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Kentucky lawmakers renew push to establish statewide residential utility disconnection protections
by Liam Niemeyer Kentucky Lantern February 2, 2026 Last month, on a frigid day in front of the state capitol building in Frankfort, advocates called on Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear to halt residential utility disconnections through the winter via executive order. These groups, including the environmental advocacy nonprofit Kentucky Conservation Committee and Kentuckians for…
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Keep doing your best
BY DR. GLENN MOLLETTE The best we can do right now is the best we can do. We can be influencers and voices to those who help and serve us. However, we do not control the government. We can vote, and that is powerful. We can let our leadership know how we feel and that…
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Who is running in Martin County: Early filings set stage for 2026 local elections
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — Candidate filing opened Nov. 5 for local offices that will appear on the 2026 ballot, with early filings showing a mix of crowded contests and largely uncontested races across Martin County. As of Monday, 26 candidates had registered to run for county and city offices. Sheriff The most…
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Mamdani, 31/Atlas and streaming services
New Yorkers who voted for Zohran Mamdani will regret that decision and his victory this past week for the mayoral race in the largest city in the world. Mamdani is a socialist and despite his strong sugar coating of the issues and promises he has made, they will not work. His extreme socialist/communist policies and…
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Government shutdown: A political stalemate with no end in sight
If you are like me, you have questions and concerns about the latest government shutdown. As I said recently, it feels like a political football, something both parties keep kicking back and forth while the country waits for resolution. Federal funding expired at midnight Sept. 30, 2025, when Congress failed to pass spending legislation for…
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Is Congress hypocritical?
The American government shutdown impacts about 1.4 million federal workers, with roughly 700,000 furloughed and another 700,000 deemed essential continuing to work without pay. This number does not include the 42 million Americans who rely on SNAP benefits. About 13,000 air traffic controllers and about 50,000 TSA officers are currently working without pay. Once the government shutdown…
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Federal Bureau of Prisons ends union contract; CPL-33 vows legal fight
CITIZEN STAFF REPORT The Federal Bureau of Prisons has terminated its collective bargaining agreement with the Council of Prison Locals, a move the Trump administration says will improve working conditions but which union leaders denounce as an attack on employee rights. Bureau Director William K. Marshall III announced Thursday that the contract with CPL-33, which…
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Kentucky’s fight against substance abuse
Few challenges have weighed more heavily on Kentucky families and communities than substance abuse. Addiction has touched every county, every community, every school district, and countless homes across the Commonwealth. It tears apart families, burdens our health care and justice systems, and cruelly steals both lives and livelihoods. However, there is hope. Each September we…
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County honors former code enforcement officer Paul McCoy for service
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — The Martin County Fiscal Court honored former code enforcement officer Paul McCoy on Thursday. Judge/Executive Lon Lafferty and magistrates presented him with a certificate of appreciation for his service to the county. Lafferty praised McCoy for his wide-ranging contributions. He noted McCoy’s efforts in code enforcement, festival support,…
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Martin County still needs Alliance
BY NINA MCCOY In the wake of our most recent brown water event, people are rightly concerned and looking for answers, and possibly someone to blame. You can be assured the water board and Alliance are working with several entities to figure out what happened, and we will continue to report on what happened and…
