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Tennessee company donates bullet-proof vests to sheriff
BY RACHEL DOVEMOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — When working in law enforcement, the key to staying safe is often in the protective equipment officers wear. Thanks to a generous donation from Tennessee-based organization Vests For Life Inc., the Martin County Sheriff’s Office can now outfit four deputies with state-of-the-art carrier vests lined with steel plates. Deputy…
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Coal miner killed in West Virginia
CITIZEN STAFF REPORT CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A West Virginia coal miner was fatally injured Thursday night in Kanawha County. Kris Ball, 34, of Hart, W.Va., was killed at the Kanawha Eagle Coalburg Tunnel Mine, Gov. Jim Justice announced Friday. Blackhawk Mining Company owns the mine. “All the miners across our great state are absolute heroes,”…
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County converting bus to mobile command center
BY ROGER SMITHMOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — Martin County will soon have its first 911 command center on wheels, thanks to a school bus donation by the Martin County Board of Education. The bus will deploy for select large-scale public events or emergencies, according to Martin County 911 director Nick Endicott. “This project originated when we went…
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Martin County Arrest Report
INEZ — Martin County Sheriff John Kirk’s office reported the following arrests: Virgie Blevins, 35, of Lovely, was arrested Tuesday in the courthouse in Inez for terroristic threatening, menacing and disorderly conduct. Deputy David Adams reported that Blevins came into the CDW office with her son, who was taken into custody. Blevins allegedly became irate…
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Williamson mayor target of U.S. Dept. of Labor lawsuit
BY RACHEL DOVE MOUNTAIN CITIZEN CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The former CEO of the now-closed Williamson Memorial Hospital, Charlie Hatfield, who also serves as mayor for the City of Williamson, has been under federal investigation for allegedly failing to forward employee contributions/withholdings to their company’s healthcare plan, directly resulting in its cancellation. The alleged act of…
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Courthouse Report
District Court INEZ — Judge John T. Chafin heard the following cases Aug. 30 in Martin District Court: Justin Mollette (preliminary hearing) — Burglary, third degree: Waived to grand jury. Jeremy David Harmon (preliminary hearing) — Assault, fourth degree, domestic violence, minor injury; strangulation, second degree; violation of Kentucky EPO/DVO: Waived to grand jury, no…
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Labor Day crash on U.S. 52
CITIZEN STAFF REPORT STEPPTOWN, W.Va. — The Kermit Volunteer Fire Department responded to a horrendous two-vehicle accident on U.S. 52 near Stepptown at 11:30 a.m. on Labor Day. Firefighters had to use special tools to excavate one woman. No names were released at press time. The Wayne Detachment of the West Virginia State Police is…
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CDC risk map shows 93 percent of Kentucky counties with high or medium risk of COVID-19 infection
BY MELISSA PATRICK KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS Kentuckians in general have about the same risk of catching COVID-19 as they did a week ago, with 93 percent of the state’s counties at a high or medium risk of transmission and The New York Times ranking Kentucky second among the states for new coronavirus cases in the…
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FDA OKs updated COVID-19 booster targeting latest Omicron subvariants; Beshear says it could be available in Kentucky next week
BY MELISSA PATRICK KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS The new, updated COVID-19 booster shots that target the original strain of the coronavirus and major Omicron subvariants could be available to Kentuckians as early as next week, Gov. Andy Beshear said Wednesday. The Food and Drug Administration authorized the updated booster shots from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech on Aug.…
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Monkeypox cases in Kentucky remain low, but keep inching up slowly; vaccine is available for those at high risk of getting the disease
BY MELISSA PATRICK KENTUCKY HEALTH NEWS Even as new cases of monkeypox inch up in Kentucky, overall cases remain low. On Sunday, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had confirmed 19,962 cases nationwide, 33 had been confirmed in the state. That’s two more than had been reported by Thursday when the state put…
