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Pike Co. News - 5.18.26 · Eastern Kentucky Newspapers

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Speaker 1: Now we turn to the reading of the Appalachian News
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Express for news in Pikeville and Pike County. 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 Appalachian News Express is donated to
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Radio I by the publisher. Your reader today is Naya.
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We will begin with the edition dated May fifteenth to eighteenth,
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twenty twenty six. Our first headline is Candidates for Pike
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Judge Executive discuss issues in forum by Terry el May
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News Editor. The two candidates on the May primary ballot
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for the position of Pike County Judge Executive talked about
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county issues, their visions, and their experience during a political
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forum hosted by Appalachian Newspapers Incorporated on May eleventh. Republicans
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Brian Morris and Susy Gibson Shearer are facing off in
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the primary to decide who will succeed Democrat Judge Executive
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Ray S. Jones, who is not seeking reelection. Sheer is
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an attorney in Pikeville with more than two decades of
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legal experience. She emphasized her extensive legal and business healthcare
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management background. Morris has been the Pike County jailer for
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the past ten years. He talked about his personal qualification,
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noting his background as a small business owner and serving
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as a deputy Judge executive for former Judge Executive Bill Deskins.
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The two candidates held varying views on most topics, but
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one subject they both agreed on and adamantly said they
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would correct if elected is the perceived lack of transparency
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by the current Judge executive and fiscal Court. Sheer said
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she would post budgets, financial statements, ordinances, and other documents
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online for public availability. Quote. I would make things readily
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available to the public so that they do not have
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to go through the process of open record requests for
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something they should already have access to. Sheer said. In addition,
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I would implement a full communication strategy between the Pike
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County government and the people. It would involve regular reports
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at Fiscal Court meetings and reports using social media end quote.
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Morris said he has already taken proactive steps in addressing
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openness with the court if he assumes the position. Quote,
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I just announced on social media a few days ago
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my Pike County Transparency Initiative Morris said, it is just
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to simplify things. I am not a fancy talking attorney.
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It is just about being transparent and speaking simple English
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for everybody to understand. Other topics they hold similar ideologies
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on include the high quality of work done by the
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county's grant writer, Shannon Sharon Hall, and their desire to
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ensure that Pike County is seeking out all available grant opportunities.
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The recision of the Community host agreement between the county
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government and the USA Waste Management Recycling, The passage of
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a motion made by the Mountain Water District Commissioner Burt
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Melton to have independent third party testing of the quality
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of both water produced by MWD and water commercially purchased
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from the cities of Pikeville and Williamson West Ridgin, The
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financial accomplishments made during the administration of current Judge Executive
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Ray S. Jones the Second, and their belief that the
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county should borrow money and repair slash, replace roads and
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bridges damaged during natural disasters once FEMA approves the projects,
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instead of waiting months and sometimes years for FEMA funding
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to arrive before making repairs. One area of contention between
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the two is their take on the daily operations of
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the county. Repeatedly, Morris said he wanted to run the
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Fiscal Court like a business. Shearer, on the other hand,
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said government functions cannot be treated in the same manner
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because of their structure. One example she cited is that
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in a business, if a particular program or department is
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under performing or losing money, it can be eliminated. However,
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in a government setting, that program may be required and
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the financial burden would have to be absorbed with changes
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in other areas. Morris countered by saying the county has
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a one hundred and sixteen million dollar budget with four
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hundred employees, making it quote the very definition of a
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business end quote quote. I am the best choice for
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judge executive because I love Pike County. I am dedicated
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to given a giving one hundred percent to the people
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of Pike County. Shearer said, I have the qualifications the
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job experience, I have what it takes. I have a backbone,
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I am not afraid to stand up when I need to,
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and I can be kind and courteous to the people
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of Pike County, which is something we have not had
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a lot of lately. I have significant experience in health
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care management, operations management, and managing large groups of people.
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And by end quote quote, I have big plans for
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Pike County, Morris said. Over the last four or five months,
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I've tried to put some of my ideas out there
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with solutions. The key is solutions. I have worked with
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a county budget and understand it. I have been a
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business owner here in Pike County for twenty some years
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and have run successful businesses. I think the next judge
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executive needs to have experience in leadership. That is exactly
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what I bring to the table. End quote. To view
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a video of the forum in its entirety, visit the
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Appalachian News Express Facebook page. Our next headline is BOE
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honors Kimper School faculty as quote heroes end quote by
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Terry L. Bay, News editor. As Pike County Schools Superintendent
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Freddie Bowling worked through a long list of recognitions on
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May twelfth, he concluded that portion of the meeting with
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the special recognition for the staff at Kemper Elementary School.
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As he and Director of Pupil Personnel Barry Birchfield talked
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about the faculty and staff, calling them quote Heroes for
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their work in intervening in a child abuse case. Several
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members of the school's staff openly wept as an extremely
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emotional incident was discussed. Birchfield himself struggled to keep his
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emotions at bay during the recognition. Quote. This next award
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is unique, Bowling said, I call it the Hero Award
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for going above and beyond. This goes to the faculty
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at Kemper Elementary. It is sad that sometimes we see
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things in school settings that are heartbreaking. Quote. We had
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a student Kemper who was under distress. Balin continued. He
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was in foster care and the kid was being mistreated.
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The people who mistreated him got twenty years in prison.
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But more importantly, the vigilance and the attention of this
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faculty that gives their students save this particular kid's life.
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While not going into specific details, the incident Balan alluded
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to was a recent twenty twenty five child abuse case
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which a social worker said resulted in a dear fatality.
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Mary Hall and Jerome Norman, both of Ridgeline Road, were
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indicted on March twenty twenty five on three counts of
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first degree criminal abuse, a Class B felony for the
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three children in their custody after the Kentucky State Police
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investigated concerns made by the staff administration at Kimper Elementary School.
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According to the testimony, the three children replaced in Hall's
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custody after their mother her sister was killed in a
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DUI crash, and their father was incarcerated on bandslaughter charges.
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Hall later met Norman online and moved to Pike County
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to live with him. A year after the indictment. Both
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Hall and Norman entered a blind Alford plea on March sixth,
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twenty twenty six. In an Alphord plea, defendants do not
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admit guilt, but recognize that the evidence against them could
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result in the conviction if tried before a jury. Because
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of the plea, two of the counts were amended to
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third degree criminal abuse. Quote. I stand before you not
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just as a social worker, but someone who has witnessed
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first hand the lasting impact of what these children have
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in end quote. Olivia Dotson, who worked through the Kentucky
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Cabinet for Health and Family Services, testified during the sentencing hearing. Quote.
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When I first met the oldest child, I did not
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see a typical child. I saw evidence of prolonged suffering
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end quote. Dotson said the child had chipped teeth, bruises
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across his face, and malnourishment quote so severe that his
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spine and ribs were clearly visible end quote. She called
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the case a quote mere fatality end quote, and it
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added that when the arrest warrens were executed against Hall
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and Norman, she observed quote clear signs of confinement end
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quote in the room that two of the children shared.
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The oldest child was hospitalized five times, with one admission
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lasting two and a half months, she testified, and all
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three children display mental and emotional trauma PTSD, ADHD, eating
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disorder disorders, and development mental delays. During the hearing, Pike
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Commonwealth's Attorney Bill Sloane said that it was only because
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of the faculty of staff at Kemper that the child
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is still alive. He told the News Express that they
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needed to be honored for their dedication and willingness to
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take action to protect the child. Burchfield said during the
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BOE meeting that the recognition of staff was deserved. Quote.
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We come here once a month and our board members
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all have always talked about one of the greatest things
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that they do is to recognize the kids when they
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come here. We recognize the job they We recognize teachers
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for the job they do. Burchfield said. Most of the
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time it is involves test scords, kids moving forward academically
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or for sports. But I'm going to tell you that
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the criminal abuse situation really reminded me a lot about
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our places in our community. I hope I don't get
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emotional because I have seen the pictures, he continued. No
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matter how good a school is, sometimes we have to
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remember that the kids we deal with don't come to
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school just to move along academically. They come for two
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warm meals a day. They come for a dry place
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to stay, They come for a pat on the back.
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Sometimes they just come for a place of peace where
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no one is hollering at them, belittling them, cursing at them,
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or worse. And this situation was as bad as you
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can get. The teachers weren't above and beyond in their
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duties when it could have just been coming back from
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a Christmas break, getting busy with work and getting their
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classrooms going. He continued, this little fellow could have been ignored,
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but because of their diligence and their professionalism. This little
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fellow is doing well and thriving. End quote. Our next
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headline is Pikeville Fire Department makes history by Gary Sloan,
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staff writer. History was made by the Pikeville Fire Department
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and the City of Pikeville when paramedics began answering calls
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for service on May tenth. Quote. This is monumental in
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the history of fire service and ems in the Pikeville
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Fire Department. Pikeville Fire Department Chief Johnny Cole said this
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has been a long process, but all the hard and
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dedicated work came to fruition on May tenth. Cole said
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discussions began several years ago about starting a paramedic program
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within the fire department. Quote. A lot of planning went
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into this program, Cole said, grants for funding, equipment, training, personnel, logistics.
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Just a lot of pieces had to come together and
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it has end quote. Three of the paramedics are Kyle Taylor,
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Lucas Miller, and Nicholas Fleming, who underwent rigorous training to
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achieve certifications as paramedics. According to Cole, quote, even though
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some of us had left Pikeville for a time, all
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of us had worked together before as firefighters. And EMTs.
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Taylor said, so it was good to already know each other. Quote,
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Like Kyle, I had left Pikeville to achieve additional training
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and practical experience as a paramedic, Fleming said. When I
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learned this program was getting ready to start up, I
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came back to Pikeville to be part of this program.
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End quote. All paramedics undergo eleven months of extensive training
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for certification and five additional classes for a degree, which
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Miller achieved five hundred hours of ride time with an
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experienced paramedic in five hundred hours working in the emergency department,
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bringing a total of one thousand hours of practical training
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in addition to the classroom work during the eleven months. Quote.
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Our class specifically was a satellite program that was fascinated
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by Pikeville Medical Center by letting us use their facilities,
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but it was through Mount West and Huntington West, Virginia.
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Fleming said, That's how we obtained our license by attending classes,
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doing all the training, and then we had to pass
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our National Registry Test for Paramedicine, which isn't required in
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some states but is required in Kentucky, and it's one
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of the hardest tests to take in the medical field.
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End quote. The impact of this program in the region
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is definitely going to be felt. Quote. This is something
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of this region is in great need of. Miller said,
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I don't believe there is enough of this level of
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provider for the communities in the area. End What we
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are doing with the three of us, taking this paramedic
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program and creating it for the city is historic. Miller continued,
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historic for the city and the department both that we
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took this challenge on to create this filment of a
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need for this community. End Quote. Paramedics with their extensive
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trading level can do much more in the field on
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the scene than an e m T or an e
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MT in advance can do, they said. Quote, we will
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do the same assessment of the patient as an e
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M T would do. Fleming said, but we can go
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further by administering IV fluids, administering pain medication, et cetera
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to the patient, which before the patment had to wait
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until they arrived at the p MC emergency department to receive.
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We can also advise PMC as to the extent of
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the situation. Tareword said that way they know what equipment
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they may need or what physicians or specialists need to
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be ready upon our arrival. That speeds up the treatment
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of the patients greatly end quote. Cole said that currently
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the department has four full time paramedics, one EMT advance
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and two part time paramedics. Quote. These guys have worked
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tirelessly getting this program going. Cole said, the city is
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really blessed to have this level of advanced life support
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end quote. Cole also added that if a critical situation
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arises in the county and paramedics are needed on the scene,
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Pikeville Fire Department will respond if requested and the paramedics
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are available at the time and are not out on
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another call. Our last headline is Elkhorn City School celebrate
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success with annual Growth Parade, a special to the News Express.
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Elkhorn City School filled main Street with excitement on May first,
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as students and staff took part in the school's annual
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Growth Parade. The event, according to a statement from the school,
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highlighted student achievements from throughout the year, giving everyone a
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chance to celebrate their hard work in a fun and
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meaningful way. Students proudly marched down the street holding colorful
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signs that showcase their accomplishments, ranging from academic growth and
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reading goals to athletics success and personal milestones. Families, teachers,
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and community members wind the streets, cheering on the students
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and sharing in their pride. A special highlight of the
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parade was the kindergarten class, who dressed up as their
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future careers, from doctors and teachers to athletes and community helpers.
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The youngest students brought smiles to the crowd as they
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showed off their big dreams from the future. Principal Amber
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Cantrell emphasized the importance of recognizing progress. Quote. This parade
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is about every celebrating every student's growth, whether big or small.
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Each achievement matters, and we want our students to feel
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proud of how far they've come end quote, Cantrell said.
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Adding to the excitement the statement, said, eighth grader Carter
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Ramersey energized the crowd by dressing up as the school's
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cougar mascot. Quote. It was really fun and getting to
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hype everyone up. Ramy said. Seeing all the students smiling
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and showing off what they've done this year made it
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even better. Leading the parade as Grand Marshall was first
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great Ashton Owens, who represented the younger students with enthusiasm.
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Quote I liked waving at everyone and walking with Missus Cantrell, quote,
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Owens said. The statement said the annual Growth Parade continues
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to be a special tradition at Elkhorn City School, bringing
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the community together to celebrate student success, build confidence, and
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encourage a love for learning. Our last headline is primary
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elections slated for Pike County by Olivia Morgan, staff writer.
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The Kentucky primary election, which includes most of Pike County's
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governmental offices, will be held Tuesday, May nineteenth, and local
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officials are expecting a low voter turnout due to several factors.
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According to Pike County Kirk Darryl Pugh, an estimated twenty
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five percent turnout is expected from the twenty twenty six
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primary election. He said one of the main reasons is
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the lack of Democratic contenders on the ballot, which means
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a great number of that party's voters will most likely
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not go to the polls. Election day hours for in
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person voting will be from six am to six pm
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on May nineteenth. The main voting centers are in the
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Pike County high schools and the public library. In addition
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to the voting centers, traditional community polling precincts will be utilized.
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While additional early voting centers are being established this year,
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there will be no changes with local precincts. Early voting
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is expected to have a successful turnout, according to Pew,
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who added that the demographics of Pike County elections are changing.
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The Belfrey and Phelps areas used to be determinants in elections,
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Now larger members of votes are being cast in some
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Pyfeville precincts. Quote. Last election, approximately thirty eight hundred people
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voted at the Lee Avenue Library early voting center, and
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then another six hundred voted there on election day end quote.
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He said it is suspected that the higher number of
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early voting days has contributed to the decrease in absentee
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ballots end quote. However, Pugh said while higher name members
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came from Lee Avenue, the early voting center at the
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Belfrey Courthouse annex saw people from more than half of
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the country's precincts use that facility. Dar Ol Pugh said
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that out of three hundred and forty four absentee ballot requests,
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to undred and twenty three have bids received. Quote. We'll
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probably get anywhere from ten to twenty today about every day,
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end quote, he said. Absence Sea Balance must arrive at
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the Cork's office by six pm on election day. Early
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voting will be held from nine am to five pm
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through May sixteenth at various locations including the Pikeville Public Library,
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Virgie Library, Phelps Library, Belfree Courthouse, and Elkhart Community Center.
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This concludes today's reading of the Appalachian News Express, your reader,
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Husband Maya. Thank you for joining me. Please stay tuned
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for more programming on RADIOI