News

Are you a Whitley County resident who is going to be out of town May 19 on Election Day? Are you unable to go vote during the May 14-16 early voting period? Still want to cast your ballot? If so, there is a six-day early excused absentee voting period scheduled for May 6-8 and May 11-13 when you can go vote during normal business hours at the Whitley County Clerk’s Office in the old courthouse in Williamsburg only. It is not available at Whitley County Clerk’s Corbin office. Whitley County Clerk Carolyn Willis said this is designed for people who might be having a medical procedure planned during those times. It...

The Laurel County Board of Education approved an agreement on May 4 to shift its school health services to an outside provider for the 2026-2027 school year. It is a move some community members are questioning. The board approved a one-year health service agreement with Access Health. The proposal was first presented at an April meeting and after further research due to concerns from community and current nurses, the proposal remains unchanged. Superintendent Denise M. Griebel said the district did not seek bids for the service but was instead approached by Access Health with the idea. “Part of my job as superintendent is to seek out and bring ideas, resources, etc., to the...

A Corbin woman will be required to pay $17,084.98 in total restitution for using a credit card or debit card connected to a resident’s group at the Williamsburg Housing Authority to allegedly make thousands of dollars in fraudulent purchases. Betsy Linda Sergent, 46, of Corbin, pleaded guilty on April 30, to theft by unlawful taking or disposition all others value at least $10,000 but less than $1 million, fraudulent use of a credit card/gift card over $10,000 and abuse of the public trust value at least $10,000 but less than $100,000. As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors recommended a 10-year prison sentence, but the sentence will be probated for a...

A not guilty plea was entered for a Corbin woman Monday morning who is accused of breaking into a Corbin area church early Friday morning. Tia Sester, 37, is being held in the Knox County Detention Center in lieu of a $10,000 cash bond on charges of third-degree burglary and possession of burglary tools. About 2:30 a.m. Friday, Knox County Sheriff’s Deputy Thomas Martin responded to an active alarm at the New Hope Ministries Church of God on KY-1232, which is also known as Old Barbourville Highway, near Corbin, according to a Knox County Sheriff’s Office release. When Martin arrived at the scene, he observed a woman walking out of the church...

A July 15 trial date has been set for a Corbin man who allegedly shot a Whitley County farmer in January 2024. Michael Boyd Connor, 76, is charged with murder in the Jan. 4, 2024, killing of Charles E. Ohler. Ohler was found deceased in his home on Jan. 6, 2024, by his daughter Kelly Hart who initially believed Ohler had suffered a medical emergency while alone. However, after she contacted police, it was determined that Ohler had been killed. No firearm could be located around Ohler’s body, and no shell casing was ever recovered. Ohler’s cellphone was also found at the scene, which police were able to examine. Ohler’s last outgoing...

Judge Paul Winchester has scheduled a July 20 formal sentencing hearing for an Ohio man who pleaded guilty Thursday to amended charges in connection with a child sexual material investigation. On Dec.16, 2024, a Whitley County grand jury indicted Tanner Jay Cooper, now 21, of Piqua, charging him with unlawful use of an electronic means originating or received within the commonwealth to induce a minor to engage in sexual or other prohibited activities and for distribution of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor. On Aug. 13, 2024, Cooper allegedly induced a then 16-year-old girl into sending nude photographs of her to him on Snapchat, and he allegedly distributed nude...

DIPG, which stands for Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, has been on the minds of a lot of residents lately. It is a type of brain tumor found in the pons, which is part of the brainstem. Six-year-old Millee Kate Daugherty was diagnosed on April 16 with DIPG. Since then, the community has rallied to support her fight. A Go Fund Me was created to raise money for her family. As of Tuesday afternoon, it had raised more than $67,000 towards the $70,000 goal. On March 7, Whitley County celebrated Waylon Brice Taylor Day, which honored the five-year-old, who also suffered from DIPG. On March 30, community members gathered for his funeral. Statistically...

Corbin residents will have the opportunity to meet Appalachian author and U.S. veteran Ronnie Deaton at the rescheduled book signing. The book signing will take place at 6 p.m. on May 7 at the Corbin Public Library’s Miller Mitchell Annex. The event, sponsored by Friends of the Corbin Public Library, will have refreshments and feature a book signing by the author. Deaton, born in 1945 in Laurel County, found his calling as a writer around 2015 while collaborating with his wife, Penny Ferguson, on a five-year research project tracing their family roots. The work culminated in the genealogy book From Whence Cometh Thou: 600 Years of Deatons and Allied Families Indexed...

The Ossoli Club of Corbin presented the 83rd annual May Day Rock Out Festival on May 1. Trumpeters included Slate Arena and Camden Tate Stovall. Tiny Queen Zella Wren Arena was escorted by Tatum Patil, and May Queen Riley MacKenzie Gardner was escorted by Caleb Humfleet. Corbin Primary School presented several student performances, including the Rockin’ Redhounds.

If you have an old tire in your yard you have been meaning to get rid of but did not want to pay a disposal fee, then you are in luck. The waste tire collection event will take place from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. Thursday - Saturday at the Whitley County Sanitation Transfer Station. It is located at 535 Happy Hollow Road in Williamsburg off Exit 11. The program is a partnership between the Kentucky Division of Waste Management and the Whitley County Fiscal Court. It allows only Kentucky residents to dispose of an unlimited number of tires for free. The program is not open to tire dealers or retailers. Tires...