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The Corbin Housing Authority is hoping to build up its rainy day fund so it can have six months’ worth of operating money in reserve should a catastrophe happen. The Corbin City Commission’s decision Monday to let the housing authority keep $23,428 as payment in lieu of taxes will help the authority as it moves towards this goal, and its goal to renovate its facilities. Mayor Suzie Razmus noted previously it is commonplace for cities to do this for housing authorities, which in turn use what they would have paid in taxes to maintain many times aging housing authority buildings and properties. Corbin Housing Authority Executive Director Dr. Robert Hayes told the...

Williamsburg Independent School alumnus Roy Buhl has left a legacy in life particularly in the realm of science. Buhl, a 1962 graduate of Williamsburg High School, first went to Oak Ridge where he worked to develop nuclear fuel cells for reactors. When he left Oak Ridge, Buhl went to Cape Canaveral where he helped design nuclear fuel cells for the Voyager I and Voyager II spacecraft. On Nov. 18, 2026, Voyager I will become the first manmade object to reach the distance of one light-day away from Earth, or the distances light travels in 24 hours, according to NASA affiliated website. Now, the $25,000 Roy Buhl Endowment, which was a gift from his...

Before he moved to the central office, Whitley County Superintendent John Siler was principal at Whitley Central Intermediate School for five years. He can still remember the most common request he got from teachers filling out transportation forms for field trips. They almost always asked for bus driver Gary Logan, who has been driving buses for the school district for 33 years. “This sums up Gary how he treats everybody. He just said, ‘I just treat everybody like I would want them to treat me.’ If ever there was anybody in our school district that does that, then it is Mr. Gary Logan,” Siler said. During the Whitley County Board of Education’s...

The Corbin Public Works Department is tired of trying to keep its 18-year-old mini excavator up and running. “The one that is 18 years old has been repaired so many times, we probably could have bought a new one for what we have paid to fix it. The latest repair is $8,000-$10,000,” noted Corbin City Manager Scott Williamson. During its regular monthly meeting Monday, the Corbin City Commission approved Williamson’s request to advertise for a new mini excavator. “It is over the $50,000 limit so it has to be advertised,” he added. In addition, the city commission approved the hiring of Jason Girdner as a full-time employee with the public works department.

For the fourth consecutive year, Corbin Independent Schools have earned a rating of all blue on the Kentucky Summative Assessment (KSA) with the elementary school, middle school and high school all receiving blue ratings, which is the highest possible rating. “The outstanding state assessment results achieved by Corbin Independent Schools are a true reflection of the hard work, dedication and commitment to excellence demonstrated by our students, teachers, staff and families,” said Superintendent Travis Wilder. “These results are more than just numbers. They represent a culture of high expectations, quality instruction and resources, and a shared belief that every student can succeed. I’m incredibly proud of this achievement and our district...

The plastic skeletons and fake tombstones are on display. Halloween is almost upon us, and various Halloween and Fall events are rapidly approaching this month. The Third Annual Downtown Corbin Witches’ Walk is planned for Thursday starting at 5 p.m. Participants are encouraged to dress in their most witchy attire and wander to participating locations for some ghoulie drink specials and treats. Wizards are also welcome. There is no specific end time for this year’s event.   Ghost walk The Corbin Public Library will be holding its annual ghost walk on Friday and Saturday from 6-8:30 p.m. “We do that every year. It is always free and good family entertainment. We have some semi-spooky stories,” said...

During the 2024-2025 school year, Williamsburg High School scored the lowest color rating classification the state offered on its assessment data with a red rating. It was the lowest out of the five color classifications for ratings the state uses. Those range from red for the lowest performing schools to orange, yellow, green and blue. For the 2025-2026 school year, the high school not only received the highest color rating in the state, which is blue, but it was also ranked sixth out of 228 high schools in the state. The high school’s 2024-2025 overall score was 46.0 compared to 90.4 overall in 2025-2026. This is 22.9 points above the state average, noted...

On Monday, the Corbin City Commission met for its regular monthly meeting, and City Manager Scott Williamson proposed the board of commissioners direct the city attorney to prepare a new ordinance. Corbin recently changed the name of The Corbin Center to The Robert Stivers Conference and Convention Center in honor of the long-time Senate President. On Monday, the Corbin City Commission voted to give Stivers another honor by renaming Corbin Center Drive as Stivers Center Way The ordinance will propose that the road become Stivers Center Way. The road is at the intersection of Arena Drive and runs to the Corbin bypass. Corbin Mayor Suzie Razmus said, “It will make it easier,”...

The Whitley County School District had seven of its nine schools get blue ratings, which is the highest rating possible, on the 2025-2026 Kentucky Summative Assessment Test. Whitley North Elementary, Whitley East Elementary, Oak Grove Elementary, Boston Elementary, Whitley Central Primary, Whitley Central Intermediate and Whitley County High School all received blue ratings. Whitley North Elementary School ranked sixth and Whitley East Elementary School ranked seventh out of 715 elementary schools in Kentucky. “It’s a team effort. This doesn’t happen without everyone working together and putting kids first,” Superintendent John Siler told the Whitley County Board of Education during its monthly meeting Thursday. “Overall, it is a complete effort by the board...

U.S. District Judge Robert Wier sentenced a local man Wednesday to 15 years in prison for the attempted production of child pornography in Whitley County four years ago. On June 13, 2022, BJ Thomason, 38, attempted to persuade a minor victim to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of that conduct, according to his indictment and a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Specifically, Thomason, utilized the TextNow messaging service to contact the victim. In a series of conversations, Thomason requested the minor victim send him sexually explicit pictures of the victim, after Thomason sent multiple sexually explicit pictures of himself, the release stated. Thomason...