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(Whitesburg) Mountain Eagle - 5.14.26 · Eastern Kentucky Newspapers

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Speaker 1: Now return to the Mountain Eagle to read news from Weisberg.
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Your reader today is build an Arsenal. We will begin
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with the addition dated May thirteen, twenty twenty six, which
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the publishers have donated to a RADIOI 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 first story is Early voting is
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set to begin in Leccher County's primary election. Early voting
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for the May primary election begins Thursday. In Letcher County,
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any registered voter may cast a ballot during no Excuse
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early voting Thursday through Saturday. Polls will be open from
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eight a m. To four pm each day at the
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Lectra District Courtroom and the Letcher County Recreation Center. Voters
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may cast ballots at either location, regardless of where they
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live in the county. Voters who qualified for absentee voting
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had until Wednesday to cast ballots at the Electric County
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Clerk's office. Despite national attention surrounding elections, turnout in Electric
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County appears to be low. So far, no one has
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registered to challenge voters or serve as an election observer.
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Only ninety five absentee ballots were sent to voters in
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the county, and by Tuesday, forty eight had been returned.
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Of those requested, fifty six came from Democrats and thirty
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nine from Republicans. Although Republicans dominate many races on the ballot,
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Democrats still hold a voter registration advantage in Electric County.
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According to the State Board of Elections, the county has
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seven thousand, five hundred eighty nine registered Democrats and six thousand,
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three hundred seventy registered Republicans. Another seven hundred seventy three
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registered voters cannot vote in the primary because Kentucky has
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closed primaries. That number includes four hundred eleven independents, forty
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five members of smaller political parties, and three hundred seventeen
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voters registered as other. Under Kentucky law, voters may cast
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ballots only in the primary election of the party in
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which they are registered. The only countywide Democratic race on
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the ballot this spring is for US Senate. In most
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of the other races, if there is a Democrat register
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to run they have no other candidates running against them,
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they get a pass on the primary, and their names
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will appear on the ballot in November. The exceptions are
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county magisterial Districts three and five. In District five, Eugene
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Williams and John F. Wyatt are running for constable as Democrats,
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and Rodney Wayne Rose and Roy Triplett are running for
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Magistrate three. Terry l Adams of Perk Creek and Jesse
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Mullins of may King are running for Magistrate. There are
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seven Democrats seeking to fill the U. S. Senate's seat
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that will be left vacant when Mitch McConnell retires at
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the end of this term. That is in addition to
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the ten Republicans running. Democrats running for Senate include Joshua
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Blatton Senior, Charles Booker, Logan Forsyth, Amy McGrath, Dale Romans,
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Panela Stevenson, and Vincent Thompson. According to the latest Emerson
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College poll, Booker is leading the field with thirty six
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percent support to eighteen percent for McGrath. Both have run before.
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McGrath had raised far more money than any other candidate,
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at one million, nine hundred forty two thousand, seven hundred
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four dollars at the end of March. Romans had raised
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eight hundred thirty one thousand, seven hundred fifty six dollars
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as of the end of April. Booker was next with
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five hundred eight thousand, six hundred eighty four dollars at
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the end of April. Republicans in that race include Andy Barr,
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Daniel Cameron, Anissa Catlet, James Duncan, Mike Ferris, Val Frederick,
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Jonathan Holiday, Jimmy Leon, Andrew Shelley, and George Washington. Emerson
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put Bar with twenty eight percent support, compared to twenty
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one percent for Cameron and fifteen percent for Nate Morris,
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who has dropped out of the race, even though Elon
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Musk gave ten million dollars to a super pack supporting him.
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Candidates who lose or drop out have several choices about
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what to do with all that money. They can choose
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to pay off any campaign debts and expenses, return the
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money to donors, donate to charitable organizations, transfer an unlimited
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amount to political party committees, contribute up to two thousand
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dollars each week per election to other candidates, convert the
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campaign committee to a political action committee, or save the
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money for another campaign down the road. Other Republican races
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on the ballot for the primary. Are representative in Congress
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District five. Hal Rogers incumbent Benjamin Hurley, Brandon mount Holland,
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Jerry Shelton and Kevin Smith. Coroner Clifford Wade Fields and
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Josh Lowe County Clerk, d Cohen Fultz and Christopher O.
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Sexton County Judge Executive, Terry Adams Incumbent, Wade Adams and
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Joseph Banks, Jaylor, Brian K. Fields and Brian Anthony Sloan
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incumbent District one, Magistrate Jack D. Banks incumbent, Troy Dingis,
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Rodney Gilley and Tammy Elaine Trent District three. Magistrate Edwin
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Narvill Bentley, Starla Dierdorf, Michael pack and William Billy Smallwood,
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Sheriff Codil Gibson and d L. Hammonds, candidates running unopposed
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in the spring but whose names will appear on the
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ballot this fall, are representative in Congress District five. Ned
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Pillersdorf Democrat, Michael Wine Independent and Billy Ray Wilson Independent
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ride In District two, Magistrate Kenneth Kenny Anderson, Republican incumbent
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and Sherry K. Sexton Democrat. District three Constable Charles Eugene Polly, Democrat,
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incumbent District four, Magistrate Christopher Jerome Hogg, Republican, and William J. D. Smith, Democrat, incumbent,
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Coroner Tony Fugut, Democrat, incumbent County Clerk Winston Meade Democrat,
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incumbent County Judge Executive Deborah Parker Collier Democrat, PVA Ricky
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Raymond Rose, Democrat, incumbent Sheriff Billy D. Jones, Democrat, incumbent
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and Surveyor Stephen Allen Dix, Democrat, incumbent. The next story
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is Kentucky Power seeks okay to build new generation plant.
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Expected ratepayer cost unknown. Kentucky Power Company has begun the
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regulatory process for what appears to be a major new
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electric generation project. According to recent filings with the Kentucky
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Public Service Commission, The utility filed a formal notice with
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the PSC stating its intent to seek approval to construct
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a new in state generation resource, along with related sighting, accounting,
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and rate making approvals. The case, filed as PSC Case
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number twenty twenty six zero zero one zero three, indicates
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Kentucky Power plans to submit its full application by June first.
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According to the filing, the company will request a certificate
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of public convenience and necessity to construct the project, a
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site compatibility certificate, approval of accounting and rate making treatment,
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and other required regulatory approvals. The filing itself does not
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specify what type of generating facility the company plans to build,
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where it would be located, how large it would be,
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or what the estimated cost may be. However, requests for
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both a construction certificate and a site compatibility certificate generally
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indicate plans for a substantial new utility facility. The project
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comes as utilities across Kentucky and the PJAM Regional Power
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Grid face growing concerns about long term electric reliability, increased demand,
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and the retirement of older generation resources. PJM Interconnection is
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the regional organization that coordinates the movement of wholesale electricity
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across all or parts of thirteen states, including Kentucky, as
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well as the District of Columbia. A separate PSC order
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entered May sixth granted intervention status to the Kentucky Attorney
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General's Office of Rate Intervention, which represents consumer interests in
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utility cases. The Attorney General's participation signals The case is
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expected to receive significant scrutiny regarding customer costs and the
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overall need for the project. Kentucky Power has not yet
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publicly released additional details about the proposed facility. The full application,
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expected in early June, is likely to include information about
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the type of generation resource being proposed, projected costs, timeline,
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and potential impacts on customer rates. The next headline is
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trial delayed again in cemetery murder. The trial for a
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man accused of murdering Angela Roberts at a cemetery at
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Callan in twenty twenty four has been delayed another three months.
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Jury selection was scheduled to begin Monday for Mark Miles
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sixty six, but was postponed after his attorney became ill.
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The trial is now scheduled for August twelfth in Letcher
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Circuit Court in Whitesburg. Miles sixty six, a cousin of Roberts,
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was arrested in May twenty twenty five after being indicted
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on charges of shooting Roberts in the head as she
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sat in her car in the parking lot of a
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cemetery on Ball Mountain Road. In August twenty twenty four,
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Miles called nine one one and reported finding Roberts his
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body and attempting to help her before realizing she was dead.
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When police arrived, Roberts was found face down across the
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seat and floorboard, covered in blood. She had apparently been
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shot in the head while seated in the car. Police
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found a spent shell casing and bullet inside the vehicle,
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along with hares that did not appear to belong to Roberts.
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Police later served a search warrant seeking DNA from Miles
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to compare with the hares found in the car. Miles
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was re indicted in September after police served another search warrant.
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Electric County grand Jury added charges of first degree robbery
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and two counts of tampering with physical evidence after police
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seized two cell phones and a high point three eighty
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caliber semi automatic pistol. Roberts, fifty eight, at the time
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of her death, had been outspoken about her efforts to
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find out who murdered her daughter. Patricia May Roberts death
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Ridge Trish Deathridge, forty, was murdered sometime between July twenty
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seventh and July thirty first, twenty twenty three, near her
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home on Bald Mountain. Road. Her decomposing body was found
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over a hillside and tangled in vines near her home
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on July thirty first, twenty twenty three. She was pronounced
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dead shortly after midnight on August first. Roberts had told
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others she was compiling a list of suspects and eliminating
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them one by one in an effort to determine who
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killed her daughter. On March sixth, twenty twenty four, Deathridge's birthday,
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Roberts posted on Facebook asking anyone with information about her
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daughter's death to contact her. Roberts was killed the following day.
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Police have never charged anyone in Deathridge's death. The next
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story is where do I show up to vote in
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May nineteenth primary. As Lectric County heads toward the May
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nineteenth primary election, one question keeps coming up. Where do
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I vote? The answer is both simpler and, for some voters,
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more unfamiliar than it once was. Only seventeen polling locations
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will be open across the county on next Tuesday, about
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half the number in use just a few years ago.
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Unlike in the past, voters are no longer tied to
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one polling place. Instead, they can cast their ballot at
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any of the seventeen polling places, no matter where they
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live in the county. A voter in Jenkins, for example,
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could choose to vote in Line Fork or any other
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open location, and the ballot will count just the same
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as it has since twenty twenty, when the COVID nineteen
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pandemic forced a dramatic consolidation of polling places statewide. Letcher
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County dropped to just four in person voting locations that year,
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and while the number has increased since from thirteen in
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the twenty twenty two primary to seventeen on Tuesday, it
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remains well below pre pandemic levels. For decades before that,
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Letcher County voters were accustomed to having thirty four or
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more polling places scattered across the county. The names of
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many of those locations reflected the area's geography and history,
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Sugar Grove, Dalma, Rocky Hollow, Hurricane Gap, Doughty, and Beefide
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among them. Voters now have fewer locations to choose from,
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but more freedom in deciding where to go. Early voting
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begins Thursday, May fourteenth and runs through Saturday, May sixteenth.
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Polls on those days will be open from eight am
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to four pm, and will be located at the Recreation
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Center and the District Courtroom in one. Early voting ends
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when the polls close Saturday, but voters can still vote
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the traditional way of the following Tuesday. As always, polls
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will be opened from six am to six pm on
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May nineteenth. Here's the full list of locations that will
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serve as voting centers on election day. Hemphill Community Center,
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jack Horn, Kentucky. Letcher County Central High School, Whitesburg, Jenkins
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Middle High School, Jenkins, may King Fire Department, may King,
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Gordon Fire Department, Line Fork, Collen Elementary School, Whitesburg. McRoberts
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Community Center, McRoberts, Fleming, Neon Middle School, Neon, Lecher Elementary
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Middle School, Lecher, Colson Fire Department, Whitesburg. Martha Jane Potter
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Elementary School, Whitesburg, Premium Baptist Church, Whitechosurg isum IgA, Whitesburg.
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P Kay's Snackshack, Cornettsville Valley Country Store, Eolia, District Courtroom, Witchburg,
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and Lectra County Recreation Center, Whitesburg. The next story is
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FEMA overhaul could impact eastern Kentucky. The Federal Emergency Management
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Agency could face major changes under recommendations released by a
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panel appointed by President Donald Trump. The panel said FEMA
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should focus more on immediate disaster response and less on
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long term recovery efforts. Some recommendations would require Congress to act,
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but others could be carried out by the administration. Among
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the biggest proposed changes, states and local governments could be
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expected to shoulder more disaster costs before federal help arrives.
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The report also suggests FEMA should provide less long term
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housing assistance for disaster victims. The recommendations are especially important
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for eastern Kentucky communities such as Lectric County, which has
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depended heavily on FEMA aid following the deadly July twenty
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twenty two flood and one in February twenty twenty five.
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Panel members argued FEMA has become too large, too expensive,
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and too involved in recovery efforts that should be handled
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by states. They proposed speeding up disaster payments by using
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flood levels or hurricane wind speeds instead of lengthy damage
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inspections to determine aid amounts. The report also recommends scaling
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back FEMA's role in housing disaster survivors and encouraging private
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companies to take over more flood insurance coverage now handled
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through the National Flood Insurance Program. Although President Trump previs
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suggested FEMA might be eliminated entirely, the panel stopped short
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of recommending that. Instead, members called for a major overhaul
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of the agency. FEMA has spent far more in recent
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years as disasters have become more frequent and costly nationwide.
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Any major changes could affect how quickly and how much
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federal assistance reaches communities recovering from floods, storms, and other
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disasters in Kentucky and across the country. The next story
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is customer files PSC complaint over outdoor light charge. A
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Pipe County woman has filed a formal complaint against Kentucky
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Power Company, alleging she was billed for nearly ten years
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for an outdoor light that she says does not exist
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on her property. In a complaint filed with the Kentucky
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Public Service Commission PSC, Genie Newsome of Pipeful alleged's Kentucky
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Power charged her between about sixteen and twenty one dollars
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per month for an outdoor light service beginning in twenty seventeen,
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even though no such light fixture exists on her property.
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According to the complaint, the disputed charge appeared as Tariff
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nine seven outdoor light on monthly bills. Copies of bills
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attached to the filing show outdoor light charges of about
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nineteen dollars and eighty six cents in January and about
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twenty dollars and ninety five cents in February. Newsom claims
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the charge is total roughly two thousand dollars over the years,
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and is asking regulators to stop future charges, order refunds
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or bill credits, and award any interest allowed by law.
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In the complaint, Newsom also alleges she attempted to resolve
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the issue informally, but was met with dismissive treatment by
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a company representative. Kentucky Power has not yet filed a
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formal response in the case. The PSC has acknowledged receipt
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of the complaint, which has been assigned Case number twenty
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twenty six zero zero one zero two. While relatively small
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compared to larger rate cases now pending before the Commission,
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the complaint highlights another role of the PSC handling disputes
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between utilities and individual customers over billing and service issues.
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Customers may file complaints directly with the Commission if disputes
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cannot be resolved through the utility company. The next story
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is firings raise questions about minds safety oversight. A federal
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agency responsible for hearing mine safety disputes has been thrown
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into uncertainty after President Donald Trump fired one of its
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commissioners and layoffs followed at the agency's Pitch office. The
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developments were first reported by Jordan Baarab in the Workplace
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Safety newsletter Confined Spaces. According to the report, Federal Mind
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Safety and Health Review Commissioner Mosha Z Marvitt, who was
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appointed during the Biden administration, received notice from the White
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House last weekend that his position had been terminated, effective immediately,
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despite his term not being scheduled to expire until August
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twenty twenty eight. Following Marvit's dismissal, the Federal Mind Safety
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and Health Review Commission's Pittsburgh office was closed and more
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than a dozen employees were laid off. The agency has
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about fifty five employees. The White House reportedly gave no
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explanation for either the firing or the layoffs. The Federal
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Mind Safety and Health Review Commission was created under the
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Federal Mind Safety and Health Act of nineteen seventy seven
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as an independent agency to hear disputes involving Federal Mind
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Safety enforcement Cases involving Mind safety and Health administration citations, penalties,
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and hustleblower complaints can be appealed before administrative law judges
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and then reviewed by the Commission. Federal law states commissioners
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may be removed by the President for inefficiency, neglect of duty,
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or malfeasance in office, but Baarab reported that no such
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allegations were made against Margaret Marvat has since filed suit
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challenging his removal and seeking reinstatement. Congress created the Federal
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Mind Safety and Health Review Commission as an independent body
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so that those who go to work underground every day
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would have a neutral forum to decide disputes as to
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the rules meant to protect their lives. Hugh bharan attorney
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for Marvit, said in a statement quoted by Confined Spaces.
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The Commission normally has five members, although one seat is
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currently vacant with Marvit removed, only three commissioners remain the
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minimum number needed for a quorum. The terms of two
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of those commissioners are set to expire in August, potentially
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leaving the Commission unable to issue final decisions in appealed
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cases unless new members are confirmed. Variub also reported that
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the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, which handles appeals
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involving OSHA cases, is operating without a quorum as well.
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Without enough members to act, neither agency would be able
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to issue final rulings on contested cases brought before them.
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Marvit told Confined Spaces he considered serving on the Commission
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the best job in the world. I get to review cases,
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add to this body of law that we have help
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create case law that brings out the purpose of the
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Congressional Act to help keep miners safe and protect their
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free spece each, he said. The next story is Cougar's
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season ends in five set heartbreaker. The Letcher County Central
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High School boys volleyball team saw its twenty twenty six
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season come to an end to Saturday after a hard
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five set loss to Pikeville in the semi finals of
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the Eighth Region Boys Volleyball Tournament at Letcher Central. The
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Cougars dropped the opening set twenty six to twenty four,
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before battling back to win the next two sets twenty
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five twenty one and twenty five twenty two and take
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a two to one lead in the match. Pikeville, however,
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answered by winning the final two sets twenty five fifteen
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and fifteen to seven to claim the match and advance
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to the regional championship. Later Saturday, the Panthers defeated Powell
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County three to two to win the eighth region title
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and advance to the Kentucky State Boys Volleyball Tournament, where
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they were casual to face Oldham County. Letter Central reached
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the regional semi finals by defeating Perry County Central in
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straight sets Thursday night, winning twenty five fourteen, twenty five sixteen,
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and twenty five twenty. Senior Andrew Blair led the Cougars
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in the victory with sixteen kills and five total blocks,
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including three solo blocks. Senior Ashton Lawson added thirteen kills,
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eleven digs, and four service aces, while senior Colby am
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Berney finished with twenty three assists and five aces. Dylan
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Kendrick added four kills and six digs, Hayden Fraser had
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three kills, and freshman Jackson Crisp contributed three service aces
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and a block. As a team, The Cougars totaled forty kills,
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twenty nine assists, thirty seven digs, and fourteen service aces
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in the win over Perry County Central. Meanwhile, Andrew Blair
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was named the Region eight Player of the Year by
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the same Kentucky Volleyball Coaches Association. Blair is the son
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of Ashley Blair, grandson of Delma and the Lake Jack Blair,
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and great grandson of the Lake Bill and Mora Blair.
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In addition to volleyball, he also played soccer at LCC
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for four years and served as the Cougar's goalkeeper for
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three seasons. Although ELCC boys volleyball program is only in
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its second year, Blair has already received interest from colleges
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in both soccer and volleyball. He plans to attend college
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after graduation, but has not yet announced where he will
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continue his athletic career. And In the next story, girls
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team's near tourney play, the Letter County Central Lady Cougar's
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and Jenkins Lady Cavaliers entered the final week of the
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regular season as two of the top fast pitch softball
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teams in the fourteenth region. Letcher County Central began the
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week with a ninth teen and eight record and remained
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unbeaten in both fifty third district play at six to
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oh and fourteenth Region competition at eleven and zero. The
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Lady Cougs opened last week with a three to nothing
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loss to Johnson Central, despite a strong pitching performance from
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senior Scarlett Samper, who struck out fourteen batters while allowing
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only one earned run over six innings. Junior Sarah Richardson
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led ELCC at the plate with two hits, while eighth
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grader Americ Cook Stamper and junior Kaylee Bentley each added
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a hit. ELSC later received two wins by forfeit from
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Cordia before traveling to Winchester for the Jerry Puckett Showcase
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at George Rogers Clark High School. The Lady Cougers dropped
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a two to nothing decision to Highland's High School, the
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current leader in Kentucky's ninth region with a twenty four
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and sixth record, before falling to Wes Jessmine eight to two.
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West Jessmin entered the w week atop the twelfth region
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standings with a twenty two to five record. Letcher Central
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closed the showcase with an eight to nothing victory over
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Scott County on Saturday. Meanwhile, Jenkins entered the week with
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a fifteen and seven record, the fourth best mark in
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the fourteenth region. The Lady Cavaliers opened last week with
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a dominant fifteen to nothing victory over East Ridge in
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four innings. Eighth grader Addie Bailey and sophomore Chloe Sexton
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each went three for three to lead Jenkins offensively. Bailey
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drove in three runs, while Sexton added four RBIs. Senior
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Harlowe Bates collected two hits and an RBI, and sophomore
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Johanna Banks earned the win in the circle after allowing
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only one hit and striking out four. Jenkins entered the
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week with district and regional records of three and three
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and five and five, respectively. District tournament games for both
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Jenkins and Letcher County Central begin early next week. This
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concludes the reading of The Mountain Eagle. Your reader has
29:07
been Bill of and Arsenal. Now please stay tuned for
29:10
continued programming on behalf of everyone here at Radio I.
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Thank you for listening and have a good day.