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City BOE discusses renovations and funding cuts
Students in the Hazard Independent School system may have left for summer break from an unfinished building, but should expect to return to newly renovated facilities, as the Hazard Middle and Roy G. Eversole Elementary schools are nearing completion this month. Joseph Clark, an architect with the firm Clotfelter-Samokar, presented the Hazard Independent School Board at their monthly meeting last week with photos of some of the completed re...
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This home near the Wendell H. Ford Airport in Perry County was severely damaged Tuesday evening as a storm system moved across the county. (photo courtesy of Perry Barger)
Storm damages home, knocks out power to thousands
HAZARD – More than 5,000 Kentucky Power customers remained without power Wednesday afternoon after a storm system moved through the region Tuesday evening. Wind gusts as high as 56 miles per hour were recorded at the Knott County Mesonet station in the Vest community, while gusts reached 49 mph in Pike County. Here in Perry County, the storm knocked out power to well over 2,000 customers, and one residence was severely damaged near the We...
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<p>Photo by Amelia Holliday</p><p>Susan Swinford, vice president of administration for Hospice of the Bluegrass, spoke to those involved in and working with the KATS program last week at a celebratory luncheon to explain just where the program is at this point in its implementation.</p>
Program helps transition patients from hospital room to bedroom
HAZARD — Patients at the Hazard and Whitesburg ARH hospitals who may require more help after they go home now may not have to worry about life after discharge if they qualify for a new transitional care program partnered with the hospitals. Kentucky Appalachian Transition Services (KATS), an organization owned by Hospice of the Bluegrass, was implemented in February this year and helps qualifying patients adjust to coming back home after a ...
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Perry Central improves, board looks at new tech program
HAZARD – A lot of work has gone into turning around the academic achievement at Perry Central High School following its status as a persistently low-achieving school. According to Principal Neal Feltner, that work is beginning to pay off. Feltner was named the school’s principal prior to the 2012-13 school year, and appeared before the Perry County Board of Education on Thursday for a status update. Feltner, reporting now year-end statistic...
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Murder trial set for July 22
HAZARD – A new trial date has been set for a Perry County man charged with shooting another man to death in 2011. Timothy Ryan Sizemore, 29, is now scheduled for trial in Perry Circuit Court on July 22. He is facing a charge of murder stemming from the shooting death of 31-year-old Samuel Louive on Nov. 5, 2011. Sizemore was arrested shortly after the incident, in which police said Louive had been shot multiple times while at a residence ...
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<p>Photo by Amelia Holliday | Hazard Herald</p><p>The R.W. Combs Elementary girl&#8217;s basketball team presented a resolution at Tuesday&#8217;s fiscal court meeting to honor their fallen teammate by having a bridge dedicated to her. Pictured left to right: (front) Madison Eversole, Hayley Caudill, Sydney Hall, Courtney Hoskins, (middle) Desiree Sturgill, Olivia Holland, Simone Beverly, Krista Branson, Dakota Shepherd, (back) Patti Lasslo (aunt to Taylor Cornett), Missy Cornett (mother to Taylor Cornett)</p>
Bridge to be dedicated to HCTC shooting victim
HAZARD — A community still grieving a tragedy, which took the lives of three Perry Countians earlier this year, continues to pay tribute to those lost. Twelve-year-old Taylor Cornett, along with her father Jackie Cornett and cousin Caitlin Cornett, were killed in a domestic related shooting at the Hazard Community and Technical College campus in January, and have been honored with services and vigils since the incident. A “Team Taylor” dona...
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Engle will not seek re-election as circuit judge
HAZARD – Perry County will have a new circuit judge after the 2014 election, as Judge William Engle announced this week that he will not seek another term on the bench. In a statement released to the Herald on Tuesday, Engle, who was first elected during a special election in 2004, said this was a decision he made with his family nearly a decade ago when he initially filed to run for circuit judge. He won his first full, eight-year term a...
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Perry County Clerk Haven King (left) and business owner Scott Alexander spoke during a hearing of the Public Service Commission in Hazard last week. (photos by Cris Ritchie)
Public hearing centers on Ky. Power plan
HAZARD – Only a handful of people, many of whom were either members of the news media or employees of Kentucky Power or the Public Service Commission, attended a hearing last week on a proposal to replace 700 megawatts of generating capacity at the Big Sandy power plant in Lawrence County. The plant currently serves all of the company’s customers in Eastern Kentucky. The Public Service Commission (PSC) scheduled the hearing in response to K...
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Deadline changes for next week’s edition
Staff at The Hazard Herald will observe the Memorial Day holiday on Monday, May 27, and our office will be closed during the day. As a result, our deadlines will change for that week. Anyone wishing to place a classified advertisement will need to have the ad placed by 9 a.m. on Friday, May 24. All other ads will need to be received by 3 p.m. on Friday. All editorial submissions will need to be received by 4 p.m. on Friday.
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<p>William Feltner</p>
Man charged with ramming police cruisers escapes custody
HAZARD -- A Perry County man charged with wanton endangerment and assault after allegedly ramming two police cruisers last week has escaped from custody. Kentucky River Regional Jail officials confirmed that 35-year-old William Feltner escaped while being transported from the Perry County courthouse after his arraignment on Monday. Feltner apparently jumped from a jail transport van along Highway 15 near the Daniel Boone Motor Inn, said Captai...
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Officials begin focus on garbage pickup
The Perry County Fiscal Court and the Solid Waste Enforcement Office is making a concerted effort this spring to enforce the garbage pickup ordinance for homeowners and businesses. At present, 46 households have begun garbage service so far, and names appearing on the following list will be cited in an enforcement board hearing scheduled for June 18 if they do sign up for garbage service. Violations can be result in a $600 fine and up to a ...
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Perry man headed to court for charges of incest
HAZARD — A Perry County man is facing charges related to allegedly having sexual intercourse with his niece. Johnny L. Melton, 42, of Hazard, was arrested by the Kentucky State Police last month in Winchester for custodial interference, according to court records, and his juvenile, blood-related niece was in his presence at the time of arrest. After being separated from her uncle, the juvenile told police Melton had taken her to the Danie...
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<p>William Feltner</p>
UPDATE: Man arrested after leading police on pursuit
COMBS – A Perry County man accused of ramming two police cruisers and leading officers on a foot pursuit earlier this week was arrested late Thursday, again after allegedly attempting to evade arrest. Authorities first attempted to contact 35-year-old William Golden Feltner after receiving a tip from a homeowner on Wednesday, May 15 that Feltner had broken in to a house in the Christopher community. The homeowner had apparently followed Fel...
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County schools facing $800,000 loss
HAZARD – Officials with the Perry County School District continue this month to look for ways to cut costs in the face of an $800,000 funding loss. District Finance Officer Jody Maggard presented the district’s tentative budget during the school board’s meeting on Thursday, noting it is good news that the school system has a budget at this point, but there exist caveats moving forward as officials will attempt to reduce the effects of an $8...
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<p>Photo by Amelia Holliday</p><p>Local law enforcement officers gathered at the Perry County Public Library on Thursday to kick off the annual Click It or Ticket campaign, aimed at increasing awareness about the importance of wearing a seat belt.</p>
Local law enforcement kicks off Click it or Ticket
HAZARD — Motorists may notice an increase in police patrol cars in the coming weeks thanks to the Click It or Ticket 2013 Traffic Safety Campaign. Local law enforcement officials gathered at the Perry County Public Library on Thursday to kick off the campaign. The campaign is meant to remind citizens of the importance of wearing a safety belt while driving, and also of having any minors in the appropriate child restraints, whether that is a...
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Man enters plea in sex abuse case
HAZARD – A Leslie County man indicted on 20 counts of first-degree sexual abuse entered a plea on amended charges Thursday in Perry Circuit Court. Jerry Joseph, 55, of Cutshin, will serve five years of unsupervised probation if the plea agreement is accepted. Joseph pleaded guilty in accordance with an Alford plea on 20 counts of second-degree criminal abuse, a Class D felony. An Alford plea means Joseph maintains his innocence in the case,...
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<p>Photos by Amelia Holliday</p><p>Paula Campbell, director of the Hazard Perry County Senior Citizens&#8217; Center helped senior volunteers read ads over the air for the 42nd Annual Radio Day at WSGS in Hazard on Wednesday, an event to collect donations from the community for the center.</p>
Senior center hosts Radio Day fundraiser
The Hazard Perry County Senior Citizens Center raised $75,000 on Wednesday during its annual Radio Day in Hazard. Radio Day is the center’s largest fundraiser of the year, during which WSGS radio donates several hours of air time to help raise money through donations for local seniors. Pictured at top, Director Paul Campbell helped senior volunteers read ads over the air for the 42nd Annual Radio Day at the WSGS. At bottom: Rocky Hudson, chai...
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Over 300,000 more Kentuckians covered with Medicaid expansion
FRANKFORT — With the expansion of Medicaid to include approximately 308,000 uninsured Kentuckians, along with the creation of the Health Benefit Exchange by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Gov. Steve Beshear has ensured that every Kentuckian will have access to affordable health insurance by 2014. In an op-ed piece in this week’s issue of the Herald , Beshear explains that those Kentuckians whose incomes are below 138 percent of the Federal...
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<p>Cris Ritchie | Hazard Herald</p><p>Kentucky Power President and CEO Greg Pauley spoke before an audience of about 80 people in Hazard Monday morning.</p>
Ky. Power CEO discusses coal and power rates
HAZARD – Officials with Kentucky Power Company were in Hazard on Monday where they discussed the current direction the company is taking with its Big Sandy power plant in Lawrence County, and with coal in general. Kentucky Power is one of two utilities that utilizes 100 percent coal-fired power plants, noted President and CEO Greg Pauley, though increased federal regulations are likely to change that by spring of next year. That’s when the ...
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Feds add several counts in gun conspiracy case
LONDON – A grand jury returned a superseding indictment early this month adding more than 20 felony counts against Perry County residents indicted on federal conspiracy and gun-related charges. The latest counts were added on May 2, according federal court records, and allege that in May 2009 the defendants, identified as Paul Michael Ison, Jr., Paul Ison, Sr., Mildred C. Ison, and Brian Keith Baker, all of Perry County, conspired to illega...
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Cases filed in Perry County
Contract Cases Capital One Bank vs. Maxine Berryman Regina Padilla vs. Glenda Martin Jackson Hospital Corporation vs. Betty M. Miller Asset Acceptance, LLC vs. Bobbie Smith Midland Funding, LLC vs. Diann Grigsby First Financial Credit, Inc. vs. Marshall Herald Domestic Cases Sandra K. Collins vs. Timothy P. Collins Felony Cases Commonwealth vs. Dexter W. Baker YOB: 1989 Wanton endangerment, first degree Fleeing...
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Upcoming event aims to overcome addiction through faith
Organizers of an event planned for this coming weekend in Hazard say faith can be a powerful ally in bringing a halt to drug addiction. Joseph Engle, a preacher from Lost Creek, said the meaning behind Saturday’s Healing Hazard event is meant to illustrate that addiction to drugs can be overcome. The program will include testimony from several local residents who Engle said were able to break their own addictions through Christianity. The h...
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<p>photo provided</p><p>Volunteers from First Baptist Church in Hazard took a short break during Saturday&#8217;s Repair Affair, during which they built a porch and steps at Carolyn Smith&#8217;s house in Perry County.</p>
Volunteers turn out for Repair Affair
The Housing Development Alliance (HDA) hosted its 14th annual Repair Affair on Saturday. The event, which has traditionally involved the participation of 100 volunteers to repair 10 houses in one day, expanded to 131 volunteers working on 12 houses, making it the largest Repair Affair the organization has ever held. Rapairs included replacing porches, digging drainage ditches, and building wheelchair ramps. While the HDA completes repairs f...
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Second hearing requested after rape conviction
After a week-long trial ending in a guilty verdict, a Perry County man charged with first-degree rape and second degree persistent felony offender has requested a second hearing of his case. Stephon Slone, 31, of Scuddy, was found guilty after a jury trial in Perry County Circuit Court last month. In October 2012, the Perry County grand jury indicted Slone after allegations surfaced that he had forced his girlfriend’s 14-year-old daughter t...
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Man charged with meth making denied bail reduction
A Perry County man indicted last month on charges of making methamphetamine was denied bond reduction on Thursday. James Ritchie, 49 of Slemp, was arrested in March at his home after police received several complaints about possible meth making activity in the area. After given permission to search the home, police found a backpack containing items used to manufacture meth, including Draino, tubing, and various containers, according to the ...
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<p>Photo by Amelia Holliday</p><p>Keynote speaker Ken Bolin, pastor at Manchester Baptist Church and director of God&#8217;s Closet, spoke to the graduates and others in attendance about the importance of drug court in keeping people out of the court system.</p>
Perry County Drug Court participants graduate
HAZARD — Perry County Drug Court held its graduation on Tuesday night at the Perry County Court House. Twelve participants graduated from the 18 month program, including Taryn Hall, Rick Logan, Michael Campbell, Patti White, David Deaton, Vanessa Mullins, Tina Brock, Angela Hylton, Tony Trent, Candra Sizemore, Tonya Collins, and Crystal Lyttle. Drug court is a state program designed to keep fight substance abuse in the state by giving off...
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Bridge on Ky. 476 set for repairs on May 20
Beginning Monday, May 20, a bridge on KY 476 in Perry County will be closed for repairs. The bridge spans Troublesome Creek and is located at milepoint 8.75, between KY 550 and KY 80. A marked detour will be established using KY 80 and KY 1146. The precise closure point is between the KY 80 underpass and the connector road between KY 476 and KY 80. Local traffic will still be able to access points on either side of the closed bridge. The ...
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