Fire officials are calling it a total loss.
A fire consumed an apartment building Monday afternoon off Highway 160 in Knott County and has displaced 13 families.
Despite the extensive damage, thankfully, no one was seriously hurt.
Nine area fire departments responded to the huge blaze on Monday near Hindman after the fire began around noon in one apartment and then spread.
Authorities fought the fire for 7 hours and now it's under control just smoldering.
Investigators have not ruled out arson, although they doubt that was the cause saying it's more likely electrical.
The Red Cross will be at the apartments on Highway 160 this morning at nine, handing out debit cards for groceries and clothing, to those affected by the fire.
Victims of the fire can also get help at the Hindman United Methodist Church.
The church can be reached at (606) 785-5210 or call the county judge's office at (606) 785-5592.
_____
Police in three different counties are looking for jail escapees.
The latest happened in Perry County.
Hazard Police say William Feltner escaped from a moving Kentucky River Regional Jail van near the Daniel Boone Motel late Monday afternoon.
He was last seen wearing a white t-shirt, underwear, and socks just down from Applebee's.
Feltner was just arrested last week after leading police on a chase.
If you know where he is, you should call Hazard Police.
Meanwhile, officials in Leslie County also need your help finding an escapee.
Leslie County Detention Center officials say Ricky Hendrix walked away from the center Monday morning.
They believe he had help escaping.
He was being held on several charges including burglary.
Also, police say the Pikeville 911 Center received a call Sunday morning after Brandon K. Damron walked away from work detail at the Pike County Detention Center.
Officers say the 21-year-old was doing his required work detail on site at the detention center when he got away.
Officials say Damron is from the Kimper area in Pike County and was being held on theft and contempt of court charges.
Officials are asking anyone with information about Damron's whereabouts to contact the Pikeville Police Department at 606-437-5111.
_____
Kentucky law enforcement officers are beginning a week of traffic patrols for the Memorial Day holiday focusing on making sure motorists are wearing seat belts.
The 2013 "Click It or Ticket" campaign began Monday and runs through June 2.
The Kentucky Office of Highway Safety says Kentucky has an 83 percent seat belt usage rate. The national rate is 86 percent.
The office says fatalities on Kentucky roadways last year totaled 746, up from 721 in 2011.
It says more than half of those killed were not wearing a seat belt.
_____
Kentucky State Police in Pikeville say a single vehicle accident on Big Creek Road in Pike County has left a man dead.
44 year old Henry May of Sidney was traveling South on Big Creek Road when his vehicle dropped off the right shoulder of the roadway and overturned.
May was pronounced deceased at the scene by Pike County Coroner Russell Roberts.
Two passengers in the vehicle were transported to Pikeville Medical Center with minor injuries.
The accident remains under investigation by the KSP.
_____
Kentuckians don't have to worry about an onslaught of noisy cicadas this year, though experts say they're about to emerge in the Northeast.
The cicadas, which take 17 years to come out of the ground, are expected to number in the billions along the East Coast from North Carolina to Connecticut.
But a chart from the website magicicada.org indicates the next cicadas to emerge in Kentucky shouldn't be until 2021, with others to follow in 2025 and 2028.
According to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, different broods of cicadas appear every year in the eastern United States.
The museum says there are 20 broods and in the South, some of them take only 13 years to mature.
The cicadas don't bite or sting and provide food for many animals. |
|
An Owsley County man was killed in a shootout on Saturday night near Booneville.
A second man was also injured in the shooting.
The Kentucky State Police say they are investigating the shooting that was reported at around 8:15pm Saturday on on Seales Road.
25 year old Andy Smith tells authorities that he was riding an ATV when he was shot in the chest by his neighbor, 71 year old Abner Gabbard.
Smith tells authorities he then returned fire.
Gabbard was killed in the shootout according to the Owsley County Coroner.
Smith then called 911, and was transported to the University of Kentucky Hospital for treatment.
He is suffering from non-life-threatening injuries.
State Police say the shooting remains under investigation.
_____
Three out of state hikers are safe following a rescue Sunday night from the Red River Gorge.
Emergency management officials say the hikers got lost around 6:30pm off Osborne Bend Trail in Wolfe County.
They were found around 11pm Sunday night.
Crews say the group of two women and one man, all between ages 20 and 30, went for a day hike when they left the trail and got turned around.
No one was injured.
_____
A murder investigation is underway in Breathitt County seven months after two people were found dead in a burned car.
The Breathitt County coroner says that the bodies found back in October at Southfork were so badly burnt that they had to be sent to Texas for identification.
The Breathitt County coroner says Crystal Hufstetler died from gunshot wounds in her back, and her husband, Michael Hufstetler, was killed by gunshot wounds to his chest and blunt force trauma to his head.
The Hufstetler's are from Michigan but have family in Breathitt County.
Both bodies were burned so bad authorities couldn't even use their teeth to determine their identity.
Police have not yet made any arrests in the case.
_____
A Floyd County doctor charged with child pornography is suspended from practicing medicine.
Police say they found nearly 200 pictures of children portraying sexual acts on Bret Dunning's home computer.
Last week the Board of Medical Licensure suspended Dunning's medical licenses.
He owns the Dunning Medical Clinic in Prestonsburg.
It has been closed since Dunning's arrest and the case was sent to the grand jury.
_____
Prosecutors presented a motion to revoke a plea agreement in a Johnson County double murder case Friday.
Amanda Fannin struck an agreement with prosecutors in February leading investigators to the bodies of Larry and Sandra Blanton.
The agreement said Fannin could not be charged in the Blantons' case unless officials found proof she was involved.
Now they say four people came forward claiming Fannin told them she was involved.
Another hearing for the motion will be June 26.
The couple's son and Fannin's boyfriend, Willie Blanton has been charged with their murder.
_____
Two Powerball tickets sold in Kentucky barely missed out on an estimated $590.5 million grand prize, but they're worth $1 million each.
Tickets sold in Vine Grove and Buckner matched the five white ball winning numbers but NOTthe Powerball to win the game's $1 million prize.
In addition, tickets in Isom(here in Letcher County) and LaGrange matched four of the five white ball winning numbers but not the Powerball, winning $10,000.
The single winner of the $590.5 million Powerball jackpot was sold at a supermarket in Zephyrhills, Florida.
|
Search crews found a body yesterday in the woods of the Bledsoe community in Harlan County.
They were looking for 41-year-old Forester Bowling Junior, who was reported missing last week.
Even though officials do not have a positive identification, family members say they are certain it is him.
Bowling's wife said he left home about 4:30am last Thursday morning and was going job hunting.
His truck was found Wednesday night and officials say they found the body nearly half a mile from Bowling's truck, which was less than a mile from highway 2009.
The body was sent to Frankfort for an autopsy to determine cause of death and identification.
_____
The Wise County Virginia Sheriff's Office needs your help finding a missing teen.
15-year-old Emily Elizabeth Maine was last seen Monday morning at the Fas Mart next to Powell Valley High School in Big Stone Gap, Virginia.
Police say she is believed to be with Scotty Stoneburger of Appalachia, Virginia.
Emily is 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs 195 pounds.
She has blue eyes and blond hair.
If you have any information on Emily's whereabouts, please call the Wise County Sheriff's Office at 276-328-3756.
_____
Police say a fugitive on the run since March of 2011 is now in custody.
Brandon Saylor was arrested by US Marshals Thursday in Washington County, Tennessee.
Saylor escaped from a Kentucky prison in March of 2011.
He had outstanding warrants for a February 2013 home invasion in Harlan County and a January 2013 aggravated burglary out of Washington County Tennessee.
Saylor was taken to the Washington County Detention Center in Jonesborough.
_____
Dozens of miners in Harlan County are looking for a new job.
The Harlan Daily Enterprise says two mines with Southern Coal Group and Justice Corporation's Liggett area operations were idled Wednesday.
Local officials with the company told the paper the shutdown leaves about 75 miners unemployed.
No word on if the closing is permanent or temporary.
_____
One Eastern Kentucky city is getting bigger.
A meeting in Prestonsburg was held on Thursday for the second reading of two ordinances to extend the Prestonsburg city limits along U.S. 23 to the Johnson and Pike County lines.
The vote was unanimous and members say at this point it is strictly the roadway and does not impact any individual property owners.
Mayor Jerry Fannin says this is something the council has looked at for awhile and this is part of a larger expansion plan that will be discussed in the coming months.
_____
A Harlan County jury convicted a man of attempted murder early Thursday morning.
75 year old Boss Saylor admitted he shot Clifford Napier in September of last year at the Pine Flat Baptist Church.
Saylor claimed it was self-defense. Prosecutors said it was intentional.
The jury deliberated for nearly four hours and returned a guilty verdict at one in the morning.
The jury convicted Saylor on attempted murder, assault, and tampering with evidence.
The judge set formal sentencing for June.
_____
Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) President Michael B. McCall announced Thursday the appointment of Dr. F. Lynn Moore as president of Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College (SKCTC).
After consideration of three candidates the SKCTC Board of Directors unanimously recommended Dr. Moore for the position.
Dr. Moore has served as the vice president for student development at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon since 2008.
Dr. Moore will begin serving as president effective July 8 following the retirement of long-time SKCTC president Dr. Bruce Ayers.
|
A tip about a home break-in Wednesday led to a car chase involving Hazard Police.
Police arrived at CVS Pharmacy on Highway 15 and found 35 year old William Feltner in an argument with the homeowner.
Feltner drove away from the scene, nearly hitting the officers.
They pursued Feltner for a few minutes but stopped due to safety reasons.
Feltner was later spotted at Smitty's Gas Station on Combs Road, where he again ran away from police.
In all, two police cruisers were hit during the pursuit.
Feltner is still on the run.
_____
Officials say around 250 coal jobs are coming to eastern Kentucky.
High Ridge Mining plans to develop seven deep mines in Pike County which will employ 36 miners each.
Bill Smith, the owner of High Ridge Mining says the company is still about a month away from doing any major hiring.
He says the prep plant they will use has been idled for about 10 years, and they are working to get it ready.
Right now, the seven mines are also idled.
He says most of the coal will be shipped across the globe.
The hiring process will be handled by the Office of Employment and Training in Pikeville.
_____
According to the Mountain Eagle:
By facing cuts in yearly revenues of more than $1 million, the Letcher Fiscal Court is being asked by Judge/ Executive Jim Ward to reduce the amount of money it spends.
Ward told court members this week at a special called meeting that the amount of money the county government contributes to the Senior Citizens Program, the Sanitation Department, and the Sheriff ’s Department will have to be cut considerably.
Ward said the cuts are painful but necessary to prevent Letcher County from experiencing the problems at the end of the next fiscal year (June 30, 2014) that are currently causing layoffs and other financial problems for neighboring Pike and Knott counties.
For more on this story see this week's edition of the Mountain Eagle.
_____
Three people are accused of using a stolen credit card from the Fleming-Neon Volunteer Fire Department.
The Mountain Eagle reports more than five hundred dollars was put on the Fleet One card between December and March.
Lindsey H. Whitt and Joshua Bentley are facing various theft and fraud-related charges.
A third person is charged in the case but their name has not been released.
_____
A West Virginia man accused of gunning down Mingo County Sheriff Eugene Crum may go on trial Oct. 21.
Tennis Melvin Maynard received the date after pleading not guilty at his Wednesday arraignment.
Maynard is accused of fatally shooting Crum on April 3 as the sheriff was parked in downtown Williamson.
Investigators have not discussed a possible motive. Maynard's father has said the 37-year-old has mental health issues.
_____
The GED test can be taken for free in Kentucky for the next few weeks.
Kentuckians who take the high school equivalency test between Wednesday and July 31 will have their fee of $60 to $120 paid by Kentucky Adult Education.
Reece Stagnolia, vice president of Kentucky Adult Education, urged students to get started on the GED as soon as possible to avoid possibly having to start over again next year.
To earn a GED, students must pass five test segments.
Kentucky Adult Education says there are 16,000 people in Kentucky who have taken parts of GED test but have not completed it.
In January, all scores will expire because a new GED test is being implemented.
|
A new report says hard times are expected to continue for the coal industry in Central Appalachia, which at one time was the hub of the nation's coal production.
Coal business in the mountains of eastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia is facing declining reserves, higher production costs and competition from other coal basins and natural gas.
The report from Downstream Strategies says government figures show that production here will fall from 185 million tons in 2011 to 128 million tons by 2020, a 31 percent drop.
The new report out Tuesday says the region's coal sales will continue to slump as coal-fired power plants in the U.S. seek cheaper sources, switch to natural gas or are shut down.
_____
Kentucky State Police need your help finding a missing man.
Officials tell us 41-year-old Forester Bowling Junior went missing last Thursday at around 4:30am in the Baxter community.
Officials say he left his home in Harlan County driving a black S-10 4x4 pick-up truck.
If you have any information into Bowlings whereabouts you are asked to call Kentucky State Police at (606) 573-3131.
_____
The Harlan Independent School Board chose a new superintendent.
Harlan native Charles Morton will take over as superintendent next school year.
David Johnson is retiring in June.
Morton is currently the Harlan High School principal.
_____
Officials say he shot a man at a place of worship and 75-year-old Boss Saylor faced a jury in a Harlan County courtroom yesterday.
In the opening statements of the trial, the Commonwealth’s Attorney and defense attorney gave different stories of what happened on September 19th of last year.
The commonwealth’s attorney says Saylor shot Napier for no reason. The defense attorney says Saylor shot in self-defense.
Boss Saylor is charged with attempted murder, assault, and tampering with physical evidence.
Police say he shot Clifford Napier several times at the Pine Flat Baptist Church where Napier worked as grounds caretaker.
The trial continues on Wednesday.
Both Napier and Saylor are testifying in the trial.
_____
On Tuesday afternoon, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, the Letcher County Fiscal Court, the Letcher County Veterans Museum and friends and family recognized Vietnam Veteran, retired Kentucky State Police Captain and current Letcher County Sheriff Danny Webb by naming KY 15X through Whitesburg in his honor.
KY 15X runs from the bridge near Tim Short Auto through downtown Whitesburg to Pine Mountain Junction. |
|
|
|
|
|
LISTEN LIVE