Local News Thursday January 26, 2012

Hundreds of people from all parts of Kentucky attended the first night of visitation for fallen Pike County Sheriff's Deputy James I. Thacker.

Friends, family, and law enforcement colleagues all wanted to pay their respects to the deputy killed in a crash.

Deputy Thacker was serving papers Monday night when police say a car crossed the center line on US-460 and hit him head on.

The visitation continues Thursday at the Community Funeral Home.

The funeral for Deputy James Thacker will be Friday at 1:00 at East Ridge High School.

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Perry County may join the growing list of eastern Kentucky counties banning synthetic marijuana.

At a fiscal court meeting Tuesday, members passed the first reading of an ordinance that would ban the substance.

Perry County's ban is similar to those passed in Letcher and Laurel Counties.

It would make one hundred and ten different forms of synthetic marijuana illegal to have or sell.

A date for the second reading was not announced.

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A Paintsville pain clinic was raided for the second time in a year on Wednesday.

Law enforcement has been investigating the Care More Pain Clinic for years.

A former doctor at the clinic, Richard Albert, was indicted after a raid last year.

Later in the year Albert pleaded guilty to conspiring to illegally prescribe around 50,0000 tablets of the painkiller Percocet.

Wednesday, DEA officials with the help of the Kentucky Attorney General's Office and local law enforcement raided the clinic again on a federal search warrant.

Several boxes were also taken into the clinic to seize records from the business.

The Paintsville mayor says that it's his understanding that the DEA will be seeking indictments and hopes the clinic will now be closed for good.

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A landslide is blocking part of US 421 in Clay County causing traffic jams in an already busy area.

421 which was shut down Tuesday has been reduced to one lane and could remain that way for a month.

Road officials blame the slide on our unseasonably warm winter and more rain than usual.

The Department of Transportation has installed a temporary traffic signal to help traffic move a little smoother.

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Federal inspectors issued 174 citations and 19 orders at troubled coal mines last month, and shut down a Kentucky operation with explosives near a burning pile of coal.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration says it issued 32 citations and 12 orders against Coal Creek Mining LLC's No. 2 Mine in Floyd County.   The company was order to shut down immediately.

Inspectors found a 5- by 10-foot coal pile on fire about 23 feet from two unsecured cases of explosives.

They also found a 5-gallon oil bucket full of burning coal near a portal and loose coal up to 30 inches deep under conveyor belts
and near ignition sources.

The mine was inadequately dusted to prevent explosions, and MSHA says approved ventilation plans were ignored.

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The funeral for a Johnson County man who drowned will be held Friday.

The Paintsville Herald reports 61 year old Kenneth Powers of East Point accidentally drowned in a pond outside his home.

Neighbors say he suffered from Parkinson's disease.

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In Beattyville, More than a dozen people are arrested after a drug round-up in Lee County and officers are still searching for more suspects.

An 18-month investigation led to the arrests.  All together 26 arrest warrants were issued.

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Two longtime friends from Clay County will be among those competing in CBS's upcoming season of "The Amazing Race."

They'll face off against ten other teams in a race around the world for a million dollars.

Mark Jackson long with his friend William "Bopper" Minton will compete on the upcoming 20th season of the CBS show.

The new season of "The Amazing Race" premieres February 19th on WKYT.