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Mingo County PSD falters after Lenore water main rupture
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN LENORE, W.Va. — Flooding, a ruptured water main and limited treatment capacity combined to disrupt water service across much of Mingo County this week, placing most customers under a boil water advisory and forcing emergency rerouting efforts to maintain supply. The trouble began around midnight Feb. 20 when rapidly rising
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Ambulance coverage at risk in Martin County as Patriot EMS faces layoffs, closures
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — For Martin County residents, calling 911 has long come with a basic expectation: an ambulance crew will arrive in time to make a difference. Now, amid layoffs, missed payroll and station closures at the region’s largest private provider, county officials are preparing for a possibility that once felt
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Mingo County officials react to Patriot EMS abrupt exit
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN BELO, W.Va. — Patriot EMS abruptly ended operations in Mingo County, removing its trucks and equipment without notice Feb. 6 and leaving county officials searching for answers in one of Appalachia’s most remote regions. When the Ohio-based Patriot EMS abandoned its station along Route 65 in Belo, county officials said
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Pike County grand jury indicts 28
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN PIKEVILLE — The Pike County grand jury returned 28 indictments Feb. 10, including 26 felonies, with most cases stemming from drug-related arrests. Charges range from possession and trafficking to fleeing police, assault and persistent felony offender counts. Those indicted are listed below. Erica R. Bartley, 45, of Elkhorn City: First-degree
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Patriot Ambulance pulls out of Mingo County without warning, leaving rural EMS coverage in question
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN BELO, W.Va. — On a stretch of U.S. 119 near Belo, a building that once promised help now sits empty. Feb. 6, without warning, Ohio-based Patriot Ambulance Service pulled its trucks and equipment from its station along Route 65, ending its operations in Mingo County, West Virginia. County officials said
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Mingo Sheriff to test job applicants ahead of expected retirements
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — The Mingo County Sheriff’s Department will begin testing applicants next month as it prepares for several anticipated retirements and future openings, Sheriff Joe Smith announced. Physical ability exams will take place March 7 and March 11 at the Southern West Virginia Community College Armory Building, followed by
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Winter Storm Fern death toll in Kentucky rises to 16; Martin County reports no fatalities
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN Deaths linked to Winter Storm Fern in Kentucky rose to 16 on Monday after Gov. Andy Beshear announced the death of a 75-year-old woman from Adair County. Beshear said hypothermia contributed to several of the deaths reported over the past 10 days. The governor first reported a storm-related death Jan.
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Mingo grand jury returns 47 indictments; former teacher charged in child sex abuse case
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — The Mingo County grand jury returned 47 indictments during its first session of 2026, including charges against a former Mingo Central High School teacher and coach accused of sexual contact with an underage student. The indictments span a wide range of alleged offenses, from drug trafficking and
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Pike grand jury returns 17 indictments: Arson, kidnapping, attempted murder
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN PIKEVILLE — A Pike County grand jury returned 17 indictments during its Jan. 20 session, including 15 felonies and two misdemeanors. The charges range from arson, kidnapping and attempted murder to drug trafficking, theft, fraud and traffic-related offenses. Marty Eugene Hurley, 50, of Stopover, was indicted on felony charges of
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Sheriff details nightlong effort to keep homeless man alive during brutal weather
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — As snow fell and temperatures plunged Saturday night, Martin County Sheriff John Kirk spent hours tracking a homeless man through businesses, roadways and neighborhoods in Inez in an effort to keep him alive. The situation first came to the sheriff’s attention shortly after dark, when a call came
