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Thirteen years of warnings are enough: Fix KY Route 40
There is a point when delay stops looking like bureaucracy and starts looking like neglect. Kentucky reached that point years ago at the Buck Creek crossing on KY Route 40 near Big Elk Road in Beauty. Another motorcycle went off the road and into the creek Saturday evening. A woman had to be pulled from…
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Author Shaun Sweeney brings decades-old mystery to life in ‘A Familiar Darkness’
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN BEAUTY — More than three decades after Shaun Sweeney first imagined a murder mystery as a Martin County teenager, the story that stayed with him through adulthood has finally become a novel. Sweeney, a 1999 graduate of Sheldon Clark High School, published his first novel, “A Familiar Darkness,” in July.…
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Oreatha June (Muncy) Stanley Obituary
Oreatha June (Muncy) Stanley 1950—2026 Oreatha June (Muncy) Stanley, 75, of Beauty, died July 20, 2026, in Huntington, West Virginia. Born Dec. 31, 1950, on Marrowbone Creek in Mingo County, West Virginia, she was the daughter of the late Allen Muncy and Ernestine (Baisden) Muncy. Oreatha attended Kermit High School and Southern West Virginia Community…
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Thelma Jean ‘Nanny’ Booth Obituary
Thelma Jean ‘Nanny’ Booth 1953—2026 Thelma Jean “Nanny” Booth, 72, of Beauty, passed away June 24, 2026. Born Oct. 19, 1953, at Williamson Memorial in Williamson, West Virginia, she was the daughter of the late Walter Marcum and Louise Marcum. Thelma lived a life centered on family, love and caring for others. She was known…
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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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Trump needs a new slogan: MTWGA
Dear Editor, Almost anyone can bankrupt a company. Some do it four to five times. With a little effort one can send a whole country into recession. However, it takes real talent to foul up the whole world economy. Trump needs a new slogan. Forget MAGA. How about MTWGA: Make the World Grieve Again. Or…
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Sheriff recovers stolen backhoe, truck and trailer in Beauty
BY ANNIE HOLLER MOUNTAIN CITIZEN BEAUTY — The Martin County Sheriff’s Office recovered a stolen backhoe, pickup truck and dump trailer Tuesday morning in Beauty. Sheriff John Kirk arrested David Joshua Brown, 40, of Lovely, on Big Elk Road on a charge of receiving stolen property valued at more than $10,000. Kirk said Brown was…
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John Rass Maynard Obituary
John Rass Maynard 1962—2026 John Rass Maynard, 63, of Catlettsburg, passed away March 7, 2026, at his residence. Born Oct. 25, 1962, in Beauty, he was the son of the late Jessie and Parlee (Scott) Maynard. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by two brothers, Clark Maynard and Stephen Maynard. He is survived…
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Two arrested on criminal abuse, manslaughter charges in child death
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN Two Martin County residents are in jail facing felony charges in connection with the death of an 11-year-old boy Aug. 13, 2025, in Beauty. Patrick Speer, 34, of Warfield, and Christina Chapman, 40, of Beauty, were arrested following their indictment by a Martin County grand jury Feb. 5. Their charges…
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Nyoka Dale (Jenkins) Maynard Obituary
Nyoka Dale (Jenkins) Maynard 1952—2025 Nyoka Dale (Jenkins) Maynard, 73, of Beauty, passed away Dec. 27, 2025, at her home surrounded by family after a courageous fight with cancer. Born April 17, 1952, in Williamson, West Virginia, she was the daughter of Raymond and Helena (Stepp) Jenkins. In addition to her parents, she is preceded…
