Nettie Coldwell

Nettie Coldwell, age 84, wife of the late Letcher Coldwell passed away on Wednesday, July 5, 2023 at the Baptist Health Corbin. Graveside service and burial will be Tuesday, July 11, at the Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum in Cincinnati, OH. There will be no public visitation. Laurel Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.

Garry Humphrey

Garry Humphrey, age 66, of Corbin, KY, passed away on Monday, July 3, 2023. Funeral service was Sunday, July 9, at the funeral home with Rev. Greg Medlin officiating. Vankirk-Grisell Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.

Wanda Miracle

Wanda Miracle, age 65, of Gray, KY, passed away on Tuesday, July 4, 2023 at her home. Funeral service was Friday, July 7, at Vankirk-Grisell Funeral Home with Rev. Benny Bush officiating.Vankirk-Grisell Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.

Betty Ann Boyts

Betty Ann Boyts, 98, passed away on Sunday, June 18, 2023 in Pioneer, TN.
She was born to Frederick Delbert and Opal (Fisher) Beach on November 17, 1924 in Elkhorn, WI.
Betty grew up on a farm in Mazomanie, WI and loved the farm life. She especially loved dogs and horses from an early age. When she was 4 years old her mother passed away, which rocked her world.
At the age of 22 she got on a bus and headed off for a new adventure to attend nursing school at the New England Sanitarium and Hospital School of Nursing (1974) in Stoneham, MA near Boston.
After she received her nursing degree and worked a couple of years, she met Charles H. Boyts and married him on June 18, 1950. With this marriage came two young daughters, Nancy and Bonnie. She took them under her wing and mothered them so well they called her “Momma” until the end.
Once the girls were grown, she and Charles moved to Florida where they eventually purchased a farm and named it “Char-Bet Farms” in Christmas, FL. They lived there for over 50 years. Betty worked as a nurse for many years at Wuesthoff Memorial Hospital in Rockledge, Fl. But her first love was being outdoors on the farm. You could find her out in her old station wagon selling eggs when they had an egg business, sometimes with a grandchild or two under tow. Later she boarded horses. The boarders called her Miss B (an endearing term) and helped her keep things going on the farm after Charles passed away. She could often be seen on the big mower or the tractor with her big straw hat, which she much preferred to housekeeping.
The farm is where the family would gather on weekends and enjoy pony rides, bonfires, hayrides, good food (especially Betty’s pies) and a lot of fun. It could be a hard life, but she never complained. She was an extremely hard worker and always kept busy doing something around the farm. Often, she hosted busloads of children to the farm for field trips.
She was a long-time member of the Titusville Seventh-Day Adventist church, and loved helping in the children’s divisions, VBS and potlucks.
For the last seven years of her life, she moved between Florida and Tennessee enjoying time withher daughters, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren. She was tough, yet tender and was loved by all who got to know her.
She is survived by her daughter, Nancy Lee Smith, seven grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband Charles (2005) and daughter Bonnie Ann Wilkens (2022).
She will be interned and laid to rest alongside her husband and father at the Brevard Memorial Park, in Cocoa, FL. Her memorial will be held in Florida.
Harp Funeral Home of Jellico in charge of arrangements.

2023 – People’s Choice Reader’s Poll

Safety Project at the Intersection of U.S. 25W and Bray’s Chapel Road Will Begin Today

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) advises motorists that a safety project will begin Monday, July 10 at the intersection of U.S. 25W (mile point 20.232) and Bray’s Chapel Road in Whitley County, and is expected to conclude Wednesday, July 12. (more…)

W’burg native fares well in Miss Kentucky Pageant

Williamsburg native and current Louisville resident Morgan Moses placed in the Top 10 during the 2023 Miss Kentucky competition, which was held June 28 – July 1 at SKyPAC in Bowling Green.

Moses is a 2016 Williamsburg High School graduate. She is also a University of Kentucky alumni and recent graduate of the University of the Cumberlands Physician Assistant Program. She is the daughter of Christey Moses.

In addition to the Top 10 finish, she received a BeMedispa EmpowHERment Award, which is $1,500 in scholarships.

Moses is a veteran of the Miss Kentucky Pageant, having finished in the top 11 in 2018 and the top 12 in 2021.

“None of it would be possible without the best support system, the sweetest sisterhood, and all of the volunteers that pour their heart into this organization! Thank you thank you thank you!!! I am honored to have gotten to share the stage with some of the most incredible women in the whole state! I’ve had the most fun with my sister queens and can’t wait to see what else they will accomplish!” Moses wrote in a Facebook post. “Congratulations to our new Miss Kentucky, Mallory Hudson! I can’t wait to follow her year of service!”

Tayler Plunkett was the first runner-up. Chapel Tinius was the second runner-up.

The Miss Kentucky competition is the official state preliminary to the Miss America competition.

Join us as we spend a few weeks checking in with our local magistrates

Last spring, an op-ed ran on this Opinion page concerning magistrates. The author briefly summarized the history of the position, and went into detail about the many functions that go along with holding the title. (more…)

Local school districts receive grant funds to help children over the summer

A generous grant of $130,000 has been provided to combat hunger in the summer, thanks to the No Kids Hungry organization’s commitment to ending hunger and poverty, and a portion of that funding is going to the Williamsburg Independent School and the Whitley County School District.

During school hours, some students depend on lunch meals, which can usually be the only meal they receive that day.

But what happens when school lets out for summer break?

Summer break can be one of the hungriest times of the year for these students.

Student meal programs were designed to combat summer hunger; however, they only reach a fraction of the kids who need them due to barriers like transportation, fuel costs, extreme weather and parent’s work schedule.

“There has long been a huge gap between the kids getting meals in the summertime and the kids who need them, creating an undue burden on family budgets and making it much harder for students to return to school in the fall healthy and ready to learn,” said Kate McDonald Goodin, No Kid Hungry Kentucky Campaign Director at Feeding Kentucky.

Thankfully, Congress approved significant improvements for the summer meals program, including new options that allow rural sites to offer the flexibilities that work for their community.

The No Kid Hungry grant supports the adaptations needed to reach as many kids as possible, while also being able to avoid some of the barriers mentioned above.

Ten school districts received the grant, including: Perry County Schools, Williamsburg Independent Schools, Middlesboro Independent Schools, Wayne County Schools, Whitley County Schools, Bell County Schools, Caverna Independent Schools, Trimble County Schools, Pineville Independent Schools, and Hopkinsville Family YMCA.

John Siler, Whitley County Superintendent, said the grant was for the more rural schools in Whitley County.

Siler also mentioned Sharon Foley, their Food Service Director, pursued the said grant and has always looked for ways that students are provided even when not in session.

“Between the two schools, around 450 students were benefited,” Siler informed. “In a rural area like ours, we have students that sometimes may not have adequate nutrition. In our school district, we always put our students first, whether it’s food or instructional needs… there’s a need out there, especially with inflation and grocery prices… We hope that this grant will be successful throughout the summer, and we hope there are opportunities with the state, such as more grants for more schools, not just these two,” Siler added.

Deb Tamblin, the Williamsburg Food Service Director, worries about students who do not get enough food to keep them healthy.

“To me, making sure that these kids have something, whatever it may be, helps us keep their social behavior more in check. If they do not have the food they can count on, they are going to be a different-minded child,” Tamblin said.

Tamblin says she wants to bring food that the students will want to eat. She strives for healthy and fresh food, saying it is important.

When asked about her goals with this grant, she said, “I hope this helps us reach as many kids possible throughout the summer in all areas of the county, especially where parents lack transportation…I know with this grant money that we can help… the kids will know that when they see a food truck, someone is going to bring them something.”

After seven-year absence, mule pull event is returning to the county fair

For the first time since 2016, the Whitley County Fair will feature a mule pull when it takes place next week.

“I’ve talked to several pullers that are coming,” noted Larry Barton, who is organizing the event. “If people come and watch, they will have the opportunity to see good stuff.”

He said he has talked to several interested people about it and is expecting to have between 10 – 20 teams of either mules or draft horses participating.

Barton said last week that he has already spoken with people from Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia about participating.

A mule pull involves pairs of either mules or draft horses pulling a sled to see which team can pull the biggest load the furthest.

There will probably be two to three classes for mules and one class for draft horses. For instance, there will be one team of Belgian draft horses that will weigh between 5,300 – 5,400 combined pounds.

“They are big,” Barton added.

The classes will be broken down by the combined size of the teams, which is determined by total weight. Bigger animals normally can pull heavier loads.

Barton said that he wouldn’t be surprised to see the winning draft horse team pull 10,000 pounds or more.

He said that there was always a good crowd when the mule pull was held at 3-R Arena several years ago as part of the Whitley County Fair, and he is hoping for a good crowd again this year.

While pulling mules is a dying sport with fewer and fewer people with mule teams taking part, Barton noted that it is still an enjoyable sport to take part in and one that many people typically enjoy watching.

“If people come out, they will have a good time,” Barton predicted.

“If you haven’t ever seen it, you might enjoy it,” Barton added. “They are amazing animals.”

The mule pull will take place on Saturday, July 15 at the Whitley County Fairgrounds.

Gates will open at 9:30 a.m. and the mule pull will start at 10 a.m.

There is a $10 daily gate entry fee for people ages 12 and over. There is a $5 fee for children ages 6 – 11. Children ages five and under will be admitted for free.

You can purchase a three-day pass for $25 for people ages 12 and over, and $10 for children ages 6 – 11.