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Regional jail authority names new leadership, reports overtime strain, stronger revenue
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN PAINTSVILLE — The Big Sandy Regional Jail Authority elected new leadership Friday, while administrators reported persistent staffing shortages, heavy overtime and one of the facility’s strongest months for housing revenue. Board member Billy Patrick of Martin County was named chairman, with fellow Martin County representative Bradford Preece selected as co-chairman.
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Kenton man faces assault, strangulation charges in Martin County
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN WARFIELD — A Kenton County man was arrested Tuesday morning at a Warfield apartment complex on charges of assault and strangulation, Kentucky State Police said. Troopers from Post 9 in Pikeville took Elijah Bailey, 21, of Covington, into custody about 7:55 a.m. at Riverside Apartments. He was charged with fourth-degree
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Christmas in the Mountains counts its blessings after a successful year
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — By the time Martin County Tourism officials gathered in the government center Jan. 20, the lights of Christmas in the Mountains had been packed away, the displays dismantled, the last checks still moving slowly through the mail. What remained was a ledger that balanced, a downtown that had
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Aging in the mountains: Regional plan takes shape
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN In the hills of the Big Sandy region, many homes are old, family networks are thin and wages are low. Aging often unfolds far from hospitals, grocery stores and public transit lines. A loose step on a front porch can become a medical emergency. A missed ride can mean a
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Federal judge orders Addiction Recovery Care to answer contempt charges
Filings cite alleged $27.7 million DOJ fraud settlement BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN A federal judge has ordered Addiction Recovery Care LLC (ARC), a Kentucky-based addiction treatment company owned by Louisa residents Tim and Lelia Robinson, to appear in federal court this week to answer civil contempt charges for allegedly violating an earlier court order
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Martin County wins $4.8 million for sewer upgrade, awaits news of WWATERS grants
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — As Martin County waits on news of state funding to address its drinking water system, federal lawmakers have approved $4.8 million to modernize a long-troubled wastewater treatment plant in Inez. The funding, announced Thursday by U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, is part of a broad federal appropriations package. Martin
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Grand jury indicts 11 in Martin County
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — A Martin County grand jury handed up 13 true bills indicting 11 individuals Thursday in Inez. Charges range from first-degree drug trafficking and gun possession by a convicted felon to fleeing police and repeated failures to appear in court. Judy Faye Pauley, 63, of Inez, was indicted on
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Martin County wrestling turns Dragon Invitational into coronation
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN CRESTWOOD — Martin County arrived in Crestwood quietly Saturday and left with a championship trophy heavy enough to need two hands. By the end of the 30th Annual Dragon Invitational at South Oldham High School, the Cardinals had stacked up 189.5 points, outpacing Madison Central’s 172 in the 22-team field,
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New Martin County Elementary School moving from plans to ground
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — The new Martin County Elementary School is moving from paper to pavement. Site preparation for the project should be completed “by the end of March or first of April,” clearing the way for construction on a 148.5-acre tract adjacent to Martin County High School on Holly Bush. Schools
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Calling all residents to help map strategic plan for Martin County; meetings begin Jan. 20
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN Martin County residents will soon be asked a simple but consequential question: what should their community become. Blueprint Kentucky and the University of Kentucky are launching a new, multi-month strategic planning process to gather local ideas and turn them into a roadmap for county decisions in the years ahead. They are
