The awe in Autumn: What makes leaves change their colors



Eastern Kentucky is home to one of our nation’s most beautiful regions with the Cumberland Mountains as the backdrop for one of Mother Nature’s most vivid displays. With the approaching season, sometimes breathtaking in its beauty, you might wonder how the trees can put on such a magical change. Keep in mind that although this magnificent change is a product […]

Practice your escape plan



The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 started the flames for the birth of Fire Prevention Week. On October 9, 1871, a horrific fire broke out in Chicago resulting in over 250 losses of life, and leaving over 100,000 homeless. The fire destroyed thousands and thousands of structures in Chicago over a two-day period. Since the outbreak of that fire, fire […]

Civil War battle to be reenacted



A reenactment of the Battle of Leatherwood will take place Oct. 26-28, on its 145th anniversary. The event will feature Civil War re-enactors, and a battle both Saturday and Sunday. It will also feature period music, a living history village, and a Heritage Ball. Friday is reserved as a special day for school children. The events are all free and […]

Learn how drugs affect the brain



Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College is offering a workshop, Drugs and the Brain, at the Whitesburg campus on Thursday, Nov. 1, from 6 to 8 p.m. This program will cover how various drugs affect the brain. Included on the agenda will be information on one of the newest methods of treatment: Neuro Electrical Therapy, NET. The instructor is Jim […]

ARH nurses take issues to West Virginia Capitol



CHARLESTON, W.Va. Clad in red and white and chanting the word “union,” a group of striking nurses vowed Monday to remain off the job until they get a contract with Appalachian Regional Healthcare that meets their terms. About 75 nurses gathered on the steps of the Capitol to vent their displeasure with ARH, one of the region’s largest health care […]

Schools in Letcher must do better in math, officials say



Officials with Letcher County’s two public school districts are pleased with some of the most recent results of the state’s Commonwealth Accountability Testing System (CATS) exams, but see an urgent need to improve math scores at the high school level. With the high school math index set at 68.2 for the state, Jenkins High School scored 48.2 and Letcher County […]

State representative urges citizens to conserve water



At first glance, the headline in the New York Times looks like it could have been written today: “Water Scarce in Kentucky; Drought Causes Suffering All Over the State.” The story noted that the drought “is unprecedented in the history of the Weather Bureau. … Everywhere in Kentucky there is an alarming scarcity of water.” While the article sounds familiar, […]

Cornetts award grants through organization



A Letcher County couple have announced a $5,000 grant to help a Berea College program whose work reaches Letcher County. Dean and Nina Cornett of Blackey, whose Eco Outpost organization is a not-for-profit 501c3 corporation, awarding the money to Berea College’s Sustainability and Environmental Studies Program. Students participating in the program have worked in various Letcher County government offices during […]

Bridge work continues



Motorists traveling KY 15 between Hazard and Whitesburg can expect delays at Carr Creek Lake to continue for several more weeks. Since early last week, traffic has been reduced to one lane and controlled by temporary traffic signals at the bridge carrying KY 15 across Carr Creek Lake at mile point 5.63 in Knott County. Work on the bridge is […]

Boy injured in mishap with ATV at Premium



A young Letcher County man was airlifted to a Kingsport, Tenn., hospital for emergency treatment Saturday after being seriously injured in an all-terrain vehicle accident. According to Deputy Mike Dingus of the Letcher County Sheriff’s Office, Adrian Collins was injured in a single-ATV accident at Johnson’s Fork at Premium. Collins, of UZ, was airlifted from KY 15 to Holston Valley […]