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District spelling bee crowns top young wordsmiths
INEZ — Martin County’s top young wordsmiths gathered Thursday in the Martin County High School auditorium for the School District Spelling Bee to compete for district honors. When the final word was spelled, Paige Stafford of Eden Elementary, a sixth-grader, claimed first place and the title of district spelling bee champion. Kennedy Mills, an eighth-grader
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Easter, Savannah Guthrie, Tiger Woods and you
BY DR. GLENN MOLLETTE Millions of people around the world will celebrate Easter on Sunday. When I was a child, I enjoyed watching my mother color eggs. She would boil them, let them cool and color them. Numerous family members would gather at my grandparents and we would hide and hunt Easter eggs. When I was
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Martin County Health Department hosts septic system refresher course
BY DOROTHY DILLON The Martin County Health Department recently hosted a Septic System Refresher Course, continuing its efforts to support community health through education and public service. The course, led by Patrick Boyd, brought together attendees from across Eastern Kentucky and provided updated information on proper septic system maintenance, emphasizing its importance in protecting local
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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)
