4.27.25

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now we turn to the reading of the Hazard Herald.
News of Hazard in Perry County. I'm Lee Townsend. We
begin at the online edition dated April twenty fourth, two
thousand and 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. Celebrating Easter,

(00:25):
Madison Mobulani Patrick hosted an Easter egg hunt Saturday, April
nineteenth that Bobby Davis Memorial Park. The free event offered
refreshments and featured more than seven hundred and fifty hidden eggs,
while the city's new Hazard Trolley shuttle families to and
from the park. Perry Fiscal Court issues second state of

(00:46):
emergency by Justin Begley. The Perry County Physical Court approved
during an April twenty second meeting a second declaration of
a state of emergency due to the recent inclement weather.
The storms exacerbated already fragile infrastructure still recovering from the
February fifteenth flooding event. We had already declared a state

(01:07):
of emergency from the February twenty twenty five flooding event,
said Perry County Judge Executive Scott Alexander, that water got
up and flooded a lot of people. Six weeks following that,
we were warned of a potential for more severe rainstorms,
in which case Western Kentucky got flooded, as did Frankfort.

(01:27):
All of those places got a lot of high water
with flooding. We didn't get the high water, but due
to the additional rains we got that weekend, we had
pockets that had pretty bad downpours.

Speaker 2 (01:39):
Although the county avoided major.

Speaker 1 (01:41):
Flooding this time, Alexander said, the storm's impact revealed vulnerabilities
that had previously gone undetected. We were fortunate that nobody
was flooded again with high water, Alexander said, but what
that new rain had done was exposed areas that had
yet to slip, or hadn't broken or yet create mudslides.

(02:02):
So with that additional rainfall we had that weekend, we
had additional places where the roads had broken or slipped
or we had a slide. Therefore, we had to tie
that brake into that event we need for a second declaration,
He explained, it was essential to access different streams of
aid and emergency funding, even though we didn't have the

(02:23):
high water into homes, which we were very thankful for.
We have to tie our road brakage to the event
that happened. He said, this was a new event, so
we declared a new state of emergency because it was
being a different declaration and an allocated access to different
money and different tracking for us, because you have to
if you want to get funding for these new problems

(02:46):
that arose in these new locations due to that storm.

Speaker 2 (02:51):
Farmers Market kicks off.

Speaker 1 (02:52):
The pop up Perie County Farmers Market was in full
effect Saturday, April nineteenth from ten am to one pm.
After kicking off spring with fresh produce, handmade goods, and
more from local vendors. Chamber of Commerce welcomes entrepreneurial expert
as guest speaker. The Hazard Period County Chamber of Commerce

(03:14):
held its monthly meeting Tuesday, April twenty second, featuring special
guest speaker Gary G. Schoen Niger, author of The Entrepreneurial
Mindset Advantage. Show and Niger, spoke about the differences in
what creates an entrepreneur and the mindsets that set them apart.
Show and Niger, an internationally recognized thought leader and entrepreneurial education,

(03:39):
opened his talk by explaining the foundation of his work
and his research. I've been fascinating for a long time
at how underdogs, win said Show and Niger. How do
people that have nothing create something? I've got all over
the world and interviewed hundreds of everyday entrepreneurs who start
with fifty dollars or one hundred dollars with no advantage

(04:01):
in life, and yet managed to rise above their circumstances
in life and create meaning and value in their lives.
Through this global interviews, Showing Niger said he identified consistent
patterns in the mindset and behavior of successful entrepreneurs. I

(04:23):
distill from them these sort of common, predictable patterns of
belief that lead to the behavior that enables them to
do that, he said. Showing Niger described the Entrepreneurial Mindset
Advantage as a deeper exploration of the themes introduced in
his earlier work, Who Owns the Ice House. I would

(04:43):
say this is a leadership book, he said. My first book,
Who Owns the Ice House, is really an easy introduction
to the entrepreneurial mindset and how it can work for
ordinary people. It's an easy intro and an easy read.
But this book is a bit deeper through Die I
continue to interview entrepreneurs, but I look at the motivational

(05:05):
research as to why some people behave this way and
why others don't. But I also look at how we
create these conditions as parents, educators, business leaders, community stakeholders.
How do we create the conditions that are conducive to
entrepreneurial behavior. Part of that exploration, show a Niager said,

(05:26):
includes challenging widely accepted notions about personality and success. I
dispel the idea early on in the book that some
people are born this way and others are not, he said,
I looked at the research and that really just doesn't
hold up. It has a lot more to do with
the people that you've around, your subjective understanding of your environment.

(05:50):
Traits really don't have a lot to do with that. Ultimately, showing,
Niager emphasized that success in entrepreneurialship is not about inherent traits,
but about purpose it situationally, said, if I can tell
you one thing after interviewing hundreds of entrepreneurs, the single
most important thing that distinguishes the entrepreneurial minded from the

(06:14):
nun is a compelling goal. Annual Hillbilly Day festival gets
underway April twenty fourth. Now spring has officially arrived and
cabin Fever's setting in the annual Hillbilly Days festival will
be filling the streets of downtown Pipeville with lots of music,
tons of food and crafts, a large carnival, and thousands

(06:37):
upon thousands of visitors. The twenty twenty five installment of
Hillbilly Days, set for April twenty fourth through twenty six,
will mark the event's forty eighth year. According to Jimmy Kenney,
grandson of Shady Grady Kenny, one of the festival's co founders,
I can remember that Dad and Howard went to a

(06:58):
Shriners festival in Ohio nineteen seventy six. When they came back,
they started thinking about how they could have an event.

Speaker 2 (07:05):
Kenny said. They would sit after they.

Speaker 1 (07:08):
Got off work at the kitchen table and talk and
plot about what the event would look like. They finally
came up with having a parade featuring old jalobpies and
trucks driven by Shriners and raising money for the Shriners
Hospital in Lexington and the Burn Center in Cincinnati. Kenny
said it was just a one day event. Then, with

(07:29):
crowds typically topping one hundred thousand people during the three days,
public safety is a paramount concern for first responders. The
city looks forward to welcoming all the visitors to Pikewell
for this year's Hillbilly Days festival. Pipewell Police Chief Michael
Riddle said, we want everyone to have a good time
and be safe. Nobody at the beginning thought the festival,

(07:53):
which doubted the traditional story of Hillbilly would last this long.
As the years went by, the one day parade grew
into a three day festival, with hundreds of vendors and
thousands of people crowding into town to take in the sites.
There weren't many people that year, Kenny said, just a
handful of folks, but that didn't deter Dad or Howard.

(08:14):
They weren't doing all this for any recognition or glory.
It was always about the kids with them and it
remains that way now. It's about the kids. Kenny said.
The annual festival had raised around four million dollars over
the years for the Shriners Hospital for Children and the
Shriners Burn Center. It's hard to really give an accurate

(08:35):
account because record keeping in the beginning wasn't really very good,
Kenny said, but to say around four million dollars is
a safe estimate. The festival will officially kick off on Thursday,
April twenty fourth, and a welcoming ceremony will be held
at the Bowl Family Pavilion at five pm, featuring presentation

(08:56):
of the keys to the city and the County. Primary
Care Center celebrates Easter. Primary Care Center of Eastern Kentucky
hosted its annual Easter on the Hill event Thursday, April
seventeenth at the center's event hall. Families were welcome to games, snacks,
and refreshments, along with photo opportunities with the Easter money.

(09:18):
Hazard man arrested on child porn charges. A hazard man
has been arrested after Kentucky State Police said he was
found to be distributing child pornography material. According to an
arrest citation written by KSP Trooper Brandon Creekmore, during an
online Internet crimes against Children's investigation, investigators received a report

(09:42):
that Brandon Holland twenty six of Kentucky four P fifty one,
had uploaded images of child sexual abuse material. Creekmore wrote
that the KSP Electronic Crimes Branch obtained a search warrant
for Holland. Holland, the citation said, admitted to being in
chats where children with sexual abuse material had been shared,

(10:04):
received and distributed, and admitted to the leading evidence from
his mobile phone prior to meeting with the investigator. Holland
was lodged in the Kentucky River Regional Jail on charges
of distribution of matter portraying the sexual performance by a
minor over twelve but less than eighteen years of age
five counts, distribution of matter portraying a sexual performance of

(10:27):
a minor less than twelve years of age seven counts,
and tampering with physical evidence. According to the citation, Holland
charges may be pending upon further forensic examination of equipment
used to facilitate the crime. Cruising on Maine kicked off
its first car show of the season Saturday, April nineteenth,

(10:50):
downtown on Main Street, offering a family friendly, free event
with an afternoon fill with hot rods and cool cars.
Get involved. The trees and flowers are blooming and the
mountains are turning green. Spring has arrived in eastern Kentucky,
and with it there's been an upswing in activities locally

(11:11):
In the past week, there were numerous community events celebrating
our Easter holiday. The farmers Market, god underway, and classic
cars were lined up along Main Street. Hazard has tended
toward busier weekends and events in recent years, and there's
no reason to believe this year's events won't grow as well.
We'd like to take this opportunity to encourage the members

(11:34):
of the community to take advantage of all Hazard and
Perry County has to offer. Too many times over the years,
the refrain has been heard, there's nothing to do around here.
It was debatable in the past, but the statement carries
a little weight in our modern era. Regardless of your interests,
there will be something you can find enjoyable, and the

(11:55):
more people who attend, the more recent organizers will have
to continue already in progress events and find new ones
as well. Regardless of your attendance at these events, we
also want to encourage you to take some time to
take care of your community. Clean up around your house
or even areas in public where you see trash or

(12:15):
opportunities for improvement. With all of these events, it's highly
likely will be attracting people from outside, some of whom
will be coming into the community for the first time.
Litter and run down areas send a message that people
do not care about their community, while efforts to clean
up and spruce up send a message that not only

(12:35):
do the people care, but they want others to find
the community pleasing as well. Take some time to get
ready now, it's going to be a busy spring, summer,
and fall even into the winter. We'd love to have
you on board for it. Does a year make a difference?
By Jeff Vanderback. Our legislature decided to allow fifteen year

(12:58):
old children the ability to obtain god driving permit. The
law changed from sixteen to fifteen. I'm not sure the
logic behind this measure, but I don't think it was
a great decision. Does one year really make a difference?
I guess that depends on who you ask. Do fifteen
year olds and sixteen year olds have the same cognitive

(13:20):
maturity or reflex levels? In my opinion know to all,
and that's why the driving age should be seventeen or
even higher. In some cases, maximum levels of maturity are not.

Speaker 2 (13:32):
Obtained until twenty five or beyond.

Speaker 1 (13:35):
I know some people in their fifties who have the
maturity level of a twelve year old. Being fifteen is
a very difficult point in life. They're busting with curiosity,
they know everything there is to know. They become argumentative.
They're ready to become free and enjoy the benefits of
an adult.

Speaker 2 (13:53):
But they're not.

Speaker 1 (13:54):
These teenagers are fully dependent on their parents for everything.
That is, unless you have parents that are no good
and have abandoned them, which happens. For the most part,
fifteen year olds are still in the stage of brain development.
They're negotiating future education plans, future career paths, and let's

(14:15):
not forget raging hormones, which reduce the ability of critical
thinking and logic.

Speaker 2 (14:21):
This new law may.

Speaker 1 (14:22):
Have some parents rejoicing and ready to terminate their family's
uber license, but the reality of this situation may have
far more consequences. In waiting another year may just save
a life. According to the CDC Team, drivers between the
ages of sixteen and nineteen have three times higher fatality
rates than any other age group. Research shows that newly

(14:47):
licensed sixteen year olds have a crash rate for miles
driven that's one and a half times faster and higher
than eighteen and nineteen year olds. When fifteen year old
drivers become roadworthy, that number is expected to increase. Some
risk factors with teenage drivers include inexperienced distracted driving, failure

(15:10):
to follow the laws, wearing a seat belt, and excessive speed, and,
of course and not surprising, impaired driving. Because kids are
not experienced, they will often fail to maneuver their way
out of dangerous situations, which are.

Speaker 2 (15:24):
Abundant on the highways.

Speaker 1 (15:27):
Most adults, for the most part, are horrible drivers. Toss
in an inexperienced team whose brain is not fully developed,
and that's a recipe for disaster. How can you get
experience you need if you can't drive? It's a catch
twenty two. As teens get the freedom and privilege to drive,
they become their own boss while in their vehicle. They

(15:49):
can play their music as loud as they want, text
when they want, and test the limits of the vehicle
they're driving. Video games give kids a false sense of reality.
In frank, I don't want some kid who thinks they
are an expert at grand theft auto next to me
while I'm driving by the most dangerous.

Speaker 2 (16:07):
Part of us.

Speaker 1 (16:08):
Twenty three And speaking of freedoms and experimentation, the last
thing we need are more inexperienced drivers who are easily
distracted and possibly impaired, and I know they will not
only possess the learner's permit, but the temptation will always exist.
I understand that not all fifteen year olds are reckless

(16:31):
and underdeveloped. Some fifteen year olds may have been driving
farm equipment for many years and possessed great driving skills.
That's the exception. Some kids need their license early so
they can get a job or go to a class
on time. A free for all for fifteen year olds
could become dangerous, but the law is the law, and

(16:54):
we have to live with that. If you have a
fifteen year old who's itching to drive, remember it's a privilege.
Start by monitoring all their social media accounts constantly. Most
of the crimes to and against kids by social media
can be thwarted if parents were more astute and don't
wait until they become teenagers. If you give kids a smartphone,

(17:18):
be smart and monitor their communication and early use often,
then enroll your child in driving school. There are several
driving schools in the area that do a really good
job giving kids experience on the roads. It will make
a difference. Here are the obituaries Raymond Peter Rabbit Griffy

(17:39):
eighty three died April eighteenth, twenty twenty five. Alice Schofield
and Whittaker eighty five of Lotts Creek died Sunday, April thirteenth,
Veda Combs Wooton seventy six of Buckhorn died Tuesday, April fifteenth,
and Kenneth Jones seventy one of Hazard died April eighteen.

(18:01):
City and County partner to revitalize downtown Hazard parking structure.
New plans are in motion to enhance the parking structure
on Main Street in downtown Hazard through an inter local
agreement between the City of Hazard and Perry County. According
to Judge Executive Scott Alexander, we're going to try and

(18:22):
make a larger presence with the parking structure, said Alexander.
The city has already installed new lights in the structure,
They've cleaned it up immensely, and it's a great facility
to park in. Alexander said. The partnership aims to improve
public use of the facility by ensuring it remains clean, safe,
and convenient for those visiting downtown. We want to encourage

(18:46):
people to utilize it and use it more often.

Speaker 2 (18:49):
He said.

Speaker 1 (18:50):
The city and the county are going to share the
upkeep to make sure we keep it a better facility
so it can be better used by the citizens coming
downtown and get more convenient. As part of the plan,
county officials are exploring options to further support accessibility, including
a potential shuttle service. We're looking at some different options

(19:13):
right now going ahead, including purchasing a shuttle and running
shuttle services around town. Alexander said, we want to make
it as accessible as possible to the public. I've always
realized that I used to work around the coal companies.
You don't have the whole lot of time to come
to town and do business, and I respect people's needs

(19:34):
and want to make it as convenient as possible as
I can when I have to come to town and do
business in town. Looking ahead, Alexander said additional upgrades may
be on the horizon.

Speaker 2 (19:47):
We're hoping from more to come.

Speaker 1 (19:49):
He said, we're looking at possibly having its staff from
seven am to seven pm during the day, along with
many other ideas. We just really want to keep it
maintain and keep it back into use to make things
easier on the public when they're visiting downtown. Auditor announces
investigation of how Kentucky awarded medical cannabis licenses. Kentucky Auditor

(20:15):
Alison Ball plans to investigate how the state's Office of
Medical Cannabis process license applications, she announced Thursday. Ball's office
will be examining omc's business license application and award process.
She said, my office has continued to receive complaints about
how the Office of Medical Cannabis administered the lottery process

(20:39):
for awarding medical book medical cannabis business licenses. Ball, Republicans,
said a statement, Kentuckians should have confidence that state offices
operate with transparency and integrity, and my office is committed
to ensuring those standards. Crystal Stately, as spokeswoman, Far said,

(21:00):
no one has followed the legal claim challenging Kentucky's medical
cannabis laws or the Office of Medical Cannabis regulations Throughout
the entire process. We've been committed to transparency, which is
why the lottery process was streamlined live and online. The
individuals who have come forward to express concerns went through

(21:24):
the full process and did not complain until after not
being selected in the lottery. In twenty twenty three, the
legislature legalized medical marijuana for Kentuckians suffering from chronic illnesses.
Last year, the bipartisan House Bill eight twenty nine became
law and moved up to medical cannabis licensing timeline from

(21:46):
January twenty twenty five to July one, twenty twenty four.
During the application period, which was July one through August
thirty one, the state received four thousand, nine hundred ninety
eight applications for medical cannabis business licenses, including nine hundred
and eighteen cultivator and processor applications. Patients who qualify for

(22:13):
medical cannabis are those with a history of ps PTSD,
post traumatic stress disorder, cancer, or other approved medical conditions.
The Kentucky Lottery Corporation ran the licensed lottery. But Shier
said Thursday during his weekly press conference that more than

(22:33):
twelve thousand Kentuckians have received a written certification and more
than eight thousand have successfully applied for and received America
Medical Cannabis Card since January. Hazard Coffee Company recently held
a ribbon cutting ceremony for their second location opening.

Speaker 2 (22:52):
In downtown Whitesburg.

Speaker 1 (22:55):
PCSO installs medication dropbox the Perry County Prif's office now
has a medication drop box to dispose of outdated or
no longer needed medications you have in your home. According
to Perry County Sheriff Joe Ingle, oftentimes when family members
pass away, the family doesn't know how to properly dispose

(23:16):
of all of their medications. Do not flush medications or
put them in the garbage, as it could be dangerous.
Please place them in this box for safe disposal, said Ingele.
This medication disposal box is conveniently located at our office
at one twenty four East Main Street in the lobby.
It's available for immediate disposal of your medications. This box

(23:39):
was donated by Operation Unite. First Baptist Church of Hazard
held at Easter play at Triangle Park Friday, April eighteenth,
showcasing the resurrection story of Jesus Christ. The play was
free to attend, with a terrific turnout, according to Pastor
Town Reynolds. Trump administration revokes Murray's Date international students' visas.

(24:02):
Another international student's visa has been revoked in Kentucky, this
time at Murray State University. According to local news reports,
Marie State shared information about the student's visa being revoked
by the Homeland Security Department on Wednesday. A university spokesperson
declined to give further information to protect the student's privacy.

(24:24):
This news comes amid Trump administration efforts to ramp up deportations.
Inside Higher Education reported that as of Friday, more than
one thousand, five hundred and fifty international students and recent
graduates have had their legal status changed by the State Department.
Murray State College Democrats penned an open letter criticizing the

(24:50):
university administration for an auto learning student sooner to the
visa revocation and asking for clearer information about the university's response.
Clear we're not asking the personal information to be released,
just notification of when law enforcement is present and or
actively targeting students on campus.

Speaker 2 (25:09):
The letter says.

Speaker 1 (25:11):
Lady Bulldogs fall to Lady Golden Eagles. Johnson Central's key
Lee Blair was strong in the circle. She went all
seven innings, giving up two runs, one earned, and at
the plate she went three for three with one RBI
to help Johnson Central pick up a four to two
win over Hazard On Tuesday. Hazard was looking to make

(25:33):
noise early after a lead off walk to Hazard's Mallory
Combs After building a five to one lead through four innings,
Pike Central squandered that lead in the top of the
sixth inning as Perrie Central scored four runs in the
top of the sixth in inning to tie the game
at five. Five descended into extra innings. At the bottom

(25:55):
of the eighth inning, the Hawks found little magic after
a two out double by Jonah Hicks set up Caden
Crumb on that next at bat. Caden Crumb reached on
an error to allow Hicks to score and let Pike
Central survive with a six to five win over Perry
Central last Thursday. Bulldogs heading to All A quarterfinals. Hazard's

(26:18):
moving into the All A Classic State Tournament quarterfinals at
Davies County this weekend. After knocking off Jackson County eight
to five in the ALA Classic Sectional round, the Bulldog's
advanced to take on Oyensboro Catholic at twelve thirty pm
this Saturday in Davies County. Hazard shuts out Pinevale. Remaining

(26:40):
in the win column, Hazard shutout Pineville four to zero.
On Saturday, April nineteenth, Peyton Fields pitched a four hit
shutout for Hazard and earn them win in the circle.
Fields recorded fourteen strikeouts. Hazard scored four runs on seven hits,
Raking the Elkins one hit, one RBI, Heidi Jones one hit,
one RBI, Riley Griffith one hit, Cadence Strolling's one hit,

(27:05):
Maggie Conbes one hit, Hallie Jones and Mallory Cones one
hit each contributed offensively for the Lady Bulldogs, providing a
lift at the plate for Hazzard Elkins homeward. This concludes
the reading of the Hazzard Herald. Please stay tuned for
continued programming. Thank you for joining me. Adding on behalf
of everyone here at RADIOI. This is Lee Townsend, wishing

(27:28):
you a good day.