Fire destory’s Woodbine home last Thursday, GoFundMe started for family

A fire destroyed a Woodbine family’s home last week in what investigators believe may have been arson, and an online fundraiser has since been launched in an attempt to provide the family with some relief.

The fire broke out sometime last Thursday morning, according to Woodbine Fire and Rescue Chief Rickie Fore, who said that the station was called out to a home on Terrell Cemetery Road at approximately 10 a.m. When fire crews got on the scene, the structure was partially involved, with the fire at the center of the house and coming out one wing of the home.

Fire crews were on scene fighting the blaze until approximately 1:15 p.m.

Fore said that no injuries were reported and no one was home at the time the fire occurred. 

Arson is believed to be a cause of the fire. An investigation is currently still ongoing by the Knox County Sheriff’s Department.

Oak Grove Fire Department also assisted at the scene.

Following the fire, a GoFundMe was set up on behalf of the family. According to the GoFundMe page, the home belonged to Lee and Nova DeGarmo, which had been their residence for 26 years. The page also claimed that the land the home sat on has belonged to the same family line for over 100 years.

The pair lived in the home with their three children.

“Every heartfelt donation, whatever the size will be a blessing and a relief of the financial burden of this.”

“Lee and his wife, Nova, is the sole beneficiary of these funds, and everything donated will go straight to their family,” the GoFundMe page stated.

As of Tuesday, $1,670 of the fundraiser’s $200,000 goal had been donated.

Anyone wishing to donate can find the page by visiting www.gofundme.com and typing “DeGarmo” into the search bar at the top. The fundraiser for the family is named “DeGarmo Home of 26 Years Caught on Fire” or by clicking here.

W’Burg City Council declines to hear tax ordinance Monday due to proposed legislation

An ordinance renewing a longstanding occupational tax agreement between the Whitley County Fiscal Court and the cities of Williamsburg and Corbin was put on the backburner Monday, as members of the Williamsburg City Council discussed a proposed bill in the Kentucky House of Representatives that could see even more of the city’s revenue going to the county. 

District Court Records

Editor’s note: The News Journal publishes only the final disposition of district court criminal cases except for those which are waived to a grand jury or dismissed without condition.

Lawsuits

Marriage Licenses

Deeds

Wilson hoping to see several bills passed during final weeks of legislative session

With one month remaining in the 2024 regular session, 82^nd District Rep. Nick Wilson is hopeful that several specific bills will end up finding their way to the desk of Gov. Andy Beshear.

McCreary County couple suing Corbin man over March 2022 DUI incident

A McCreary County couple is suing a Corbin man, who struck them in 2022 while he was driving under the influence, according to the lawsuit.

Eric Vanover and his wife, Misty Vanover, of the Honey Bee community in McCreary County, filed a lawsuit on Jan. 18, 2024, in Whitley Circuit Court against Joshua Kadetz M.D. At the time he was driving a rented automobile and the lawsuit also names EAN Holdings LLC, doing business as Enterprise Rent-A-Car, which was the owner of the rental car.

Legal Notices for 3-13-2024

REQUEST FOR BIDS

The Whitley County Board of Education is now accepting Requests for Proposals for Banking Services and Sealed Bids on the following items for the 2024/2025 school year:  (1)Asphalt Materials/Hauling & Installation, (2)Asphalt Sealing, (3)Bus Filters, (4) Bus Lubricants (5) Bus Tires, (6) Concrete/Concrete Block, (7)Door/Hardware, (8) Glass Replacement, (9) Gravel/Gravel Hauling, (10) Instructional Supplies, (11) Janitorial Paper Supplies, (12) Janitorial Supplies, (13) Metal Roofing/Metal Roof Installation, (14) Student/Athletic Pictures.

Requests for Proposals and Bid Documents are available at the Whitley County Board of Education Office, 300 Main Street, Williamsburg, KY 40769, during regular office hours from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, or they may be obtained by visiting our website at www.whitley.kyschools.us.  Request for Proposals and Bid deadline is 2 p.m., Wednesday, April 10, 2024. Requests for Proposals and Bids will be opened on April 10, 2024, at 2:00 p.m.  Request for Proposals and Bids received after the scheduled closing time will be returned unopened to the bidder. The Whitley County Board of Education reserves the right to reject any or all bids, and to waive informalities.

NOTICE OF BOND RELEASE

In accordance with KRS 350.093, notice is hereby given that EN Enterprises, LLC., 121 Vermillion Ave., Whitesburg, KY 41858 has applied for a Phase I bond release on Increment 1 of Permit #918-0508, which was last issued on 5/3/2023. The application covers an area of approximately 21.16 acres located 1.0 mile south of the community of Duckrun in Whitley County.

The permit area is approximately 0.5 mile east of the intersection of KY Route 1673 and Kidd Road and just north of the North Fork of Indian Creek.

The bond now in effect on Increment #1 is a letter of credit of $75,000.  Approximately 60% of the original bond amount included in the application for release.

Reclamation work performed includes backfilling, grading, fertilizing, seeding, and mulching completed in October 2023.

Written comments, objections, or requests for a public or informal conference must be filed with the Director, Division of Mine Reclamation and Enforcement, 300 Sower Blvd., Frankfort, KY 40601, by April 26, 2024.

A public hearing on the application has been scheduled for 9:00 A.M. on April 30, 2024 at the Department for Mining Reclamation and Enforcement’s Middlesboro Regional Office, 1804 East Cumberland Avenue, Middlesboro, KY 40965‐1229. The hearing will be cancelled if no request for hearing or informal Conference is received by:  April 26, 2024.

Corbin man serving time for robbing Laurel Co. bank seeking to have his sentence reduced

A Corbin man, who is currently serving a six-and-a-half-year sentence for robbing a Laurel County bank in September 2022, is seeking a reduction to his prison time due to a recently-implemented amendment to the federal sentencing guidelines.

FOX