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Martin County needs a storm shelter plan
Sunday evening, Martin County came under a tornado warning. Radar showed rotation near Calf Creek. Trees fell across the county. More than 1,000 customers lost power. A tree struck the corner of a home on Milo Road and wind reportedly knocked over a gas pump in downtown Inez. Fortunately, no widespread destruction or serious injuries…
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Frankfort failed Inez
The Rockcastle Creek Pedway Project did not die because the City of Inez neglected it. It did not fail because local officials refused to invest in it, would not obtain the property or abandoned the required paperwork. The State of Kentucky failed this project. For nearly two decades, the proposed pedestrian bridge and walkway has…
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Airport man: Gary Wayne Cox
BY JOE COLLIER Twenty-six years ago, my good friend Gary Wayne Cox was considering a career change. He told me he had received an offer to manage the Big Sandy Regional Airport. Having no interest in flying, I had never taken a close look at the place. When I finally did, it looked more like…
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Investment carved from the mountains
Martin County has spent many years climbing toward the school facilities its children deserve. On Monday, that climb reached another high place. The groundbreaking for the new Martin County Elementary School on Hollybush Road was a public statement that the community still believes in itself and its children. It showed that the community understands that…
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America at 250
It is easy to get caught up in today’s headlines. Politics dominates our television screens. Social media rewards outrage more than understanding. Sometimes it seems we spend more time talking about what is wrong than what is right. Perhaps this Fourth of July — America’s 250th anniversary of independence — is a good time to…
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Good things happen
As Martin County prepares to celebrate America’s 250th birthday, residents also have another reason to take pride in their community. From a once-in-a-generation Independence Day celebration to a new teaching apiary that will educate future beekeepers, two recent developments are something worth remembering: Good things happen when people invest in both their heritage and their…
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A salute to fathers
Father’s Day gives us a chance to pause and recognize the men who helped raise us, guide us and prepare us for life. Most fathers never ask for recognition. They do what needs to be done because that is what fathers do. They go to work, pay the bills, mow the grass, fix what is…
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The future is leaving the parking lot
Friday night, 133 members of the Martin County High School Class of 2026 walked across the stage at Cardinal Stadium and into a future that is both uncertain and full of possibility. For many of us, it is difficult to remember a time when these graduates were not part of our community’s daily life. We…
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Coach Newsome: More than wins
There are coaches who win basketball games, and then there are coaches who shape communities. For nearly 40 years, Robin Newsome did both. On Tuesday, Martin County learned that one of the greatest figures in the history of local athletics was stepping away from the sideline. The statistics alone are staggering — 562 career victories,…
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Freedom carries a cost
Every year, Americans gather for cookouts, ballgames, family reunions and the unofficial beginning of summer. Flags wave from porches. Cemeteries bloom with fresh flowers while veterans stand quietly beside memorials bearing names etched in stone. But Memorial Day is not ultimately about a long weekend. Rather, it is about absence, the empty chair at the…
