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Harvest Fest packs 30th anniversary weekend: Carnival, music, parade, vendors, more
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — From Elvis on Friday afternoon to Jake Hoot on Saturday night, the 30th annual Martin County Harvest Festival now has a full weekend on the books. Organizers have released the Sept. 18-19 schedule, packing two days in Inez with live music, carnival rides, hayrides, a parade, wrestling, the…
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Petco Love grant boosts affordable veterinary care in Eastern Kentucky
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN PAINTSVILLE — A $500 grant from national nonprofit Petco Love will help Animal Alliance of East Kentucky expand access to affordable veterinary care for pets in Martin, Johnson, Floyd and Magoffin counties. The investment will support the volunteer-driven organization’s spay and neuter efforts, which primarily serve low-income residents who otherwise…
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MCCC lands $800K federal grant to expand suicide prevention work
Zero Suicide initiative to serve Martin, seven other counties BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN Mountain Comprehensive Care Center has received an $800,000 federal grant to expand its suicide prevention work in Martin County and seven other Eastern Kentucky counties. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded the funding through its Implementing Zero Suicide…
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Martin County Public Library cuts jobs, benefits, services in new budget
Public programs spending falls 88%; books cut more than 77% BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — The Martin County Public Library System eliminated positions and employee benefits. It also sharply reduced funding for books, public programs and other services under a fiscal year 2027 budget projection totaling $496,475 presented to the Martin County Fiscal…
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Magistrate seeks revival of stalled Rockcastle Creek Pedway Project
Project began in 2009 BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — A pedestrian bridge and walkway proposed nearly two decades ago could receive another chance at life after District 1 Magistrate Cody Slone raised the Rockcastle Creek Pedway Project during the July meeting of the Martin County Fiscal Court. The long-delayed project would connect Old…
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From hayfield to hometown gateway: Airport terminal named for Gary Cox
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN DEBORD — Twenty-six years after Gary Wayne Cox took charge of an overgrown airfield that looked more like a hayfield than an airport, the community he helped build gathered Aug. 1 to put his name on its terminal. The Big Sandy Regional Airport board dedicated the Gary W. Cox Terminal…
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Martin County seeks $19.5M to expand flood buyout
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — Martin County is seeking nearly $19.5 million in additional federal funding to expand its flood-buyout program, potentially adding a Newberry Lane property omitted from the original list and five or six other properties. The Martin County Fiscal Court approved an amendment to the U.S. Department of Agriculture grant…
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Free voter ID cards available
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — Residents who lack the photo identification necessary to vote can obtain a voter ID card from the state at no cost. Martin County Clerk Susie Skyles said the cards are available at any Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Driver Licensing Regional Office. “The same offices that issue driver’s licenses and…
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Martin County seals first time capsule for 2051
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — With the click of a lock and the words “God bless America,” Martin County sealed its first official time capsule Thursday. The capsule will preserve a snapshot of life in 2026 for residents to discover 25 years from now. You Matter Appalachia intern Garrett Lowe secured the capsule…
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Forest ranger warns of wildfire risks, outlines seasonal job opportunities
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — Martin County is among the areas most prone to wildfires in the Kentucky Division of Forestry’s 27-county Morehead branch, forest ranger James “Woody” Thomas told members of the Kiwanis Club on Thursday. “Martin and Magoffin counties are two of the hottest counties in the Morehead branch,” Thomas said…
