Business

Williamsburg Health and Rehabilitation Center residents and staff played host to Kentucky State Senator Julie Raque Adams during an April 22 visit where she spent about two hours touring the facility. After touring the facility, she enjoyed having lunch with residents, staff and dignitaries including Williamsburg Nursing Home administrators Laura Creekmore and Joy Petrey, Terry E. Forcht, and Rodney Shockley. “We enjoyed having Ms. Adams visit and tour our award-winning facility,” said Laura Creekmore, Administrator; “our staff and residents were honored to have her here.” Adams, R-Louisville, is the 36th District Senator, and is currently the Caucus Chair for the Republican Party, which is the number three position in the Kentucky Senate. She...

Gov. Andy Beshear announced the award of $4.9 million in grant funding Monday to help address Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) by offering comprehensive treatment and recovery services to pregnant and parenting women, including funding that will go to a facility located in Corbin. The funding has been distributed to 17 non-profit organizations, such as Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs) and Neonatal Abstinence Treatment Programs, through the Senate Bill 192 Treatment Grant administered by the Office of Drug Control Policy (ODCP). Included in the funding is $250,000 to Cumberland River Behavioral Health, which is a local community mental health center that serves Bell, Clay, Harlan, Jackson, Knox, Laurel, Rockcastle and Whitley counties. The...

Unemployment rates decreased in Whitley, Laurel, Knox, Bell and McCreary counties between January 2022 and February 2022, according to the Kentucky Center for Statistics (KYSTATS), an agency of the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet. Whitley County Whitley County’s unemployment rate decreased from 4.4 percent in January 2022 to 4.1 percent in February 2022. Whitley County’s February 2022 unemployment rate was 1.3 percent lower than the February 2021 unemployment rate. Laurel County Laurel County’s unemployment rate decreased from 4.1 percent in January 2022 to 3.8 percent in February 2022. Laurel County’s February 2022 unemployment rate was 1.0 percent lower than the February 2021 unemployment rate. Knox County Knox County’s unemployment rate decreased from 5.4 percent...

When Dr. Terry Forcht first came to what was then Cumberland College in 1964, he had a wife, four children, a beagle and they all arrived in town in a Volkswagen bug. There wasn’t much need for seatbelts. Everyone was packed in their pretty tight, Forcht recalled. Today, the school is now known as the University of the Cumberlands, and Forcht is Founder, Chairman and CEO of Forcht Group of Kentucky, which is comprised of 95 separate companies with over 2,400 employees. The organization is composed of banking, healthcare, insurance, retail, financial services, data processing, broadcast media, print media, real estate and construction. “What gets to be a problem in today’s world,...

For the eighth consecutive year, Forcht Bank has been named one of the best places to work in Kentucky. The Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, the Kentucky Society for Human Resource Management (KYSHRM) and ClearPath Mutual Insurance Company recently announced the 100 companies that made the 18th Annual Best Places to Work in Kentucky list. Winners from across the state have been selected in three categories: small companies of 15-149 employees, medium companies of 150-499 employees and large companies consisting of more than 500 employees. The categories are based on number of U.S. employees and only Kentucky employees surveyed. Forcht Bank made the list in the medium-sized company category. The selection process, managed by...

The Save A Lot store in Jellico donated $1,157 to the Canada Town Fellowship from Bags of a Brighter Holiday donations. The fellowship will be getting a new pantry to help serve more people. The donation for the pantry was from a man in Knoxville. (Top: Joyce Wilson, with the fellowship, and Save a Lot Store Manager Allen Cole.) The Save A Lot store in Williamsburg donated $1,491 to Calvary Missionary Baptist Church. Donations were collected from Bags for a Brighter Holiday. (Bottom: Save A Lot Store Manager Teddy Anders and Calvary Missionary Baptist Church Pastor Travis Jones.)  

Williamsburg Mayor Roddy Harrison and Whitley County Judge Executive Pat White Jr. served as the guest speakers at Tuesday’s Southern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce meeting at the Williamsburg Tourism and Convention Center. Harrison updated chamber members on several of the major construction projects in Williamsburg including the Cumberland Mint building and the Kentucky Splash Waterpark expansion. Despite weather slightly delaying the construction process, the Cumberland Mint is expected to be complete in late summer or early fall this year. The site will create anywhere from 100 to 150 jobs. Those positions added to the 250 new jobs expected to be created as a result of the Firestone expansion and other companies, such as...

Baptist Health Corbin was recently recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review as one of only 14 hospitals in Kentucky to be named “best hospitals for patient experience.” Becker compiled the list using the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) scores from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). HCAHPS is a national, standardized survey of hospital patients about their experiences during a recent inpatient hospital stay. “We are very honored to receive this recognition,” said Anthony Powers, president of Baptist Health Corbin. “We have worked hard as a system and as a hospital to put our patients first. We remain dedicated to that mission, despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.” The figures represent data...

Forcht Group of Kentucky has named Reda Shemelya as Corporate Human Resources Director. She joins the Forcht Group after 23 years of human resources experience with Wal-Mart Home Office, People Division in Bentonville, Arkansas, as regional senior human Resources director, covering multiple states and the largest region in the company. Shemelya has a proven track record of experience in operations, business leadership and human resources for more than 30 years, Forcht Group of Kentucky noted in a release. In her new position, she will oversee all human resources activities for the Forcht Group family of companies that includes Forcht Bank, Forcht Broadcasting, Kentucky National Insurance, Kentucky Home Life Insurance, Mountain Life Insurance,...

Unemployment rates increased in Whitley, Laurel, Knox, Bell and McCreary counties between November 2021 and December 2021, according to the Kentucky Center for Statistics (KYSTATS), an agency of the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet. Whitley County Whitley County’s unemployment rate increased from 3.0 percent in November 2021 to 3.5 percent in December 2021. Whitley County’s December 2021 unemployment rate was 2.5 percent lower than the December 2020 unemployment rate. Laurel County Laurel County’s unemployment rate increased from 2.8 percent in November 2021 to 3.2 percent in December 2021. Laurel County’s December 2021 unemployment rate was 2.2 percent lower than the December 2020 unemployment rate. Knox County Knox County’s unemployment rate increased from 4.0 percent...