Trevor Sherman

If you missed the first installment of this new ongoing series of columns focused on the life and political career of Eugene Siler, Sr. I would highly suggest checking that out at www.thennewsjournal.net. It provides some important background information that will help you to better appreciate this column, and hopefully future columns, as we make our way through the year 2024. With that being said, I would like to take everyone back to November 20, 1952. Inside that day’s edition of the Whitley Republican, a story appeared talking about Siler as he was named moderator for the Kentucky State Association of Baptists. “The highest honor within the province of Kentucky Baptists...

Over the years, I have been fortunate to have several opportunities to cover events and ongoing efforts taking place at our local Cooperative Extension Office. Trust me when I say there is a lot going on at the Whitley County co-op office, and I like to encourage folks whenever I get the chance to take the time to look into the programs that are being offered. The Whitley County Cooperative Extension, which is based in Goldbug, offers agriculture, horticulture, family and consumer sciences, 4-H and community arts programs. Each branch of the co-op has its own team of agents who are responsible for overseeing activities and engaging with the local...

After several days of residents in the Highland Park area of Williamsburg being without water last week, I saw one headline describe the restoration of service as a “Christmas miracle.” It was anything but. A “miracle” would imply that some type of divine intervention took place, and that water service being returned to affected residents was due to something other than a large group of hard-working folks coming together in order to fix what was a very serious issue. If you aren’t aware, a waterline break occurred underwater last week near the bridge located between Forcht Bank and the mall in Williamsburg. If you drove over the bridge, you could clearly...

This past summer, I spent a great deal of time combing through the old Whitley Republican archives in search of coverage dedicated to one of this county’s most famous sons – Eugene Siler, Sr. There was no shortage of material to look at. Truthfully, the story of Siler’s life should be the topic of a book. I actually tricked myself into thinking that maybe I could be the one to take on such a project, but I quickly found out that, between a demanding work schedule and a typically hectic family life at home, I simply was not able to dedicate the adequate amount of time and energy to such...

It doesn’t seem possible, but here we are at the beginning of another high school basketball season. For complete details on what to expect when it comes to our coverage area teams this winter, check out this week’s season preview special section. With my column this week, I wanted to take a look specifically at some of the holiday tournaments and events that some of our local teams will be taking part in. Taking a break from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season in order to check out some high school basketball classics comes highly recommended. There are no shortage of great events that are scheduled to take...

Anyone who saw or heard last Friday’s regional final contest between the Corbin Redhounds and Boyle County Rebels was treated to a game for the ages. All eyes were on this matchup leading up to kickoff, and rightfully so. What we saw was quite possibly the two best teams in the state going at it in the third round of the playoffs. It’s kind of a shame, really, but it’s just the way that things worked out. The action on the field certainly lived up to the hype, with both teams giving it absolutely everything they had to get the win and move on to the state tournament semifinals. In the...

Before I get started, let me first congratulate the Whitley County Lady Colonels volleyball team on an outstanding two-year run in 2022 and 2023. A combined 60 wins, back-to-back 50th District championship titles, back-to-back 13th Region championship titles and back-to-back appearances in the Elite Eight of the Kentucky High School Athletic Association state championship tournament. Incredible. Truly, Head Coach David Halcomb and his crew should be elated at everything that this program has accomplished over the last 24 months. The players should be extremely proud of their efforts, and the Colonel community should give themselves a big pat on the back as well for the job that they’ve done in supporting...

In September, we ran a story here in the News Journal announcing two new online resources that would be coming soon courtesy of the Whitley County Health Department. On Tuesday, both of those websites went live. The first is an online community health assessment, which can be accessed by visiting the URL “dashboards.mysidewalk.com/whitley-county-health-assessment.” I was at the previous Whitley County Board of Health meeting where Public Health Director Marcy Rein offered board members a preview of this site, and now that it has officially launched, I am very much looking forward to sitting down and combing through all of the information that it contains. There is too much to go over...

Sports. When we talk about them, discussion typically involves statistics, win-loss records, championships, etc., etc., etc. And while all of that may be the reasons WHY athletic competitions exist, it only scratches the surface when considering WHAT is being accomplished. Allow me to explain... This past week, I witnessed two great examples of what sports is really all about. The first came late last week after the announcement of the passing of University of the Cumberlands Hall of Famer, Coach Terry Stigall. In just under two decades at the helm of the university’s baseball program, Stigall led the Indians and Patriots to over 500 wins, including multiple conference championship titles. More important than...

You may be familiar with the News Journal’s quarterly publication, Strictly Business Magazine, which we publish in conjunction with the Southern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. It has been released four times a year for several years now, and exists to highlight interesting and exciting developments related to businesses in our local area. We have worked alongside the Southern Kentucky Chamber to produce some really nice magazines over the years, but the one that will be hitting streets in a few weeks is definitely going to be among my all-time favorites. It is jam-packed with information regarding economic growth in Whitley, Knox and Laurel counties, so this week I just wanted...