Latest / Eastern Kentucky Newspapers / Pike Co. News - 4.20.26

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Pike Co. News - 4.20.26 · 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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RADIOI by the publisher.
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Speaker 2: Your reader today is Debbie Glike. We will begin with the.
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Speaker 1: Edition dated April seventeenth through twentieth, twenty twenty six. Our
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first article is titled Pike Board of Health responds to
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social media criticism about health director by Terry L. May,
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the news editor. The Pike County Board of Health has
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released a statement addressing allegations of political dealings and allegations
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of conflicts of interest recently raised on social media. The
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controversy has stemmed over the relationship between Pike County Public
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Health Director Tammy Morris Riley and her brother, Pike County
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Jailer Brian Morris, who is also a candidate for Pike
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County Judge Executive. It has come to our attention that
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inaccurate and misleading information has been circulated within the community
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concerning the qualifications of the health Department's director. The statement said,
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we would like to provide clarification for some of the
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items that have been alleged that are patently false and
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have no merit. The statement detailed several allegations, including first
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Riley's selection as director, second the scope of regulatory authority
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held by the Health Department over the local jail, and
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third grant administration coordination with the jail. The board's statement
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said the agency followed all procedures outlined in the Kentucky
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Revised Statue KRS dealing with the position. The boss dition
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was announced and a competitive application process administered by a
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special subcommittee began upon the resignation of the previous Health director.
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All appellations were submitted to the application sorry. All applications
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were submitted to the Department of Public Health for review
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and to determine eligible candidates. The statement said, based on
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her credentials, education background, and work history, missus Riley was
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one of the candidates who qualified for the position. The
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statement reads, after conducting interviews, it was obvious that missus
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Riley was the most qualified candidate, as the board placed
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high emphasis on selecting and hiring an administrator with previous
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executive experience to lead the agency. The statement also said
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that because of Riley's expertise, she was elected as the
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current president of the Kentucky Health Departments Association. According to
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the statement, the local Health Department does not have administrative
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authority over the local jail by statute and regulation. The
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Pike County Health Department does not provide oversight for the
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Pike County Detention Center in any capacity. The statement said
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the Department of Corrections has regulatory authority and oversight for
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all detention centers and jails, and would be the agency
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responsible for any accountability report concerning jail conditions. Also, the
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Pike County Health Department does not provide any regulatory authority
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in any capacity for west Care. The statement continued that
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the Pike County Health Department does not have regulatory or
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cardinal authority over services provided by Westcare, nor did it
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provide coordination with the ARC Women's Residential Grant. The statement
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said the ARC Rebuild Grant is the only collaborative grant
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with the detention Center and the Health Department under Riley's administration.
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The statement also said Riley has maintained a high level
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of competence over the department's finances during her tenure as
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a public health director, citing annual independent audits performed by
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certified public accountants. During her tenure, the Pike County Health
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Department has experienced significant improvements in its financial stability.
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Speaker 2: The statement said.
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Speaker 1: These improvements have been directly influenced by missus Riley's management
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of the daily operations of the agency. The statement said
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the Pike County Board of Health has placed its full
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confidence in Riley and her administration of the Health Department.
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The Pike County Board of Health strongly objects to the
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accusations in sinuations, allegations and interjections of politics made by
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a recent social media post. The statement said, we stand
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firmly behind and in full support of the Pike County
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Health Department and particularly Tammy Riley, the Public Health Director.
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From the beginning of the hiring process. We can attest
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through our oversight and direction that missus Riley performs her
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job duties at the highest level of integrity.
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Speaker 2: The statement continues.
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Speaker 1: We are proud of all that she has accomplished and
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believe that through her leadership, things will only get better
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and that she will continue to have a positive impact
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on the health of the residents of Pike County. We
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will also take any necessary steps to protect and defend
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the reputation of the Pike County Board of Health and
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the staff of the Pike County Health Department. Our next
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article is titled Heritage Museum receives new acquisition.
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Speaker 2: By Terry L.
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Speaker 1: May News Editor. This article is accompanied by a picture
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of two gentelmen, and it says, standing in front of
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a portrait of Perry Klein, a central figure in the
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Hatfille McCoy feud, Christian Caudill, who's standing on the left
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of the picture, a direct descendant of Klein, presents Big
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Sandy Heritage Museum Executive Director Brandon Kirk, who's standing on
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the right, with a pistol given to Klein by Colonel
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John Dills after Klein's election as Pike County's youngest sheriff.
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The Big Sandy Heritage Museum has recently inquired an extensive
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collection of documents and personal possessions from the Yost Caudal
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Ratcliffe Estates, including one item that links two of the
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Pikes Pike County's most famous families. Our newest loan to
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the museum is a significant one, said Big Sandy Heritage
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Museum executive director Brandon Kirk, we have been lucky in
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the last couple of months to have made a deal
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with the Yost Caudal Rete family here in Pikeville. Those
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are three very significant families in local history, and the
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family was fantastic.
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Speaker 2: At keeping a lot of their family treasures. He said.
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Speaker 1: The collection is so extensive that he has been curating
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items and records for several months. Kirk said he has
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only scratched the surface of the collection. Some of the
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estate's artifacts are currently on public exhibit at the museum.
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Speaker 2: Kirk said the loan includes.
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Speaker 1: Civil War buttons, Revolutionary War currency, shackles, spinning wheels, agricultural tools,
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business records and ledgers, personal correspondence, art and photography, furniture,
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and old issues of local newspapers. In addition to the
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Yost Caudal collection, the Big Sandy Heritage Museum received a
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large collection of items belonging to the Colonel John Dill's
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family when the Augusta Dills York Creekmoor Mansion.
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Speaker 2: Was raised a few years ago.
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Speaker 1: This collection provided the museum with items connected to the
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county's social, business, civil war and government history. Most of
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our visitors come here to learn about the Hatville Hatfield
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McCoy feud story. He said, that is a special niche
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for us, but we have so many other items of
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local and regional history. These folks are detendant or descendants
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of Perry Klein, who was a prominent attorney during the
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feud and who had a long history with the hat
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Fields and McCoy's.
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Speaker 2: It just feels right.
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Speaker 1: It just feels right to place as much Perry Kleine
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material in our museum as we can. Kirk continued, When
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Perry Klein was a boy, both of his parents died
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and he inherited a.
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Speaker 2: Lot for a child.
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Speaker 1: In the eighteen fifth he came to Pikeville under the
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guardianship of John Dills.
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Speaker 2: He said that Klein.
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Speaker 1: Became the county's youngest sheriff. In recognition of this event,
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Dills presented him with a pistol that he used as
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a sheriff and during his dealings with the hat Pille
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McCoy feud. This gun really symbolizes, just as it did
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for the relationship between those two men, the bridging of
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those two collections. Kirk said, because of its historic nature,
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for us, it's priceless. We think it is one of
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our best items. It is the connection of two families,
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two histories, two legacies. Christian Kandell, a direct descendant of Klein,
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recently presented the pistol to the museum. My family's heritage
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really means a lot to me, he said. Our families
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were very involved in the social fabric of this county,
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both good and bad. That is something I would like
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to draw more attention to. By having pieces like this gun,
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the portraits and other things, we can have Harry Klein's
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true image to the surface. The Big Sandy Heritage Museum
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is located on the fourth floor of the former Hall
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of Justice building, now the Pikeville County Detention Center and
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pike County Emergency Management Surfaces Command Center. It is open
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for public tours. The next article is titled Hillbilly Days
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is here Again. The forty ninth annual Hillbilly Days Festival
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is now under way in downtown Pikeville. The three day event,
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which began April sixteenth, is sponsored by the Southeast Kentucky
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Chamber of Commerce and serves as a fundraising event for
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Shriner's Children's Lexington. This article is accompanied by four photos
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from News Express photos by Terry L. May The first
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article is of a gentleman in overalls standing behind his
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pickup truck with some American flags on it, and he
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has a hat on with a T T shirt and overalls.
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Next to that is a young person sitting down having
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a nice cold drink. The third photograph is of three
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people sitting in what looks like a little hut, and
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outside that little hut is a hillbilly dream catcher. And
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the fourth picture is of a group of people looking
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like they are in downtown walking amidst the Pikeville Hillbilly Days.
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Our next article is titled Sheriff Scott addresses issues ahead
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of primary by Terry el May News Editor. This is
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also accompanied by a photograph. There are two gentlemen in
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this photograph. It's Pike County Sheriff Rodney Scott sitting on
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the right, answers questions from Appalachian Newspaper publisher Jeff Vanderbeck
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during a political forum. Appalachian News Papers Incorporated Publisher Jeff
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Vanderbeck and incumbent Sheriff Rodney Scott discussed several topics April
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to thirteenth, during the most recent installments of a series
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of public forums for candidates in election.
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Speaker 2: Scott was the sole.
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Speaker 1: Candidate to attend the forum after his challenger in the
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Republican primary, Ellis McCoy, did not participate, citing a previous engagement.
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Speaker 2: Via a post on his campaign.
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Speaker 1: Facebook page, McCoy said he had learned about the forum
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only days before the event was to take place. However,
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conversations occurred in late January and early February between Vanderbeck
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and McCoy, during which McCoy was informed of the date
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of the forum. According to Vanderbeck, the forum scheduled for
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the two Republicans candidates proceeded as scheduled, with Scott present
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to answer questions. However, vander Beck, in his column on
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the News Express opinion page in today's edition, offers McCoy
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the opportunity to contact the newspaper for a story about
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his platform. Scott has been Pike County sheriff for more
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than eleven years and is seeking a fourth term. Formerly
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a long term Democrat, he has switched parties and is
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seeking the Republican Party's nomination in this year's primary election.
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He and McCoy are the only two candidates vying for
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the seat for either party, meaning this particular race will
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be decided in the May primary, barring any write in
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challenges in November. I did not plan on being a
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career politician, said Scott, who also served as the Pike
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County jailer for sixteen years. I love the people of
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Pike County and I want to serve them the best
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I can. I was raised here and I am going
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to die here. He continued. I care more about this
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place than anybody. I want to help people. I want
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people to be able to come to me if they
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need something. I love people. During the forum, Scott detailed
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numerous changes made in the Pike County Sheriff's Department during
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his tenure. When I took over, we did not have
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the best of anything, Scott said. Really, the cars we
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drove had between two hundred thousand to three hundred thousand
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miles on them. We didn't have computers. Our deputies were
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carrying their own personal weapons. Scott said that throughout his
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tenure he has worked to change that situation. Currently, the
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department has a fleet of new cruisers that are maintained
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and rotated regularly. Technology has been upgraded, and now property
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taxes can be paid online. Deputies now all have department
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provided weapons that are all the same kind and have
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bulletproof vests. Officers undergo annual training sessions, and the department
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also provided seven school resource officers for each of the
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county's five schools and their feeder schools, along with two
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remotely located elementary schools. We have upgraded a whole lot
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of things, Scott said. He also said that when he
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first came into office, the Sheriff's Department was operating in
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the red. However, with proper financial management, it is now
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financially sound.
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Speaker 2: He said.
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Speaker 1: His office employees sixteen certified deputies, twelve court security officers,
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and six dispatchers, along with office staff and administrative personnel.
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Scott defended his integrity during the forum about a private
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security company he owns, I am sheriff twenty four hours
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a day, seven days a week. There is not a
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time when I am not the sheriff, he said. I
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have somebody who runs my company. I spend very little
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time dealing with that. Scott also commented on the campaign itself.
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This is my eighth time running campaign for jailer and
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sheriff positions. He said, this is the dirtiest campaign I
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have ever been in my opinion. If you elect my opponent,
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you will set the county back twenty to twenty five years.
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Facts are facts, and I want to keep doing my job.
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Scott continued, I want to keep protecting the people of
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Pike County. Our next article is Kentucky Power highlights reliability
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improvement plan, an Appalachian Newspaper staff report. Kentucky Power said
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in a statement the company is targeting its reliability improvement
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plan in areas that have seen the most outages and
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can have the biggest impact for customers across eastern Kentucky.
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The statement said crews are focused on vegetation management, equipment upgrades,
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and new technology, all designed to reduce outages and shortened
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restoration times. Because affordability is such a concern in eastern Kentucky,
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this very targeted approach allows us to invest where our
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customers realize the greatest benefit, said Michel Ross, vice president
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of operations for Kentucky Power.
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Speaker 2: We are keenly aware of the.
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Speaker 1: Concerns our customers have, but they also deserve reliable power. Crews,
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the statement said, are completing vegetation work for more than
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one thousand, six hundred miles of power lines, focusing on
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circuits where tree lined outages have caused the most problems.
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At the same time, they are upgrading infrastructure on one
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hundred seventeen priority circuits, replacing aging pulls, cross arms, and
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transformers to strengthen the system and prevent future outages, according
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to the statement. In addition, new devices are being installed
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in more than eight hundred locations across the service area.
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These devices reduce the number of customers affected and restore
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services faster. The statement said. This work is very intentional.
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Ross said, we are We're not approaching the broadly. We're
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targeting serves and areas where we know improvements will have
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the greatest impact for our customers. The work is guided
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by detailed system data, including outage history, equipment condition, and
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circuit performance. According to the statement, crews are prioritizing areas
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where customers have experienced repeated or long duration outages. We're
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looking at each part of the system and asking where
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we can make the biggest difference.
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Speaker 2: Ros said.
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Speaker 1: One of those projects is located in Martin County, where
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our crews are working on a new tie line connections
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that will improve reliability for customers in the Dewey, Ainez
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and Wolf Creek area. Tie lines, according to the statement,
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create a link between circuits, allowing power to be re
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routed when an outage occurs. The statement said that this
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means crews can isolate the issue and restore service to
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many customers more quickly, even before permanent repairs are finis
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in a mountainous, heavily wooded area. That added flexibility can
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significantly reduce outage times and improve reliability. This kind of
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targeted work is happening across communities throughout our service area,
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said ross. Fewer interruptions, shorter outages, and more consistent services.
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Those are the results our customers can't expect. Our next
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article is titled PSC partially grants Kentucky Power's request for
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rehearing on rate case issues, an Appalachian Newspaper's staff report.
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In an order issued April ninth, the Kentucky Public Service
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Commission has partially granted Kentucky Power's request for a rehearing
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on certain issues related to its most recent rate case.
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In the rate case, Kentucky Power was granted permission to
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institute a rate increase that will translate into a six
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point six three percent increase in rates for the average
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redis residential customer which will be instituted over two years.
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Following the PSC's March twenty seventh decision on the rate increase,
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Kentucky Power filed a request for a rehearing on several
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issues within its rate case. The PSC in its April
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nine order, denied a rehearing on some issues, but also
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granted Kentucky Power a rehearing on some issues raised by
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the company, including first the reclassification of vegetation management expenditures, second,
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the adjustment made by the PSC to other compensation, third
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the adjustment to incentive compensation tied to reliability section, fourth
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the transmission expense adjustment, and fifth rate case expenses. In
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the order, the PSC said the rehearing was granted in
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order to obtain additional information before rendering a decision on
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the issues. In a previous filing related to the rehearing request,
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Kentucky Power said the issues in the rehearing would have minimal,
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if any, impacts on customer rates. If all rehearing requests
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are accepted by the Commission, there would be minimal, if any,
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customer rate impact, as the increase in the revenue requirement
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would be offset by an increase in the use of
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the deferred tax liabilities already being utilized by the PSC
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in its order, the motion said. In the motion, the
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company argues that the PSC's denials and adjustments made to
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the settlement agreement the company reached in the case imposed
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significant negative effects on an undermined Kentucky Power's ability to
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earn the return approved as reasonable in the order. As
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a result, despite the PSC's stated intention to place the
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company in substantially the same financial position it would have
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occupied under the settlement agreement, the order instead poses material
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risks to Kentucky Power's financial health and ability to operate
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at current levels. The company said in the motion. This
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is particularly concerning as Kentucky Power provided significant evidence to
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demonstrate that the settlement agreement reflected a package that was
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the bare minimum financially for the company. Rehearing is therefore
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necessary to mitigate the order's negative effects, the motion continued.
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In a statement issued April tenth, Kentucky reiterated that the
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issues being raised in the rehearing are technical matters and
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will not result in any additional increase for customers. We're
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focused on maintaining reliable service while continuing to find ways
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to support affordability. For the customers we serve. The statement said.
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Our next article is titled PPD Charge three with tra
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trafficking in meth fentanyl, Cocaine. A News Express staff report,
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three men were arrested on charges including trafficking in methamphetamine, fentanyl,
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and cocaine after Pikeville Police said they served a fugitive
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arrest warrant on one of the men. According to an
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arrest citation written by Pikeville Police officer Justin Prater, on
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April fourteenth, PPD accompanied the US Marshall's Task Force to
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an apartment on Hambley Boulevard to serve an arrest warrant
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on Dennis Roy Washington, age fifty one, of Omar Avenue,
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Omar Drive, Columbus, Ohio. Upon arresting Washington, the citation said
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officers saw a glass pipe with burnmarks on it. Prater
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wrote that Washington was detained, as were Darryl E. Adkins,
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age fifty eight, of Old Millard Highway, Pikeville, and Lashawn T. Walker,
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age fifty one, of Sullivan Avenue, Columbus, Ohio, and a
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search warrant was obtained for the apartment. Upon searching the residents,
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the citation said officers found two separate gallon sized bags
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containing a substance believed to be methamphetamine, and quantities of
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oxycodone and crack cocaine in the washer and dryer of
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the residence. Upon further search, the citation said, officers found
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more bags containing a white powder substance believed to be fentanyl.
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The citation said Washington was also found to have six
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hundred and ninety nine dollars in cash on his person.
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Court documents show all three men were lodged in the
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Pike County Detention Center on charges of aggravated trafficking and
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a controlled substance greater than or equal to twenty eight
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grams of fetanyl, first degree trafficking in a controlled substance
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greater than or equal to four grams of cocaine, first offense,
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first degree trafficking in a control substance greater than or
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equal to two grams of methamphetamine, first offense, and first
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degree possession of a controlled substance unspecified first offense. Washington
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was also charged with being a fugitive from another state,
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while Adkins was also charged with second degree hindering prosecution
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or apprehension. Court documents show Adkins also faces further charges
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a first degree promoting contraband fentanyl car fetanyl or derivative
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and first degree possession of a controlled substance ventanyl, after
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police said he was found to be in possession of
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a quantity of the substance while.
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Speaker 2: Being booked into jail.
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Speaker 1: A Hillbilly Day's Helper photograph is accompanied by five people
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in the photograph, three of whom are University of Pikeville
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football players and a woman in a wheelchair. They are
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standing in fun of some food trucks. The caption reads,
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University of Pikeville football players assist residents of Pikeville nursing
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and rehab during the annual Hillbilly Days Festival as part
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of a community service project undertaken by the team. Our
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next article is titled Edward Jones's Hensley named among Best
26:21
in state wealth advisors by Forbes Shook Special to Appalachian Newspapers.
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Edward Jones financial advisor J. C. Hensley of Pikeville was
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named among the twenty twenty six Best in State Wealth
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Advisors in Kentucky by Forbes Shook in twenty twenty six,
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according to a statement Hensley. The statement said is the
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first Edward Jones Advisor to make this distinguished list five
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consecutive years in a row. He ranked number sixty five
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in the state of Kentucky. With the ranking, the statement said,
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Hensley is also invited to attend the Forbes Top Advisor's
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Summit held at the Winn Las Vegas in October. Hensley,
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Sir Pikeville and surrounding investors for the past twenty two years,
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the statement said, I am honored to receive this recognition.
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Hensley said, my priority is to be trusted, hands on
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resource for clients as they make important financial decisions. To
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compile the twenty twenty six rankings, the statement said, Shook
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Research Analysts conducted individual interviews with the nominees. Criteria that
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determined the final ranking included industry experience, best practices, compliance records,
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and assets under care.
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Speaker 2: The statement said.
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Speaker 1: Hensley's office is at Coal Run in Pikeville, next to
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pe King. He and his team can be reached at
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area code six zero six four three three nine one
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seventy five or visit www dot Edward Jones dot com
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slash jc dash. Hensley about Edward Jones Edward Jones as
27:49
a leading new North American financial service firm in the
27:52
US and through its affiliate in Canada. The statement said
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this article is accompanied by a photograph.