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Ashland Daily Independent - 5.20.26 · Eastern Kentucky Newspapers

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Speaker 1: We now turn to The Ashland Independent to bring you
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news from in and around Ashland and Boyd County. Your
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reader to day is Jane. We begin with the edition
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dated May sixteenth, twenty twenty sixth as a reminder Radioizer
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reading service intended for people who are blind or have
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other disabilities that make it difficult to read printed material.
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Our first article, roade House surprises kindergarten teacher with honor
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by Allison's Good for The Daily Independent. As a first
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year kindergarten teacher, Anne West Virginia native Gracie Gerrard has
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already found home with Pogue Elementary. Ashland's Texas roade House
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recognize Gerrard as their teacher of the Year, rewarding her
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with free stake every month for a year for her
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outstanding work as an educator. She is a wonderful young lady.
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She works her tail off, the kids love her and
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she's been a wonderful addition to our staff and our building,
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said Pog Elementary Principal Steve Branham. We think the world
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of her. Meghan Coombs, Ashland's Texas Roadhouse local store Marketer
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visited the school with their mascot Andy. The Armadillo to
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surprise her and her classroom. It's honestly just empowering. I
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didn't expect to win, Gerrard said. I assumed it would
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be somebody who'd been teaching for a long time, but
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it's a very big confidence boost, especially at the end
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of the year. Coombs explained while this year's award was
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a close call between several nominated teachers, Gerrard had the
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most nominations and heartwarming responses from family, friends, and parents
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of students. Some of the anonymous responses to the form include,
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Miss Girard is such a wonderful teacher. She had helped
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my child more than she will ever know. My daughter
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was struggling at the beginning of the year academically. Miss
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Gerrard had so much faith in her and she continued
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motivating and encouraging her. She also was so kind with
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how she would ease my mind and make me not
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worry so much. Miss Gerrard deserves Teacher of the Year
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for all that she has done. She has such a
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love for children, a kind heart, and a desire to
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see the young ones flourish. I have a four and
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a half year old boy, and the way she interacts
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with him makes me wish that he could be in
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her classroom. I remember my kindergarten teacher at thirty nine
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years old, and I know that she will also so
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be a teacher to remember. Gerard said she has enjoyed
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getting to watch her students grow as her first year
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of teaching comes to an end and can't wait to
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spend her next year teaching with the school again. Thank
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you to everybody that voted for me. I couldn't have
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done it without the parents. They are very great supporters,
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Gerard said. I hope these kids are going to be
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in my life forever. Our next article Legislator's recap twenty
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twenty six session. Webb, Flannery, Sharpe, Thompson take part in
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panel by Aaron Snyder of the Daily Independent. Areas State
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legislators covered a broad array of topics from economic development
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to Kentucky's state dog during the legislative wrap up on
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Tuesday at five and dime Creative in Ashland. The all
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Republican panel included twenty seven year veteran Senator Robin Webb,
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Republican of Grayson, and Rookie Representative Aaron Thompson, Republican of
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Greenup on one side of the moderator Amanda Clark and
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Rep's Scott Sharp Republican Ashland, and Patrick Flannery Republican Olive
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Hill on the other. Clark, director of Economic and Business
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Development at Kentucky Power, posed five questions to each legislator
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during the launch event sponsored by Kentucky Power in the
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Northeast Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. Thompson said the latest sixty
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day session was much more of a slug than the
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thirty day session in twenty twenty five. Thomson has represented
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it District ninety eight since January twenty twenty five. He
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said he leaned on Senator Web a great deal to
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get a better understanding of the process and know what
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we should do on a daily basis. Web, senator for
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District eighteen since two thousand and nine, was a Democrat
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until May twenty twenty five. She set a highlight of
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the session, which concluded on April fifteenth, was passing a
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two year, thirty two point four billion dollar state budget.
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While working on budgets is Webb's comfort zone, she called
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it exhausting but exhilarating. The last two weeks can be
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pretty contentious, even when we all get along the rest
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of the time. Webb said it's always challenging. There are
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a lot of variables that affect prioritization of revenue. Flannery,
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in his ninth year in the role of representing the
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ninety sixth district and Sharp, the one hundredth House district
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representatives since twenty twenty one, both also said the budget
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was a highlight of this session. I think it was
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a good budget. Sharp said economic development. Clark pointed out
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Kentucky Power as making economic development a priority in its
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service territory. She asked what work did the General Assembly
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do in the twenty twenty sixth session to promote economic development.
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Clark later asked what they each viewed as the most
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pressing issue for the area. Answers to both questions revolved
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around economic development. Thompson said according to the Kentucky Cabinet
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for Economic Development, Greenup and Boyd County's rank numbers one
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and two for site selection visits and RFI submittals across
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all one hundred and twenty five counties. Thompson said, while
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the emphasis is on delivering, that should still be considered
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a plus. We're doing a better job of making sure
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we're getting looked that eyes are on our area. Thomson said.
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He commended the Northeast Kentucky Economic Development Authority, led by
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Hunter Boyd and Judges Executive Bobby Hall of GREENIP and
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Eric Cheney of Boyd, for its instrumental role is making
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sure we are raising our hand for people to come
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and look at our area. He said. Rural Kentucky areas
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need to improve their strategies in promoting their offerings. We
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need to do more to make sure we're bringing people
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into rural Kentucky, Thompson said. Web and Sharp both talked
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about the importance of nuclear energy as the state continues
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to advance major projects in that realm. The budget highlights
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a commitment to those projects. Web said, Sharp said having
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a competitive energy rate is essential to boosting economic development.
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Flannery said the number one driver that you see with
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state governments is tax policy. Flannery pointed out the state
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income tax has dropped from five percent to three point
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five percent from twenty twenty to twenty twenty six. He said,
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while many get caught up in quantity of jobs, a
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figure that's just as impactful as the number of higher
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wage jobs an area may attract all four mentioned Northeast
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Kentucky's strong workforce as a benefit for prospective opportunities, with
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technical education systems at both the high school and collegiate
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levels churning out work ready folks. Thompson said House Bill
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eight sixty nine, which was passed and signed by Governor
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Amirbashir in April, addresses state economic initiatives, tax breaks, public
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notice requirements, and local government regulations. The Kentucky Product Development Initiative,
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which is designed to upgrade industrial sites and prepare build
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ready land, is a really good step in the right direction,
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according to Thompson. Web said the driver locally is the
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healthcare industry, where a healthcare hub and healthcare region. Web said,
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those are the kinds of things that will keep us
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from suffering depopulation as forecasted. Sharp said he started a
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German American Economic Development Caucus that's going nationwide in July,
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as Germany continues to play pivotal roles in the Commonwealth's
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economic landscape. Priorities prior to next session. When Clark asked
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about priorities in the interim and leading up to the
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twenty twenty seven legislative session, Flannery said, with the topics
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of AI and data centers heating up. There's some unfinished
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business on how to properly address that. He also said
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Medicaid can become a problem, but it's critical to our economy.
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Sharpe wants to see an economic stress test linking Europe
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and the Indo Pacific and how that hostility is going
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to affect us. Thompson said of the one million, six
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hundred and one thousand, seven hundred bills introduced between the
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House and Senate, about one point fifty were passed into law.
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Thompson said he and Weber continuing to work on companion
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bills enhancing the safety of special education classrooms. He is
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also looking at creating an advance practice respiratory care license
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in Kentucky between committees and task forces on which she serves.
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Webb estimated she is in Frankfort six to eight days
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a month in the interim. Preparation for the next budget
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session will be a point of emphasis, she said. Webb,
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who likes to hunt and fish when possible, said she
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was proud of a bill naming Kentucky State Dog, which
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finally passed. Kentucky State Dog is the treeing Walker coonhound.
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Senator Craig Richardson Webb said told her, I don't know
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anything more Kentucky than your dog. Bill Webb, who has
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voice support for Representative James Comer, who plans to run
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for governor in twenty twenty seven, said another must is
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trying to get an executive branch to work with the
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General Assembly, referring to hopes of better flow of information
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and communications, work life balance between families, travel, and day jobs.
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Striking a balance can be difficult for legislators, said web
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I'd like to think after all these years, I finally
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got a rhythm, but it's hard. Web said. Being a
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state senator and a practicing attorney are two full time jobs,
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but I've had a lot of help. I'm honored to serve.
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She said. Public service is something that no young person
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or anybody should rule out, whether it's a civic group
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or school board. We need it. Thompson, who has been
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in various political positions since graduating from Greenow County High
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School and the University of Kentucky, said he couldn't manage
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the workload without his wife, who takes care of their
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three year old plus me. He said it's been a
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learning curve, but he's figuring out how to manage the
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interim and in session periods. Sharp, a retired active duty
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military member, said it's crucial for legislators to band together
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and go over things that are happening regularly. Flannery, also
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an attorney, said there's no way I could do it
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without supportive family and friends. He has two daughters, a
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kindergartener and sixth grader. You have to be well rounded
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as a person and in touch with real issues affecting people,
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Flannery said. In other news, Save Harbor director asks for
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support by Aaron Snyder of the Daily Independent, Save Harbor
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of Northeast Kentucky's director said the nonprofit organization needs the
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support of the city more than ever before. Anne Perkins
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said during the public participation period of Thursday City Commission
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meeting that five hundred thousand dollars has been cut for
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from Safe Harbor's budget compared to last year. It's the
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first time in our history of forty two years we've
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experienced the kinds of cuts we are dealing with, Perkins said.
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She said this is at the state and federal level.
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Perkins said Governor Andybasheer had put two million dollars in
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the budget as the nonprofit previously requested, but the House
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and Senate denied those extra funds. Safe Harbor's budget is
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set at two point five million this year. The domestic
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violence shelter has thirty full time employees. It has housed
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more than twenty thousand individuals over the last four plus decades.
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Safe Harbor has sixty emergency beds, thirty transitional beds, and
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thirty four Section eight project based apartments. It offers twenty
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four to seven service for Boyd, Greenup, Carter, Lawrence, and
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Elliott Counties. It transports folks across northeast Kentucky to court,
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school and medical appointments, and more. Perkins said, with Medicaid
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and snap benefit cuts coupled with high grocery and gasoline prices,
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the task is formidable. The state has more money today
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than in the history of the state of Kentucky, but
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the non profit arena is being cut. Perkins said, it's
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not just Safe Harbor, it's every single nonprofit dealing with this.
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Perkins said federal funding is at risk. There is a
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stay on federal grants to hopefully prevent them from termination,
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but if those stays don't hold up, everybody in the
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United States will be affected. Perkins said. Families they serve
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are working poor. They go to work every day, but
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don't make above poverty level to maintain families and household
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Perkins said. According to Perkins, the last three King's Daughters
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employees to be recognized for outstanding service are former Safe
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Harbor victims. She said three women who were found dead
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recently in Eastern Kentucky were all Safe Harbor women. We
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serve all people, whether rich or poor, black or white
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or whatever, but also the most at risk. She said,
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I can't thank the city enough for all that you do.
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Keep us in mind and in prayer. Let's do something
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about ending homelessness and domestic violence. It will take all
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of us together. Commissioner Sonny Martin said the community would
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be in far worse place without Safe Harbor. As part
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of the Commission's consent agenda, the board approved authorization of
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the Mayor to execute the Certification of Local Approval for
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Safe Harbor, which specifically pertains to the Safe Harbor of
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Northeast Kentucky Emergency Solutions Grant. The approval is a requirement
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for emergency shelter activities under the grant program. Moving on
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Pike Native's musical career chronicled in new book by Leeward
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of The Daily Independent. If the name Gary Stewart doesn't
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ring a bell, maybe his number one country hit she's
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acting single will. The Jenkins native had a string of
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hits over his nearly forty year career about critical acclaim
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outweighed commercial success. Despite a career as a honky tonk
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rock country artist, Stuart endured several tragedies, from the death
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of his wife to his son's suicide and his own
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substance abuse. Journalists and biographer Jimmy McDonough has written a
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home about him, Gary Stewart. I Am from the honky
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Tonk is available everywhere and also on ebook and audiobook.
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How did you meet Gary mcdonaugh? I tracked him down
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to a trailer he was living in down in Fort Pierce, Florida.
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We spoke on the phone and it was instantly apparent
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we were both record hounds with similar tastes in music.
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I wanted an interview that Gary couldn't have cared less
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about fame and fortune didn't interest him. He told me
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if I found him a forty five by wild Bill
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Emerson called Harlan County, he'd give me an interview. Then
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he hung up, no doubt, thinking he got rid of me.
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I found the record in days and insisted on delivering
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it myself. This led to a profile on Gary for
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the Village Voice newspaper and started my career as a biolographer.
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I have written books on many talented individuals, including Al Green,
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Tammy Wynette, and Neil Young. Nobody moved me personally more
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than Gary Stewart country rock, rockabilly, blues pop. Gary could
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do it all effortlessly. Plus he was the greatest guy.
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If you knew him, you loved him. Question why did
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this book take so long to write? Mcdonnaugh. I got
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busy writing other books. Many tragedies happened concerning the story.
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I had to figure out a way to tell it.
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It drove me crazy, frankly, but I never gave up,
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mainly thanks to Gary's daughter, Shannon, who stayed on me
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to finish it. Question what were the most interesting things
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you've learned doing the book? Mcdonnaugh. Gary was a Civil
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War buff I wish i'd ask him about. Gary liked
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to throw his voice and do bird calls. It would
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drive waitresses crazy. They'd all be looking around for the
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damn bird question the most surprising McDonough. Gary was a
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ferocious honky tonker, but he was also capable of great kindness,
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not just with me but everybody. He gave away guitars, jewelry,
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books and records. On the other hand, if you had
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something Gary wanted, he would talk you out of it.
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Gary cherished all things Appalachia. He talked about it often
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and loved returning to Kentucky and shout out to wise Virginia.
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There were some musicians where Gary dug playing with. In
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other news, sex Crimes Want an Endangerment among green Up
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indictments by Aaron Snyder of the Daily Independent, a Greenup
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County grandeur handed up a pair of indictments last week.
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An indictment is a former accusation and is not necessarily
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an indication of guilt. Anyone named in an indictment should
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be presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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The following people were also indicted by a Greenop County
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grand jury. Dale Moore, fifty eight, of Greenup was indicted
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on two counts of first degree sexual abuse of a
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victim incapable of consent because they are mentally incapacitated. Kayla Westfall,
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thirty six, of Greenup was indicted on the following charges
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endangering the welfare of a minor, failure to report child dependency, neglect, abuse,
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tampering with a witness, and first degree wanton endangerment. Recent
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obituaries Don Kendall seventy seventy two formerly a Vast Howard c.
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Combe died May fourteenth, twenty twenty sixth, and Deborah Lee
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Howard Mollins seventy two, formerly of Catleitzburg. In other news,
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Well Doggies hot Dog Festival will be June sixth. The
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city will become hot dog Central on June sixth, when
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the twenty second annual West Virginia Hot Dog Festival returned
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to downtown Huntington's Pullman Square. At least twelve of the
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area's most popular hot dog businesses will serve between ten
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am and five pm, including Stuart's Original Hot Dogs of
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Huntington and Canova, Marti Gras, Casino's Famous Cafe Orleans of
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Cross Lanes, Holy Smoke Barbecue of Cerrito's Sausage Dogs, Triple
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H Drive In of Lvelette's Hot Dogs and Corn Dogs,
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The Shakery Drive In in Ireton's Vegan Hot Dog, Jimmy
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Jim's Steak and Spaghetti House of Huntington's TNL Hot Dogs,
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Sam's Hot Dogs of Westmoreland and East Huntington, Walker's Market Pizza,
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Fresh Meat and Deli of Barbersville. Other vendors include Rick's Lemonade,
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Little Orbit's, Miny Donuts, ConA Ice, The Cookie Jar, Scraggle
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Pop Kettle Corn. In addition, a variety of activities and
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events will be offered, including a car truck and cycle show,
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dog costume contest, All Breed's Races, the annual Wiener Dog Races,
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live music from Souls of the Wounded, BBC Band and Shotglass,
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hot dog eating and root beer Chugging contest, and the
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Kids Wiener Flip Contest. The festival also include vendor booths, prizes, crafts,
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dog adoption opportunities, the Pet Zone, and a free Kid Zone.
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The festival is a fundraiser for the Hoops Family Children's
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Hospital in Huntington. Moving On Grayson receives four hundred thousand
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dollars for new firetruck by Allison Scott for The Daily Independent.
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Many special visitors, including Representative Patrick Flannery, Republican of Olive
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Hill and Senator Robin Webb, Republican of Grayson, and Kentucky
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Christian University staff and students were in attendance during Grayson's
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City council meeting Tuesday. The meeting began with the presentation
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of a four hundred thousand dollars check made to the
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City of Grayson and Fire Chief Greg Feltief from Flannery
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and Webb to purchase a new firetruck. Said while this
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year's budget was difficult and highly competitive, this was a
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top priority for Mayor Troy Colmes and for them as
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they were happy to recognize the fire Department's dedication and efforts.
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A Grayson Historic walking trail was also discussed and is
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in the works through the collaboration of Business Cultivation Foundations
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Renee Parsons, along with KCU History Professor doctor Geryl Dyson
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and his students Caitlin Justice and Christian Altser. In celebration
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of this year, marking America's two hundred and fiftieth anniversary,
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the Kentucky Historical Society's grant program America to fifty KY,
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distributed two hundred and thirty seven thousand, two hundred and
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twenty three dollars to twenty eight organizations across twenty counties
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who applied and were awarded for their projects. Of those recipients,
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Carter County was awarded ten thousand dollars for its project
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of a physical and digital passport pamphlet that will consist
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of fourteen stops of Grayson's history. I want to say
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that part of this is about fostering historical awareness in
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our community, Dyson said to the council. We have a
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ton of history here but very little that's published about it.
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Lana Axtell, Executive director of Tourism, also assisted with funding
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and promoting the project. While it is still in the works,
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Dyson said, a final draft will be produced by June first.
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Tourism Commission member Shadow Skaggs and Holly Canfield, executive director
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of Paramount Arts Center Incorporated, were in attendance for any
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additional questions regarding their previous proposal of a standing room
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only entertainment venue in Grayson. This conclude excerpts from recent
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editions of the Ashland Daily Independent. Your reader has beend
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Jane on behalf of everyone here at radio. I thank
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you for listening, Keep on listening and have a good day.