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A Williamsburg man allegedly drove while intoxicated and almost struck a police vehicle before fleeing from a sheriff’s deputy and resisting arrest, according to his arrest citation. On June 5, Whitley County Sheriff’s Deputy Brentley Patrick arrested Damon L. Campbell, 58, charging him with second-offense operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, reckless driving, second-degree fleeing or evading police (motor vehicle), second-degree fleeing or evading police (on foot), and resisting arrest. The incident happened about 11:32 p.m. on Peach Lane about four miles west of Williamsburg. Patrick was on patrol on Peach Lane when he was allegedly almost struck by a large maroon van travelling in the opposite direction,...

Thanks to some help from a regional economic entity, a large area in southeastern Kentucky, including Laurel, Knox and Whitley Counties, will soon have the ability to apply for more federal funding. The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) recently announced that nearly $500,000 in federal funding would be going to five Appalachian Kentucky area development districts through READY LDDs (local development districts), ARC’s “recently launched community-capacity building initiative.” Included in the list of area development districts is the Cumberland Valley Area Development District (CADD), which covers Bell, Clay, Harlan, Jackson, Knox, Laurel, Rockcastle and Whitley Counties. A total of $100,000 has been allotted to go to CADD. As for how area development districts...

A Gray man, who was wanted in three counties, remains behind bars after being captured recently by the Knox County Sheriff’s Department. On April 11, Sheriff Mike Smith arrested Ryan Joseph “Opie” Taylor, 28, at a residence on Lynn Camp Hollow Road in Gray. He had been avoiding capture by police for several days, according to a sheriff’s department release. Taylor was wanted on two Knox County arrest warrants and was charged with first-degree burglary, theft (firearm), theft over $1,000 (from building), possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, second-degree fleeing or evading police (on foot) and menacing, according to the release and jail records. Deputies obtained the warrants after investigating burglary...

Are you following the White Rabbit? People all across the globe have been speculating for weeks now about the meaning behind a series of cryptic videos being produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Often times, viewers of WWE programming will see random QR codes appear somewhere on the screen that will lead them to the videos, all of which are vague in nature, and could be teasing the arrival of a new major talent. The content of the videos varies, with different images, pictures, video clips and voice overs, but one feature has remained constant… the referencing of a “white rabbit,” typically accompanied by a white rabbit logo. Speculation on the meaning...

Kentucky State Police from the Richmond Post are searching for a Gray man, who walked away from the Bluegrass Career and Development Center, on July 31, according to a KSP release Monday. The initial investigation indicates that Billy R. Lowe, 43, walked away from the facility in Richmond. He is described as being a white male, 6’1″ tall, weighing 185 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes, the release stated. Lowe was serving a sentence for first offense manufacturing of methamphetamine. Anyone, who may have information about Lowe’s location, is asked to call their local law enforcement or KSP Post 7 in Richmond at (859) 623-2404. KSP Trooper Neal Barnes is conducting this...

Last week, the US Department of Agriculture held a roundtable meeting with community leaders across eastern Kentucky to discuss the launch of the new Rural Partners Network, which the USDA describes as “an alliance of federal agencies and civic partners working to expand rural prosperity through job creation, infrastructure development, and community improvement.” The roundtable was hosted by the Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation in London, and in attendance to talk about the benefits of this new initiative was Under Secretary for Rural Development, Xochitl Torres Small. “A really great questions is, ‘What can we provide when it comes to real partnerships with communities,’” Small said. “We see a real opportunity to...

Geoff Marietta, owner and operator of the 2nd & Main event space in downtown Corbin, proudly announced to his followers on social media recently that the business will now run partly on solar power. After nearly five years of planning, Marietta’s goal of installing solar panels on top of 2nd & Main is finally a reality, and he is very excited about all of the potential economic and environmental benefits of the new upgrade. “The electric bills during our first year of operation were pretty high,” Marietta said. “I knew that we would need to move to solar more quickly, so we worked with Corbin Utilities to determine what size panels would...

Students at Corbin Elementary School had the opportunity to let their creativity take center stage during the school’s Halloween themed contests last week. More than 70 pumpkins were submitted for the library’s character pumpkin contest. Corbin Elementary School’s librarian Emily Lewallen said, “This is my first year being a librarian, and we wanted to do something fun and festive for the holiday.” The stipulations for the contest stated it had to be a book character and they couldn’t puncture or carve the pumpkin; it could only be decorated. The pumpkins were decorated outside of the classroom, though students who needed a pumpkin could request one from the school. The school provided approximately 15...

The Whitley County Public Library’s 100 Days of Reading officially kicked off on Tuesday. Children are encouraged to read 20 minutes a day for 100 days during the program. The library provides logs for children to record their hours. Children who spend 20 minutes a day reading and return their logs to the library each month will be eligible to receive prizes, said Shonna Brown, the children’s librarian at the Whitley County Public Library. Children can read any type of literature – hard copy books, e-books, magazines, newspapers. Young children can also be read too. The Whitley County Public Library received funding from Save the Children to help support the program. “I know it...

Approximately 30 people gathered for a candlelight vigil, hosted by the Sunup Initiative, in Corbin Tuesday evening. The vigil was to honor the lives lost to racial violence throughout the United States. “It seemed fitting to hold this vigil on the anniversary of George’s death especially after the jury verdict that held the officer accountable for his murder,” stated Lisa Garrison, a member of the Sunup Initiative, in a press release. “While there have been many conversations over the past year about race, equity, violence and policing, there is still much work to be done. With the escalation of violence against people of color, it is clear that we need to...