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(Story By Jeff Ledington, The Mountain Advocate) State Representative Charles Booker of the 41st district is looking to win the Democrat nomination for the United States Senate. A lifelong resident of Louisville, Booker wants to take on Mitch McConnell, a man elected to office two weeks before he was born. Booker represents a portion of Jefferson county that includes the state’s poorest zip code. The son of two ministers, Booker believes hard working Kentuckians need leaders that “see us, that listen to us.” Before being elected to the state house in 2018, he served as Director of Personnel and Administrative Services for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife. Booker has worked...

(Story By Jeff Ledington, The Mountain Advocate) Senator Mitch McConnell has been in office since 1985 and has been Senate Majority Leader since 2015. Born in Alabama, McConnell graduated from the University of Louisville and later the University of Kentucky College of Law. He served as Judge Executive for Jefferson County before being elected to the senate. McConnell took some time to answer written questions from the Mountain Advocate. Eastern Kentucky has been hit hard by job losses and the continued decline of coal. How have you addressed this in your most recent term and how will you if re-elected? I’ve worked closely with local leaders to help our mountain...

(Story by Jeff Ledington, The Mountain Advocate) Eastern Kentucky native and businessman C Wesley Morgan is looking to unseat Mitch McConnell in Kentucky’s Republican Primary. Morgan holds political science and accounting degrees from Cumberland College, now the University of the Cumberlands, and Eastern Kentucky University. He would go on to work as an investigator for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms as well as serving on the Secret Service. Today he operates several retail stores and has designed custom retail software used nationwide. Morgan has called out McConnell’s voting record on things like gun control, supreme court picks, and media matters; calling it “disgusting.” Morgan maintains a list of McConnell’s voting...

When homeless youth staying at Ryan’s Place, a local safe haven in Barbourville, were asked what they wanted most at the shelter, they said, “We would like some games to play together.” Jessi Montgomery, the fund development manager for Ryan’s Place and a graduate from Cumberlands who was finishing her MBA through the University at the time, was stunned. She’d been discussing the shelter’s funding needs with other staff and was trying to narrow down what Ryan’s Place needed most by asking the residents themselves. She didn’t expect games to be at the top of their list. “These young adults have nothing, yet their only request was something to share with...

When it comes to property tax rates, there is some bad news and some good news for Whitley County property owners regarding their upcoming property tax bill this year or at least the portion of it that goes to the Whitley County Board of Health. First the bad news. During its regular quarterly meeting Monday evening, the Whitley County Board of Health, which oversees the Whitley County Health Department, voted to increase the property tax rate from 4 cents per $100 of assessment to 5 cents per $100 of assessment, or a 25 percent increase, on the upcoming property tax bills. Now the good news. The board declined to increase the rate to...

(OpEd by Dr. James Finck, an Associate Professor of History at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma and Chair of the Oklahoma Civil War Symposium. Follow Historically Speaking at www.Historicallyspeaking.blog or on Facebook.) With the shutdown of everything non-essential and social distancing becoming the new normal, one area of concern is voting. At the very heart of our democracy is the ability to vote. However, if we eliminate gatherings, as we have been instructed to do, voting is problematic. As of now the presidential vote hopefully will go forward as planned, but we have seen a disruption in primary voting. One of the options being floated is a...

When it comes to Williamsburg’s downtown development, there is some bad news and there is some good news. Williamsburg Mayor Roddy Harrison noted during the recent monthly city council meeting that several businesses were getting close to opening when the COVID-19 shutdown hit in mid-March, including The Butcher’s Pub restaurant and the University of the Cumberlands’ Marketplace on Main & 3rd, which is set to house Moonbow Mercantile, Moonlight Meat Shop and Cumberland River Coffee. The good news is that those openings weren’t canceled, but instead just delayed. “Right now, everybody that was planning to come is still planning to come,” Harrison told the council. When restaurants are allowed to start re-opening at...

The City of Williamsburg’s share of the state’s gas tax for next fiscal year gives you some idea of the financial challenges local city and county governments are facing in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. This current fiscal year, which ends June 30, the City of Williamsburg received about $135,000 in municipal coop aid from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for paving projects, sidewalks and so forth. For next fiscal year, which starts July 1, Williamsburg is only projected to receive $95,000. The funding represents each municipality’s share of state gas tax revenue. “Obviously, it is due to nobody is driving,” Mayor Roddy Harrison told the city council recently of the reduced road...

Congratulations to Whitley County High School Alum Kendall (Huddleston) Murphy as she has defended her PhD Dissertation titled “The Development of Polymer Constructs for Adipose Tissue Engineering Applications.” Kendall says it is an honor to highlight her achievements as a graduate of Whitley County High School (Class of 2011). “I know how easy it is for students to get in their minds that, because they are from a small county in Appalachia, they don't have the capabilities to achieve certain goals they may have," Murphy said. "I hope that my academic career is a testament to those students that you can achieve any dream with hard work and a strong...

Leadership Kentucky is now accepting applications for the second year of the BRIGHT Kentucky program. BRIGHT Kentucky, coordinated by the Leadership Kentucky Foundation, Inc., is designed to build the capacity of next-generation leaders (average age 21-40) in the Appalachian region of Kentucky to innovate, collaborate, and advance community and economic development. BRIGHT Kentucky engages bright, entrepreneurial minds from all sectors and regions to offer non-partisan, ethical leadership training, expanded networks, and mentors designed especially for residents of the 54 Kentucky counties of the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). “The inaugural BRIGHT Kentucky program in 2019 far surpassed our expectations. The energy and enthusiasm of these young professionals is truly a BRIGHT light...