5.24.25

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now he turned to the reading of the Hazard Herald
for news of Hazard and Prairie County Humbley Townshend. We
begin with the online edition dated May twenty second, twenty
twenty five. As a reminder, Radio Eyes of Reading service
intended for people who are blind or have other disabilities
that make it difficult to read printed material. Hometown Pharmacy

(00:22):
and partnership with the Hazard Perry County Chamber of Commerce
hold a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand reopening
of its downtown location following significant damage during the February
fifteenth flooding event. The celebration included free meals for attendees
and a rifle giveaway featuring two new fifty inch televisions.

(00:45):
Miners Hall celebrated its reopening on Saturday, May seventeenth, after
sustaining significant damage and inventory loss during the February fifteenth
flood event. The store officially reopened on April fifteenth, according
to own Electricia Paris, who said it took two months
to the day to clean, re establish, and prepare the

(01:06):
business for full operation. The celebration included free food, stocks
and refreshments for the community. Leaders urged lawmakers to oppose
cuts to health and nutrition utility programs by Justin Begley.
Members of Eastern Kentucky avocacy organizations are calling on the

(01:27):
state's congressional delegation to oppose proposed deep federal budget cuts
they say threatened vital services for thousands of families in
one of the state's most economically vulnerable regions. At a
May fifteenth teleconference forum, community leaders, health professionals, and policy
advocates gathered to highlight the devastating potential impacts of slashing

(01:52):
federal funding from Medicaid through assistance programs, minor safety initiatives,
and energy affordability effort. Rebecca Shelton, director of policy at
the Appalachian Citizens Law Center, moderated the conversation public health
programs at this time in Eastern Kentucky are under threats
at Courtney Rhodes, a black long organizer with the Appalachian

(02:16):
Citizens Law Center. As someone who's spent years working to
advocate for rural communities for access to quality care and
minor's health and safety, it's disheartening to see many vital
programs that the families rely on in jeopardy. In the
last few months, we've seen uncertainty in the longevity of

(02:40):
programs that, if lost, would be detrimental to the economy
of Eastern Kentucky. Roads outlined several programs at risk, including Medicaid,
Block loan prevention efforts and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs SNAP,
and the Low Income Energy Assistance Program. You would be

(03:01):
hard pressed to find someone in Eastern Kentucky who doesn't
rely on or have a loved one who relies on
one or more of these programs, she said. An astounding
forty four percent of Eastern Kentuckians in Representative Rogers District
rely on Medicaid and twenty three percent rely on staff.

(03:22):
The congressman has more Black Loan benefit recipients in his
district than any other in Congress. Over four thousand, five
hundred nining families received Black loan benefits and many live
with the disease. Families in the region bear some of
the highest energy burdens in the state. LA Heat is

(03:44):
critical programming for keeping the heat on, Rhodes warned. The
proposed budget reconciliation proposal with slash seven hundred and sixteen
million from the federal budget over the next decade. These
spending cuts have real impact. She said, The Congressional Budget
Office estimates that eight point six million Americans would lose

(04:06):
Medicaid and become uninsured, with anywhere from one hundred ninety
thousand to two hundred eighty two thousand Kentuckians having their
Medicare coverage terminated. Thousands of more Kentuckians will fall through
the cracks due to the elimination of subsidies that make
health insurance less expensive and the un unaffordability of copais

(04:30):
from individuals, which would lead to delayed rational care. Roads
also pointed to actions by the Trump administration that compound
the threat. President Trump is proposed to completely eliminate funding
for LYHEI next year and already laid off all of
the staff involved with administering it. She said cuts to

(04:52):
these programs will place a significant burden on the state's
budget and lead many Kentuckians without access to basic needs.
Rhades added that the enforcement of critical mind safety regulations
has also been suspended. The Mind Safety Administration has paused
enforcement of the new silic industrial she said, continuing to

(05:15):
place working miners at risk of developing black flow. Despite
the urgency, Roads remained hopeful that the outcome is not
yet fixed. The good news is it's not too late
to stop the damage, she said, But in order to
do that, members of Congress need to speak up and
lead the charge against these harmful proposals. Doctor John Jones,

(05:38):
medical director at Pharmacy at Primary Care Centers of Eastern Kentucky,
emphasized the wider community impacts beyond individual health care. For me,
it's not just Medicaid for our real communities or our
coal field communities, it's the entire community, not just those
who receive Medicaid, said Jones. With the decline of coal

(06:00):
industry here in Hazard, we depend on healthcare. Health Care
and education are our largest employers in these rural counties.
A lot of them have critical access to hospitals. These
are small hospitals that can get them to larger centers
that need be With the Medicaid cuts that are proposed,
all of this is at risk. It's not just the

(06:22):
healthcare of the person, but the jobs that deal with it.
Jones compared the potential fallout to the collapse of the
coal industry. I'm afraid what we would see with Medicaid
cuts would be similar to the decline of the coal industry,
said Jones, people who depend on Medicaid dollars for their

(06:42):
jobs because it employs nurses, doctors, pharmacists. If these cuts
take place, not only will we have people without health care,
but you're going to have people working who will have
to leave the area because the jobs will not be there.
Jones urged lawmakers to wait the long term consequences. The

(07:04):
Pathfinders of Perry County, in collaboration with the Perry County
Department of Outdoor Recreation, launched the first Wild Women's Hike Sunday,
May eighteenth at the Vinnie Goat Trails. The event featured
a hike followed by lunch in a meadow. According to
the organizers, the event was aimed towards building community, encouraging
outdoor exploration, and fostering new friendships in a supportive, inclusive space.

(07:30):
For future events, follow the Perry County Pathfinders on Facebook.
Eight CTC honors re Entry Training Program graduates. Hazard Community
and Technical College honored its spring twenty twenty five re
Entry Training Program graduates during a May thirteenth ceremony at
the college's its Technical campus. H CTC launched its re

(07:54):
entry Training program in twenty twenty three according to a
statement from HCTC recognizing a need for training for inmates
and people in addiction recovery across the college's service region.
This semester's graduating class includes thirteen students, all of whom
completed at least one carpentry certificate. This year's graduates are

(08:18):
Charles Ray Berger, Tinsley, Dustin Campbell, Dustin Caudle, Eric d Cole,
Jonathan Wade Cobs, David Fugutt, Casey Fugett, Nick Hall, Randall,
Scott Lowell, Matthew Smith, Berlin, Glenn Colby, Joseph Trent, Stephen,

(08:43):
Scott Turner. The college provides various support services to assist students,
including general education development, the plumber courses for those who
did not complete high school, hands on training, and construction
and related high demand job feels more. The re Entry
program is a collaborative effort between eight CTC and multiple

(09:06):
partner organizations, including the Kentucky River Regional Jail, Perry County
Fiscal Court, and other agencies. American Heart Association teaches CPR
to over one thousand students across Perry County in an
effort to create a nation of life savers. The American
Heart Association hosted a series of CPR training events at

(09:29):
three local high schools in Perry County from May seventh
through May twelfth. Demonstrations were held at Hazard High School,
Perry County Central High School, and Buckhorn High School, reaching
more than one thousand students with hands on instruction and
distributing CPR kits to each school. The American Heart Association

(09:50):
has set a goal of doubling the survival of cardiac
arrest by two thousand and thirty, said Meredith Atkins, Marketing
Communications director with the American Heart Association. We know that
in order to save more lives from the three hundred
and fifty thousand cardiac arrests that occur outside of a
hospital every year, we must increase the number of people

(10:14):
who respond to cardiac arrest by calling nine to one one,
delivering high quality CPR, and getting and using an AED
as soon as possible. The educational systems emphasize the urgency
of action during cardiac arrest emergencies, especially in the moments
before emergency services arrive. Currently, ninety percent of people who

(10:38):
suffer out of hospital cardiac arrests die in part because
they do not receive CPR. More than half of the time.
Atkin said, CPR, especially if performed immediately, can double or
triple a person's chance of survival. From the opinion page,
A Bad Buzz by Jeff Vanderbeck. Have you heard of

(11:01):
rare and differ tuned outdoors lately? After the floods, snow, ice,
and tornadoes. I predicted an invasion of locusts, which would
have been the cherry on the Sunday. No locusts have appeared,
just noisy, spooky, and apparently horny cicadas. I was outside
working in my yard over the weekend and I heard

(11:23):
an eerie buzzing. I looked around to see if tippy
hedgrin was near and if any birds were stoking around
wanting to eat one of my eyeballs. The buzzing was
from cicadas, millions of them. The shells of molten cicadas
and the live ones crawling around make my skin crawl.
According to reports, eastern Kentucky as the epicenter of this

(11:45):
year's cicada infestation, what we hear is the sound of
through fourteen seventeen year cicadas that are digging up out
of the ground. If you haven't heard them yet, don't
worry too much, it will happen to you. These bugs
from the ground, attached to trees and upright surfaces, make
noises in an effort to find a mate. Mate, lay eggs,

(12:07):
and then go away, while the newborns hatch and crawl
back into the ground for another seventeen years. What a
miserable life. The adult cicadas after mating will go away
within about six weeks after fully emerging. Their journey from
deep underground takes about two full weeks to complete, and
their life above ground usually lasts another six weeks, so

(12:32):
by the end of June, the noise will end and
the cicadas will be gone. The best part being facetious
is when the noise ends, another plague of opportunity enters,
and that's after the eggs hatch and the newborns leave
the nest. Mites will infest the abandoned nests. Cicadas, like

(12:52):
the nest in oak trees, mostly on the might. Infested
nests will eventually fall off the tree, allowing the mice
to scare that are all over like cockroaches in a
New York City apartment when the lights get turned off.
The tale goes that if you hear or see cicadas
in may stay away from oak trees in July, or
the leftover mites may bite you. I won't go into

(13:15):
too much about the bugs, but as far as your
garden is concerned, your safe. They don't really eat, but
they may obtain nutriment from the tissue that carries water
to the leaves of trees. Only parts of trees will
be affected and perhaps die off, which is nature's way
of natural printing. In any event, I'm not going to

(13:35):
be a big fan of bugs. Cicadas in particular, the
sounds of their songs make me feel like I'm meta
foreign country listening to a prayer whale from massive loud speakers.
It's tortuous. I can't wait for August. Thanks for eating
the Hazard Herald. The guest column cutting my heat is

(13:57):
a deadly blow to eastern cancut Key by Chris Woolley
Mountain Association. By any measure, the economy of eastern Kentucky
in the wider Appalachian region is struggling. The collapse of
the coal industry, the opioid crisis, and the recurring natural
disasters have left scars that are slow to heal. Families

(14:19):
and individual households trying to make ends meet allow on
an array of federal assistance. Recently, there have been cuts
or threats to these assistance programs, including a proposed total
elimination of a vital energy assistance program that supports six
million low income households each year across the country. The

(14:42):
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program l HEAP is zeroed
out of the budget federal federally for the fiscal year
that begins in September twenty twenty five. Light Heat provides
life saving aid the millions of Americans by helping them
for their heating and cooling bills. For many, it's the

(15:03):
difference between choosing food or heat, medicine or air conditioning.
In twenty twenty four along, the program was utilized by
more than two hundred and nineteen thousand times by Kentucky households.
These are small disbursements a maximum of two hundred and
fifty dollars per season that function as a safety net

(15:25):
for working families, elderly residents, and people with disabilities who
are trying to survive on limited incomes in one of
the most energy burdened regions in the country. Despite this
need the Trump administration's twenty twenty six budget proposes defunding
my Heap entirely. Their reasoning is that lower energy prices

(15:48):
are on the horizon thanks to have moved toward American
energy dominance and the America First platform. But hearing Kentucky,
the future hasn't arrived yet. Energy bills are still going up,
not down. In some eastern Kentucky counties, low income families
pay up to fourteen point five percent of their income

(16:12):
on utility bills, more than double the six percent threshold
that experts define its high energy burden. Rural residents, especially
those living in older, less energy efficient homes, feel this pain.
The most rural areas often paid disproportionately high electricity costs

(16:33):
due to utilities charging higher rates, in part due to
the infrastructure costs utilities incur covering moule miles of transmission lines,
et cetera, and in part due to utilities being owned
by investors who are guaranteed a certain rate of return
on their investment. And while some cities have access to

(16:57):
local programs that might soften the blow of high hills,
rural communities often don't. That's where light heat comes in.
It funds weatherization improvements that may comes more efficient, reducing
future energy costs and minimizing the need for repeated emergency assistance.
In fiscal year twenty twenty three, the program went Arise

(17:21):
and Weatherize more than sixty thousand homes nationwide and help
to prevent countless power disconnections. The federal government allocated approximately
fifty four million dollars to light Heat funds for Kentucky
in physical year two thousand and twenty five. To access
these funds, individuals must meet certain requirements and provide documentations

(17:45):
showing their need for assistance. These requirements are designed to
support Kentucky's most vulnerable residents, and some examples include households
where someone has a health condition or disability verified by
a doctor's note, someone as sixty five or older, or
a child under the age of six is present. This

(18:07):
money is especially important during extreme summer and winter temperatures
that Kentucky experiences. Kentucky is one of just ten states
where utility shut offs due to non payment are allowed,
even during dangerous weather events. Sometimes families are cut off
because they owe as little as six dollars. Cutting law

(18:28):
heat cannot be a budget decision. This is an issue
that needs to be considered for the survival of the
most vulnerable of our neighbors because it's so critical. The
program is housed under the Department of Health and Human
Services and is received by partisans support for nearly forty
five years. The Trump administration recently acknowledged that Appalachia is

(18:53):
at a disadvantage due to the loss of cold jobs
and the opioid crisis, and because of that, they were
leaving funding for another program in the budget that benefits
this area. We argue that many low income communities across
the country face similar systemic challenges that have them needing

(19:15):
a little extra help to stay and revitalize these areas
of the United States. If you have an experience to
share about how Lie Heap has impacted you or your
community in time of need, now is the time to
share this story. Here are the obituaries. Homer Earl Allen

(19:37):
eighty one died Sunday May eighteenth. Norma J. Hayes Baker
seventy two, a pioneer, died Thursday May fifteenth. Patricia Ann Combs,
eighty formerly of Perry County, died Friday May sixteenth. John C. Campbell,
Junior eighty two died Tuesday, May thirteenth. Alice Elaine Gayheart

(20:02):
Moore sixty of Loss Creek died Friday, May sixteenth. Deborah K.
Burkehead sixty seven of IKO died Sunday, May eighteenth. Jay
Garland Combes died Wednesday, May fourteenth. Roy Lee Hurt seventy
eight of Hazard died Monday, May nineteenth. Day the Napier

(20:28):
seventy four of Hazard died May seventeenth. Jerry Crater seventy
sixth died Wednesday May fourteenth. Jackie Sloan seventy five of
Iper died Wednesday, May thirteenth. Britney Michelle Stacey thirty five
of Hazard died Monday May twelfth. Terry Smith sixty five

(20:50):
of ulunded Tuesday May thirteenth. Martha stead Of eighty two,
formerly of Perry County, died Thursday May fifteenth. James Eddy
Stacey's forty seven of Hazard died Tuesday May thirteenth, and
Ronald Wayne Tricker sixtyth formerly of Piriy County died Friday,

(21:12):
May sixteenth. Representative Rogers meets with superintendents in Kentucky's fifth
district to discuss federal funding for education U S Representative
Harold Hal Rodgers, Dean of the White House, convened a
meeting on May twelfth at the Center for Real Development
with superintendents from nineteen school districts in southern and eastern Kentucky,

(21:35):
as well as the Kentucky's Association of School Administrators. The
leaders from each school district, including Prairie School Superintendent Kent Campbell,
shared their concern with Rogers about federal funding for education,
food and medical needs, and schools across Kentucky's fifth Conditional District.

(21:56):
According to a statement from Rogers office, our school superintendents
say students face incredible challenges in meeting the needs of
the Kentucky's Appalachian region, including far more than education in
the classroom. We discuss the best ways to help our
students reach their full potential and the programs that are

(22:17):
vital to their success. While the federal funding process for
fiscal year twenty twenty six is in the beginning stages,
Rogers encouraged school administrators to remain in constant communication about
their needs in their schools. The following superintendents attended the
meeting with Rogers and Ron mcclwell, CEO of Kentucky's Association

(22:41):
of School Administrators. In addition to Campbell, Dennis Messer Barberville
Independent Schools and Philip Watts, Beckett County School Superintendent were present.
The Hazard Rogery Club awarded four one thousand dollars scholarships
during a ceremony held May fourteenth, recognizing outstanding students from

(23:04):
across the region. Included in this were Evelyn Woods Scholarship Chair,
D Parker, Club President, HCTC President and Rotarian doctor Jennifer Lyndon.
Scholarship recipients were Parker Coots of Hazard, Chloe Lovely of Cordia,
Emma Jones of Perry County Central, and Hayden Owen of Buckhorn.

(23:29):
Each student was joined by family members for the event.
The Ruggary Club also welcome educators and counselors Helen Williams
of Hazard, Kim Dixon of Perry Central, and Denise co
Well of Buckhorn. Hazard. AARH hosted the meal and provided
the meeting space. We're proud of these students and wished

(23:49):
them the best, said President D Parker. Apalachian Regional Healthcare
and a r H Foundation re launched system wide Volunteer
Appalachian Regional Healthcare announced in statement May twenty first the
relaunch of its enhanced system wide volunteer program Volunteers. The

(24:11):
statement said, we'll play a pivotal role in the patient's experience,
enhancing patient care and community support. Volunteers are the heart
of our mission, providing compassionate support that enhances the patient's
experience and strengthens our communities, said Angela Beile, Executive Director

(24:32):
of the ARH Foundation. In the past, the volunteer program
was unique to each hospital. By consolidating our program or
opening a broader range of options to our volunteers who
are interested in contributing more than one facility, or are
interested in working with a particular initiative like art displays

(24:53):
or music therapy, the ARH Volunteer Services Team will collaborate
with leadership at each facility across Kentucky and West Virginia
to ensure the volunteers integrate seamlessly and address the community's needs.
In sports, Perrie Central cruises past Buckhorn fifteen to oh

(25:14):
in the district Attorney host Perry County shutout Buckhorn fifteen
oh in three innings during the semi finals of the
fifty fourth District softball tournament on Monday, May nineteenth. Perry
Central improved in nineteen and eleven after posting the win.
The win allowed Perry Central to advance to the fifty

(25:35):
fourth District Softball Tournament title game. With the loss, Buckhorn
exited the high school softball season with a record of
seven wins, fourteen losses, and one tie. Three period Central
pitchers combined to pitch one shutout. Hazard walks off against

(25:55):
Leslie County one oh. Everything gets stuffer. In postseason play,
Hazard knocked off Leslie County ten to four. In regular
season play, Monday evening was a different story. The game
was scoreless entering the bottom of the seventh, Hazard's Halle
Jones came through with a clutch walk off single to
give the Lady buck Bulldogs a one to oher win

(26:17):
over Leslie County and keep the season alive. In the
bottom of the seventh, Hazard's Reagan Elkins hit a leadoff single,
Maggie Combs followed with a bunt single, and Mallery Combs
added a bunch single of her own to load the
bases with no out that set the stage for Halle
jones walk off single to push the Lady Bulldogs to

(26:38):
the fifty fourth District Championship against Perry Central. Perry Central
advanced to the fifty fourth District Tournament championship after knocking
off Leslie County nine to one in the opening round.
Perry Central scored nine runs on twelve hits. Mason Summer
led the Commodores at the plate. He was two for

(27:00):
four with a double two RBIs and scored a run.
Devin Gayheart and Parker Collette each added a pair of
singles and an RBI. Collette also scored a run. The
Commodorees were scheduled to take on Hazzard in the fifty
fourth District Championship Wednesday evening at Perry Central. This concludes

(27:21):
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 Townshend, wishing
you a good day.