Latest / Eastern Kentucky Newspapers / Hazard Herald - 4.19.26

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Hazard Herald - 4.19.26 · Eastern Kentucky Newspapers

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Speaker 1: Now we turn to the reading of the Hazard Herald
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for news of Hazzard and Perry County Humbley Townshend. We
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begin with the online edition dated April fifteenth, two thousand
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twenty six. As a reminder, radioize a reading service intended
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for people who are blind or have other disabilities that
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make it difficult to read printed material. Jewels by Julia
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opens formal boutique in downtown by Justin Begley, a new
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boutique offering formal wear for women was open in downtown Hazard,
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bringing along this service back to the community. Jewels by
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Julia Formal, located at one fifty one East Main Street,
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is owned and operated by Julia Smith, who first launched
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her business out of her home in two thousand fourteen.
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The new store front marks an expansion of her second
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clothing related business downtown. It's a formal store, said Miss Smith.
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This is the first time in over ten years Hazard
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has had a formal dress shop. We offer weddings, bridesmaids,
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palm dresses and more. It's not clothed, just formal wear
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for women. Smith said. The idea for the boutique came
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from a gap in the local market where many customers
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were forced to travel out of town to find formal attire,
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often at a high cost. I realized it was a need,
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she said. My biggest issue was the formal wear is
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very expensive, and a lot of teenage girls cannot afford
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to go and pay for these big, expensive dresses. My
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thought process was I wanted to have a place where
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someone could come and shop with any budget, whether they
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spend seventy five dollars on a dress or eight hundred
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dollars on a dress. I want every girl to have
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that experience of being able to go out and shop
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for a dress. In some of these stores, you won't
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find a dress under seven hundred dollars and you have
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to travel out of town to get there. The new
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location comes after increasing demand for formal wear of her
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original shop prompted the need for more space and inventory.
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We've been open for a little over a month now,
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said Smith. We tried selling formal wear at our original location,
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but as it got busier and we saw how many
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out of town people come to purchase dresses through us,
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some as far away as Bowling Green in Virginia, we
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realized we needed more space to accommodate more people and
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more merchandise. We've been doing formal wear for about two
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years now. Since opening, Smith said, the boutique has received
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strong support from both local residents and visitors from outside
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the area. I'm very happy with the new location, she said.
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We've had a lot of the community come out and
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support us. We've had local people and out of pound people.
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We've had hundreds of girls come for dresses just this season.
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It's been successful so far and we're excited for more.
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Smith said she hopes the boutique will continue to serve
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as a convenient and affordable option for formal wear in
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the region. We hope the community continues to come out
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and support us, she said, come and check us out.
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We're really excited to offer this service because, like I said,
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it's been over ten years since there's been formal wear
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shopping here, and now girls don't have to go to
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Lexington to buy address they can do it here at home.
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Jules by Julia is open from two pm to six
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pm Monday through Wednesday, from two pm to seven pm
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Thursday and Friday, and from eleven am to four pm
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on Saturday. Eight CTC students win State Skills USA competitions.
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Students from Hazard Community and Technical College are in top
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honors at the Kentucky Skills USA Leadership and Skills Conference
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held March thirtieth through April TEWOD in Louisville, according to
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the statement. According to the statement, Matthew Cook, Caleb Morgan,
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Luke Sorell's, and Mitch Sizemore each place first in their
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respective competitions including carpentry, welding, technical related mathematics, and heavy equipment.
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The students will advance to Skills USA National Leadership and
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Skills Conference in Atlanta for further competition. The statement said
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that all participating students ranked among the top competitors in
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their regional contests. Additional competitors included Jacob Combs, Lucas Coots,
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Haiden Summer, and Ben Breese, who competed in statewide events
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in welding, transportation, tool identification, automotive maintenance, light repair, and
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Automotive Service technician, respectively. Assistant Dean of Advanced and Professional
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Technologies Joshua Kelley said the event provided valuable opportunities for
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student development. The event was a great success and a
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strong learning opportunity for our students. Schools USA does a
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great job of promoting and developing leadership skills, teamwork professionalism,
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and real world workforce readiness, Kelly said in the statement.
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It also helps develop students to excel in leadership beyond
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their specific trade area by preparing them to take on
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roles that require communication, problem solving, and accountability in the workplace.
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Kentucky Power's Energy Advantage Workshop connects HCTC students to savings.
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Kentucky Power recently hosted a workshop at Hazard Community and
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Technical College, providing on campus access to career resources, customer
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service assistance, and information about its energy advantage programs. The event,
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according to a statement from Kentucky Power, coincided with a
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ten thousand dollars Kentucky Power Foundation grant presenting the college
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to support campus food pantry operations. Foundation grants are funded
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solely through sharedareholder dollars and not recovered in rates. Kentucky
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Power launched energy advantage programs last year to help residential
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and business customers lower their electric usage and reduce bills.
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The programs include professional energy audits for qualified residential and
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commercial customers, which identify cost saving opportunities and offer incentives
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for upgrades to more energy efficient products. Bringing these resources
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to campus made it easier for students to get answers
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and sign up for programs that can reduce their energy costs,
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said Carlin Segal's hctcdan of Advancement. We were pleased to
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partner with Kentucky Power and Energy Advantage Support staff to
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provide practical support where students needed most. In addition to
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in person assistance with energy advantage enrollment and questions, the
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statement said, students received career guidance and job connection opportunities.
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Perry County Judge Executive Scott Alexander joined representatives of the
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Rising Center on Friday, April tenth to sign a proclamation
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recognizing Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. This acknowledgment helps
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amplify the voices of accountability, the Rising Center said in
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a public statement. A forest fire sent flames into the
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mountains April tenth and into April eleventh around the Highland Avenue,
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College Street, Simpson Street, and Moore Street area of Hazard.
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Cruising on Maine kicks off Spring on Maine. Cruising on
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Naine was in full swing April eleventh, as a free,
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family oriented car show took over downtown Main Street, featuring
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food vendors and a variety of unique vehicles. Edward Jones
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is Hensley named among Best in State Wealth Advisors by
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Forbes Shook. Edward Jones Financial advisor j. C. Hensley of
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Pike Buwl was named among the twenty twenty six Best
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in State Wealth Advisors in Kentucky by Forbes Shook in
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twenty twenty six. Heinsley, the statement said, it is the
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first Edward Jones advisor to make this distinguished list five
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consecutive years in a row. He ranked number sixty five
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in the state of Kentucky. With the ranking, the statement said,
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Hensley is also invited to attend the Forbes Top Advisors
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Summit held at wins Las Vegas in October. Heinsley has
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served the Pipe Goal and surrounding investors for twenty two years,
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The statement said. Roy Drinkard recognized that Black Gold Plaza
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City officials met March thirty first to rename black Gold
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Court to Roy Drinkard Way in honor of longtime developer
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Roy Drinkard, recognizing his more than four decades of contributions
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to the economic development end hazard and his pivotal role
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in the creation of the Black Gold Plaza. Drinkard, now
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one hundred five continues to support the city as it
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prepares to welcome new retailers, including Hobby Lobby and TJ Mix.
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Hazard Middle School and Hazzard High School hosted a free
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outdoor spring concert featuring their choir programs at the Grand
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Park on Wednesday, April eighth. The event included food vendors
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and highlighted community support for music education in local schools.
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From the opinion page Religious Wars by Russ Cassiday, I
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can understand why the Catholic Church makes the administration of
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President Donald Trump so twitchy. After all, according to Pew
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Research Center, approximately twenty percent of adults in the United
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States described themselves as Catholic. That being said, according to Pew,
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only about twenty one percent a tend mass weekly, prey daily,
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and consider religion very important. Regardless, even many nominal Catholics
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listen to what the Pope says, and the words of
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Pope Leo the fourteenth, the first US born pope, surely
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give the Trump administration heartburn. Pope Leo has been in
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no way shy about calling out actions like those taken
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by the administration and its prosecution of a war or
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police action or whatever we're calling the war in Iran
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this week. Included in those statements was an especially salient
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homily on Palm Sunday, which included the statement, brothers and sisters,
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this is our God, Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war,
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whom no one can use to justify war. He does
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not listen to the prayers of those who wage war,
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but rejects them, saying, even though you make many prayers,
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I will not listen to you. Your hands are full
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of blood Isaiah one fifteenth. And despite news that the
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Trump administration is not happy with the Pope, it doesn't
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here he's backing down. In a prayer vigil for peace
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that the Pope hosted on April eleventh at Saint Peter's Basilica,
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Pope Leo continued to echo this tone. Dear brothers and sisters,
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there are certainly binding responsibilities that fall to the leaders
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of nations. Pope Leo said to them, we cry out, stop,
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It's time for peace. Sit at the table of dialogue
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and mediation, not at the table where rearmament is planned
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and deadly actions are decided. These statements seem to strike
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at the heart of the tone the administration has taken
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that attempts to paint the war as some kind of
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holy mission justified and endorsed by God. I think a
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lot of people misunderstand the role of the Pope, just
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as they misunderstand a lot about the Catholic Church. That aside,
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Pope Leo's words matter and his direct audience just under
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a quarter of the voting age people in the United
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States is something that any administration would want to be
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able to wield. However, clearly the Chicago born Pope Leo
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fourteenth isn't playing ball. I'm a fairly new Catholic, but
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I can say I'm not sure he should stay quiet
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in light of what's going on. The Catholic Church is
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radically pro life from room to two. Anything that brings
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about human suffering and death is in the crosshairs, even war.
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There are those who, I'm sure say the Pope should
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just shut up and stay in his lane. However, the
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morality of the world's millions of Catholics is his lane.
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A big part of the Pope's purpose is to help
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lend clarity to what the words and actions of Jesus
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Christ mean in today's world, and Popelio the fourteenth is
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deeply in his lane when he's helping guide the church
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to a strong anti war stance, since war in all
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cases diminishes the reality of the importance of human life
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and also worsens the quality of the lives of those impacting. Unfortunately,
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some people aren't taking the moral cues from the Pope
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or of their own spiritual leaders. They're taking their leave
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from politicians and bureaucrats drunk on power and seeking only personal,
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financial and social enrichment. As for me, I'll try to
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follow the lead of the guy who I think is
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amplifying the heart of Christ. Merely two thousand years ago,
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Jesus died on the cross, not for the good guys
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or with the bad guys, a designation that deeply depends
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on which side of the border you stand on, but
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from all people, Pope Leo is, I believe, attempting to
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express the same heart for humanity that Jesus did. That's
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his duty and his calling. And if a few politicians
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get mad about that, so be it. It's not the
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first time, and I doubt it will be the last.
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As for me, I think I'll join the Pope and
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praying that peace will rule and that instead of killing
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each other we start hammering our swords into plowshares and
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start spreading grace, mercy, and love instead of death and
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destruction and the guests column from Russell Coleman, Kentucky Attorney General.
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We've launched a new battle against a different type of addiction.
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For more than a decade, the fight against opioid addiction
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has been all consuming. Progress has come not enough and
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far too slowly, but every life saved makes the effort worthwhile.
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Today we have a new fight, protecting kids from the
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dangers facing them on their screens. Different addiction, but the
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same urgency. Last month, we've finally won a pair of
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major victories. New Mexico won a historic jury verdict against Meta,
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the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, accusing the corporation
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of creating a breeding round for child predators. The first
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phase of the trial, which put executives from one of
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the world's largest corporations on the stand, ended with an
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order for Meta to pay three hundred and seventy five
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million dollars. The second phase is scheduled for May and
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will bring court orders to prevent future harm, perhaps including
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additional monetary payments. Then, a separate California jury found Meta
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and YouTube deliberately designed their apps to be addictive in
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damaging to young people. In that case, Meta will have
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to pay millions more. The harm to our kids caused
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by Meta and other online platforms is both hard to
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quantify and something every parent could understand. The endless scrolling
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and dopamine driven like buttons sucked their children in and
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never let them go. Innocent kids and their developing brains
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face off against the most sophisticated tech programmers on the
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planet never really had a chance. Accountability for these major
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social media platforms doesn't end with those verdicts. Kentucky is
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part of a twenty nine state coalition litigating against Meta
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and a federal court, and we're set to go to
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trial later this year. A brief history lesson to counter
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the opioid addiction threat, Kentucky took major corporations responsible for
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the crisis to court and make them answer for the
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death's calls and communities ravage. Our commonwealth will receive more
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than one billion dollars in settlements to invest in prevention,
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treatment and recovery efforts. To make progress in the fight
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against drug addiction, we went after all parts of the industry, manufacturers, distributors, marketers,
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and the pharmacies themselves. In this case social media effort,
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we're casting a similar broad net. In addition to Meta,
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were filed cases against Google, TikTok, and Roadblocks for creating
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addiction and exploitation machines. Roadblocks is a particularly dangerous online
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environment for our children. Nearly two thirds of all American
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kids ages nine to twelve play games on Roadblocks. It
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has more monthly users than the population of the United States.
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Roadblocks cartoonic features hide a truly sinister reality. Despite repeated
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attempts to make the platform take child exploitation seriously, Roadblocks
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has allowed itself to become a playground for predators and
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a host for the foulest content, from Charlie kirk assassination
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simulators to a game depicting a mass shooting in a
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shopping mall. Kentucky is one of the first states to
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drag Roadblocks into court answer for its abuses, and by
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no means the last. As more heart stories of grooming, kidnapping,
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and self harm come to light, I'll continue encouraging parents
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to get their kids off Roadblocks until it can be
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made safe. Despite the various social media platforms differences, they
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all share a common priority profit over safety. Each of
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them could strengthen safety protocols, enforced age verification, and in
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unnecessary chat features. The result would be tremendous progress and
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keeping kids safe from predators online. Until they do. Will
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continue talking about these massive tech companies to court and
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holding accountable their generational harm. Although we are zealously pursuing
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our lawsuits, this fight won't be one in the courtroom alone.
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We're proud to work with the leading advocates and policymakers
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in Frankfort and Washington, including our Congressman Bret Guthrie, who
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chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Jamie Comer,
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leader of the House Oversight Committee. As always, parents are
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the last and best line of defense for our children.
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Armed with the truth about the dangers of facing kids online,
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it's the responsibility of parents to set reasonable safeguards for
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their kids and help them develop, learn and grow in
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the real world away from screens. This is the new
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flight of our time, and we're ready. The victories last
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month in New Mexico and California won't be the last.
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Here are the obituaries Larry Keith, bike sixty four of
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Hazard died Monday, April sixth. Edward red Holland Junior, seventy
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eight of Hazard died Saturday, April fourth. Doris Fay Tweets
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Smith seventy died April ninth. Matthew Archie Williams twenty nine
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died Sunday, April fifth. Don Samuel Klutz fifty three died Friday,
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April tenth, Paul way Lewis forty seven of Viper died Saturday,
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April fourth, and Jeanette Williams eighty seven died Thursday, April second.
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Kentucky State Police Post thirteen welcomes two new telecommunicators. On
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April eleventh, the Kentucky State Police announced the graduation of
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twenty two telecommunicators from the KSP Telecommunications Academy. These newly
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trained professionals will begin their assignments at kate SP posts
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across the commonwealth, serving as the crucial link between Kentuckians
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and law enforcement during times of need. According to a
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statement from KSP, two graduates have been assigned to Post
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thirteen Hazards. The statement said. KSP telecommunicators, the statement said,
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play an essential role in coordinating emergency response efforts, providing
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dispatch services for local law enforcement agencies, INCLUDINGSP troopers and
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commercial vehicle enforcement officers. In twenty twenty five, KSP telecommunicators
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answered nearly one million telephone calls, resulting in more than
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five hundred thirty two thousand, six hundred requests for assistance.
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The graduates of the KSP Academy assigned the Post thirteen
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or Gabriel James and Riley Mullins. ARH promotes student health
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through school partnerships across region. Appalachian Regional Healthcare AIH is
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highlighting its efforts to improve student health across the Central
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Appalachians through school based partnerships in recognition of National Healthy
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Schools Week, according to a statement. According to the public statement,
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AIHS Community Development Team works directly with schools to provide education,
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preventing care, and essential health services aimed at helping students
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build lifelong healthy habits. National Healthy Schools Week is a
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perfect reminder that students' wellness goes beyond the classroom, said
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Daniel Harmon, arh's director of Community Development in the statement.
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Hospital school partnerships allow us to provide education and services
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in schools, helping children stay healthy in setting the foundation
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for a healthier a Bulthood. The Hazard Police Department congratulated
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Aaron Messer on his graduation from Public Safety Dispatch Academy,
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which consists of a four week course with one hundred
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and sixty four hours of classroom and practical instruction. PSC
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partially grants Kentucky Powers request for a rehearing on rate
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case issues. In an order issued April ninth, the Kentucky
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Public Service Commission has partially granted Kentucky Power's request for
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a rehearing on certain issues related to its most recent case.
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In the rate case, Kentucky Power was granted permission to
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institute a rate increase that will translate into a six
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point sixty three percent increase in rates for the average
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residential customer, which will be instituted over two years. Following
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the PSC's March twenty seventh decision on the rate increase,
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Kentucky Power filed a request for a rehearing on several
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issues within the rate case. The PSC, in its April
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ninth order, denied a rehearing on some issues, but granted
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Kentucky Power our rehearing on some issues raised by the company,
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including reclassification of vegetation management expenditures. The adjustment made by
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the PSC to other compensation, the adjustment to incentive compensation
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tied to reliability, the transmission expense adjustment, and rate case expenses.
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In the order, the PSC said the rehearing was granted
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in order to obtain additional information before rendering the decision
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on the issues. In a previous filing related to the
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rehearing request, Kentucky Power said the issues in the rehearing
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would have minimal, if any, impacts on customer rates. If
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all rehearing requests are accepted by the Commission, there would
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be minimal, if any, customer rate impact, as the increase
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in the revenue requirement would be offset by an increase
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in the use of the deferred tax liabilities already being
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utilized by the PSC in its order, the motion said.
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In the motion, the company argues that the PSC's denials
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and adjustments made to the settlement agreement the company reached
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in the case imposed significant negative effects and undermine Kentucky
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Power's ability to earn the return approved as a reasonable
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in the order. As a result, despite the PS's stated
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intention to place the company in substantially the same financial
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position it would have occupied under the settlement agreement, the
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order instead poses material risks to Kentucky Power's financial health
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and ability to operate at current levels. America's two hundred
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and fiftieth anniversary celebrated at Pound Gap, a memorial to
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a Civil War battle at Pound Gap, served as a
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pointed unity on April eleventh, as numerous individuals and organizations
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gathered to celebrate the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of
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the founding of the United States of America. The Sons
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of Confederate Veterans, been called A camp number of sixteen
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twenty nine, based in Whitesburg, hosted the event at the
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Pound Gap Battlefield Park, just off US twenty three on
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the Kentucky Virginia border. According to Jamie Trent, commander of
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the then call the camp, the event was initially planned
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with a different purpose, but grew to encompass all of
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greater calls. This initially started out as the Confederate Flag
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Day celebrations, said, and we decided to celebrate the two
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hundred and fiftieth celebration of America as a whole. We
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enactors representing various eras of the nation's history from the
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Revolutionary War to the twentieth century, as well as veterans
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and others gathered to participate. Cherokee Tribe members performed a
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seven blessing ceremony. Rick Ravelle portrayed the nation's first President,
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George Washington, and members of the Electra County Junior ROTC
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addressed the crowd, speaking of their experiences and their futures.
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State Representative Mitchen Whittaker was among the speakers and said
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the event offered an opportunity to those in attendance fokasos
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not just the past, but on the future as well.
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It's an honor to be here to celebrate the two
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hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the United States of America.
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Two and a half centuries of freedom, perseverance, and enduring
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belief that a people united in purpose and guided by
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faith can govern themselves with it. Have said dis event
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today is a celebration of an idea born in seventeen
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seventy six that's withstood hardship, division and trial, yet continues
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to shine as a beacon of hope to the world.
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This concludes the reading of the Hazard Herald. Please stay
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tuned for continued programming. Thank you for joining me and
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long behalf of everyone here at RADIOI this is Lee Townshend,
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wishing you a good day.