Latest / Eastern Kentucky Newspapers / Hazard Herald - 5.17.26

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Hazard Herald - 5.17.26 · Eastern Kentucky Newspapers

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Speaker 1: Now, he turned to the reading of the Hazzard Herald,
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for it is of Hazard and Perry County. I'm lee Townshend.
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We begin with the online edition dated May thirteenth, twenty
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twenty six. As a reminder, Radio Lines a reading service
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intended for people who are blind or have other disabilities
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that make it difficult to read printed material. The Appalachian
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Arts Alliance hosted the annual Queen City Artisan Festival Saturday,
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May night, inviting community out for an afternoon of local artists,
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live music, food vendors, and a variety of family friendly
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activities throughout the day. County Clerk says solid voter turnout
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expected by Justin Bagley. With the May nineteenth primary election approaching,
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Perry County Clerk Wayne Napier said he expects competitive races
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across several local offices, along with solid voter interest and
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turnout as it continues to build among the residents. Napier
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said conversations with the community suggest that certain races are
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drawing particular attention from voters, including those is the race
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for Perry County Sheriff, in which Terry Brewer, Shannon Woods,
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and Vanessa Combs are vying for the Republican nomination, and
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James Big and Jewell Jesse Day and Shawn White are
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vying for the Democratic nomination. I think the sheriff's race
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is probably the biggest race this year, said Napier, just
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from my experience from talking to people out in the county.
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The mayor and judge's race are also very important. They're
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all important races, but I hear people discussing the sheriff's
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race most. In the race for a judge executive, Republicans
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Danny Ray Noble, Imouel Bushier and Kenneth Hall are seeking
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their party's nomination, while on the Democratic side, Ellis Hall,
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Scott Alexander and Harlan Campbell are seeking the nomination. In
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the northern partisan race for Hazard mayor, James Logan Fields,
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Christian A. Mclinton, Dan Donald, Happy Mobolini, and Howard Sumner
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are vying for the position. Napier added that several contests
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could be closely decided based on feedback he's received from
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the public. Napier emphasized the importance of participation in the election,
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noting that these elections will serve multi year terms. Most
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of the races. When these people get elected, they'll be
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in office for four years, said Napier. People like to
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voice their opinion and there's no better way of doing
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that than by voting. So I think it's very important
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that people come out and express their opinions by voting.
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This is an important race with all the county offices
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coming up. Looking at past elections and current community interests,
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Napier said turnout is expected to be steady. Last election,
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voting turnout was pretty decent. Napier said, voter turnout will
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be good this year. I think there will be at
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least a medium turnout for the election. I stay away
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from social media and stuff, but from what people have
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told me, this has been one of the more talked
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about elections, so I think there will be a good turnout.
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Maybe you're also outlined early voting opportunities available to residents
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ahead of election day. We'll start early voting on May fourteenth, fifteenth,
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and sixteenth, he said. On the fourteenth and fifteenth will
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be voting at the courthouse and that the building beside
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the library from eight am to six pm, and then
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on Saturday from eight am to four pm. We're also
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adding another location on Saturday and it will be at
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the Community Center in JVS. That's just Saturday only people
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who vote early if they can, and it definitely takes
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a load off the election day, and it's a good
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way to vote on Saturday because it can be hard
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for people to get off work to vote on a
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week day. Polls will be open from six am to
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six pm on May nineteenth. Officials meet with residents to
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discuss cemetery concerns. Perry County officials are taking steps to
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address ongoing concerns surrounding local cemetery conditions, as residents gathered Friday,
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May first at the Perry County Physical Court Building to
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voice complaints and seek solutions during a public meeting led
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by Perry County Attorney Derek Campbell. The meeting, which focused
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on maintenance issues and oversight of the cemetery operations, drew
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a large turnout from community members, many of whom shared
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long standing concerns about the condition and accessibility of burial sites.
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I think the meeting went wonderful, said Campbell. We heard
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from a lot of very concerned individuals who raised a
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lot of very important points. Campbell said the meeting was
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the result of ongoing efforts to address cemetery related issues.
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They were first brought to his attention by a resident
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about two years ago. I had a resident come to
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me with a problem she was having with a cemetery,
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she said. I had been working on this for almost
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a year and a half, and finally we were able
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to identify the right individuals within the Attorney General's office
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who had the authority to take action, and they were
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good enough to come down and hear from the residents
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about their issues and the things we've been dealing with
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for a number of years now. According to Campbell, the
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turnout exceeded expectations, with dozens of residents attending and sharing
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concerns about various cemeteries throughout the county. We had a
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great turnout, said Campbell. It was much more than I anticipated.
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We ran through around one hundred individuals who shared their
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complaints with us and let us know about the issues
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they had been dealing with for a while. The one
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particular outlier, I'd say was probably rest Haven. Over half
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of the individuals who showed up had issues with rest Haven.
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Campbell said that many of the concerns surrounding rest Haven
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stem from its status as a privately owned cemetery, placing
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certain matters under state oversight. Rest Haven is a private cemetery,
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he said. The trust agreements that are the issue with
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most of their problems falls within the exclusive jurisdiction of
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the Attorney General's Office, so it was really a privilege
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to be able to have them here. Residents raised a
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range of concerns during the meeting, including overgrown grounds, litter,
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and general maintenance issues that have been made it difficult
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for families to access and care for grave sites. Campbell said,
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we had one individual who couldn't visit their kids grave
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because the weeds are too high. My understanding is that
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there is money that sits in a trust that would
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allow individuals to care for this place. Campbell said he's
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an optimistic about the eye that can be taken in
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response to the concerns, and that efforts are already under
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way to address some of the issues. I feel very
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confident that the Attorney General's Office will be taking decisive
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action to ensure the agreement issued at rest Haven is
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properly enforced and that people are delivered what they've been promised.
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He said. We are active working on solutions now, and
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I hope to have an announcement within the coming weeks.
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Thursdays on the Grand bringing Movie Night with Art Station.
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The Appalachian Arts Alliance is partnering with Thursdays on the
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Grand this summer to expand programming and offer a series
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of family friendly events in downtown Hazard, featuring new activities,
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community collaborations, and live entertainment throughout the season. According to organizers,
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this year's lineup introduces additional programming aimed at engaging families
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and increasing community participation. The biggest change this year is
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our monthly movie Night, where we'll be offering free popcorn
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and kids yoga beforehand, said Tagan Cox. The first movie
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night is May fourteenth, featuring Zutopia two. Cox said the
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series will also include themed events and partnerships with local
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organizations to provide resources and activities for attendees. Later this month,
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we'll have free health screenings, free food and kids obstacle
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course as we partner with ARH for our Spring into
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Health Thursday. She said. As the year progresses, we'll be
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partnering with many more organizations, including the Farmers' Market, Perry
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County Public Library, the Community Band and Mobile, as well
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as featuring great live entertainment of local musicians. We want
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everyone to come out and experience these family fund nights
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on the Grand According to organizers, the twenty twenty six
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Thursdays include on May fourteenth, the City of Hazard Movie Night,
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May twenty eighth, Spring into Hell Thursdays, June eleventh, City
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of Hazard Movie Night, Summer Fun Thursdays on June twenty fifth,
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and July ninth, the City of Hazzard's Big Movie Night.
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From Hazard to Healing, UK pharmacy grad driven to serve Appalachia,
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Beth Spencer didn't always know she would become a pharmacist.
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Growing up in Perry County. She thought she might be
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a physician. According to a statement from the University of Kentucky.
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What she did know was that education would be her
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path forward. My dad told me when I was little,
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education is going to be your key to making it
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in life, Spencer said. He said, if you work hard,
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you'll get scholarships and you'll make something of yourself. Spencer,
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a first generation college graduate from Hazzard, is now graduating
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from the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy with her
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Doctor of f Pharmacy degree. Her path to pharmacy began
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after earning undergraduate degrees from Eastern Kentucky University. During a
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gap year, she began working part time at CBS and
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quickly realized pharmacy was where she wanted to be. Over
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the next decade, she worked in several pharmacy settings, including
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the hospital pharmacy, before deciding to pursue her pharmacy degree
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and doctorate at the University of Kentucky. Community Action Month
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proclamation signed at Fiscal Court Periry County Judge Executive Scott
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Alexander was recently joined BYKLP officials as he signed a
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proclamation declaring Community Action Month. Those of the group were
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Brian Fields from Wiowa, Justin Collette Head Start, Michelle Fields Transportation,
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Allison Brown, Wiowa, Pamela Brewer, Albert Smith, Tera Combs, Josh Hall,
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Tawny Acker, and Matt Hanson. Hazard woman charged with meth trafficking.
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A Hazard Roman is facing charges including trafficking and meth
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amphetamine after a recent investigation by the Hazard Police Department.
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According to a citation written by HPD officer Lucas Davis,
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on April twenty ninth, officers executed a search warrant at
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the Laurel Street residence of Mary Phillips sixty three while
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conducting the search, the citation said, the officers located a
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quantity of crystal substance believed to be meth anphetamine, along
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with multiple one inch by one inch baggies. Phillips, the
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citation said, denied ownership of the meth amphetamine. She was
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lodged in the Kentucky River Regional Jail and on charges
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of first degree trafficking and a control substance less than
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two grams of meth anpetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.
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SORE and HCTC helped Lineman purchase tools. A new partnership
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between Shaping our Appalachian Region and Hazard Community and Technical
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College is helping recent graduates of the college's Lineman program
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to enter the workforce by providing funding for essential tools,
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addressing a key barrier to employment for new workers, according
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to officials. Perry County JUS Executive Scott Alexander said the
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initiative bills on the success of the program while responding
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to rising costs that can prevent graduates from immediately securing jobs.
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From the opinion page a healthy investment by Jeff Vanderbeck,
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it was announced that a manufacturing company will be established
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in Perry County that will bring upwards of sixty high
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paying jobs to the county, which are desperately needed. Governor
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Vasheer last week made the announcement to tooth Suer, a
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newly formed, locally owned company that will manufacture devices that
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are more user friendly to cut down on tooth decay
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and foster better oral health, will invest seven point three
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million dollars in a facility in Perry County. This is
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welcome news. Toothshure is a locally grown company with local
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founders and owners. The founders are all medical doctors or
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engineers who saw a need to encourage better oral health
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and make it easier for patients to obtain good oral
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hygiene and a device that they have patented. They needed
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a place to make these devices and initiated the process
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by reaching out to SORE and the county for help.
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Perry County Judge Executive Scott Alexander was approached by the
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group in hopes of getting funding and perhaps some tax incentives.
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Alexander contacted the state and got the ball rolling for
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funding and incentives. SORE was instrumental as well, as they
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helped facilitate the progress. Between the efforts of SORE w Alexander.
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Tooth Shore apparently felt they had what they needed to
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make a seven point three million dollar investment to build
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a facility for their efforts. Tooth Share will get state
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tax breaks based upon performance that includes hiring and keeping
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sixty employees at a wage of fifty five dollars and
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twenty three cents an hour. I assume those jobs are
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full of time. The agreement is a fifteen year agreement,
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and those target employees and pay skills must be met
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in each of the fifteen years in order for Toothshore
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to get the yearly tax incentive. On the surface, this
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looks too good to be true. A local company will
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invest its own money, hire sixty people at a very
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high wage, and maintain that minimum for fifteen years. But
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the fact that the owners are self financing and they
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are local and understand the trials and tribulations of startup
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businesses and manufacturing in some way negates the cre criticism.
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I try not to get caught up with social media
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because there's no filter on what nonsense is spread. It's
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easy to sit behind a keyboard and be part of
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the problem, or even worse, make a problem, instead of
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getting out and being part of a solution or supporting
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those who are trying to develop solutions. The founders are
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part of a solution to several issues. They create jobs
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that will put people to work. Understand that since these
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are pretty high paying jobs, I'll go out on a
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limb and say highly qualified people will get those positions,
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not slouches who know people. Another benefit is the tax
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base from the local Occupational and Net Profits tax, which
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could lessen the financial burden on the tax payers. With
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this manufacturing company using power, maybe AEP will be able
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to offset the population loss with the increase in power
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needs and reduce energy just a thought. Time will tell
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if this initiative will be successful. If the founders have
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the money ready to use, the workforce is ready, and
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there are plenty of land on which to build, the
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stepping stones are for success have been laid. Sore and
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Alexander need to be commended for their ability to make
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this deal happen for the betterment of Perry County gas theatrics.
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According to some estimates, Governor Andybasher's recent action to reduce
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the commonwealth gas taps by ten cents will save the
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average driver just less than twenty dollars each month. It's
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in effect. If currently planned, it will be in effect
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for one month. Now, I'm not a financial expert by
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any means, but I would caution you not to go
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out and spend the twenty dollars on a Disney vacation
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or a new mass boat. No. Indeed, you'll need to
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put that money into a savings account or just take
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it directly to your favorite mechanic, especially if it lasts
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longer than one month. The problem is that while it
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may save twenty dollars, the state's road fund is going
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to lose about twenty six million dollars for each month
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it's in effect. Well, you might say the state roads
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in Kentucky are in fine shape and they can afford
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a thirty million dollar cut. Maybe, but it's not just
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state roads. The gas TYX revenues distributed to counties and
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municipalities for their road programs as well. Gas receipts and
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by extension distributions are already down, making this a compounding issue. Recently,
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Pike County Judge Executive Ray S. Jones the Second warned
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the county's physcal court that it will be receiving more
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than five hundred thousand dollars less this year from the
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state's road aid program. That money is the main funding
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source for the county road program, and I doubt Pike
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counties alone and seeing less money. Don't like taxes, but
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the way I've always looked at it is there are
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some taxes that are made bearable because they fund worthy causes.
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Our roads are a worthy cause. Is there some waste
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in road construction and maintenance, of course, but it's not
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entirely unreasonable for us to share in the funding that
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we all benefit from. I don't like taxes, but the
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way I've looked at it is there are some taxes
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that are made bearable because they fund worthy causes. Our
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roads are a worthy cause. Is there some waste in
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road construction and maintenance, of course, but it's not entirely
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unreasonable for us all to share in funding what we
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all benefit from. And I guess tax makes sense as
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we're funding something we use by how we use it.
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Think of it as a toll with less annoyance. But
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it's not in fashion to say that some taxes are okay,
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especially in a time when we're getting beat to death financially.
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Everything's more expensive, and gas is not only one of
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those things, but a contributing factor to the nearly unbearable
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rising costs of living in the United States in twenty
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twenty six. But taxes are unpopular and Democrats are seen
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as the party of tax and spend, So the governor
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gets to win some political points with the less taxes
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no matter the cost crowd and looks like a good
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guy trying to help the rest of the people. Most
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simply wouldn't consider that kind of exchange is being made.
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A lot of it is that it's a big issue,
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and I don't think the people who are responsible fully
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understand it. But also people don't just have time to
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think through or gather information. They need to understand what's happening,
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and that's the key to political theater. It doesn't work otherwise.
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The person being held most responsible for the skyrocket and
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gas prices as President Donald Trump, and the party being
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considered to blame as the Republican Party. Basher, a Democrat,
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gets to appeal to the Republicans who are getting tired
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of all of Trump's administrations, winning by appearing to beat
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them at their own game cutting taxes. There's not much
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that can be done, as Basher's action was taken by
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executive order. So for at least one month, we're going
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to pretend we're receiving help. We'll suffer for it later,
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but that's not now. Please don't beat hasty and spending
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the massive windfall you'll receive from the cut to the
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gas tax. I've not yet heard of action being taken
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to lower the price of tires, brakes, and suspension parts.
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To the road workers whose jobs are being endangered by
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falling contributions to road funds, I pray that you can
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stay employed, and thank you for the hard, underappreciated work
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you do out there. We'll be in a lot of
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trouble with that, y'all. Protect Reap a federal program rural
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Kentucky can't afford to lose. By Josh Bill's Mountain Association,
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Over the past several decades, rural Kentucky has faced significant changes.
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In Eastern Kentucky, a shrinking tax base, population loss, and
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the decline of long standing industries have made resilience an
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ever changing challenge. Through it all, our communities have adapted
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and searched for new ways to build a stronger, more
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diverse economy. Increasingly, a new crisis has emerged. The soaring
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costs of keeping the lights on for small businesses and
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farms that are essential to our local economy, Electric rates
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for commercial facilities have more than doubled over the last
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twenty years. When you layer in historic inflation, themath becomes overwhelming.
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Overhead costs eat away at already thin margins, forcing owners
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to choose between a new hire, a new piece of equipment,
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or simply paying the electric bill. At Mountain Association, we've
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been supporting small businesses since nineteen seventy six and sold
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this energy crisis coming early. In two thousand and eight,
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as costs began their steep climb, we launched an energy
22:21
saving program. Through this work, we continually see one of
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the biggest challenges facing business is upfront capital. That's where
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the Rural Energy for America Program REAP for short comes in.
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REEP is a federal program administered by the US Department
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of Agriculture that provides guaranteed loan financing and grant funding
22:43
for agricultural producers and small rural businesses. For a rural
22:49
small business owner, this can mean that grant can cover
22:52
up to twenty five percent of the costs of solar
22:56
more efficient HVAC systems led lighting or better insulation. These
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are kinds of upgrades that pay for themselves in a
23:05
short time, reducing overhead and improving the bottom line. For many,
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the upfront costs is simply out of reach. The need
23:14
for this program has never been more urgent. With each
23:17
devastating flood or winter storm, utility companies are forced to
23:21
make expensive repairs to aging infrastructure. Businesses and taxpayers pay
23:26
for those repairs through higher rates. As the frequency and
23:30
intensity of these storms increases, utilities will be passing the
23:34
recovery costs back to us. For a business like Logs
23:38
Pickpick living on a two point two percent margin, this
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compounding cycle of damage, recovery and rate hikes is a
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threat to existence. REAP is a proven efficient tool that
23:51
uses modest federal investment to unlock private capital and lower
23:56
operating costs, but it only works if it's funded and detected.
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It isn't just an energy policy. It's the difference between
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closing the doors and keeping the lights on. From the obituaries,
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Donald Lee Begley sixty five died Friday May eighth. Donnie
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Lee McRae seventy seven died Monday May fourth, Margaret Abrams
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Dixon ninety one died Saturday, May ninth. Kenneth Dale Duff
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sixty three of Jackson died Wednesday, May sixth, Betty Phyllis
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Feldner seventy eight f JVS died Friday May eighth, Carolyn
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Jean Williams eighty seven died Friday May eighth, and Shirley
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Butler seventy two of Hazard died Saturday, May ninth. Duo
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charge with trafficking in fentanyl and meth Two people are
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facing charges including trafficking and meth amphetamine and fentanyl after
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a traffic stop and Hazard. According to a r citation
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written by Perry County Sheriff's Deputy Chris Jones, on March fifth,
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he saw a twenty twenty two Chevrolet Equinox that he
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believed belonged to Melinda S. Pollard, thirty seven, of Diablock
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Road and Hazard. Jones wrote that he knew Pollard had
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an active indictment warrant, and he observed the vehicle at
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traveling at sixty miles an hour and a fifty five
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mile per hour zone. The citation said Jones stopped the
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vehicle and made contact with the driver, Larry Brewer of
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Walter Reid Road in Bergen, who told the deputy he
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was driving on a suspended license. Pollard, the citation said,
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was a passenger in the vehicle. While searching Brewer, the
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citation said, Jones found a red straw which had a
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white residue in it, as well as a tied off
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baggie of a grayish powder suspected to be Finnel. Brewer
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and Pollard are lodged in the Kentucky River. Read jail.
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Air quality report features good and bad news for Perry County.
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A new report from the American Lung Association has delivered
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good and bad news for Perry County. The report details
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air quality metrics across the country down to the level
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of some counties, including Perry County. According to the report,
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Perry County has an A rating in terms of high
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ozone days. According to Shannon Baker, director of Advocacy of
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the American Lung Association in Kentucky. However, Parry County had
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a much lower rating of D in the area of
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high particle pollution. Particle pollution, according to Baker, is most
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often thought of as soot. The primary source of that
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type of pollution as wildfires, wood burning stoves, coal fired
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power plants, and diesel engines. Despite the rating on high
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particle pollution Periry, County is ranked among the eight Kentucky
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counties the cleanest in terms of ozone pollution. Baker said
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the greatest risk of air pollution is to the young,
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the old, and those who are suffering from lung disease.
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According to the report, approximately twenty percent of the county's
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population suffers from lung diseases such as per pediatric adult asthma, COPD,
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and lung cancer. This concludes the reading of the Hazard Herald.
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Please stay tuned for continued programming. Thank you for joining me.
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Had On behalf of everyone here at RADIOI. This is
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Lee Townshend, wishing you a good day.