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Licking Valley Courier - 5.8.26 · Eastern Kentucky Newspapers

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Speaker 1: We now turn to the Licking Valley Courier to bring
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you news from in and around West Liberty. Your reader
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today is Janice. We begin with the addition dated Thursday,
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May seventh, twenty twenty six, as a reminder, Radio I
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is a reading service intended for people who are blind
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or have other disabilities that make it difficult to read
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printed material. Our first article is Morgan County Winds Big
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at State st LP competition. And there is a picture
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and it has a blue background and it's its best
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technical project in Kentucky, Breaking Point Initiative, Morgan County High School,
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Morgan County as TLP Coach Dakota Atkins. Now here's the article.
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The Kentucky Student Teach Technology Leadership Program STLP continues to
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provide students across the Commonwealth with opportunities to learn, lead,
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and innovate through technology driven projects that address real needs
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within their schools and communities. And its core, STLP encourages
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students to design and develop solutions using technology, whether through
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instructional tools, community service initiatives, or technical services. Students explore
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a wide range of categories, including digital media creation, programming,
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app development, robotics, and network support. Systems. Through these hands
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on experiences, participants not only build technical skills, but also
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strengthen collaboration, creativity, and problem solving abilities. Each year, standout
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student projects advanced through multiple levels of competition, beginning at
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the school level and progressing through district and regional showcases.
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The Journey Apartment culminades at annual STLCA the State Championship.
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Were top teams from across the Kentucky present their work
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this year's championship to regional competition, and ultimately several earned
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the opportunity to compete at the state level. Morgan County
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students achieved notable success at this year's event. East Valley
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Elementary students Jackson LaGG, Leigh Colton Prize, Emma lun Prater,
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and Nora could Pasture, along with Morgan County Middle School
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students Samantha Hagar, were recognized with the best of Level
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two honors. The highest distinction of the day went to
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Morgan County High School students Sarah Jenkins and Abbie Ingle,
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who earned the title of the best Technical Project in Kentucky.
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With this achievement, Jenkins and Ingle have been invited to
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represent their work on a larger stage at the International
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Society for Technology and Education Conference. It's scheduled for June
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twenty eight through July first in Orlando. In addition to
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the project based competitions, twelve students from East Valley Elementary
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Regularly Elementary Morgan County Middle School participated in Creative Digital
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Arts category of the Kentucky Student Technology Leadership Program. These
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students showcase their talents through original works such as digital art, photography,
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and graphic design, demonstrating both technical skills and creativity. Their
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participation highlighted the district's commitment to fostering artistic expressions alongside
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innovation and technology, further representing the diverse talents of Morgan
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County students. On the state level, programs like the STLP
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continue to demonstrate the power of student driven learning, providing
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a platform for young people to apply their knowledge in
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meaningful ways while preparing for future college and career opportunities.
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Our next article is Primary election. Polling Locations and early
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voting dates and hours are listed by Miranda M. Cantrell.
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Morgan County County ins will take the polls on Tuesday,
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May nineteenth to select party nominees for local, state, and
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national offices in the primary election election day locations. County
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Clerk Brandy Williams has announced the following election day locations
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for the primary voters. Morgan County Office Building Gym at
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four fifty Prestonburgh Street, West Liberty Precincts of the West
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Liberty number one, West Liberty number two and Lacy Creek
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number four. Morgan County Wellness Center fourteen twelve, Highways seven,
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Liberty precinct of West Liberty number three, Wrigley Elementary School
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seventy four ninety Highway seven, West Liberty precinc of Wrigley
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number five, East Valley Elementary School seventy five eighty five
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Highway one one seventy two, West Liberty Precincts of Dingas
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number six and Crockett number seven. Morgan kint County High
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School one fifty Road to Success Precincts of Caney number
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eight and Index number twelve. Morgan Central Elementary School thirty
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two one Highway four sixty, West Liberty Precincts of Salem
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number nine and Chapel number ten. Azel Elementary School thirty
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one Walnut Street, Azel Precinct of Azel number eleven. Polls
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will be open at the above locations on election Day Tuesday,
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May nineteenth, from six a m. To six pm. Williams
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told The Courier that Morgan County High School will remain
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permanent will remain permanent polling locations for Cany number eight
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and Index number twelve precincts due to the upcoming closure
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of Morgan County Middle School, which had previously served voters
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in those areas. Early voting location dates and hours. Williams
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also shared the following information regarding early voting excused in
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person absentee voting. Persons who wish to vote absentee with
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an excuse can do so over the course of six
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days on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, May six seventh, eighth,
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or Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, May eleventh, twelve, and thirteen.
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Person casting these ballots will do so at the County
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Clerk's office in the County Government Building at four fifty
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Prestonburg Street. The voting hours for these days are eight
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am to four pm. In person no excuse use absentee
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voting persons who wish to vote early with no excuse
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can do so over the course of three days on Thursday, Friday,
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and Saturday, May fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth. Persons casting these
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ballots will do so in the Gymnasium of the County
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Government building at four fifty Prestonburgh Street. The voting hour
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for these days are eight am to four pm. Absentee
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paper ballots. William said that the deadline to request an
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absentee ballot has passed on Tuesday, May fifth, and noted
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that mail m absentee ballots must be received by the
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county Clerk before sixty m on election day Tuesday, May nineteenth.
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Deadline to apply for an overseas military ballot is Tuesday
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May twelve. For additional information regarding the May nineteenth primary election,
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contact County Clerk Brandy Williams at seven four three thirty
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nine nine, or visit the website www dot Morgan dot
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clerk info dot net. The sample ballot for the May
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nineteenth primary election can be found elsewhere in this edition.
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Our next article is Blackwater Other fire departments respond to
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two fires in the past week. Blackwater Fire Department responded
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to two structure fires over the past week in the
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Bonnie in Upper Long Branch communities. Blackwaterfire Chief Kent Cole
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said the first fire occurred on May second, at approximately
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three point thirty a m at the home of Josh
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Noble on Highway thirty three forty five in the Body area.
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The house was destroyed, but were able to contain the
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fire to one end so the family could save some
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clothes and other belongings, Cole said, noting that the residents
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were at home when the fire started. Agencies responding to
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the May's second fire included Blackwater Highway five nineteen in
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West Liberty Fire departments as well as Morgan County em s.
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The second fire occurred on Monday, May fourth, shortly before
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seven thirty three PM, at the home of Margaret and
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Kennethry on Upper Long Branch Road. The residents were reportedly
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not at home when a neighbor notified nine to one
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one dispatchers of invisible flames. We slowed the fire down,
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but we weren't able to save the structure of Coles, said.
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Firefighters returned to the scene later that evening when the
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fire reignited. Agency's pardony. Agencies responding to the May fourth
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fire included the Blackwater Highway for Highway five nineteen in
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West Liberty Fire departments, as well as Morgan County EMS.
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Morgan County Sheriff's office in the Kentucky State Police. Our
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next article is Pardon Me. County attorney confronts fiscal courts
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after magistrate's pay rais motion to approve twenty twenty seven
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compensation rates for magistrates County Attorney Corner Jailer carries in
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three to two vote at April thirtieth meeting by Miranda
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in Cantrill. A confrontation erupted among county officials following a
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vote to significantly increase the salaries of magistrates during a
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special April thirtieth meeting of the Morgan County Fiscal Court.
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For the background information. County Attorney Miles Holbrook had initially
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requested a salary increase during the court's regular January twenty
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second meeting, during which he noted he is currently paid
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a little over fifteen thousand dollars for his services to
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the county. Additionally, Attorney Holbrook noted on January twenty second
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that the county attorney's salary for three terms of those
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of his predecessors, Joline Frederick Steve O'Connor, had remained at
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the same at approximately fifteen thousand per year. Attorney Holbrook
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also indicated that This amount could have possibly dated back
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to the O'Connor predecessor Eddie Keaton, whose salary he was
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unable to verify. I currently make fifteen thousand, four hundred dollars,
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Holbrook said at the time, so I think it's time
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to kind of modernize what we paid the county attorney's position.
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I do spend approximately six sixty percent of my time
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as an attorney, so I think it's fair for me
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to ask for fifty thousand dollars a year plus consumer
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pricing index each year. Court members took no action on
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Attorney Holbrook's requests during the January twenty second gathering, nor
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at their April twenty third meeting, when he again broached
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the subject. Attorney Holbrook on April twenty third reiterated his
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case to the court and presented documents showing salary rate
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changes for county employees during his eleven tenure. Eleven year
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tenure as county attorney, He'll notice that every position makes double,
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in some cases triple, almost what they made back then,
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Holbrook said on April twenty third. He'll notice that Miles
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Holbrook has stayed the very exact same the whole time.
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Multiple Court members described the budget for the upcoming fiscal
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year as tight during the January twenty second meeting, but
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all concurred that they would take Attorney Holdbrook's request into
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consideration during the budgeting process. Judge Executive Jim Gayzey asked
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magistrates during the April twenty third meeting if they wish
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to further discuss Attorney Holbrook's request, though there there or
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no additional comments from the court, members agreed to hold
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a meeting with County Treasurer Sheena Easterling on April twenty
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ninth to discuss budgetary issues. Judge Gaizy announced before German
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that the budgetary meeting would precede a special April thirtieth
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Fiscal Court meeting, which he said would largely pertain to
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financial matters events of the special April thirtieth Fiscal Court meeting.
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During the April thirtieth meeting, Judge Gaisy announced an agenda
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item listed it as twenty twenty seven compensation. Treasurer Easterling
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told the Court that as per Kentucky Revised Statute sixty
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four thousand, five hundred and thirty, the Fiscal Court is
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required to fix compensation for eligible elected officials no later
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than the first Monday in May of the year in
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which they are elected. Those annual compensation rates included the
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following county corner eighteen thousand dollars, County magistricts eighteen thousand
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dollars for each of the five county attorney twenty five
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thousand dollars, County jailer forty five thousand dollars. On a
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motion made by magistript Eric Palfrey and secondtate by Magistrate
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Tyler Keaton, the Court approved the above listed rates in
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a three to two vote Yes Tommy Fannon, Tyler Keaton,
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and Eric Palfrey, No Brandon Evans and Leroard Phipps. Following
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the vote, Attorney Holbrook stated that he wished to ask
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a question of the court. Attorney Holbrook read the compensation
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rates allowed as they were not aired prior to the vote,
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including the magistriates listing of eighteen thousand dollars. Does that
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mean all magistrates are each getting three thousand, six hundred
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dollars more or are they going to eighteen thousand per year?
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Holbrook asked, and the treasure Easternly responded that the amount
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was an annual rate, so they are going from seven thousand,
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two hundred dollars a year minus their training initiative pay,
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which is another four thousand dollars. Holbrook asked, They're going
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to eighteen thousand dollars a year, all five of them. So,
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the people who said the budget was tight when I
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asked for a raise in January and I asked them
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again last month, you didn't really mean the budget was tight.
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You meant that you wanted to stick your hands in
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the money part. I just want to say that I
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am appreciative of my raise, but I don't know how
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to feel about getting half of what I asked for
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when in the meeting multiple magistrates said what I asked for?
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What us fair? You all knew you were going to
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ask for a raise. You said, we can't give Miles
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a raise. We need to do that sixty thousand dollars
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for us, and you need to do it. On the
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last day, during a special meeting where you didn't even
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ask for raises, Magistrip Palfrey told Attorney Holbrook that he
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had received a sixty percent raise, and a disagreement ensued
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regarding the exact percentage. Attorney Holbrook later acknowledged in a
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May first Facebook post that Magistrip Palfrey's calculation was correct. However,
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why did you tell me you didn't have the money
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when you had it? Attorney Holbrook then asked Magiristrip Palfrey,
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who stated that the Attorney Holbrook had initially requested thirty
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five thousand dollars raise. Instead, you gave yourself fifty five
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thousand dollars after you told me you didn't have the money,
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Oldbrook replied, before pointing to Magistrate Brandon Evans. He sat
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there and told me he didn't have the money, and
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he told me you didn't have the money, and you
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knew the whole time that you were going to give
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yourselves huge raises. Mandistrip Palfrey disputed Attorney Holbrook's statement before
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indicating that the court members had reviewed the prem preliminary
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budget for the twenty twenty six twenty seven fiscal year twice.
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What does that mean, Holebrook cast, I always thought these
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meetings were supposed to be in front of the people.
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I always thought the Freedom of Information and Open Meetings
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I Act said that when you all talk about the
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business of the county, it should be in front of
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the county. So you're holding separate like secret meetings. Did
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you ask for a raise at any of these meetings?
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Have you ever asked for a raise? Magistrate Pelfrey stated
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that he had not before. Attorney Holbrook asked Magistrate Brandon
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Evans if he had ever asked for a raise. I
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never asked for a raise, Evan said, I didn't vote
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for this. Attorney Holbrook stated again, Magistrate Palfrey had agreed
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that his initial request of fifty thousand dollars was fair.
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Yet it's a yes or no, Holbrook said, Are you
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telling me you were wrong? Magristrip Palfrey responded, I was wrong.
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Do you want me to dig deep into this? Yes?
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I do. Attorney Holbrook counter, I want you to explain
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to the county why you basically gave every magistrate the
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same raise as a guy who works thirty days a month,
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and you show up and have a meeting. We show
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up and have a meeting. Palfrey asked, in regards to magistrates,
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you say that all we do all months, that's all
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we do, Almah. Do you want me to go into
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deep about everything the county pays for your office? Do
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you want to talk about how much the state pays you?
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Attorney Holbrook acknowledged that the county pays his secretary's salaries
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and a third of the utility bills for his office building,
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but expressed umbraage about Magistrip Palfrey's comment regarding state compensation.
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Are you going to talk about how much Lion pays you,
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Holbrook said, in reference to Palfrey's primary job. How much
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does Lion pay you? What does that have to do
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with anything? Eric said, I paid fifteen thousand, four hundred
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dollars to represent this county. You don't have anything to
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do with my prosecutal duties. I don't ask you about
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what made you with lyone, what you make with Lyon
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Mandristrip Palfrey reiterated that the Attorney Holbrook have received a
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nine thousand, six hundred dollar raise, prompting Attorney Holbrook to
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note that magistrates, in addition to their salaries, receive a
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four thousand, five hundred dollars in training incentif pay, which
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Treasurer Eastern League said totaled approximately five thousand, two hundred
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dollars annually. Following an inquiry from the attorney, I was
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wrong five thousand, two hundred dollars, Holbrook said, that's twenty
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three thousand, two hundred dollars that you want for two
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hours worth of work a month. That's ridiculous. To not
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even ask the public forays to do it on the
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final day that you do, and do it at six
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thirty pm, six hours before it can't change is ridiculous.
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You're greeting you all, Magistrate Palfrey asked, eliciting further Claire
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occasion from Attorney Holbrook. Well, not all of you, Holbrook said,
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as he pointed to a magistrate Tyler Keaton. Not you.
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You're not greedy. I think of you as a good person.
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Everything you've told me has turned out to be the truth.
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Lee Roy Phipps. When you talk to me, you tell
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me the truth. Jim Gazey, when you talk to me,
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you tell me the truth. And I'm going to leave
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it at that. So you coming in here and asking
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for a thirty five thousand dollars pay raise is not greedy,
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Magistrate at Palfrey asked Attorney Holbrook, who reoriterated that he
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had reviewed pay rates of other county attorneys before again
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asking the magistrates if he had not agreed fifty thousand
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dollars was a fair amount. Madristrip Palfrey told Attorney Holbrook
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that his raise was based on funding that the County
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Attorney's office currently receives from the Fiscal Court. As Attorney
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whole Brook outline the services his office provised to the county,
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the fact that you looked at me and told me
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the budget was tight and that you couldn't hardly do
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anything the whole time you you were going to grab
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a whole bunch of money and a head for the hills.
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It's ridiculous, Holbrook said. You should be ashamed of yourself.
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Magistrip Palfrey further elaborated on the magistrate's pay increase. We
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are still lower, way lower than magoffin County, Pelfrey said,
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stating that he had researched the matter. We've based it
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on everything. Morgan County magistrates have received a rage since
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the nineteen eighties, haven't received a race since the nineteen eighties.
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I think you based it on your pocketbook, Attorney Holbrook retorted.
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Magistrate Tommy Fannon responded to Attorney Holbrook, statement, I think
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you're wrong. Fannin said, we've studied that budget for a
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line long time. Madristrip Halfrey further addressed Attorney Holbrook. If
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we gave you the fifty thousand dollars you asked for,
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you would have blown up tonight. Pelfrey inquired, probably because
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I was lied to. Attorney Holbrook reresponded, You told me
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we had a budget problem. You told me there was
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no money for raises for anyone, and the whole time
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you were wanting it. No, I did not say that, Magristrip.
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Palfrey counter, I did not say that, and you know it,
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and you know I didn't say that. The only time
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that I have talked is the night you called me
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and through text message, and I have those text messages,
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and you told me, do not put you below thirty
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five thousand dollars. Attorney Holbrook further commented on current compensation
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for magistrates and stated that their pay would increase from
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seven two hundred dollars to eighteen thousand dollars annually. It's
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more than seven thousand, two hundred dollars. Mandristrip. Helfree clarified,
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it is an eight thousand, three hundred and forty dollars.
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If you want to be exact, The magistrip's raise is
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the same raise you got. That's what you're not getting.
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It's nine thousand and six hundred. Attorney Hoboro continued to
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cite percentages of both increases. You more than doubled your pay.
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Attorney Hobrook said, how can you sit there and explain
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that to your voters. I thought you were going to
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use my raise to get something for your salves, but
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to give me half of what I asked for and
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to just grab money for yourselves is outrageous. That's all
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I have to say. Magistrip Healfrey maintained that it was
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the same amount, nine thousand, six hundred dollars. It doesn't
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It don't matter how you look at it. We looked
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at all surrounding counties. Morgan County magistrates haven't had a
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raise since the nineteen eighties. I'm done with this, Attorney
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Holbrook declare good, Magistrip Palfrey said, as the discussion concluded
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with no additional comments from the court. Other compensation information,
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as documented in the preceding report, Magistrip Palfrey during the
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April thirtieth meeting, referenced compensation that Attorney Holbrook receives from
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the state government. According to the state government website Transparency
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Ky of Attorney Holbrook's state compensation totals ninety four thousand,
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two hundred and seventy seven dollars and four cents. Attorney
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Holbrook clarify the nature of this compensation during the May
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first interview with the Courier. What people don't understand is
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this has absolutely nothing to do with county business, representing
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the county, or what the county pays me. Holbrook says,
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it's a separate job that I do for a separate
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government entity, the State of Kentucky, and they pay me separately.
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This is for prosecuting state crimes. I'm paid by the
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state to do that. This concludes excerpts from the recent
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editions of The Licking Valley Courier. Your reader has been
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janics On behalf of everyone here at RADIOI thank you
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for listening, keep on listening, and I hope you have
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a very good day. Fiscal Court budget of appropriations for
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the County's Attorney's office include the following. County Attorneys Secretary
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Salary twenty four thousand, seven hundred and fifty Child Support
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Program twelve thousand dollars, rent se eight hundred dollars. County
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Attorney Bond four hundred dollars. Kentucky County Attorney's Association dues
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seven hundred and fifty dollars, postage seven hundred dollars, office
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supplies five thousand, five hundred dollars, training, one thousand dollars,
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travel expenses one thousand, five hundred dollars utilities eight thousand,
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seven hundred dollars. Attorney Holbrook stated the April thirtieth that
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the Fiscal Court pays one third of the utility calls
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for the County's Attorney's office. The other two thirds are
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paid by his law practice, Wholebrook Bass and the Kentucky
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Child's Court Enforcement. County Treasurer Sheena Easternly told the Courier
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on May fourth that Attorney Holbrook and his secretary receive
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health insurance stipends, which are also available to magistrates. Additional
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compensation for magistrates includes the annual training incentive pay cited
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earlier in this report. In Training