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The future is leaving the parking lot
Friday night, 133 members of the Martin County High School Class of 2026 walked across the stage at Cardinal Stadium and into a future that is both uncertain and full of possibility. For many of us, it is difficult to remember a time when these graduates were not part of our community’s daily life. We…
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Coach Newsome: More than wins
There are coaches who win basketball games, and then there are coaches who shape communities. For nearly 40 years, Robin Newsome did both. On Tuesday, Martin County learned that one of the greatest figures in the history of local athletics was stepping away from the sideline. The statistics alone are staggering — 562 career victories,…
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Freedom carries a cost
Every year, Americans gather for cookouts, ballgames, family reunions and the unofficial beginning of summer. Flags wave from porches. Cemeteries bloom with fresh flowers while veterans stand quietly beside memorials bearing names etched in stone. But Memorial Day is not ultimately about a long weekend. Rather, it is about absence, the empty chair at the…
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Show up. Vote. Be heard.
The final week of the 2026 Primary Election has arrived, and Martin County voters now have multiple opportunities to make their voices heard. No-excuse early voting begins Thursday at the Martin County Clerk’s Office. Election Day follows May 19. Between early voting, absentee voting and traditional Election Day polling places, access to the ballot box…
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When the creek runs orange, trust runs dry
When a creek turns the color of “tomato soup,” something is wrong and everyone knows it. In Delbarton and Ragland, West Virginia, residents did what responsible citizens do. They looked, they asked, they documented. And when answers did not come quickly enough, they began testing the water themselves. That alone should trouble us. No community…
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Anger does not rise in a vacuum
A community does not become angry and disrespectful for no reason. It happens when trust breaks down and frustration goes unanswered long enough to harden into resentment. People who feel heard do not usually lash out. People who believe the system is fair do not automatically assume the worst. But when residents feel ignored by…
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Accountability applies to everyone or it means nothing
Here in Martin County, people say they want accountability. Some mean it 100% while others mean it only until accountability lands on someone they know. There is tension in that. Residents want better roads, clean water, safe public spaces, honest spending and lawful decisions. They want government to work and public officials to do what…
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PSC was right to say not yet
The Kentucky Public Service Commission made the right call. On April 8, the PSC denied the Martin County Water District’s request to end state monitoring and close the long-running case that has tracked this county’s water system through years of failure, crisis and costly repair. That decision may frustrate local officials but it is the…
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Needed first step on feral horse problem
For years, Martin County has lived with a contradiction. Free-roaming horses have become part of the county’s identity. People stop to photograph them. Visitors admire them. Officials have even pointed to them as part of the county’s rural charm. At the same time, those same horses have posed a real and growing danger on public…
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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.…
