker 1: to the Ashland Fire Department Central Station for $ 55, 000. It
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  Speaker 1: is at 1013 Carter Avenue. A second reading is scheduled
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  Speaker 1: for Monday at 11 a.m. when the regular recessed meeting resumes.
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  Speaker 1: City officials had heard property owner George Arnold was interested
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  Speaker 1: in selling. City Attorney Andrew Wheeler made contact and inquired
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  Speaker 1: if Arnold was indeed looking to sell. The city got
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  Speaker 1: the nod and moved forward with intentions to eventually create
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  Speaker 1: additional parking needed for the fire department. The owner did
• 25:10
  Speaker 1: not inform the city the building had an active tenant,
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  Speaker 1: according to Wheeler. At no time was I ever advised
• 25:17
  Speaker 1: there was a tenant, Wheeler said. I assumed it was
• 25:20
  Speaker 1: a building that was vacant. When the commission learned it
• 25:24
  Speaker 1: was occupied by New Beginnings Salon, operated by Lisa Fultz,
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  Speaker 1: they asked Wheeler to reach out. Wheeler said Fultz had
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  Speaker 1: told him they were determining where to go next. Fultz
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  Speaker 1: told the Daily Independent Arnold informed her of the potential
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  Speaker 1: sale a few days after Labor Day. He said he
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  Speaker 1: had sold the building and the sale would be finalized
• 25:47
  Speaker 1: at the end of the month, Fultz said. Fultz said
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  Speaker 1: she wished she would have had a chance to purchase.
• 25:54
  Speaker 1: She said she would have acquired it for that price.
• 25:58
  Speaker 1: She and another hairstylist renting a spot in the salon
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  Speaker 1: are relocating. I've got 16 years of things accumulated in here,
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  Speaker 1: so I've been sorting through it all and taking it home,
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  Speaker 1: Fultz said. I had to find a place to work quickly.
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  Speaker 1: I'm no longer a hair business owner in Ashland. Fultz
• 26:17
  Speaker 1: said she is renting a station at a new beginning
• 26:20
  Speaker 1: hair studio on 13th Street near Summit. She will also
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: work in Grayson a couple days a week, she said.
• 26:28
  Speaker 1: She cuts hair at area nursing homes, too. She's been
• 26:32
  Speaker 1: doing hair for 37 years. She was at Master Cuts
• 26:36
  Speaker 1: at Ashland Town Center prior to moving next to the
• 26:39
  Speaker 1: fire station. My customers followed me here, so hopefully they'll
• 26:43
  Speaker 1: follow me again, Foltz said. I'm just four or five
• 26:47
  Speaker 1: minutes down the road. Those girls at A New Beginning
• 26:50
  Speaker 1: Hair Studio seem really great. I'm excited to start here.
• 26:56
  Speaker 1: The other hairstylist is relocating to Grayson. This concludes excerpts
• 27:02
  Speaker 1: from recent editions of the Ashland Daily Independent. Your reader
• 27:07
  Speaker 1: has been Jane. On behalf of everyone here at Radio Eye,
• 27:11
  Speaker 1: thank you for listening. Keep on listening and have a
• 27:14
  Speaker 1: good day.