Business

September 2020 unemployment rates for Whitley, Knox and Laurel counties are still hovering above pre-COVID-19 levels, but have fallen below pre-COVID-19 levels in Bell and McCreary counties, according to a News Journal review of state unemployment rate data. Whitley County’s unemployment rate decreased from 8.5 percent in August 2020 to 5.8 percent in September 2020. Whitley County’s September 2020 unemployment rate was 1.1 percent higher than the September 2019 unemployment rate. During February 2020, which was the last full month before COVID-19 shutdowns started, Whitley County’s unemployment rate was 5.0 percent. Laurel County’s unemployment rate decreased from 7.7 percent in August 2020 to 5.4 percent in September 2020. Laurel County’s September 2020...

Gilbert Tire and Battery Co., located on US Hwy. 25 in Corbin, recently invested in an updated computerized wheel alignment system that has cut down on service time considerably. Whereas their old system required at least an hour to complete the entire process of a wheel alignment, this new system can get the job done in as little as 20-25 minutes. The new system could also potentially eliminate the need for test driving a vehicle in order to detect certain problems, and it has made it possible for technicians to service wheels up to 40 inches. Previously, it had been difficult to perform alignments on wheels bigger than 18 inches. After a...

Each year, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This is a time for promoting the importance of the battle against this dreaded disease, and also for celebrating the lives of those who have struggled personally with it. At Sav-Rite Home Care of Corbin, co-owner Karen Hubbs (along with husband, Kyle) is proud to offer breast cancer patients the very best in mastectomy supply services with their very own mastectomy suite. “We moved to our new location a couple of years ago,” Hubbs said of Sav-Rite’s new home off of North US Hwy. 25E. “We had a very small room at our old location that we used for fittings. It was crowded,...

Unemployment rates rose in all 120 Kentucky counties between July 2020 and August 2020 and between August 2019 and August 2020, according to figures from the Kentucky Center for Statistics (KYSTATS), an agency of the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet. Whitley, Laurel, Knox, Bell and McCreary counties also all had August 2020 unemployment rates that were higher than pre-covid-19 levels. Whitley County’s unemployment rate increased from 5.8 percent in July 2020 to 8.6 percent in August 2020. Whitley County’s August 2020 unemployment rate was 3.6 percent higher than the August 2019 unemployment rate. During February 2020, which was the last full month before COVID-19 shutdowns started, Whitley County’s unemployment rate was...

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and State Farm Agents Mike Sparks, Mallory Davis and Michael Jones are teaming up with the Corbin Fire Department to support Fire Prevention Week, an annual public awareness campaign promoting home fire safety. State Farm Agents are delivering Fire Prevention Week toolkits to more than 2500 fire departments across the country, including Corbin Fire Department. Each toolkit includes resources for Fire Prevention Week (October 4-10, 2020), including brochures, magnets, posters and more. The Fire Department will be sharing these resources with schools and communities this fall in support of the campaign. This year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, “Serve Up Fire Safety in the Kitchen” focuses...

A partnership between two regional nonprofits and funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) created a training program that has breathed new life into some Eastern Kentucky businesses and given others a competitive edge. Ten businesses created 66 new jobs and added to their bottom lines with an additional $13 million in new contracts, thanks to their completion of the Southeast Kentucky Business Quality Certification Program (QCP). The QCP is a two-year partnership between Southeast Kentucky Economic Development Corp. (SKED) and Advantage Kentucky Alliance (AKA). The nonprofits combined their efforts to train several of the region’s manufacturers, enabling them to earn the certifications they need to compete globally. The program’s success is...

Maiden Drug has been a staple of the downtown Williamsburg scene for decades. Families in the area have depended on Maiden for their prescription needs for generations, and for the past 30 years brothers Jonathan and Roger Powers have been proud to carry on that tradition as owners of the pharmacy. “We decided we’d just keep the name after we took over,” Jonathan Powers explained. “Because everyone already knew it by that name. If we changed the name people would always just say ‘the old Maiden Drug,’ so why change it? We just kept the name, and the history that is attached to it.” And what a history it has been… “Me...

Ben Robertson of Forcht Bank Somerset presents a check to Congressman Hal Rogers on behalf of the Kentucky Bankers Association in support of his re-election campaign. Serving Kentucky’s 5th Congressional District since 1981, Hal Rogers has been elected to 20 consecutive terms representing the people of southern and eastern Kentucky, and is the longest serving Kentucky Republican ever elected to federal office.

Unemployment rates rose in every Kentucky county between June 2020 and July 2020, and unemployment rates rose in 109 Kentucky counties between July 2019 and July 2020, including Whitley, Laurel, Knox, Bell and McCreary counties, according to figures from the Kentucky Center for Statistics (KYSTATS), an agency of the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet. One factor in the unemployment rate increase could have been Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s July 27 executive order closing all bars for two weeks effective July 28, and limiting restaurant seating to 25 percent of pre-pandemic capacity indoors. Whitley County’s unemployment rate decreased from 5.4 percent in June 2020 to 7.2 percent in July 2020. Whitley...

U.S. Rep. Harold "Hal" Rogers (KY-05) announced Thursday morning that the Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $1.1 million CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to the Southeast Kentucky Economic Development Corporation (SKED) to provide critical financing through Revolving Loan Funds (RLFs) for small businesses that have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. "This grant is another weapon in SKED's arsenal to help small businesses in southeastern Kentucky sustain operations, and even grow, during the COVID-19 pandemic," said Congressman Rogers, who voted for the CARES Act." I applaud SKED's continued work to support our local businesses and retain jobs in our region during this difficult time. Revolving loan funds...