Mark White

Whitley County recently lost two pillars of the community with the recent death of former Williamsburg business owner Paul Steely and Corbin Dr. William Briscoe. Steely died at the age of 95 years old on April 28. He was well known in the Williamsburg community as one of the owners of Paul Steely Ford. He purchased the first Ford Explorer ever sold off the lot of Paul Steely Ford. He also purchased the last Ford Explorer ever sold off the lot on Sept. 11, 2009, right before it closed after more than 28 years in business. Steely, who was a lifelong Williamsburg resident, was much more than just a successful businessman. He...

The 2026 session of the Kentucky General Assembly was a very good one for Whitley County, which received nearly $11 million in funding for various projects in addition to millions more for various road projects. The Williamsburg-Whitley County Airport is getting $7 million for a new runway expansion. $1.5 million has been earmarked for a replacement water tank for the City of Williamsburg. An additional $1.5 million – on top of previous state funding – is going to help pay for the jail renovation and expansion project, and $950,000 is allocated to help renovate the old Williamsburg post office into an innovation hub. It will be good to see something positive...

What do you hear about this year’s election? This is a common question I typically get this time of year. This year I would sum up my answer with one word. Quiet. It’s a word Whitley County Clerk Carolyn Willis also recently used to describe the upcoming May Primary Election when I interviewed her, as well as various others. There just is not much buzz about it. This may have something to do with the fact many races are uncontested this year in Whitley County, such as judge-executive, coroner, district judge, county attorney, state representative and PVA. This is probably a sign most people are generally content with the job these incumbents are doing. This isn’t...

Court usually isn’t like what you see in the movies or on television. Truth be told, there is a lot of sitting around for sometimes hours waiting for a judge to call a case much of the time. The lawyers speak for a couple of minutes about motion or waiting on test results, and then the judge sets another hearing date. Big trials are another story. These can be interesting to watch sometimes. This is particularly true if you have a couple of really good lawyers going at it. Tom Handy, who died last week, was one of the best. Handy spenxt 28 years working as the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Knox...

It is kind of weird to look at a jail’s website and see your own name listed, even when you know it isn’t you. As a journalist, the first thing I usually do when I get into the office in the morning is check my e-mail. The second thing I usually do is check the websites of our local detention centers to see who got arrested. There are almost always a handful of people each day booked into the jails on various charges ranging from DUI and shoplifting to assault, sexual abuse, strangulation, etc. Last Wednesday morning, the name of one person in the Whitley County Detention Center grabbed by attention. Mark White. The...

As a journalist you get used to – I can’t say it is ever pleasant – dealing with politicians when something bad or controversial happens concerning their particular office or them personally. Some of them will make excuses. Some of them will blame somebody else. Some will try and say whatever is happening shouldn’t really be a news story. Some will try and spin what has happened. Some of them try to ignore you. You have some though, who are a no spin zone. They will just give you the facts of what has happened, both good and bad. They may offer reasons why something happened and factors related to it,...

Judge Paul Braden and Dr. John Broome, who were both honored posthumously with Luminary Awards by Leadership Tri-County Thursday evening, were two great men I feel privileged to have known personally. Judge Braden loved being a judge. (I never could make myself call him by his first name.) Even when he didn’t have much time left, Judge Braden was still hearing cases on the bench. I can remember one trial towards the end where he had another local judge on standby to take over in the afternoon, if he wasn’t feeling up to it after lunch. (It was kind of like a relief pitcher in a baseball game.) I remember one...

So, after you have been married for more than 20 years, the question arises what do you get your spouse for Christmas or their birthday? This is especially true when your spouse thinks you have too much junk as it is…LOL. The answer that my wonderful wife, Cecelia, and I came up with a few years ago is that we often get each other experiences. For instance, she has gotten me photo workshops in a lot of cool places, such as The Outer Banks, Death Valley, Charleston, South Carolina, and Savanah, Georgia, to name a few. Back in January when my birthday rolled around, Cecelia got me tickets to see former...

Every year when election season rolls around Whitley County begins its time-honored tradition of pie suppers, or, as I affectionately refer to it, the legal fleecing of the candidates…LOL. For those unfamiliar with the tradition, during each major election season various charities, such as fire departments, football boosters, churches, etc. host what are called pie suppers. While I have never actually attended a pie supper, I have had these events described to me multiple times by several people. The various entities will invite the candidates to attend the pie suppers. The candidates are typically given the opportunity to introduce themselves and say what office they are seeking. Then there is the auction portion...

At some point in my life, I want to visit every state in America. It is kind of an unofficial bucket list item for me and my wonderful wife, Cecelia. Last week, we got a little closer to that goal by visiting our southern-most state and our second most western state, Hawaii. The 50th state in the union did not disappoint. Hawaii’s Waikiki is pretty much everything it is billed to be. It was warm and somewhat humid, but not too warm nor not too humid like Florida’s Keywest or Louisianna’s New Orleans. (Seriously, only go visit those two places in the winter unless you really want to sweat…LOL.) The vibe in Waikiki...