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Garden seed vouchers available April 6-10 through Big Sandy Area CAP
INEZ — As spring planting season begins, Big Sandy Area Community Action Program is offering local families a chance to grow their own gardens at home through its Garden Seed Program set for April 6-10. The program will provide eligible households with a $50 voucher to purchase seeds, fertilizer and/or plants for a home garden,…
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When the roads ran coal black
A patch of spilled coal on a Martin County roadway Monday was enough to stop more than traffic. It stirred memories. For those who have lived here long enough, coal scattered on the pavement was once no sight at all. It was ordinary. Coal trucks rumbled the roads daily. Loose chunks bounced from overloaded beds.…
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Frontier Housing fails to deliver jobs, says EDA chair
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — Nine months after Frontier Housing leased the speculative building at the Eastern Kentucky Business Park in Debord, Martin County Economic Development Authority Chairman James Ayers said the project has produced neither the jobs nor the activity the board was led to expect. Speaking at the EDA’s March 11…
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Tomahawk man gets two-year prison sentence in stolen ATV case
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — A Tomahawk man was sentenced March 19 in Martin Circuit Court to two years in prison for his role in a stolen ATV case dating back to 2023. Rush Fraley, 49, pleaded guilty Feb. 5 to receiving stolen property valued at $1,000 to $10,000/complicity, a Class D felony.…
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Lovely man draws six-year prison sentence in fentanyl case
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — A Martin County man drew a six-year prison sentence March 19 in Martin Circuit Court after pleading guilty to a fentanyl trafficking charge. Henry Butcher, 27, of Lovely, received the sentence after pleading guilty Feb. 5, 2026, to first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance (over 2 grams of…
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Martin County arrest report
CITIZEN STAFF REPORT INEZ — Martin County Sheriff John Kirk’s Office reported the following arrests: Erin A. Kugel, 23, was arrested March 21 on Long Branch Road in Lovely on a bench warrant from Magoffin District Court. Deputy JC Kirk served the warrant at 6:50 p.m. Ashley R. Salmons, 34, of Tomahawk, was arrested March…
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Coal truck spills load in Inez
Traffic control underway Monday at the KY-645 ramp near Coldwater in Inez after a coal truck lost some of its load on the roadway. (Citizen photo by Roger Smith)
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State awards replacement of Mollett Branch bridge
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN TOMAHAWK — A narrow one-lane bridge over Rockhouse Fork in Tomahawk that officials say is unsafe for emergency vehicles is slated for replacement at no cost to Martin County. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet notified Martin County Judge/Executive Lon Lafferty in a letter that the Mollett Branch bridge “has been awarded…
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Library trustees advance two finalists for open seat
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — Martin County Public Library trustees Monday forwarded the names of Heather Perry and Jason James to the state as finalists for one of two open seats on the library board. The board reviewed four applications for the vacancy created by the expiration of John R. Triplett’s term. Richard…
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Martin County court dockets
INEZ — Judge John Kevin Holbrook heard cases March 19 in Martin Circuit Court, while Judge Brett Butcher heard cases March 17 in Martin District Court. Circuit Court Jerry Thomas Spence (change of plea) — 1. Fleeing/evading police, first; 2. Operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol/drug, first offense; 3. All-terrain vehicle violations;…
