Mark White

The number of television broadcasters that I’ve met and worked with personally over 30 plus years in journalism, who I consider to be first-rate journalists, can be counted on two hands with maybe a finger or two leftover. WYMT General Manager Neil Middleton is near the top of that very short list. I first got to know Neil when I broke into journalism locally after college. At the time Neil had already been the Cumberland Valley bureau chief for WYMT for a few years. Neil was probably about 30 years old or so then and “the veteran” of the fairly young contingent of journalists that covered the local area and a guy...

In a world often full of election denial, conspiracy theories and concerns over foreign groups possibly tampering with our election results, have you ever wondered whether the totals that the voting machines in your local voting center come up are accurate and how we could even know whether those results are accurate? Both are good questions. Thanks to a new recount procedure, which was used for the first time in Kentucky last Thursday morning, we now know whether the machines and the human election officials get the same vote totals. Every so often the Kentucky General Assembly gets something right like it did with passage of House Bill 53 back in April. House...

Assuming that I make it until then, late next month will mark my 30th anniversary working here at the News Journal. During that time, I don’t think I have seen any more passionate conversations and debates about a proposed state constitutional amendment than I have regarding Amendment 2, which will be on the Nov. 5 ballot. Simply put, if approved, this amendment would allow the Kentucky General Assembly to fund private schools. This amendment is on the ballot because several prior efforts by the Kentucky General Assembly to allow funding for private schools have been ruled unconstitutional by the Kentucky Supreme Court. Several Republican legislators have touted this amendment as a way...

Congratulations to Whitley County Sheriff’s Deputy Matt Leach, who recently achieved a lifelong dream by graduating from the police academy. He wasn’t your typical 20-something cadet either. He did it at the age of 38, which I found particularly impressive. Leach told me that he has dreamed of becoming a deputy sheriff since he was 10 years old. “I like helping people in general and serving great people. Most of all I want to inspire people. Don’t give up on your dreams,” Leach said. Want to become a chef or a published author or a firefighter? Just remember that if you are willing to put in the work, it usually isn’t too late to...

Even before I read Trevor Sherman’s story last week about Central Baptist Church’s planned renovations and the return of former pastor Don Mathis to preach the Oct. 13 service, I had actually been thinking about Brother Don recently. While most around here know him as Central Baptist Church’s Pastor between 1979 and 1992, I knew him as coach. Back then after you aged out of T-ball there were two options. Little League as it was referred to was a kid pitch league for the older, better kids. Then there was Minor League, which used a pitching machine and was primarily for the younger kids and the older kids, who weren’t very...

In the Batman comics, the Joker is this insane criminal, who paints his face in clown make-up, has a maniacal laugh and strives to create chaos and mayhem. Something tells me that southeastern Kentucky would have been his kind of place the last few weeks. On Sept. 7, Joseph Couch of Woodbine sent a text message to a woman that police identified as his girlfriend saying that he planned to kill a lot of people or at least try. He also texted that he was going to kill himself afterwards. About 30 minutes later he allegedly opened fire at vehicles on I-75 from a rural, rugged area off Exit 49 in...

Suicide. I daresay there are few people, who haven’t known someone that killed themselves. I am no exception. A few years ago, a friend of mine died by suicide less than 24 hours after I last saw him. I had gone over to the courthouse to speak with an official and bumped into my old friend, who was there to see the same official. We sat around for probably 30 minutes waiting for the official to get done with something so we could speak with him. We talked about life and my friend talked a lot about his wife and daughter quite a bit. He seemed perfectly fine. I didn’t have a clue that...

Growing pains. Williamsburg is having them. The Williamsburg Firestone Industrial Products’ facility underwent a $51 million 68,000 square-foot expansion, which opened in 2023 resulting in 250 new jobs. Work on a new distribution center for the facility is underway this year. The Mint Gaming Hall Cumberland opened in Williamsburg in 2022 bringing with it over 100 new jobs. It was a $50 million investment in the community. These projects represent significant investments in the community, and a big boost for the local tax base, which is a great thing for the area. Growth brings with it certain issues, not the least of which is a need for more housing at a when time housing,...

Last Thursday night, Mother Nature rained on Nibroc’s parade. I mean that quite literally. It came a downpour, which was a bit of a bummer. I was taking pictures near the starting area for the parade on Kentucky Avenue, and I think the last float had just gone past me when it started to sprinkle, which seconds later turned into a downpour. Like many other people, I found myself running for cover and hung out for about 15 minutes under the awning at Sweeties. I had some good company. While I couldn’t really tell from my vantage point, I am pretty sure that most of the parade watching crowd probably disbursed quickly...

Congratulations to Angelia Foster, who was recently named as the new president of Baptist Health Corbin. She is coming to Corbin from Marshfield Medical Center-Beaver Dam, which is located in Dodge County, Wisconsin. The medical center is a not-for-profit facility including a 48-bed acute care hospital, 100-bed skilled nursing facility, ambulatory care, regional clinics, long-term care, assisted living, home care and hospice, sleep center, wound care, retail pharmacy and independent senior living. She also serves as regional president for the southern region of Wisconsin. I imagine that Baptist Health Corbin will present a slightly different challenge for her. She will start her new position effective Oct. 14. The last time Baptist Health Corbin brought...