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A Whitley County man was found deceased from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound Tuesday morning near the Laurel Lake Spillway. According to the Laurel County Coroner’s Office, the deceased was identified as Colby Angel. The coroner’s office could not provide Angel’s age. Angel’s body was located at the end of a trail in a picnic area near the spillway. The coroner’s office stated that Angel was found by his cousin, who then contacted 911. Angel reportedly messaged his cousin about what he was going to do and the cousin had gone to locate him when he discovered Angel’s body. (Editor's Note: A caller to the News Journal Wednesday afternoon stated that the...

The Corbin City Commission unanimously voted Friday afternoon to terminate the employment of Corbin Fire Department Battalion Chief Jack Partin, who pled guilty last month to a misdemeanor harassment charge in Madison District Court. The charge was unrelated to his employment with the city. On Sept. 24, 2024, Partin, who is now 50, of Barbourville, was initially served with a Madison County arrest warrant charging him with harassment (physical contact) no injury, and third-degree sexual abuse over allegations he slapped a woman on the buttocks, according to his arrest warrant. The News Journal first reported on the arrest in the Oct. 9, 2024, edition of the newspaper. On Feb. 3, Partin pled...

A Rockholds man is dead following an officer-involved shooting Monday evening. According to a release from Kentucky State Police, just after 6 p.m. Monday, troopers were dispatched to a residence on Hubbs Hollow Road in the Rockholds community of Knox County to assist officers with the Barbourville Police Department in executing an active search warrant. Shortly after arriving at the scene, a trooper located the subject of the warrant, identified as Steven M. Carter, 44. Carter was allegedly behind the residence and in possession of a firearm. The trooper gave Carter verbal commands to drop the firearm. During the encounter, the trooper fired his agency-issued firearm, fatally wounding Carter. The Knox County...

A Williamsburg attorney was arrested Thursday morning at the Whitley County Judicial Center for allegedly being intoxicated while in court. James Wren, II, 69, was taken into custody at approximately 10 a.m. Thursday by Whitley County Sheriff Bill Elliotte. Wren had been actively working on cases in the judicial center when other attorneys made complaints to law enforcement regarding Wren allegedly smelling of alcohol, according to Elliotte. Wren had also allegedly been seen falling asleep during the court proceedings. Elliotte said that he waited for Wren to leave the courtroom and approached him. Wren allegedly smelled heavily of alcohol and was taken into custody. He has been charged with alcohol intoxication in...

Long time Whitley County Board of Education member J.E. Jones passed away Wednesday (Jan. 22) after a long illness. Jones served 40 years on the Whitley County Board of Education and was one of the longest serving school board members in the state. He was re-elected as the vice-chairman of the board of education earlier this month. Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.

Update: The Williamsburg Police Department shared the following information with the public on their official Facebook page Wednesday morning... MURDER INVESTIGATION On January 14, 2025, Williamsburg Police were called to Mount Morgan Apartments about an unresponsive male in the parking lot, at 611 Brush Arbor Road. First arriving officers found a 61 year old male deceased. The male has been identified as Richard Cox, of Williamsburg. Preliminary investigation indicates, that Cox and another male, identified as Brian Randle, 41, got into a physical altercation, while trying to break up a fight between two dogs. Cox immediately died following the altercation. Randle has been arrested and charged with Murder and lodged in the...

The University of the Cumberlands announced late Thursday afternoon that after a distinguished 20-year tenure at the University of the Cumberlands, including a decade as its 10th president, Dr. Larry L. Cockrum has announced his plan to step away from day-to-day operations at the end of the 2024-2025 academic year. He will transition to President Emeritus, focusing on strategic projects to advance the university’s growth and innovation. Under President Cockrum’s leadership, the university has experienced unprecedented growth, enhanced its student accessibility, and solidified its financial foundation. Cockrum has been instrumental in transforming the institution into a leader in affordable education, ensuring that students from all backgrounds have access to quality...

A Woodbine man is being held behind bars in the Whitley County Detention Center in lieu of a $1 million cash bond for allegedly killing his brother-in-law late Saturday evening. About 5:45 a.m. Sunday, Whitley County Sheriff’s Major Tony Dingess arrested John Robert Lang, 34, charging him with murder in the death of Richard Willoughby, 43, of Lexington, according to an arrest citation. (A sheriff's department release Wednesday evening indicated Willoughby is from Huntsville, Tennessee.) At 10:07 p.m. Saturday. Whitley County E-911 Dispatch received a call from a woman, who reported that her brother (Lang) had shot her husband inside Lang’s residence at 938 East KY-6 in Woodbine, Dingess wrote on...

Laurel County Sheriff's deputies are investigating a reported shooting, which occurred off Hopper Creek Road about nine miles southeast of London Thursday about 2:45 p.m. Sheriff's investigators were dispatched by the London-Laurel County 911 Communication Center to a complaint that a 43-year-old male had been shot there, according to a sheriff's department release. When investigators arrived at the scene, they found out that the man had been shot once in the hip. He was airlifted to the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington for treatment. Investigators are attempting to determine a possible suspect in the shooting. A shooter has not been determined at this time. Laurel Sheriff's Detective Taylor McDaniel is...

A Corbin LLC was among those selected Monday to obtain a medical cannabis dispensary license. No 1 Boundary LLC was among the 36 licensees selected during a lottery held Monday afternoon via live stream on the Kentucky Office of Medical Cannabis’ (KOMC) YouTube channel. According to the Kentucky Secretary of State’s website, the registered agent is based out of Irvine, California, and is registered in Kentucky through a company in Richmond. The organizer name associated to the LLC is John Malone, who has nearly two dozen originations listed under his name. At this moment, the News Journal is attempting to verify ownership of that LLC and determine if they plan to open...