Mark White

As the town motto goes, “Williamsburg Feels Like Home.” However, that home feels a bit sadder following last week’s devastating blaze that left a significant swath of businesses along Main Street between Second and Third streets destroyed. It also left several people without housing, who lived in upstairs apartments over those businesses. For those that don’t know, the fire broke on Jan. 20 about 10 p.m. apparently at or above the Law Offices of Croley and Foley. It quickly spread to other incredibly old, but beautiful buildings along Main Street utterly destroying several. Accountant Donna Guilkey and attorney Kim Frost lost their office along with Associates in Eyecare, Shale Oak Wine Tasting...

Like most drunk drivers, Matthew Paul Croley isn’t an evil guy. He doesn’t have a rap sheet a mile long. He would help a friend if he could, and he did not set out to hurt anyone. Thursday, he told jurors in his wanton murder trial that he regrets what he did. The prosecutor doesn’t doubt that he was sincere. I don’t doubt that he was sincere either. This doesn’t change the fact that if not for Croley’s actions and a “litany” of bad decisions, as the prosecutor Ronnie Bowling put it, then young Patrick Flores would likely still be alive today. On Jan. 31, 2024, Croley killed the two-year-old Flores on...

Like most drunk drivers, Matthew Paul Croley isn’t an evil guy. He doesn’t have a rap sheet a mile long. He would help a friend if he could, and he did not set out to hurt anyone. Thursday, he told jurors in his wanton murder trial that he regrets what he did. The prosecutor doesn’t doubt that he was sincere. I don’t doubt that he was sincere either. This doesn’t change the fact that if not for Croley’s actions and a “litany” of bad decisions, as the prosecutor Ronnie Bowling put it, then young Patrick Flores would likely still be alive today. On Jan. 31, 2024, Croley killed the two-year-old Flores on...

On New Year’s Eve, my wonderful wife, Cecelia, got a phone call from her dad that we had been expecting to get any time. Her 101-year-old grandmother, Mary Updike, had passed away after spending the past two weeks in a nursing home. For most of her life though, she had lived out on her own in rural West Virginia, in the home where she raised her two children. About six or seven years or so ago she went to live with my wife’s parents, George and Ruth, for a short time before going to live with Cecelia’s aunt, Carolyn. Grannie, as many of us in the family called her, was a character....

You just can’t fit all the news from a year into a top 10 list, like the one running on our front page in this week’s edition of the News Journal. Sure, we get the big news events in there, but that doesn’t mean there still weren’t quite a few other interesting and memorable news stories in 2025, such as ground being broken for an expansion of The Corbin Center, Williamsburg Agriculture teacher Toraleah Shelley serving as a guest Christmas decorator at the White House, the retirement of long-time Corbin Independent Schools Superintendent Dave Cox, and a former Laurel County Sheriff’s Capt. apparently killing his mother in Berea before killing...

Wow. The organizers and participants of this year’s Williamsburg Feels Like Home Christmas Parade out did themselves Saturday night. While I haven’t been to all the Williamsburg Christmas parades over the past 30 years, I have been to most, and this was one of, if not the best one that I have personally witnessed. There were numerous floats with varying themes, antique vehicles, emergency service vehicles and various groups marching down Main Street. Hundreds braved the cold to turn out and watch the parade. Great job everyone. Also, Williamsburg’s Hanging of the Green celebration on Dec. 6 has turned into a nice little festive way to start the holidays. This is a simple 30-minute...

There is an old saying that there are only two certainties in life, death and taxes. I think we probably need to add a third one to that list. Change. After all, it is inevitable. Some are big and some are small. Some are good and some are bad, but no matter how hard we might try to fight it, change is going to happen. Publisher Trevor Sherman, reporter Leeann Fragosa and myself spent some time talking about upcoming change at the News Journal this past week. Fortunately, it is nothing too major. For instance, we have been discussing getting new computers office-wide for the first time in several years. I have had my current...

I was both sad and happy to learn two weeks ago that Whitley County Clerk Carolyn Willis has decided not to seek re-election and will retire at the end of her term in office next year. I am sad in the sense that I will miss my friend. I usually see Carolyn once or twice a week when I go to the county clerk’s office to type in deeds and marriage licenses for our public records page. Carolyn and I will often get into discussions about the latest happenings in the county, politics and life while I am down there. We are both fond of travelling and will get into discussions...

If history is any indication, just because Kentucky State Police (KSP) have referred their findings in the Doug Harless investigation to a special prosecutor, this doesn’t mean that criminal charges will be coming against the London police officers involved in his Harless’ death, or against the officer, who fired the fatal shots. Many of Harless family, friends along with members the general public have been clamoring for justice for the last 11 months, but they should prepare themselves for this possibility in the coming weeks or months that the justice they want won’t be coming. If you live in either Laurel, Whitley or Knox counties, then chances are – unless you...

This year marks a milestone in Williamsburg as the 20th Annual Williamsburg Police Department Shop with a Cop program is slated to take place next month at the Williamsburg Walmart. If you want to see something to make your heart melt, then you should come out and see it on Dec. 18. I remember when it all started. In 2005, then Williamsburg Police Officer Kenny Shaw helped spearhead the effort to raise $2,000 to take underprivileged children on $100 Christmas shopping sprees at the Williamsburg Walmart. It seemed like kind of a daunting task that first year. Thanks to the efforts of the Williamsburg Police Department, pretty much everyone, who worked over...