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Less than two weeks after a Williamsburg man, who was walking on the sidewalk, got ran over and killed by a suspected drunk driver, the establishment where he allegedly got the alcohol has shut down. There is currently a sign on the door to the main entrance of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3167 that reads, "we will be closed until further notice." The VFW Post is located just outside the Williamsburg city limits between Three-Point and Goldbug. On April 19, the Estate of Richard Perkins sued VFW Post 3167 and Adam David Childress in Whitley Circuit Court for wrongful death. Childress, 31, is charged with murder, driving while under the influence and...

Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers (R-Manchester) is defending his move to attach legislation to the end of Kentucky’s biennial budget that tilts a long-running feud over occupational tax collections between the city of Corbin and the Knox County Fiscal Court in favor of the county. The measure was inserted into the budget during the final hours of negotiations over the budget bill April 14. Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin has until midnight Wednesday to sign the bill into law. Leaders in the city of Corbin are pushing for a line item veto, but say that they realize it’s unlikely. On Tuesday, Stivers defended the move saying the argument over occupational tax collections affects...

Cumberland Falls State Park will be missing two of its amenities, at least for 2016, as the swimming pool will remain closed and the Blair Conference Building has been condemned. Park Manager Roy Johnson said the pool is in need of a new liner, which will cost approximately $132,000. “We were able to patch it for the last few seasons but the damage has just gotten too bad,” Johnson said. Johnson said the pool typically brings in approximately $25,000 in revenue for the park. While it is free for guests at the lodge to use, campers pay $2 and visitors pay $5 per day to use it. Johnson said whether or not the...

Williamsburg Independent Schools will have soon have a new superintendent as the board voted unanimously Tuesday night to name current principal Dr. Amon Couch to replace Denny Byrd, who is retiring at the end of the year. The board met in executive session for approximately 50 minutes before returning to regular session and unanimously approving a motion to hire Couch. In addition, the motion called for Board Chair Dr. John Jeffries to negotiate a contract with Couch. Jeffries said Couch was selected from among four candidates, though he declined to name the other candidates. “Mr. Couch was the most qualified and had the most experience, and had previously been a superintendent,” Jeffries said. Couch,...

The estate of a Williamsburg man, who was allegedly run over and killed last week by a drunk driver who left the scene of the accident only to have another crash minutes later, is suing the alleged drunk driver and the VFW post where he allegedly got his alcohol. Margie Woodruff, as Administratrix of the Estate of Richard Perkins, filed suit Tuesday in Whitley Circuit Court against Adam David Childress and Pierce Dant Hamblin Post No. 3167 Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States Inc. Childress is charged with murder, driving while under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident in connection with Perkins April 13 death. The lawsuit...

An autopsy, which was performed Tuesday on the body of a man found in the charred remains of a Williamsburg home Monday morning, has led investigators to suspect foul play. “At this point I don’t feel we can give a good reasoning for why he died,” said Whitley County Coroner Andy Croley concerning the death of 73-year-old Johnny Jones. Croley declined to get into specifics but said there were injuries inconsistent with an individual who died as a result of a house fire. “It is very, very early in the investigation,” Croley said. Croley said he was called to Jones’ residence on Maiden Bend Spur Road off of Ky. 92 in the Patterson...

A Williamsburg man is facing a DUI and murder charge after he allegedly hit and killed a man, who was walking his dog along a sidewalk in Williamsburg Wednesday evening. Richard E. Perkins, 53, was walking his dog on a sidewalk adjacent to US25W about 6 p.m. when Adam David Childress, 31, allegedly left the roadway for an unknown reason and struck Perkins with his vehicle before leaving the scene of the accident, according to Williamsburg police. Whitley County Coroner Andy Croley pronounced Perkins dead at the scene. Williamsburg Police Chief Wayne Bird said that the accident happened about 50 feet south of the entrance to Locklin Drive along Town Hill. A witness,...

A Corbin woman, who is the wife of a well-known Whitley County public defender, and an Oak Ridge man died early Saturday morning during a hot tub accident while on a couples' retreat in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Police were called to the Gatlinburg Falls Resort about 8 a.m. where they found Myra Smith-Findell, 62, of Corbin and Jon Levin, 63, of Oak Ridge, dead in the hot tub of the cabin. Foul play is not suspected. Findell is the wife of long-time public defender Ron Findell, who was the person that discovered the two dead Saturday. "I am devastated," Findell said Tuesday morning. "She was my best friend, my soul mate, just everything...

Williamsburg police arrested an Indianapolis man Monday afternoon for allegedly raping a Nashville woman early Sunday morning. About 3:23 p.m., Williamsburg Police Detective Bobby Freeman charged Christian Devi Black Jr., 21, with first-degree rape. According to the arrest warrant, which was sworn out by the victim, the attack allegedly took place on Sunday when Black engaged in sexual intercourse by forcible compulsion. "Christian Black entered the room I was sleeping in, followed me to my bed and he pulled my shorts down and began having sex," the victim alleged in the warrant. The victim then allegedly told Black, "Stop. It hurts," the warrant stated. Black allegedly didn't stop and asked the victim if she...

A Woodbine man, who says he has been suffering from suspected second-degree and third-degree burns for almost a week, was flown by an emergency medical helicopter to the University of Tennessee Medical Center late Tuesday afternoon. Whitley County Sheriff Colan Harrell said authorities don’t know the man’s name yet, and that he won’t tell authorities how he got the burns. The man’s girlfriend apparently called 911 about 4:46 p.m. Tuesday to request an ambulance, officials said. Whitley County EMS, the sheriff’s department and Woodbine Volunteer Fire Department responded to the man’s residence on Harmon Road. Whitley County EMS treated the man at his residence while Woodbine firefighters set up an emergency landing zone...