Business

Season’s Restaurant co-owners Shea Hensley and Jason Matthews have reached an agreement with Tauck Tours in Louisville to have its tour buses stop for lunch at the Main Street establishment. Hensley said Corbin would be one stop on a five-day trip from Louisville through central and eastern Kentucky to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina and Nashville, Tennessee. “We will be getting two to four buses per month with 44 to 45 people on each,” Hensley said. The bus will stop in Corbin for an hour and 45 minutes. In that time, the tourists will have lunch at Season’s and then have time to stretch their legs along Main Street. The first...

Corbin’s ordinance permitting the sale of alcohol on Sunday was formally amended Tuesday when the city commission voted to allow businesses to begin selling beginning at 6 a.m. “It was mainly economics,” said Corbin Mayor Willard McBurney, noting he had received several complaints from area stores that were open prior to the previous 1 p.m. start time. As a result, the stores were forced to block off the beer section. McBurney declined to say who had made the complaints. While the measure passed, it was not unanimous as Commissioner Freddy “Bruce” Hodge cast the lone “no” vote. Hodge said he voted against it following both readings because of his Christian beliefs. “Sunday is the...

After three years of quiet and two weeks of practice the first official green flag is set to drop at Corbin Speedway since the track closed in 2014. Jerry Brock, who reached an agreement with speedway owners on a one-year lease of the historic half-mile oval on Cumberland Falls Highway, said racing will begin Saturday, weather permitting. While rain isn’t in the forecast, Brock said the temperatures are expected to top out in the mid 50s. “We would like to have it in the 60s or 70s,” Brock said. If the temperatures don’t cooperate, Brock said the racing may still occur, but be moved to the afternoon. Brock said plans are to run five...

Lexington, KY – Forcht Bank has joined the SmartMHKY Alliance, a partnership of cross-sector stakeholders committed to increasing access to ENERGY STAR homes with better loans across Kentucky. Forcht will host a check dedication ceremony with Next Step on Monday, March 21 at 11 am Eastern Time. The ceremony will be held at Forcht’s main office in London, Kentucky at 100 First Financial Plaza, London KY 40741. All are welcome to attend. As a SmartMH Partner, Forcht Bank joins an initiative to stimulate the marketplace for energy-efficient manufactured homes that come with flexible financing to save homeowners money. Forcht Bank decided to join the SmartMH KY Alliance to increase access to quality...

The Depot on Main, which helped start the restaurant revitalization in downtown Corbin in 2004, has new owners. Lisa Cradic, along with her boyfriend, Billy Messer, purchased the business at the corner of North Main and First streets from co-founder Holly Curry. Cradic, who is a real estate agent, said her company had The Depot among its listings. “I had seen a little bit of the business side of it,” Cradic said, noting the goal is to keep the spirit of The Depot but to bring some life back into it. It was during that time that Messer talked her into looking at it. “We want to get business back to the way it...

Sears in Corbin was once one of the “go-to” stores for individuals needing appliances or tools and manager Tim Petro is working to return the store to those days. Petro was brought in to manage the store located in Forest Hills Shopping Center on Aug. 2, a few weeks after Kyle Perkins purchased the business. “It was trending at a really big loss,” Petro said of the Corbin store, noting it was typically staffed by just one person. The first thing Petro did was ensure that there was two people working, especially during peak times. “That one person made all the difference in the world,” Petro said, noting that customers weren’t kept standing...

By Melissa Patrick and Al Cross Kentucky Health News Republican Gov. Matt Bevin appears to have found a way to abolish the Kynect health-insurance exchange without chasing away insurance companies or causing them to limit their offerings – and at just over 1 percent of the cost estimate used by his Democratic predecessor. But it won't be eliminating the insurance fee that funds Kynect. Bevin and Health Secretary Vickie Yates Brown Glisson emphasized the much lower costs – which they said would be a net $240,000 for information-technology changes, compared to the $23 million estimated last summer by Deloitte Consulting, the state contractor who built the exchange. Democrats voiced skepticism about the numbers....

The site of the former King’s Truck Stop in north Corbin could be crawling with traffic again as plans move forward for a new commercial development. A sign posted near the entrance to the property just off of Interstate 75 shows plans for seven different buildings totaling more than 330,000 square feet of floor space. The largest building will contain more than 281,000 square feet, labeled “retail.” In addition to the buildings, three out lots are available. The sign indicates that space is currently available for lease with construction scheduled to be completed in fall of 2017. Jerry Wayne Garland said he finalized a deal with Realty Link, LLC. in December for the sale...

Construction of a third speculative building in the Southeast Kentucky Business Park is well under way and the $1.6 million project is slated to be complete by June. Site preparation for the 58,000 square feet structure is was completed last year. Principal construction began soon after on lot 10 at the park, a parcel of property located at the intersection of the Corbin Bypass (KY 3041) and what is known as the “Woodbine Connector.” “I think it’s going to be a great location with a lot of visibility,” said Bruce Carpenter, Director of Economic Development for the city of Corbin. “It’s going to really show up well.” The spot is a distance...

A bill to modernize Kentucky’s restaurant tax has been introduced in the Kentucky Senate. Senate Bill 166, sponsored by Senator Jared Carpenter (R-Berea), will eliminate the current tax restaurant owners pay on their gross receipts or net profits if cities elect to tax the purchasing of food by customers. “This is a great help to both restaurants and cities across the Commonwealth,” said Jonathan Steiner, executive director/CEO of the Kentucky League of Cities. “Switching to a consumption-based model rather than taxing productivity is fairer and more efficient. This puts money back into the pockets of the people who own the local restaurant while also allowing reinvestment in the community.” Under current...