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A Corbin woman has been charged in connection with the theft of more than $30,000 from a local business where she had worked. Forty-year-old Heather B. Smith was arrested Feb. 22 following a Corbin Police investigation into a complaint of money missing from Southeast Audiology. According to Detective Rusty Hedrick, Smith admitted to taking the money over a five-month period between October and February. Hedrick said police were contacted on Feb. 9 after Angela Morris, the business owner, noticed her deposits were off. “Part of Smith’s job was to make the deposits,” Hedrick explained. “She admitted she would not show all of the checks on the deposit. Instead, she would take the checks...

Whitley County officials have issued a Golden Alert for a missing Williamsburg man. About 1:50 p.m. Monday, the family of Joel S. Moses, 48, of the Brush Arbor community, notified Whitley County Sheriff’s deputies that they were concerned about his safety. His vehicle was found unattended along US25W in the Pleasant View community. Moses requires medication. He was last seen wearing blue or black jeans, a t-shirt and tennis shoes. He is described as being 5’9? tall, around 165 pounds in weight, with blue eyes and brown hair. Moses has tattoos (a “full sleeve”) on his right arm and the tattoo of a panther on his upper left arm. Anybody with information of Moses’...

About 15 percent of registered Whitley County Republican voters went to the polls and cast their ballots Saturday during Kentucky's first ever Republican Presidential Caucus. Nearly 3,200 people cast ballots in the gymnasium at Whitley County High School, which was the only polling location in Whitley County. Donald Trump led the field in Whitley County with 1,499 votes followed by Ted Cruz with 816 votes, Marco Rubio with 428 votes and John Kasich with 344 votes. Trump won the largest percentage of voters statewide during Saturday's caucus. For a complete list of Saturday's Whitley County caucus results, see Wednesday's edition of the News Journal.

A $1.2 million 'Rocket Docket' pilot project that is being funded by the Kentucky General Assembly in 30 judicial circuits across the state, designed to expedite the court process in some felony cases, has crashed landed in Whitley and McCreary counties at least for the time being. In a Feb. 18 letter addressed to 34th Judicial Circuit Criminal Defense Bar, Commonwealth's Attorney Allen Trimble noted he had "received notice from both Circuit Judges that they would no longer accept informations arising out of the 'Rocket Docket' procedures in district court." The News Journal obtained the letter last week. At least one of Whitley County's two circuit judges disagrees with Trimble's interpretation...

Over the last three months voters in both Barbourville and London have approved packaged alcohol sales and Williamsburg residents will likely be voting on a similar measure this June. Williamsburg Mayor Roddy Harrison said he plans to submit a petition to Whitley County Clerk Kay Schwartz's office around March 23 that would allow the sale of packaged alcohol in stores and allow alcohol sales by the drink at restaurants that seat at least 50 people and derive at least 50 percent of their profits from the sale of food. The measure is equivalent to what Corbin currently has, and what London and Barbourville voters recently approved. "It is all around us. I...

A Corbin man must repay $43,000 to a local company and will spend a year on home incarceration after admitting Tuesday to using the company credit card to purchase prepaid cards and keeping them for himself. Twenty-four-year-old Roy Branham, Jr., who was arrested last week following an investigation by the Laurel County Sheriff’s Department, pleaded guilty to an amended charge of theft by unlawful taking of the value under $10,000 at a preliminary hearing in Laurel District Court. As part of the plea agreement, Branham agreed to repay $10,000 of the restitution within 30 days and repay the balance within a year. Deputies began the investigation after the owners of King’s Ransom...

The News Journal brought home a total of 24 Excellence in Kentucky Newspaper Awards, including a second-place award for General Excellence in the large weekly newspaper division, during the Kentucky Press Association's annual banquet Thursday night. "I'm very proud of our staff for the hard work that they put into producing a quality newspaper for our readers every week. The record number of KPA awards we received this year represent an ongoing commitment to top-notch journalism here at The News Journal," said News Journal Publisher Trent Knuckles. The News Journal received seven first place awards, eight awards for second place, six third place awards and three honorable mentions. "The News Journal is...

A Corbin man accused beating his girlfriend so severely that she had to be taken to the hospital emergency room Saturday night, pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree assault – domestic violence. Fifty-five-year-old Tony Johnson, who is also facing one count of public intoxication – controlled substance, was arraigned Tuesday in Whitley District Court via video from the Whitley County Detention Center. Judge Fred White set the case for a preliminary hearing on Tuesday. Johnson’s bond remains at $15,000 cash. Whitley County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Johnson about 10:15 p.m. at a residence on McKeehan Crossing Road off of U.S. 25W. According to Sheriff Colan Harrell, deputies were called to the scene...

After nearly two weeks of waiting, the Corbin Tourism Commission is moving forward with a request from Wasatch Railroad Group to pay the company an additional $10,000 for moving L&N 232, along with its coal tender and a caboose from Bainbridge, Ga. to Corbin. The initial vote at the regular meeting on Feb. 9 ended in a 3-3 deadlock. At a special called meeting Monday night, the seventh commissioner, Sudhir Patel, was in attendance and cast the deciding vote in favor. Patel said he voted in favor to help keep a good and healthy relationship with Wasatch Railroad Group. The company made the only bid to move the pieces that were gifted...

A pilot program in Whitley and McCreary counties that was designed to expedite the court process in many felony cases is being terminated after nearly six months of operation. In addition, criminal defendants in circuit court cases will no longer receive plea deals that call for them to receive probated or conditionally discharged sentences, or recommendations of alternative sentences, such as drug court, under a new policy being implemented by Commonwealth Attorney Allen Trimble’s Office. Instead, it will strictly be up to the discretion of Whitley Circuit Judges Dan Ballou and Paul Winchester, who will decided at the time of sentencing whether to grant probation or allow a defendant to participate...