4.13.25

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now he turned to the reading of the Hazard Herald
for news of Hazard in Perry County Umny Townshend. We
begin with the online edition dated April tenth, twenty twenty
five as a reminder Radioizer reading service intended for people
who are blind or have other disabilities that make it
difficult to read printed material. Savelote collects nearly thirty thousand

(00:25):
dollars in Race Day auction by Justin Begley. The spirit
of giving was on full display Saturday, April fifth, as
Savelot held its thirtieth annual Race Day event at Perry
Central High School, raising nearly thirty thousand dollars for two
families and collecting over fifty thousand dollars worth of food
donations for hospice care. This year's Race Day was held

(00:49):
in memory of Brittany Moore and Steve Howard, with funds
benefiting their families. The event also included the annual Race
Against Hunger food drive, with all proceeds supporting hospice services.
We had a couple of more donations come through with
another check on the way, and the final total is
twenty nine, eight hundred and twenty dollars, said Division manager

(01:12):
Steve Stalin's last year was around twenty three thousand. Among
those honored at the event was Britney Moore, a nurse
and primary care who passed away from cancer at the
age of thirty nine. Her daughter, Hayden Young, a junior
at Pirie Central High School, celebrated her birthday the same day.

(01:34):
Hayden Young the daughter of Britney Moore. It was her
birthday that Saturday. Stalin said, she lost her mother to cancer.
We were just trying to give her a startup as
far as scholarship money goes. Britney was a nurse at
primary care and a lot of the younger nurses coming
through would shadow Britney and really admired her. Everyone at

(01:56):
her work admired her. It just felt right to try
and help her. John Caudle, another recipient of the event's support,
had been long involved in local sports and is currently
battling lou Griggs disease. John Caudle was the other recipient.
Stalin said, he's always been around sports. He actually coached

(02:17):
some for hazard. He has Lou Griggs disease, but he
still has someone stop and pick him up for work
every day. It was very fitting both recipients and hopefully
a little bit of a difference in their lives. The
emotional weight of the event was matched by his community spirit.
Despite the challenges Perry County had faced due to weather catastrophes,

(02:41):
residents still showed up and forced to give bye. It's
amazing because we've got so much adversity in our area
right now, Stalin said, you look at the flood and
the devastation, yet they band together to open their hearts
and their wallets to help out. We don't get anything
it all out of it, other than it makes us

(03:02):
feel good. Every single penny goes to helping these families.
A lot of people volunteer to hang in there all
day long. Some of them had three hour drives back
home and came here just to volunteer and help out.
The day also saw a significant boost in donations to
hospice through the food drive. On top of that, as

(03:23):
far as community support with our food service drive for hospice,
it was over fifty thousand dollars worth of food that's
going to hospice. Stallin said they will be taking a
final load to them soon. The drive cut off on
Saturday and it was fifty one three hundred and ten
dollars worth of groceries for hospice. It helps the healthcare center,

(03:44):
plus they can use it to make to take it
out to other home patients. It's a blessing, that's all
our community. Stallins shared the personal aspect of hospice because
for him it was even the SMA, all comforts that
make a difference during difficult times. My mother was there

(04:05):
for fourteen days, and I know how special it is
just to be able to go into that kitchen and
get a bottle of water. How much of a blessing
that is, just something as small as a bottle of water.
Because you don't have to leave, it's more time you
get to spend with your loved one. It's a very
special place with a lot of very special people that
work there. Adding star power to the event was actor

(04:29):
and musician John Schneider, famously known as Beau Duke from
The Dukes of Hazard. He opened the event by singing
the national anthem and stayed for hours engaging with attendees.
The original intent was for him to come out and
promote the flood benefit concert. Stall And said he's the
real deal. Once he got there, he was engaged with

(04:50):
the crowd non stop for two hours. It didn't turn
a single person away. That's the kind of guy he is.
He's very personable. It was a great honor to having
for sure, the events wide reaching support extended far beyond
Perry County. I really want to shout out to our community,
said Stalins. Ninety eight percent of Hazard and Perry County,

(05:12):
plus surrounding counties want to donate to the auction and
with items or money. We had people there from Pikeville
and Prestonsburg. We even had our main produce guy from
Saint Louis who flew in. We had folks from all
around come just to support the event. The legacy of
race Day continues to grow, with returning supporters becoming long

(05:35):
term contributors to the calls. According to Stalling's, another thing
that makes it so awesome and so special is once
you're a part of it, it sticks with you. One
young man we did it for last year, his mom
and dad were there this year. They were the first
ones there to offer help with the food booth, and
at the end of the day they ended up donating

(05:56):
one thousand dollars. Once you're part of the event, see it,
people keep coming back. That makes it all worthwhile for
me and my guys. Stalins also gave credit to the
many hands that helped make the event possible each year.
There's so many people who help out with this, he said,
are vendors, the Hazard Fire Department and they're a big

(06:18):
part of it, the Sheriff's Department, the State Police. There's
so many and it's so awesome. Sold out show at
the Forum features Dukes of Hazzard star John Snyder. Actor
and musician John Snyder, famously known as Beau Duke from
the Dukes of Hazzard, returned to Eastern Kentucky on Tuesday,
April eighth, the headline a sold out benefit concert for

(06:40):
flood victims at the Forum in collaboration with the Foundation
for Appalachian Kentucky. The concert, which organizers said exceeded expectation,
aimed to raise fifty thousand dollars to assist local families
and businesses and impacted by recent flooding. We sold tickets
to twenty three states and even sold tickets to someone

(07:02):
in Germany that came to Hazard to come to the
John Schneider benefit concert, and said Tammy Higknite, Community Engagement Officer,
with the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky. I can remember when
he was here before, back in nineteen eighty two. I
was a young girl and there were hundreds of thousands
of people, so we were hopeful we could draw a

(07:24):
good crowd, but this exceeded any of our expectations. While
Eastern Kentucky has endured multiple natural disasters in the recent years,
including the devastating twenty twenty two flood, Higknite said the
Foundation was overwhelmed by the level of support this event generated,
particularly in a time when donor fatigue had been a

(07:47):
real concern. It's wonderful for the foundation, she said, with
this round of flooding we experienced donor fatigue. We can't
catch a break at the moment because we're having one
disease after another. Even though this flood was bigger, it
wasn't quite as destructive as the twenty twenty two flood.

(08:07):
But this benefit has been amazing. We set a goal
for fifty thousand dollars and we're confident we probably exceeded that.
So we're very thrilled and thankful that we had so
many from all over the United States come and help
us out with this benefit. Hig Nitt also noted that
every dollar raised will stay within the community to directly

(08:29):
support those affected. All of the donations one hundred percent
of the funds raised here will go to the foundation
and be used locally. She said. We did it a
little bit differently than we did in twenty twenty two.
This time around, applicants would file with the crisis application
at the courthouse. Once we received that list, we started

(08:51):
sending out checks. I'm not sure what the total is today,
but as of last week, we had granted seven hundred
and nineteen families and twenty four businesses. Perry County Physical
Court approves revenue bonds for solar energy project on reclaimed
mine fields. The Perry County Physical Court approved and authorized

(09:14):
the issuance of taxable industrial building revenue bonds during its
regular meeting on April first, paving the way for a
major solar energy project on reclaimed coal mine land. This
particular project is a solar park development, said Jim Parsons,
a partner at the Cincinnati based law firm Keating, Youthing

(09:35):
and colleccamp and Special Council to Perry County its solar
energy development to generate solar power on a fairly large
site in Perry County on what I think is a
former coal field that's been reclaimed and will be developed
into a social energy field. The development is being led

(09:57):
by Bright Mountain, a company at the four front of
renewable energy transition in the region. White Mountain is the
main player in the project, Parsons said. In Kentucky, industrial
bonds are primarily issued to reduce some of the property
tax liability associated with developing the land and improvements, but

(10:18):
also the tangible equipment associated with it. In this case,
most of the solar panels are taxed as tangible property,
so in Kentucky that would not be subject to the
local rate and hazard in Pirie County because that type
of property is only associated to a tangible tax rate.
The whole purpose of ERB is to provide tax relief

(10:42):
for projects as an incentive. Parsons emphasized that while the
ERB offers tax incentives, the Peirie County School District will
still receive full property tax revenue from the improvements made
on the land. In this particular situation, though the one
unit of government we get one hundred percent property tax

(11:03):
payment is the school district. He said, whatever would have
been subject to taxation on the improvement of property. The
school district will see one hundred percent of the profit.
He also clarified that the bonds pose no financial risk
to the county itself. This one thing to point out
is that this is not debt of the county. Parson said,

(11:27):
this is a conduit type of bond issue. When the
county issues it, they provide the benefit, but they're not responsible.
Spears book helps young people heal. There's always light. April J. Spears,
a faculty member at Hazard Community and Technical College, recently
published The Story of Camp, a twenty eight page children's

(11:50):
book detailing her lifelong journey with healing from trauma. According
to a statement from HCTC, I originally wrote this book
in the nineteen nineties. She said, I was attending group
therapy sessions and was encouraged to write my life's story
in the form. It was a non threatening way to
work through my childhood trauma. Spears characters include elements of

(12:13):
her childhood that helped her through the difficulties she faced.
The characters in my story came to me, as I wrote.
The creator in the story represents God, she said, noting
that her faith has played an essential role in her life.
He's come to me in many forms. His presence with
me has helped me through so much. Spears also said

(12:36):
there going were people in her life who cared for
her even when she did not recognize them. The oak
tree in the story represents those who loved me even
when I didn't feel loved. Spear continued, I realize now
that so many people cared for me and loved me.
The feelings of care and love in the story are
brought fun, excitement, and scary emotions and Spears, as she

(13:01):
published her book, the statement, said, I choose to write
this story as a children's story because it's supposed to
be a legend. I feel safe talking about the topic
with children. She said. If families don't talk, they don't heal.
Since twenty seventeen, Spears has taught mathematics at eight CTC.

(13:23):
She uses her life experience to help college students. My
experience at a community college inspired me to become a teacher.
When I started the air as a student, I realized
that I love math, she said. I always said I'd
never want to be a teacher, and I started in
a developmental math class. After one year of receiving tutoring.

(13:44):
All my classmates were following me everywhere because I really
gotten the math. Now they all wanted my help. Her
mathematics abilities led her to become a middle school teacher
first and then to pursue college opportunities in our education,
I wanted to spend my life as a math tutor.

(14:05):
It always has been about the student interaction for me,
she said, I decided to pursue my master's degree and
teach adults. Sharing her book with the world, her statement said,
has been deeply personal. Starting at age nine, I had
a great desire to die, she said. I hope my
story shows children who are struggling that we can go through.

(14:28):
We don't ever stay. There is always light. Spears said
the publication process was stressful but worth it. It was
scary talking with a voice on the phone, not knowing
if the person was legit with publishing, she said, but
it was worth it and my book is on sale now.

(14:48):
Buckhorn Children and Family Services welcomes news. CEO. Buckhorn Children
Family Services, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing care and
support for at risk children and families throughout Kentucky, announced
in a statement recently the appointment of Joy Delisle as
its new chief executive Officer, effective April twenty first. The

(15:12):
Benefactor Group assisted Buckhorn Children and Family Services in the
search for their new CEO. The statement said that Lyle
brings her extensive experience in relevant feels such as nonprofit leadership,
youth services, and addiction recovery, and a passion for improving
the lives of vulnerable children and families. With a career

(15:34):
spanning over twenty five years, she's demonstrated exceptional leadership, strategic vision,
and a steadfast commitment to creating positive, lasting chains, The
statement said from the opinion page a letter to the editor,
anyone remember Naomi Kerwitz and Lucille Leveaux service in Hazard,

(15:57):
Kentucky nineteen seventy four through seventy seven. From nineteen seventy
four to nineteen seventy seven, Naomi worked in Hazard, Kentucky,
a region known for its rugged terrain and underserved population.
She joined forces with Lucille le Beaux at a rural
health clinic. Armed with her jeep, she navigated the hollers

(16:17):
to make mother daughter visits. These visits were more than
just routine checkups and were lifelines from many families who
had limited access to medical care. Naomi's declaration during these
years was driven by her Christian faith and values, which
propelled her to serve in such a challenging environment. Her

(16:38):
work in Hazard laid a strong foundation for future endeavors
in community healthcare. Naomi's time and Hazard was marked with
numerous heartwarming and challenging experiences. She often recounted the stories
of families who had never seen a health care provider
before her visits. Her presence not only brought medical care,

(16:59):
but all so hope and reassurance to the community. The
clinic based financial difficulties and funding eventually ran out, and
Naomi was forced to make a difficult decision, and despite
her deep love for the community she had come to serve,
she reluctantly returned to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she met her husband, Richard.

(17:22):
She knew that her journey in healthcare was far from over.
These skills and experiences she gained in Hazard would continue
to guide her in future roles. Back in Milwaukee, Naomi's
reputation and as a compassionate and dedicated health care provider
preceded her. She quickly found opportunities to continue her work

(17:43):
in public health, always carrying the spirit of Hazard with her.
Looking for any pictures of Naomi. Will be in Hazard
April twenty one for one week. Would love to connect
with any of the families Naomi Sird from Richard Dasstylelaw
in MKWAN, Wisconsin. Power Struggle by Russ Cassiday. One of

(18:08):
the key things the laws of the Land in our
Democratic Republic does is spell out the structure of government,
the separation of powers between executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
This has also become one of the key conflicts in
our nation in recent years, as executive orders and judicial
orders more often decide the direction of rulemaking in the

(18:31):
United States. In Kentucky, this year's legislative session resulted in
a new lawbying passed that prevents executive branch agencies from filing, amending,
or repealing regulations unless the regulations meet one of six
prerequisites according to the Kentucky Lennard that the regulation will

(18:53):
cost no more than five hundred thousand dollars over two
years to implement. That the regulation is needed immediately to
meet an imminent threat or public health, safety or welfare threat.
That the regulation is needed to prevent the loss of
funds or meet a deadline established in laws or regulations,

(19:16):
or that the regulation is needed relating to their licensure
of health facilities and services. It might not surprise you
to find out that this one is headed to the court,
with attorneys for Governor Andy Basher's office calling the bill
a power grab for the GOP supermajority controlled legislature. Legislators

(19:38):
and supporting organizations such as Americans for Prosperity Kentucky say
the measure preserves a stipulation for the government's emergency powers
while also assuring that the Governor's not making laws the
legislator's job. There's a good reason for caution in this area,
as public officials of all strikes have been overstepped bounds

(20:00):
in recent years, with Basher being the exception. With the
benefit of hindsight, it's clear that we allowed too few
people to take too much control during the COVID nineteen pandemic,
and we're still feeling unnecessary pain because of it. Anyone
in the Eastern Kentucky coal fields can tell you the

(20:21):
pain of leaders of using their power to accomplish a
goal they believed was right, ending the nation's reliance on coal,
but without the benefit of voices of opposition which could
have guided the process. Maybe if the Obama administration had
heard or listened to voices which encouraged them to take
into account the thousands of Eastern Kentucky livelihoods their actions

(20:44):
would affect. Things would have played out differently today more
than ever before. Getting more precise definitions on who's responsible
for writing laws and regulations is vitally important for that
to happen in a way that makes us a better place.
Egos must be put aside, and personal power must take

(21:06):
second place to the people's right to decide through their
votes what powers are exercised and by whom. Here are
the obituaries. Colonel Eugene Basheer, US Air Force, retired, ninety
five years old, passed away March fifteenth. Angel Haines Fields,
forty seven died Thursday, April third, Bronson Noble seventy seven,

(21:31):
of Hazard died Wednesday, April second, Shirley Anne Little of
Hazard died Thursday February twenty seventh, and Betty Joe Holiday
ninety seventh of Hazard died Sunday, March thirtieth. Visas revoked
for small number of international students at the University of Kentucky.

(21:53):
Some graduate students at the University of Kentucky have had
their visas revoked. President Eli Cappeluto said in a camp
wide message Friday afternoon. In his message, Capaluto wrote that
the Department of Homeland Security notified UK that the department
was revoking some f one student visas. The president didn't

(22:14):
specify the number of students affected, but said it was
a small number. He said university officials contacted the students
to offer information and support. Kentucky State Police Post thirteen
participated and Save a Lot's thirtieth annual Race Day event
within their annual Raffle. This year's prize as a twenty

(22:37):
twenty five Corvette Stingray or a fifty thousand dollars cash option,
with tickets priced at ten dollars each. According to public
relations officer Trooper Matt Gayheart, one hundred percent of the
proceed's benefit Trooper Island. The Raffle drawing will take place
August twenty six, that the Kentucky State Fair honors class

(23:01):
of twenty twenty seven in traditional white coat ceremony. The
Kentucky College of Optometry held its traditional white coat ceremony
on April fifth in the health Profession's Education Building, fifty
nine members of the class of twenty twenty seven receive
their white coats before gathering a family and university faculty.

(23:23):
According to a statement from the University of pikewoll Ky
co dean Renee Reader, welcome attendees and shared reflections on
the meaningful steps that lie ahead and their journeys to
become optometrists. We're about to start a whole new chapter
where you'll be caring for real people, putting your knowledge

(23:43):
to work, and living out our mission to serve the
underserved in this region, said Reader. This is where it
all starts to come together. It's not just eyes, its lives.
KCTCS KDE long statewide Going Pro Day to celebrate students
who sign on to high demand careers. Lawmakers, partners, and

(24:07):
industry leaders gathered in the Capitol Rotundae Pril fourth to
celebrate students and graduates of Kentucky high schools, area technology centers,
and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System committing to
high demand careers. Sponsored by KCTCS and KDE, the statewide
launch of Going Pro will be followed by signing events

(24:30):
at the sixteen community colleges in coming weeks. According to
a statement from KCTCS, students signing career contracts said that
without education they received, they would not have known how
to pursue the pathways that brought them to the signing
table today. During twenty twenty three twenty four, nearly ninety

(24:52):
five percent of all KCTCS credentials awarded were in programs
aligned to the state's top five target industry sectors advanced manufacturing, instruction,
skill trades, healthcare, and transportation logistics, or designed to transfer
to a four year university. Trump administration to crack down

(25:16):
on fentanel shipments. Attorney General Russell Coleman led a coalition
of twenty five state attorneys generals in asking the Trump
administration to close a loophole used by adversaries and drug
traffickers to flood deadly fentanyl into the United States. In
a letter to the U S Secretary of Homeland Security

(25:37):
Christie Noam and Acted Chairman Commissioner of US Customs and
Border Protection p Flores, the Attorney's General call for greater
scrutiny of an import pilot program called Entry Type eighty six,
which allows small packages to enter the United States with
minimal custom screening. According to a statement from Coalman's office,

(26:01):
in just a ten year period, imports under the Entry
Type eighty six program skyrocketed from one hundred fifty three
million packages in twenty fifteen to over one point two
billion in two thousand twenty four. According to the statement,
any surge of this magnitude requires further study because of

(26:23):
serious concerns about the amount of fentanyl and other deadly
drugs that are coming into this country. Fentanyl, the statement said,
is a powerful synthetic opioid narcotic up to fifty times
stronger than heroin and one hundred times stronger than morphine.
As as little as two milligrams of fentanyl, smaller than

(26:45):
the tip of a pencil, can be lethal. In addition,
some shippers use the Entry Type eighty six program to
dodge regulations and avoid paying required duties, raising concerns about
security risks, illegal trade, and weaknesses in our supply chain.
From urban Louisville to our most rural counties. Kentuckians are

(27:06):
being poisoned by a deadly fentanyl flooding in from overseas.
We need to use every lawful tool at our disposal
to stop it, said Attorney General Coleman. This concludes the
reading of the Hazard Herald. Please stay tuned for continued programming.
Thank you for joining me and on behalf of everyone
here at RADIOI. This is Lee Townsend, wishing you a

(27:29):
good day.