Don Estep

Years ago before age caught up with me I was active in the tourism commission activities in Corbin. One of the things I favored was to capitalize more on the celebrity status of Col. Harland Sanders. Corbin Mayor Suzie Razmus led the way in developing Sanders Park in the downtown area. It has been a tremendous addition to Corbin. It was the first major step in finally putting the seal on Corbin as the place “Where it all began.” Saturday was another step in capitalizing on the Colonel’s popularity when Maggy Kriebel, Director of the Corbin Tourism and Convention Commission, along with Hope Gibson, Director of Corbin Parks and Recreation,...

Three candidates, Lisa Garrison, Brandon Shepherd and Trent Knuckles, out of the seven running for City Commission in Corbin, showed up for the “Meet the Candidates” forum sponsored by the Southern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Monday evening. This is opposed to all eight candidates that were present for the Williamsburg City Council contest that was presented by the Chamber one week earlier. You can fill in the blank as to the candidates’ participation. I was the moderator for the evening and the forum went smoothly. I learned a lot about the candidates. It is disappointing that the other four candidates were not present. I realize that many people had already cast their...

A little bit of history was made this past Monday evening through the efforts of the Southern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Director Bruce Carpenter with an Internet version of “Meet the Candidates” for Williamsburg City Council when it was aired on Facebook. I watched it on my iPhone and my compliments go to all who participated. From your home you could see and hear the candidates who are running for office. The same thing will happen this Monday evening at 5:30 p.m. when the candidates for the City Commission in Corbin get their turn to be seen and heard. It is a novel way of letting us meet people who are running...

I want to be as negative as I can in this column. The “experts” tell candidates for public office that negative ads are very effective. So I’ll be negative. I hate your negative advertisements. If you believe the lies, slander and images that are misleading in political advertising on television, then I feel sorry for you. I’ve written this column before, just about every big election. I am not convinced that the billions of dollars spent on television advertising is that effective, but the “experts” tell me I am wrong. The governor of New York said he was going to spend $100 million in Florida on the presidential campaign. Can you imagine...

Many of you know Roy Bullock. He ran Bullock’s Cycle Shop on the Fifth Street Road just out of Corbin for many years. I have known him for many years also, but what I didn’t know about was the “Bullock All-Star” basketball team he ran back in the late 50’s and early 60’s. Roy came by my office and shared with me a scorebook from the games that alumni of area high schools participated in. For one thing, Roy, a product of Woodbine High School, was a very good basketball player. After graduation, and before he was drafted into the Army, Bullock Grocery, which his parents turned over to him, sponsored...

Believe it or not, but this newspaper may be saving you tax money. Andrew Johnson, Immediate past president of the National Newspaper Association, has written about a study that was done by researchers from the University of Notre Dame and the University of Illinois, which revealed that communities which had lost their community newspapers for more than three years, saw taxes increase $340 per year for a household of four people. The study looked at increased costs to municipalities for borrowing bonds after a newspaper closure. The study looked at actual data from municipalities from across the United States over a period of several years where newspapers were closed. You may...

I am alive today because of good doctors. One of those responsible for saving my life, Dr. Michael Watts, is leaving his practice in Corbin this week for a position in Louisville. Not only will I miss him, many others in our area are also sad to see him go. As a family practice physician he has been my doctor for many years. I am grateful for his services. He and Dr. Abdi Vaezy, a Pulmonologist, are the reason I am here today. Eleven years ago I saw Dr. Watts about a pain in my left side. He ordered tests and they revealed that I had a tumor in my lung. He...

Here is my prediction for the outcome of London’s attempt to extend its city limits to the area in north Corbin at Interstate Exit 29. The lawyers win, the taxpayers lose and it will be tied up in court battles for years. This is a shame, because the property in that area has great potential. What is a worse shame is that a city can go 13 miles down an Interstate highway along a utility line and pick and choose what to annex. That area doesn’t need the city of London or the city of Corbin to decide its future. It seems to me that the development in that area would be...

I just learned that this is “Support Your Local News Week.” For that matter, support everything local. If local businesses ever needed supporting, it is now. You may or may not have given it much thought, but it is important to recognize the value of local news as a vital public service. A research firm, Coda Ventures, confirmed newspapers were the top source when looking for information about their local government. The local newspaper at No. 1 attracted 53 percent of the respondents. Want added strength? Reading newspapers for advertisements and public notices was rated as being very important to survey respondents. That survey was just done in Tennessee, but no...

A data bulletin released last Thursday by the Auditor of Public Accounts, Mike Harmon, revealed the impact tourism has on Kentucky. In 2018 visitors are reported to have spent $7.6 billion in our state. In that report it listed the ten tourism commissions reporting the highest total revenue for FY 2019. The Corbin Tourism and Convention Commission was tenth with a total income of $1,440,913. This includes the motel and restaurant taxes collected. Out of the 116 tourism commissions in the state only 19 percent of them have a restaurant tax. Locally, London, Barbourville, and Williamsburg join Corbin by having that tax. Imagine the number of projects a tourism commission could...