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Pike Co. News - 6.1.26 · Eastern Kentucky Newspapers

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Speaker 1: Now we turn to the reading of the Appalachian News
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Express for news in Pikeville and Pike County. As a reminder,
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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. The Appalachian News Express is donated to
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RADIOI by the publisher. Your reader today is Sirisha. We
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will begin with the addition dated May twenty nine, twenty
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twenty six. The first article on today's cover page is
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titled p MC promotes Stroke Awareness Month by Terry L. May,
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News Editor. May is recognized as National Stroke Awareness Month,
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and the Pikeville Medical Center has conducted several programs in
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conjunction with the effort. Two initiatives used by the hospital
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have included a Wellness Wednesday program at the Pikeville Area
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Family YMI and a speaking engagement. During a recent Pikeville
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Rotary Club meeting, Jamie Fowley PMC Stroke Coordinator and Sarah
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Harrell Stroke PI Outcome Specialist set up an information table
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at the YMCA in an effort to bring information to
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area residents, especially those at the YMCA as they completed
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their Silver Sneakers workout. We come to places in the
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community like the YMCA, because we like to reach out
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to people in the community, Folly said, we can really
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connect with our community members when we go where they
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go and where they live and where they come to exercise.
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This way, we can ensure they are aware of the
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resources we have at PMC for stroke and other health concerns.
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Foley said that while stroke has no age limits, risk
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factors increase with age Because older adults often have other
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health factors that contribute to stroke. It is a common
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misconception that strokes just happen in older adults. Strokes can
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happen at any age, from birth to our geriatric population.
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She said. They are more common though, once people hit
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a certain age because of many risk factors. The good news,
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Folly said, is that many of the risk factors are
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modifiable and can be changed or improved with better lifestyle practices.
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Among those are smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, and being overweight.
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Another aspect of stroke that Folly said many are unaware
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of is that women are at a higher risk of
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stroke than men. One in five women will have a
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stroke each year. She said. It is the number three
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leading cause of death among women. It is more common
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in women who are pregnant and who have migraines with
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aura nervous system symptoms PMC. Neurologist doctor Molly Bates told
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members of the Pikeville Rotary Club that one of the
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most crucial aspects in relation to stroke is time. She
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emphasized the need for a quick reaction for someone who
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is believed to have had a stroke. There are two
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types of stroke, she explained. One is often referred to
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as a brain bleed and is less common. The second,
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which is the most common, is caused by a clot
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blocking the flow of blood to the brain. Bates said
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there are clot busting drugs that can dramatically improve the
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outcome for stroke patients, but they must be administered within
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a crucial time frame to work. She also said there
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is a more invasive and specialized procedure if patients meet
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certain criteria that has to be performed within twenty four hours.
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For the clot busting drugs, the ideal time is within
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the first hour, but it is definitely must be given
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in the first four and a half hours, she explained.
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She also said stroke is higher in the Appalachian region
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and can have worse outcomes. Stroke is a major problem
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in the United States. Bates said it affects even more Appalachians.
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The risk of stroke death is actually fifteen to twenty
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percent higher in our region of the country. Folly, Harrell,
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and Bates all stressed the importance of the b FAST program,
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which uses an acronym to help people identify those who
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may be having a stroke. B FAST is b balance,
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the loss of balance or dizziness e eyes, any vision
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changes f face, one side of the face, drooping a arms,
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weakness in the arms or legs, s, speech, difficulty in
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speaking or slurred speech, and t time. Seek medical assistance immediately.
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The next article is titled Chad Blackburn Change of venue
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granted for man charged with murder in car crash. An
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Appalachian newspaper's staff report a West Virginia man charged with
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murder and vehicular homicide following a twenty twenty four car crash.
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Car crash that claimed the life of a Pike County
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District Court judge's mother will now be tried in Floyd County.
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A Pike County grand jury indicated Jack Blackburn, thirty eight,
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of red Jacket, West Virginia, in October twenty twenty four,
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on charges of murder, capital offense, vehicular homicide Class B felony,
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first degree assault, Class B felony, DUI first offense, first
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degree possession of a controlled substance, Class D felony, possession
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of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Special Judge David A.
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Barber held a hearing on May twenty eighth, during which
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time he agreed that it would be prudent to move
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the trial from Pike County. Barber was assigned the case
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after both Circuit Judge Eddie Coleman and Circuit Judge Howard
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Keith Hall rescued from the case. Because the victim killed
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in the crash was Linda Wright, the mother of Pike
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District Judge Robbie Wright. The family needs closure in this
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as soon as possible. Barber said he chose the Floyd
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County venue because the chances of a retrial would be
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reduced than if it were conducted in Pike County, and
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because a nearby location would create fewer logistical impacts. He
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set a trial date of October fifth. Blackburn recently rejected
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a meditation settlement. Mediation settlement in the case. A Pike
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County grand jury indicated Blackburn in October twenty twenty four
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on charges of murder, capital offense, vehicular homicide Class B felony,
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first degree assault, Class B felony, DUI first offense, first
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degree possession of controlled substance, Class D felony, the possession
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of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. According to police records,
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on July twenty six, twenty twenty four, Pikeville Police Department
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Patrolman Tyson Tia s O. N. Lockridge responded to a
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two vehicle crash on US one nineteen, which resulted in
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Linda Wright's death and serious injuries to her husband, Raleig Wright.
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While the collision happened on U S one nineteen, Linda
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Wright's vehicle was pushed into the U. S twenty three
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intersection before coming to a final rest. She was transported
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to the Pikeville Medical Center, where she later died from
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injuries she suffered in the crash. The police statement said.
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Lockridge wrote that upon contact, he noted Blackburn had bloodshot
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eyes and a thick white substance in the corners of
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his mouth. Blackburn, the citation said, allegedly admitted to smoking
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a marijuana on a thhc vape. Pen Lockridge wrote that
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he also noted Blackburn had a thick, slightly green film
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on his tongue and Blackburn remains in custody at the
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Pike County Detention Center, where he has been incarcerated since
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the crash occurred. The next article on today's cover page
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is titled BHS Senior's Experience as a Coal Fair Participant
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by Olivia Morgan, staff writer. Belfrey High School senior Michael
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Haggie has been a Cedar Coal Fair participant for four years,
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during which he has won first place in the art
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category four times and achieved the Student of the Year
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award twice. Michael has participated in the Coal Fair every
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year since attending Belfrey High School. As someone with a
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passion for art, Michael said he was excited for the
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opportunity when he first learned about Cedar and their mission.
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I never took art classes because I've always had such
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a busy schedule, So when my Cedar Fair coordinator and
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teacher told me about the fair, I was very excited,
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he said. I just love art, and I love the
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ability to showcase my art and the message behind it.
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For his fourth and final project, Michael created a sculpture
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of a man made out of coal. The man I
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made is completely made out of coal because I wanted
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to represent how coal is the heart of Appalachia, he said.
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In one hand, he's holding a light bulb symbolizing how
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coal keeps our power and the lights on, and the
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other hand is pointing at the heart, showing how coal
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is the heart of the area. Michael's previous projects focused
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on other Eastern Kentucky related subjects, including tourism, trail systems,
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substance abuse, recovery, and flood relief. I was able to
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focus on such issues that affect me in my area
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while also being able to deliver pieces and sculptures that
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I'm very proud of, he said. Michael said that creating
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art projects for the Coal Fair has been rewarding in
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many ways. I enjoy being able to show what I
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can do, what I have been blessed with my ability,
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and being able to assign meaning to it. He said.
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Art allows me that medium to be able to do
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something and express things I care about through the lens
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of art. At Belfrey High School, Michael is a spirit
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team leader, varsity soccer captain, two year varsity baseball captain
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and the president of the student body. He said his
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art skills overlap with his extracurricular activities, teaching him time management, organization,
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and creativity. It's not just teaching me one thing in art,
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and I've been able to use things I've learned doing
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art in my other clubs. He said. It's very beneficial
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I've seen from doing art my whole life. Michael will
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graduate from Belfrey High School on Thursday, May twenty eighth.
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He said he plans to attend Marshall University and major
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in political science. I want to be able to serve
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my community and be a good advocate in state and
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local government, whether that's helping the right people get elected
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or working for a cause that's close to my heart,
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something that I try to express in my art, Michael said.
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This article is accompanied by an image of Michael's coal
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sculpture holding a light bulb in one hand and the
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other hand pointing at the heart. The caption reads, a
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cedar coal fair sculpture created by Belfry High School senior
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Michael Haggie earned him his fourth first place victory in
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his art division in four years. News Express photo by
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Olivia Morgan The next article is titled W. K. Kellogg
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Foundation Awards SORE two hundred thousand dollars Grant Special to
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Appalachian Newspapers. Shaping our Appalachian Region said in a statement
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on May twenty first that a new two hundred thousand
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dollars grant from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation will help
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the organization continue building pathways that connect Eastern Kentuckians to
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meaningful careers, purpose driven work, and long term economic opportunity.
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The investment, according to the statement, will support the continued
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growth of sour's EKID Talent network, including enhancements to the
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EKY Job Board and expanded outreach through the EKY Remote Initiative. Together,
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these programs help connect job seekers with employers while strengthening
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workforce participation across the region, the statement said. For SORE,
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the statement said, workforce development is all about is about
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more than filling jobs. It is about helping people rediscover
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beliefs in what is possible for themselves, their families, and
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their communities. People across Eastern Kentucky. You want the opportunity
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to build a better future, said doctor Reid Aggin's executive
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director of SORE. This investment helps us continue creating pathways
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to employment while strengthening the systems that connect people to opportunity.
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When someone finds meaningful work, it changes more than their income.
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It restores confidence, purpose, and hope for what comes next.
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The funding, according to the statement, will help SORE improve
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workforce tools into technology, strengthen employer to candidate connections, increase
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visibility of job opportunities across the region, and expand outreach
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into communities where many residents remain disconnected from employment resources.
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For more information on SORE, visit SOA R dash K
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Y dot O r G. The next article is titled
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pp D Promotions announced by Gary Salloon, staff writer. Several
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promotions within the Pikeville Police Department were announced during a
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special called Pikeville City Commission meeting on May twenty sixth.
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The meeting was postponed one day because of Memorial Day.
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Alexis Stambaugh was promoted to the rank of sergeant, making
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her the first female officer to attain a supervisatory supervisory
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position within the department. Alexis applied for the position and
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underwent a rigorous interview process. PPD Chief Philip Reid said
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it was during that interview that we learned that of
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all the law enforcement agencies in the United States, only
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three percent of supervisory supervisory positions were held by women.
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So with this promotion, Alexis is making history with the
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department also receiving promotions to the rank of lieutenant where
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Sunny Buckley and Billy Ratliffe. When I originally beg chief,
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I hired both Sonny and Billy, Reid said, I hired
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both of these men and watched them become exceptional officers,
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so I am very proud of both of them. All
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three received their new rank insignia'snsign ias during the meeting,
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with family members pinning the insignias on. Also approved during
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the meeting was an authorization for transferring a glock seventeen
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to nine millimeter from city Police Department to former Captain
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Russell Blankenship, who retired on May twenty eighth. It is
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a tradition within the department that the service sidearm that
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a retiring officer is carrying be awarded to the officer.
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This article is accompanied by a photo with a caption
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that reads Three members of the Pikeville Police Department received
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promotions during the May twenty sixth Pikeville City Commission meeting,
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Alexis Stambaugh was promoted to the rank of sergeant. Sonny
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Buckley and Nuns and Billy Ratliff were promoted to lieutenants.
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The three were honored and congratulated by the Commission along
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with family and friends. The image shows all three officers
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and their families smiling. The next article is titled Smearitan's
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Purse to provide community medical outreach by Olivia Morgan, staff writer.
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The First Baptist Church of Pikeville has partnered with the
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humanitarian aid organizations Smaritan's Purse to provide free medical care.
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From May twenty nine to thirty, First Pikeville residents will
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be able to receive free medical, dental, and vision care.
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According to Missions pastor Kennan Darby, the organization ensures privacy
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to preserve patients's confidentiality and safety. Darby also said vision
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patients can receive custom eyeglasses and lenses will be crafted
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on site. Smeratan's Purse reached out to First Baptist Church,
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where the two organizations communicated for seven months to make
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this vision possible. The organization loves the area and knew
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the area potentially needed help, said Darby Smerton's Purse has
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previously visited Pikeville to provide flood relief for victims. It
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has since strived to work domestically and internationally, with team
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units traveling to Africa to provide care for Ebola patients.
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According to Darby, patients can visit First Baptist Church starting
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at one pm on May on Friday, May twenty ninth
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to receive free medical care. The next part of the
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paper is the opinion columns. First up is da Pope
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versus AI backyard Banter by Jeff Vanderbeck. De Pope jumped
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into world politics again. This time his aim was AI. Recently,
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south Side Chicago's Pride and Joy, who now occupies the Vatican,
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made news when he challenged President Trump's beliefs and leadership abilities.
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The Pope took the high road, while Trump and Veep JD.
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Vance told the Pope to basically mind his own business.
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Very diplomatic. Most recently, the Pope released his encyclical E Ncyclil,
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a formal letter sent to the bishops of the Catholic Church.
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His letter was focused on artificial intelligence AI. Pope Leo
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urged the world to disarm AI to prevent it from
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becoming a tool of domination in warfare, while demanding regulation
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and ethical accountability from tech developers. That's a mouthful with
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great sentiment. We are living in an era where people
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are embracing and at the same time cautioning about the
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use of AI. We use AI to answer emails, write resumes,
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diagnose diseases, solve math problems, and a host of other applications.
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We should, however, be cautious about the use of AI
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as it pertains to everyday life, because a robot takes
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information biased and unbiased and regurgitates it to the user's application.
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And in a newly published book, The Future of Truth,
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the author admitted that AI gave him false quotes. I
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asked chagbt to explain the dangers of AI to me.
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The response AI can be dangerous in many ways, not
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because it's evil, but because powerful tools can be misused,
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poorly designed, or deployed without safeguards. The risks include misinformation
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and manipulation, job displacement, bias and discrimination, loss of privacy,
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cybersecurity risks, autonomous weapons, loss of human control, and concentration
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of power. The long term risk states that scientists are
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concerned that advanced AI could surpass human intelligence and become
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difficult to control. I know that for some humans an
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empty beer can surpass their intelligence, so that statement does
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not surprise me. I think Pop Leo has something for
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the world to consider and is encyclical, especially the part
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about total domination and ethical accountability from humans. Pope Leo
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needs to break out his Bible and start praying real
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hard for the meek and easily led, and most importantly,
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the evil who wish to dominate the existence of man.
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Even AI says AI is dangerous. JGBT did highlight some
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of the benefits of AI, which include medical diagnosis, scientific discovery,
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accessibility tools, education, language translation, and productivity improvements. This certifies
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that if this certifies that there is a place for AI,
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if and when used properly. People use AI regularly and
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oftentimes don't even know they are using AI. Global use
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is in the hundreds of millions daily. FUE Research claims
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that AI experts estimate that seventy nine percent of Americans
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interact with AI daily. People use AI for texting and
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emails to create the perfect verbiage verbiage. AI is used
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for finance to help answer questions about money, although I
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never hit the lottery with my AI recommendations, and people
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can use AI to help make travel arrangements. Some passes
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uses of AI include Seri, Alexa, and Google Assistant. When
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people stream on audio and video platforms, AI will often
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give recommendations based on a user's patterns, and when people
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edit photographs on their smartphones, AI is used. No one
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likes the shiny eyes in their photos. Ironically, since so
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many people use AI daily, most are opposed to data
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centers that fuel AI. It's okay to use AI daily,
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but there is no way in hell I want a
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data center in my community. Data centers like shoddy coal mining,
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which has been prevalent in the region, if done wrong,
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can be problematic. However, data centers that are responsible have
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many upsides. After center protesters put down their signs and
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stop posting their ignorance on social media, they revert back
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to Netflix, where they are served up a series of
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shows that fit their genre based on their past viewing patterns,
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produced by You Guessed It Ai. The irony and hypocrisy
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are beautiful. The Pope, I think, is onto something here.
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He knows humans are sinners and can't be trusted to
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behave in society in a way that is righteous and normal.
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He knows that in the wrong hands, AI could be
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very dangerous, and since humans are not perfect, leaving AI
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in human hands is the wrong choice. AI is not evil.
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It has the ability to be very useful. Evil comes
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from humans using powerful systems and tools carelessly and without oversight.
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If you read the news, people are creating evil everywhere.
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Add a powerful AI component and we could be doomed.
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Thanks for reading the News Express. The next opinion article
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is titled Funny World Paddling Upstream by S. J. Ruth.
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It's a funny world. We put so much focus on differences,
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we forget what we have in common. The truth is,
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all that really matters is what we have in common.
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We all come into this world the same way sperm
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meets egg. We've tecked it up some in the last
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hundred years or so, but still same basic formula. We
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all need air to breathe, we all need water to drink,
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we all need food to eat. We all get the
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same diseases, and one day we all leave this world.
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You know, no one gets out alive. No one here
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gets out alive. My personal belief is that the creator
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intended these commonalities to pull us together. Any cosmetic or
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social or belief system differences could and should be erased
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by the needs we share. I also believe the creator
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had a sense of humor, so it didn't leave us
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a user's manual. She didn't imprint us with a fact sheet.
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He did not put anyone through a six week boot camp.
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That leads to a lot of trial and error, and
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I'm sure it can be pretty entertaining for a supreme being,
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which brings me to Pam Bondy. Weren't expecting that, were you?
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Let me start by saying, this is a person who
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I think, at best should be in jail. I find
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her despicable in almost every facet, and the fact that
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she's just another close associate of Trump bounced from the
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club gives me no satisfaction. She deserves absolutely no mercy
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for the illegal things she's done in the name of
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our country. But if I see another Pam Bondy has
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cancer joke on Facebook, I'm coming to your house to
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poke your eyeballs out figuratively. Of course, this is a
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family newspaper. I don't even have your address. Don't get
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me wrong, I'm not a saint. To paraphrase, I try
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not to wish for someone's demise, but there are several
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obituaries that could bring me great pleasure. I mean, come on,
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Bobby Junior getting snake bit is comedy. Gold just too
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bad it wasn't a copperhead. Yes, I'd celebrate all sorts
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of bad things happening to Pambondy, not cancer. We all
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get the same diseases. The things I want coming to
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Bondy and all the rest of the Trump cartel are
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brought because of the things they've done. It's not blind fate,
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it's just practice. Cancer has nothing to do with justice.
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It is random, and it is ruthless. What it isn't
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is funny. No matter how much I try to make it,
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they say, right what you know, so please take it
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from me. There is not one person who has cancer
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who thinks it's funny or would wish it on their
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worst enemy. We all need air, we all need water,
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we all need food. We're all born, and we all die. Now,
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Bondie and I have another thing in common. I hope
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we share the same outcome in this battle. In fact,
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I'm praying for it. It's a funny world. The next
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article is titled Nicholas Jamerson Kicking Off levitt Amp Whitesburg
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Special to Appalachian Newspapers. One of the Kentucky Music Hall
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of Fame's newest members, Nicholas Jamerson, is bringing his solo
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work to Whitesburg on June fourth to open ten weeks
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of free, family friendly live music at the Mountain Heritage
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State Stage. According to a statement from the organizers of
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the levitt Amp Whitesburg Music Series, Nicholas was born into
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a musical family in eastern Kentucky, where gatherings were full
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of guitars and songs. The statement said, my grandmother always
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had a camera rolling, which taught me early on that
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life is worth documenting. He says, that's what I try
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to do throughout songwriting, turn ordinary moments into something meaningful.
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Starting out with piano and choir as a child, Jamerson
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added guitar, banjo, and ma mandolin his repertoire along the way.
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The statement said. After college, he co founded the band
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Sunday Best with Chris Bentley and has released a dozen
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records between them and his solo work in band over
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the last thirteen years. Due to time constraints, we will
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have to stop here this concludes today's reading of the
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Appalachian News Express. Your reader today has been Sirisha. Thank
27:25
you for joining me. Please stay tuned for more programming
27:27
from RADIOI