Whitesburg, KY

PDF of print edition DRY LAND FISH       Paul Fleming Sr. holds up two nineinch dry land fish he found in Letcher County. The wild mushrooms, also known as morels, can be found in the springtime in eastern Kentucky. Usually hard to find, dry land fish have been plentiful this year, with people reporting picking "thousands" of them. More ... New OxyContin harder to abuse? FDA doubts it The Associated Press       WASHINGTON Government advisers voiced skepticism this week that a new version of the potent painkiller OxyContin would live up to its maker's claim of being harder to abuse. Purdue Pharma LP contends that adding a plastic-like coating to the tablets makes the drug sometimes called "hillbilly he... More ... Woman is fraud victim       A Blackey woman received counterfeit money orders after she placed a classified ad on the Internet. Pauline Collins never suspected that her advertisement for rat terrier puppies on Craigslist and Petfinder.com would attract a scam artist. More ... Turner talks to Jenkins about severance funding       29th District State Senator Johnny Ray Turner visited the Jenkins City Council this week to talk about how funding is determined in the General Assembly. More ... Some Letcher Countians have already voted in primary races       Although the primary election in Kentucky isn't until May 20, a few voters have already cast their ballot in Letcher County and elsewhere in the state. As of 4 p.m. Tuesday, 10 Letcher County residents had voted on an in-house voting machine in the office of Letcher County Clerk Winston Meade. More ... Voter registration falls here       While record numbers of citizens have signed up to vote in Kentucky and much of the rest of the U.S. this spring, that isn't the case in Letcher County. According to figures released this week by Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson, the number of registered voters in Letcher County fell slig... More ... Former Knott candidate dealt drugs for 10 years       James R. Combs, 60, of Mallie in Knott County, was sentenced May 5 to the statutory maximum 71 months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Gregory F. Van Tatenhove for conspiring to distribute massive quantities of hydrocodone and oxycodone for nearly a decade. More ... Alpha's profits triple By TIM HUBER AP Business Writer       CHARLESTON, W.Va. Shares of Alpha Natural Resources shot up 12 percent this week after the mine operator said its first-quarter profit more than tripled on soaring international coal prices. Alpha, parent company of Enterprise Mining in Letcher County, said it earned $25.5 million, or 39 cents ... More ... Dad kills boy, 14, in hunting incident The Associated Press       LA GRANGE, Ky. Central Kentucky police say a man who may have mistaken his son for a turkey shot and killed the 14-year-old while they were hunting. Oldham County Police Department spokesman Matt Cornell says police believe the shooting Sunday was nothing but a tragic accident while the father ... More ... 'Cow' is loose in county By SALLY BARTO       If Gelett Burgess was still alive and if he visited Letcher County during May, he would no longer be able to claim never having seen a purple cow. More ... Kentucky Republican Bunning with Obama on gas-tax holiday By BRUCE SCHREINER Associated Press Writer       LOUISVILLE Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning spoke out Tuesday against a seasonal suspension of federal gas taxes, putting him at odds with his party's presumptive presidential nominee. Bunning said that suspending the federal 18. More ... State would lose jobs and money       Kentucky would lose over $123 million dollars in federal highway funds and 4,298 highway related jobs if Congress approves a plan to lift taxes on gasoline from Memorial Day through Labor Day, a trade group opposing the plan says. More ...