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Forcht Bank has awarded a trio of graduating high school seniors with $5,000 scholarships each as part of its Community Impact Scholarship program for the 2025-2026 school year. Nora Clark, Katlin Muse and Wes Cameron are each receiving the money to help further their education goals. Clark graduated from South Laurel High School and plans to major in nursing at Midway University. Muse graduated from Grant County High School and plans to major in dietetics at Eastern Kentucky University. Cameron graduated from duPont Manual High School and plans to major in engineering at Auburn University. The focus of the scholarship is on the impact each student made enhancing their community amid other responsibilities, like...

Court records show a fourth person was arrested and charged in connection with a July 3 incident at American Legion Post 88 in Corbin. Former acting American Legion Post 88 Commander Travis E. Leonard, 48, and his wife, Tracy M. Leonard, 43, both of Corbin, were arrested and charged with second-degree burglary in connection with the incident. A third person, Denny K. Gentry, 68, of Rockholds, was also charged with first-degree criminal trespass. A review of Laurel District Court records indicates Phillip A. Bays, 42, of Corbin, was also arrested and charged with first-degree criminal trespass in connection with the July 3 incident. According to arrest citations, Corbin police met with American...

Bids are being accepted for the complete demolition of buildings damaged by fire in the Jan. 20 Main Street blaze in Williamsburg. Williamsburg Mayor Roddy Harrison said he is hoping to get the demolition done before Old Fashioned Trading Days, which starts Sept. 10. On behalf of the building owners, the City of Williamsburg is accepting sealed bids in writing for the complete demolition and site clearance of fire damaged buildings primarily located on Main Street totaling approximately 14,000 square feet. This will include buildings from the corner of Main Street and South Second Street up Main Street to the former 1818 law office building, which firefighters were able to save. The current...

By: John Curtis White We are now officially over halfway through the 2026 MLB season. Some players are having breakout years, and I believe that if the awards were right now they would win an award. These are the early MLB awards in my opinion for the 2026 MLB season. First, the MVP and Silver Slugger race. The MVP and Silver Slugger race right now is not very contested in both the National League (NL) and the American League (AL). Here are my winners for the award. In the NL, I believe that Shohei Ohtani will win the award. First, Ohtani has been dominant both on the mound and at the plate....

Somerset Community College has announced the recipients of the Dean’s List for Spring 2026 in Laurel, Whitley and Knox counties. The Dean’s List recipients are part-time and full-time students who maintain a current GPA of 3.5 but less than a 4.0. Spring 2026 Part-time Dean’s List includes: Laurel Josh Asher, Olivia Blout, Jade Bowling, Alicia Briseno, Kaitlyn Brock, Charley Burns, Jennifer Cupp, Keisha Day, Lyla Durham, Landon Evans, Jarron Fields, Billy Gibson, Stacie Graves, Lance Hale, Cassidy Holcomb, Kyra Holden, Desaray Hood, Ashley Hoskins, Lane Hughes, Nickole Hutton, Brayden King, Lindsay King, Sarah Lewis, Alicia McQueen, Nila Morris, Alyssa Mounce, Courtney Napier, Annie Pelfrey, Peyton Riley, Charles Robinson, Heidi Seeley, Alan Shepherd, Lucas Smith,...

Somerset Community College has announced the recipients of the President’s List for Spring 2026 for Laurel, Whitley and Knox counties. The President List recipients are part-time and full-time students who maintain a current GPA of 4.0. Spring 2026 Part-time President’s List recipients includes: Laurel Ada Asher, Christy Baker, Heidi Bentley, Stephen Blankenship, Dawn Boswell, Nick Brantley, Paige Buttery, Caitlyn Caldwell, Lonna Campbell, Autumn Cathers, Darran Cheman, Kylie Clem, Angela Collett, Kimberly Collett, Bethany Collins, Anthony Couch, Meranda Couch, Brandon Disney, Staci Eaton, Ericka Estridge, Shelly Evans, Brenda Eversole, Madison Fields, Madison Gabbard, Ricky Gibbs, Bryan Gouge, Patrick Hollan, Roxanna Jackson, Christina Johnson, Dylan Johnson, Mariann Jones, Annette Kelly, Sylvester King, Ariel Lewis, Samantha...

What is the difference between the Pro Golfers Association (PGA) Tour and the Senior PGA Tour, which is now known as the PGA Tour Champions? This is the heart of a question my wonderful wife, Cecelia, asked me Sunday evening as I was watching a replay of the leaders playing the back nine at the 46th U.S. Senior Open Championship at Scioto Country Club. Padraig Harrington ran away with it shooting 12-under for a four-stroke win over Stewart Cink. The biggest difference is naturally age as the old name implies. The PGA Tour Champions is for us older folks, i.e. for golfers age 50 and older. By the time most professional golfers hit...

Unemployment rates increased in Whitley, Laurel, Knox, Bell and McCreary counties between April and May 2026, according to the Kentucky Center for Statistics (KYSTATS), an agency within the Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet. Whitley County Whitley County’s unemployment rate increased from 3.8 percent in April 2026 to 4.6 percent in May 2026. Whitley County’s May 2026 unemployment rate stayed the same at 4.6 percent, matching the May 2025 unemployment rate. Laurel County Laurel County’s unemployment rate increased from 5.0 percent in April 2026 to 5.9 percent in May 2026. Laurel County’s May 2026 unemployment rate was 0.4 percent higher than the May 2025 unemployment rate. Knox County Knox County’s unemployment rate increased from 5.3 percent...

Five Christian hip-hop performers are coming to Corbin next month to celebrate faith through music and highlight addiction recovery resources in the area. Turned Up for Christ is a free admission concert featuring Redeemed from Tennessee, J. Truth from Georgia, Nicky Gracious from Indiana and Dray Day Ministry and Aubreyy from Ohio. The event also features Roy McGee, a pastor and founder of Fountain of Hope Ministries in Knoxville, Tennessee. Organizer Chris Simpson is a truck driver and Christian hip-hop fan from Corbin. Simpson said he has followed Redeemed and J. Truth for several years and seeing them perform in Tennessee made him think about bringing their message home. “We’ve never had...

The Corbin Walmart is now officially in the Corbin city limits. The Corbin City Commission met in special session Monday afternoon and unanimously approved the second reading of an ordinance annexing property located at 60 South Stewart Road in southern Laurel County. “This is Walmart everybody,” noted Corbin Mayor Suzie Razmus. The city has been working to get Walmart annexed into the city limits for approximately one year. Corbin had been unable to annex land in Laurel County until a change in state law made by the Kentucky General Assembly in 2021. Before the law was changed, it prohibited a city from annexing into a county in which it was not chartered. Corbin...