Latest / Eastern Kentucky Newspapers / Manchester Enterprise - 12.12.25

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Manchester Enterprise - 12.12.25 · Eastern Kentucky Newspapers

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Speaker 1: Now we turn to the Manchester Enterprise to read news
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from and around Manchester. Your reader Today's Janet. We will
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begin with the edition date of December tenth, twenty twenty five,
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which the publishers have donated to Radio Eye 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 first front page headline is twenty
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five thousand visit Legends Hall in first year. Clay Basketball
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Museum has other schools wanting to preserve their history. It's
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a staff report. Clay County High School's Legends Hall Basketball
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Museum has quickly become one of Kentucky's most celebrated high
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school showcases, with more than twenty five thousand visitors in
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its first full year. What began as a vision to
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honor Clay County's unmatched basketball heritage has grown into a
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regional attraction, one now being studied and emulated by schools
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throughout the thirteenth Region. Quote phenomenal, amazing, outstanding, close quotes.
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Those were the words echoing through the lobby when Legends
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Hall opened, and the momentum since then has only intensified.
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Built during a sweeping renovation of the school's auditorium and gymnasium,
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Legends Hall houses more than four hundred curated historical items,
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a decade by decade layout, digital displays, and the now
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iconic fifteen foot statue of legendary coach Bobby Keith. Visitors
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are welcomed by a lifelike recreation of Keith's voice, produced
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using AI technology by CCCHS teacher Nathan Hubbard. A regional
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ripple effect, one of the most unexpected outcomes has been
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the impact beyond County Lines. Athletic Director Tommy Nicholson said,
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schools across the thirteenth Region have been visiting, calling and
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requesting guidance on how to replicate Clay County's concept. Quote
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We've had administrators, coaches, and athletic directors from all over
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the region walk through Legends Hall, Nicholson said. Quote. They
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want to know how we did it. Everything from the
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displays to the layout to the technology. It has absolutely
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sparked interest across southeastern Kentucky close quotes. Nicholson said the
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museum has elevated the experience for visiting teams as well.
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Quote Opposing teams walk in and immediately stopped to take pictures.
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He added, quote you hear players say, man, we wish
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our school had something like this. That tells you the
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end impact this place is having. Close quotes. He emphasized
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that Legends Hall is about more than nostalgia. Quote. This
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museum gives our kids something to be proud of, past, present,
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and future. Nicholson said, quote you can't walk through here
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without understanding the standard of excellence Clay County basketball is
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built on, and now other schools are wanting to create
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that same sense of tradition for their students. Close quotes
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a home for Clay County's basketball tradition. Clay County Board
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chairman and Legends Hall founder Mark Hoskins said the turnout
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over twenty five thousand visitors has exceeded every expectation. Quote
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we hoped Legends Hall would be something special, but this
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has surpassed every dream we had. Hoskins said. Quote it
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proves how deeply this county's basketball tradition andates people are
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driving from throughout the region just to see it. Close quotes.
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Superintendent William Sexton praised the collaboration that brought the project
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to life. Quote, Legends Hall is one of the best
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things we've ever done, Sexton said, quote. To watch thousands
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of families, alumni and fans come through here tells me
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this project has meaning. It is preserving our history and
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inspiring our students. That's a powerful combination. Close quotes. A
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living museum, Legends Hall was created in partnership with Mike
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and Laberta White of the Clay Historical Society, who helped gather, scan,
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and curate more than four hundred items dating back generations.
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The museum is a self guided experience open on game nights,
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with plans being considered to expand hours during non school days.
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Quote twenty five thousand visitors in one year, Hoskins said, quote,
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and we're just getting started. Close quotes as thousands more
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continue to walk through its doors. One thing is certain.
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Legends Hall has not only preserved Clay County's basketball history,
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it has become the standard by which others across the
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region hope to measure their own. The next to my
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page headline is where calls the Heart The Steady Strength
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of Wes Rominger by Melissa Garrison. The Enterprise feature. I
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don't keep a long list of people I hope to interview,
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but every now and then some one stands out, some
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one whose character, kindness, or quiet strength draws me in.
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My interviews are always led by a feeling, a nudge
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toward the person whose story needs to be told. That's
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exactly how I ended up sitting across from West Rominger.
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After my son passed away. It took time for me
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to feel ready to write again. My mind and heart
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weren't always steady enough to capture someone's story the way
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it deserved to be told, so I eased myself back
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into these conversations. Wes made that return feel natural. I've
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been in his home many times. His wife, Danielle is
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one of my best friends. When I walked in for
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the interview, Wes was ready, sitting patiently in his chair,
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humble as always. That humility was the first thing that
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struck me. He doesn't see himself the way others see him,
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as I always do. I asked him to tell me
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about yourself, and as usual, that wasn't easy for him.
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Wes never intended to follow the family tradition at Romaner
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Funeral Home, a business's family has owned for generations. His
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sister Tara went to the bombing school, but West planned
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to earn a business degree in computers. Still, the funeral
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home was their childhood normal. He and Tara even answered
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phones and took death calls when their parents were out.
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Wes began working there at just fifteen. Life in a
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funeral home family isn't predictable. Wes remembers fishing trips and
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vacations postponed because someone in the community passed away. That
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alone showed me the depth of responsibility his family carried
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not as a business, but as a calling, and that
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calling still shapes Wes's life to day. As he's gotten older,
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Wes says he's learned even more about the importance of family.
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He has always known it, but age and hardship has
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a way of sharpening perspective. Years ago, Wes was diagnosed
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with multiple sclerosis, a challenge that changed many parts of
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his life. Life he once enjoyed hunting, fishing, motorcycle riding.
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Today he focuses on being thankful. A life saving transplant
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a few years ago transformed his health, and he credits
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that miracle with giving him a new outlook and a
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new strength. It doesn't take long talking to Wes to
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see where his heart is with his wife, his kids,
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his sister, his mom, his nephew, and with the funeral
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home the place where he meets people in their darkest moments.
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I told him I believed it takes a special kind
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of person to do what he does day after day,
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surrounded by grief and loss, but not consumed by it.
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For families walking through the roman your doors, it is
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never their best day, it is often their worst. But
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Wes has a heart that shows compassion when it is
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needed most. I experienced that my self in my darkest hour.
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His care made unbearable decisions a little easier, and yet,
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beyond the heaviness of his work, Wes has a joyful,
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witty side. He's a talented impersonator, something I learned firsthand
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as he launched into examples that had me laughing within seconds,
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that humor brings light to a place many associate only
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with sadness. It reminds me that funeral directors are real
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people with families, jokes, hobbies, and hearts that carry the
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weight of others. Inside the funeral home hangs a sign
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that reads, quote, the shoulder you lean on in your
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darkest hour is your funeral director. Close quotes. Wes said
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that is exactly what he hopes to be, and he is.
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Wes love's music, old country and old rock. Talking with
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him about those songs stirred up memories of my own.
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But when he talked about God's blessings, that was the
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part that moved me most. He knows he is alive
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because God saw fit to sustain him. He openly shares
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how discouraged he once felt and how the transplant, family,
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support and faith pulled him through. Wes is inspired by
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people like Ruby Roberts, someone who has endured tremendous loss
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yet continues to press forward. Her strength helps fuel his today.
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Wes has two children, a wife, he adores, a few cats,
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and a dog. And he'll tell you quickly that he
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is a blessed man. I walked away from our conversation
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feeling blessed too. He may be known as the man
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at the funeral home, but he is also a father,
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a husband, a friend, a storyteller, and a source of comfort.
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Be the steady voice you need when you aren't sure
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what you need, and he can be the laugh you
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didn't even know you were missing. That, my friends, is balanced.
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A few of Wes's favorite Bible verses include First Corinthians
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chapter ten, verse thirteen. Philippians Chapter four, verse thirteen. I
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can do all this through Him who gives me strength.
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And one John chapter four, verse four. Greater is he
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that is in you than he that is in the world.
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And after talking with Wes, I believe every word of
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those verses is lived out in him. The next front
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page headline is wire theft Indictments. Police crack down in
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kinetic thefts, Land eight indicted staff report of Enterprise News.
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Eight people have been indicted for stealing wire over the
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last several months. The Clay County Sheriff's Department and Kentucky
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State Police are conducting further investigations into other thefts. Roger Jarvis,
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forty three of Manchester and Hank Williams forty of Roots
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Branch were indicted for theft by unlawful taking ten thousand
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dollars and criminal mischief first degree for stealing cable wire
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belonging to Kinetic Winstream. On September twenty six, Robert Abner,
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thirty nine, of Town Branch was indicted for receiving stolen
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property ten thousand dollars or more when he possessed number
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two copper wire belonging to Kinetic Winstream. Jordan Hubbard, twenty
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eight of Bell's Fork was indicted for theft by unlawful
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taking ten thousand dollars or more but under one thousand
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dollars when he took cable wire with the value of
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ten thousand dollars or more of movable property of Winstream
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with intent to benefit himself. He was also indicted for
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fleeing or evading police second degree on foot for fleeing
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KSP Trooper Deryck Dennis, criminal mischief first degree for intentionally
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damaging cable property of Windstream causing pecuniary loss of five
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hundred dollars, and persistent felony offender iiO kermit Hunter forty
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of Keith Lane and Robert Hunter fifty seven of Manchester
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were indicted for criminal mischief first when they cut copper
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wire belonging to Kinetic Windstream and value of over one
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thousand dollars. Robert Hunter faces a separate indictment for fleeing
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or evading police third when he attempted to run from
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Trooper Derreck Dennis. Kermit Hunter has a separate indictment for
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persistent felony offender II. Christopher Baldwin forty one of Manchester.
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Debbie Sizemore forty four of gum Branch and Kermit Hunter
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forty of Keith Lane were indicted for theft by unlawful
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taking when they took cable wire belonging to Kinetic Windstream
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valued at over ten thousand dollars on October fifteen and
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sixteen of this year. They are also indicted on a
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charge of criminal mischief first, possession of burglary tools and
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engaging in organized crime. Kermit Hunter faces an additional charge
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of persistent felony of thunder. The next front page headline
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is grand Jury returns eight indictments. A staff report Commonwealth's
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Attorney Hailey Joe Fields announces the Clay grand Jury returned
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eight indictments last week. Pacey e Step eighteen of Bear
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Branch was indicted for strangulation first and sexual misconduct from
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a March twenty fifth incident where he applied pressure to
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the throat and neck of a woman until she lost
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consciousness and engaged in sexual intercourse without her consent. Jimmy
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D's thirty eight of Corbyn, formerly of Clay County, was
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indicted for burglary, second burglary third receiving stolen property, receiving
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stolen property vehicle in thefts at the home of Nancy
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Lawson and at Mount Olivet Church. Misty Wagers forty two
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of Markham Street was indicted for flagrant nonsupport in the
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amount of twenty three thousand, two hundred twenty one dollars
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seventy five cents. Kelvin Asher forty one of Gregory Branch
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was indicted for flagrant non support two counts for failing
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to provide support to a minor or minors in the
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amount of forty five thousand, two hundred fifty four dollars
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seventy one cents Count one and twelve thousand, five hundred
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thirty seven dollars ninety nine cents Count two. Jonathan Brumley
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fifty two of Annville was indicted for fleeing or evading police,
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first motor vehicle wanton endangerment first police officer when he
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attempted to flee Kentucky State Trooper Derek Dennis Johnny Johnson,
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twenty seven of Jack's Branch was indicted for sexual abuse
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first when he subjected a child less than sixteen years
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old to sexual contact. Daniel dave Zuk, twenty one of Loveland, Ohio,
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was indicted for theft by deception, including cold checks ten
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thousand dollars or more, when he intentionally presented himself as
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a police officer and took control of thirteen thousand dollars
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under deceptive pretenses. Coletti McKee, forty one, of Curry Branch,
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was indicted for possession of a controlled substance first methanthetaman
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and possession of drug paraphernalia. The last age shedline is
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Santa returns to Downtown Staff report of Enterprise news for
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generations in Manchester. Christmas didn't truly begin until Santa Claus
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appeared in the front window of First State Banks Downtown Lobby,
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standing tall, glowing gently, and waving at every child who
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pressed their nose to the glass. He wasn't just a decoration.
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He was a tradition, a memory, a piece of our
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town's heart. And this year, after many seasons spent tucked
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away and nearly forgotten, Santa has finally come home. The
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discovery happened quietly. While looking through a storage room at
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Manchester City Hall, longtime Tourism commissioner Jamie Mills uncovered a
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familiar figure, the very same mechanical Santa, who once charmed
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thousands of Clay County children. Worn by time, his paint
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softened and his once risk waves slowed to a stillness.
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But the moment Mills saw him, the memories rushed back. Quote.
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I grew up watching Santa wave in that lobby, Mills said.
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Quote the second I found him, I knew he belonged
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back downtown. Close quotes. No one seems to know precisely
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how the city gained control of Santa, as the current
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Mayor Steve Collins and the former Mayor Carmen Webb Roberts
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were contacted and neither knew. Within days, the Manchester Tourism
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Commission carefully moved Santa to their office on Main Street,
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where he now sits proudly in the front window, once
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again facing downtown, just as he did decades ago. And
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just like that, an old friend returned quote. Manchester Tourism
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is so proud to announce that Santa is back downtown
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where he belongs. The commission shared quote, for many years
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he stood and waved at kids in the window at
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First State Bank. Time and age have taken a small
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toll on him. But after Christmas, we're going to breathe
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new life into him. We are so thankful to bring
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Santa back downtown for good close quotes. Plans are already
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under way to fully restore him, repairing his mechanics, brightening
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his colors, and hopefully returning that famous waving arm, so
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a new generation of Manchester kids can smile just as
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their parents and grandparents once did, and those memories they
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came pouring in. Jason Nolan recalled one of the simplest
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joys of childhood, quote, one of my favorite Christmas memories
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as a child was looking for Santa at the bank
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close quotes. Tracy SAMs, whose mother, Debbie Campbell, worked at
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First State Bank, said quote, Gosh, I grew up with
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that Santa. He's in tons of photos we have close quotes.
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Karen Corum Lawson added that she and her husband Albert Deane,
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had just been talking about that old Santa earlier in
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the week, proof of how deeply he lived in Manchester's
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holiday tradition. Others simply felt the warmth of recognition. Kindred
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Jarvis Denham said quote, I had forgotten all about him,
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such great memories close quotes, and Wanda Reid, a former
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bank employee, remembered him just as many do. Quote he
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turned and waved at every one close quotes. This December,
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as families stroll past the Manchester Tourism Commission's window, some
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will see Santa for the very first time. Others will
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see him again, like meeting an old friend who has
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been missing from the holidays far too long. Either way,
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Santa's return is more than nostalgia. It's a reminder of
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what small towns to best. We preserve our memories, we
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honor our traditions, and when something beloved fades, we bring
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it back to life together. This Christmas, downtown Manchester shines
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a little brighter. Santa is home. Next we turn to obituaries.
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Lannie Sizemore, age fifty six, passed away on December three,
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twenty twenty five. He was born on Monday, January twenty seven,
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nineteen sixty nine, in Manchester, Kentucky, to Elsie Siemore and
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I'm a Jean Bird Smith. He was a mechanic and handyman.
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He leaves to mornings passing his fiancee, Henrietta House, his
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stepfather James Smith, his furry companion Sissy, these children, i'ma
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Jean Lay Sizemore spouse Devon, Lannie Rochelle known as Punkin
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Runyan spouse, Jeremy Chassaity Cheyenne Sizemore, MICHAELA, Shyanna, Nicole Sizemore,
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These grandchildren Jalen Presley, John Logan, Shyla, Carolyn, Elaina, Jane
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Macley Couver, and grand dogs Gus and Jeffrey. Also surviving
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are these brothers and sisters, Charles Edward Sizemore, Paula Smith,
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Sally Rose Sizemore, Sarah Christine Sizemore, Nancy McQueen, Jerry Leon Sizemore,
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Dusty Gilbert Sizemore, Elsie Sizemore Junior, and Eddie Sizemore. He
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is preceded in death by his mother i'm a Jean
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Bird Smith, and his father Elsie Sizemore, his sister Miranda Sizemore,
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and his brother Douglas Sizemore. Funeral services for Lannie Sizemore
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were conducted on stay December ten, twenty twenty five, at
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the Roman gir Funeral Home Chapel. Reverend Todd Hicks and
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Reverend Scott Williams presided. Burial followed in the Sawyer's Cemetery
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in the Laurel Creek Community. Arrangements are entrusted to the
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Roman gir Funeral Home. Lonnie Smith, aged sixty, passed away
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on Thursday, December four, twenty twenty five, at the UK
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Bluegrass Hospice in Lexington, Kentucky. He was born Tuesday January
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twenty five, nineteen sixty five, in Clay County to Urban
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and Lena Smith Smith. He was a supervisor at Hardyse
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and Super America and worked with the cable Company. He
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was a member of Big Creek Holiness Church. He leaves
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to mourners passing his wife, Renee Ruth Smith, and one son,
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Joshua Smith and wife Amber. His grandchildren Noah Smith, MICHAELA. Philpott,
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and Alexis Philpott. Also surviving are these brothers and sisters,
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Raleigh Smith, Donald Smith and wife Ella, Ronnie Smith and
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wife Jackie, and Delane Henson and husband Dwayne. He is
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preceded in death by his parents, Orban and Lena Smith,
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his brother h. E. Smith, and two sisters, I'ma Jean
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Smith and Connie Smith. Funeral services for Lonnie Smith were
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conducted on Tuesday, December nine, twenty twenty five, at the
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Roman Gir Funeral Home Chapel Reverend Sammy eastep presided arrangements
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are entrusted to the Romangir Funeral Home. The next headline
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is a Clay County Christmas Parade December thirteen. The holiday's
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spirit will fill the streets of downtown Manchester as the
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community gathers for a Clay County Christmas Parade on Saturday,
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December thirteen, beginning at five thirty pm. Organizers promise a
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magical evening filled with festive lights, Christmas cheer, and the
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joyful sounds of holiday music. In keeping with the parade's
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peaceful and family friendly atmosphere, vehicles participating in the procession
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will not be using horns or sirens this year. Quote.
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This event has quickly become one of the highlights of
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the holiday season in Clay County, said organizers. Quote. It's
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a wonderful opportunity for families to come together and celebrate
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the joy and spirit of Christmas close quotes. The parade
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will feature decorated floats, festive vehicles, and appearances from Santa
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Claus himself, along with other special guests and community groups
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spreading Christmas cheer throughout downtown. The event is sponsored by
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Staying Clay and Soak City, both of which are proud
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supporters of community events that bring people together. Those wishing
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to register for the parade can contact Danielle and Stevie
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Collins via Facebook or by calling six six eight one
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three four four two two. With holiday lights shining and
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Christmas music filling the air, a Clay County Christmas promises
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to be an evening full of warmth, wonder and community spirit.
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I'll end with just a few sports headlines. Jackson walks
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off floor as CCMs pulls the sweep by Tanner Hoskins.
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The CCMs Tigers swept the generals of Jackson County in
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three games this past week, as the sixth and seventh
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grade walked away with dominant wins while the eighth grade
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won by a forefoot. Coaches Connor Robinson and Tim Parks
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are shaping their teams up and preparing them for the
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next level as they continue their season. The sixth grade
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Tigers defeated Jackson County fifty one to sixteen, the seventh
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one fifty six to eighteen, and the eighth eighteen to
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fifteen before things ended due to Jackson County walking off
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the court. This concludes the reading of the Manchester Enterprise.
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Your reader has been Janet. Now please stay tuned for
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continued programming and on behalf of everyone here at Radio
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I thank you for listening and we hope you have
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a good day