Saturday, February 28, 2009
Deadly Accident Burns Two Beyond Recognition
Pikeville Kentucky State Police report three people died at the scene Friday morning around 8:00 A.M. when the pickup truck they were in collided head on with a Pepsi delivery truck. The accident occurred on US 460 in Johnson County, between Paintsville and Staffordsville. 41 year old Ricky Brown of River, Ky., the driver of the Pepsi truck, owned by East Kentucky Bottling of Staffordsville, has told police the pickup was in his lane, and, when he swerved into the oncoming lane to miss it, the pickup swerved back. The vehicles made contact, and the pickup burst into flames. 21 year old Dustin Lee Rodriguez was ejected from the pickup and killed. Two other occupants of the pickup were burned beyond recognition. Ricky Brown is listed in serious condition at Cabell Huntington Hospital.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 7:02 AM
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Paul B Hall To Hold Bone Marrow Drive
Paul B. Hall Medical Center in Paintsville has scheduled a bone marrow testing drive for 10 year old Kyle Smith of Elkhorn City. Smith, who is battling Acute Leukemia, just completed his latest round of chemo. The drive will be held from 10:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. next Thursday.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 10:25 PM
MSHA Meets With Mine Operators
Mine Safety and Health Administration officials met Thursday (today) with mine operators in Floyd County to discuss upcoming deadlines in the 2006 Miner Act. Beginning June 15th, mines will be required to have a two-way, wireless system that will allow communication between underground miners and workers on the surface. That technology is still in the works. MSHA says, as long as they're approved, mines are allowed to use other forms of two-way communication.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 10:07 PM
Nearly Thirty Companies Hold Job Fair In Pikeville
Nearly thirty local companies held a job fair in Pikeville Thursday (today) while hundreds came to apply for available positions. Government agencies at the fair say, in a few months, the stimulus plan will create more jobs in their agencies.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 9:56 PM
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Fiscal Court Authorizes Deed For Energy Research Center
As a step in the process of cementing Pike County's reputation as America's Energy Capital, Fiscal Court members have authorized Pike County Judge Executive Wayne T. R utherford to sign and execute a deed to property on Scott Fork. The property along US119, a few miles outside of Pikeville, was given to the county by th Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. The county plans to construct an energy research center on the property. The center will focus on building pilot-scale alternative energy plants with commercialization as one goal and workforce training for the energy industry as another.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 10:55 PM
Recovery Specialists Calculating Kentucky Ice Storm Damage
State and federal officials say damage estimates from Kentucky's January ice storm will likely top $185 million, but Kentucky Emergency Management officials and FEMA officials say the final figure will be higher. They say damages were primarily related to the state's electric utilities. The USDA announced Wednesday (today) it will spend $900,000 on storm cleanup in Kentucky.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 10:41 PM
Letcher County Water Safe To Use
A non-consumption water advisory issued to Letcher County residents warning them to not to use water, except for flushing toilets, has been lifted. The advisory went out on Feburary 16th following the discovery of diesel oil seeping into the North Fork of the Kentucky River. The Department for Environmental Protection says a laboratory analysis at the Whitesburg plant now finds no measurable levels of diesel fuel in the water. The state has issued a notice of violation to Don Childers, owner of Childers Oil Inc.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 10:26 PM
Kentucky Plans For Stimulus Money
Governor Steve Beshear has announced, over the next 28 months, the state will receive $3.2 billion in federal stimulus money. He says the money will preserve jobs and create new ones, provide new roads and bridges along with water and sewer lines. Beshear says the state will also pursue billions of dollars worth of federal grants including transportation, energy and broadband network expansion.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 10:15 PM
House Passes Make-Up Bill
The House voted 96-2 Wednesday (today) to approve legislation that would give some Kentucky school districts the option to not make up as many as 10 missed school days. As a result of the January ice storm and an earlier windstorm in the wake of Hurricane Ike, some districts missed more than 20 days. The legislation affects districts in counties declared federal disaster areas. Others would have to seek approval from state education officials. The legislation, House Bill 322, now goes to the Senate.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 9:59 PM
Goody's Closing Doors For The Last Time
Goody's Clothing stores in Hazard, Corbin, London and Pikeville are closing their doors for good Thursday. The Knoxville-based chain, which had 287 stores in 20 states, filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time in January and declared plans to liquidate.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 9:50 PM
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
KSP Sergeant To Do Community Service
Kentucky State Police Sergeant Timothy Moore of the Ashland Post has been ordered to do 160 hours of community service and pay court costs. Moore, who was arrested by Pikeville police following a July concert at the Expo Center was charged with alcohol intoxication, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. During proceedings, Moore issued an official apology to police and the courts.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 9:45 PM
Stumbo Amends State Ethics Report
It appears Kentucky House Speaker Greg Stumbo (D-Prestonsburg) made a mistake before amending his state ethics report Tuesday (today), disclosing he was part owner of thoroughbred Kassidy's Kiss. Stumbo said he owned about 20% of the racehorse, but his 2009 report claimed he sold his stake. Stumbo's office says, last month, they called the Legislative Ethics Commission about a possible error on his 2008 financial disclosure papers.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 9:33 PM
Domestic Disturbance Ends With Three Injuries
Kentucky State Police are continuing to investigate a domestic disturbance which occurred Monday night in the Topmost community of Knott County. Officials say an apparent fight among family members resulted in one shooting, one stabbing and a boy being hit with a blunt object. 20 year old Justin Collins was shot in the right leg and Tommy Collins was stabbed in the abdomen. All three were taken to McDowell Appalachian Regional Healthcare, where Tommy Collins was transferred to University of Kentucky Hospital.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 9:16 PM
Worker Finds Human Remains In Georgetown
Tuesday (today) state archeologists were on the construction site in Alton Estates of Georgetown where workers found human remains while digging there Monday. Officials say a worker was digging a water line when he found bones, which archeologists believe could be part of an isolated burial site or a family plot.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 9:03 PM
Kentucky House Panel Approves Electric Vehicles
Tuesday (today) a Kentucky House panel approved a plan that would, by state law, allow slow-moving electric vehicles to travel on Kentucky roadways. Last summer, Governor Beshear signed an executive order allowing them. The measure, sponsored by Rep. Steve Riggs (D-Louisville) would make the order a permanent state law. The proposal now heads to the full House.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 8:52 PM
School Boards Ponder Make-Up Days
Kentucky school officials in several districts are monitoring bills in the legislature which could reduce the number of make-up days needed to complete the school year. Several eastern Kentucky school districts missed more than 20 days during ice, snow and wind storms which have hit the state. School boards in Martin, Magoffin and Johnson counties are planning to cancel spring break in order to make up missed days before CATS testing begins. They will make final decisions after the legislature votes. State officials say the bills are in committees, and it may take two or three weeks to reach a decision.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 8:03 PM
Board Votes AgainTo Close Lost Creek School
Just one week after the Perry County School Board voted to keep Lost Creek Elementary School open next year, the board voted 4-1 again Tuesday (today) to close it. Pressure from a struggling budget has forced board members to reverse the last decision to keep it open for at least another year. Members say they still had a $300,000 hole in the budget and staff cuts were unavoidable while counting on possible funding from the county was not a solid way of balancing it.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 7:51 PM
Mine Owner Pushes For Safety Cuts
Coal mine owner, Rep. Keith Hall (D-Phelps) is pushing House Bill 119, which would reduce from two to one the number of mine emergency technicians required at coal mines, if the mine employs fewer than 18 people. The House Committee on Natural Resources and the Environment, where Hall is vice-chairman, approved the bill February 12th. The bill awaits a full House vote. Several Kentucky citizens and labor groups are asking lawmakers to defeat the proposal.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 7:37 PM
Mine Safety Bill Passes Senate
Pikeville Democrat and State Senator Ray Jones is pushing a mine safety bill. Tuesday (today), the Kentucky Senate passed legislation, by a 38-0 vote, that would require coal mines to have their global positioning coordinates listed so, during emergencies, medical helicopters can find them more quickly. The legislation would also require local Kentucky State Police posts and 911 call centers serving areas with coal mines to keep GPS coordinates handy. The bill now heads to the House.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 7:23 PM
Monday, February 23, 2009
Trooper Island Raffle
It's time again for KSP'S annual Trooper Island Raffle. The 2009 raffle features a hemi-powered, 372-horsepower Dodge Challenger RT. Tickets are being sold at any of KSP,s 16 posts for only $10 each. At the Kentucky State Fair, on August 20th the winning ticket will be drawn. Tropper Island is a free summer camp for disadvantaged boys and girls, age 10 to 12, financed entirely by donations. The camp is located on Dale Hollow Road in Clinton County.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 10:47 PM
Legislative Leaders Not In Favor Of Gas Tax Drop
Because of a change in the wholesale price, Kentucky's gasoline tax was set to drop by four cents a gallon. But, House Speaker Greg Stumbo says legislative leaders are in favor of freezing the current tax and not allowing the drop to kick in. Rick Rand, House budget committee chairman, says the state would lose up to $132 million , if the tax falls by four cents. Stumbo says road construction projects would have to halt.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 10:09 PM
PMC Tests Hundreds For Bone Marrow Match
Hundreds turned out Monday (today) when Pikeville Medical Center held a bone marrow drive for 10 year old Kyle Smith of Elkhorn City, who has Acute Leukemia. Smith's family says he is currently undergoing his second round of chemo treatments.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 10:01 PM
UNITE Targets Lawrence And Martin Counties
Operation UNITE is active in 29 southeastern Kentucky counties. At a luncheon in Louisa, the task force pitched its treatment and education programs. They say, in 2009, they're targeting Lawrence and Martin counties as top priorities.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 9:52 PM
KSP Investigate Armed Robbery
Kentucky State Police are investigating an armed robbery which occurred at the Meta Double Kwik located at 24 Johns Creek Road Sunday morning around 5:00 A.M. Troopers say, a white male, approximately six feet tall, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and armed with a shotgun entered the convenience store and demanded money from the cash register before escaping with an undetermined amount of money. It is the second time, in the last three months, the store has been robbed and the eighth Pike County robbery in the last three months.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 9:36 PM
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Former Vicco Officials Sentenced.
Attorney General Jack Conway and his Department of Criminal Investigations announce that Harry Ward, the former mayor of the city of Vicco in Perry County, and his son, Gary Ward, a former city commissioner, have each entered an Alford Plea to a charge of official misconduct first degree, a Class A misdemeanor.
The Office of the Attorney General began investigating the case at the request of Kentucky State Police in 2004 after a complaint from a local bank involving unauthorized transfers of city funds. Investigators discovered that while in office both Harry and Gary Ward had been using city funds for their own benefit. Gary Ward had also falsified bills to the Vicco city attorney and wrote several hundred dollars in cold checks into the city’s petty cash fund.
Perry Circuit Court Judge William Engle has sentenced Harry Ward, who had been serving on the Vicco City Commission, to 12 months in the county jail probated for 24 months or until restitution is paid to the city of Vicco in the amount of $10,750. Engle sentenced Gary Ward to 12 months in the county jail probated for 24 months or until restitution of $17,248 is made to the city.
At the request of local officials, Harry Ward has resigned from the Vicco City Commission.
The Office of the Attorney General began investigating the case at the request of Kentucky State Police in 2004 after a complaint from a local bank involving unauthorized transfers of city funds. Investigators discovered that while in office both Harry and Gary Ward had been using city funds for their own benefit. Gary Ward had also falsified bills to the Vicco city attorney and wrote several hundred dollars in cold checks into the city’s petty cash fund.
Perry Circuit Court Judge William Engle has sentenced Harry Ward, who had been serving on the Vicco City Commission, to 12 months in the county jail probated for 24 months or until restitution is paid to the city of Vicco in the amount of $10,750. Engle sentenced Gary Ward to 12 months in the county jail probated for 24 months or until restitution of $17,248 is made to the city.
At the request of local officials, Harry Ward has resigned from the Vicco City Commission.
# posted by Joe Kinzer @ 6:26 AM
Over 600 Pills And Money Seized In Letcher County Drug Bust.
Summary: On 02/19/2009 an investigation led Kentucky State Police Post 13 Interdiction Detail along with Letcher County Sheriff’s Department, HIDTA Task Force and Commercial Vehicle Enforcement to execute a search warrant on the residence of Billy Stewart in the Isom Community of Letcher County.
During the search 626 assorted pills and $16,738.00 in US currency was located and and conficated. Billy Stewart was arrested and charged with Trafficking Controlled Substance 2nd Degree, Tampering with Physical Evidence, and Resisting Arrest and lodged in the Letcher County Jail. Investigation is continuing by Det. Ben Campbell.
During the search 626 assorted pills and $16,738.00 in US currency was located and and conficated. Billy Stewart was arrested and charged with Trafficking Controlled Substance 2nd Degree, Tampering with Physical Evidence, and Resisting Arrest and lodged in the Letcher County Jail. Investigation is continuing by Det. Ben Campbell.
# posted by Joe Kinzer @ 6:25 AM
H.E.L.P. Receives Funding.
Pikeville, Ky.—On Thursday, Feb. 19, Pike County Judge/Executive Wayne T. Rutherford and state Representative W. Keith Hall presented Helping Ease Life’s Poverty (H.E.L.P.) Director Monk Sanders with checks totaling $30,000.
The funding, which was provided through coal severance taxes, will go to pay for a walk-in freezer to aid H.E.L.P. in distributing more food to those in need. Pike County Magistrate Hilman Dotson and the rest of the Pike County Fiscal Court allocated $5,000 in coal severance to the initiative, while Rep. Hall allocated the remaining $25,000.
Sanders tried for several months to get funding to buy a freezer, because he said he had to turn away donations of frozen food, since he had no place to store it. Upon receiving notification that the organization would receive funding for the project, Monk had the freezer installed in September. The $30,000 will reimburse the organization the money it has already paid towards the freezer’s installation, and will pay off the remainder of the debt.
Since the freezer’s installation, Sanders said he has not had the opportunity to receive many donations of frozen food, because the region has experienced many natural disasters recently.
The funding, which was provided through coal severance taxes, will go to pay for a walk-in freezer to aid H.E.L.P. in distributing more food to those in need. Pike County Magistrate Hilman Dotson and the rest of the Pike County Fiscal Court allocated $5,000 in coal severance to the initiative, while Rep. Hall allocated the remaining $25,000.
Sanders tried for several months to get funding to buy a freezer, because he said he had to turn away donations of frozen food, since he had no place to store it. Upon receiving notification that the organization would receive funding for the project, Monk had the freezer installed in September. The $30,000 will reimburse the organization the money it has already paid towards the freezer’s installation, and will pay off the remainder of the debt.
Since the freezer’s installation, Sanders said he has not had the opportunity to receive many donations of frozen food, because the region has experienced many natural disasters recently.
# posted by Joe Kinzer @ 6:24 AM
