Ricky David Lawson

It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Ricky David Lawson, who entered eternal rest on November 3, 2023.
Born on March 25, 1961, in Jellico, TN, Ricky spent his life in Williamsburg, Kentucky, bringing joy and laughter to those who had the pleasure of knowing him.
As the famous saying goes, “To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die,” and Ricky’s spirit will live on through the memories we all shared with him.
Ricky is survived by his loving spouse, Rebecca Lawson; and his children, Jessie Lawson, Brittany Lawson, Bobby Hamblin, Danny Mays, Ray Mays, and Jacquelyn Curnutt.
He was a proud grandfather to Cameron Mays and 14 other grandchildren; and a great-grandfather to twelve great-grandchildren. He also leaves behind a large, loving family, sisters, Carolyn (Mac) Rickett, Diana (Larry) Stevens, Kathy (Dave) Powers, Thelma (Arthur) Foley, Connie (Dave) Lambdin, Molly Partin, and Stacey Lawson; brothers, Neddie Mac (Bobbie) Lawson, and David Lawson.
Ricky was preceded in death by his parents, DC and Dora Lawson; and his brothers, Leford, Isom, Neil, and Terry Lawson.
Visitation for Ricky will be held on Wednesday, November 8, at 11:00 am at the Croley Funeral Home, located at 103 South 2nd Street, Williamsburg, Kentucky.
The funeral service will follow at the same location at 1:00 pm.
Internment will take place at 2:00 pm at the DC and Dora Lawson Cemetery, Lot Mud Creek Road, Williamsburg, Kentucky.
We invite you to leave your memories of Ricky and upload photos to the memorial page. As the saying goes, “Memories are the key not to the past, but to the future.” While Ricky may no longer be with us in person, the memories of the joy and love he brought to our lives will remain forever.
Croley Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.

 

Cleo Tye

With a heavy heart, we announce the passing of Cleo Tye on November 5, 2023. Born on February 2, 1947, in Knox County, Kentucky, Cleo spent all her 76 years in the beautiful bluegrass state. Her life was a testament to Maya Angelou’s words, “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
Cleo was a remarkable woman who lived life on her own terms. Though she never held formal employment, her life was rich with the work of the heart – nurturing her family, tending to her home, and cultivating friendships that lasted a lifetime. Cleo’s home was a haven of love and laughter for all who knew her. Her doors were always open, her table laden with delicious food, and her heart full of warmth. Her strength of character and unyielding spirit were her hallmarks. She embodied Albert Einstein’s words, “Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.”
Cleo was a beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She is survived by her grandchildren, Speed (Gina) Tye, Zac Royal (Ashley) Tye, Ashley Stephens, and Amber Clark. Her great-grandchildren, who brought her immense joy, also survive her. She leaves behind her brother, Elmer Gray, and sister, Bernice Buss. Several nieces and nephews and a host of other family and friends to mourn her passing. Cleo is preceded in death by her parents, Marcum and Edna Gray, her spouse, Royal Tye, and her children, Speed, Robert, and Lisa and several brothers and sisters.
Please join us in celebrating Cleo’s life. Visitation will be held on Thursday, November 9, at 1:00pm at the Croley Funeral Home, 103 South 2nd Street, Williamsburg, Kentucky.
The funeral service will follow at the same location at 3:00pm with Rev. Don Farmer and Rev. Tim Huddleston officiating.
Interment at 5:00pm at Cox Cemetery in Gray, Kentucky.
We invite you to help us remember Cleo by sharing your memories and photos of her on the memorial page. This is our chance to celebrate her life and the impact she had on us all. As Cleo’s life beautifully demonstrated, “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched – they must be felt with the heart.” – Helen Keller. Let’s remember Cleo as she was – a heart full of love, a life full of purpose, and a legacy of family and friendship.
Croley Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.

 

Hounds, Jackets gearing up for round 2 playoff action Fri.

With round one playoff wins over Hazard and Wayne County, respectively, the Williamsburg Yellow Jackets and the Corbin Redhounds are still in the hunt for state football championship titles in 2023.

The Jackets defeated the visiting Hazard Bulldogs last Friday night, 60-12, improving their overall season record to 6-4.

The Williamsburg offense did all of its scoring on the ground against Hazard, with quarterback Nate Goodin rushing for over 220 yards and four scores. Teammates Hunter Thomas and Peyton Tye also ended the night with one rushing TD apiece.

Jamon O’Donnell put six points on the board for the Jackets with a kickoff return, and Zyler Housekeeper added six with an interception that was returned for a score.

Matthew Davis added on four points for Williamsburg on the night courtesy a pair of successful two-point conversion attempts. Goodin also successfully converted a two-point attempt in the game, and Thomas did so on three separate occasions.

Things will get much tougher for the Yellow Jackets this Friday when they go on the road to face the defending state champion Pikeville Panthers (8-2).

The Panthers dominated visiting Harlan in round one action last week, winning 49-6 to advance to the next round of the 2023 Class A playoffs.

Isaac Duty has had a great season so far for Pikeville, throwing for just under 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns. Catching most of those passes has been receiver Jeb Wilkerson, while Brendan Anthony has led the way in the ground game with over 550 rushing yards and nine TDs.

The Panther defense has limited opposing offenses to a combined total of just 35 points in their last four outings.

Kickoff for Williamsburg versus Pikeville is set for this Friday, Nov. 10, at 7:30 p.m. The winner will advance to the regional championship round next week.

Hounds hoping to stay undefeated

While the Yellow Jackets are battling it out on the road Friday, the Corbin Redhounds will be back at home on Campbell Field when they welcome in the Taylor County Cardinals (9-2).

The Hounds hosted Wayne County last week in round one, winning 63-0 to improve to a perfect 11-0 on the year. Quarterback Kade Elam threw for nearly 200 yards and one touchdown to receiver Cam Estep in the victory.

Estep also found pay dirt on the ground against Wayne County, as did Redhounds Clay Akins (two scores) and Colton Creekmore (one score).

Running back Guy Bailey led the way for Corbin, however, rushing for over 100 yards and four touchdowns.

Noah Cima sent nine balls through the uprights for the Redhounds, making him perfect on the night with extra point attempts.

Taylor County should present Corbin with their toughest test since Johnson Central came to town on September 29. The Cardinals have won six straight coming into this round two matchup, defeating Letcher County Central last week, 50-13, to advance in this year’s Class 4A playoffs.

Taylor County’s Rex Parkey has put up impressive numbers through the air this season, throwing for 900 yards so far. The Redhound defense will have to stop running back Peyton Smith in order to advance, however, as he has been the key to the Cards’ offensive success, rushing for nearly 1,500 yards and 20 scores.

Kickoff for Corbin versus Taylor County will be 7:30 p.m. at Campbell Field.

 

Southern KY Chamber of Commerce announced Nov. luncheon

The Southern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce has announced that its next member luncheon will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at the Williamsburg Tourism and Convention Center. (more…)

 

Local schools are a bright spot for Whitley County

Whitley County certainly has its share of problems from drugs to poverty, but fortunately our local schools aren’t one of these problem areas. In fact, they are quite the opposite.

Last week, the Kentucky Department of Education released 2022-2023 school report card data, which gauges schools on several criteria, such as test scores and student readiness.

I won’t pretend to understand all of it, but the bottom line is schools received a color rating based on that criteria with blue being the highest followed by green, yellow, orange and red, which is the lowest rating.

Overall, our local schools did well. Some did really well.

Out of the three school districts in Whitley County, the worst rating that any school had was yellow with the remainder of schools scoring either blue or green.

Kudos to our local school districts and the educators at these schools for a job well done.

A few of our local schools really knocked it out of the ballpark.

Corbin Middle School placed second in the state out of 318 middle schools, and Corbin High School placed 12^th out of 228 high schools across Kentucky. Corbin Elementary School placed 22^nd out of 719 elementary schools, according to a Corbin Independent School District release.

A Lexington Herald-Leader analysis of the testing data showed Whitley East Elementary School with the eighth highest test scores for elementary schools in the state.

Whitley East has always done well in regards to state testing, which has always been particularly impressive, in my opinion, when you factor in the impoverished area where its students live.

Report card data shows that 87.6 percent of students at Whitley East are classified as economically disadvantaged.

Typically, a high economically disadvantaged area usally coincides with lower test scores, but not in the case of Whitley East. Several other Whitley County schools also have 80 percent or more of their students from an economically disadvantaged area, including: Pleasant View (green) 88.7 percent, Whitley North Elementary (blue) 88.4 percent, Boston Elementary (green) 87.3 percent, and Oak Grove (green) 81.2 percent.

Also, Williamsburg Elementary School ranked 91^st out all elementary schools and Williamsburg High School ranked 26^th out of all high schools, according to a school district release.

Our local schools aren’t perfect by any means. There is still plenty of room for improvement, but overall I think most of us can agree that they are all doing pretty well.

Now to touch on a few other topics before I conclude this column.

• Congratulations to the Whitley County High School Volleyball Team for a great season. They advanced to the elite eight for the second consecutive year in the state tournament before their season came to a close.
• I had the chance to check out Corbin High School’s football team Friday night for the first time all season, and this is an impressive group of Redhounds. A state title is certainly in the realm of possibility for this team. Friday night was also my first time checking out the newly renovated football stadium up close, which is equally impressive.

 

Area schools show improvement in 2022-2023 school report card

The Kentucky Department of Education released its 2022-2023 school report card data last week, which gauges each school district and individual school within the state based on several criteria, such as test scores and student readiness. Based on this year’s data, area schools look to be performing well.

The results were accompanied with a press release from KDE, in which Kentucky Interim Education Commissioner Robin Fields Kinney said that there had been obvious improvement statewide, especially at the elementary school level, though she added that there “is still a lot of work left to be done.”

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic now being largely behind us, Kinney also noted that “we must not underestimate” its impact on students and how it changed the way they received instruction during the height of its spread.

“This will be a multi-year recovery period that requires all of us to think differently about how we are educating our students,” said Kinney in the release. “KDE and our local districts and schools have been proactive in getting students back on track.”

And while this year’s data may not have been too stellar at the state level, locally, school districts are thriving.

Under the current ratings system, schools receive a color-coded rating with blue being the highest rating followed by green, yellow, orange and red, which is the lowest rating. The state moved away from the traditional star-rating system last year, opting for the new color system.

Based on this year’s data, almost every school within the county saw improvements over the previous year.

In 2021-2023’s rankings, only one school in the Whitley County School District received a blue rating, which was Whitley East Elementary School. This year, Whitley Central Primary School, Whitley Central Intermediate School and Whitley North Elementary School all join that list, with the latter improving from a yellow rating last year.

Boston and Pleasant View elementary schools, Whitley County Middle School and Whitley County High School all received green ratings, all up from yellow ratings last year.

Williamsburg Independent Schools showed positive growth also, with the elementary school receiving the highest of the three grade levels, moving from yellow last year to blue this year. The high school saw some improvement as well, receiving a green rating.

Only one school in the Corbin Independent School District fell below a blue rating this year, with Corbin Primary School receiving a green rating, the same as last year.

Corbin High School moved from green last year to blue this year.

All the schools within the county that received a score and their rating are as follows:

Whitley County

Boston Elementary School – Green

Oak Grove Elementary School – Green

Pleasant View Elementary School – Green

Whitley East Elementary School – Blue

Whitley North Elementary School – Blue

Whitley Central Primary School – Blue

Whitley Central Intermediate School – Blue

Whitley County Middle School – Green

Whitley County High School – Green

Williamsburg

Williamsburg Elementary School – Blue

Williamsburg Middle School – Yellow

Williamsburg High School – Green

Corbin

Corbin Primary School – Green

Corbin Elementary School – Blue

Corbin Middle School – Blue

Corbin High School – Blue

 

Local schools, organizations line up Veterans Day activities this Friday

With Veteran’s Day falling on Saturday this year, a number of local groups are planning ceremonies Friday honoring area veterans.

Whitley County High School will start out the day with a breakfast for veterans at 8:15 a.m. followed by a ceremony in the high school gymnasium at 9 a.m. that will include the entire student body.

Whitley County Sheriff’s Major Tony Dingess will be the guest speaker at the event.

Corbin schools events

Corbin Elementary School will hold a Veterans Day ceremony beginning at 8:15 a.m.

Parents are asked to contact their child’s teachers or the Family Resource and Youth Service Coordinator (FRYSC) at Corbin Elementary School if your child has a veteran that will be attending the program.

Corbin Middle School will have a continental breakfast for veterans beginning at 8:30 a.m.. At 9 a.m., Colonel Michael Farley will be the keynote speaker.

Corbin Primary School will hold a veterans drive thru parade on Friday starting at 10 a.m. at 3551 Fifth Street Road in order to honor “all who served,” according to an event flier.

“Veterans’ Day is one of our most favorite days at Corbin Primary School! We believe patriotism starts young and that’s with us! We invite veterans to drive through our parade route as we offer a host of the cutest 800-plus Redhound Patriots!” the flier states.

All veterans are welcome. Participants are asked to enter through the main entrance.

Corbin High School will have a Veterans Day program at 11:15 a.m. Afterwards, veterans are welcome to stay for lunch following the program.

Williamsburg schools event

The Williamsburg Independent School choir and band will be holding a patriotic concert in honor of local veterans during a ceremony that starts at 9 a.m. in the school gymnasium.

Local veterans are invited to attend.

Members of the student council will be recognizing those, who work at the school and have served in the armed forces.

Corbin Garden Club

Gold Star Family is a title, which is reserved for families of military members, who have died in the line of duty. It is meant to honor the service member’s ultimate sacrifice while acknowledging their family’s loss, grief and continued healing.

The Corbin Garden Club has purchased and will be dedicating a Gold Star marker in honor of families, who are part of the Gold Star family, on Friday, Nov. 10, at 1:30 p.m. at Nibroc Park.

“We invite everyone and especially family members, who have lost someone, to join us,” the Corbin Garden Club wrote in a recent Facebook post.

Extension Office event

The Whitley County Cooperative Extension Office will hold its annual Veterans Day Dinner from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at the extension office in Goldbug.

“Join us as we celebrate our veterans with a free chili dinner, dessert and drinks. Veterans and their families are invited to attend. Call (606) 549-1430 to register. Please communicate the total number of guests coming in your party,” organizers wrote in a flier for the event.

The Whitley County High School JROTC will be presenting the colors during the event.

1995 Whitley County High School graduate Duane Foley, who is an Air Force veteran, will be the guest speaker.

Saturday activities

On Saturday, Nov. 11, the Daniel Boone National Forest will waive fees at all Forest-operated recreation sites in honor of Veterans Day, including Laurel River Lake boat ramps, the Whitman Branch Shooting Range in Whitley County, Bee Creek Boat Ramp in Laurel County, and the Natural Arch Scenic Area and Appletree Shooting Range, which are both in McCreary County. Visitors will not be charged a fee at these day-use areas on Saturday.

This waiver does not apply to recreation sites operated by concessionaires, reserved group-use areas or recreation sites that have been closed for the season or for maintenance.

The Forest Service will also waive fees at the following locations on Saturday evening, including: Bee Rock Campground in Laurel County, and Great Meadows Campground and Barren Fork Horse Camp, which are both in McCreary County.

 

Local Toys for Tots campaign in critical need of volunteers, coordinator looking for successor

Santa Claus may be able to deliver toys to children all over the world in a single night, but he doesn’t do it without a strong team behind him that helps make such a feat possible.

Cathy Sims, coordinator of the South-Central Kentucky Toys for Tots Campaign that services Whitley County and other counties in the area, may not look the typical portrayal of Santa Claus, but she serves that role for many underprivileged children each year. Much like Santa, Sims, too, needs a strong team to help her continue that Christmas magic.

South-Central Kentucky Toys for Tots Campaign provides toys to tens of thousands of children across seven counties, including Whitley, Laurel, Knox, Clay, Leslie and McCreary counties, as well as Campbell County, Tennessee. During last year’s holiday season, the campaign also ended up serving children in Breathitt and Floyd counties, though they are not officially part of the campaign’s coverage area.

Her commitment to children is another way in which Sims denotes Santa.

“If I’ve got a toy, I’m not going to let a kid go without,” said Sims.

Last year alone, the campaign distributed over 26,000 toys to more than 12,200 children, a far cry from the less than 500 children within just the Tri-County who received toys when Sims took over the campaign nearly a decade ago.

According to the Toys for Tots Foundation’s website, the South-Central Kentucky Toys for Tots Campaign is among the largest in the state, distributing more than three times the number of toys to three times as many children as campaigns in larger locales like Lexington and Richmond. In fact, the Sims’ campaign is only dwarfed by a few other campaigns within Kentucky, such as those in Louisville and the Cincinnati, Ohio area

With such a large campaign, donations and volunteers are essential; however, the campaign has been struggling to find both.

The campaign recently received a $10,000 donation from Houchens Food Group, who own and operate many of the IGA and Save-A-Lot stores in the area, which Sims called the largest donation they’ve ever received. Despite that achievement, many of the area businesses that typically provided donations in the past have either scaled back their offering or elected to not give at all. General donations given by the public have also been scant this year.

On both accounts, Sims noted she was aware that times have gotten tough on everyone. With the rising costs of goods and services, she understands that people may not be able to give like they once were.

Even without considering the current economic state, the South-Central Kentucky Toys for Tots Campaign has always come up short of being self-sustained through local donations alone. Luckily, the national Toys for Tots Foundation ensures that none of their local campaigns go without, providing any toys that they may need to accommodate the number of children.

And while the national foundation may help fill in the gaps left from lackluster donations, what they don’t offer is the necessary manpower to unpack, sort and distribute the many toys the campaign gives out.

For the past several years, the campaign has operated with a very small core of primary volunteers, comprised mostly of senior citizens. But age and illness have started to leave an impact on the few people Sims knew she could count on to be at the warehouse the campaign operates out of on a daily basis. For that reason, more outside help is needed.

The national Toys for Tots Foundation is a non-profit organization, as are all local campaigns, so volunteers—including Sims—are not paid for their time. Although no compensation can be provided, Sims said that she can offer verification for anyone looking to get community service hours.

Sims is also in search of more than just seasonal help, though.

After years of bringing Christmas to thousands of children across Southeastern Kentucky, Sims is considering handing over the reins of the campaign to someone else.

Sims’ husband, Greg, who acted as the campaign’s co-coordinator alongside Sims until last year, is currently dealing with some health issues and Sims has several of her own. But she’s not ready to walk away until she knows that the campaign can live on.

Finding the person to fill that role could be a tall order. There’s no way to sugarcoat it: A possible successor would certainly have their hands full.

Anyone hoping to act as coordinator for a Toys for Tots campaign is required to file their intent via application and then submit to both a credit and criminal history check. After that, there is a broader background check that is performed, followed by several mandatory training courses that are required to be done in-person in Leesburg, Virginia. Once all the necessary hoops are navigated, it’s time to start the yearly campaign.

Campaigns usually ramp up each year on October first, but Sims said that it typically takes work throughout the entirety of the year to make sure the campaign is successful.

“This isn’t just a three-month thing,” said Sims. “They have to work a little bit extra and they would have to really care that the kids are taken care of.”

If Sims is able to find someone to take over the campaign, she said she is willing to stay on board as long as possible in whatever role she could be of most help.

For more information about becoming a Toys for Tots coordinator, visit www.toysfortots.org.

Additionally, the South-Central Kentucky Toys for Tots Campaign can use any donations received by December 15 toward this year’s campaign. Any toys or money received after that date will be put toward next year’s effort.

To donate quickly and easily, you can scan the QR code that accompanies this story, which will take you directly to the online donation form. You can also go to the campaign’s website at www.southcentral-ky.toysfortots.org and select “Ways To Donate” at the top of the page. There is also a list of drop sites where boxes have been placed for toy donations on their website. Only new toys are accepted.

Additionally, anyone who wishes to volunteer can do so at the campaign’s website by hovering over “Get Involved/Volunteer” at the top of their page and selecting “Sign Up to Volunteer” from the drop-down box.

A list of the campaign’s local and corporate sponsors can also be found on their website.

 

Empty Stocking Fund sign-ups are Friday (Nov. 10), Tuesday (Nov. 14)

Sign-up dates for the Southeast Kentucky Empty Stocking Fund are scheduled for later this week and early next week.

The sign-ups will be held on Friday, Nov. 10, and Tuesday, Nov. 14, in the old district court room lobby in the old Corbin City Hall next to the Corbin Police Department and Corbin Fire Department.

Sign-ups will go from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. each day.

At least one parent must come in bringing identification for themself and their children being signed up. Participants must also show proof of income or lack thereof. Parents should also bring children’s ages, shoe sizes and coat sizes.

The program is for children of parents, who need the group’s help at Christmas time.

Families are notified of their eligibility and assigned a family number.

The program is available to families in Corbin and the tri-county area, including communities surrounding Corbin, such as, North Corbin, Keavy, Lily, Gray, Lynn Camp, Woodbine, Rockholds, Oak Grove and Tattersall.

The program started in 1988 as a non-profit community project of the Rotary Club of Corbin.

This year will mark 36 consecutive years of service to nearly 20,000 children. The first-year the fundraiser provided a Christmas present for approximately 80 children. The program increased substantially until 2007 when more than 800 children from 300 families signed up.

This year’s budget is $38,500 that will include nearly $6,000 for bicycles.

Donations may be mailed to:

Southeast Kentucky Empty Stocking Fund

P.O. Box 1747

Corbin, KY 40702

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

 

Various improvement projects discussed at special called meeting of Corbin Tourism Commission

In the coming weeks and months, the Corbin Tourism and Convention Commission will be exploring several options for transformative projects in the downtown Corbin area. (more…)