Transcript

9.4.25 · The Mountain Eagle

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Speaker 1: Now we turn to the Mountain Eagle to read news
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from Witzburg. Your reader today is Bill de Marsdale. We
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will begin with the edition dated September third, twenty twenty five,
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which the publishers have donated to Radio Eye as reminder
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Radio I as a reading service intended for people who
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are blind or have other disabilities that make it difficult
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to read printed material. The first story is Judge seals
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part of motion after Stein's defense releases grand jury transcript
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special lectures. Circuit Judge Christopher Koran has sealed part of
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a document filed by defense attorneys for former Sheriff Shawn
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Mickey Steins after the attorneys included the entire transcript of
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the grand jury testimony on which Stein's was indicted for
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murder in a publicly accessible brief. In the case, grand
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jury records are secret by law, The defense also included
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a jail triage form signed by a licensed clinical social
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worker stating her opinion of Steins's mental state. That social
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worker said Steins was still in an active state of
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psychosis on September twenty third, four days after he shot
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and killed Lecher District Judge Kevin R. Mullens MC killing
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was captured on security video inside the judge's chambers. The
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social worker wrote that Steins was in major depressive disorder currently.
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It also says he was combative with jail employees and
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had to be pepper sprayed. While the grand jury transcript
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was sealed, shortly after it was released, it was filed
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by the defense in publicly accessible court files, which were
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then sent to members of the media late this morning
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by the Administrative Office of the Courts. News stories about
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the contents of the medical file and the grand jury
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transcript had already appeared on the Internet at least twenty
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minutes before the AOC released the briefs. The documents were
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filed some time after a motion by prosecutors to move
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the trial out of Eastern Kentucky because of pre trial publicity.
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The grand jury transcript released by the defense included complete
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testimony by Kentucky State Police detective Clayton's Stamper, some of
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which was in direct conflict with statements made by defense
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attorneys in open court two weeks ago. While attorney Jeremy
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Bartley told Judge Couran that there were numerous incidents where
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the witness would start to answer something asked by the
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grand jury, and it was shut down. The transcript does
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not seem to support that position. Bartley also said Stamper
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answered yes when asked by a juror whether Steins was
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in sound mind, saying the detective was not qualified to
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answer that, and arguing that the jury would not have
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indicted him for murder without that answer. However, the transcript
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shows the question followed a lengthy set of questions about
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Stein's visit to a doctor the day before the shooting
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and the review of the doctor's notes, which did not
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indicate a mental condition. The juror then asked whether Stein's
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was in sound mind according to what the investigation had shown.
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Stamper then answered yes. In addition, the grand jury testimony
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shows that, contrary to rumors spreading over the internet, there
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was no indication of an inappropriate relationship between Judge Mullin's
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and Stein's daughter or his wife. Stamper said both had
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been asked that directly and both answered there was no
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inappropriate relationship. The detective also noted that the daughter's telephone
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number was not stored on the judge's phone, and phone
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records showed there were no phone calls or other communication
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between them. Jurors asked Stamper specifically about programs such as Snapchat,
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and he said there was no record of any communication
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of any kind. He said the only call from the
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judge's phone to Steines's daughter was the call made by
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Steines himself seconds before he pulled his service weapon from
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its holster and shot Mullins nine times. The next item
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is a photograph. The caption is Festival season continues full swing.
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Raylan Smith, aged five, of Roxanna, enjoyed one of the
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carnival rides at the Isom Days Festival held this past weekend.
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Letter County's fall festival season continues later this week when
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the Neon Days Festival two thousand twenty five opens Friday morning.
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The next headline is Prosecutors want Stein's trial moved out
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of county. Prosecutors in the trial of Shawn Mickey Steins
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have filed a motion for a change of venue due
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to pre trial publicity and the prominence in the community
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of both the former sheriff and Judge Kevin R. Mullens,
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whom he is accused of murdering. The motion was filed
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Tuesday morning with the Boyle County Circuit Clerk, who is
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acting as special clerk for the Letcher Circuit Court. Special
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Lecture Circuit Judge Christopher Koron had given both the prosecution
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and defense until Tuesday to file briefs in the case.
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It asks that the trial be moved out of Lecture
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and the surrounding counties. The motion filed by the Commonwealth
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cites opinions already formed by people in Letcher County and
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extensive news coverage by television stations and on the Internet
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and in The Mountain Eagle as reasons for moving the
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trial out of Letcher County. Kentucky law requires that trials
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be moved to an adjacent county, and if the judge
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is satisfied that a fair trial cannot be held in
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an adjacent county, trials are required to be moved to
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the most convenient county in which a fair trial can
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be held. This case is unique in that the scene
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of the crime happens to be the courthouse in which
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the defendant is reporting for pre trial conferences status hearings,
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and could potentially be tried in further, both the defendant
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Letcher County Sheriff Shawn Steins and the deceased victim Letcher
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County District Court Judge Kevin Mullins are both public officials
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who were voted upon by residents of Letcher County to
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serve in their prospective roles. The motion says every eligible
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voter in Letcher County either had a reason to vote
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for or against the defendant and the victim at one time.
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The preconceived opinions as to the character and ability of
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these two men is likely to irreconcilably prejudice both the
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commonwealth and the defendant if this trial takes place in
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Letcher County. The motion says the county has been inundated
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with media attention ranging from local to national news sources
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and sites of gofund me page cited to monetarily support
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Steins's family that has raised more than nine thousand dollars.
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While citing the coverage, the motion also says that the
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amount of publicity itself is not what determines whether a
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venue should be changed. It is whether the public opinion
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is so aroused as to preclude a fair trial. The
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motion includes images of public comments made by readers and
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viewers of several news outlets, including WYMT, WCCHS, WOWK, Mountaintop News,
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and The Mountain Eagle, Eastern Kentucky as a whole has
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been permeated with developments of this awaited trial to an
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extent that opinions as to the defendant's guilt and what
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punishment he should receive have been recorded and solicited across
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numerous social media platforms, the motion said, citing comments sections
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that include several people who have said they had some
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relation or personal connections to one or both men. The
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pre trial and ongoing publicity surrounding this case has aroused
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the public, specifically in in the eastern Kentucky area, in
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a way in which a fair and impartial trial held
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in the counties surrounding Letcher County would be unlikely. The
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motion says. The defense had not yet filed anything with
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the court at press time, but in the past, attorney
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Jeremy Bartley has said he wants the case held in
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Letcher County. While changes of venue are somewhat unusual in
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Letcher County, motions have usually been filed by the defendants
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in cases here, no case has ever been moved out
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of the county because of the stories in The Mountain Eagle,
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and the only Mountain Eagle story included in the appendix
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of the motion is the coverage of the preliminary hearing.
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The motion filed by the prosecution is just four pages long,
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with another fifty three pages printed from the internet with
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stories and comments from numerous outlets. The next story is
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MCCHC gets one point five million dollar grant to help
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build an autism sent Final core drilling will be done
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this week on a dry Fork site where a new
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autism center will be built, after state and federal officials
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this weekend announced a one point five million dollar grant
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to build the center. The center will be built on
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a site beside Kentucky fifteen between Van and dry Fork,
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originally built by Lake Coal Company in the nineteen seventies.
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The metal building on the site is being torn down
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now and engineering work on the site will be completed soon.
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Mountain Comprehensive Health Corporation Executive director Mike Caudle said the
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one point five million dollar abandoned mind Land's Economic Revitalization
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A m L e R. Grant is the last piece
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the financial package needed for the building. Who knows with
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inflation and stuff, but we're anticipating it will cost four
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and a half million dollars or over, Caudle said, I'm
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excited about it. It's a special deal. We've still got
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some barriers to get over with the state, but the
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state is working with US. Kentucky Governor Andy Bisheer and
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US Representative Harold Howell Rogers announced the grant at the
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SOAR Economic Development Conference in Pikeville over the weekend. The
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grant for the Autism Center is part of twenty six
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million dollars in am L e R funding announced for
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eleven coal counties over the weekend. Eastern Kentucky has a
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bright future, and investments like the ones we announced today
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are going to ensure that's true for generations to come,
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Bisher said. Team Kentucky is laser focused on providing opportunity
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for our workforce, building resilient communities, and delivering state of
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art services to our families while we continue to do
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the work that's fueling our red hot economy. A m
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l e R was created as a pilot program during
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the Obama administration. Rogers, who was Chairman of the House
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Appropriations Committee, pushed for continuation of the program. Since twenty sixteen,
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aml e R has received one billion dollars in funding,
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of which more than two hundred fifty three million has
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been awarded for more than one hundred projects. These grants
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are investing in strong projects that will support economic growth
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and stability in our coal communities. Rogers said, we are
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fast tracking projects that will create new jobs and improve tourism,
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health care, education, emergency services, and infrastructure in southern and
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eastern Kentucky. Our best days are ahead of us, and
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these projects ensure that we are on the right path
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for innovation and revitalization. According to MCC, the Autism Center
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will help diagnose and deliver early treatment by providing local
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service to parents who currently must travel long distances to
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obtain specialized autism treatment for their children. Children die for
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the autism spectrum disorder by age four will have access
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to treatment and support before entering school, which prepares them
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to function better. According to twenty twenty two figures from
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the Centers for Disease Control, about one in thirty one
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children have an autism spectrum disorder. While spectrum rates have
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been increasing over the past several years, medical experts generally
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believe the numbers reflect an increase in diagnosis rather than
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increase in the disorder. According to researchers who spoke to
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the journal Nature for an article last month ask whether
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the cuts in Medicaid approved by Congress will affect the
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new programs. Cardal said most of the cuts won't take
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effect until twenty twenty eight, and autism treatment will still
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be eligible for coverage. The next story is city gets
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two million dollars for sewer plant update. The City of
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Whitesburg's sewage treatment plant will get a two million dollar
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update as a result of funding through the Abandoned mine
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Land's Economic Revitalization Program. The grant, announced by Governor Andy Basheer,
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a Democrat, and U S Representative Harold Hall Rogers, a Republican,
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is intended to restore and enhance the city's wastewater treatment plant,
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which is located on a former industrial site in West Weisburg.
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The plant was completed in early two thousand nine and
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was built to handle the city's needs at that time,
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as well as a few customers outside the city limits
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in Whitco, Crafts, Collie, and Parkway In. More customers have
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been added since then, including a ten home higher ground
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subdivision at Marlow, the homes between the city and the subdivision,
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as well as other areas around the edge of the city.
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The plant serves about nine hundred sixty nine homes and
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one hundred fifty six customers, now down about fifty residential
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customers and sixteen businesses since the twenty twenty two flood.
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Wiesbread Mayor Tiffany Craft said the grant will not allow
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for expansion of the plant, but will upgrade it to
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better handle existing customers, replacing essential infrastructure and technology. On
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behalf of myself and the City of Whitesburg, we extend
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our deepest gratitude for this generous grant, Kraft said. The
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next story is Trump wants to acts affordable housing grant
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that's a lifeline for many rural communities. President Donald Trump
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and House Republicans want to cut new funding for a
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housing grant that many rural areas rely on to help
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fund affordable housing. The grant has helped fund or repair
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more than one point three million affordable units, including five
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hundred forty thousand in rural areas and small towns. That's
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according to an Associated Press analysis of federal data. Experts
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say cutting the grant would jeopardize thousands of future homes
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for the nation's poor. That's especially true in Appalachian towns
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and rural counties that lack investment and where many of
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Trump's voters live. Trump has argued that affordable housing funding
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should be left up to states. The programme's future rests
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with Congress. Heather College and her two children moved four
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times over five years as they fled high rents in
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eastern Tennessee, which, like much of rural America, hasn't been
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spared from soaring housing costs. A family gift in twenty
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twenty one of a small plot of land offered a
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shot at home ownership, but building a house was beyond
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reach for the forty five year old single mother and
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manicurist making eighteen dollars and fifty cents an hour. That
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changed when she qualified for two hundred seventy two thousand
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dollars from a non profit to build a three bedroom
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home because of a grant program that has helped me
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make affordable housing possible in rural areas for decades. She
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moved in last June. Every time I pull into my garage,
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I pinch myself, Colley said. Now President Donald Trump wants
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to eliminate that grant the Home Investment Partnerships program, and
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House Republicans overseeing federal budget negotiations did not include funding
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for it in their budget proposal. Experts and state housing
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agencies say that would set back tens of thousands of
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future affordable housing developments nationwide, particularly hurting Appalachian towns and
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rural counties where government aid is sparse and investors are few.
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The program has helped build or repair more than one
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point three million affordable homes in the last three decades,
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of which at least five hundred and forty thousand were
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in congressional districts that are rural or significantly rural, according
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to an Associated Press analysis of federal data. Maybe they
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don't read realize how far reaching these programs are, said Collie,
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who voted for Trump in twenty twenty four. Among those
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half a million homes that Home helped build, eighty four
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percent were in districts that voted for him last year.
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The AP analysis found. I understand we don't want excessive
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spending and wasting taxpayer dollars, Collie said, but these proposed
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budget cuts across the board make me rethink the next
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time I go to the polls. The Home program, started
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under President George H. W. Bush in the nineteen nineties,
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survived years of budget battles, but has been stretched thin
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by years of rising construction costs and stagnant funding that's
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meant fewer units, including in some rural areas where home
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prices have grown faster than in cities. The program has
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spent more than thirty eight billion dollars nationwide since it began,
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filling in funding gaps and attracting more investment to acquire, build,
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and repair affordable home homes. HUD data shows additional funding
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has gone toward projects that have yet to be finished
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and rental assistance. Home's future is in political limbo. To
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account for the gap left by the proposed cuts, House
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Republicans want to draw on nearly five billion dollars from
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a related pandemic era fund that gave states until twenty
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thirty to spend on projects supporting people who are unhoused
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or facing homelessness. That five billion dollars, however, may be
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far less since many projects haven't yet been logged into
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the US Department of Housing and Urban Developments tracking system,
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according to state housing agencies and associations representing them. A
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spokesman for HUD, which administers the program, said Home isn't
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as effective as other programs, where the money would be
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better spent. In opposition to Trump, Senate Republicans have still
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included funding for home in their draft budget. In the
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coming negotiations, both chambers may compromise and reduce, but not
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terminate homes funding or extend last year's overall budget. Whitehouse
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spokesperson Davis Ingall doesn't respond to specific questions from the AP. Instead,
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Ingles said that Trump's commitment to cutting red tape is
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making housing more affordable. A bipartisan group of House lawmakers
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is working to reduce home's notorious red tape that even
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proponents say slows construction. Some rural areas are more dependent
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on home than others. In Owsley County, one of the
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nation's poorest, located in the rural Kentucky Hills, residents struggle
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in an economy blighted by coal mine closures and declining
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tobacco crop revenues. Affordable homes are needed there, but tough
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to build in a region that doesn't attract larger scale
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rental developments that federal dollars typically go toward. That's where
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Home comes in, said Cassie Hudson, who runs Partnership Housing
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in Ousley, which has relied on the program to build
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the majority of its affordable houses for at least a
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dozen years. A lack of additional funding for home has
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already made it hard to keep up with construction costs,
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Hudson said, and the organization builds a quarter of the
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single family homes it used to. Particularly for deeply rural
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places and persistent poverty counties, local housing developers are the
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only way homes and new rental housing gets built, said
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Joshua Stewart from a coalition of Appalachian nonprofits. That's in
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part because investment is scant and home steps in when
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construction costs exceed what a home can be sold for.
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A common barrier in poor areas of Appalachia, some developers
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use the profits to build more affordable units. Its loss
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would erode those nonprofits ability to build affordable homes in
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years time, Stuart said. One of those nonprofits, Housing Development Alliance,
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helped Tiffany Mullins in Hazard, Kentucky, which was ravaged by floods. Mullins,
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a single mother of four who makes fourteen dollars and
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thirty cents an hour at wal Mart, bought a house
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there thanks to home funding and moved in August. Mullins
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seized the program as preserving a rural way of life,
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recalling when folks owned homes and land with gardens. We
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had chickens cows. Now you don't see much of that.
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The next story is Cougar's ease passed Leslie County forty
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five to nothing. The Letcher County Central Cougar's football team,
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even their record had one and one, with an impressive
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forty five to zero victory over rival Leslie County. Quarterback
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Gunnar Holbrook through five first half touchdowns to lead Elsie
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C to the runaway victory in Haydn. Our skill guys
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balled out, Holbrook said, they got to their spots quickly,
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and when the ball got in their hands, they made
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big plays. We got an even better job from our
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big guys up front. I like to call it the
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Cougar Wall. They only allowed one true pressure all game
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and no sacks a huge difference from week one. The
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Cougars will look to build on last week's momentum boost
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when they host the Shelby Valley Wildcats at Cougar Field
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this Friday. The Wildcats come into Friday's game with an
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O and two record, having lost to Prestonsburg forty four
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to seven on August thirtieth kick off is scheduled for
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seven thirty p m. In the win over Leslie County,
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elsie C received the ball to begin the game. On
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the third play, Holbrook dropped back and threw a perfect
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deep ball to Colton Stidham for a thirty four yard touchdown.
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Emma Adams made the extra point to give the Cougars
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a quick seven to nothing lead. The Cougar's regained possession
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after defensive lineman Gavin Adams sacked the Leslie County quarterback
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on third down to force a punt. From there, Garrett
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Howard had a powerful run up the middle for a
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gain of twelve yards. Then on the next play, Howard
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took the hand off and bounced it out to the
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left side and showed his speed and toughness on his
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way to a forty three yard touchdown run. The score
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was quickly fifteen to nothing in favor of the Cougars
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after kick holder Colton Stidham bobbled the snap but was
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still able to pick up the ball and drag a
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defender into the end zone for a two point conversion
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with eight thirty three left in the first quarter. After
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elsie C's defense stood strong and forced another three and out.
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Leslie County's punter dropped the snap and was tackled behind
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the line of scrimmage to give the Cougar's offense great
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field position. Holbrook, the quarterback, struck quickly with his second
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touchdown pass to Stidham, this time from six teen yards
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out to make it twenty two to nothing. After the
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Adams extra point. Back in possession of the ball, Leslie
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County went for a first down on fourth and seven
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from the LCC thirty eight yard line, but the pass
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fell incomplete for a turnover. On downs, Holbrook started another
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scoring drive by completing a fifteen yard pass to Mason Stevens.
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Two plays later, receiver get Outlaw made a leaping grab
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on the go route for a thirty yard gain. On
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the next play, Holbrook checked the ball down to his
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running back Howard for a three yard touchdown to increase
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the lead to twenty nine to nothing. After the extra
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points split the uprights, the Cougars quickly found themselves in
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possession of the ball again after Colton Stidham intercepted a
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pass and returned it to midfield. Holbrook then threw a
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forty four yard bomb to Stevens for his fourth touchdown
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pass of the first quarter, setting up a running clock
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for the remains of the game. After LCC's lead ballooned
25:03
to thirty six to nothing, that lead grew to forty
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two to nothing after the LCC defense were covered a
25:10
fumble and Holbrook threw another deep pass to Outlaw for
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a twenty nine yard touchdown on what would be Holbrook's
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last pass of the game. Adams converted on the extra
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point to increase the LCC lead to forty three to nothing.
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Stidham got another interception for the Cougars, as did defensive
25:29
back Gunner Hall in the second half. The final score
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was determined after a bad snap from center sailed over
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the punter's head and through the back of the end
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zone for a safety. What a difference a week made
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for Letcher County Central. The offense looked unstoppable and the
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defense created four turnovers and made tackles all over the field.
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This game was a good rebound game from last week.
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LCC coach Junior Matthews said, our guys played really well.
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We needed a week to get some confidence. Gunnar Holbrook
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had a nearly perfect game, leading the l c C
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offense by completing nine passes on ten attempts for one
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hundred eighty one yards and five touchdowns. Colton Stillham played
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the best game of his l c C career on
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both sides of the ball. He caught three passes for
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fifty nine yards and two touchdowns and had two interceptions
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on defense. Garrett Howard picked up sixty four yards rushing
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and two total touchdowns. Mason Stevens caught three passes for
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sixty yards and a touchdown. Jet Outlaw had two catches
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for fifty nine yards and a score. Gunnar Hall rushed
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for twenty six yards and had one interception on defense.
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And this concludes the reading of The Mountain Eagle. Your
26:51
reader has been Bill Vanarsdal. Now please stay tuned for
26:55
continued programming on behalf of every one here at Radio.
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I thank you for listening, and have a good day.