Don Estep

A Railroad Museum at the Depot would be part of an attraction that could attract visitors to downtown Corbin. However, spending upwards of $500,000 is a lot of money to gamble on it happening in a railroad museum. Corbin has a rich history as a railroad town and with an engine, caboose and pullman car already in place, completing a museum is a worthwhile project, but with a limited budget. There are many railroad museums so one would not be unique to Corbin. But what is unique to Corbin is the original home of Kentucky Fried Chicken. The local KFC is proof of the drawing power as tourists in big numbers...

This morning I picked up some litter that had been thrown from passing motorists. While doing it a question passed through my mind. What priority does litter have on the list of government responsibilities? There are signs that warn if you get caught littering you will be fined. But really, has anybody ever been cited? Well, maybe in an extreme case one or two. The fact is there are many people who don’t care what the landscape looks like and they throw their trash along the roads. Another thing we know is we rely on volunteers in many cases to have annual litter cleanups. This usually results in many bags of litter...

While watching America’s Got Talent Monday night three men called the “Texas Tenors” brought the house down with their performance. They had the longest ovation of the night. I told my wife, “They are going to win one of the two spots to move forward in the show.” When the votes from every state came in, they did not make the top three. I remember when Horace Heidt had a radio, and later a television talent show in the early 1950’s. The winners were chosen by a VU meter which measured the sound. The ones with the loudest ovation won. I remember the announcer saying, “Horace Heidt for Lucky Strike.” For...

A new year and hopefully a better one. However, this past year was a good one for me. My daughter and her three children moved to Corbin and that made it exceptionally good. There were some not so good things happening too. Nationally, climate change brought fire, floods, and devastation. Politically, it was turmoil as usual. Locally we saw changes take place in some of our elected offices that were both sad and exciting. After 12 years, Corbin’s longest serving mayor, Willard McBurney, decided to give up the position. Mayor McBurney did an outstanding job and it is sad to see him go. Then, on the other hand, it is exciting to have...

Because Corbin was playing in the state championship football game Friday I had an idea that some people on Facebook may enjoy hearing a portion of a broadcast from another finals’ game. Thus, I started digging through boxes of cassette tapes that I have saved for over 50 years. I found the broadcasts of the 1976, 1977 and 1980 games, plus many other broadcasts. I particularly liked the quality of the 1980 broadcast and especially the remarks of Coaches Archie Powers and Willard Farris. Corbin won the state title that year over Ft. Campbell by a score of 16-7. I edited out about ten minutes and loaded it on Facebook on Friday. Within...

My granddaughter, who is in the third grade, brought home a list from school asking her to write about being thankful. On the list was, “Why should old people be thankful?” Her answer was “that they are still alive!” I got a chuckle out of that, but in reality I am thankful to still be alive, plus I am thankful for many other blessings of life including family, friends, church, this newspaper, and the list could go on and on. This week the News Journal is publishing its annual Basketball Preview of area high school teams. While thinking about basketball I considered how thankful I am for a big snow storm many...

As I was taking the wrapper off of a copy of The Real Yellow Pages that was on my desk this morning I couldn’t help from noticing how thin it was. Telephone land lines are diminishing fast. Businesses still need land lines, but so many individuals have dropped them in favor of cell phones. I can’t remember the last time I used a telephone directory to find a telephone number. It is so easy to ask Siri or go to Google to find a number. Take out the lawyer advertisements and there would be very few ads in the yellow pages. Seriously lawyers, do you think that many people will see your...

In this edition of the News Journal we have given the candidates for the upcoming election an opportunity to tell you why you should vote for them. It is our way of keeping you better informed. No doubt the best way for a candidate to gain your favor is by knocking on your door and greeting you personally. However, that is not possible in most races and various forms of advertising are used. But do repect those who have made this effort. Most all advertising is beneficial, but some can do as much damage as good. I have never had a person tell me that they were persuaded to vote for...

At one time Gordon Hill in Corbin was paved with brick. My guess is that it made for better traction up the winding hill. The brick made for a bumpy ride. Things haven’t changed much today. There are places on the hill that still make it a bumpy ride. For months there has been a bad spot on a curve and the road has sunk at the corner of Gordon and Kentucky Sts. The hill has been paved several times and it may be a law, I don’t know, shortly after each paving it is inevitable that a cut has been made for one reason or another. I’m sure when Gordon St....

Roads! I wrote about the condition of Highway 312 out of Corbin last week and I have been reminded that there are other situations that need attention. One of those is the Cumberland Gap Parkway between Exit 29 and U.S. 25 that runs by Lowes and Walmart. The highway department has worked on and off for years repairing the potholes there. They have replaced sections of the concrete and about as soon as one area is fixed another needs it. It is bad now and it will probably get worse this winter. A major reconstruction road project is slated for the Cumberland Gap Parkway across U.S. 25 out to Master St. That...