EMINENCE, Ky. Allan Bryant scans the sky as he watches over a minutes-old calf huddled under a tree line with its mother. After a few failed tries, the calf stands on wobbly legs for the first time, looking to nurse. Above, a pair of birds circle in the distance. Bryant, hoping they’re not black vultures, is relieved to see they’re […]
News
Letcher County native is practicing law here
A Letcher County native has returned home to practice law after being sworn in as a member of the Kentucky Bar Association. Victoria “Tori” Ison, a recent graduate of the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, Virginia, has joined the Whitesburg law firm Hatton & Watts, where she will be an associate attorney. In joining Hatton & Watts, Ison is […]
Disabled miners, other injured workers stand to lose disability pay under new eligibility rules
It’s never been easy to qualify for Social Security disability benefits. Christopher Tincher knows this firsthand. Tincher began his working life in a coal mine in Aflex, Kentucky, as a teenager in the 1980s. As mines across the region shuttered, he turned to scraping grills at a Hardee’s, then cleaning office buildings at night, then stocking shelves and changing tires […]
Loss of federal court affects Letcher
Anyone from Letcher County with business in the U.S. District Court will have a longer drive beginning January 1. The federal judiciary has shut down federal court in Pikeville for an unspecified period of time. Counties covered by the Pike Division will now be split between courts in London and Ashland with Letcher County cases being moved to London. David […]
Appalachian coal would benefit most by exports to China
President Donald Trump’s efforts to help the U.S. coal industry at home are being undermined by falling sales abroad amid his trade war with China, new government reports show. China has stopped importing U.S. coal, accounting for most of a 14% decline in U.S. coal exports so far this year, according to analysts and the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The […]
Space Station enters year 26 of orbit with humans aboard
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. It’s an unprecedented space streak: 25 years of people living off-planet without even a moment’s pause. The International Space Station marked a quarter-century of continuous occupancy Sunday, boasting a guest list of nearly 300 mostly professional astronauts but also the occasional space tourist and movie director. The first full-time residents opened the hatch on Nov. 2, 2000. […]
JUST IN TIME FOR HALLOWEEN
An orb weaver spider commonly called a barn spider was captured building a new residence in lower Letcher County. Orb weaver spiders look scary but are not poisonous; posing no threat to humans. They are a great spider to have around because they prey mainly on mosquitoes, gnats and other pesky flying insects.
Man allegedly stole $14,000 in guitars, amps
The Letcher County Sheriff’s Office has charged a man with receiving stolen property after recovering more than $14,000 worth of stolen musical instruments and equipment. Sheriff Billy Jones said the guitars and amplifiers were stolen when someone cut a hole in the back of East Kentucky Music Traders at Ermine in the early morning hours of October 20 and stole […]
School board hires first chief
A retired Kentucky State Police lieutenant is the Letcher County School District’s first chief of police. Superintendent Denise Yonts introduced Jackie Joseph to the Board of Education Monday night. She will be responsible for forming a department that will provide school resource officers for the district. Jenkins Independent School District has its own police department. In Kentucky, school police officers […]
Social Security benefit increase averages $56 per month
NOTE: Some seniors say the Social Security Administration’s cost-of-living adjustment won’t help much in their ability to pay for their daily expenses. The agency announced the annual cost-of-living adjustment will go up by 2.8% in 2026, translating to an average increase of more than $56 for retirees every month. Eighty-year-old Florence, South Carolina, resident Linda Deas says it does not […]
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