Oh what a year it’s been!

For better or worse, 2005 marked a year of change in Whitley County.
It was a time that saw the implementation of a payroll tax and the subsequent fight over how it would be divided, and a year that saw the temporary closure of a brand new jail and subsequent indictment of the jailer.
It was a year that brought about the resignation of longtime county leaders, the death of prominent citizens, and the closing of some landmark businesses.
On the plus side, 2005 was a year that saw funding come through for a brand new civic center for Corbin, an agreement reached to tear down the old Corbin hospital, and a year where local residents opened up their hearts to hurricane victims.

1) Payroll tax
The implementation of a payroll tax by the Whitley County Fiscal Court in late June was an event that affected every working person and business in the county, and was at least partially responsible for a decision by Whitley County Judge-Executive Mike Patrick to resign effective Dec. 31, 2005, in order to take a position with state government.
Patrick first hinted that a payroll tax might be necessary after the fiscal court voted three-two in January to give EMS and 911 workers a pay raise.
In February, county officials announced that the jail was expected to finish the year $550,000 over budget, and by April, the county’s overall budget deficit to close the fiscal year was projected to reach nearly $773,000, which turned out to be a low estimate. The actual figure was closer to $1.2 million.
Fiscal court members rejected the payroll tax by a vote of three-two in May, and it against failed to pass again June 10.
At that time, county leaders were warned that if the tax wasn’t approved then nearly all county workers would be laid off, and that county government, including the ambulance service and 911, would shutdown.
On June 16, Magistrate Nolan Bird changed his vote, and he, Patrick, and Magistrate Burley Foley voted to approve the first reading of the tax ordinance.
During a public hearing on June 29, about 60 people packed into the crowded fiscal court meeting room at the courthouse, and 10 people voiced their concerns about the tax. Despite being asked plenty of question, fiscal court members offered few answers.
The tax went into effect July 1, and sparked a series of meetings between the fiscal court and city leaders in Corbin and Williamsburg over how the tax, which is projected to bring in nearly $3 million, would be split.
On Sept. 20, county and city leaders finally reached an agreement that allowed the fiscal court to keep all of the tax generated during the first quarter of the year, which was about $560,000. After that, the county was allowed to keep all the tax money generated outside the city limits and 25 percent of the tax revenue coming from inside the cities.
On Dec. 20, Patrick announced his resignation noting that several factors went into his decision, including the fact that most judge-executives, who pass a payroll tax, don’t get re-elected. Gov. Ernie Fletcher appointed Foley to succeed Patrick, and he took office Jan. 1.

2) Jail closure and Taylor indictment
Since the Whitley County Detention Center opened in August 2004, it saw problems almost immediately including a delay in billing other counties for housing their inmates, and for being over budget.
A two-hour meeting in February between Jailer Jerry Taylor and the Whitley County Fiscal Court yielded no answers, and continued arguments over staffing for the jail, and issues with construction problems at the facility.
In late March, Taylor and the fiscal court were blaming each other for the escape of two prisoners, who went out of the same hole in the cell block that three inmates escaped from in December 2004.
In April, officers with Operation UNITE busted three people, who had family ties to Taylor, on charges that they plotted to sell drugs at the jail. One of those charged was a former deputy jailer, and another was an inmate at the jail.
On May 17, Department of Corrections Commissioner John Reuse said enough and ordered the jail to close. At a hearing three days later in Frankfort, Reuse told Taylor that he didn’t know what was going on in his own facility, but agreed to allow the jail to remain open provided the county hire an administrator to help oversee the jail.
In June, the fiscal court hired Forrest Sexton to serve as jail administrator, but Taylor continued to proclaim that he was still “the man in charge” at the jail. When fiscal court members attempted to give Sexton the power to hire and fire jail employees, Taylor threatened to sue and county leaders backed off from giving the jail administrator broader authority.
On July 18, Reuse filed a lawsuit in Franklin Circuit Court asking for a judge’s order to close the facility based on “Taylor’s malfeasance in office.”
Following a brief hearing on July 22, a Franklin judge gave the order to close the jail, which went into effect the following day. Reuse noted that when Corrections officials went to move the 134 inmates, they discovered drugs, liquor, weapons, other contraband, and a “filthy chaotic mess.”
On Sept. 6, Special prosecutor Eddie Montgomery presented allegations to the grand jury involving the jail, Taylor, and his son, former chief deputy Jailer Jerry Allen Taylor.
On Sept. 12, the grand jury charged Jailer Jerry F. Taylor in a 19-count indictment alleging forgery, theft, drug trafficking, and malfeasance of office. Jerry Allen Taylor was indicted in a 14-count indictment for drug trafficking and promoting contraband.
On Sept. 30, Taylor resigned as Jailer citing “failing health.” His resignation was part of a plea bargain with prosecutors, which he entered in to on Oct. 13.
Taylor entered an Alford plea to five counts of forgery in exchange for prosecutors recommending a five-year prison sentence to be probated for five years.
An Alford plea means that Taylor still maintained his innocence, but conceded that prosecutors probably had enough evidence to convict him had the case gone to trial.
As part of the plea agreement, Taylor had to pay restitution, the prosecutors agreed to drop the remaining charges and not seek an additional indictment against him.
The case against Jerry Allen Taylor is still pending.
On Oct. 12, Patrick appointed part-time sheriff’s deputy Ken Mobley to fill out the remainder of Taylor’s term as jailer.
On Nov. 5, Reuse gave the go ahead for the jail to reopen.
Two days later, Mobley charged eight inmates for promoting contraband, and a week later another nine inmates for promoting contraband. Most of the promoting contraband charges dealt with tobacco in the jail, which is now smoke free.
In late December, jail officials cited another dozen inmates for either promoting contraband or criminal mischief following a contraband sweep in the facility.

3) New Corbin Civic Center funded
On Aug. 12, Gov. Ernie Fletcher delivered an early Christmas present for Corbin city leaders in the form of a $12 million check to build the Southeastern Regional Agriculture and Exposition Center.
The center – planned to be an arena-type structure that can host concerts, equine activities, conventions, sporting events, etc. – is slated to be located off Cumberland Falls Highway near the Corbin Technology Center.
“This will make this community attractive for jobs and opportunities. We think it’s very important,” Fletcher said. “I know you’ve had a passion and a dream for this. It’s a great honor for me to share in this announcement.”
On Dec. 12, the results of a 12-week feasibility study on the arena were disclosed.
Estimates are that the center would attract about 149 days worth of events annually, and would have operational costs of about $900,000 to $1 million annually. It would bring in about $560,000 to $800,000 in revenue each year.
It was estimated that the 6,000 seat civic center would bring in about $13 million in revenue annually to the local economy, but that the facility would likely operate at a $300,000 deficit annually.
In January, Corbin leaders began discussing plans for a class change to drop from a third to a fourth class city in order to implement a restaurant tax, which would help fund the new center.
Even though the class change took effect June 20, city officials haven’t passed a restaurant tax yet, which they say will be used to cover the remainder of the center’s operating costs.
Mayor Amos Miller said the city commission would pass the restaurant tax in the near future.

4) Old hospital ordered demolished
In November, Corbin officials were given a timeline for action on one of Corbin’s most notorious eyesores.
Kentucky Communities Economic Opportunity Council (KCEOC) reached a deal in June to purchase the old Southeastern Kentucky Baptist Hospital and about five acres on Mitchell Street near Fourth Street for $20,000.
The building has been vacant for 19 years, and has been an enticing target for vandals and thrill seekers.
Under the KCEOC plan, all entrances and windows would be boarded up and concrete barriers were to be erected across driveways within six weeks to restrict access to the building. KCEOC also plans to put up a gate at the main entrance to the property, and hope to obtain funding for demolition by mid-2006. Demolition is slated to begin in Spring 2007.
The entire building will have to be sealed during the removal process in order to prevent asbestos from contaminating the surrounding air.
Once removed, the hospital property and surrounding land would be used for housing developments.
Local attorney and business owner David O. Smith had filed a lawsuit against the city on behalf of E-Z Demolition Inc. on Feb. 9. The lawsuit sought an order to require the Corbin City Commission to tear down the hospital, and enforce their own property maintenance laws.

5) Adult Depot opens, closes
In January, the Corbin Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to recommend that adult-oriented businesses operate in the same areas as factories, water treatment plants, and stockyards. However, it was an adult store, which opened in southern Laurel County near Exit 29, which made headlines throughout 2005.
On July 6, The Adult Depot opened its doors to patrons selling pornographic magazines, books, videos and other items seemingly in defiance of a local ordinance regulating such businesses.
Laurel County officials said the store did not have a permit to operate and had not completed paperwork necessary to run an adult-oriented business in the county as required by an ordinance the fiscal court had passed in March.
By the end of the month, about 65 protesters led by local ministers went before the Laurel County Fiscal Court to voice their opposition to the pornography store.
On Aug. 16, Laurel County Sheriff’s deputies descended on the store and arrested two employees for operating an adult-oriented business without a permit and for distributing obscene material.
Deputies had previously obtained an arrest warrant for store owner Steve Hale and other employees, and announced, “anytime those people show up there … we’ll put them in jail.”
On Oct. 17, the Laurel Fiscal Court voted to file suit against Adult Depot in an effort to shut the store down.
Laurel Circuit Judge Greg Lay handed down a ruling on Nov. 8 requiring the store to close until the lawsuit against it had been settled.
Hale and his attorneys called the Laurel ordinance a “sham,” and contended that county officials had no intentions of issuing a permit to operate to any adult business.
By late December though, Hale pleaded guilty in Laurel District Court to charges that he operated an adult-oriented business without a special permit and for distributing obscene material – both misdemeanor offenses.
As part of the plea deal, Hale received a probated jail sentence, was ordered to pay a fine and court costs, and agreed to never reopen the store.

6) Hurricane assistance
Whitley County residents opened up their hearts, homes, and wallets for victims of Hurricane Katrina in September as the Greater Corbin Ministerial Association worked out an agreement to use the vacant Best Value Inn as a standby home for victims that had special needs or medical conditions.
First United Methodist Church of Corbin announced plans to house 30 displaced people. In addition, The Bennett Center in London agreed to house 70 refugees.
The Williamsburg Ministerial Alliance established a fund for local residents to give to the relief effort.
The Cabinet for Health and Family Services in Williamsburg challenged their other area offices to see which could collect the most bottled water to send to hurricane victims.
The results were 68,768 bottles of water donated in Williamsburg alone, in addition to 25 big boxes of diapers, 22 huge boxes of wipes, 43 cans of formula, 26 baby bottles, and six boxes of wipe refills.
In the eight county Cumberland Valley Region, a total of 94,888 bottles of water were donated.
In October, thanks to the efforts of some Williamsburg and Whitley County residents, about $30,000 in cash and supplies got delivered to a Mississippi community ravished by Hurricane Katrina.
Thanks to donations by local church groups, community members, and businesses, Jim Paul said local relief workers were able to come up with about $20,000 in supplies, and $10,000 cash that they were able to distribute to Mississippi communities Waveland and Bay St. Louis.
Paul and five other local residents delivered the first of the supplies to hurricane victims with more trips planned later in the year.

7) Car lot owner arrested
On Oct. 10, after weeks of investigation, a south Corbin auto dealer was arrested for allegedly processing fake loans – a scam prosecutors say may have topped the $1 million mark.
Corbin Police Capt. Tim Helton arrested Elvis Presley Proffitt, 28, owner of No Hassle Auto Sales, outside the Whitley Circuit Courtroom where he surrendered to police.
The Whitley County Grand Jury indicted Proffitt in August for theft of identity, and authorities claim Proffitt continued to falsify loan applications through his business using the identity of customers who either purchased cars at the lot, or considered a vehicle purchase.
In some cases, investigators say Proffitt would process up to three loans on a single vehicle. Victims apparently got wise when creditors began seeking payment.
Prosecutors say 100 separate incidents are being investigated, and that over $1 million has been stolen.
Police are currently working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and attorneys for both sides say the case will likely be turned over to federal prosecutors.
Proffitt is being held in the Whitley County Jail without bond
His attorney, Warren Scoville said the matter is a case of sloppy bookkeeping, and that $1 million is a gross exaggeration.
The Whitley County Grand Jury indicted Proffitt for a second time on Dec. 12, charging him with two counts of theft of identity and two counts of theft by deception.

8) Baby sale
In April, a Whitley County Grand Jury indicted a young mother, her boyfriend, and a Michigan woman in connection with the alleged scheme to sell a 10-month-old girl for $5,000.
The grand jury charged Jessica Cornett, 18, Kenneth Couch, 22, and Kimberly Brick with a violation of KRS199.590, which states, “a person, agency, or institution shall not sell or purchase, or procure for sale or purchase any child for the purpose of adoption or any other purpose including termination of parental rights.”
“It is illegal in Kentucky to purchase a child for adoption. We don’t want to traffic in children that is against everybody’s sense of right and wrong,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Allen Trimble.
After their arraignments the following months, attorneys and family members of the three defendants all had a slightly different version of events.
Brick’s lawyer said she was merely trying to adopt a child, and had loaned the couple $5,000.
Couch’s lawyer said he didn’t think a sale had taken place, and that if it had his client couldn’t sell what he didn’t own.
Cornett’s mother said that her daughter was tricked, and that the other defendants were trying to place all the blame on her.
In September, both Brick and Cornett entered Alford pleas to the charges. An Alford plea means that both women still maintain their innocence, but acknowledge that prosecutors probably had enough evidence to convict them at trial
Judge Paul Braden sentenced both women to two years behind bars, but he agreed to probate’s Brick’s sentence. Cornett, who was pregnant again, was ordered to serve her two year sentence in prison.
The case against Couch is still pending, and he is scheduled to stand trial early this year.

9) Notable deaths
2005 saw the death of several prominent Whitley County residents, most notably former county clerk Everett Rains, who passed away Oct. 22 at Oak Tree Hospital in Corbin at the age of 88.
Rains, who served 24 years as county clerk, began his career in politics serving one term as Whitley County Sheriff from 1954 through 1957. At the time sheriff’s couldn’t succeed themselves, and Rains made a failed bid for county clerk in 1957 against incumbent Ernie Hickey. He ran again for county clerk in 1961, and was elected to the first of his six terms in office. He left office in 1985.
He was a very good man,” noted Kay Schwartz, who worked for Rains 11 years in the clerk’s office. “He was always kind to people. It didn’t matter if they came in mad, they never left mad. He always calmed them down, and took care of their needs. It didn’t matter what they needed, he always tried to help them.
“Even if he knew somebody was against him, he was kind to them when they came in. He shook their hand, and he helped them. It didn’t matter to him. He was a man that would turn the other cheek. He was always good to people.”
Rains death wasn’t the only one that affected Whitley County in 2005.
Dr. Harold Mauney, 67, passed away on June 1 at the Baptist Hospital East in Memphis.
Mauney served as pastor of First Baptist Church in Williamsburg from 1981 through 2000, and as associate pastor of First Baptist Church of London since 2000.
“He was very funny. He always had a humorous story to tell,” said Kenneth Nighbert, who is a deacon at First Baptist Church in Williamsburg, and was a close personal fiend of Mauney’s for nearly 25 years. “He was able to relate to ever individual. No matter what their vocation or level of education was, he always was able to strike up a conversation.”
Longtime Williamsburg lawyer William “Bill” Cox Jr., who served as Whitley County’s Master Commissioner for four years, passed away at his home on July 20.
Cox was born in Corbin on March 31, 1939, and graduated from Corbin High School in 1956. He was admitted to the Kentucky Bar Association in 1962, and served as Whitley County Attorney from 1970-1978.
“He was one of the best people I ever met,” said Evelyn McCullah, who worked as Cox’s secretary for over eight years. “He was a great teacher. He was a family man, a wonderful lawyer, and one of the most intelligent men I have ever met. He was the best friend to everybody.”

10) Institutions close
On Aug. 6, the Fad Pool Hall, which was the last of Corbin’s venerable pool halls, closed quietly ending a 72-year Main Street Legacy.
Located across the street from Hardee’s downtown, the small hangout with four regular pool tables and a snooker table had a tight-knit, rock-solid clientele.
Corbin native Bill Crook, who had been a Fad customer for over 40 years, said it was a stop for some of the best pool players in the world.
The Fad was established in 1933 and was originally located across from The Dixie Cafe on Main Street. it moved to its current location in 1964.
It looked like the last Dixie Dog had been served in late August as owners of The Dixie Cafe announced plans to close.
Unlike the Fad though, the Dixie got a reprieve in October when April Gilbert and Gene Brown announced that they would reopen it as GB’s Grill.
“We think that most people who know it as The Dixie will still call it The Dixie. That’s OK,” Brown said. “I don’t care what they call it if they come and they like our food and service.”
Dixie owners announced in November that they would be applying for a liquor license.
In addition, Huff Pharmacy closed its doors for good on Dec. 10 after 45 years in operation. The store was sold to national pharmacy and retailer Rite Aid.
Huff Pharmacy was founded in downtown Corbin by Dave Huff in 1960 when he purchased Begley Pharmacy. The company opened a branch on Cumberland Falls Highway in 1993, and eventually made it the main pharmacy in 1995 when Huff and co-owner Don Creech decided to close the downtown store.