{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"The News Journal","provider_url":"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net","title":"Bunch, Conn, Knuckles speak at chamber of commerce election forum &ndash; The News Journal","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"Gx51caLlEe\"><a href=\"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net\/bunch-conn-knuckles-speak-election-forum\/\">Bunch, Conn, Knuckles speak at chamber of commerce election forum<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net\/bunch-conn-knuckles-speak-election-forum\/embed\/#?secret=Gx51caLlEe\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;Bunch, Conn, Knuckles speak at chamber of commerce election forum&#8221; &#8212; The News Journal\" data-secret=\"Gx51caLlEe\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/* <![CDATA[ *\/\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/* ]]> *\/\n<\/script>\n","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/qa.thenewsjournal.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Bunch-Conn.jpg","thumbnail_width":420,"thumbnail_height":214,"description":"Members of the Southern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce heard from both candidates for 82nd District Representative and one candidate for Corbin City Commission during their monthly luncheon, which was held Wednesday at The Corbin Center. 82nd Rep. Regina Bunch, her opponent, Bill Conn, and Corbin City Commission candidate Trent Knuckles combined to speak for about 30 minutes in the chamber\u2019s second candidate forum in the last two months. A forum in Williamsburg last month invited candidates for state representative, Williamsburg City Council, and Williamsburg school board to speak. &nbsp; Conn speaks Bill Conn, a teacher at Williamsburg Independent School, is the Democratic nominee in the state representative race, and he was the first to speak. Conn said that a big issue in the district and region is jobs. \u201cThere really have to be better job opportunities here in southern Kentucky. This is really what my whole mission was going into the representative race,\u201d Conn said. \u201cWe know the war on coal has been devastating.\u201d Conn said he still sees an \u201cabsolutely phenomenal\u201d amount of potential in southern Kentucky. \u201cWe have to start playing to our strengths, and as a state representative that is exactly what I want to do,\u201d Conn said touting the need to establish an engineering school in the region. \u201cThe wave of the future is either medical or engineering. We know those are the emerging job markets for the next 30 years.\u201d Conn noted that while he has been on the campaign trail, he has discovered that clean drinking water is still an issue for some in Whitley County. Conn said that while he was campaigning recently in the eastern end of the county, he ran across a household with about 20-30 residents that had no clean drinking water, and they couldn\u2019t dig a well because there was too much sulfur in the ground water. \u201cI promised them that no matter what else happens in the election, I am going to just make this problem known,\u201d Conn added. &nbsp; Bunch speaks Bunch agreed with Conn that no one should be without clean drinking water and noted that she is familiar with the water problem Conn referred too. Bunch said that the state has allocated funding to fix that problem, but part of the delay in Whitley County is having to work with Knox County on the project, and Knox County has other priorities before they get to that area. Bunch said that she reads every piece of legislation that comes across her desk, tries to do her own research and stands behind every vote she makes, even it if isn\u2019t popular like her vote that opposed raising the minimum wage. \u201cI strongly, strongly felt by the research that I did that Kentucky was not able to absorb a higher minimum wage than the federal level at that time,\u201d she noted. Bunch said that she is one of two legislators that filed bills regarding entitlement reform this year. \u201cI honestly believe we have created a society that entitlement alone is the root of the problems that we are facing,\u201d she said. \u201cI am all for a hand up. Anyone can have times when they are down on their luck but that is just what it should be, a hand up. It is not supposed to be generational or your inheritance.\u201d Bunch said she thinks this would go a long way towards helping fix the drug epidemic and our economic problems. \u201cYou know what the Bible says about idle hands,\u201d Bunch noted. \u201cWe need to teach work ethic and make sure people are getting up and earning a decent living, and inviting their children to watch them make a living.\u201d Bunch said that she is seeking her fourth term in office, and she might seek a fifth term if Republicans take control of the Kentucky House of Representatives for the first time in 95 years during the upcoming election. \u201cAfter 95 years, give us (Republicans) a chance,\u201d she said. Bunch added that if Republicans take control of the house and don\u2019t make things better that the public should vote them out. &nbsp; Knuckles speaks Knuckles, who is publisher of the News Journal and president of the chamber, was the only Corbin City Commission candidate, who attended Tuesday\u2019s luncheon. He noted that Bunch and Conn\u2019s presence at the forum should tell those in attendance something. \u201cThe fact that they are here talking to you, and they have taken the time out of their busy schedules in the middle of the day to come out and tell you what they believe tells you that they care,\u201d Knuckles said. Knuckles noted that there are a lot of really good things going on in Corbin, and he complimented several city officials for their public service, such as Corbin City Commissioner Ed Tye, one of his opponents, for his efforts to spear headed the Creek Walk several years ago. He also cited Corbin City Commissioner Suzy Razmus\u2019 efforts and those of others to get Sanders Park built on a previously blighted property, and Mayor Willard McBurney\u2019s work to turn the Engineer Street Bridge from an eyesore into a place where people often walk, and even have their prom pictures taken at. Despite many good things going on in the community, Knuckles noted that Corbin also has some issues. In particular, Corbin is at a very perilous time economically regarding its budget. With the passage of packaged alcohol sales in surrounding communities, Knuckles predicted Corbin\u2019s alcohol tax revenue, which totaled about $850,000 last year, would go down by half. \u201cWe are going to have to deal with that. The city has been in the red a few times in the last five or six fiscal years. This is something we are going to have to pay attention too,\u201d he added. As recently as 2006, Corbin had a nearly $1.5 million budget surplus with less revenue than it has now. Over the last 10 years, Corbin has increased its spending on average $200,000 per year. \u201cWe [&hellip;]"}