Corbin celebrates Independence Day…

Whether it was inflatables for children to play on, a variety of food to chose from, a patriotic costume contest for adults and children or fireworks for the grand finale, there was a little something for everyone at this year’s Independence Day celebration held at the Corbin Arena on July 3.

Independence Day celebration at the Arena was great fun

Although I have seen slightly larger crowds in the Corbin Arena parking lot for Independence Day festivities, I still thought there was a good turnout for the event and a nice fireworks show last week.

Mark White is Editor of The News Journal.

The event featured a lot of things aimed at children, including bounce houses and an inflatable slide with water running down it. There were also a nice variety of food trucks on hand.

My only suggestion for next year would be to be to bring back the foam party that they had a few years ago. The foam dance floor was pretty well packed anytime that I saw it with no line to speak of and lots of children having a good time all at once.

Maybe you could have the Corbin Fire Department on hand with some type of sprinkler system to hose them off afterwards or for the children to simply to play under.

Even without the foam party last week, everyone seemed to have a great time and the emergency services personnel did a good job of getting everyone out of there fairly quickly. It helped to have the new access road open for those of us heading back towards town rather than going towards the interstate.

My congratulations to the organizers of this year’s event.

Now for a few other random thoughts before I conclude this column.

• Speaking of events, it sounds like the 2024 Whitley County Fair is shaping up to be a good one. In addition to regular events, such as the mud bog, demolition derby, horse show and mule pull, the fair is adding a few new events this year, including: a mullet contest, Whitley County Fair Idol, a dinosaur encounter and hot air balloons. Sounds fun.

• Commonwealth’s Attorney Ronnie Bowling announced recently that he hired former longtime Williamsburg Police Chief Wayne Bird as the new detective for his office, which is a great hire. Few officers anywhere know more about criminal investigations than Bird. News Journal Reporter Timothy Wyatt probably summed it up best when he said “what took him so long?” in regards to Bowling’s hiring of Bird for the job…LOL.

• I don’t ordinarily get into national politics when I write this column, but sometimes certain things need to be said.

It’s been nearly two weeks since President Joe Biden’s shall we say painful to watch and at times incoherent performance in the presidential debate with former President Donald Trump. In the aftermath, many are asking whether Biden has the mental and physical fortitude to serve as president for another four years, and have called on Biden to step aside as the Democratic presidential nominee.

While there has been much talk about whether Biden should continue as a candidate to be the next president, there has been woefully little to no conversation about whether Biden should continue to serve as president for the remainder of his term in office and more importantly whether he is mentally able to do so. Whether you love or hate Biden, in light of his debate performance, these are very legitimate questions that need to be asked.

Congressional Republicans and Democrats are so busy trying to win the White House for the next four years that they have both been largely derelict in their duties in not calling for the president to undergo cognitive and neurological tests by an independent professional so we know if he is cognizant enough now to continue serving as president. (Kudos to Senator Lindsey Graham, who did on a national news show Sunday morning.)

There should be a unanimous resolution passed by both branches of Congress calling for Vice-President Kamala Harris and the president’s cabinet to insist that Biden undergo cognitive and neurological testing by a panel of independent experts to see whether he is mentally fit to continue serving as president.

If Biden refuses to undergo such tests, then Harris and the cabinet should give Biden 72 hours to either resign from office or have the 25^th Amendment invoked with the vice-president serving as acting president for the remainder of the term in office, or until such time as Biden is proven cognizant enough to resume his duties as president.

I don’t write this to beat up on an 81-year-old man, who has spent most of his adult life in public service. However, in addition to being the chief executive officer of the country, Biden also serves as commander-in-chief with his finger on proverbial nuclear button.

Think about that and his debate performance for a minute.

Annual bell ringing ceremony held at UC last Thursday

Photos by TIMOTHY WYATT

The annual Let Freedom Ring bell ringing ceremony was held Thursday morning at Patriot Park on the campus of University of the Cumberlands, where several dozen people were in attendance to celebrate Independence Day through a variety of patriotic songs and texts. The bell on UC’s campus, which is a replica of the Liberty Bell, was rung 13 times, once each for the 13 original colonies, which later became the 13 original states. 

I-75 lane reductions in Whitley County Thursday night (July 11)

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet advises motorists that there will be temporary lane closures Thursday night on southbound I-75 at three locations between mile markers 19 and 14 in Whitley County.

Beginning at 9 p.m. Thursday, July 11, crews will close the southbound right lane (slow lane) on I-75 at mile points 19.3, 16.7, and 14.3 for core drilling operations. Work will be complete, and lane closures will end, by 6 a.m. on Friday, July 12.

The date, time, and duration of work may be adjusted if inclement weather or other unforeseen delays occur.

Motorists can access travel and traffic conditions at http://goky.ky.gov or contribute their own reports at www.waze.com or via the Waze mobile application. You can also get traffic information for District 11 counties at www.facebook.com/KYTCDistrict11 or by following District 11 on Twitter at www.twitter.com/KYTCDistrict11.

Corbin man indicted for robbery, promoting contraband in Knox County

A Corbin man has been indicted in Knox County for allegedly robbing a woman and then later allegedly bringing drugs into the jail.

Drug trafficking case to be heard by Whitley County Grand Jury

A Whitley County grand jury could decide later this summer whether a London man should be indicted for drug trafficking.

Legal Notices for 7-10-2024

BID NOTICE:

The Housing Authority of Williamsburg, (HAW), will receive sealed bids for 3 apartment Restoration/Service/Remodel from qualified contractors until 10:00 am local prevailing time on July 24, 2024, at the office of the Housing Authority of Williamsburg located at 600 Brush Arbor Road, Williamsburg, KY 40769 at which time and place, all bids will be publicly opened and read aloud. BIDS RECEIVED AFTER THE STIPULATED DATE AND TIME WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. The HAW will not be held responsible for late delivery of bids by the U.S. Postal Service or any other means.

THE ENVELOPE CONTAINING THE SEALED BID shall be marked as follows:

1. Company Name and Address
2. Title: Apartment Restoration/Service/Remodel Fire Loss (Claim Number: 33-24031003)

Services will be conducted at the Housing Authority of Williamsburg’s Brush Arbor location.

Apartment Restoration/Services/Remodel Bid Packet can be picked up at 600 Brush Arbor Rd., Williamsburg, KY 40769, Monday through Thursday from 8:00am to 5:30pm.

Prebid Conference including tour of units for interested contractors will be on July 15, 2024, at 10:00am at 600 Brush Arbor Rd., Williamsburg, KY 40769.

Proposed forms of contract documents, including plans, specifications, are on file for viewing at 600 Brush Arbor Rd.

All questions pertaining to the specifications and document submittal requirements shall be submitted to Mary Thornton, Executive Director at 600 Brush Arbor Rd, Williamsburg, KY 40769, mary.thornton@wburg.us, or call 606-549-0282.

The HAW is an Equal Employment Opportunity organization and prohibits discrimination with regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin (EEO). The HAW is a smoke-free, drug-free workplace.

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 2 of Permit #918-0508, which was last issued on 11/27/2023. The application covers an area of approximately 33.81 acres located 1.0 mile south of the community of Duckrun in McCreary and Whitley Counties.

The permit area is approximately 0.5 mile east of KY Route 1673 junction with Kidd Road and 0.1 mile south of Jacks Creek.

The bond now in effect on Increment #2 are letters of credit totaling $106,500.00.  Approximately 60% of the original bond amount is included in the application for release.

Reclamation work performed includes backfilling, grading, fertilizing, seeding, and mulching completed in May 2024.

This is the final advertisement of the application. 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 August 9, 2024.

A public hearing on the application has been scheduled for 9:00 A.M. on August 12, 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:  August 9, 2024.

NOTICE OF ADVERTISEMENT TO CITY OF CORBIN TAXPAYERS

The City of Corbin will be posting the 2023 delinquent tax list on the City of Corbin website, www.corbin-ky.gov on Wednesday, July 17, 2024. The list will be available for public inspection in accordance with KRS 424.330 between the hours of 8:00am-4:00pm (Monday thru Friday) at the City Collector’s office, 805 S Main Street, Suite 106, Corbin, KY 40701.

Any questions can be directed to the City Collector at (606) 523-6522, ext 1.

Electronic Edition For 7-10-24

2024 People’s Choice Awards

Federal lawsuit filed for breach of contract in most-recent closure of Jellico Hospital

A lawsuit filed in federal court last month peels back the curtain on some of the events that took place behind the scenes that caused Jellico Hospital to close once again earlier this year.