Business

Whitley County High School has been named to the 2017 Elite 50, an annual selection of the top 50 secondary school hospitality programs in the nation. "We are again honored to be one of the 50 Elite hospitality programs in the country. Our students, under the leadership of Veronica Carmical, have once again achieved excellence in their chosen field. We are proud and excited that our hospitality program continues to ascend," said Whitley County High School Principal Bob Lawson. The Elite 50 list recognizes high schools as well as career and technical centers that have demonstrated a commitment to excellence in hospitality education. These schools set the standard for secondary school training...

Livestock producers in Whitley and Bell counties may be eligible for assistance from the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) for grazing losses incurred in 2016. "Bell and Whitley County recently met qualifying drought ratings that 'trigger' eligibility for the Livestock Forage Disaster Program on improved pasture, native pasture, and sorghum forage," said Megan Moore, County Executive Director (CED) for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Barbourville. The Livestock Forage Disaster Program provides compensation to livestock producers who have suffered grazing losses due to drought or fire. Qualifying fires are those occurring on rangeland managed by a federal agency and the producer is prohibited by the federal agency...

Williamsburg now has a new coffee house, which will be familiar to several area residents. You and Me Coffee and Tea, which is located along Main Street in Corbin, opened a second location Friday morning in Williamsburg. Andy Salmons, majority owner of You and Me Coffee and Tea, and co-owner D.J. Allen, opened the shop in one of the two storefronts adjacent to the old Lane Theater. "We actually decided to do a coffee shop in Williamsburg three years ago," Salmons noted. "I have had the lease on the other part of the Lane Theater for a long time now. We kind of sat on it for a while, while we tried...

Thanks to a donation by a national restaurant chain and efforts by several local employees, several less fortunate children will have a better Christmas this year. During Thursday's 10th Annual Turkey Trot, which is a fundraiser for the Williamsburg Police Department's Shop with a Cop program, Mayor Roddy Harrison announced that Pizza Hut Inc. had donated $5,000 to the race. "I normally don't do this, but we have to thank Pizza Hut. Pizza Hut has donated $5,000," Harrison told the cheering crowd prior to the race start. "Because of them and because of you guys, we are going to be able to take the number of children that we normally take...

The former Felts Music Place on Fifth Street in Corbin is getting a new lease on life. The building has received a new coat of paint inside, and more appropriate décor to transform it into a home for Harvest Time Revival Center. “What we plan on doing is to host a Saturday night singing and preaching along with serving a meal,” said Hershel Walker, a retired pastor who has undertaken the effort along with his wife, Doris. “There used to be Christian supper clubs,” Walker explained. “Now, there is no place where Christians can go and have a decent meal.” At 6 p.m. Saturday night, Harvest Time will host its first event. Walker said...

Unemployment rates fell in 82 Kentucky counties between October 2015 and October 2016, including Whitley and Knox counties, but rose in 33 counties, and stayed the same in five counties (Breckinridge, Knott, Laurel, McLean and Powell), according to the Kentucky Office of Employment and Training, an agency of the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet. Whitley County's unemployment rate fell from 6.4 percent in October 2015 to 5.9 percent in October 2016. This was a 0.4 percent decrease from September's rate. Whitley County tied Robertson and Graves counties with the 41st highest October unemployment rate in Kentucky. Knox County's unemployment rate fell from 7.6 percent in October 2015 to 7.3 percent...

Corbin’s trolley bus may be hitting the road for real on December 1. Corbin Downtown Director Andy Salmons said the 16 stops have been finalized and final testing is ongoing in preparation for the startup next week. “That is our goal,” Salmons said. “As with anything, it could change.” Salmons said the trolley is currently travelling about town in an effort to ensure the vehicle is up to the task of travelling the route on a daily basis without suffering any major mechanical difficulties and to permit one of the drivers to log the required hours behind the wheel prior to taking his road test to secure his commercial drivers license. With only...

45 low-income families will be having a better Thanksgiving this year thanks to a donation by employees at a local business. FCi Federal, which is more commonly known as the Kentucky Consular Center, delivered 15 bags of food to Williamsburg Independent School, Boston Elementary School and Pleasant View Elementary School Monday morning. Each bag contains food items to make a Thanksgiving Day meal. "We call it the FCi Shares and Cares Program," said Tammy Ball, a supervisor with FCi Federal. The program started last year when FCi Federal took over operation of the Kentucky Consular Center. "We decided that we wanted to give back to the community," Ball noted. Last year, FCi Federal donated...

As part of AT&Ts continuing efforts to drive economic development and investment in Kentucky, AT&T and representatives from the Southeast Kentucky Industrial Development Authority today announced that the Southeast Kentucky Business Park has been designated AT Fiber Ready. The AT&T Fiber Ready designation helps economic development leaders more effectively position their communities for site selection by emphasizing the availability of high-speed, fiber-based services. In today's world, connectivity is vital to new employers and businesses of every type. "It truly has been remarkable to watch Kentucky's economy grow and communities thrive as we have worked with local leadership to improve the business environment here in Kentucky," said Senate President Robert Stivers. "It is...

A local bank's investment in the future will result in two new computer labs for a small school district. As part of a joint project, Forcht Bank donated $19,000 Friday morning to Williamsburg Independent School, which will add $19,000 of its own technology funds, to purchase $38,000 worth of new computers for the school media center. The nearly 70 computers will enable the school district to replace every computer in both computer labs at the school media center. Williamsburg Superintendent Dr. Amon Couch said that the new computers are badly needed. "This is a real game changer for our school district in regards to technology. Technology is one of those things that...