6.8.25

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now we turn to the reading of the Hazard Herald
for news of Hazzard in Perry County, how many townshend
We begin with the dated June fifth, twenty twenty five.
As a reminder, radioized a reading service intended for people
who are blind or have other disabilities that make it
difficult to read printed material. Perry County Sheriff announces retirement,

(00:24):
will not seek re election by Justin Begley. Perry County
Sheriff Joe Ingle announced June second that he will not
seek reelection in the upcoming twenty twenty six election, signaling
the end of his tenure as the county's top law
enforcement official. I would like to take this opportunity to
announce that I will not seek reelection for the office

(00:47):
of Perry County Sheriff the next year's upcoming election. Ingle said,
I will be retiring at the end of this term
on December thirty first, twenty twenty six. Ingle, who has
served two terms of sheriff, reflected on the journey that
began more than two decades ago. It's been a great
honor and privilege to have been elected twice by the

(01:09):
people of this county as its chief law enforcement officer.
He said, I began my career in nineteen ninety seven
as a volunteer deputy, and I'll leave next year after
serving eight years as sheriff Lord Willing. Ingall invoked the
example of the nation's first president in explaining his decision
to step aside. George Washington, the first American president, made

(01:33):
a decision that two terms was the proper amount of
time to hold such a powerful position. Ingall said, the
office of sheriff is a position of power and great responsibility.
I want my legacy to be that I love the
people of this county and I gave it my best.
I want my time to be seen as selfless service
to someone and something bigger than me as an individual.

(01:57):
Ingall assured the public that he remains committed to serving
the remainder of his term with the same dedication he's
shown throughout his career. I will continue the next year
and a half to work hard and selflessly for the
people who elected me to this office. He said, Thank you,
Perry County for this wonderful opportunity you've given me. Thank

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you to my wife and children for standing by me
throughout it all. Most of all, thank you Jesus for
this calling and ability to carry it out. Attendees filled
the seats at the Forum Friday, May thirtieth for a
night of entertainment provided by the Appalachian Arts Alliance and
their latest performative Endeavor, Harmony and Hazard, a musical review.

(02:42):
The evening featured multiple acts with an extensive cast performing
classic scenes and songs from plays like Annie, Chicago, Little
Shop of Horrors, Greece, and more. The night's performance was
directed by Tim Deaton, Conway, Dan Brennan, Tagan Cox, Wren Little,

(03:03):
and Lindsay Branson. The full cast was Grace Stewart, Paisley Fields,
Natalie Rice, Caleb Torrey, Maddie Hayes, Carle Whittaker, Brinkley Brennan,
Bentley Feltner, Lila Cox, Willa Campbell, Callaway Weinberg, Isabella Miller,

(03:23):
Rebecca Deaton, Miranda Ingle, Tiffany Sturdivant, Wren Little, Tim Doaton, Conway,
Tagan Cox, Bailey Richards, and Lindsay Branson. Apple Latch in
Quilt relocates on maye. Apple Latch and Quilt, joined by
staff and members of the Hazard, Perry County Chamber of Commerce,

(03:46):
Hold of Reuben Cutting ceremony Saturday of May thirty first,
to celebrate the shop's relocation following February's flooding. Owned and
operated by Sandy Hurt and Sheridan Sparkman, the store is
now opened at three four three zero Main Street and
has opened Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from ten am to

(04:07):
five pm. You can call six six three seven, three
four eight five eight four information. Longtime Carquest manager retires
after forty seven years on Main Street. After nearly five
decades of service at the same Main Street location, James Bryant,

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manager of Carquest, has retired. Friends, family and coworkers gathered Tuesday,
Juan third to celebrate his last day on the job
and honor his forty seven year career. It's been a good,
steady business, said Bryant. There's been so many great loyal customers,
ate a lot of friends. I've seen a lot of
people come through and some people that I'll always remember.

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Bryan has served as manager for thirty of his forty
seven years at Carquest, witnessing sweeping changes in the automotive
parts business over the decades. When I started out, we
didn't have computers, of course, he said. Everything was manual
and catalog. We went through all of that with the
computers and they about drove as crazy, but then we

(05:12):
finally got used to them and can't do anything without
them now. Customers also used to come in and sit
and talk around a lot of old timers. Now we
deliver a lot of stuff. Tammy Stacy, who's worked at
Carquest for thirty three years, reflected on the camaraderie built
during the time together. We all started out as employees

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and now we've all raised our families together here, Stacy said.
Stacy said Brian was surprised by the farewell celebration, which
marked the end of a long and meaningful chapter. We
surprised him today with everything, she said. It's been great
working with James all of these years. We've seen a
lot of changes. Brian said. He's looking forward to retirement,

(05:58):
which she'll enjoy alongside it his wife, Karen, who's also
retiring after thirty five years in the school system. We
don't really have any plans for retirement besides catching up
on a lot of housework, Brian said. My son recently
got a boat, so we have some plans for that. Soon.
Brian will be succeeded by Mike Couch, a twenty eight

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year employee of Carquest who's been training for the role
in recent months. He's been at a little extra training
over the past few months, Brian said, learning all the
little things he never had to fool with before. Wanda
Morgan retires after eighteen years of Hall of Justice and
honored as Duchess of Hazard. After eighteen years of service

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with the Perry County Circuit Courts Clerk's Office, Wanda Morgan
is retiring, but not without a heartfelt sendahl from coworkers,
local officials, and community she helped shape from behind her desk. Morgan,
eighty four, was honored during the celebration, recognizing her contributions
to the Clerk's office and the lives she touched. The

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event included a visit from Hazard Mayor Donald happy Mobalini,
who surprised her with a key to the city and
the honorary title of Duchess of Hazard. Judge Allison Wells
called Morgan the heart of the Hall of Justice. Wanda
is such a beloved member of the family of Hall
of Justice, well said. She's been with the Clerk's office

(07:27):
since two thousand and seven and she's been the heart
of this place. She provides us with lots of candy
and is encouraging and helpful. In eighty four she can
work circles around all of us. She's precious to us.
Morgan express deep gratitude for her time at the clerk's
office and the people she's worked with over the years.

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I've had the best boss. He's been wonderful, Morgan said,
not just to me, but to everyone who works with him.
The people who I work with, they're my family. I
go home and when I come to see my family,
I come here. I love everyone. I really do. Circuit
Court clerk Charlie Patterson said Morgan has been a defining

(08:09):
presence in the office for nearly two decades. I'm very
thankful to have gotten the chance to work with her.
Pat And said, sometimes there's things you can't teach people.
All I wanted as a clerk was people who did
their jobs and treated people with kindness, and Wanda shows
us how to do that every single day I've worked

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with one. To go in on fourteen years, she really
is the mother of the office, Patterson added to Morgan's
presence set the tone for the entire team. She's there
to show us how people should be treated. He said,
it's a loss. She's been the greatest asset of this office.
She's been a great role model for all of our

(08:50):
deputy clerks over the years. The job has changed since
she's changed with the technologies, other than the way she
treats people. She's never been intimidated by this job, and
we're going to miss her badly. Chief Deputy Clark Natysha Bright,
who has worked with Morgan for the past ten years,
described her as the emotional foundation of the office. She's

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everyone's grandma, Brian said. She makes sure we're all taken
care of. If we're having a bad day, she makes
us better. She just knows the right words to say
to people. No matter what's going on in your life,
she always puts a smile on your face. Brian said,
Morgan's warmth and compassion will be impossible to replace. She

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has a light about her. She genuinely loves everyone. She
never meets a stranger. She said. She's irreplaceable, and we're
going to miss her. Showing up without her after her
being part of our lives for so long, it's going
to be hard. She's just so much of a part
of us. She's not just a friend, she's family. No

(09:55):
matter why you're here, she makes you feel welcome and
talks to everyone as an e Reaping from the Field
by Devin Kid. The way that human interests change, especially
from one yearly season to the next, never fails to
amaze me. There are some outdoor enthusiasts who preach the

(10:16):
same critter or season year round. But if you're like me,
you're a jack of all trades and a master of
nut and that's okay. In other words, rather than focusing
on one species, I prefer to focus on what I
can participate in during the here and now, while keeping
a close eye on what's to come. With goblin turkeys
being behind us, it's time we discuss the hunt for

(10:39):
some good dirt. I've never found it a coincidence that
God placed Adam and Eve in a garden during mankind's beginning.
After all, plowing and work in the garden has always
brought me a sense of pride, accomplishment, and escape, just
like the timber does. Furthermore, when the Bible reads that
God came walking through the garden and the cool of

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the day, well let's just say that's a beautiful sight.
As my natural mind can imagine. Just as it is
satisfying to cut up an animal for protein, it's also
a treasure to harvest one that's been planted by hand.
The camaraderie that comes from work in the garden with
those you love is as special as anything there is. Obviously,

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being able to eat your garden's contents is the big picture,
but don't underestimate the importance in life lessons that come
from the process of getting to that point. I'm hoping
to get a few rows of beans and corn down
in the next week. Yeah, I'm late, there's not a
doubt in my mind that tomatoes, cucumbers, and more vegetables

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won't be far behind. Lastly, I'll probably try my hand
to a few watermelons. In past years, I've been blessed
enough to grow a few, and the experience has always
been a pleasure. Of the time they get ready for picking,
a part of you feels like they're just one of
the family. Remember, you reap what you sew, so you

(12:06):
plant corn, don't be surprised if corn grows more. Importantly,
reaping follows the sewing and not the other way around.
You want corn and beans to taste better than ever before. Well,
then try your hand at gardening. Do the attention today's
world seems to demand of us. Your soul more than
likely needs it in the coming months. Whether you're for

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laying a croppie skin and a squirrel or picking fresh beans,
the satisfaction gain will far outweigh the feeling of willing
yourself to get up go to the store and buy
anything similar. There has always been, and always will be
something special about the field, the table, food that goes

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for an animal from the field, or something picked from
the field itself. Oh, how thankful I am for the
great outdoors. There's plenty of adventures to be had in
stories to be told. So until next time, stay tuned
in as much as possible, stay in the timber, or,
in this case, the garden. Longtime Eastern Kentucky Democrat joins

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the Republican Party. A long time Eastern Kentucky Democrat has
announced she's joining the Republican Party. Senator Robin Webb, a
Carter County state lawmaker who served in the same state
legislature since nineteen ninety nine, was one of the two
Democrats left in the state House representing parts of eastern Kentucky.

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The region was once a Democratic stronghold, turning Republican over
the last couple of decades. She and other Republicans said
it was a sign that the Democratic Party wasn't what
it once was, and a press release from Republican Party
of Kentucky. Web said she didn't leave the Democrat Party,

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but the party left me. She added that her core
values had not change, just the letter next to my name,
and she will continue to focus on issues in rural Kentucky.
The Kentucky Democratic Party has increasingly alienated lifelong rural Democrats
like myself by failing to support the issues that matter

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most for rural Kentucky, AND's Web said, first and foremost,
I'm a mother, a rancher, and a lawyer with deep
personal and professional roots in Kentucky's Cold Country. As the
Democratic Party continues its lurts to the left and its
hyper focus on policies that hurt workforce and economic development

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in my region, I no longer feel it represents my values.
It's become untenable and counterproductive to the best interests of
my constituents for me to remain a Democrat. Web thank
Republican President Rob Steivers. Other colleagues in the General Assembly
and the RpK for the warm welcome. She said she

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looks forward to continuing to focus on sound policy with
rural Kentucky's best interests in mine. Web was elected to
the state Senate in two thousand and nine after a
serving in the House for a decade, making her one
of the current longest serving members of the General Assembly.
Our district includes northeastern Kentucky counties of Boyd, Carter, Greenup,

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and Lewis. With Web switch democrats super majority in the Senate,
wimbles to six members, Republicans now have thirty two seats
in the chamber. She was often seen as the caucus's
more conservative member, sometimes voting with Republicans on culture war issues,
like this year's bill to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion

(15:50):
initiatives in public Kentucky universities. Web also recently appointed by
Stivers as the Senate chair of the Disaster Prevention and
Resiliency Task Force, which will meet during the interim session.
She supported a resolution to establish the panel. Representative Patrick Flannery,

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an Olafield Republican who represents Webb's home county in the House,
said in the press release that the party switch makes
sense for Webb and her constituents. Robin and I have
always had an excellent working relationship, Flannery said, she has
served as a mentor to me and many others. We
represent the same constituency, and she's making the same decisions

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that many of our people have already made changing her registration.
Other Kentucky Republican leaders praised Webb for joining the party.
RpK Chairman Robert ben Beniti the Third said in a
statement that he met Webb when he was a state representative.

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Always respected that she approached issues with a very thoughtful
and common sense manner, and that she never failed to
keenly focus on what was best for her constituents. It
is my pleasure to welcome Senator Robin Webb to the
Republican Party, he said, Like countless other Kentuckians, she has
recognized that the policies and objectives of today's Democratic Party

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are simply not what they once were and do not
align with the vast majority of Kentuckians. Kentucky Republican Committee
Member and Chairman John McCarthy and RNC co chair Case
Crosby of Kentucky also welcome web to the party's ranks
in the state House. The lone Democrat in the mountains

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left is Representative Ashley tack and Lafferty of Martin. She
can seek reelection again in twenty twenty six. She had
no opponents in the twenty twenty two election. Have to
decide whether to pick up federal education funding slack lawmakers here.

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A group of Kentucky lawmakers was brief Tuesday on a
slew of changes to federal education funding coming out of Washington.
During the first meeting of the Interim Joint Committee on Education,
Kentucky senator and representatives heard about proposals to cut the
federal education budget and some pauses and funding under the

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Trump administration from Karah Thomas, government affairs manager for the
Aassay the Association of School Superintendents. Tuesday marked the start
of interim committee meetings for state lawmakers this year. In
the months ahead, committees of senators and representatives will hear

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presentations to gather information to use in the twenty twenty
six legislative session. That's when legislatures will debate and finalize
the next two years state budget. In recent months, the
Kentucky Department of Education and Robbie Fletcher, the state's Education commissioner,

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have sent public warnings about how losing funding, particularly dollars
previously promised this COVID relief, will jeopardize projects in Kentucky schools.
About two weeks ago, the US Department of Education denied
a ten million dollar request to extend COVID relief funding

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submitted by KDE on behalf of school districts. Thomas told
lawmakers that the federal Education Department had denied some extensions
for projects that were not related to services directly provided
to students. Some examples include projects for improving building ventilation

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or the environment of the schools, or supporting professional development programs.
Thomas said Kentucky may have to consider if he wants
to fund some of these denied requests for education programs
and resources itself. Elementary and secondary educators received the biggest
chunk of Kentucky's general fund budget and is one of

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the most polarizing issues. If Kentucky has some of these
programs you had extensions for and no longer have it,
I think the state's going to have to determine if
they want to continue these programs or not. Other topics
included during the presentations a review of the Republican's Big
Beautiful Bill moving through Congress, and the Trump administration's recently

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released budget requests for the next biscal year. The budget
bill includes a tax credit scholarship for a nationwide school
choice program. Kentucky voters rejected at a constitutional amendment last
year to allow the General Assembly to fund non public
schools with public money. As the Committee was pressed for

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time with the other proceedings and presentations during the meeting,
Representative Adriel Camuel, Democrat of Lexington, was the only lawmaker
to ask a question of Thomas. Camuell asked for clarification
about if the tax credit allowed for states to create
reporting requirements to show how funds are being spent, how

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they're using the federal tax credits. Thomas said that as
of right now, the proposal has been a straightforward tax credit,
but going to the administration's deferral to states, I would
imagine that they might allow for implementing additional accountability standards
if that's what the state wants to do. President Donald

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Trump previously signed an executive order to move the US
Education Department's main functions to the States. Committee co chair
Senator Steve West, Republican of Paris, said the briefing was
intended to be a snapshot out of the changes in
federal policies and how they will affect Kentucky. I'm sure

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things will change tomorrow, West said. On May nineteenth, during
the Hazard City Commissioner's Meeting, Captain Randy Gwynn and Patrol
Lucas Davis with the Hazard Police Department were presented with
the Meritorious Service Award for their swift response to a
kidnapping complaint on April twenty seventh, twenty twenty five. The

(22:27):
officers located and apprehended the suspect and recovered the juvenile
within ten minutes of receiving the call. According to Hazard
Police Chief Zach Miller, the officers demonstrated with sourcefulness, compassion,
and problem solving skills while working through a high stress situation.
Their exceptional service is an example of how our agency

(22:49):
is expected to perform, Miller said, Congratulations to Captain Gwynn
and Patrolman Davis on an outstanding job. Kentucky breaks ground
on first men medical Cannabis safety compliance facility. On May
twenty eight, officials programmed on the first medical Cannabis Safety
Compliance Facility and the Commonwealth State thirty eight LLC, with

(23:13):
roughly one million dollars in investment, will employ around a
dozen Kentuckians. The new Safety Compliance Facility, according to a
statement from the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services,
will be one of seven in the state dedicated to
assuring the safety and quality of medical cannabis products. Team
Kentucky is dedicated to ensuring every Kentuckian with a qualifying

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condition has safe access to quality medical cannabis, said Governor
Andy Basheer. I'm excited to see this new industry take
root here in Graves County because I believe healthcare is
a basic human right. Local attorney Gary Kilburn has opened
a new law office on Main Street, bringing more than

(23:58):
a decade of legal experience with a client centered approach. Kilburn,
of Comb's Native and graduate of Hazard High School, began
his academic journey at Hazard Community and Technical College, where
he earned both his associate degree and bachelor's degree. Through
Hazzard's Community and Technical College partnership with the University of
the Cumberlands, Kilbrin will serve personal injury, criminal and family

(24:24):
law with a focus on accessible representation for local residents
in our Obituary's father, Michael Chauning, passed away Wednesday, May
twenty first. Mary Eversol seventy nine died Sunday, June first.
Johnny Wayne Smith fifty seven of Combs died Friday, May thirtieth.

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Chess Magrit eighty three of Krypton died Tuesday, May twenty seventh.
One to Stamper eighty one of Hazzard died Wednesday, May
twenty eighth. Melbourne Wayne Glover fifty eight died Friday, May thirtieth.
Bertha Combes passed away Sunday, May nineteenth. Jerry Couch, forty

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four died May twenty ninth at hazard A rh Sherman
Walker Junior Popeye eighty six passed away May twenty eight,
twenty twenty five, and Darryl Lee Wooton, seventy four of
a Cup died Monday, May twenty sixth. From the Opinion Page.

(25:33):
News round up by Jeff Vanderback. This week, I want
to enlighten you on news briefs from around the counties
we serve. Not only do we publish the newspaper of
record for Pike County, we also publish newspapers of record
for Perry, Floyd, and Johnson Counties in Kentucky and Ningo County,
West Virginia. While news is vitally important, we recognize that

(25:57):
family and friends of our readers may live in one
of the additional counties we serve, and therefore think you
may find some local news briefs from other counties of interest.
I'll attempt to give you a version of some I
swear I don't make it up from Perry County. From
the Stupid Criminal File, two meth heads were arrested after

(26:18):
they made another mistake. They pulled into the driveway of
a KSP Special Investigation Branch East trooper thinking they were
pulling into the home of another metheuser. Much to their surprise,
the trooper came out and saw all kinds of drugs
and arrested the two. Said that these people are traveling
on our roadways and destroying our communities Johnson County. The

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jail is trying to cover a budget deficit like everyone else,
and has made suggestions in changing the fees charged to
book inmates. The current rate is a one time fee
of one hundred and thirty dollars. In the proposed dost
a twenty five dollars booking fee and five dollar per
day to house the inmates in order for the jail

(27:04):
to recoup its money under the proposed plan, and inmatemates
to stay in jail for more than twenty one days,
which is more likely to happen, they will lose money
on the drunks and short timers. This concludes the reading
of the Hazard Hero and please stay tuned for continued programming.
Thank you for joining me and on behalf of everyone

(27:25):
here at Radioive. This is Lee Townshend, wishing you a
good day.