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LiKEN launches Martin County strategic plan at community event
BY JACOB JOHNSON INEZ — Martin County residents got a first look June 26 at a draft strategic plan built from months of public meetings and community input about the county’s future. LiKEN Knowledge, in partnership with the University of Kentucky, Blueprint Kentucky, Martin County High School and the Stidham Old Time Music Association, hosted…
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Family faces killer as judge imposes life with no mercy
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — The Matewan man convicted of killing West Virginia State Police Sgt. Cory Maynard as the trooper prayed for his life, will spend the rest of his own life in prison with no possibility of parole. Mingo County Circuit Judge Joshua Butcher imposed the life sentence without mercy…
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Drug sweep nets 28 arrests in KSP Post 9 district
PIKEVILLE — A Kentucky State Police drug sweep across the Post 9 area netted 28 arrests, 54 criminal charges and more than $102,000 worth of illegal drugs, police announced Tuesday. Operation Mountain Justice targeted suspected drug trafficking networks operating throughout the area. Troopers and detectives seized approximately 4.7 pounds of suspected methamphetamine, 130 grams of…
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Local man gets over 13 years in federal meth case
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN LEXINGTON — A Martin County man will spend more than 13 years in federal prison for distributing methamphetamine after admitting he sold more than 100 grams of the drug to a confidential informant in Martin County. Cody Gene Spears, 30, of Lovely, was sentenced June 26 in U.S. District Court…
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Breaking: Elderly Martin County resident found dead during heat wave
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN LOVELY — A 92-year-old Riverfront Road man was found dead inside his mobile home Monday evening after his landlord asked authorities to check on him during a stretch of dangerous heat in eastern Kentucky. Fleming Hurley, 92, was discovered on the kitchen floor of the single-wide trailer near the Oppy…
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PSC orders audit of Kentucky Power
BY LAUREL SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN FRANKFORT — Kentucky regulators have ordered an independent audit of Kentucky Power Company’s management and operations, citing years of concern over the utility’s planning, decision-making and judgment. The Kentucky Public Service Commission issued the order July 2 in Case No. 2026-00159, opening a formal investigation into Kentucky Power’s managerial and…
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Five women in jail as infant death investigation widens
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN DELBARTON, W.Va. — What began as the investigation into the death of a 4-month-old infant has widened into one of the most sweeping child neglect and drug cases in recent Mingo County history, with five women now under arrest and three charged with child neglect causing death. Authorities allege the…
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Bridge without guardrails draws renewed safety concerns after motorcycle crash
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN BEAUTY — A motorcycle crash Thursday at the Buck Creek bridge on Kentucky Route 40 has renewed calls for safety improvements at what Martin County Sheriff John Kirk describes as one of the county‘s most dangerous stretches of roadway. The crash occurred while Kirk was investigating an unrelated motorcycle accident…
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Lovely woman charged after reported armed confrontation
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN PILGRIM — A reported armed confrontation inside a Little Rockcastle Road home ended with misdemeanor charges Sunday after Kentucky State Police said they were unable to locate the handgun or baseball bat allegedly used in the dispute. Terri L. Sammons, 44, of Lovely, was arrested June 28 and charged with…
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Jake Hoot to headline Harvest Fest
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — After months of speculation, the Martin County Harvest Festival has named Jake Hoot, a winner of NBC’s “The Voice,” as the headliner for its 30th annual event. Hoot, who won Season 17 of “The Voice” in 2019 and “The Voice” All-Star Showdown earlier this year, will perform at…
