Transcript

4.17.25 · The Mountain Eagle

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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 Arsdal. We
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will begin with the edition dated April sixteenth, twenty twenty five,
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which the publishers have donated to RADIOI 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 story is the caption of
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a photograph new judge takes oath of office. Nick Whittaker
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faces Leccher Circuit Judge James W. Craft. The second as
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Craft guides him through the oath of office during a
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courthouse ceremony last week. Whittaker is officially the new Leccher
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District Judge, having been appointed to the office by Governor
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Andy Basheer. And the next story is Eolia's school faces closure.
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Public is asked to comment as enrollment in the Electra
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County Public schools has continued to fall, one school is
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in danger of being eliminated. Letcher County Superintendent of Schools
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Denise Jans said there will be an open meeting at
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the Arley Boggs Elementary School tomorrow night Thursday to take
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public comments on the possible closing of the tiny school.
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Parents of children who attend Arley Bogs have been circulating
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a petition asking the Board of Education not to close
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the school, the only one in the county that is
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south of Pine Mountain. Parents have voiced concerns in the
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past about buses hauling their elementary age students across the mountain,
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where there is often snow on the top, even when
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there is none in the valleys. The mountain often experiences
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heavy fog as well. Arley Boggs has been on the
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chopping block before because of its small size and the
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aging building. The Board of Education and has consistently agreed
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to leave the school open because of its remote location.
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Arley Boggs is on Kentucky eight oh six at Eolia,
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and students who attend would have to travel across Pine
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Mountain daily by school bus to reach the nearest school,
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or travel into Harlan County to attend school. But while
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the idea of closing the school was floated in twenty
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eleven and in twenty thirteen, it remained open because of
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the long arduous drive required for students to attend school
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at Cowan Elementary, where the district would likely bust children
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if the school closes. Yantce said that drive is what
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is making officials think twice about closing. But the enrollment
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is continuing to fall. It's eighty seven for next year,
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not including kindergarten, and we only have two registered for
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kindergarten this current year. We have one hundred and three,
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Yance said. District wide, our enrollment is down and we've
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been losing enrollment for ten years. Enrollment throughout the district
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this year is at two thousand, three hundred ninety students,
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down nearly one thousand students from two thousand and six,
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when enrollment was three thousand, three hundred twenty eight. Arley
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Boggs Elementary is an old school but has been added
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on to and renovated several times, most recently after the
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floor in one edition began to shift. The school is
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named for Arley Boggs, who became superintendent of Schools in
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nineteen twenty six. The mix headline is Sheriff is restarting
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Popular ID program. Lester County Sheriff Billy Jones is restarting
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the popular kid ID program that was in operation under
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retired Sheriff Danny Webb and is starting the testing phase
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of another older program, computers in every cruiser. Jones said
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the department had a cabinet full of blank ID cards
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that were purchased when Webb was sheriff, but the printer
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that creates the cards broke down before Webb left office
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and was so expensive it was never replaced. Jones, who
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was school resource officer before being appointed sheriff, approached Double
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Quick chief executive Officer Missy Matthews, and the company agreed
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to buy a new printer for the department. The printer
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arrived this week and will be up and running soon.
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Once it is the department will be taking the printer
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to festivals and making identification cards for kids. We're pretty
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excited about that, he said. The cards aren't meant necessarily
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for the kids. The idea is for parents to keep
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the cards, which include the child's photo, vital statistics, and fingerprint.
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If a child ever goes missing, the parent can take
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the card to the Sheriff's department to provide information for
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deputies to use during a search. Another program that was
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tried here in the early two thousands is also coming
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back to life. Jones said the department is putting laptop
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computers in every police car. Sheriff Billy Jones said the
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department used money from the sale of surplus police cruisers
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to buy new Panasonic computers to put in its cruisers
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in the hopes it will streamline deputy's work. We can
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run car license tags once we get the program on them,
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and we can write reports. We can do a lot
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of things without having to go by the office at
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the end of the day. Jones said the problem with
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using the computers the last time was that cellular phone
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service was so spotty the laptops wouldn't work in most
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areas of the county. Jones said every deputy has a
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department issued Appalachian wireless phone and they will connect to
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the Internet. Most of what we're using them for is
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report and we can transmit those when we get back in.
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He said. The new computers were purchased with five four
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hundred dollars the department earned from the sale of two
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of its surplus cruisers. The department got eight five hundred
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dollars from selling several other cruisers. That money will be
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used for new BDU battle dress uniforms with matching body armour.
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The new uniforms will consist of brown pants, tan uniform
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shirts and tan plate carriers, the cover that holds ballistic
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panels that have the appearance of uniform shirts, and in
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the next story several photographs have these captions. Project brings
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improvements to Fish Pond Lake, new restrooms, showerhouse. Improvements have
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been made to Fish Pond Lake, including a shower house
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and two new playgrounds. New fire pits are also being
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built at the The project was built with money from
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a land and Water conservation grant that was awarded several
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years ago, but was held up by COVID in twenty
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twenty and twenty twenty one and by the flood in
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twenty twenty two. One new playground is located at the
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old tennis courts at the end of the lake, near
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the entrance to the ATV trail. The other is on
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the back side of the lake and replaces an old playground.
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Each of the three new restrooms has a shower. The
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rooms are private with lockable doors. The next headline is
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Voices from Coal Country say closures of MSHA offices will
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greatly endanger mind safety. Retired coal miner Stanley Goose Stewart
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questions whether it's safe for anyone to work in the
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industry right now. The Department of Government Efficiency, created by
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President Donald Trump and run by Elon Musk, has been
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targeting federal agencies for spending cuts. That includes terminating leases
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for three dozen offices in the Mine Safety and Health Administration,
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the agency responsible for enforcing mine safety laws. The proposals
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for MSHA are idiotic, Stuart said, and would give coal
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companies the green light to do as they please. Safety
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laws and their enforcement played a significant role before and
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after the Upper Big Branch mine in southern West Virginia
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blew up fifteen years ago this past April fifth, killing
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twenty nine of Stuart's co workers. Stuart was there that day,
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but soon stepped away for good, focusing on his love
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for hunting, fishing, and tending to his chickens and his
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garden when the weather warms. Coal mining in West Virginia
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meanwhile spent the ensuing years in a political fight that
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Republicans largely won. As a twenty sixteen presidential candidate, Hillary
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Clinton was slammed for saying that her plans to shift
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away from carbon based fuels like coal would put miners
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out of business. Trump vowed to save the industry, and
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while mining jobs have not made a comeback. Coal states
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like West Virginia have become reliable Republican strongholds. Advocates for
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the mining industry argue that state government is up to
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the task of keeping minds safe, although some lawmakers in
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West Virginia's Republican majority have used the existence of federal
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inspectors as justification for curtailing the state inspector's enforcement power.
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They also point to the dwindling number of mining fatalities
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and mines in general. Republican Tom Clark, a West Virginia
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state lawmaker and a former MSHA inspector and supervisor who
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worked in one West Virginia office slated for closure, said
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he expected it to to shutter years ago. Eight MSHA
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employees currently work in the Somersville office, Clark said, less
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than a third of the workforce that existed there about
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ten years ago. Clark said he doesn't have any concerns
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for miners as long as those inspectors are transferred to
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other coal field based offices. Clark, who worked on msaha's
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upper Big Branch investigation, said he supports the Trump administration's
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efforts to streamline government and stimulate the economy. It's going
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to take time, and there's going to be some pain
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for all the American people, I think, he said. But
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if we can hang in there and battle through, we
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all may be better off. I hope so. Clark said
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the federal government should not cut down on inspectors and
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said black lung benefits need to be funded. He said
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the government should use money they're saving to make sure
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those programs have what they need. Funding shouldn't be a
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consideration for keeping people healthy, he said, it really shouldn't.
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But Stuart, the former miner, said the MSAHA office closures
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will impact safety. I wouldn't recommend anybody get in the
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mining industry right now because of what's going on with
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Trump and Musk. He said. He struggles to explain the
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loyalty of many West Virginians, including coal miners, to the president.
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He said Trump had never done anything to help them.
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I just hope someday they'll wake up. He says. It
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may already be too late. What does MSHA do. Congress
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created MSAHA within the Department of Labor in nineteen seventy
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eight in part because state inspectors were seen as too
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close to the industry to force coal companies to take
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the sometimes costly steps necessary to protect miners. MSAHA is
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required to inspect each underground mine quarterly and each surface
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mine twice a year. MSHA inspectors are supposed to check
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out every war working section of a mine. They examine
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electrical and ventilation systems that protect miners from deadly black
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lung disease, inspect impoundment dams and new roof bolts, and
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make sure mining equipment is safe, said Jack Spadero, a
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longtime mine safety investigator and environmental specialist who worked for MSHA.
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Mining fatalities over the past four decades have dropped significantly,
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in large part because of the dramatic decline in coal production.
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But the proposed DOGE cuts would require MSHA inspectors to
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travel farther to get to a mine, and Spadero said
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that could lead to less thorough inspections. Its proposal by
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people who have no concept or no knowledge about mind safety,
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Spadero said, and the next story is layoffs threaten help
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for black lung patients. The Trump administration has cut more
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than one thousand jobs from the National Institute of Health
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and Safety, the federal agency which researches black lung disease
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and provides free black lung evaluations for coal miners, and
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a week after, the President held a press conference in
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the White House with men in work uniforms and mining
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hats standing behind him and praised beautiful clean coal. The
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United Mine Workers of America and the AFLCIO have sued
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the administration for pausing a regulation limiting miner's exposure to
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crystalline silica. Crystalline silica is the dust generated when continuous
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mining machines cut into rock to get to the coal,
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while black lung is known as coal worker numiconiosis. Injury
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to the lungs caused by rock dust is called silicosis.
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The dust overwhelms the body's ability to expel the dust
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and makes breathing difficult. Cytotoxins in both coal and silic
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cadust lead to scarring of the lungs and to fibrosis.
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There is no cure, and treatment only addresses the symptoms.
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Wes Addington, executive director of the Appalachian Citizens Law Center
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in Weisburg, said NIOSH employees had been to Weisburg several
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times and were truly interested in helping people. He said
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the administration has, to our knowledge, essentially closed down several
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critical programs related to coal minor health. He called that
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a huge loss for Eastern Kentuckians and to residents throughout
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the coal fields. For many years, our work at ACLC
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has benefited from the hard working staff at the National
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Institute of Occupational Safety and Health in IOSH. The researchers
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there helped uncover the prevalence and resurgence of black lung
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disease in our region. Their work was foundational to the
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formulation of dust standards meant to curb black lung disease.
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On more than one occasion, researchers from NIOSH visited Weisberg
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upon our request, speaking at town halls and public events
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to educate the public about the black lung epidemic, Addington
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sent in a prepared statement. NIOSH also regularly sent staff
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to coal mining communities across Appalachia to provide free black
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lung screenings to miners, and staff were dedicated to developing
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and testing new technologies to improve mine safety and reduce
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dust exposure. The firing of staff at NIOSH comes on
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the heels of deep cuts to the Mind Safety and
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Health Administration and the Office of Surface Mine Reclamation and Enforcement.
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The Department of Government Efficiency run by Elon Musk, the
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richest man in the world. Set in March, it had
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canceled the leases on twenty nine MSHA offices across the country,
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including all of those in Kentucky. The Office of Surface
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Mind Reclamation and Enforcement in Lexington was also listed as
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closed on the DOGE web site. The next story is
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woman pleads guilty in theft case. A forty one year
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old Letcher County woman has pleaded guilty to being involved
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in a theft ring responsible for stealing a pickup truck,
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an all terrain vehicle, and numerous other items from a
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home in the Carcasson area. Last June, Jessica Wells of
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three nine one three Highway nine thirty one, North Weisberg
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was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty
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to third degree burglary in Letter Circuit Court for helping
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steal the items from the property of Hayden King. Her
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sentence was then probated for five years, meaning she won't
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have to serve time behind bars. Wells is among three
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other Letcher County residents and a man from Why Virginia
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who entered guilty. Please here. They are Shane Sandlan twenty
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one eleven hundred Perk Creek, Weichburg, who pleaded guilty to
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charges in two indictments. In the first indictment, Sandland pleaded
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guilty to first degree possession of a control substance meth
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and fetomin first offense. He was sentenced to three years
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in prison, probated for five years. In the second indictment,
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Sandland pleaded guilty to receiving stolen property. He was sentenced
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to three years in prison probated for five years. The
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two sentences are to be served consecutively. Teddy W. Collins
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twenty nine one one one seven three Highway one sixty, Witchburg,
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who pleaded guilty to first degree trafficking and a control
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substance two grams metha fetomine. Collins was sentenced to eight
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years in prison to run concurrently with charges in a
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Perry Circuit Court indictment. Robert Combs forty six fifty Brass
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Drive Ermine, who pleaded guilty to first degree possession of
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a controlled substance first defense, methamphetamine. Combs was sentenced to
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three years in prison, probated for three years. Jerius Jones
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thirty two eight nine OOO Necessary road Wise, Virginia, who
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pleaded guilty to second degree possession of a control substance.
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Jones was sentenced to six months in the county jail,
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probated for two years. Jonathan Lee Fields forty seven, fifty
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one sixty four Highway five eighty eight Premium, who pleaded
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guilty to first degree possession of a control substance. Fields
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was sentenced to three years in prison, probated for five years.
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Two other men, Joshua Maggard forty one and David G. Boling,
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forty nine, also faced third degree burglary charges related to
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carcasson thefts. Following is how State Police Trooper skuyl Or
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Taylor summed up the case in a citation charging the
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two men and miss Wells. On Sunday, June sixteenth, twenty
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twenty four, Post thirteen Dispatch received a call in reference
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to a stolen vehicle along with other stolen merchandise at
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twenty one fifty two Carcasson Road. I responded and made
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contact with the reporting party, mister Hayden King. Hayden explained
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his pickup truck, a t V, as well as numerous
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other items were stolen from his property at six o
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six Talent branch. Hayden stated he had multiple pictures of
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males and females stealing things from the property. The pictures
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were taken from a trail camera. Hayden stated the theft
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had occurred over a span of approximately two months. Hayden
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said he had reported the theft of the four wheeler
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and the Ford F one hundred pickup truck to Sheriff
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Mickey Steins at the Electric County Sheriff's office. Hayden showed
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me the pictures from the trail camera. I was able
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to identify multiple individuals in the photos. In the pictures,
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I was able to identify mister David Bowling and Miss
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Jessica Wells. David and Jessica live in a camper on
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Herold Dixon Cemetery Road. I, along with Hayden and his
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family went to the camper and located multiple stolen items
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in which they were able to identify as their property.
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Neither Jessica nor David were home. Hayden explained he received
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another tip that some of the stolen merchandise was at
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twenty one fifty two Carcasson Road. We then left and
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drove there. Once on scene, I observed a blue Chevrolet
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trail Blazer with a Wisconsin registration plate. I observed the
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same vehicle and the pictures from the trail camera that
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was located at six o six Talent Branch. Hayden showed
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me the last photograph from the trail camera, which showed
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Jessica attempting to take down the camera. Hayden said when
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he went to check the camera earlier this date, it
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was gone. Once At twenty one fifty two Carcasson Road,
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I knocked and announced myself. I could hear multiple individuals
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inside of the residence. A mail came to the door
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and advised me I needed a warrant to enter the residence.
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After speaking with the home owner, he advised me to
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come on inside of the residence. Inside were two individuals
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who lived there along with mister Joshua Maggard, Miss Jessica
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Wells and mister David Bowling. I asked every one to
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step outside so I could speak with them. Once outside,
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I spoke with David and Jessica, who stated they went
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to six o six Talent Branch and stole multiple items.
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David said many of the items were here at twenty
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one fifty two Carcasson road, including the red at V
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that was stolen. Jessica also explained she went to the
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residence with David and took multiple items, including the trail camera.
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Jessica said the trail camera was inside of the house,
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located inside of a black tote. Also inside of the
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black tote were clothes stolen from the residence. I spoke
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to mister Joshua Maggard who said he also had a
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part in stealing some of the items. Joshua said he
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picked up a couple of weed eaters from the property
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as well as a guest jug. The next story is
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Grand jury says man threatened cop, woman held a stolen stove.
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Fifteen people, including a man who allegedly threatened to harm
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a police officer and a woman accused of having a
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stolen woodburning stove, had been indicted on twenty charges in
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Letter Circuit Court. Those named in the indictments were turned
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by the Letcher County Grand Jury and handed up to
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Circuit Judge James W. Craft. The second are Michael Jason
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Morris thirty eight twenty eighty six Highway three seventeen Jackhorn,
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who is named in re indictments. Morris is charged with
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terroristic threatening to cause serious physical injury to Wisburg Police
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Officer James Norris at the Whitesburg Walmart. Morris is charged
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with making terroristic threats to cause serious physical injury to
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Whitsburg Police Officer James Norris at the Lesser County Jail.
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In a third indictment, Morris is charged with public intoxication
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under the influence of a controlled substance excludes alcohol, second
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degree disorderly conduct, first degree possession of control substance, first
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defense smith and Feedevin, and first degree possession of a
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control substance fentanyl. The incident involving Morris took place at
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the Whitsburg Walmart when city police answered a call concerning
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a customer who was allegedly harassing customers. When Officer Norris
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arrived at the scene, Officer Clemens had him under arrest
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in the parking lot near the lawn care section. In
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court documents signed by Officer Norris, he said More has
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told him that when he caught me out in public,
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he was going to stab me. During that time, he
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kept trying to instigate me by telling me to take
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my uniform off and fight him. He also stated when
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he sees me out that I'd better have ten people
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with me because he is going to beat my brains out.
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I believe Morris has ill intent towards me because previously
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I had served an EPO on him and had to
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seize his firearms. He brought up that day and said
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if he knew what he knows now, he would have
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shot me through his window while I was walking on
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to his property. Michael J. Baker forty twenty two sixty
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six Highway eleven forty eight Isom is charged with first
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degree sexual abuse. Ronnie Wyatt eighteen two thirty five high
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Street Blackie is charged with second degree terroristic threatening when
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he threatened to commit by any means, including the use
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of a firearm, and act likely to result in death
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or serious physical injury. Wyatt intentionally engaged in substantial conduct
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required to prepare for or carry out the threatened act,
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including but not limited to, gathering weapons. David Wayne's Childers
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sixty nine six nine Elkhorn Creek Road ash Camp is
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charged with theft more than one thousand dollars or less
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than ten thousand dollars when he unlawfully took scrap metal,
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a camper battery two surveillance cameras and other items belonging
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to Tyler Newsom. Cameron C. Dixon thirty two ninety nine
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Marble Drive, Wisburg is charged with first degree robbery when
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he took a purse belonging to Whitney Wright, which contained
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two hundred dollars in cash, debt, and credit cards which
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he attempted to use. Fourth degree assault domestic violence minor
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injury when the defendant, while trying to take the purse
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from Whitney Wright, caused injuries to her chest, arms, hands,
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and jaw, and also used a cell phone to cause
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damages to the victim's body. Admitted the offense of third
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degree terroristic threatening when the defendant, drawing back a hammer,
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threatened to break Whitney Right's knuckles and also threatened to
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shoot her. Shane Allen Brown twenty seven one twenty one
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Treadway Lane, Jonesborough, Tennessee is charged with first degree fleeing
26:18
or evading police on foot, reckless driving, no registration receipt,
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no registration plates, failure of owner to maintain required insurance,
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first defense, failure to provide insurance card, improper passing. Alvin
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Johnson thirty four one nine, three, five six Highway one
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sixty line Fork, who is charged with operating a vehicle
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on suspended or revoked operator's license, first degree possession of
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a controlled substance. First defense Methamthetomen, buy or possessed drug paraphernalia,
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possession of marijuana, no registration plates, no registration receipt, failure
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to produce insurance card, and failure of owner to maintain
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required insurance. First defense obstructed vision and or windshield. Tabitha
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Richardson thirty five five to fourteen Dunham Road. Jenkins is
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charged with no or expired registration receipt, no or expired
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registration plates, failure to notify address change to Department of Transportation,
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and first degree possession of a controlled substance. First defense
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meth and Fennemine Estel. Allen Smith thirty one fourteen forty
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two Defeated Creek A. Line Fork is charged in two indictments.
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Brittany Tolsen thirty four one ninety five number four Hilled.
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Jenkins is charged with receiving stolen property. Ray Johnson sixty
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two one to ninety nine Wyatt's Hollow. Jenkins is charged
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with first degree jail jumping. Four people are charged with
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flagrant non support of their minor children. They are Jordan
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Morrow twenty nine one forty five Tomahawk Drive, Rogers Sergeant
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forty four twenty seven Charter Oaks Road, Gray, Robert Nichols
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forty four seventy three Walk Road Ermine and Michelle Simpson
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thirty eight seven thirty five Yonts Fork Road. Jackhorn. And
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this concludes the reading of The Mountain Eagle. Your reader
28:21
has been Bill an Arsdale. Now please stay tuned for
28:25
continued programming on behalf of everyone here at Radio. I
28:29
thank you for listening and have a good day.