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Mountain Citizen wins Tom and Pat Gish Award for courage, integrity and tenacity
BY AL CROSS A scrappy little newspaper that has fought for more than 30 years for clean water and open government in its Appalachian county is the winner of the 2025 Tom and Pat Gish Award for courage, integrity and tenacity in rural journalism. The Mountain Citizen is a weekly paper serving the 11,000 people
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KHSAA needs to get a rule—and fast
The Kentucky High School Athletic Association is charged with upholding the integrity of high school sports. Yet, when faced with a clear breach of competitive ethics, its response was silence cloaked in technicality. During Friday’s district championship between Martin County and Prestonsburg, a Blackcats player picked up a wristband containing Martin County’s offensive play calls
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Tragedy of losing a communication lifeline in rural Martin County
Another 400 feet of copper cable may not sound like much. But on North Wolf Road in Lovely and on Rockhouse in Tomahawk it represents the steady unraveling of rural infrastructure that once connected Martin County people to each other and to the outside world. When copper thieves cut AT&T’s telephone line Saturday morning near
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Good to see you, Dr. Robbie Fletcher
It was good to see Dr. Robbie Fletcher back home in Martin County last week. His visit to Martin County High School was a heartfelt homecoming for someone who has never forgotten where he came from. Dr. Fletcher’s story is one of perseverance, humility and purpose. From Little Peter Cave to Frankfort, his journey is
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Harvest Fest showed the best of Martin County
The 2025 Martin County Harvest Fest was a weekend of food, music and parades. It was also a reminder of what happens when a community comes together with pride and purpose. Under clear skies and perfect fall weather, Inez came alive Friday and Saturday with crowds that filled the streets. Families strolled shoulder to shoulder
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‘Right is right’
For months, families in Pilgrim faced something unthinkable: gates blocking their access to the graves of loved ones. The closures caused heartache and, in one instance, created a dangerous barrier when an ambulance was needed July 4 for a medical emergency at a family cemetery. It should never have come to this. Last week, Martin
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Community cornerstone returns: Welcome back, Warfield Market
Nearly seven months after floodwaters rose more than 5 feet inside its walls, leaving behind nothing but ruin, Warfield’s only supermarket is coming back. On Sept. 1, the store will reopen under a new name — Warfield Market — restoring groceries and a vital cornerstone of daily life for families across Martin, Mingo and Wayne
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The Mic and the Mirror
They gather in chambers with polished intent, With smiles rehearsed and their posture unbent. One eye on the vote, the other on rent, For space on the screen, for a headline well-spent. They whisper in corners, they shout on the floor— Each word is a weapon, each phrase a decor. Not truth, but attention, their
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Come home to Inez for the Appalachian Artist Festival
On Saturday, Aug. 2, the heart of Martin County will beat a little louder. Downtown Inez will fill with music, color, conversation and community as the Appalachian Artist Festival transforms Court Street into a celebration of everything that makes our region special. To our neighbors near and far, we issue this invitation: Come home. Whether
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Wishing you a Merry Christmas
As the Christmas season surrounds us with its familiar glow of joy, tradition and togetherness, we at the Mountain Citizen pause to extend our warmest wishes to you, our readers, and the community we proudly serve. This is a time of year to celebrate the blessings in our lives, to reflect on the journey behind
