After Sunday's heavy and wet snow, at least 10,000 people are still without power as crews work to restore electricity to as many people as they can as quickly as possible.
Even more crews arrived from out of state on Tuesday to help with the efforts.
The number of people without service is dropping, but it is a complicated process that takes time.
To fix the power, crews climb poles, put wires back up and hang transformers.
They work as quickly as possible, keeping safety in mind first.
Kentucky Power says a majority of people should have power by Friday.
In some isolated cases it could be later in the weekend before everyone has power again.
The lastest numbers as of 6am this morning:
Letcher County still has 1,200 customers without power but that number is down from 4,000 about 24 hours ago.
The number of customers without out power in Perry County is 2,232, 1,394 in Knott County and 1,894 in Leslie County.
PIke and Floyd counties have less than 500 customers still out.
For more info or to report new power outages call the KY Power automated hotline at 800-572-1113.
Shelters remain open at the Blackey, Jenkins, Ermine and Boonefork Senior Ctizen Center untill all power is restored in Letcher County.
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Autopsy results are back on Jerry Rowe, Jr., a Magoffin County man who went missing in January 2011.
The results have come back nearly a year after his body was found in the Licking River near the Lakeville bridge a few miles away from where Rowe lived.
Magoffin County Coroner Mark Jenkins says the cause of death was undetermined.
Officials say even though the autopsy came back unclear, they are still investigating.
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Monday, KSP Post 9 Pikeville received a call of a theft complaint at Goggans Construction in Johnson County.
KSP Trooper Jimmy Stratton responded and conducted an investigation on a theft of a utility trailer containg construction type tools.
Trooper Stratton located and recovered the trailer and the contents and arrested 48 year old Charles Plummer and 21 year old Spencer Nauman, both of Paintsville.
Both were each charged with theft by unlawful taking and lodged in the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center.
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An Eastern Kentucky couple, on the run since 2007, will be back in the mountains soon.
Clay County sheriff Kevin Johnson tells us Jerry and Rebecca Callahan were tracked to Victoria, Texas through Facebook.
The two were charged in 2007 with rape, sodomy and incest.
Johnson and others from the sheriffs office will extradite the couple back to Kentucky in the next 2 days.
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Officials say all customers in one Harlan County water district now have water again.
Some in the Green Hills district were without water for more than 20 days.
Green Hills and Black Mountain Water District signed a proposal last week to merge.
The PSC is expected to announce if they will accept the proposal sometime this week.
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A hearing was Monday to determine if a Mingo County, West Virginia bar will get back its liquor license after a brawl last month..
Earlier this month, the West Virginia ABC Administration suspended the license of Yesterday's Bar in Williamson.
A spokesperson with the ABCA suspended the license for public safety reasons after the bar was the scene of a large fight and a stabbing.
Police say 400 people were in the bar when the fight broke out.
The ABCA spent all morning Monday talking about the case and the bar owner attended the meeting.
ABCA Supervisor Gig Robinson says a decision isn't expected until April.
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The funeral for a long-time coroner and funeral home owner will be held today.
Roger Nelson died at a West Virginia hospital.
He was the coroner in Floyd County for many years and the owner of Nelson-Frazier Funeral Home.
The funeral will be at the Nelson-Frazier Funeral Home in Martin.
Roger Nelson was 62. |
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Thousands of people are still in the dark after Sunday's winter storm.
At the height of the storm around 34,000 eastern Kentuckians were without power, but that number is beginning to drop.
Crews have been working since Sunday night to try and restore that power, but Kentucky Power officials say it could be several more days before everyone has it again.
As of this morning Letcher County still had about 33% of the county without power or 3,997 customers.
Leslie County and Knott County both still had 41% of customers still without power.
Perry County has 20% still out and several other counties are reporting less than 10% still out.
Crews are in from Michigan, Ohio and other states helping Kentucky Power restore service.
The company is utilizing more than 560 additional workers to aid in restoration efforts.
The power company said the the storm caused major damage to power lines, utility poles, electrical wires and other electrical equipment leading to the power outage cases.
In many instances, snow-laden trees and tree branches snapped and fell across power lines and utility poles.
Kentucky Power cautions that power outages can still occur.
Trees, weakened by heavy snow, in already saturated ground, may continue to lose their rootings and branches causing additional outage cases.
If you need to report an outage you can call 1-800-572-1113.
Most of the area had 6-8" or more of heavy wet snow.
Please be cautious traveling today especially on back roads and secondary roads for pieces of downed trees and debris still in the roadway.
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After six hours of deliberating Friday, a Letcher County jury convicted Samuel Collier of second-degree manslaughter in the 2010 shooting death of Mark Sturgill.
Collier says he shot Sturgill in self defense.
During the penalty phase, the jury heard from Mark Sturgill's wife Melissa about how Mark's death has affected her family.
The jury came back with a recommended ten year sentence for Collier.
Commonwealth's Attorney Edison Banks says Collier will be up for parole after serving 20 percent, or two years, of that sentence.
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A woman is dead after a crash in Bell county.
It happened on U.S. 25E in Ferndale Monday afternoon.
Police say 66 year old Barbara Partin of Pineville pulled into the path of a pickup.
Partin was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the truck was not hurt.
Both drivers were wearing seat belts and no charges are pending.
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The debate over whether to make the University of Pikevillle public took center stage in front of a statewide audience.
KET hosted the debate Monday night featuring UPike President Paul Patton and Morehead State President Dr. Wayne Andrews.
Patton, a former governor, says a state-funded school is necessary to pull students living in his area out of poverty.
But Morehead State's president says another public university would add to an already strained system.
The idea has been met with opposition from those who don't like the idea of using coal severance money to pay for it.
The legislature is expected to weigh in on the future of the University of Pikeville this week.
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A ban on synthetic marijuana is a step closer in Knott County.
The first reading of an ordinance banning the substance was at Monday night's fiscal court reading.
There will be a second reading and vote at the next meeting.
Several other cities and counties have, or are in the process of doing the same thing.
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Family and friends are remembering Mike Mullins, the long-time director of the Hindman Settlement School, who died last night.
Officials say he had an apparent heart attack while exercising at the Knott County Sportsplex.
Mullins helped many children in his 34 years heading the Hindman Settlement School.
Mullins was 63 years old.
Visitation will be Wednesday 6:00-9:00 p.m. at Hindman Funeral Services Chapel.
The funeral will be Thursday at 1:00 p.m. at the Hindman Funeral Services Chapel.
The family asks in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Hindman Settlement School New Office Fund, PO Box 844, Hindman, KY 41822.
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Here in Letcher County, there were some tense moments at Samuel Todd Collier's murder trial Thursday as the defense tried to discredit the prosecution's witnesses.
The prosecution is trying to prove Collier murdered Mark Sturgill, but Collier says it was self defense and that Sturgill was getting ready to draw his gun before he shot him.
As the prosecution continued their case, testimony mainly focused on the toxicology report and gun shot residue tests.
Testimony was also heard from the medical examiner that Sturgill had alcohol and Valium in his system, but the prosecution said those levels were low.
The trial will continue today.
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Coughs and colds are on the rise in some counties. and schools are finding their own ways to deal with sick students - by canceling classes.
Perry County shut schools down Thursday and Friday.
Elliott and Magoffin County schools are closed Friday.
They're all reporting an increase in their students showing flu-like symptoms.
Perry County and Elliott County schools will re-open Monday. Magoffin County schools will re-open Tuesday morning.
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In Lee County VA, 74-year-old Douglas Arthur Brown admitted to sexually abusing his daughter, starting when she was four until she moved out at the age of 17.
According to a report from the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office, the abuse started in the mid-1960s.
The woman came forward last summer after deciding her father needed to be held accountable for what he'd done to her life.
Brown faces seven consecutive life sentences, plus 13 years for the nine felony charges of rape and carnal knowledge of a child.
He will be sentenced in May.
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Officials in Rowan County are taking a stand against a proposal to add the private University of Pikeville into the state's higher education system.
They say the proposal will not only hurt Morehead State University, which is located in Rowan County, but would hurt the economy in the area as well.
Rowan Fiscal Court held a special meeting Wednesday to pass a resolution that urges legislators to reject a House bill that would include UPike in the state system.
Lawmakers are expected to discuss the bill next week.
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The Community of Minnie in Floyd County is hit again with another robbery.
Police said three men burglarized The Parkview Pharmacy around 3AM Thursday morning in Minnie and got away with thousands of dollars worth of pills.
No money was taken, only pills, according to police who say the majority were Loricet and Loritab narcotic prescription pills.
Surveillance video showed three men getting in through the drive through window.
They were only in the store for about one minute.
Just hours before the burglary in Minnie, the Wheelwright police chief had his tires slashed and there was an attempted burglary at Family Drug.
Some law enforcement said they thought surveillance video suggested there could be a connection.
Kentucky State Police are investigating these crimes.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Post 9 in Pikeville at 606-433-7711.
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A Magoffin County man charged with murder and DUI pleads guilty to lesser charges.
Police say in May of last year, 23 year old Trenton Tackett was driving under the influence of pills on US-460 in Magoffin County and hit another car.
38 year old Anita Back died at the scene. Her five year old daughter suffered serious injuries.
Tackett took a plea deal and pleaded guilty to manslaughter and two counts of assault.
The other charges were dismissed.
Tackett was sentenced to ten years in prison.
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A Pike County man is charged with assault after police say he used mining equipment to severely beat a woman.
49 year old Scott Blackburn is indicted on assault and promoting contraband charges.
Police say early Saturday morning, Blackburn was drunk and got into a fight with his girlfriend at their home in Freeburn.
Police say during the alleged attack, Blackburn used a coal mine roof bolter extension rod to beat her in the head.
The first trooper at the scene said he could see the woman's skull.
Blackburn is also charged with promoting contraband because police say once he was arrested, he tried to take some pills into the jail.
Blackburn is being held on a $10,000 bond.
No arraignment date is set yet.
There is no word on the victim's condition, but we are told she is expected to survive.
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A sinkhole at the airport in Wise, Virginia is getting the attention of airport officials.
The Lonesome Pine Airport Commission is currently working with the state to repair the sinkhole.
It was first spotted in December as a pilot was taxiing down the runway.
Airport officials quickly closed that portion of the airport and are now awaiting test results to see how extensive the damage is.
The airport sits above underground coal mines but have ruled that out as the cause.
Officials say the hole does not affect air traffic. The pilots just maneuver around it.
They plan to fix it sometime this summer. |
A murder trial is underway in Letcher County for a Jenkins man accused of killing his neighbor.
Samuel Todd Collier is facing murder charges after he allegedly shot his neighbor Mark Sturgill in October of 2010.
Wednesday was the second day of of the trial.
No one actually witnessed the incident, but Sturgill's wife Melissa says he was walking his dog the night that he was killed, and that it was not unusual for her husband to be armed.
Wednesday, the prosecution played the 911 call to police in which Collier admits to shooting Sturgill.
The prosecution also played Collier's interview with police from the night of the murder.
Collier said Sturgill's dog nipped at his leg. As Collier shooed the dog away, he says Sturgill was trying to pull a gun on him. That's when Collier reacted and fired 2 shots.
The trial will continue today.
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Four men are named in eight felony indictments returned recently by the Letcher County Grand Jury.
An 18- year- old Eolia man, Caleb Ronald Sexton, is charged with rape, three counts of unlawful transaction with a minor (second degree), and three counts of unlawful transaction with a minor (third degree).
Others indicted are:
• Christopher Shawn Raleigh of Cumberland, Steve Wayne Williams II of Cumberland and Vernon Sparkman of Pinetop.
For full charges and details see this week's edition of the Mountain Eagle.
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The Letcher County School System will fill fewer art, music, library and counselor positions next school year. Other teacher layoffs are expected too, all due to state funding cuts.
The Feb. 10 meeting of the Letcher County School Board was called to approve the system’s 2012-13 staffing plan. For full details on the meeting see this week's Mountain Eagle.
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A mistrial has been declared in the rape trial of a former Lawrence County 911 director.
49-year-old Jeffrey Pack, of Louisa, was on trial on three counts of third-degree rape.
The judge declared the mistrial Tuesday afternoon after the jury said they could not reach a verdict following about two hours of deliberations.
The Ashland newspaper reports the jury was deadlocked at 10-2 in favor of a not guilty verdict.
At the time of his arrest in March 2011, investigators said Pack had engaged in illegal sexual activity with an underage female, who was an acquaintance.
No word if prosecutors plan to retry the case.
A status conference has been scheduled for March 9.
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A Clay County man is sentenced in federal court for his role in a drug conspiracy.
51-year old Johnny Dale Marcum of Manchester will spend 150 months in prison.
Marcum admitted that he and others cooked meth in eastern Kentucky from March, 2009 through June 2010.
Another person, Oba Champlain, was sentenced to 180 months in prison last year for his role in the conspiracy.
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Due to so many students missing school due to sickness, officials in the Perry County School District have cancelled classes the rest of the week.
Classes are expected to resume in in Perry County on Monday, Feb. 20.
Health officials say a four day weekend should help stop illnesses they have seen like strep throat, stomach viruses and the flu from spreading in the schools because the contagious period generally does not extend beyond 72 hours.
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Another Double Kwik is robbed and this time in Letcher County at the Isom Double Kwik.
Officials say the suspect entered the Isom Double Kwik and pointed a knife at the clerk just after midnight Tuesday morning..
He was wearing a gray UK hoodie, glasses, jeans, a blue hat, and a green face mask.
Police say he left on foot with an undisclosed amount of money.
If you have any information, you should call Kentucky State Police at (606) 435-6069.
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A man was arrested Tuesday after police say he traded a truck with stolen truck parts from an auto dealership for another vehicle.
30 year old Owen Lawson is charged with one count of receiving stolen property under $10,000 in connection with an ongoing investigation involving a stolen 2003 Chevrolet Silverado truck that was reported stolen from Doug Dawson's Auto Sales at Mount Sterling in August of last year..
Parts of the stolen truck were recovered on January 20, 2012 at Bank's Auto Sales at Campton in Wolfe County after police say Lawson traded his truck with stolen truck parts attached for another vehicle.
Lawson is being held at Three Forks Detention Center in Beattyville.
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The Cumberland City Council Valentine’s Day meeting quickly became heated last night.
They met to discuss the appointment of a new police chief at the monthly meeting but that was not what raised some eyebrows.
Former Police Chief Kenny Raleigh was fired by Mayor Carl Hatfield and filed a grievance against him.
Ongoing tiffs between Councilman Charles Raleigh and Mayor Hatfield about statements made to the press had the men in disagreement.
Both men said it is a family matter but discussions of the issue got loud and heated.
Also at the meeting, council woman Kateena Haynes submitted her resignation.
Raleigh made a motion to replace Haynes with former mayor Loretta Cornett.
The motion passed, but had to be tabled because Haynes' resignation will not be official until the next meeting on March 13.
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The Pikeville 911 Public Safety Center has received a complaint of a scam involving Tax Returns.
Victims are receiving calls from a "Private Number" and the caller is advising the victim that an issue with their tax return has came up and they are asking for the victim's bank account number to have the tax return deposited correctly.
The Pikeville Police Department is advising anyone who may receive a call similar to this, not to release any account information.
Check with your tax preparer to verify the validity of the call.
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The trial is postponed for a Pike County man charged with more than 100 counts of animal cruelty.
The Pike County Humane Society filed the charges against former Pike County Deputy Judge-Executive Randal Good when more than 100 dogs were found allegedly living in filthy conditions at his home.
His next court date is set for February 27th.
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A piece of Prestonsburg history will not be standing much longer.
The old Prestonsburg Elementary School building is being torn down after nearly 75 years.
A new school was built four years ago, and this one has been empty ever since.
Officials say it is still unclear what will go in its place, but they hope it will bring new development and jobs to the city.
Crews will be working all week to tear down the building.
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Salyersville city officials are taking a step to correct the water district's debt problems.
The water works is already nearly two hundred thousand dollars in debt.
In a meeting last week, officials voted to allow Utility Management Group to take over the water works.
Mayor James "Pete" Shepherd is meeting with UMG later this week to discuss planned improvements. |
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