Jobs For The Commonwealth In a news release on Thursday, Governor Andy Beshear announced that a company’s expansion could bring 200 full-time jobs to the Commonwealth.Chapin International Inc., a compressed air sprayer manufacturer, plans to expand its Rockcastle County facility and add a new location in Boyle County.The company also will increase investment in its…

KY Record-Setting COVID-19 Rate Kentucky and Texas joined a growing list of states that are seeing record numbers of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in a surge that is overwhelming doctors and nurses and afflicting more children.Intensive care units around the nation are packed with patients extremely ill with the coronavirus – even in places where hospitalizations…

Pardoned Criminal Convicted An Eastern KY man pardoned by Kentucky’s former governor for a 2014 drug robbery killing has been convicted for the same slaying in federal court after a two-week trial.Federal prosecutors brought charges against Patrick Baker after he was released from prison when former Gov. Matt Bevin pardoned him on his way out…

Driver’s License Renewal Options Kentuckians in eight counties may notice some big changes the next time they need to renew or obtain a drivers license.Instead of the traditional county clerk’s office licensing system, people will now go to Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Driver Licensing Regional Offices.KYTC announced in a news release that Boone, Boyd, Clinton, Daviess,…

Record-Setting Ham Bid Two bidders combined their bids to set a new record for the purchase of the Kentucky State Fair’s Blue Ribbon Country Ham.The bidding took place during the annual Kentucky Farm Bureau Country Ham Breakfast and Auction at the Kentucky Exposition Center.After the individual bidding reached the $2.4 million mark, Joe and Kelly…

Toyota Electric Fuel Cells Toyota will start rolling out new, electric fuel cells out of Georgetown.Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky will assemble “integrated dual fuel cell modules.” That’ll start in 2023.The goal is to use these fuel cells in heavy-duty trucks to cut harmful emissions.The cells offer a 300-mile range for an 80,000-pound truckload. Source: MG…

Middlesboro City Hall Quarantining Middlesboro Mayor Rick Nelson said on Facebook officials are closing City Hall.The building will be closed from August 30th to September 10th.Officials said they are concerned with the increase of COVID-19 cases and are closing to protect employees and community members.If you have a meeting with Codes, you can still do…

Isaiah House Funding As the opioid epidemic in Kentucky carries on, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Congressman Andy Barr visited Isaiah House in Woodford County this week to announce a large grant to help with long-term recovery:The $2.4 million grant will address employment barriers for people in recovery.The grant comes from the Substance…

Baptist Health Pay Increases Some good news in the healthcare industry, Baptist Health is announcing it has raised its minimum starting hourly wage to $15 per hour for all full-time, part-time and temporary workers at its nine hospitals and medical group.The health care system also announced general increases for all staff, as well.The increase…

Governor’s Mandates End The Kentucky State Supreme Court decision recently brings an end to Governor Andy Beshear’s management of the state’s COVID response without legislative approval. The state high court allows recently passed laws to stand, restricting the Governor’s emergency powers.“There aren’t going to be anymore lockdowns or shutdowns,” State Senate Majority Leader Damon…

Perry County Road Work If you live or drive through Perry County you can expect to see improved road conditions in the near future.The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) announced that the Perry County Fiscal Court will receive $100,000 in order to fund a slide repair on Napier Ridge Road, according to a news release.The…

Mountain Parkway Construction Construction on a segment of the Mountain Parkway in Magoffin County could cause some traffic trouble Thursday morning.Construction crews will set beams this week on two bridges. The bridges will be over Johnson Creek at mile point 65.7 that will eventually carry a new four-lane alignment of the Parkway, and they…

Baptist Health Vaccine Baptist Health encourages people with weakened immune systems to get a third shot 28 days after their second dose, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many with compromised immune systems likely had a lessened response or no response at all to the vaccines due to their underlying…

University Of Pikeville Recognition Some encouraging education news! The University of Pikeville gained recognition from a national council on its teacher preparation.The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) published data that showed the school’s excellence in first-time pass rates.UPIKE’s average first-time pass rate on the Praxis II Elementary Education test (56%) was ten percent…

Goforth Resigns Kentucky state representative Robert Goforth has resigned. In his resignation letter, Goforth explained “family and personal circumstances that demand my full attention and focus” in his resignation letter.He was facing domestic violence charges stemming from an incident involving his wife back in April 2020. According to police reports, his wife said Goforth…

Pikeville Man Arrested 41-year old John Caines of Pikeville was arrested on Tuesday following a 90-minute rescue operation involving multiple local law enforcement agencies when he was found acting erratically.“It was a joint effort,” said Pikeville PD Public Information Officer Tony Conn. “Between Pikeville Police Department, Pikeville Fire and EMS, our rope team, our…

God’s Food Pantry A band of local partners are coming together for what they call a community initiative.“We’re trying to bring food back into the pantries for the holiday season and get them restocked,” Kentucky Power External Affairs Manager Bob Shurtleff said. “And we know they’ve been hit very, very hard through the pandemic…

Deceptive Loan Practices College students in Kentucky have hope for protection against deceptive loan practices by lenders.Kentucky State Representative Patti Minter has announced she is filing a bill currently titled B.R. 96, which would take on predatory lending, according to a news release.She says with this bill, student borrowers can know that their state…

Gigantic Gourd Eastern Kentucky is on the map again for it’s gigantic gourd debuting at the Kentucky State Fair.Charlie Brown might even be impressed might say “good grief” if he saw the 1,663-pound gargantuan gourd raised by Floyd County farmer Dwight Slone.Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles shared the news on his Twitter. …

Gun Laws Saying it would take away control from Congress,Attorney General Daniel Cameron is now part of a 20-state coalition of attorneys against the Biden administration’s proposed gun laws, according to a news release.The coalition is opposing what they say is an unlawful attempt to regulate guns proposed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,…

College Of Optometry The University of Pikeville-Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO), which began a grant program last year, was recognized by the American Optometric Association (AOA), according to a news release.The program’s success has lead the AOA to adopt its system all across the nation.Apparently, the KYCO has paid for 43 optometry students to…

School Safety Some positive education news, almost all schools in the state are compliant with the School Safety and Resiliency Act (SSRA), per a news release.Thanks to the additional help from Governor Andy Beshear’s $18.2 million budget allocation, almost all schools meet SSRA standards, according the first school risk assessment report.Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman,…

Leslie County Schools Cancelled Another Eastern Kentucky school district is canceling classes due to the coronavirus.In a Facebook post from Leslie County Schools on Sunday, officials with the district said due to “an increase in COVID cases in our schools and additional class quarantines, school will be canceled through August 27th.”School officials say the…

Opioid Abuse Funding For KY Kentucky will be getting almost $1.2 million to help fight opioid abuse.According to a news release, Governor Andy Beshear joined Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet Secretary Kerry Harvey to announce a grant awarded by Federal Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Comprehensive Opioid and Stimulant Substance Abuse Program (COSSAP).This grant…

Elkhorn City Women’s Center New hope for women in Eastern KY battling addiction, a new residential treatment center has recently opened in Pike County that focuses on treatment and recovery for those women.A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place recently for the Judi Patton Center for Families, a new female-only substance abuse disorder residential treatment facility…

Pike County Roads Money Gov. Andy Beshear visited Pike county recently and stopped by the Pike County Courthouse with a check.The $367,650 is for resurfacing of roads in the northern part of the county.The routes to be resurfaced are the Right Fork of Brushy Creek and Rockhouse Fork of Big Creek.The two projects will…

Injunction Dissolved The Kentucky Supreme Court unanimously ordered the Franklin Circuit Court to dissolve an injunction that stopped new laws passed by the state legislature to be implemented.The ruling allows the Republican-backed laws that limit Governor Andy Beshear’s emergency powers. Echoing similar sentiments from the governor’s office, Colmon Elridge, head of the Kentucky Democratic…

FDA Issues Warning The Food and Drug Administration says it has received multiple reports of patients hospitalized after taking ivermectin, an anti-parasite drug commonly used in horses, to treat or prevent COVID-19.“You are not a horse,” the FDA tweeted on Saturday. “You are not a cow. Seriously, y’all. Stop it.”The FDA has not approved…

Helping Area Veterans As the crisis in Afghanistan unfolds and the Taliban take control, U.S. Marine veteran Zachary McGuffey is holding a care group at the Warrior Hall for his fellow vets who are having memories of their tours in the Middle East.McGuffey said he has been receiving calls from veterans saying they are…

KY State Fair Opens The first day back to the KY State Fair brought certain rules, such as wearing masks inside and having an attendance policy for those under under 18 after 6 p.m. According to a Kentucky State Fair spokesperson, the attendance policy for minors was put in place after a fight broke…

Blue Grass Airport Repairs The Blue Grass Airport is closed to begin work on a major resurfacing project that hasn’t been done since 2006.“Usually it’s every 12 to 15 years we in partnership with the FAA have to resurface the runway, make sure the condition is safe and ready to go for all the…

KY State University Finances Kentucky State University is taking corrective actions to stabilize the school’s finances after the resignation of its president last month.The university’s board of regents was recently briefed on its finances that include $13 million in pending, past due or unpaid debts.The university says the debts include $3 million in vendor…

Christian School Floods Heavy rain fell across Eastern Kentucky Thursday and in the Campton area of Wolfe County, about 20 homes were affected as well as a school.One of the locations sustained substantial damage is Bethany Christian School. Classes at the school were supposed to start next week, but now that’s uncertain without help…

Healthcare Worker Week Healthcare workers get a whole week dedicated to them starting Monday, August 23rd. Governor Andy Beshear made the announcement during his Team Kentucky update that the week beginning August 22nd will be all about the healthcare workers of the state.This announcement comes in the middle of a surge of COVID-19 cases…

New Power Lines In Pike County Pike County is going to be replacing some power lines that have been around since the 1940s.Kentucky Power announced in a news release that the they are preparing an application to improve electrical routes across the Pike County region. The project would retire approximately nine miles of dated…

Renewable Biofuels In KY Renewable biofuels are going to become more accessible to 23 states in the union including Kentucky.According to a news release, Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Justin Maxson announced Thursday that the US Department for Agriculture (USDA) would be investing $26 million to expand availability of renewable fuels.The infrastructure improvements…

Eastern KY Population Increase Data from the 2020 U.S. Census showed a population decrease for the majority of Eastern Kentucky, except for a few communities.Hazard, Pikeville, and Middlesboro were among the handful of Eastern Kentucky cities that experienced a population increase in the last decade, with Hazard and Pikeville seeing a double digit jump.…

Knott County Schools Closure Knott County schools will be closed for the rest of the week, due to the coronavirus.Supt. Brent Hoover made that announcement on the school district’s Facebook page.In his post, Hoover said the decision was made to mitigate the further spread of COVID-19.The closure also shuts down all extracurricular activities, school-sponsored…

University Of KY Alzheimer’s Research University of Kentucky’s Sanders-Brown Center received $14.5 million on Wednesday to continue Alzheimer’s research and outreach for patients and families in Kentucky.“Few words are more frightening and haunting than ‘you have Alzheimer’s,’” said UK President Dr. Eli Capilouto. As of 2020, 75,000 Kentuckians struggle with Alzheimer’s disease, and the…

Counties In The Red Zone With nearly all of the state’s counties in the red zone, Governor Beshear announced another day with more than 3,000 new cases of COVID-19 across the Commonwealth.The governor announced 3,576 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday, bringing the statewide total to 525,746.987 of Wednesday’s new cases were children 18 and younger.…

KY State Fair COVID-19 Guidance Kentucky State Fair has provided guidance for masking and attendance for guests under 18 years old.The fair board previously announced on August 2 they would be adhering to policies put in place for the Kentucky Exposition Center as well as other state government buildings requiring masks.Guests attending the fair…

KY State Fair Offers REAL ID Kentuckians looking to get their identification upgraded to REAL ID will be able to do so at the Kentucky State Fair.The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet announced Tuesday that “pop-up” driver licensing will be offered at the Fair daily from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at KYTC’s booth in the…

Code Louisville In Eastern KY Code Louisville is expanding into Eastern KY. It is a free to participate software development training program that is newly launching in the Northern Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky regions,” said Director of Technology Programs for KentuckianaWorks Brian Luerman.This is because as technology advances, the need for software developers increases.…

Judi Patton Center For Families The celebration of the grand opening of a new family center in Pike County included past and present Kentucky leaders, including Governor Andy Beshear and former Governor Paul Patton.The Judi Patton Center for Families, named after the former First Lady of Kentucky, was dedicated Tuesday as a resource center…

Former UK Trauma Surgeon In Court A former UK trauma surgeon ousted by the hospital will go before the Kentucky Supreme Court this week.Dr. Paul Kearney was fired for what UK considered unprofessional conduct back in 2019. However, Dr. Kearney says his privileges were taken because he was asking too many questions about the…

Congressman Guthrie Reacts Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02) released the following statement on the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.“I’ve been to Bagram Air Base firsthand and visited our brave troops. The United States can’t stay in Afghanistan forever, but we also can’t leave overnight. The Biden Administration’s botched withdrawal process is not only a let…

KY Infrastructure Bill A federal infrastructure bill could allow Kentucky to pay for two large bridge projects without tolls, according to state Senate President Robert Stivers.The $1 trillion plan passed the Senate with Kentucky’s GOP senators splitting their vote. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who supported the measure, praised the bill’s potential to help…

University Of Kentucky Back In Session Thousands of students are flooding back to Lexington for the start of the Fall Semester at the University of Kentucky.UK expects more than 6,000 students to return to campus during three move-in days. Many streets around campus will be closed for unloading outside residence halls.Students can find permanent…

Big Sandy Area Educators Aim High Talk about using your phone for something worthwhile, the pandemic led some Eastern Kentucky teachers to set a high bar for online education for educators across the country.Educators in Big Sandy Area Community Action Program’s (BSACAP) Head Start program used technology to their advantage while school was widely…