Breaking News

Corbin is getting a Kroger Marketplace. The Corbin Planning and Zoning Commission held a public hearing Thursday afternoon to consider a request for a plat approval for a Kroger Marketplace. The store will be built on the old King’s Truck Stop property in southern Laurel County off Exit 29. The new store will sit on nearly 19 acres of land and measure approximately 100,000-square-feet. It will be approximately 40,000 to 50,000-square-feet larger than a typical store. In other words, the two existing Kroger stores in Corbin would come close to fitting inside the new store. Construction is expected to take approximately 10 to 12 months to complete, weather permitting. The start date is contingent...

Former acting chief of the London Police Department Bobby Day resigned from the department Monday. A letter, which is addressed to London Mayor Tracie Handley, served as formal notice of his resignation with the City of London, effective on July 20, 2026. The letter, which was written on what appears to be Ousley and Wiese, PLLC letterhead, stated that Day is represented by the firm. The attorney explained in the letter that Day accepted a position with the London Police Department after a distinguished career and retirement from the Kentucky State Police. After assisting in the creation of the Laurel County School System Police Department, Day decided to return to public service...

A Whitley Circuit Court Jury convicted a Corbin man Thursday afternoon for the rape of a girl under the age of 12 years old and recommended a life sentence, according to court officials. The two-day trial concluded with the jury convicting Preston Coffey, 27, of first-degree rape and first-degree sexual abuse. Jurors recommended a life sentence for Coffey on the rape charge and a 10-year prison sentence on the sexual abuse charge. “I am exceptionally pleased with the verdict. It is so satisfying to see that jurors in Whitley County still take abuse of children seriously and still believe children and still deliver justice on behalf of kids,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney...

The City of London officially has a interim new mayor, and it a familiar face, who briefly served as mayor before. Then Mayor Randall Weddle announced Friday morning he was resigning effective July 12. The London City Council unanimously voted during a special called meeting Monday to accept Weddle’s resignation as mayor. The council went into an approximately 84-minute executive session to discuss proposed or pending litigation against the council or on behalf of the council and to have a discussion which might lead to the appointment of an individual employee or member. Then council members returned to regular session and voted 4-0 to appoint Tracie Handley as interim mayor. Council members John...

The Kentucky Court of Appeals ruled Friday morning a special judge was wrong last year when he overturned the London City Council’s removal of Mayor Randall Weddle from office. “The circuit court erred in determining there were no sufficient grounds to remove the mayor from office and therefore erred in overturning the removal andreinstating Weddle,” according to the Court of Appeals ruling, which was rendered at 10 a.m. Friday. Weddle announced Friday morning on the Mayor Randall Weddle Facebook page he was resigning as mayor effective July 12. “Our judicial system has now spoken, and while this is not the outcome I had hoped for, I respect the rule of law, the...

London Mayor Randall Weddle has announced he is resigning. Weddle announced on the Mayor Randall Weddle Facebook page late Friday morning he had submitted his resignation as mayor of the City of London effective July 12, 2026. “This effective date is intended to provide the City Council sufficient time to ensure a smooth transition and appoint someone to serve the remainder of my term. Serving as mayor has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. I will always be grateful for the trust the people of London placed in me and for the opportunity to work every day to make our city an even better place to live, work,...

Kentucky State Police (KSP) have identified a woman found dead inside her Gray residence on Independence Day. Investigators are waiting on autopsy results before making a finding whether foul play was involved in the woman’s death. KSP spokesperson Trooper Shane Jacobs identified the woman Monday afternoon as Karen West, 61, of Gray. “We do not suspect any type of danger or anything to the public and the community,” Jacobs said. Troopers were dispatched at approximately 4:30 p.m. to Adena Drive following a report of a death. Upon arrival, authorities confirmed one adult female was dead, according to a KSP release. Jacobs said police were contacted after a family member found the woman dead...

A Laurel Circuit Judge ruled Tuesday London Mayor Randall Weddle is not a bona fide candidate for the upcoming London mayoral election in November. In late April, 13 people filed suit in London Circuit Court to determine whether Weddle lived in London for one year and could run for re-election as mayor or whether he lived in Keavy and was ineligible to run. “Ultimately, upon a thorough review of all the evidence of record and the applicable law, it is the opinion of the Court that the totality of the circumstances demonstrates that the London property may be a place where Weddle transacts business, but it is not his home nor...

A Rockholds man was found dead in a house fire Tuesday morning off KY 511. Whitley County Emergency Management Director Jerry Rains said no foul play is suspected at this point. The man’s name has not been released yet pending notification of the next of kin. Approximately 25 firefighters from five fire departments battled the blaze. The fire occurred at an approximately 100-year-old, one-story wood-framed house, which was located at 4904 Highway 511. For more information, see Wednesday’s edition of the News Journal.

Three law enforcement agencies are investigating an apparent murder-suicide involving the death of three people, which happened in southern Laurel County late Saturday evening. The apparent murder-suicide occurred after a police chase, which started in Knox County and ended on KY-312 in Keavy, according to the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office. The three people, who died, were identified as James Priddy, 21, of Bimble, Jadence Ann Marie Hale, who was his alleged girlfriend, and Kira Lila Hope Asher 19, of Lily, according to a Laurel County Sheriff’s Office release. “All indications are that apparently James Priddy shot and killed Hale and Asher, then killed himself,” the Laurel County Sheriff Office wrote in...