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A therapist from Baptist Health Corbin became the champion of the first-ever “Meeples on Main” Carcassonne Tournament in downtown Corbin Saturday, beating out nine other competitors to win a custom sculpted trophy and other prizes. Ben Bess narrowly edged out News Journal Editor Mark White 96-93 in the finals of the tournament, capping a perfect 6-0 run through the 10-player field. “I love board gaming. It is my favorite hobby, and organizing this tournament is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time because I know there are like-minded people out there,” said Trent Knuckles, News Journal Publisher and organizer of the tournament. “ Carcassonne is one of my favorite games...

Whitley County High School’s Cookin’ Colonels came up just short in their quest to advance in the Kentucky Junior Chef state competition held last week at the Kentucky State Fair in Louisville. “I’m very pleased, said Family and Consumer Science Teacher Veronica Carmical, who coached the team that defeated Corbin in the district competition in April and won the 13th Region title in May over Harlan County, Letcher County and Jackson County. While Whitley County’s team of Ryan Ball, Kyle Garrett and Haley McCullah were narrowly defeated by the Owen County team in the first round, Carmical said the judges heaped praise upon the Colonels for the chicken dish they prepared. Carmical...

Pull out your ice cream makers and pack up the lawn chairs because First Baptist Church of Corbin is hosting a “Concert in the Garden,” featuring a homemade ice cream making contest. This event was created in an effort to benefit the Corbin Community Backpack Program. While admission to the event is free, an offering will be taken and all proceeds will be donated to the program. “I am extremely excited about this event, as I believe it to be a wonderful opportunity for our church to demonstrate our deep desire to serve the greater Corbin community,” said pastor of the church, Austin Carty. The concert will take place August 5 at...

Local hotel owner Sudhir Patel, who has also served on the Corbin Tourism Commission for 28 years, was honored for his service to the city by being named a “Corbin Colonel” and given the key to the city. “I was glad to do that,” said Corbin Mayor Willard McBurney who presented Patel with the key and the certificate naming him a Corbin Colonel at a ceremony last Wednesday. “I think we really owed Sudhir that,” McBurney added. Patel said receiving the recognition made him very proud, adding he considers Corbin his hometown. Patel, who was born in India and later moved to Kenya to work in the automobile industry, moved to Corbin in...

To say the new Worship Pastor at Grace on the Hill United Methodist Church in Corbin has had an interesting life is an understatement. He’s overcome a hearing disability to excel as a professional musician. He’s a second cousin to country music legends Loretta Lynn and Crystal Gayle. He toured for seven years as a stage musician for the likes of Percy Sledge and Stella Parton, among others. “I think that I’m here now at Grace on the Hill … it’s just a God thing,” Michael Hall said only days after starting his new position at the church two weeks ago. Hall met Grace on the Hill Pastor Weyman McGuire in Paintsville. Hall...

Jesus notes in the biblical parable that the mustard seed is the smallest of those planted in the field, but when it grows it becomes “the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.” From the smallest things often grow things of enormous grandeur. First Baptist Church of Corbin held a special dedication ceremony Sunday for what members are calling it’s “Mustard Seed” community garden — a series of 12 raised beds located on an empty lot across from the church next to the Corbin Creekwalk. “Like in the parable, we wanted to see something that starts very small...

There is an old adage that when you are not feeling good mentally, the best thing to do is take a walk. Chris West of Newport, North Carolina, is taking that advice a million steps further as he is in on a journey to walk across the United States. As part of that journey, West spent Monday night camped on an embankment behind Corbin City Hall near the CSX train yard. “It has been a really humbling, yet exciting journey,” West said Tuesday morning as he prepared to continue his journey north on U.S. 25. West said he began looking into the idea of walking across the country as he searched for ways...

The Whitley County Sheriff’s Department now officially has a new chief deputy. Sheriff Colan Harrell announced Friday the promotion of Lt. Tim Baker to the rank of Chief Deputy. Baker has worked at the sheriff’s department since Harrell first took office in 2011. Prior to that he was a member of the Corbin Police Department. During his time at the Whitley County Sheriff's Department, Baker has worked at the rank of detective assigned to drug investigations. “Please join us in thanking Chief Deputy Baker for his continued service to the community,” Harrell said in a release. Baker had served as the acting chief deputy since early March following the departure of former Chief Deputy...

One local church dedicated a playground Sunday to the memory of a child that lived only three months and 23 days, but inspired countless people with his indomitable will to live. “Ozzy’s Play Place” is located at New Hope Ministries, located on KY Hwy. 1232 just outside of Corbin, and it was constructed in honor of Oscar “Ozzy” Falkowski following a successful fundraising effort to build the playground. Over 100 people attended Sunday’s ceremony honoring Ozzy and the opening of the new playground. New Hope Pastor Mike Addison said the playground’s construction is a testament to Ozzy’s unifying power over everyone who knew him. “This playground is about unity and what people...

The 2016 event season in Corbin will kick off March 18 with the third annual Corbin Gallery Hop. Tourism Director Maggy Kriebel announced the event during the regular meeting of the Corbin Tourism Commission Tuesday night. Kriebel, who has overseen the event since its inception in 2014, said it has been moved from its August date in an effort to take advantage of people’s desire to get out and about after the cold winter. “The August date has us competing with vacations and other festivals and with the kids back in school,” Kriebel said. “By moving it to March, we hope we can entice people to drop in, check out the band...