Latest / Eastern Kentucky Newspapers / Manchester Enterprise - 4.24.26

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Manchester Enterprise - 4.24.26 · Eastern Kentucky Newspapers

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Speaker 1: And now we turned to the Manchester Enterprise to read
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news from around Manchester. Your reader today is Mike Keller.
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Will begin with the addition dated February twenty I'm Sorry
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April of twenty fourth, twenty twenty six, as a reminder
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of radioized or 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 materials. One of our court stories is going
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to be the grand opening set with a Goose Creek
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Kayak Launch Get Loose on the Goose event to celebrate
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outdoor recreation and local entrepreneur entrepreneurship. A new outdoor recreation
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destination in Clay County will officially open to the public
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with a day of adventure, food, and community celebration on Saturday.
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Officials with One Clay County have announced that the grand
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opening of Goose Creek Kayak Launch, which will be celebrated
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with a special community event called Get Loose on the Goose.
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The event will give residents and visitors an opportunity to
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experience the new launch site while enjoying a float down
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Goose Creek and learning about local business initiatives happening in
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the county. Organizers say The celebration will begin at the
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one Clay County Welcome Center, located just off the four
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Lane at two seventy five White Street. From ten am
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to four pm. From their participants can enjoy a float
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along Goose Creek that will conclude at Rollings and Stittson Park.
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Throughout the day, the event will feature a free kayak
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and two brides on Goose Creek, allowing families to experience
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the waterway while celebrating the opening of a new Launch site.
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In addition to outdoor recreation, the event will also highlight
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Clay Counties growing entrepreneur entrepreneurial community. At attendees will have
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the opportunity to meet members of the Launch and Leak
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Fellows Program, an initiative designed to support and develop the
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county's next generation of entrepreneurs. The organizers say the Fellows
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represent local innovators working to build new businesses and bring
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fresh ideas to Clay County's economy. Food vendors and food
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trucks will also be on site during the celebration, offering
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a variety of meals and requestments for those attending the event.
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Community leaders say the event is intended to showcase not
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only the natural beauty of Goose Creek, but also the
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opportunities economic growth and tourism in Clay County. By combining
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outdoor adventure with the entrepreneurship and community engagement, organizers hope
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the celebration will highlight the potential for recreation and small
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business development to work hand in hand. Residents are encouraged
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to bring friends and family and spend the day enjoying
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the creek, supporting local vendors, and celebrating one of Clay
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County's newest recreational attractions. Headline is it wasn't our residence.
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Police chief updates City council on redneck Brawl incident last week.
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Redneck Brawl promotional event at Manchester Square took center stage
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during Monday night's Manchester City Council meeting as members questioned
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Police Chief Jeff Couch about the incident that led to
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several people fighting. Couch provided an overview of the situation,
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noting that several hundred people were intendants and that the
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event remained under control for most of the evening. They
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were making what's called the hype video to promote the
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Redneck Brawl that is coming up. Couch said they'd done
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this in several towns, including London, and have not had
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any incidents. According to Couch, the Manchester Police Department was
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notified at the gathering about an hour before it began
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and took precautionary steps. We had two officers in the
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area on standby monitoring the crowd. He said. Everything went
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very smoothly until the event was coming to an end.
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Couch said the dismerment disturbance began when a woman from
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Floyd County, who reportedly had a prior issue with local
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social media personnelity Darryl Hinckle, struck him, sparking the altercation.
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We have reviewed the video foolage footage with the county
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attorney and it was sworn out of warrant for the
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woman's arrest, the Couch said. He emphasized that residents were
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not responsible for the incident. Clay County residents were not
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the cause of the fight. We were monitoring the situation
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and went across the line we responded, he said. And
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then delinquent tax and water bills discussed In other business,
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Council members discussed concerns surrounding delinquent tax and water bills,
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particularly questioning how some accounts had reached high balances. Mayor
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Steve Collins explained that the city does not disconnect water
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service during the months of January and February, which contributes
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to some of the accumulation. Some of it is that,
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but the biggest part is water leaks, Colin said. He
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noted that leaks can result in bills totling several one
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hundred dollars, leaving residents unable to pay the full amount
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at once. We allow them to make payments on the
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delinquent amount. Colin said. Many of these homes had children,
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and we don't want them to be without water. Collins
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added the accounts not associated with leaks and where effort
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has been made to pay will be I'm sorry. Where
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no effort has been made to pay will be subject
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to disconnection and then donations approved. The council also approved
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two donations to support local students competing at the national level.
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A total of two thousand dollars was awarded to Thompson's
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Scholars to assist with travel expenses for a national competition
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in New Jersey. Another two thousand was approved for the
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Clay County Middle School academic team, which will compete international
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competition in Bloomington, Indiana. City officials said the contribution to
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reflect ongoing support for local students in academic achievement. Now
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let's talk a little sports. Let's see here which one
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the long wait begins Kentucky spring football game is over.
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Which means where you've officially stepped okay, step into the
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most peculiar stretch on college football calendar, place where hope
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runs wild, logic takes a vacation, and the next meaningful
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snap is still four and a half months away. This
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is not football season. This is imagination season. It is
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time of year when a chrisp Out routed route in
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April turns into a breakout campaign by September, when a
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miss block becomes a full blown offensive line crisis, and
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when every fan base VbN included quietly convinces itself that
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what is just it just saw as a reliable preview
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of what's coming. It never is, of course, but that
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has never stopped anyone from trying to connect dots that
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don't exist. Spring football is the ultimate tease. It gives
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you just enough to feel something, but never enough to
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actually know anything. There's no real game planning, no meaningful consequences,
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and certainly no way to replicate the pressure that comes
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with a third and eight in the fourth quarter of
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an SEC game, and yet we watch it like it matters,
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break it down like a squilm study, and argue about
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it like it's already October, because what's your alternative? Wait, patiently,
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that's not exactly a strength around here. To his credit,
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head coach Will Stein seems to understand the real challenge
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isn't just physical development, it's managing the mental drift that
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happens during a long off season. He described a great
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real season with a team focused on eliminating the noise
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of the past, resisting the pull of the future, and
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locking into what he called a one playing mindset. It
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sounds like standard coaching rhetoric until you realize how difficult
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it actually is if you cannot be where your feet are,
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Stein said, immediately calling his well crafted by rain shortened exhibition.
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We don't know what's going to happen in the future
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if we don't take care of it today. It's simple, direct,
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and completely at odds with how most of us operate
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as fans. Because Kentucky fans don't just watch football, we
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project it fast forward mentally to the October before the
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calendar even flips to May. When overthrown passed by Kenny
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minshe can easily spiral into a quartered by con controversy.
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One big ty Briant pick six turns into proof that
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everything is finally clicking on deepense. We live in the extremes,
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fueled by just enough evidence to be dangerous and just
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enough emotion to be convinced were right, and now, with
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no actual game to interrupt the narrative, that tendency only accelerates.
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That's why ty Brint's perspective landed the little more weight
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than expected. There was no grand declaration, the attempt to
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over explain anything, just to quiet acknowledgement of something most
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people struggle with. It's easy, he said, to get caught
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up in what's coming next, to think about the future
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and everything that could happen. But the only way to
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manage it is to reset, breathe, and focus on where
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your feet are. It's almost too simple, which is probably
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why it's so easy to ignore. Because the truth is,
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for players, this stretch matters. These are days when habits
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are built, where confidence is shaped, where chemistry starts to form.
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But for fans it feels like a holding pattern, something
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to endure until the real action begins. We treat it
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like a waiting room, constantly checking the clock instead of
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paying attention to what's actually happening. And that tendency doesn't
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just apply to football. We do it with everything. We
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rush through the present, present, convinced something better as waiting
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on the other side, only to look back later and
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realize the moment we overlooked was the one we were
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supposed to appreciate. We tell ourselves life is short, then
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we spend most of it wishing it away, stying interestingly
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enough may have handle it whole thing better than anyone
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While the rest of us were already projecting depth, starts
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and wind totals. He was talking about enjoying the day.
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Family in town, kids running around, a party, bus full
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of supporters, and yes, a little beer and tequila mixed
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in for good measure. It wasn't profound, but it was honest,
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and maybe that's the point. September fifth is coming, whether
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anyone obsesses about it or not, and when Kentucky lines
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up against Youngtown State, all the speculation, all the analysis,
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all the off season certainty will give way to something
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much simpler. Execution either the piece of skit or they don't.
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Either the progress is real or it isn't. No amount
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of spling inter interpretation is going to change that outcome.
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In the meantime, though, the cycle will continue. Fans will
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talk themselves into this roster, then out of it, then
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back into it again. Every transferred decision will feel like
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a referendum. Every practice report will be dissected like breaking news.
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The emission emotional swings will come and go predictable as ever,
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even if we pretend they're not. That's just part of it.
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But maybe there's a small window here to approach it differently,
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not by ignoring the anticipation, but by recognizing it for
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what it is. Not a burden, but a space, not
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a delay, but a stretch of time that does need
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to be rushed just because we're eager for what comes next.
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Because eventually the weight will end it always does, the
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stadium will fill, the ball will be kicked, and all
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the conversations we've been having since able will finally have
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to answer to reality. And when that moment arrives, it
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won't feel nearly as far away as it does right now.
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Until then, the challenge isn't really about patience. It's about
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perspective because the games will get here seeing good up.
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The question then, is whether we'll spend the next four
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months enjoying the ride or just wishing it away. It's
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your choice. Welcome to the longest four months of the year.
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And now I'll read a couple of opinion pieces. First
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one is by Tim Parks, our tourism director. Proverse is
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being made in our town. I hope everyone is loving
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this beautiful fall weather. It truly is one of the
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best times of year here in our neck of the woods.
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The air is crisp, the leaves are turning, and there's
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something special about how our community feels this time of year.
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You know what else is beautiful out downtown area. In
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all my adult life, I don't believe I've ever seen
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that looked as nice. The storefronts, the lighting, the decorations,
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it all just feels alive again. There are so many
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people who deserve a pad on the back form making
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this transformation happen. I won't list name because the truth
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is it's not the work of one single person, as
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the result of a team effort from dedicated to individuals,
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organizations and community leaders who truly care about Manchester. A
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tremendous amount of hard work has gone into this. There's
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when plenty of stress, long days, and sleepless nights, but
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it's paying off. Little by little. Everything is coming together
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and our community is beginning to see the results of
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that effort. I'm just proud, happy, and blessed to have
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the opportunity to work with this town and alongside the
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incredible people who make it what it is. Let's keep
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pushing forward because one day our kidids and grandkids will
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look back and thank us for what we built together.
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Much Low Manchester And here's an opinion piece from Mark Hoskins,
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the Enterprise publisher. When entertainment crosses the line, there's no
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denying it. People are still talking about what happened at
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Manchester Square. What was supposed to be a promotional livestream
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for an upcoming redneck brawl event quickly turned into something
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else Entirely by most accounts, more than one hundred people
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gathered and before the night was over, flights had broken out.
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Now video is being reviewed and warrants are expected, and
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like most things these days, opinions are split. On one side.
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There are those who say this never should have happened
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in the first place. They're bringing something like this into
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the heart of our community, especially in the public setting,
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was asking for trouble. They point to the fights as
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proof that the atmosphere was wrong on the start. On
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the other side, there are those who argue that the
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event itself isn't the problem people are. They'll tell you
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that the vast majority of those in attendance didn't cause
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any issues and that a few individuals making bad decisions
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decisions shouldn't a find an entire event or concept. Both
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sides have a point. We worked hard in recent years
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to bring more events in the Manchester Festivals, concerts, tourists
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driven gatherings, all aimed at creating energy, drawing visitors and
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giving our own people something to be proud of. That
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kind of growth doesn't happen by accident, and it shouldn't
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be taken for granted. But growth also comes with responsibility.
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When an event draws a large crowd, especially one built
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around high energy entertainment, there has to be a level
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of planning and control that matches it. Not to take
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away from the experience, but to protect it, because once
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things get out of pan, the damage goes beyond one night,
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Families think twice about attending the next event, Businesses question
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whether it's worth the risk, and a community that's when
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building momentum suddenly finds itself answering questions and shouldn't have
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to answer. At the same time, we have to be
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careful not to overcorrect. Manchester is the place that thrives
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on heavy restrictions and over policing. Our events have always
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been a certain openness, had a certain openness to them,
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a welcoming, laid back feel. That's part of who we are.
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Lose that and you lose something important. So where's the balance.
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It starts with accountability for organizers and for end of
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Events must be planned with safety in mind from the beginning,
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and when people cross the line there have to be consequences.
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That's not about punishment, it's about protecting everyone else. But
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it also requires something deeper. It required us. It requires
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us as a community to take ownership of how we
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show up because no amount of planning can replace personal responsibility.
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At the end of the day, the success or failure
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of any event comes down to the people who attend it.
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We can host the best events in the region, we
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can build something special here, but only if we don't
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lose sight of who we are. This wasn't our best moment,
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but it doesn't have to define us either. What happens next,
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that's what will. And now we'll talk about our question
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of the week. Was the indictment of London Mayor Randall
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Weddell justified or politically motivated? We have a point counterpoint
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story here point enforcement of campaign laws must remain consistent
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and impartial. The indictment of London Mayor Randall Wedell serves
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as a reminder that campaign finance laws are in place
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for a reason and those laws must be enforced consistently,
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regardless of who is involved. According to Attorney General Russell Coleman,
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a Laurel County grand jury returned an indictment alleging violations
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tied to campaign contribution limits. The charges focused on twenty
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four donations reportedly made using Wettell's personal credit card but
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attributed to other individuals, a proven through such actions, which
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represents its serious breach of transparency and accountability in the
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political process. Campaign finance laws are designed to ensure fairness,
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limit undue influence, and provide the public with a clear
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understanding of who is financially backing candidates and political organizations.
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Circumventing those limits, whether intentionally or not, can undermine public
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trust and distort the integrity of elections. While some have
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questioned the timing of the indictment, it is important to
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recognize the grand juries operate independently, and that prosecutors are
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obliged to move forward when sufficient evidence is presented. The
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legal system does not and should not pause simply because
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an election is approaching. To do so could set a
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dangerous precedent where accountability is delayed for political convenience. Additionally,
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the fact that contributions may have been refunded does not
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necessarily eliminate potential wrongdoing. The law focuses on the act itself,
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whether contribution limits were annoyingly exceeded or represented, not just
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the eventual correction of those actions. Public officials are held
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to a higher standard because the most trusted in them,
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but trust placed in them by voters. When questions arise
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about compliance with election laws, those concerns deserve to be
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addressed through the legal process. Ultimately, this indictment is not
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a verdict, but a step in that price process. It
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ensures that the facts are examined in court where evidence
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can be weighed and due process upheld. In that sense,
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the case reflects the principle that no one is above
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the law and that maintaining confidence in the electoral system
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requires accountability in every level. And then have the counterpoint
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timing and context raise legitimate concerns about political influence. While
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the charges against Mayor Randall Weddell are serious, the circumstances
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surrounding the indictment have led many to question whether the
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move is driven as much by politics as by law enforcement.
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Weddle's attorney, J. Guphery True, has argued that the alleged
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violations stem from public records that are nearly three years old.
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According to the defense times of the defense, the contributions
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in question were not hidden, but were instead reported and
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later refunded once the issue was idento cry. If accurate,
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this raises the question whether the situation reflects intentional misconduct
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or administrative error that had already been addressed. The timing
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of the indictment is also a central concern. Come in
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just weeks record election, the announcement has the potential to
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influence public perception at a critical moment. Critics argue that
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if the evidence has been available for years. The decision
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to move forward now rather than earlier invites skepticism about
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the motivations behind the case. Questions have also been raised
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about the process itself. The defense claims that subpoenas were
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issued to multiple individuals across the county, yet those individuals
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were not called to testify before the grand jury. Instead,
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the indictment was reportedly secured based on testimony from two agents.
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While this may be legally sufficient, it is fuel concerns
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about whether a full and balanced account of events was presented.
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In an era where public trust and institutions is often fragile,
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actions like the or an editable inevitably viewed through a
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political lens. Even if the charges are ultimately upheld, the
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perception of selective timing can road competence in the fairness
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of the system. At its core, the debate is not
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just about the specifics of the case, but about the
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broader intersection of law and politics. When legal actions coincide
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so closely with the election, it becomes difficult for many
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to separate justice from strategy, raising questions that may lingual
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linger regardless of the final outcome. That will do a
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little story about the EKU mock Trial team. They wins
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consecutive tournaments qualified for the Nationals' headlined in Richmond. At
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the winning three tournaments in a row, Eastern Kentucky University's
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mock trial team is willing to compete on a national stage.
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During its run, the team earned first place finishes at
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the EKU Colonial Classic Invitational, the Mid Missouri Mocktrial Invitational,
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and the American Mocktrial Association Regional Tournament. Those results securitively
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to the AMTA Opening Round Championship Series, the first step
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towards the national Championship tournament. EKU is proud to provide
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students with unparalleled hands on learning experiences that prepare them
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for future careers, said e t UGH President David mcpatten.
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Our mock trial team is proof that we put students
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in relevant environments that matter at the national level. Colonel's
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graduates ready to excel in whatever career field they pursue.
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Lydette Hobbard, coach of the mock Trial chair and professor
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of EKU, noted the three consecutive first place win mark
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a historic high from the mark Trial program. Thomas Parker,
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assistant professor at eku's Department of Government, and mock trial
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coordinator believes the team stands out from other programs because
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the dedication of students in the strength of the program's structure.
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This concludes the reading of the Manchester Enterprise. Your reader
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has been Mike Keller. Now please stay con for continued
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programming and on behalf of everyone here at Radio I
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thank you for listening. We hope you have a good day.