Honored for excellence…

The Kentucky Association of Health Care Facilities/Kentucky Center for Assisted Living (KAHCF/KCAL) recently recognized Corbin Health & Rehabilitation Center’s Carrie Ray, LPN, as one of Kentucky’s top five in nursing care. She has nearly a decade of experience working at the Corbin facility.

Unemployment rates decrease in Whitley, Knox, and Laurel counties

Unemployment rates decreased in Whitley, Knox, Laurel, Bell and McCreary counties between September 2023 and October 2023, according to the Kentucky Center for Statistics (KYSTATS), an agency of the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet.

Whitley County

Whitley County’s unemployment rate decreased from 4.8 percent in September 2023 to 4.2 percent in October 2023. Whitley County’s October 2023 unemployment rate was 0.2 percent lower than the October 2022 unemployment rate.

Laurel County

Laurel County’s unemployment decreased from 4.6 percent in September 2023 to 4.1 percent in October 2023. Laurel County’s October 2023 unemployment rate was 0.1 percent lower than the October 2022 unemployment rate.

Knox County

Knox County’s unemployment rate decreased from 6.0 percent in September 2023 to 5.4 percent in October 2023. Knox County’s October 2023 unemployment rate was 0.1 percent higher than the October 2022 unemployment rate.

Bell County

Bell County’s unemployment rate decreased from 5.9 percent in September 2023 to 5.2 percent in October 2023. Bell County’s October 2023 unemployment rate was 0.2 percent higher than the October 2022 unemployment rate.

McCreary County

McCreary County’s unemployment rate decreased from 5.9 percent in September 2023 to 5.2 percent in October 2023. McCreary County’s October 2023 unemployment rate was the same as the October 2022 unemployment rate.

Statewide unemployment

Kentucky’s unemployment rate decreased from 4.1 percent in September 2023 to 3.8 percent in October 2023. Kentucky’s October 2023 unemployment rate was the same as the October 2022 rate.

Unemployment rates rose in 31 counties between October 2022 and October 2023, fell in 59, and remained the same in 30 counties, according to the KYSTATS.

Woodford County recorded the lowest jobless rate in the commonwealth at 2.8 percent. It was followed by Carroll, Cumberland and Marion counties, 3 percent each; and Anderson, Fayette, Nelson, Oldham, Scott and Shelby counties, 3.1 percent each.

Martin County recorded the state’s highest unemployment rate at 8 percent. It was followed by Magoffin County, 7.6 percent; Leslie County, 6.6 percent; Owsley County, 6.5 percent; Breathitt County, 6.4 percent; Harlan County, 6.2 percent; Elliott County, 6.1 percent; and Clay, Letcher and Lewis counties, 6 percent each.

Kentucky’s county unemployment rates and employment levels are not seasonally adjusted because of small sample sizes.

The comparable, unadjusted unemployment rate for the state was 3.8 percent for October 2023, and 3.6 percent for the nation.

Unemployment statistics are based on estimates and are compiled to measure trends rather than actually to count people working. Civilian labor force statistics include non-military workers and unemployed Kentuckians who are actively seeking work. They do not include unemployed Kentuckians who have not looked for employment within the past four weeks.

Whitley County has a civilian labor force of 14,149 people with 13,554 employed and 595 unemployed. Statewide, Kentucky has a civilian labor force of 2,029,926 people with 1,953,659 employed and 76,267 unemployed.

Learn more about Kentucky labor market information at https://kystats.ky.gov/KYLMI.

Christmas at the Cumberland concert held Sunday

Photos by TIMOTHY WYATT 

The University of the Cumberlands held its sixth annual Christmas at the Cumberlands concert Sunday afternoon in the O. Wayne Rollins Center, where members of the university’s bands and choir ensembles delighted attendees with a variety of Christmastime favorites. 

Moses gets clean audit of 2022 tax account settlement

Former interim Whitley County Sheriff Danny Moses received a clean audit regarding his 2022 tax account settlement, according to Kentucky Auditor of Public Accounts Mike Harmon’s office.

“The former sheriff’s financial statement fairly presents the taxes charged, credited and paid for the period September 1, 2022, through December 31, 2022, in conformity with the regulator basis of account,” Harmon’s office wrote in a recent release. “The auditor noted no instances of noncompliance. The auditor also noted no matters involving internal control over financial reporting and its operation that were considered to be material weaknesses.”

Moses was appointed as interim sheriff on Dec. 1, 2021, and served in that position through Dec. 31, 2022. Current Sheriff Bill Elliotte took office on Jan. 1, 2023.

State law requires the auditor to annually audit the accounts of each county sheriff. In compliance with this law, the auditor issues two sheriff’s reports each year: one reporting on the audit of the sheriff’s tax account, and the other reporting on the audit of the fee account used to operate the office.

As part of the audit process, the auditor must comment on noncompliance with laws, regulations, contracts and grants. The auditor must also comment on material weaknesses involving the internal control over financial operations and reporting.

The sheriff’s responsibilities include collecting property taxes, providing law enforcement and performing services for the county fiscal court and courts of justice. The sheriff’s office is funded through statutory commissions and fees collected in conjunction with these duties.

Harmon’s office released audit findings late last month in regards to Moses’ 2022 financial statement for the sheriff’s fee account.

The fee account audit contained only one finding, which was that the former sheriff did not have adequate segregation of duties, according to a different release from Harmon’s office.

This is a one of the most common audit finding for small governmental offices with a limited number of staff.

This is a repeat finding and was included in the prior year audit report, according to the release.

The former Whitley County Sheriff’s bookkeeper collected payments from customers, posted transactions to the receipts ledger, wrote checks, posted transactions to the disbursement’s ledger, and prepared monthly and quarterly reports.

“We recommend the Whitley County Sheriff’s Office separate the duties involved in receiving cash, preparing deposits, writing checks, posting to ledgers, preparing monthly bank reconciliations, and comparing financial reports to ledgers to separate individuals,” the prior release noted.

North Carolina robbery suspect apprehended in Williamsburg

Williamsburg police arrested an armed man inside a vehicle that had been reported stolen last week. The car was found parked at a local fast food restaurant, according to a Williamsburg Police Department release and court documents.

Ruth Elinor (Umstot) Lewis

Ruth Elinor (Umstot) Lewis, 71, of Corbin, Kentucky passed away on December 3, 2023 at her home surrounded by loved ones.
Ruth, daughter of the late William Gilmore Umstot and Elinor May Umstot, was born January 30, 1952 in Cumberland, Maryland.
She was raised alongside her sisters, Nancy Barry (the late Robert C., Jr.) and Becki Vasse (Alan).
She is a 1970 graduate of Fort Hill High School. Upon graduation, she attended nursing school at Alleghany Community College where she earned her RN degree in 1972. She touched many in her career, from Memorial Hospital in Cumberland, MD, Children’s Medical Group in Westminster, MD, Dialysis Clinic, Inc. in Corbin, KY, Knox County Elementary in Barbourville, KY and South Laurel High School in London, KY.
Ruth was very active with the International Order of Rainbow for Girls organization throughout her youth and served as Grand Worthy Advisor of Maryland during the 1971-1972 session and served as installing officer at Supreme Assembly in 2012. She was also a member of Eastern Star. She was passionate about the organization and cherished several life-long friendships that originated from the Cumberland Chapter and Maryland Rainbow.
She was married to her first love, Jack Michael “Mike” Lewis, on July 15, 1972. Their union was blessed with two children.
She is survived by her husband; two children, Christopher Lewis (Amy) and Sara Harris (Mike); 5 grandchildren, Sydney and Jaxon Lewis, Carly, Cooper and Crosby Harris; and many sisters and brothers-in-law; nieces and nephews; as well as great-nieces and nephews.
Ruth’s life will be cherished by all who knew her. She had an infectious smile, lovable personality and was always willing to lend a hand. Her family was everything to her; she adored her grandchildren and made sure everyone knew it.
Visitation will be held from 10-12pm on Tuesday, December 12, at First Christian Church, 100 South Kentucky Avenue, where her memorial service will follow at 12pm with Rev. Ronnie Mitchell and Dr. Bob Tibbs officiating.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Shriners Children’s Hospital in memory of Ruth.
Arrangements by Vankirk-Grisell Funeral Home, where messages of condolence may be written to the family at vankirkgrisellfuneralhome.com.

Latest round of 2023 Southeast Kentucky Empty Stocking Fund donations announced

The Corbin Rotary Club has announced the second round of donations for the 2023 Southeast Kentucky Empty Stocking Fund (SEKESF) Christmas program to benefit children in need throughout the tri-county area.

So far, a total of $11,358 has been donated.

Donors and the amounts given for the week ending Dec. 3 include:

• Marr & Miller Accountants – $100.
• Linda Norwell – $100.
• Joan Black – $500.
• Mitchell Tax & Accounting – $100.
• Steve Surmont – $100.
• Pennington Wellness – $100.
• Forcht Bank – $250.
• Hampton Inn (Corbin) – $250.
• Wallen’s Towing – $250.
• Daylen Wallen – $100.
• Marion Ed McNeel – $150.
• Joan Barton – $100.
• Brenda Carpenter Jones – $100.
• Davis Salvage Company – $500.
• Patil Foundation Inc. – $1,000.
• Walmart Store Number 1259, Corbin – $4,000.
• Rotary Foundation District 6740 – $1,500.
• Rotary Club of Corbin, Ky. – $750.
• Sudhir and Shobhana Patel – $252.
• Pam Razmus – $100.
• Paul Jones (in memory of Shirley Jones) – $100.
• Joe and Lola Caldwell (in memory of Shirley Jones) – $100.
• Two Great Friends of SEKESF – $500.
• Jerry and Helen Rickett – $200.
• Tim Bryant – $56.
• Mildred Burkhart – $100.

About 630 children have been signed up.

Lots of volunteers are needed to help wrap presents on the evening of Friday, Dec. 15. The wrapping will take place at Immanuel Baptist Church starting about 6 p.m.

On Saturday, Dec. 16, volunteers will be needed to help hand out the gifts.

The Empty Stocking Fund will hand out gifts and other items on Dec. 16, starting at 11 a.m. for the first 100 families. The second group will start at 1 p.m.

Donations may be mailed to:

Southeastern Kentucky Empty Stocking Fund

P.O. Box 1747

Corbin, KY 40702

The Empty Stocking Fund is a 501c3 non-profit. Donations are tax deductible.

W’Burg’s Hanging of the Green held downtown Saturday

Photos by TIMOTHY WYATT 

A handful of area citizens braved the rain Saturday night for Williamsburg’s annual Hanging of the Green event at the Green Space on Main. Choir members from Williamsburg Independent School sang a number of carols before the town tree was ceremoniously lit.

W’Burg Christmas parade slated to take place Saturday

Christmas and parade lovers rejoice, as the City of Williamsburg’s annual Feels Like Home Christmas Parade is slated for this Saturday in downtown Williamsburg.

The parade is set to begin at 6 p.m. and will take place along Main Street starting at Williamsburg Independent School and concluding in front of the old Whitley County Courthouse.

There will be a variety of floats and other spectacles throughout the parade, with the event being wrapped up by Santa Claus at the very end.

There will be three categories for judging this year, consisting of church, school and business. The first-place winner in each category will receive $150, second place gets $100 and third place gets $50. All school band/choir programs that participate also get $200.

There will be one final participation meeting Thursday at 5 p.m. at the Williamsburg Tourism and Convention Center. Williamsburg Roddy Harrison said that anyone who has yet to sign up for the parade, is still welcome to attend the meeting. The meeting will include staging information for the night of the parade.

Harrison asked that attendees stick around after the parade to participate in several additional events at Bill Woods Park. Of those events is the annual town Christmas ornament exchange, which has been going on for more than a decade.

To participate, bring an ornament to Bill Woods Park with your name written somewhere on the ornament or its package and leave it on the table that will be setup for the exchange. Then, just simply take an ornament that someone else has left.

Harrison said that the exchange is a yearly tradition he always looks forward to.

“That’s one luxury we have being a small town, is having an ornament exchange,” said Harrison. “You’ll have some kind of special connection to someone else in Williamsburg you may or may not know. It’s just something special.”

For those who have lost a loved one and would like to keep their memory alive, the town Christmas tree will be decorated with memorial ornaments. These ornaments should include the name of the person that the memorial ornament is being hung in honor of.

The memorial ornaments are collected each year and kept to be put back on the tree the following year.

There will also be free apple cider and hot chocolate available. Additionally, the winners of the annual Christmas decorating contest are expected to be announced as well, if the votes have been tabulated.

Patrick, Brown win Governor’s Impaired Driving Enforcement Awards

More than 170 Kentucky state and local law enforcement officers were recently honored for extraordinary efforts to protect motorists from impaired drivers, including Williamsburg Police Officer Dorman Patrick Jr. and Corbin Police Patrolman Chris Brown.

Dorman Patrick

The occasion was the Governor’s Impaired Driving Enforcement Awards, which was held at the Hyatt Regency in Lexington and hosted by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s (KYTC) Office of Highway Safety.

“Our law enforcement are the heroes who work to keep our families safe by ensuring impaired drivers are removed from our roadways,” said Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary Jim Gray. “Their efforts are saving lives, and we are grateful for their dedication to the commonwealth and our people.”

Awards were presented to those with the most impaired-driving arrests in each agency and in each division from Oct. 1, 2022, through Sept. 30, 2023.

Award recipients received a plaque, while the top division winner was presented with the Highway Safety All-Star Award – a commemorative baseball bat from Louisville Slugger. There are six divisions, broken down by number of officers within the agency, and a division for Kentucky State Police (KSP).

“The Williamsburg Police Department would like to congratulate Officer Dorman Patrick Jr. for winning the 2023 Governor’s Award, for outstanding achievement in Impaired Driving Enforcement. This is the fourth year that Officer Patrick has received this award and led the department in apprehending the most impaired drivers from the streets and roads of Williamsburg and Whitley County,” the Williamsburg Police Department wrote in a release.

“Driving under the influence is a highway to jail, or often ends in a death zone. WPD will stay committed in our efforts to prevent senseless tragedies, by aggressive and strict DUI enforcement in the years to come.”

Other officers with area ties, who received awards, include: Barbourville Police Patrolman Colby Patterson, KSP Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Central Region Sgt. Michael Hamblin, KSP Post 10 (Harlan) Trooper Joshua Jones, KSP Post 11 (London) Trooper Steve Walker, Laurel County Sheriff’s Deputy Tommy Houston, and London Police Sgt. Drew Jackson.

Patterson was the Division One award winner and Walker was the Division Six award winner. Division One is for departments with one to 10 officers. Division Six is for Kentucky State Police.

According to the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety (KOHS), last year in Kentucky there were 4,127 total crashes involving an impaired driver, resulting in 1,990 injuries and 189 deaths.

“Too many families have lost loved ones due to this selfish act,” said KOHS Executive Director Bill Bell. “Our office will continue to support law enforcement efforts to remove impaired drivers from our roads, including providing federal funds for additional enforcement during this holiday season.”

The KOHS, Kentucky State Police and local law enforcement agencies are partnering for the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over holiday enforcement campaign. Officers will be out Dec. 13, 2023, through Jan. 1, 2024, watching for any moving hazardous violation, with an emphasis on impaired driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration funds the campaign and reports high-visibility enforcement reduces impaired driving fatalities by as much as 20 percent.