Latest / Eastern Kentucky Newspapers / Hazard Herald - 9.27.26

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Hazard Herald - 9.27.26 · Eastern Kentucky Newspapers

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Speaker 1: Now we turn to the reading of the Hazard Herald
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Speaker 1: for News of Hazard in Perry County. I'm Lee Townsend.
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Speaker 1: We begin with the online edition dated September 23, 2026.
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Speaker 1: As a reminder, Radio Eye is a reading service intended
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Speaker 1: for people who are blind or have other disabilities that
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Speaker 1: make it difficult to read printed material. 2021 Hazard Homecoming
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Speaker 1: event has led Superintendent to surrender educator certification five years later.
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Speaker 1: Five years after a controversial homecoming event at Hazard High School,
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Speaker 1: the incident has resulted in Hazard Independent School Superintendent Sondra
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Speaker 1: Combs agreeing to surrender her educator certifications at the end
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Speaker 1: of the current school year with a provision that she
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Speaker 1: cannot reapply for them at a later date. Records obtained
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Speaker 1: through an open records request by the Herald shows that
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Speaker 1: in March, Combs entered into an agreement order with the
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Speaker 1: Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board, which will result in her
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Speaker 1: permanently surrendering her education certifications on June 30th, their current
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Speaker 1: expiration date. According to the order, Combs cannot ask for
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Speaker 1: or be issued any teaching, administrative, or emergency certificate in
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Speaker 1: the Commonwealth of Kentucky at any time in the future.
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Speaker 1: The records show Combs entered into the order in March
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Speaker 1: and that it is the result of an October 21st
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Speaker 1: event that resulted in the district being subjected to widespread criticism,
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Speaker 1: but resulted in only a reprimand against some school administrators,
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Speaker 1: including then-principal and current mayor of Hazard, Donald Happy Mogollini.
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Speaker 1: Combs responded in a statement to the Herald by saying
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Speaker 1: that she is unsure why she's being made an example
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Speaker 1: and that she has been held hostage with fear of retribution.
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Speaker 1: The Hazard Board of Education has responded with a statement
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Speaker 1: to questions from the Herald saying they were unaware of
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Speaker 1: the agreement order prior to their meeting on September 17th,
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Speaker 1: which was held the same day the Herald began asking
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Speaker 1: questions about the order. Homecoming event results in a major controversy.
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Speaker 1: Hazard High School was thrust into the national spotlight in
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Speaker 1: 2021 after images of videos of a homecoming event at
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Speaker 1: the school emerged on social media. Hazard High School's homecoming week,
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Speaker 1: held October 24th through 30th, 2021, featured a man pageant
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Speaker 1: and a costume day where several male students dressed in
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Speaker 1: lingerie and bikinis and gave male faculty members lap dances
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Speaker 1: and female students dressed as Hooters waitresses serving non-alcoholic drinks.
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Speaker 1: Photos of the homecoming activities were originally posted on the
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Speaker 1: Hazard High School Athletic Facebook page and were quickly taken
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Speaker 1: down due to the abrupt blow-up of the posts online
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Speaker 1: and negative feedback from the community and surrounding areas. Combs
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Speaker 1: initially released a statement claiming actions were being taken to
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Speaker 1: investigate the event and prevent future incidents. Initially, the district
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Speaker 1: said the action had been taken at an open records
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Speaker 1: request at that time by the Hazard Herald, found that
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Speaker 1: three staff members, including Mo Bellini, had been sent a
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Speaker 1: letter of reprimand related to the event. As of press time,
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Speaker 1: no records showing further actions against those three individuals were found.
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Speaker 1: The images of the event drew widespread criticism for the school,
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Speaker 1: including from Governor Andy Beshear, who addressed the matter in
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Speaker 1: a 2021 press conference. Beshear said at the time he
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Speaker 1: hoped the school would take appropriate actions. What happened, said Beshear,
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Speaker 1: was totally unacceptable, inappropriate, shouldn't happen. The district, he said,
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Speaker 1: should learn from their mistakes. They need to take appropriate
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Speaker 1: action and ensure that this will never happen again. There's
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Speaker 1: another thing they need to do, and that's they need
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Speaker 1: to be talking to the students, that this isn't something
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Speaker 1: that's normalized in their mind and that they think is
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Speaker 1: okay in school. That doesn't mean that the kids are
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Speaker 1: punished because the adults are letting it go on, but
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Speaker 1: we just want to make sure We're raising our kids
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Speaker 1: right about what is and what is not acceptable, especially
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Speaker 1: in the world that we live in, Beshear said. I
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Speaker 1: hope that the school system does right by the kids.
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Speaker 1: Combs failed to supervise subordinates and act in a timely
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Speaker 1: manner when it became clear intervention was necessary to stop
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Speaker 1: the presentation allowed an extremely serious situation to happen that
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Speaker 1: involved several students. While no evidence exists that Combs knew
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Speaker 1: of what was going on and what was going to
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Speaker 1: happen prior to the event, the failure to supervise those
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Speaker 1: with supervisory authority over the event put several students in
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Speaker 1: a serious situation. Further documents said Combs acted intentionally when
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Speaker 1: she observed what was happening and failed to stop it.
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Speaker 1: Combs misrepresented the situation as she failed to state in
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Speaker 1: her initial report to EPSB concerning the high school principal
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Speaker 1: that she was in attendance at the event until questioned
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Speaker 1: directly by investigators, thus attempting to conceal material facts. Combs
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Speaker 1: failed to accord just and equitable treatment of all members
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Speaker 1: of the profession in the exercise of their professional rights
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Speaker 1: and responsibilities when she disciplined other parties involved for observing
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Speaker 1: and participating in the homecoming event, but failed to identify
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Speaker 1: her own involvement in failing to stop the presentation. Combs
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Speaker 1: maintains innocence. The record shows that Combs maintained her innocence
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Speaker 1: throughout the EPSB investigative process. While the initial complaint against
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Speaker 1: Combs was filed immediately following the homecoming event, the EPSB
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Speaker 1: did not notify her until September 23rd that the complaint
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Speaker 1: had been received, the records show. In a rebuttal letter
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Speaker 1: that same month, Combs said that while the event was unfortunate,
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Speaker 1: the complaint was a matter of opinion. The complaint consists
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Speaker 1: largely of one person's opinion, somewhat inaccurate and overstated, Combs
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Speaker 1: wrote to the EPSB. The incident has been thoroughly investigated,
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Speaker 1: openly condemned, and properly sanctioned. Combs cited in the letter
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Speaker 1: several actions that had been taken since the event, including
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Speaker 1: the administrator, Mo Bellini, who was supervising the school on
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Speaker 1: that day, was no longer with the district and will
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Speaker 1: not return. Reprimands were given to other staff involved, and
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Speaker 1: applicable policies and procedures were reviewed and revised. A student
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Speaker 1: activity committee was established, including students, staff, and parents to
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Speaker 1: review future proposed student activities in advance for appropriate content.
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Speaker 1: The school no longer has student-led homecoming activities without prior
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Speaker 1: approval from staff at the school following policies, and training
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Speaker 1: was given and staff meetings were held to ensure the
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Speaker 1: perception of the district was positive. The training, Combs responded, continued.
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Speaker 1: In light of the effective responses detailed above and my
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Speaker 1: personal commitment to assure that there will be no similar
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Speaker 1: incidents in the future, I respectfully request that the EPSB
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Speaker 1: take no further action in this matter, Combs wrote this
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Speaker 1: in the September 2023 letter. In the agreed order from
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Speaker 1: this March, Combs continued to maintain that she had done
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Speaker 1: nothing wrong. Although Combs maintains her innocence with regard to
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Speaker 1: the specific allegations, she acknowledges that the evidence provided regarding
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Speaker 1: the reported allegations as such that if presented in a
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Speaker 1: hearing of this matter, it could result in a finding
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Speaker 1: that she violated KRS 161.120 and 16 KAR 1020, the
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Speaker 1: Professional Code of Ethics for Kentucky School Certified Personnel, the
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Speaker 1: order said. The order was approved by the EPSB in
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Speaker 1: its March meeting, the documents show. Combs responds. In a
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Speaker 1: statement to the Hazard Herald in response to the questions
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Speaker 1: sent by email, Combs said she's proud of what she
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Speaker 1: had accomplished in her time working in the district. I'm
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Speaker 1: filled with reverence and joy when I look at my
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Speaker 1: 34 years in Hazard Independent School, she said, adding that
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Speaker 1: Hazard High School has been named top 10 in the
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Speaker 1: state and has consistently scored well while elementary and middle
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Speaker 1: schools have received high marks in the state accountability system.
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Speaker 1: Combs also cited workforce pathways and preschool expansion, as well
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Speaker 1: as upgraded facilities as accomplishments of which she's proud. In addition,
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Speaker 1: Combs pointed out in the statement that our district has
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Speaker 1: served its students through COVID and two floods. However, Combs
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Speaker 1: said in the statement that she believes she's being made
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Speaker 1: an example of in connection with the homecoming event. Five
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Speaker 1: years ago, Hazard Independent Schools made headlines for a homecoming
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Speaker 1: event that took place, she said in a recent statement.
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Speaker 1: For the last five years, I've been held hostage with
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Speaker 1: fear of retribution as I've tried to focus on the
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Speaker 1: work of educating our future workforce and our future citizens.
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Speaker 1: I'm unsure why I'm being made the example, she continued.
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Speaker 1: I've done nothing but serve our district with every ounce
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Speaker 1: of my time, energy, and heart. My heart is with Hazard.
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Speaker 1: I was raised to serve others, to work hard, to
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Speaker 1: bring a smile to each day, and to face challenges
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Speaker 1: head on. I hope that I've honored my family's admonitions
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Speaker 1: with my 34 years of service to this community and
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Speaker 1: and the families it serves. I intend to continue to
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Speaker 1: do so with each day ahead of me, as I
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Speaker 1: always have. The Board of Education responds. In a letter
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Speaker 1: from Hazard Board of Education Attorney Denise M. Davidson in
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Speaker 1: response to questions from the Herald, the Board said they
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Speaker 1: were not aware of the agreed order prior to the
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Speaker 1: September 17th meeting in which the matter was not discussed publicly.
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Speaker 1: but that Combs had advised the board at a September
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Speaker 1: 11th special meeting that she was retiring at the end
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Speaker 1: of her contract on June 30th. Upon being advised of
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Speaker 1: her plans to retire, the board has initiated early conversations
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Speaker 1: regarding naming of a new superintendent, Davidson wrote. The letter
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Speaker 1: also noted that only one of the five board members
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Speaker 1: currently serving, was on the board at the time of
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Speaker 1: the 2021 homecoming event. Ms. Combs, as the superintendent, has
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Speaker 1: taken aggressive action to ensure that there will not be
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Speaker 1: a repeat of any questionable and or inappropriate actions at
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Speaker 1: future homecoming events, Davidson wrote. This board is committed to
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Speaker 1: establishing high academic standards and expectations for our students at
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Speaker 1: Hazard High School, Hazard Middle School, and or Roy G.
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Speaker 1: Eversole Elementary School. The Black Gold Festival held this past
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Speaker 1: weekend in Hazard drew its largest crowd in 25 years,
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Speaker 1: according to Hazard Mayor Donald Happy Mobolini. Attendees enjoyed music, attractions, food,
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Speaker 1: and the annual parade along Main Street and Memorial Drive.
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Speaker 1: Black Gold Festival video prompts charges, internal investigations. A video
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Speaker 1: recorded following the close of the Black Gold Festival on Friday,
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Speaker 1: September 18th, spread rapidly on social media and has since
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Speaker 1: prompted charges and an internal investigation, according to Perry County
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Speaker 1: Sheriff Joe Engel. Over the weekend, a social media post
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Speaker 1: circulated from the Black Gold Festival that appeared to be
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Speaker 1: a male and female engaged in marital relationship activities on
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Speaker 1: top of a food vendor booth downtown, he said. Ingalls
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Speaker 1: said on September 21st that the Sheriff's Office began investigating
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Speaker 1: after being notified of a deputy's involvement in the recording.
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Speaker 1: It was self-reported by one of my deputies to me
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Speaker 1: that he was involved in the recording of the incident
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Speaker 1: from the Perry County 911 Center located on the third
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Speaker 1: floor of the courthouse, Ingalls said. According to the disclosure,
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Speaker 1: Ingalls said, he took administrative action while the Sheriff's Office
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Speaker 1: investigates whether department policies were violated. This morning, I placed
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Speaker 1: the deputy on paid administrative leave pending a full internal
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Speaker 1: investigation of the incident for policy violations, he said. Engel
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Speaker 1: also requested that Kentucky State Police conduct an independent investigation.
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Speaker 1: This afternoon, I contacted KSP Post 13 and requested an
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Speaker 1: outside agency conduct a full investigation to determine if any
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Speaker 1: criminal activity may have occurred, said Engel. The Hazard Police
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Speaker 1: Department cited the couple in connection with their actions, according
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Speaker 1: to Chief Zach Miller. Miller said the investigation continues and
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Speaker 1: additional information will be released at a later time. The
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Speaker 1: Hazard City Commission was recognized during its meeting on September
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Speaker 1: 21st for directing opioid abatement funding to Perry County Drug
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Speaker 1: Court where the money has been used to address transportation, medical,
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Speaker 1: and other barriers faced by participants working toward recovery. Judge
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Speaker 1: Allison Wells thanked commissioners for making the funding available, saying
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Speaker 1: the assistance allows the program to help participants focus more
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Speaker 1: fully on meeting the requirements of drug court and maintaining
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Speaker 1: their recovery. We're just here to thank you all, said Wells.
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Speaker 1: You've been generous to share your opioid abatement funds with
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Speaker 1: the Perry County Drug Court, and it makes a huge
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Speaker 1: difference to us. It's a great program and people do
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Speaker 1: really well. I know you all have employees hired here
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Speaker 1: at the city, and those funds allow us to do
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Speaker 1: some things and remove some barriers that allow people to
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Speaker 1: concentrate on their recovery. James Gross, a participant in the program,
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Speaker 1: addressed the commission, and described the impact of the assistance
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Speaker 1: and drug court on his life. The opioid grant has
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Speaker 1: helped me and countless others, said Gross. We wanted to
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Speaker 1: thank each and every one of you for your support.
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Speaker 1: For 28 years, I've been an active addiction, and for
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Speaker 1: the first time, I'm not lost, I'm not alone, I'm
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Speaker 1: not broke. I used to be miserable, but now I've
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Speaker 1: found happiness, and I've found hope, a home, and am employed.
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Speaker 1: I have a car that's actually drivable and it has
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Speaker 1: insurance and I won't have to worry about breaking down
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Speaker 1: on the side of the road. I'm grateful for all
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Speaker 1: of that. I am so grateful for having my family
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Speaker 1: back in my life. Thank you all again for this grant.
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Speaker 1: To each of you, it's helped change so many of
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Speaker 1: our lives. From the opinion page, Can You Pass the Test?
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Speaker 1: by Jeff Vanderbeck. Chances are, if you're reading this, you're
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Speaker 1: an American citizen, and that's a good thing. We spend
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Speaker 1: a lot of time arguing as to who could and
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Speaker 1: should become American citizens. Maybe we should spend some time
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Speaker 1: figuring out whether those of us who are Americans actually
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Speaker 1: know what that means. In a national survey conducted by
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Speaker 1: the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, only 36% of Americans
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Speaker 1: could earn a passing score on a multiple-choice test required
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Speaker 1: for citizenship in America. That means almost two-thirds of Americans fail.
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Speaker 1: And that's because Americans are not required to keep studying
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Speaker 1: civics once they leave school, if schools even teach civics anymore.
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Speaker 1: I know UPike does because Dr. Tyler Syke is a
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Speaker 1: brilliant civics teacher And if you sit with him for
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Speaker 1: two minutes, you'll find out how dumb people really are.
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Speaker 1: I feel stupid talking to him and that is not
17:23
Speaker 1: a very hard threshold to break. While many Americans may
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Speaker 1: not know about our government, we're not shy about sharing
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Speaker 1: our opinions. When it comes to politics, we have all
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Speaker 1: become constitutional scholars on social media. In theory, We should
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Speaker 1: know the limitations of the President and the Supreme Court
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Speaker 1: and Congress. However, I'm not sure the people who are
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Speaker 1: running these branches know their limitations. We should know our rights,
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Speaker 1: guaranteed by the Constitution. I've always believed the Bible and
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Speaker 1: the Constitution can be interpreted to fit agendas. Preachers and
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Speaker 1: judges have a human belief in their manuals, and they
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Speaker 1: can interpret them any way they feel is correct, with
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Speaker 1: a final ruling that becomes the law of the land
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Speaker 1: or their congregation. Because of the human factor and the
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Speaker 1: fact that civics are not a pressing issue with Americans,
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Speaker 1: things get real quiet very quickly when people are asked
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Speaker 1: basic civics questions. In that survey from 2018, only 13%
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Speaker 1: knew that when the Constitution was ratified, For your information,
18:37
Speaker 1: the Constitution was signed in 1787 and ratified in 1788.
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Speaker 1: In 1789, the new government became operational and the Constitution
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Speaker 1: went into effect. In 1790, Rhode Island became the last
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Speaker 1: of the original 13 states to ratify the Constitution. Since 1790,
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Speaker 1: 27 amendments have altered the Constitution. Also in that survey,
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Speaker 1: 75% didn't know how many justices serve on the Supreme Court,
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Speaker 1: and nearly 4 in 10 Americans surveyed thought Benjamin Franklin
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Speaker 1: invented the light bulb. Fewer than one-third can name only
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Speaker 1: three of the original states. People who are seeking legitimate
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Speaker 1: citizenship actually need to study and learn about our country.
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Speaker 1: They study the branches of government, the Constitution, and our history,
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Speaker 1: good and bad. Then they have to demonstrate what they've
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Speaker 1: learned to an immigration officer. In the 2025 immigration test,
19:45
Speaker 1: there are 128 questions of which 20 are asked, and
19:51
Speaker 1: in order for legal citizenship, a person must get 12
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Speaker 1: out of those 20 correct. I feel Americans take citizenship
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Speaker 1: for granted. Our country is so divided, and perhaps if
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Speaker 1: more people understood the basics, of civics and were able
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Speaker 1: to interact in civil ways while understanding opposing views and opinions,
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Speaker 1: we might just have a more civil and educated society.
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Speaker 1: We don't have to agree with our neighbors politically. We
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Speaker 1: don't have to like the president or our local representatives.
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Speaker 1: But if we're going to complain about the government and
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Speaker 1: the people who run it, we need to know and
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Speaker 1: better understand how government works. That goes not only for citizens,
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Speaker 1: but elected officials themselves, some of whom have abused the
20:40
Speaker 1: system and their positions for personal gain. If we want
20:45
Speaker 1: to invoke the Constitution, we need to read it. If
20:48
Speaker 1: we're going to argue about history, we should understand it.
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Speaker 1: If we're asking immigrants to get educated, perhaps we should
20:54
Speaker 1: be educated ourselves so we understand what we're fighting for.
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Speaker 1: Just for S and Gs, can you answer a few
21:02
Speaker 1: of the questions on the citizenship test? No Google or help.
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Speaker 1: Let me know how you did. What are the first
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Speaker 1: 10 amendments called? Name the five freedoms in the First Amendment.
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Speaker 1: Name one responsibility of U.S. citizens. How many amendments are
21:25
Speaker 1: in the Constitution? How many U.S. representatives have voting rights
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Speaker 1: in Congress? These are just a few examples. Others ask
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Speaker 1: the name of the current president, senator, governor, vice president,
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Speaker 1: and more. You would be surprised to find out how
21:41
Speaker 1: many Americans don't know the answer. An NBC poll found
21:45
Speaker 1: that 43% of people polled did not know the name
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Speaker 1: of the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, and that
21:52
Speaker 1: he's only two heartbeats away from becoming president. I bet
21:55
Speaker 1: those 43% are social media scholars when it comes to politics.
22:01
Speaker 1: Thanks for reading the Hazard Herald. The Writing on the
22:05
Speaker 1: Wall by Russ Cassaday Having come of age during the
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Speaker 1: advent of the era of home computing and the Internet,
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Speaker 1: I can tell you that there was a lot of
22:16
Speaker 1: optimism about what the rapid development of new technologies would
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Speaker 1: mean for society. Some warned that it might not be
22:24
Speaker 1: all wine and roses, but the feeling was overall positive.
22:28
Speaker 1: And the companies that were developing and building these new
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Speaker 1: technologies also responded with optimism, creating devices and software that
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Speaker 1: changed our world in significant ways in a relatively brief
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Speaker 1: amount of time. But as time has worn on, we
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Speaker 1: seem to be settled into a kind of new development toper.
22:49
Speaker 1: New hardware and software don't really feel new so much
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Speaker 1: as being an update of the original. And unfortunately, the
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Speaker 1: worst fears of all those naysayers from back in the
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Speaker 1: day may ultimately be borne out as true. Technology in
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Speaker 1: a post-9-11 world is now moving toward endangering things we
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Speaker 1: used to take for granted, including our right to privacy
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Speaker 1: and our environment in ways unimaginable just a decade or
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Speaker 1: so ago. A recent article by David L. Lightman, published
23:21
Speaker 1: by States Newsroom, examined the roles of the debates over
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Speaker 1: data center expansion and flock cameras and how they're playing
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Speaker 1: roles in the midterms. Here's a summary. Politicians see the
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Speaker 1: bipartisan opposition to these things and are paying attention. It's
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Speaker 1: further evident from the fact that a U.S. House that
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Speaker 1: has not displayed much desire to listen to its constituents
23:48
Speaker 1: on many matters recently united to approve a resolution that,
23:54
Speaker 1: according to a statement from the Office of U.S. Representative
23:57
Speaker 1: Hal Rogers, would amend the Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act
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Speaker 1: of 1978 to establish a federal standard for relating to
24:07
Speaker 1: the recovery of the full incremental costs of electric system
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Speaker 1: upgrades necessary to serve large-load customers such as data centers.
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Speaker 1: I'd argue that part of the problem is that the
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Speaker 1: focus on new technology isn't necessarily human advancement, but a
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Speaker 1: more desire to the ultra-rich to become richer. No one
24:30
Speaker 1: will ever accuse individuals like Steve Jobs of being less
24:34
Speaker 1: than greedy, but at the same time, pioneers like him
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Speaker 1: also wanted to create new technologies and make existing tools better. Unfortunately,
24:44
Speaker 1: the focus of those leading the way these days seems
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Speaker 1: to be to control an obscene, unlimited cash flow. Capitalism
24:54
Speaker 1: isn't bad, but when it is disconnected from a desire
24:57
Speaker 1: to use those resources for betterment of mankind, it gets
25:01
Speaker 1: bad quickly. Individuals like Elon Musk have so much money
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Speaker 1: that there's no way they could ever spend it. In fact,
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Speaker 1: they're building bunkers to shield themselves from the consequences of
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Speaker 1: their own actions. Instead, if they voluntarily invest in the
25:20
Speaker 1: next big steps to make life better for the people
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Speaker 1: they're allegedly selling their products to, this could instantly see
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Speaker 1: a massive and positive change. So yeah, I don't believe
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Speaker 1: I'm alone in the feeling this way, and I know
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Speaker 1: that when I step into a voting booth on December,
25:39
Speaker 1: those things will be weighing on my mind. Those seeking
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Speaker 1: office would be wise to pay attention as well as
25:46
Speaker 1: listen to the voices of the voters. It may have
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Speaker 1: been possible in the past to ignore those voices, but
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Speaker 1: I believe a day is rapidly coming when those who
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Speaker 1: fail to do so will find themselves out of power.
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Speaker 1: We need the next big steps and we need protection
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Speaker 1: from the worst impulses of mankind, and those who are
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Speaker 1: willing to take on that will be the winners despite
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Speaker 1: the darkness of the current time. Here are the obituaries.
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Speaker 1: Linda Susan Baker, 78, of Hazard, died Tuesday, September 15th.
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Speaker 1: Bernadine Jones, 76, of Hazard, died Wednesday, September 16th. Paul King, 83,
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Speaker 1: of Hazard, died Friday, September 18th. Terry L. Hoss Napier, Sr.,
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Speaker 1: died Sunday, September 13th. and Stephanie Suzanne Franks Ritchie, 51,
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Speaker 1: a viper, died Tuesday, September 15th. The Perry County Board
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Speaker 1: of Education approved approximately $ 400, 000 in funding for a new
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Speaker 1: indoor practice facility at Buckhorn School during its regular meeting
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Speaker 1: on September 15th. Perry County Superintendent Kent Campbell said the
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Speaker 1: facility will help address scheduling challenges created by the number
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Speaker 1: of students an extracurricular program served by the school. This
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Speaker 1: concludes the reading of the Hazard Herald. Please stay tuned
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Speaker 1: for continued programming. Thank you for joining me, and on
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Speaker 1: behalf of everyone here at Radio Eye, this is Lee
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Speaker 1: Townsend wishing you a good day. 7, which passed the
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Speaker 1: House on September 16th. The nation's major water resources legislation, WRDA,
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Speaker 1: reauthorizes and modifies... water infrastructure projects every year, the statement said.
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Speaker 1: Rogers said the statement requested flood control and risk management
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Speaker 1: projects for the Kentucky River, Buckhorn Lake, and Elkhorn Lake
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Speaker 1: Dam in the 2026 bill, advancing studies to help protect
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Speaker 1: families and businesses from devastating floods in Kentucky's Appalachian region.
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Speaker 1: Representatives from the Disability Resource Center presented the Perry County
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Speaker 1: Community Foundation with its Community Partner of the Year Award
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Speaker 1: on September 21, recognizing the Foundation's continued support, sponsorships, and
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Speaker 1: involvement in the community.