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Voters to decide on key amendments; election tech unveiled
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — Voters face critical choices on the upcoming ballot with high stakes involved. During Thursday’s Kiwanis Club luncheon, Martin County Board of Elections Chairman James Ayers and Kentuckiana Election Services CEO Craig Lindon offered insights into two constitutional amendments and the county’s advanced election technology. The pair discussed proposed…
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Heritage Day brings past to life in music, stories and traditions
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — Folks gathered Saturday atop the hill in Inez where King Fisher and God’s Promise trails meet to celebrate the annual Martin County Heritage Day. It was a day rich in tradition and history, filled with Appalachian sights, sounds and tastes. Visitors stepped back in time, exploring a 1937…
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Martin County calls for citizens to join emergency response team
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — Martin County officials are rallying residents to join a newly formed citizen emergency response team to prepare the community for potential disasters. County Judge/Executive Lon Lafferty and Emergency Management Director Clyde Adams issued the call for volunteers on Friday. They emphasized that last year’s tragic collapse of the…
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Barefoot Festival to debut in Lovely
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN LOVELY — Get ready for the Barefoot Festival to debut in Martin County on Nov. 1 and 2, bringing music, community and culture together on a reclaimed strip mine on North Wolf Creek Road in Lovely. The two-day event promises to be like nothing you have experienced. With live performances…
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Martin County Health Department revives Diabetes Prevention Program, offers free classes and A1C testing
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — The Martin County Health Department is bringing back its diabetes prevention and control program, offering residents new resources to combat the widespread disease. “We’re rolling out several new initiatives,” said Health Department Director Eric Mills. “And we’re excited to have Lakean Meade join us as the new diabetes program…
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Search underway following chilling home invasion in Inez
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — Police are searching for a man who broke into the home of an elderly couple while they slept early Tuesday morning on Coldwater Road in Inez. According to Chief Deputy Chris Kidd of the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, the couple’s daughter reported the home invasion after the fact,…
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Martin County BOE renews opposition to Amendment 2
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — The Martin County Board of Education renewed its opposition to Amendment 2 during Monday night’s meeting, with board members and district leadership warning that the measure would siphon funding from public schools. “This is Amendment 2 that will be on the ballot as you vote in Kentucky,” board…
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Kentucky Education Commissioner Robbie Fletcher opposes Amendment 2
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN FRANKFORT — Kentucky’s Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher, during an Oct. 10 webcast with superintendents, commented on the Kentucky Board of Education’s (KBE) unified stance against the use of public funds to support nonpublic schools. The board’s recently passed resolution states that public education is the best way to ensure…
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Medieval madness could be coming to Martin County
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — At the recent Martin County Tourism meeting, Cati Christian pitched an unexpected and intriguing idea—medieval reenactments. Christian, a member of the Appalachian Drakaríðendr, part of the Empire of Medieval Pursuits (EMP) based in Boyd County, proposed bringing the immersive historical experience to the county. “We have a membership…
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Passenger busted with meth in shoe claims driver set him up
BY ROGER SMITH MOUNTAIN CITIZEN LOVELY — A Pilgrim man found himself in cuffs late Saturday night after being stopped at a traffic checkpoint near Kermit Bridge in Lovely. According to police, Deputy Justin Bellamy arrested Frankie L. Maynard, 48, for first-degree possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) and possession of drug paraphernalia around 11…