Williamsburg man who robbed Corbin bank in 2018 sentenced to 25 years
A Williamsburg man who was arrested in November 2018 for robbing a Corbin bank has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.
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R.C. Morris
With heavy hearts, we mourn the passing of R.C. Morris, a beloved husband, father, and cherished member of the Williamsburg community.
Born on November 5, 1939, in Jellico, TN, R.C. Morris peacefully departed from this world on June 14, 2024, at Hillcrest Health and Rehab in Corbin, Kentucky.
Left to cherish his memory are his loving spouse of over 54 years, Sandra Sue (Young) Morris; and their children, Michael Morris, Diana Morris, and Edward Morris (Jessica Burress). R.C. Morris also leaves behind a legacy carried by his nieces, Rachel Hill, Natashia Jones, Angela Carr, and Jennifer Davis; and a host of other family and friends to mourn his passing.
His spirit will forever live on in the hearts of those who knew and loved him.
A funeral service in honor of R.C. Morris will be held at Croley Funeral Home on June 20, at 11:00 am with Rev. Doyle Lester officiating. Prior to the service, a public viewing will take place on June 19, at 6:00 pm at the same location.
He will be laid to rest in the Croley Addition of Highland Park Cemetery.
R.C. was preceded in death by his parents, Blaine Morris and Diana (Reynolds) Morris; father-in-law, Lloyd Young and mother-in-law, Nannie Young.
Croley Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Roy Prewitt
Roy Prewitt, beloved husband of Evelyn Prewitt, devoted father of Joyce Taylor, and cherished family member, passed away on June 15, 2024, at the age of 80.
Roy will be dearly missed by his grandchildren, Scarlett, Kayla, Brad, Whitney, Patrick, Kris, Joshua; and great-grandchildren, Brooklyn, Makensey, Braden, Axel, Maggie, Tessa, Briar, Levy, Paisley, Payton, Parker, Preston, Noah, Lexie Jo, and Oliver. He is also survived by his sister, Mildred (James) Vanover.
Roy was a member of Grace Christian Fellowship Church and found solace in his faith and community. He had a passion for hunting and fishing, finding peace and joy in nature.
Visitation for Roy will be at Croley Funeral Home on Friday, June 21, from 11:00 AM until the funeral hour. The funeral service for Roy Prewitt will be held at Croley Funeral Home on Friday, June 21, at 3:00 pm.
In honor of his memory, Roy will be laid to rest in the Highland cemetery following the service. May he rest in peace.
Roy was preceded in death by his parents, John and Mossie Prewitt; son-in-law, Bill Taylor; brothers, Junie Prewitt and Arnold Prewitt; and his sister, Bessie Carr.
Croley Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Lois Rooks
Lois Rooks, age 81, of Williamsburg, Kentucky departed this life on June 13, 2024 at her home.
Lois was born on March 13, 1943 in Williamsburg, Kentucky to Beckham Carpenter and Amanda (Lawson) Carpenter. She was preceded in death by her parents, Beckham and Amanda (Lawson) Carpenter; husband, Thomas Rooks; daughter, Cheryl Rooks; sisters, Ada Merritt, Reba Ramsey, and Doris Carpenter; and brothers, Otis Carpenter, Millard Carpenter, Doyle Carpenter, and Merl (ML) Carpenter.
Lois is survived by her stepdaughter, Darlene France; stepson, Thomas Rooks; grandchildren, Julie Wilson (Shawn), Jessica Auterson (Stacey), Christopher Rooks, Tonya Rooks, Anthony Rooks, Jason Rooks, Jamie Rooks, Michael Rooks, Amanda Rooks, and Amy Rooks; host of great-grandchildren; special friend, Peggy Partin; several nieces and nephews and a host of other family and friends to mourn her passing.
Lois was a member of Black Oak Baptist Church.
Funeral service will be at 1:00 PM on Tuesday, June 18, 2024 at the Croley Funeral Home with Rev. Billy Carpenter officiating.
She will be laid to rest at the Croley Addition of Highland Park Cemetery.
Croley Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Jerry W. Teague
It is with heavy hearts that we announce the funeral service for Jerry W. Teague, who passed away on June 10, 2024, at Mountain View Nursing and Rehab in Pineville, Kentucky.
Born on May 4, 1953, Jerry was a beloved father, grandfather, and friend to many.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Frank Teague and Gladys (Jones) Teague; wife of over 34 years, Jewell (Lovitt) Teague; brothers, Frank Teague, Jr., Donald Teague, and Unis Teague; and sisters, Barbara Teague, Iva Jean Martin, and June Terry.
He is survived by his daughters, Kim Teague and Kathy Evans (Stanley Lee); stepsons, Rick Luntsford (Laura) and Gary Luntsford; as well as numerous grandchildren including Tim Luntsford (Jessica), Sarah Luntsford, Elizabeth Luntsford, Ronnie Luntsford (Madison), Brooke Burdine (Tyler), Bailey Rains (Preston), Blake Evans (Shala), Megan Hacker, and Chelsey Hacker; great-grandchildren, Raelyn Campbell, Brooklyn Smith, Jaxon Hacker, Evelyn Rose, Lucki Rudd, Emersyn Kayte Evans, Jayden Dunn and Oaklyn Burdine; brother, Buster Teague (Reba); several nieces, nephews and a host of other relatives and friends to mourn his passing.
Jerry was a member of the Cumberland Heights Church of God.
The funeral service to honor Jerry’s life took place at Croley Funeral Home on Friday, June 14, with Rev. Bill Berry and Rev. Josh Stephens officiating.
Following the service, Jerry was laid to rest at Emlyn Cemetery Road in Emlyn, Kentucky.
Jerry will be remembered for his kindness, his love for his family, and his unwavering spirit. As we gather to pay our respects and share our memories of Jerry, let us celebrate a life well-lived and a man deeply cherished by all who knew him. May his memory live on in our hearts forever.
Croley Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Mary Elizabeth Hill Brown
Mary Elizabeth Hill Brown, age 78, of Rockholds, Kentucky departed this life on June 12, 2024 at her home.
Mary was born on May 9, 1946 in Rockholds, Kentucky to Hancer Hill and Hazel (Spurlock) Hill. She was preceded in death by her parents, Hancer and Hazel (Spurlock) Hill; husband, Silys Hill; grandchild, Ralph Hill, Jr.; sisters, Ida Pearl Broyles and Wanda June Hill; brothers, Billy Hill and Bradley JR Hill; and son-in-law, Darrell Carter.
Mary is survived by her husband, Enoch Elmer Brown; children, Ernest Hill (Melissa), James Hill (Deborah), Ralph Hill (Donna), Donna Carter, Barbara Logan (Randy), Brenda Siler, and Sidney Hill (Faye); step-children, Rick Brown (Lena), Cindy Howard (Jimmy), and Shelia Brown; grandchildren, Ashley Mounce, Jessica Hill, Gabriel Wynn, Sarah Hill, Jacob Hill, Courtney Hill, Rene Hill, Ashley Hayes, Emily Partin, Riley Partin, Matthew Partin, Beth Hill, Vanessa Richardson (Dustin), Brian Hill (Danielle), Natasha Dople, RJ Logan, Hanna Sulfridge, Chelsey Logan, and Kevin Hill; step-grandchildren, Jeremy Brown (Brittney), Joseph Brown (Alysa), Kristin Stevens (Christopher), Brondon Lyons, Justin Lyons, Christopher Rose, Faith Rose, and Brittany Nelson; great-grandchildren, Hunter Mounce, Nattie Hill, Bailey Hill, Abby Ernestine, Ally Logan, Kaden Mounce, Ethan Hill, Jayden Jones, Logan Ernestine, Bryce Logan, Maddie Moses, Bristol Hill, Estyn Hill, Adalyn Dople, Emery Dople, Emmie Hill, Madison Richardson, Elijah Hill, Jaxon Dople, Abryeana Logan, Lakin Sulfridge, Emma Logan, Chase Sulfridge, Braxton Sulfridge, Nova Stevens, Conner Vanover, Annie Lyons, Lyrk Lyons, Chance King, Allison Moses and Maddox Payne; brothers, Eddie Hill and Donald Ray Hill (Michelle); sisters, Reba Faye Hill (Jerry) and Peggy Lambdin; several nieces and nephews and a host of other family and friends to mourn her passing.
Funeral service was on Monday, June 17, at the Croley Funeral Home with Rev. Dillard Cupp and Rev. Jody Wells officiating.
She will be laid to rest at the Hubbs Cemetery on Flat Creek Road.
Croley Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Printing multiple publications at once was a learning experience
(This is the fourth in a series of articles I am writing that cover my 37 years as publisher of this newspaper. Last week I wrote about Terry Forcht solving our printing problems.)
Don Estep is publisher of the News Journal.
In the early 90s we had three newspapers, the News Journal, Pulaski Week and Laurel News Journal and two real estate magazines and hardly any area printing company could handle the load. I discussed this with our owner, Terry Forcht, and he suggested that we buy presses and start printing our newspapers.
Terry and I, along with a pressman we had hired, started visiting printing plants. We were preparing to start a new business to solve our printing problems. He built a beautiful printing facility in London, the center of our operations, and we followed that up by purchasing the needed presses, insert machines, mailing equipment, and all the other necessary equipment. It was a huge undertaking.
Publishing newspapers was something I had experienced for years but printing them was something else. As work progressed on building and installing the equipment Terry called me one Sunday afternoon and asked me what we should call our new operation. I hadn’t given it the first thought. After talking a few minutes Terry said, “Let’s call it Duke Printing.” That caught me off guard and then he explained that John Wayne, the Duke, was playing in a movie on TV at that time and why not call it Duke?
Thus, Duke Publishing got its name. Getting that operation going was probably the most taxing venture I had ever had. We had a couple of pressmen that knew enough to get us started, but there were so many other problems we had to conquer. If it wasn’t the inserter giving us problems, it would be the mailing machine, or several other things you get in a new venture.
Finally, after a few months we had things under control. We were printing nine newspapers and yet it was difficult to make a profit. This went on for a few years and Terry came up with another brilliant idea. He sold the presses to our competitor and leased the building to them.
Yes, brilliant! Community newspapers which published the Richmond, Somerset, London and Corbin newspapers would be printed there, along with our newspaper for a short period.
Terry had turned what had been an almost impossible situation for us to make a profit to one that was very profitable.
Now we were free to seek a printing plant elsewhere. Jay Nolan, the owner of J. Frank Publishing in London made a proposal to us to print there. Nolan publishes several newspapers himself and he had purchased new presses. In my 37 years here, this is the best printing move ever to come our way. Not only did we get a better-looking print job, but the people we work with are the best ever. I will forever be grateful to Jay Nolan for eliminating printing headaches that had plagued me for years.
It was also time to cease the Somerset and London papers. Those startup operations never had the success that we have had with our Whitley Republican and Corbin! This Week operations that eventually became the News Journal.
J. Frank Publishing also prints our real estate guides. This is a story that goes back to our first year of publishing this newspaper in 1987. The real estate magazines in this area were being published by an out-of-state firm. I asked the local realtors to meet with me at Yeary’s Restaurant in south Corbin.
I recall that meeting as if it was yesterday. I believe all realtors were there for my proposal. After going through it the late John Chandler asked me, “How do we know you won’t raise the prices next year?” I told them you have my word on it.
And other than the increase in cost for a full color magazine, we have not increased the price in 37 years. Although the magazine is smaller now because of the Internet, we still deliver thousands to businesses every month and people continue to pick them up. We also publish a real estate magazine in the Middlesboro and east Tennessee and Virginia areas.
Next week I will conclude this series of articles on my experiences here with why it is important that community newspapers continue to succeed.
Barbara Long
Barbara Long, age 77 of Corbin, KY, passed away Sunday, June 16, 2024 at the University of Kentucky Medical Center.
She was born April 1, 1947 in Jellico, TN, to the late Arthur and Irene Ball Strunk. Along with her parents she was preceded in death by her husband, Floyd L. Long; and a son, Jeremiah Long.
She is survived by her son, Shawn Long of Mt. Vernon, KY; several nieces, nephews, and a host of relatives and friends to mourn her passing.
Funeral service will be 12:00 PM Wednesday, June 19, at the Ellison Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Harold Long officiating.
Interment will be in Youngs Creek Cemetery.
Visitation will be 11:00 AM until the funeral hour Wednesday, June 19, 2024 at the funeral home.
Condolences may be made to the family at www.ellisonfh.com.
Ellison Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Floyd L. Long
Floyd L. Long, age 83 of Corbin, KY, passed away Tuesday, June 11, 2024 at the Frankfort Regional Medical Center.
He was born January 7, 1941 in Elk Valley, TN to the late Andrew and Dessie Silcox Long. Along with his parents he was preceded in death by a son, Jeremiah Long; two sisters, Alberta Lawson, and Goldie Reedy; five brothers, AZ Long, Arnold Long, Estil Long, James Long, and R. J. Long.
He is survived by his wife, Barbara Long of Corbin, KY; one son, Shawn Long of Mt. Vernon, KY; two sisters, Lucille Long Bullock of Florida, and Betty Long Jackson of Kingston, TN; one brother, Harold Long (Janice) of Williamsburg, KY; several nieces, nephews, and a host of relatives and friends to mourn his passing.
Funeral service was Sunday, June 16, at the Ellison Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Harold Long officiating.
Interment was in the Youngs Creek Cemetery.
Condolences may be made to the family at www.ellisonfh.com.
Ellison Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
First-time Little League coaching experience was rewarding, thanks to those who helped
Columnist’s Note: It’s finally here—my long-awaited, much-heralded return to column writing. The applause isn’t necessary, but truly, I do appreciate it. Moving forward, I plan to have a column here in the pages of the News Journal on a monthly basis. I hope you’ll join me here to read whatever it is I have to share.
I didn’t grow up playing baseball. I didn’t even grow up watching baseball. Aside from the occasions in which Chicago Cubs or Atlanta Braves games would cut into whatever station the family television might have been on at the time, I didn’t have much involvement in the sport.
The biggest reason for that is I didn’t have anyone in my life to really introduce me to the game of baseball. And it cutting into my regular programming didn’t help my interest. But, truthfully, my focus was so steadfastly settled on one sport in particular that I had never even considered giving another so much as a wandering eye.
No, my one, true love was that of modern-day gladiators: Football.
For me, football didn’t need an introduction. It was violent and exciting and fast. Football forced me to pay attention.
While I still enjoy the sport, America’s pastime has supplanted it atop my sports hierarchy. There’s a mystique to baseball that has enamored me as I’ve gotten older.
This year, for the first time ever, I journeyed into the world of Little League baseball. After some extensive negotiations with my then-seven-year-old daughter, I took on the role of head coach and recruited her as my very first player. It should be noted that she was not a ringer. Her baseball expertise extended approximately as far as mine, which amounted essentially to the occasional game of catch in our back yard.
I also had no prior experience coaching; that is, unless you count my absolutely dominating reign at the helm of the Kentucky Wildcats football program during the early 2010s in the NCAA Football video game. It truly was a dynasty that paled even Nick Saban’s tenure at Alabama.
The Little League season, however, didn’t start quite as stellar, with us losing our first four games of the year. Two of those losses were closely contested, but the other two were a little more uneven.
I’m a highly competitive person. So much so, that family game nights often end long before the game has actually concluded and everyone funnels out of the living room in a fit of equal parts rage and annoyance. Why? Because I was winning. Or, because I was losing. (I’m not saying I’m proud of it.)
Despite that mentality, I managed to go into this season with a fairly level head. I wanted to win, but, more importantly, I wanted the kids to have fun. During that string of losses, I could sense the kids weren’t having fun though. There’s obviously nothing fun about constantly falling short.
I decided we were not going to lose our next game. Even in coach pitch, there’s only so much bearing I could have on the game, but I knew I could at least alter my own approach.
I changed up our weekly practice, breaking the kids off into rotating pods that focused on specific aspects or mechanics of the game. The team showed a marked improvement in our next game, rallying to a 5-1 win.
I knew if they could get that win, it would jumpstart their belief in both themselves and their teammates. They were able to build off that success and find their stride. The team ended up putting together a streak of wins heading into the end-of-season tournament before eventually finishing the year in third place among the six coach pitch teams. It was a worthy finish, especially given the talent level of some of the teams.
I’m thankful that my daughter decided to play this year. It was a great experience for her, but I think it was even better for me.
In the midst of our losing streak, I found myself looking up possible solutions online as to how to right the ship. I came across a Reddit post of someone asking for similar advice. One response in particular struck me: “Baseball is a game of failure. You will get out, you will make mistakes, but it’s how you handle those mistakes that build your character.”
Getting to know these kids, getting to rejoice with them in their triumphs and getting to watch them become better players was an extremely rewarding experience. I’m proud of what they achieved this year. I hope that I was able to help them handle their mistakes in a way that will continue to build their character, because I certainly know they did that for me this season.
I also met a lot of cool, new people throughout this endeavor that I might not have otherwise. I went headlong into this head coach position with not a single other grown-up to help me. Luckily, I picked up some parents of a few of my players to round out my coaching staff. Jason Beavers, Paul Dengel and Cortney Moses, I appreciate your help throughout the season. You made it a fun and thoroughly enjoyable adventure.
We had a great group of parents, too. In talking to some coaches from other teams, kids habitually missing games is a constant issue. That wasn’t a problem I had to deal with. Aside from an occasional sickness, my entire team was frequently present for games and even optional practices that I continued to hold weekly. It was a pleasure working with each of you.
I also want to commend the work done in Williamsburg by both Patty Faulkner and Maggie White for keeping that program running as smoothly as possible and helping create a fun, memorable experience for players and coaches alike. I still shudder to think of how frequently I text Maggie throughout the season asking questions or for favors to accommodate my schedule here at the newspaper. I don’t know how either of you do it, but I’m glad you do.
There’s also the countless amount of people that worked the concession stands or served as umpires (a position I do not envy) or other roles that I’m not even aware of that make it all possible.
To everyone mentioned above and those I may have missed: Thank you! Your time and effort helped make life a little better for a lot of kids in the area. That’s something worth celebrating.