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(Whitesburg) Mountain Eagle - 1.8.26 · Eastern Kentucky Newspapers

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Speaker 1: Now we turn to the Mountain Eagle to read news
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from Whitesburg. Your reader today is Bill van Arsdale. You
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will begin with the addition dated January seventh, twenty twenty six,
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which the publishers have donated to RADIOI as a reminder.
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Radio I is a reading service intended for people who
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are blind or have other disabilities that make it difficult
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to read printed material. The first headline is Father Jim
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Sichkow pays it forward for grocery customers at Isisum. Father
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Jim Sichkow, a Lexington priest known nationally for acts of kindness,
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spent part of a recent weekday working behind the register
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at the isom IgA grocery store. But instead of collecting money,
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Sichko paid for every customer's groceries himself. Sichko, a papal
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missionary of mercy, worked as a cashier for several hours,
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quietly covering grocery bills for unsuspecting shoppers. Only the Christin family,
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a few media outlets in Lexington and The Mountain Eagle
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were aware of the plan in advance. The surprise left
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many customers stunned. Some tried to refuse the offer, Others
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offered to pay for the next person in line, and
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several reacted with laughter and disbelief. Sichko added to the
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moment with humor of his own, joking that it was
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his first day on the job and that free groceries
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were part of his training. Store co owner Simon Kristen
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said the gesture meant more than the groceries themselves. Folks
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come into the region to help when there's a natural disaster,
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Kristen said, once everything is cleaned up, they usually disappear.
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Father Jim is different. He has a soft spot in
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his heart because of the flood, and not only did
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he make an impact on us, but this community made
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a deep, heartfelt impact on him too. Sichko's relationship with
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the Isomiga dates back to the July twenty eighth, twenty
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twenty two Eastern Kentucky flood, when the store, owned by
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the Christian family was inundated by floodwaters when Kristen, Simon's
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mother once described the business as sitting in the middle
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of a river during the flood. During multiple visits after
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the flood, Sichko provided substantial assistance, including seventy five thousand
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dollars to help rebuild the store, a new vehicle for
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a flood victim who lost hers, and thousands of dollars
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in gift cards for families in need. On a later visit,
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he returned with an additional twenty thousand dollars for the
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store and gift cards for employed poyees while the rebuilding continued.
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The idea for the cashier event was first discussed several
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months ago and was initially planned for just before Christmas,
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but was delayed due to scheduling conflicts. In the short
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time he worked the register, Sichko paid for more than
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sixteen hundred dollars worth of groceries. He told store owners
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he plans to return in the spring or summer to
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do it again. Siko serves as a Papal Missionary of
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Mercy in Kentucky, with a special focus on the Central
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Appalachian region as well as in parts of Texas. According
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to his website, he has spent more than twenty five
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years as a preacher, evangelist, and motivational speaker. In twenty fifteen,
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Pope Francis commissioned him as one of one hundred Papal
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Missionaries of Mercy in the United States and one of
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one thousand worldwide. Through his ministry, Sichko has carried out
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random acts of kindness in all fifty states, ranging from
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rebuilding flood damaged businesses to helping families cover funeral expenses.
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His work has been featured by major national news outlets.
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For a residence of West Letcher County, However, his impact
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was felt one grocery receipt at a time. The next
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story is Judge's order blasts defense ensued against Sheriff's department.
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A federal judge has denied a motion by the Electra
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County Sheriff's Office and former Deputy Ben Fields to reconsider
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part of an order denying them summary judgment against a
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woman suing them for improper sexual contact between her and Fields.
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Fields pleaded guilty to second degree rape in Electric County
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criminal case associated with the civil suit filed in U. S.
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District Court in Pipeville and now moved to London with
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the closure of the Pipeful division. In a blistering order
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filed this week, U S. District Judge Robert Weir called
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the motion to reconsider a lawyer's make work filing and
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said that defendants haphazardly lodge a series of disjunct statements
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in an attempt to undermine the Court's order. This motion
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does nothing more than re raise the same set of
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arguments already addressed by the Court. The order says defendants
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have not demonstrated a sufficient basis for relief, and the
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Court therefore denies the motion for reconsideration. The motion argued
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that Fields was not a deputy but a court security officer,
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and as such was not required to have the same
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training as others. The judge, however, said former Sheriff Mickey
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Steins testified in a deposition that Fields absolutely violated the
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sexual misconduct policy, that he was a deputy who had
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geographically limited authority. The judge noted that the policies encompass
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all officers, all sworn officers, all employees or members of
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the agency. Fields surely was sworn, and the last letter
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in CSO stands for officer. The judge wrote, again, the
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policymaker himself agreed on applicability, so the motion really is
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a lawyer's make work filing that does not displace Defense
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Exhibit one sixty five in any manner. The Court also
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brushed aside the defendant's contention that the Court was wrong
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in ruling that the Sheriff's Department should have had a
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written approval of Field's employment with Eastern Kentucky Correctional Services, Incorporated,
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the company for which he was moonlighting as the home
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monitoring and home and car teration supervisor while working full
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time as a bailiff in the court of the late
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Judge Kevin R. Mullins. This argument was also raised in
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defendant's reply in support of their motion for summary judgment
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and therefore already considered by the court in rendering its order.
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The ruling says, nevertheless, the Court unequivocally dispels it. Now
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the ruling seems to render moot at least three other
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filings in the case. The plaintiff's attorney, Joe Childers of Lexington,
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had asked for leave to file a late response to
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the original motion to reconsider, and the defense answered that
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response was already three months late and would substantially delay
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the trial in the case, which was originally filed in
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early twenty twenty two. The case could be delayed anyway.
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The plaintiff has sought to have Stein's testify in the case. However,
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Stein's is currently in the Leslie County Detail Center awaiting
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trial on a charge of murdering Judge Mullins. The shooting
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was captured on a security camera in Mullins's chambers. The
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next headline is doctor says flu cases are rising. This
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year's influenza season is coming on more severely than usual
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thanks to a rapidly mutating virus and a new dominant variant.
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While the US Centers for Disease Control is floundering in
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the wake of thousands of job cuts, Canadian researchers saying
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there is a mismatch between the vaccine produced for this
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year and the dominant strain of flu, circulating FLUA. The
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most common influenza strain of the season was expected to
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be H three N two, but a mutation of H
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three N two, called subclade K, has become dominant and
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has largely evaded the vaccine, causing more people to be
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hospitalized this season, and H three N two is not
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the only variety of flu A circulating doctors are also
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seeing H one N one. According to the US Influenza
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Surveillance Report for the week ending December twenty seventh, the
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number of people testing positive for flu was up thirty
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two point nine percent over the week before, and deaths
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from influenza were up point nine percent. The CDC characterizes
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incidents of the flu this year as very high and increasing.
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There have already been seven point five million illnesses, eighty
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one thousand hospitalizations and three thousand, one hundred deaths, said
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doctor Faris Cotter, infectious disease specialist at Mountain Comprehensive Health
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Corporation in Weinsburg. That's a lot. I just got an
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email yesterday and there are five more pa theatric deaths
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last week. Cotter said there have not been many people
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hospitalized with flu in Weisberg yet, but the number of
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cases is increasing nationwide. The elderly and children under the
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age of four years are at the highest risk. So far,
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he said, just one hundred thirty million flu vaccines have
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been given this year, which he said is much less
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than last year. Doctors are recommending everyone over the age
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of six months yet the flu vaccine. Symptoms of the
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H three N two subclade K are similar to the
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symptoms of other flu strains, but are more severe. They
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include high fever and chills, with many people reporting temperatures
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near or at one hundred four degrees fahrenheit and a
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persistent cough. That can last for two to three weeks.
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Extreme fatigue and weakness, intense body aches, headaches, sore throat,
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and running nose are common. Some less common symptoms have
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been reported, including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Cotter said there
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are also some cases of COVID nineteen. Precautions are the
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same for both illnesses. Vaccine and masking are the key.
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Cotter said, there is always a very good place for
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masking because the mask protects you from the flu no
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matter what. The next headline is psc Okay's plan allowing
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Kentucky Power to raise monthly average bill two dollars and
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thirty three cents. Kentucky utility regulators have approved a plan
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allowing Kentucky Power Company to continue using electricity from the
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Mitchell Generating Station after twenty twenty eight, concluding that the
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aging coal fired plant remains the least costly option available
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to meet the region's power needs in the near term.
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In an order dated December thirtieth, twenty twenty five, the
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Kentucky Public Service Commission granted Kentucky Power a certificate of
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public convenience and necessity to maintain its fifty percent share
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of the Mitchell plant located on the Ohio River in
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West Virginia. The decision also approves environmental compliance upgrades and
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changes to customer rates tied to those costs. The ruling,
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which is separate from the company's current request for a
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fourteen point nine per cent rate increase, follows months of
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testimony and debate involving Kentucky Power, the Kentucky Attorney General's Office,
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industrial customers, and environmental advocates. Capacity concerns drive decision. Regulators
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found that Kentucky Power faces of growing shortage of generating
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capacity beginning in twenty twenty nine, driven by changes in
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the PJM regional power grid and rising demand during winter peaks.
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Without Mitchell, the company would be forced to rely heavily
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on the wholesale energy market or short term power contracts, options,
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the Commission said, would expose customers to higher costs and
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greater risk. While there are few good options, the Commission wrote,
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continuing to take power from Mitchell was described as the
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least bad option available at this time. Kentucky Power serves
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roughly one hundred sixty three thousand customers across eastern Kentucky,
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including most of Letcher County and surrounding counties of Pike, Knot,
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and Perry, environmental upgrades and rate impacts. The approval includes
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recovery of costs associated with federally required wastewater treatment upgrades
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at Mitchell, known as the Affluent Limitation Guidelines or ELG project.
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Those upgrades were necessary for the plant to continue operating
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beyond earlier deadlines. Under a settlement agreement supported by industrial
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customers and not opposed by the Attorney General, the costs
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will be spread over a longer period, reducing the immediate
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impact on residential bills. Regulators estimate the average household would
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see an increase of about two dollars and thirty three
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cents per month. Criticism of planning but approval granted. Environmental
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group Sierra Club opposed the plan, arguing that Kentucky Power
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failed to adequately analyze alternatives such as converting the plant
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to natural gas or pursuing short term power purchase agreements.
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Its expert testimony criticized the company's analysis as incomplete and
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inconsistent with industry best practices. The Commission largely agreed that
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Kentucky Power's planning had flaws, and noted that the company
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waited too long to secure replacement resources. However, regulators concluded
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that those shortcomings did not outweigh the lack of realistic,
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affordable alternatives available today. Not a long term endorsement of coal,
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The Commission emphasized that the approval does not lock Kentucky
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Power into long term coal use. Federal environmental rules currently
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limit Mitchell's ability to operate as a coal plant beyond
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twenty thirty one without major additional changes. Further investments at
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the plant will require separate review, and regulators warned that
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all costs remain subject to scrutiny for reasonableness and prudence.
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The Commission made clear this is not a blank check,
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the order states, stressing that customer protections and oversight will
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continue what comes next. Kentucky Power is expected to file
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additional plans in coming years addressing how it will meet
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customer demand beyond twenty thirty one, including possible fuel conversions
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or new power plants. Regulators also encouraged the company to
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explore financing tools such as securitization that could reduce long
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term costs to customers. The next headline is sheriff is
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warning of possible scam. The Electric County Sheriff's Department is
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looking into a possible scam involving driveway surfacing. Sheriff Billy
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Jones said here he was first notified Friday evening of
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a group offering to use leftover materials from a job
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to surface driveways cheap and then trying to stick customers
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with a huge bill for substandard work. So far, they've
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only got one guy for about four thousand dollars. Jones said.
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They almost got another one, but the sun came home
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and confronted them about it. Both the people who agreed
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to have the work done were elderly. Jones said it's
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not asphalt that's being spread, but a very thin layer
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of something. Some who were targeted describe what was being
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put down as gray mush. He said he's careful about
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calling it fraud because work was done, even if it
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was not a quality job and was overpriced. The man
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whose son intervened had signed papers agreeing to pay and
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wasn't told how much until the work was done. The
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price was then set at three thound three hundred dollars.
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The problem comes in if their strong arming elderly folks,
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Jones said. Jones said the group is driving a yellow
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dump truck with a West Virginia license plate. The person
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they were able to get money from was at Premium,
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and the man whose son interrupted them was at UZ.
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They also approached homeowners at Smoot Creek and Little Dry Fork,
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but Jones said he had received no other complaints. A
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telephone number given to one of the people targeted had
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a three to four area code, which is in West Virginia.
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The next story is average gas price will fall below
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three dollars. Gas Buddy this week released its twenty twenty
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six fuel price Outlook, forecasting the yearly national average price
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of gasoline will fall back below three dollars per gallon
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for the first time since the COVID nineteen pandemic. The
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yearly US average is projected to be two dollars and
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ninety seven cents per gallon, down thirteen cents from twenty
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twenty five's average of three dollars and ten cents and
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marking the lowest yearly average since twenty twenty. Despite the
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welcome relief from the highs seen earlier in the decade,
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gas Buddy expects twenty twenty six to still bring familiar
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bouts of volatility tied to seasonal demand, refinery maintenance, hurricane
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season and ongoing geopolitical risks. Diesel prices are forecast to
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remain elevated relative to gasoline, but continue easing from recent peaks,
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averaging three dollars and fifty five cents per gallon for
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the year. Key highlights from gas Buddies twenty twenty six
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Fuel Outlook twenty twenty six national average projected to be
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two dollars ninety seven cents per gallon, down from three
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dollars and ten cents in twenty twenty five, the fourth
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straight yearly decline. Spring peak prices may briefly reach the
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low three dollars and twenty cents during the switch to
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summer gasoline. Second half relief prices are likely to fall
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after June, with December forecast to average two dollars and
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eighty three cents. Diesel forecast to average three dollars and
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fifty five cents nationally in twenty twenty six, down from
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three dollars and sixty two cents in twenty twenty five.
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Lowest priced regions the Gulf Coast and South are expected
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to stay well under three dollars. Highest priced regions California,
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the Northeast, and Chicago remain top cost areas but below
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twenty twenty two highs US gasoline spending. Motorists are projected
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to spend eleven billion dollars less on gasoline in twenty
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twenty six compared to twenty twenty five. Average households spending
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projected at two thousand, eighty three dollars, down slightly from
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twenty twenty five. The world has spent years recovering from
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the economic whiplash of the pandemic and the shock of
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Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but the situation has been improving
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quietly since twenty twenty two, said Patrick Dehan, head of
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petroleum analysis at gas Buddy. As global central banks slammed
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the brakes on an overheated economy and new refining capacity
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came online, we've seen fuel prices ease year after year,
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a trend few would have been on when chaos ruled
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the energy market, and twenty twenty six keeps that momentum going.
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It's not a return to ultra cheap fuel, but for
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the first time in a long time, the wind is
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clearly behindvers backs. If the market avoids major surprises, sustained
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averages below three dollars per gallon could become commonplace in
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the year ahead. The next story is felony charges filed
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after Water and Sewer District goes after theft. A Electric
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County man is charged with two felonies. After the Electra
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County Water and Sewer District began cracking down on water theft,
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The district obtained a warrant for thirty four year old
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Joshua M. Brock, charging him with theft of service over
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one thousand dollars but less than ten thousand dollars and
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criminal mischief second degree. According to the warrant, Brock disconnected
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the water meter and straight piped the water to a
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line going into his house. Water District General manager Jason
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Lewis said Water district employees went to the home repeatedly
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and reinstalled the meter and spoke to abroad. Each time,
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Lewis said they would find the meter connected but leaking
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large amounts of water. Again. The water District estimated the
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cost of the lost water at more than three thousand,
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five hundred dollars. A broken lock on the meter was
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estimated at two hundred dollars. We caught him stealing five
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times in three weeks, Lewis said. According to court records.
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Brock has a Daniel's Branch address, but Lewis said the
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theft occurred at a home between Smoot Creek and Little Collie.
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Brock was arrested at two four five one DL Drive,
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which turns off Kentucky eighteen eleven. Brock was arrested on
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December sixteenth. He was released from jail December twentieth on
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a five thousand dollars bond at ten percent, meaning the
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person bailing him out had to pay five hundred dollars.
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The next story is video rebuts defense CLIs that judge
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in Stein's case was pal of Mullins's. A written motion
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filed by defense attorneys for former Elector County Sheriff Mickey
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Steins claims that the judge sitting in his murder trial
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spent two hours inches away from the victim, District Judge
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Kevin R. Mullins, just a week before his death. But
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a review of video from a link sent by the
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attorney shows Judge Christopher Korn arrived at the meeting of
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the Judicial Commission on Mental Health an hour and fourteen
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minutes after it began. He sat down at a conference
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table with a chair between him and Mullens, and the
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two never appeared to acknowledge each other. Koran was therefore
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approximately fifty two minutes and spent part of Mullins's committee
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presentation scrolling through his cell phone. Defense attorney Jeremy Bartley
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wrote in his motion that state law requires a judge
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to step down from hearing a case where he has
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a personal bias or prejudice concerning a party, or personal
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knowledge of disputed evidentiary facts concerning the proceedings, or has
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expressed an opinion concerning the merits of the preceding, or
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knowledge of anything else that might call his impartiality into question.
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The motion says that the video has been brought to
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the attention of counsel for the defense, and that upon
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information derived from the defense's investigator. Mullins's widow is also
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in attendance and show in the video. Missus Mullins appears
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to be seated across the room from where her husband
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is seated at a long conference table. The reference to
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an investigator appears to be a reference to Joel Newton Cotton,
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a private investigator from Anderson County who has been visiting
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and questioning potential witnesses here. The meeting held September twelfth,
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was chaired by Kentucky Chief Justice Deborah H. Lambert. While
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the commission includes seventy five members, many of those were
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not in attendance in person, with many attending via zoom
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video conferencing. Mullins, who was very active in the organization,
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spoke at length about the Treatment and Access Commission, which
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he chaired. During the video, Mullens reports on his involvement
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with legislative efforts as well as the Women's with Dignity bills.
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The motion says Mullins also highlights his recent recovery events
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and expungement efforts in Weisberg. Mullins then discusses his professional
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plans for the following week at the District Judges's College.
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When discussing this upcoming event, Judge Koran appears to nod
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in approval. The request that Koran recused himself was first
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made just before bond hearing on December eighteenth was about
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to begin. That hearing was canceled abruptly after the defense,
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the prosecution, and the judge arrived when defense attorneys brought
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up the video in chambers before court began. The motion
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addresses that only obliquely saying that this motion is filed
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immediately upon discovery of the facts upon which the disqualification risks,
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as required by Kentucky law. The defense argues that there
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is an appearance of bias in favor of Mullens because
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of the video and because Chloron denied their motion to
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use a mental health report about Stein's to be used
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during the bond hearing. The motion says that despite the
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consent of the defendant, the mental health report from the
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state's own expert has been disallowed as evidence in the
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bond hearing. While the undersigned is restrained by the previous
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order from discussing the findings in the report or the contents,
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our client made multiple revelations to the examiner that fall
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into the category of evidence that would conflict with the
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judges professional knowledge of the deceased. The prosecution also filed
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documents supporting its motion for the case to be moved
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to another county. The papers include affidavit's file by County
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Attorney Jamie Hatton, Commonwealth Attorney Matthew Butler, and Attorney Ashley Storgel,
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saying that neither the defense nor the prosecution could receive
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a fair trial in Letcher County This concludes the reading
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of The Mountain Eagle. Your reader has been Bill then Arsdale.
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Now please stay tuned for continued programming on behalf of
28:34
every One here at Radio. I thank you for listening
28:37
and have a good day.