Henry ‘Axle’ Bentley III buried at Payne Gap

Funeral services for Henry “Axle” Bentley III, 34, of Goose Creek, were held February 19 at Carty Funeral Home in Jenkins. Burial was in the Laurel Fork Cemetery at Payne Gap. A son of Katrina Walker of McRoberts and Henry Bentley, Jr. of Jenkins, he died February 14 in Bessemer, Ala. He was preceded in death by a grandmother, Velma […]

9 accused of being deadbeat parents

Nine people have been named in indictments by the Letcher Grand Jury charging them with flagrant non-support of their minor children. They are: • Paula M. Cornett, 32, of 386 College Road, Apt. B, Cumberland, who is also charged with being a second-degree persistent felony offender. • Corey D. Fraley, 42, of 3267 Ky. Hwy. 317, Neon, who is also […]

Square dances begin March 9

The Carcassonne Square Dances will resume for 2019 beginning on March 9, weather permitting. Music will be by Bluegrass Friends, and the caller will be Will Bowling. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., dancing 6 to 9 p.m. Soup bean dinner or snacks will be available, as well as souvenirs and a playground for children. Enjoy the oldest continuous community sponsored […]

Old photographs bring memories



Well, praise God! Mom is beginning to act like her old self again. She is finally feeling up to going to physical therapy at East Kentucky Physical Therapy. She got acquainted with a lot of the people there when she had to have therapy after breaking her back in 2017. So, she feels right at home there and is making […]

Carrie Bates dies at 101

Funeral services for Carrie Bates, 101, will be held at 11 a.m. today (Wednesday) at the Mayking Old Regular Baptist Church. Burial will be in the Bates Cemetery at Campbranch. A daughter of the late Haz and Maggie Calhoun Bates, she was born at Millstone. She died January 10 at the Greg and Noreen Wells Hospice Center in Hazard. Miss […]

Bible trivia


1. Is the book of Pharisee in the Old or New Testament or neither? 2. In Matthew 21, to what type of tree did Jesus say, “Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever”? Cedar, Oak, Apple, Fig 3. From 2 Corinthians 6, what did Paul warn Christians about being “yoked” with? Debt, Unbelievers, Shame, Abundance 4. In biblical […]

Local official says road help promised at Frankfort meeting

Letter to the Editor:

To the Editor: During my visit to Frankfort last week for “Legislative Day,” I was honored to be able to sit down and have a meeting with Kentucky Transportation Secretary Greg Thomas and Deputy Secretary Paul Looney. We were able to discuss the tremendous concern our citizens have expressed about the poor road conditions throughout Letcher County. I took several […]

Seeks Help With Roads

SEEKS HELP WITH ROADS — Fifth District Letcher County Magistrate Bennie McCall (standing center in photo at right) said he was able to meet with Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary Greg Thomas (far right) and Deputy Secretary Paul Looney in Frankfort last week and was promised by both state officials that they would address the poor condition of state-maintained highways in […]

What is coal’s future in our Appalachia?


For whatever reason, Trump has been obsessed with the fortunes of Appalachian coal mines which has resulted in a series of proposals intended to bail out a foundering fossil-fuel industry. In taking these action, Trump incorrectly blamed the industry’s problems on overregulation and, because of this, the president is scrapping the Clean Power Plan, rolling back the regulation on the […]

Don’t punish doctors who truly care for those in pain


I know. I know the heartache of mothers who lose their sons, children who lose themselves. I’m as enraged as anyone by the pain peddlers who hand out pills that get sold on the street, popped with abandon, shared among friends. It seems to me that if you sell guns, you have an obligation to make sure that they are […]