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Murder trial set May 4 in killing of West Virginia trooper
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — A Matewan man accused in the 2023 killing of a West Virginia State Police sergeant is scheduled to stand trial May 4 in Mingo County Circuit Court after a case marked by delays, a failed venue-change effort and a mistrial last year. Timothy Kennedy Jr., 32, has
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Family still seeks answers in unsolved homicide of Melissa Wolford
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN PHELPS — More than two years after a hunter found 42-year-old Melissa Wolford slain near her burned pickup truck in a Pike County hollow, her family is still searching for answers. In the quiet, close-knit community of Phelps, where homes in the hills can sit a mile apart and generations
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Lenore VFD Easter egg hunt draws crowd, honors chief with award
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN LENORE, W.Va. — More than 100 children and their families turned out Saturday for the Lenore Volunteer Fire Department’s annual Easter egg hunt, an afternoon packed with prizes, food, family fun and a surprise honor for the department’s longtime chief. According to Assistant Chief Skipper Farris, the event drew a
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Wildfires scorch hundreds of acres across Martin County
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — Sunday turned into a grueling, nearly around-the-clock fight for volunteer firefighters across Martin County. Departments joined the Kentucky Division of Forestry to battle multiple wind-driven wildfires that spread rapidly and threatened homes, roadways and utility infrastructure. Inez Volunteer Fire Department Chief Lee Gauze said about 14 volunteers from
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Vanished: Four years later, brother still searching for Brittany Horn Duff
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN KERMIT, W.Va. — Nearly four years after Brittany Horn Duff vanished near Kermit, her brother is still searching for answers. Kevin Horn says the only thing that will bring peace is bringing his sister home. “Closure means bringing my sister home to be laid to rest,” Horn said. “It’s having
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Pike County grand jury indicts 11
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN PIKEVILLE — The Pike County grand jury returned indictments against 11 individuals March 10. Charges range from drug possession and bail jumping to theft, fleeing police and assault, with two defendants facing multiple separate indictments. Kaylee Damron, 32, of Pikeville — theft by unlawful taking (felony). Michael Damron, 35, of
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Woman shot to death; husband arrested on first-degree murder charge
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN DELBARTON, W.Va. — A man is in jail on a first-degree murder charge after police found his wife shot to death Friday morning at a home on Triton Lane near Delbarton. Mingo County Sheriff deputies were dispatched at approximately 11 a.m. after Mingo 911 received a call requesting a welfare
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Two inmates convicted in Martin County could gain early release
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — Two inmates convicted in Martin County and several in surrounding counties could become eligible for early release after a Franklin County judge struck down part of Kentucky’s Safer Kentucky Act, a ruling the state’s top prosecutor warns could free more than 240 violent offenders statewide. Attorney General Russell
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Spooked feral horse injures woman in Debord; motorcyle startles animal
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN DEBORD — A close encounter with one of the free-roaming horses along Airport Road in Debord left a woman injured Friday afternoon after the animal was startled by a passing motorcycle. Rex Endicott, director of the Martin County Rescue Squad, said his department responded to the area near Honey Branch
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Ambulance service continues: REM takes over Patriot EMS
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — Communities across Eastern Kentucky that feared losing reliable ambulance service after Patriot EMS abruptly ceased operations at multiple locations received reassurance Monday. Rapid Emergency Management LLC (REM) announced its takeover of the company’s operations in several counties. The transition came after weeks of uncertainty following Patriot EMS’s closure
