Misconceptions. People have a lot of them, which is pretty evident based on some of the comments we get on social media to stories that we have posted.
Let me offer a few examples.
A couple of weeks ago we had a story about the old King’s Truck Stop property at Exit 29 in Southern Laurel County being annexed into the Corbin city limits.
Devin McKeehan wrote on Facebook, “City of Corbin isn’t going to do anything with it. The city can’t even fix the streets and sidewalks downtown.”
Lue Anne wrote, “Can’t wait for another gas station.”
Danny Clark wrote, “I’ve watched the city of Corbin since the 70s. They will not do anything with it.”
First off, the City of Corbin couldn’t legally annex any land in Laurel County until the Kentucky General Assembly changed the law in 2021.
Then Corbin had to wait for the resolution of a lawsuit that it filed against the City of London, which had tried to annex the property along US25E, or the Cumberland Gap Parkway, along the Exit 29 corridor. The lawsuit contended that London couldn’t annex the land because it would annexing over utility infrastructure that the Corbin City Utilities Commission installed in the 1970s so the American Greeting Card factory could be built in southern Laurel County. London eventually de-annexed the property.
In August 2024, the City of Corbin finally annexed the right of way along US25E, or the Cumberland Gap Parkway along the Exit 29 corridor from the KY-770 bridge to “malfunction junction.”
Just because land is in the city limits doesn’t mean that the city develops it. The city establishes zoning regulations on where certain things can and cannot be built. For instance, most people don’t want a junk yard built next to a housing development.
With the rare exception of something like the Kentucky Splash Waterpark in Williamsburg, cities don’t typically open businesses and develop properties for retail establishments, i.e. they don’t build shopping centers. They don’t open restaurants. They don’t open gas stations. They don’t open dollar stores or vape shops.
This is typically done by private individuals or businesses and not government entities.
What being inside the city limits does is provide a business with city fire and police coverage. It also allows businesses, such as restaurants, grocery stores and convenient stores, to potentially sell alcohol, which is a big drawing point for some of them.
Cities and counties do sometimes offer tax incentives to get manufacturers to locate in their community, which are usually major employers.
In regards to the comment that Corbin can’t even fix the streets and sidewalks downtown, it should be pointed out that many of the streets people are most upset over, such as Main Street, Kentucky Avenue and Master Street, aren’t actually city streets as most people logically assume that they are.
Main Street, Kentucky Avenue, Masters Street, Gordon Hill and a few others are actually state roads, which are actually theoretically maintained by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. I say theoretically because I am not sure what the last time was that the state paved those roads. (Hey, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet take hint!) By the way, Corbin leaders would also like to see the state repave these roads.
In regards to the sidewalks in some areas, the reader has a good point. It is a cost thing.
Another misconception people often have is in regards to bond for people accused of committing a crime. Often, readers will ask why a particular person even has a bond. This is especially true in cases involving alleged sexual assaults particularly against children.
The courts are generally required to set bonds for defendants, who are accused of crimes but haven’t been convicted. There are instances where judges can order someone held without bond if they judge them to be a flight risk or to be a danger to the public, but this is the exception to the rule.
In the case of particularly serious crimes, judges will many times set cash bonds. For instance, a $10,000 cash bond means that someone would have to post $10,000 cash in order to be released from custody. This is a pretty substantial bond that most people can’t post, and the judges know this.
It is very rare that a defendant is able to post a $25,000 cash bond or higher.
