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New Logan Mining Complex owner brings renewed hope to laid-off coal miners
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN LOGAN, W.Va. — Coronado Global Resources is selling its Logan Mining Complex to Kentucky-based Phoenix Coal Holdings in a deal that could potentially reopen the operation and offer renewed hope for more than 500 miners laid off in April. The purchase, expected to close in July, includes all coal mining…
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Activist urges Martin County to adopt resolution calling for Kentucky Power audit
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — A Pike County activist is urging Eastern Kentucky counties to demand a full public audit of Kentucky Power before any additional rate increases are approved. Zachary Tackett, founder of the nonprofit Creek Don’t Rise Coalition, plans to ask the Martin County Fiscal Court on Thursday to adopt a…
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Voters report registration issue tied to postal address
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN Some Martin County voters say they were turned away from polling places Tuesday after presenting driver’s licenses with addresses in Pike or Lawrence counties. The issue affects some county residents who live near county lines but receive mail through post offices in neighboring counties. That includes residents on Route 292/Riverfront…
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Two wanted men arrested on Jennies Creek
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN KERMIT, W.Va. — West Virginia State Police arrested two Kermit men Sunday evening after a tip led troopers to a residence on Jennies Creek where authorities said a fugitive was hiding. According to court records, troopers went to the residence after receiving information that William Spurlock, 32, of Kermit, was…
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‘No mercy’: Jury convicts Kennedy in killing of WVSP Sgt. Cory Maynard
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — A Mingo County jury on Monday convicted Timothy David Kennedy of first-degree murder in the June 2023 killing of West Virginia State Police Sgt. Cory Maynard near Matewan. The jury rejected a recommendation of mercy, ensuring Kennedy will spend the rest of his life in prison without…
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Beauty man charged after starving dog found chained outside
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN BEAUTY — A Beauty man was arrested May 6 after Martin County Sheriff John Kirk said deputies found a severely malnourished dog chained outside a kennel and too weak to walk normally. Dustin Clay, 46, was charged with second-degree cruelty to animals after Kirk investigated a complaint at a residence…
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Woman jailed in attempted child abduction case
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN MATEWAN, W.Va. — A Mingo County woman faces a felony charge after state police say she grabbed a young girl outside her home and claimed the child was her missing daughter. West Virginia State Police arrested Brittany Lashay Akers, 29, of Red Jacket, on a charge of attempted abduction of…
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Pike County grand jury indicts nine
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN PIKEVILLE — The Pike County grand jury returned six felony and three misdemeanor indictments on a variety of charges May 5. Patrick Adams, 36, of Kimper, was indicted on a single count of first-degree criminal trespassing. Austin Cecil, 25, of Sidney, stands indicted on charges of first-degree trafficking in a…
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Orange creek causes alarm, citizen probe in Mingo County
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN DELBARTON-RAGLAND, W.Va. — When water in a Mingo County stream turned the color of “tomato soup,” residents did not wait for answers. They started asking their own questions, collecting samples and demanding to know what is flowing through their creek. Residents in the Ragland and Delbarton area began reporting a…
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Eviction call spirals into arrest, threats against U.S. presidents
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN DEBORD — What began as a routine eviction in a Debord home unraveled Monday when a woman claiming to be a CIA agent allegedly threatened to kill both Donald Trump and Joe Biden, landing her in jail on first-degree terroristic threatening charges and drawing federal attention, authorities said. According to…
