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Mary K. Kiser

1935-2021

 Mary K. Kiser, age 85, went to be with her Lord and Savior on January 2, 2021. She was born January 17, 1935 in Grayson Kentucky. The daughter of Everett and Zara (Rice) Damron. She attended the Heritage Nazarene Church of Circleville. She was retired from Fifth Third Bank after 18 years of service. 

She is preceded in death by her parents and brothers Harold, Marion and Paul Vernon. She is survived by her husband of 66 years Forrest Kiser; her sons Richard (Darlene) of Stoutsville, Dennis (Kelley) of Cleveland; daughters Deborah (Barry) Young of Tacoma WA and Pamela (Wayne) Rhoades of Circleville; grandchildren James (Bethany) Shaffer of Wilmington Oh, Justin Shaffer of Lockbourne Oh, Kyle (Shannon) Kiser of Lancaster Oh, Travis (Lisa) Kiser of California, Katherine (Mannie) Sargi of Cleveland; great-grandchildren Sawyer, Sophie and Jayde Shaffer, Teddy, Gwen and Auggie Kiser, and Enzo Sargi; sister-in-law Ruth Damron; nephews Lynn and Britt Damron; cousins Shrydan (Ruth) Huffman of Grayson Ky, Kenneth (Sue) Rice of Grayson Ky and Evelyn (Robert) Holbrook of Lexington Ky; and sister-in-law Moncie Kiser of Zephery Hills, Fl. 

Mary’s private funeral service will be held at Circleville Heritage Nazarene Church. Arrangements have been entrusted to Defenbaugh-Wise-Schoedinger funeral home.

Phyllis Tackett Boggs

1938-2021

Phyllis passed away at home on January 1, 2021 with loved ones at her side. She was born on February 28, 1938 to the late Vernon and Christine (Frazier) Tackett and grew up in Louisville and Olive Hill, Kentucky. She graduated from Morehead State College in 1959 and commenced her 30 year career as a business teacher. She served for many years as secretary of the South-Western Education Association. 

 A Valentine’s Day party in 1961 sparked a 59 year romance with her beloved husband Bob. They established their careers and grew their family in Grove City, Ohio eventually relocating to Southport, North Carolina where they celebrated many happy years of retirement. 

 In addition to her husband Bob, Phyllis also leaves behind her daughter, Lisa (Mark) Spitzer and her son, Craig Boggs. She is also survived by her sisters, Sue Tackett, Barbara (Charles) Eaton, Judy (Milton) Garner, Pam (Dave) Midkiff and was pre-deceased by her sister Jeanie (Tom) Halbrooks. She also leaves nieces, nephews and many dear friends.

 Due to current health and safety concerns, a celebration of life will be held in Chapel Hill, North Carolina at a later date.

Nell Edna Sawyer Counts

1929-2021

Mrs. Nell Edna Sawyer Counts, age 91, of Counts Lane in Olive Hill, Kentucky, passed away, Sunday morning, January 3, 2021, in the Southern Ohio Medical Center Hospice in Portsmouth, Ohio.

She was born August 29, 1929, Alton, Illinois, a daughter of the late Ernest and Maude Lewis Sawyer.

Nell was of the Christian faith and she enjoyed traveling and spending time with her grandchildren.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband of 60 years, Elsner Brintin Counts.

Nell is survived by two sons, Richard Spencer (Jane) of Tampa, Florida, and James Counts (Toby) of Olive Hill, Kentucky; one daughter, Brenda Kissinger of Olive Hill, Kentucky; 11 grandchildren; 18 great grandchildren; and three great-great grandchildren. She also leaves many other family members and friends who will sadly miss her.

A graveside service will be held at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, January 6, 2021, at Bowen Chapel Cemetery in Olive Hill, Kentucky, with Brother Mitch Roe officiating. 

Friends may visit from 12 noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, January 6, 2021, at Globe Funeral Chapel, 17277 West Highway US 60, Olive Hill, Kentucky 41164.

Bill Wilson, Jonathan Garvin, Josh Garvin, Chris Perry, Tyler McGlone and Derek Puckett will serve as pallbearers.

Due to COVID-19 regulations, we ask that everyone wear a mask and practice social distancing. 

Condolences may be sent to the family at www.globefc.com.

Johnnie Cam Whitt

1945-2021

Johnnie Cam Whitt, of Olive Hill, KY, born on September 21st, 1945, passed away January 3rd, 2021 at the University of Kentucky Hospital at the age of 75. 

He worked at Rockwell International for 11 ½ years and Bacon Products Corporation for 33 years. 

On June 11th, 1977 he married his wife of 43 years, Sue Whitt. Mr. Whitt had two sons, Jason Eugene (Stephanie) Whitt, and John Isaac (Lauren) Whitt; and one step-son, Rodney Dale (Karen) Scott. He had six grandchildren, Brooke Means, Ryan Scott, Ashley Whitt, Bryce Whitt, Camden Whitt, and Caroline Whitt; and four great grandchildren. 

He was preceded in death by his father Bill Whitt and his mother Edra Whitt; two sisters, Madge Lambert, and Margaret Franklin; and one niece Ruth Ann Sloas. 

A funeral service will be held 12pm Thursday, January 7, at Winchester Church of God Cathedral. Burial will follow in Garvin Ridge Cemetery in Olive Hill, KY. Visitation will be Thursday from 10am-12pm at the church. 

Jack of all trades, master of none

By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times

There’s something to be said for being a generalist. 

In the plant and animal kingdoms it’s the specialists who suffer when an ecosystem is out of balance. They may thrive when conditions are favorable, but take away that one food source they rely on, or that insect they’ve evolved to use as a pollinator, and it’s the end of the road. The decline of a bug leads to the extinction of a plant leads to the death of the mammal that feeds only on those leaves. 

Meanwhile the crocodile that eats anything it can fit in its mouth continues on, as unchanged as it has been since the time of the dinosaur. 

The same holds true for technology. At one time a working knowledge of BASIC was all you needed to work in the computer industry. Today that knowledge gets you nothing but the ability to revive an obsolete Radio Shack TRS80. If you didn’t go on to learn PHP, COBOL, C++, Java, Ruby, or Python, you were left behind. Even those languages are used for very specialized tasks, which means the person who knows them can earn a very comfortable living. But when that eventually changes – and the only constant in technology is change – the specialist needs to evolve or move on. 

The newspaper industry is much the same. Once every newspaper employed at least one full time photographer. That was their only job. They shot photos while the reporter conducted interviews. Then they came back to the dark room to develop negatives and prints. Prints were passed to layout people who pasted them up and got them to the plate makers and the press to make the days papers. 

They did this every day. 

I actually got my first newspaper job because I could develop film. We had a machine that did all the real work for us, but I knew how to open a film canister and spool undeveloped film onto a reel in complete darkness, so, between school board meetings and science fairs, I could do that while the photographer went on to another shoot. In my first editor job (speaking of specialization, I was the entertainment editor) those skills helped out again. Our overworked photographer hadn’t had a weekend off in nearly two years. The fact that I could shoot my own photos, and come in early on a Saturday to develop film shot by the sports reporters, meant I had an advantage over the other folks who applied for the position, so I got the job.

It wouldn’t be long, though, before digital cameras caught up with the resolution offered by film and the need for those skills became as obsolete as a working knowledge of BASIC is in the computer world. 

Today reporters are often expected to write, shoot photos, layout pages and proof each other’s work, usurping roles that used to be held by photographers, layout designers, and copy editors. If you think this extra responsibility means they are paid more for the extra value they bring, though, you’d be sorely mistaken. If anything the compensation, in terms of buying power, is less than it was for any one of those specialists in times past. 

But, at least we can still smile our crocodile smiles – all the way to whatever is on the buffet table of the event we’ve come to cover.

Jeremy D Wells can be reached at editor@cartercountytimes.com

How different will our world be when the pandemic goes away?

By: Keith Kappes
Columnist
Carter County Times

At the risk of being accused of pretending to be a forecaster or prognosticator, I’m ready to make some predictions based on my nine-plus months of watching, reading about, and trying to survive this deadly pandemic.

Many learned folks have beaten me to the punch with their own lists of how our daily lives will change when the coronavirus finally becomes a painful footnote to history.

I’ll try not to bore you with a ton of statistical research but each item on my list of seven permanent changes is based on what has already been happening to us since last March.

TELEWORKING – This phenomena has revolutionized the workplace. Employees have more time with their families, commuting time is greatly reduced and corporate owners like the cost savings from reduced rental of workspaces. 

GROCERY SHOPPING – Online grocery buying has more than doubled during the pandemic and many shoppers say they will continue doing so. Curbside pickup or delivery is here to stay.

MASKING UP – Despite becoming a political football this year, the wearing of face coverings likely will be with us long after the pandemic. 

SEEING THE DOCTOR – Before the pandemic, it is estimated that less than 10 percent of us were even aware of “telemedicine” and “telehealth”. Showing your physician where it hurts, even on a video screen, is here to stay. 

COMMUNICATING – My 96-year-old father-in-law uses Zoom for meetings and video chats and loves it. We did part of our holiday visiting on Google Meet last week with no complaints.

MOVIE GOING – Theatrical movies have been declining in attendance for decades. Streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime and others have captured that market. Don’t be surprised if many movie houses never reopen. 

AIR TRAVEL – Gone are the days when airlines could deep clean their aircraft every 18 months. Cleanliness already is more important than ticket prices.

Smaller airlines may not survive post-pandemic, even with government help.

As for good advice, Norah O’Donnell of CBS News may have said it best with:

“Stay positive, test negative.”

Keith Kappes can be reached at keithkappes@gmail.com

AS WE SEE IT: If you drink this holiday, please don’t drive

For the past several weeks we’ve been running ads from the Grayson ABC office about the dangers of drinking and driving. With New Years Eve coming up, we’d like to reinforce that message, and ask you to be sure and designate a driver this New Years Eve if you plan on drinking. Or, if you have no driver, be sure you have a plan for a place to sleep until the next morning. 

According to the National Safety Council, nearly 40 percent of holiday traffic fatalities involve drivers who are impaired by alcohol. They estimate that, this year, as many as 384 people – possibly as many as 467 people based on their 90 percent “confidence interval” – may die in traffic related incidents during this winter holiday period. The reason for these high numbers is that, with New Years Day falling on a Friday, the holiday period could last up to three days, increasing the possibilities of celebratory drinking and drinking related crashes. 

While numbers may actually be down this year, because of COVID-19 restrictions and concerns keeping bars closed and parties from being organized, there is still a very real risk associated with drunk driving. Even if you don’t drink yourself, your chances of being in an accident with someone who has been drinking are increased around any holiday, but especially the New Years holiday. 

If you do have a drink, you should know that it can take up to an hour or more per drink to metabolize the alcohol. It can take anywhere from an hour to three hours for the effects of consuming a drink to wear off. One drink typically means one twelve ounce glass of five percent alcohol beer, one five ounce glass of wine, or a one and a half ounce shot of 80 proof (40 percent alcohol) liquor. But because the alcoholic content of beers, wines, and liquor can vary, this isn’t a hard and fast rule. Other factors, like weight and amount of body fat can also impact how quickly you metabolize liquor. If you’ve drank to the point you’re considered drunk, it can take anywhere from six to eight hours to be fully sober once again. (Figures taken from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.) But even one drink can begin to cause impairment, and the effects can begin in as little as ten minutes according the NIAAA. 

Even if you don’t drink to the point of inebriation, having a single drink begins to impact your reaction time and so – as the saying goes – even buzzed driving is drunk driving. Because of this, if you don’t have a designated driver, it’s probably best to make arrangements to sleep over somewhere if you’re planning on having any drinks. 

Let’s be clear here; there is nothing wrong with having a drink to celebrate and toast the New Year. But if you do have that drink, you need to be sure to give yourself plenty of time to sober up or – better yet – ask someone who isn’t drinking to take control of your keys and make sure everyone who does have a drink gets home safe. 

If you’re hosting a get-together, please make sure you have a place for any of your drinking guests to sleep. You might not just be keeping them out of jail, or saving their lives. You could be saving the lives of other people on the road too. 

Here’s to a happy, and safe, New Year. 

Uncle Jack Fultz’s Memories of Carter County: Continuing a long tradition – Thank you for allowing us to be your news source

By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times

The local news business has never been an easy, or especially profitable, endeavor. Those who publish papers don’t have any illusions about growing fat off their subscribers and advertisers. But they try their best to meet the needs of the communities they serve, and to keep them well informed of what their city and county government are doing, while earning a meager living. As we enter the New Year, we looked back at the first of Uncle Jack Fultz’s scrapbooks, hoping to find one or more compelling New Years stories from days gone by. 

Instead, though, we were struck by just how many papers have come and gone over the years. We knew a little of this from looking through old newspapers in the collection of the former Olive Hill Times and Grayson Journal-Enquirer. The now defunct Grayson paper earned its hyphenated name from the merger of two predecessor papers, the Grayson Journal and the Sandy Valley Enquirer. The Olive Hill Times, meanwhile had a history that stretched back over 100 years, though that wasn’t 100 years of continuous publication. 

What Uncle Jack’s scrapbook showed us was that the first press in Olive Hill was the Dispatch, published by H.T. Graham on each Thursday, beginning in February of 1902. Graham bragged “with no little pride” of being the “first press in town,” when he began publication on Thursday, February 20, 1902. Graham hoped to stay in business for some time, writing, “We have set the press in motion at Olive Hill. May its music never cease.” 

By 1905, however, the Dispatch was replaced by the Olive Hill Times, which was publishing at least as early as January of that year (W.F. Fultz would later write in the Carter County Herald that the paper – which published continuously under various names – was founded by Len Maddox in 1903), mailing copies on Friday and advising subscribers that, if they “fail(ed) to receive a copy by (the) following Monday,” to contact the office for a replacement. 

J.L. Maddix was the editor of this first incarnation of the Times, published by Maddix Printing & Publishing Co. By August of 1906, though, the Olive Hill Times was being published by The Times Publishing Company, with D.M. Maynard serving as editor. The Olive Hill Times published news relevant to Olive Hill and the western end of the county, including regular features from Smoky Valley (such as visitations and fights after church). 

Still publishing in 1907 as the Times, by August of that year Maynard had been replaced by Chas. Sanders as editor and publisher. By Christmas Eve 1908 J.L. – or another with his initials – was back at the helm as editor, this time spelling his last name Maddox, though the postal permit, “entered at the Olive Hill Post Office January 20, 1905” indicated it was still a continuously publishing paper through those years. 

By 1912, however, the Progressive was publishing in Olive Hill, under the leadership of Geo. B. Terrell as editor, publisher and owner. An October 17, 1912 issue showed Terrell as the sole proprietor, but the January 9, 1913 edition of the Progressive, which showed their mailing permit had been established on September 27, 1912, was under the ownership of editor and publisher J.L. Maddox, the same name we’ve seen associated with the Olive Hill Times under that spelling and the Maddix spelling. 

The Progressive continued to publish under Maddox until May 7 of 1914. In the April 30, 1914 issue Maddox wrote that he had sold the paper to “the Republicans… (who) have been threatening to get their feet wet in the newspaper business in Carter.” 

W.F. Fultz wrote in the May 7, 1914 edition that he was seeking correspondents from “each post office” and offering “writing paper, stamps and (to) send the paper to you free” for anyone seeking to contribute. 

The paper wouldn’t keep the Progressive name though. By the end of the month Fultz, as the editor and business manager, was running his paper as “The Carter County Herald – Successor to Olive Hill Times.” 

Fultz would continue to run the paper as the Herald through the first World War and into the 1920s, claiming in the December 29, 1921 issue that, despite the regular name changes, the paper had published continuously for 18 years, beginning publication on December 29 of 1903. 

As he entered into the new year, Fultz promised that in 1922 he was determined to “(print) such a good newspaper that it will be sought after by every home in Carter county.” 

As we enter the New Year, we too hope to continue in this grand tradition and to print a paper covering content “sought after by every home in Carter County.” While we can’t proclaim the unbroken line from the original Olive Hill Times that Fultz did, nor from the original Grayson Journal, we are proud to do our part to pick up where those two papers left off and keep “the press in motion” for Carter County. 

“May its music never cease.” 

Editor’s Note: This is the 25th in a series of articles drawn from the historical newspaper clippings and documents in the scrapbooks of Jack Fultz. We thank Sally James of Sally’s Flowers in Olive Hill for sharing her uncle’s collected clippings with us and the community. – Jeremy D. Wells, editor, Carter County Times 

Extension Notes: Order apple and pear rootstock now from the extension office

By: Rebecca Konopka
Carter County Extension Agent

Most fruit trees that can be grown in Kentucky do not come true from seed. For example, a tree grown from a Golden Delicious apple seed will produce an apple tree, but the fruit will have different characteristics than Golden Delicious in color, taste, and shape. This is why fruit trees are reproduced by asexual propagation, such as budding and grafting. The desired cultivar, Golden Delicious in the example above, is budded or grafted onto a rootstock, a close genetic relative suitable for the graft. Rootstocks are selected to impart special traits—including dwarfing, disease resistance, and insect resistance. The grafted tree consists of the scion (e.g., Golden Delicious apple) and the rootstock (e.g., B.9). In most nursery catalogs, it would be listed as Golden Delicious/B.9. 

Extension Offices in eastern Kentucky participate in an annual group rootstock order and now is the time to order pear and M7A apple rootstock for spring grafting. This program allows small fruit producers to group orders and purchase the rootstock at a cheaper price. Grafting demonstration sessions or videos will be held to help those who order learn to graft their own rootstock. 

Orders will be taken until February 1st or until sold out. All rootstock is $1.50 each. Checks can be made payable to and mailed to the Carter County Extension Office at 94 Fairground Drive Grayson, KY 41143. 

For more information, contact the Carter County office of the UK Cooperative Extension Service. Educational programs of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of economic or social status and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information, age, veteran status, or physical or mental disability. 

Late to the Game(s): Digital disappointment

The downside of foregoing physical discs

By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times

Over the holidays I read a review about an older game – Dragon’s Dogma – that I was sure was in my collection, but I’d never finished. I couldn’t remember starting it, though I was sure I had at one point and sat it aside based on what I was reading in the review. I couldn’t even remember what platform I had it on, though I thought it was most likely to be on PlayStation or PC since those are the two I play most on. After checking my PS4 library and my Steam library and coming up with nothing I decided, since it is an older game, I probably had it on PS3. Really wanting to give it another shot based on what I had read, I went to pull that older console out of mothballs and dust it off. 

What I found was disappointing. 

The game was in my digital library, but I could no longer download it, for reasons that I’m still not clear on. 

Here is the thing, I have a huge physical collection of PS3 games, as well as disc and cartridge based games for older consoles. I haven’t counted them in a while, but I easily have in excess of 60 disc based games still in my PS3 collection. But more and more my collections have trended toward digital downloads, as most have. I’m not sure how many digital games are in my PS3 collection, because of some changes to the PS3 store that we will address in a little bit, but there are 285 digital games in my PS4 library – with 212 of them coming from my years of paying for a PlayStation Plus (PS+) subscription. I’d say my PS3 library is probably fairly similar. My Xbox and Nintendo digital libraries, while not as impressive, are still respectable. 

MyPC collection is even deeper. I currently have 421 games available to download in my Steam collection, which is my largest digital PC library. When you add on the download permissions in EA Origin, Epic Games Store, Ubisoft Connect, Bethesda.net, IndieGala, GOG. com, and Activision/Blizzard’s Battle.net, well, let’s just say I have a lot of games. 

Some of these games were review copies. Some were what we call “product knowledge” or PK copies, from my time working for Electronic Arts. A lot of them on gaming consoles come from subscription services like Xbox Live Gold and PS+. But most of them I’ve purchased, either directly from digital storefronts or through charity fundraisers on IndieGala and Humble Bundle. 

Obviously I can’t have all of those games downloaded and installed on my PCs or my consoles at all times, so I do what a lot of folks do in the digital age – I download a game when I want to play it, then I delete it to make space for another game I want to try. 

That’s what probably happened with Dragon’s Dogma. 

Normally for PlayStation all you have to do is find the game in your library on PS4, or in the game store through the console or online at store.playstation. com, and redownload it. You can even tell the online store to go ahead and start downloading it to your console, so if you want to buy a game in the morning from work, and play it that evening when you get home, it will be downloaded and ready. 

But Sony has recently removed online access to older consoles like the PS3 and the handheld PS Vita through the PlayStation store website. The only way to connect to the PS3’s game store, to either purchase games or download games you are already entitled to, is to boot up the console and visit the storefront that way. This was why I had to pull out my PS3 and hook it up instead of just visiting the online link to see if I was entitled to the game on PS3. When I visited the store page for Dragon’s Dogma, though, there was no download link. No purchase link. There was only the game page and links to purchase add-ons. Usually this occurs when a game is only available as a physical disc, but I know this game is not one of the games I have on disc. 

I also know I had installed and played some of Dragon’s Dogma at some point, probably through PS+ (though I may have purchased it during a sale too), because I have some trophies in my collection for completing the introduction. I probably had it installed on my first PS3, which eventually went bad and was replaced. That or I deleted it to make room for other games at some point in the past. But if I want to play it again, I’m going to have to purchase another copy for PS4. 

With so many other games in my library, just waiting to be played, I can’t see myself doing this. So instead I spent an evening finding other games on the PS3 store that I own, and don’t want to lose access to, and downloading as many as my hard drive could fit. This included making some tough decisions about what games to keep and which ones to delete or pass up. It’s a dilemma more and more gamers are facing, or will face if they haven’t already. 

There were protests a few years ago when Ubisoft removed Scott Pilgrim vs the World from digital storefronts – the only place they were available. What this meant was that if you didn’t have it already downloaded, you weren’t going to be able to download it again. 

Most recently Sony has removed Cyberpunk 2077 from their online store because of complaints about the quality of graphics and other game glitches that rendered the digital release unplayable for many. They offered refunds to those who had purchased the game – a rarity in the digital age – but for now those who want to play the game on that console, even with glitches, are out of luck. 

It’s enough to make the more cynical gamer want to limit their purchases to physical copies. But even purchasing a physical copy doesn’t guarantee you’ll be able to play the full game. Because of the pressure to release games before holidays, or to meet other projected release dates, more and more game publishers are pressuring the studios they work with to ship incomplete copies, with purchasers expected to connect to the internet to download “day one patches” that will make the game playable. In fact, it’s been an industry standard for at least a decade now. Don’t have reliable internet access, or want to play the game years from now after a studio has folded or a publisher discontinues support for the game? Too bad. 

So what can you do? Outside of buying several huge hard drives and regularly downloading, and updating, all the games you’ve purchased onto them, very little. Console generations come and go now, just as they always have, and the manufacturers cease support and updates for older consoles. While older consoles that shipped with complete games might continue to function just fine as long as they are maintained, and older disc and cartridge based games can be ripped (i.e. digitally copied to a computer) and played through emulators, modern games from the last two or three generations are more tricky. Some of them require connecting to servers to play, and when those servers are discontinued the games are functionally dead. This has happened with several different MMOs (massively multiplayer online games), but it’s also happened with single player and local co-op games. 

You can also make a choice, as a consumer, to eschew games that don’t ship complete, but that is going to limit your gaming options. Nintendo, as a console manufacturer and game publisher, does better than most at shipping complete games. Sony and Microsoft, though, have more of the big titles from third party publishers, who rarely ship complete games these days. But even games from their exclusive publishers rarely ship complete. Nintendo isn’t completely immune to these issues either, especially when you are talking about digital downloads or games from other publishers. 

On PC, purchasing games from GOG.com, a storefront that specializes in mainly older – and therefore completely patched – games is an option. All GOG games come free of DRM (digital rights management, a system that can require pinging publishers’ servers to authenticate ownership) as well, so you don’t have to worry about a consistent online connection. But you still have to have the room on an internal or external hard drive to keep all those games. You’d also have to count on GOG sticking around if you didn’t immediately download and archive all your purchases. While it doesn’t look like they are going anywhere anytime soon, other online retailers have disappeared. 

Remember all those games purchased through promotions like Humble Bundle, the digital retailer that donates a consumer determined portion of sales to charities? Some of those were in the form of digital codes for redemption at another online game site called Desura. At one time Desura positioned itself as a DRM free and indie alternative to Steam. They had a website, where you could make purchases and redeem game codes, and had their own version of “indie bundles.” They had a game launcher like Steam as well. But they were sold several times after launching. While Desura as a website is still around, it no longer has a game launcher where you can access any games you might have purchased through them in the past. In fact, you can’t download any games through them at all. Instead they essentially serve as a browser portal for emulating Android and iOS mobile games. So all those cool indie games that myself and others paid for are now gone. Floating out there in the ether. Short of finding a pirate site – a risky prospective for multiple reasons, and one I cannot in good conscience recommend – those games are just gone. 

Sadly that’s the trade-off we make for the convenience of pre-loading games for launch day play and less physical clutter. As consumers we either need to demand a change, or we learn to live with it and get used to the idea of purchasing games again on new platforms. That, or we move on and play some other game in our library. 

I know what choice I made on that one, at least this time. But maybe some day, when it’s on sale for a couple of bucks at GOG, or I find a used disc copy equally cheap, I’ll give Dragon’s Dogma – and other games I’ve lost to the digital graveyard – another go. But today? For today I’ll move on to another game. After all, it isn’t like I’m suffering for choices. 

Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes. com 

HELP extends thanks to volunteers and donors

 The Health Equipment Loan Program (HELP), founder Jean Adams, and volunteers would like to thank those who have helped them put a smile on the faces of more than 87 elderly and out of work individuals with gift bags this holiday season. 

They started with a few and “it just kept growing until they reached 87 elderly,” said spokesperson Melissa Gibson in an email. “These bags contained everything from food to hygiene items, recreational items, homemade items and more.” 

Jean and husband Eddie Adams, she explained, started putting the bags together from donated items and “just kept making them until all the items that had been donated were gone.” 

Volunteers who delivered the goodie bags said the smiles, laughter and tears they saw when they knocked on doors with the bags in hand were beyond heartwarming. 

The organization wishes to extend their thanks to all who donated funds, their time, and items for inclusion in the gift bags this holiday season. 

In the Shadow of War: A book excerpt from a new fiction project

By: Keith Kappes
for Carter County Times

 (AUTHOR’S NOTE – Welcome to the first chapter of “In the Shadow of War”, a novel I wrote over the last three years. Some national book publishers have rejected this exciting, 40-chapter love story about an unlikely couple thrown together as World War II is about to erupt in Europe. I invite you to read this chapter and give me your feedback on whether or not you would consider buying a paperback book with the entire story. Please send your response to me at keithkappes@gmail.com. Thanks in advance for your help in this market research experiment. Please be as candid as you choose.) 

No question about it, Joshua Harlan Stebbins III was perplexed. 

He simply didn’t understand how a rich, smart, good-looking, young American writer like him had been in Europe for two weeks without persuading at least one beautiful woman to be his companion. 

If his Sigma Chi fraternity brothers at Vanderbilt University found out about it, they might revoke his nickname as the “Sweetgum Stud”. 

But today would be different as he waited for an open chair at the Café Tulip. While lighting his pipe, he noticed a young woman with her head down on a table, sitting alone. Her body was trembling. 

He reached for his handkerchief just as any Southern gentleman would do. He dropped his book satchel at her feet and offered the handkerchief. 

“Pardon me, ma’am,” he whispered in his best Tennessee drawl. “Can I help you? You seem to be upset. Please let me help you.” 

It was a warm, sunny day across Central Europe. The sidewalk café beside the Tulip House Hotel was crowded. The Danube River flowed gently a few yards away from the Old Town section of Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. 

Standing regally above Old Town was Bratislava Castle with its red-roofed towers reaching skyward from the gleaming white stone walls. 

A discarded newspaper on the pavement rippled in the breeze. The dateline of the tattered paper showed May 1, 1939. 

To this moment, no one else seemed to have noticed the distraught woman Josh was trying to help. She was dressed stylishly, like most of the other patrons. The Tulip Café was known for its wealthy clientele.

But she brushed the stranger’s hand aside without looking up. And began to speak to him in English with a slight German accent. 

Her words were not clear. Her speech was slurred. She looked up at him with teary, bloodshot eyes. Her face was flushed and puffy. Tears rolled down her cheeks. 

“Leave me alone,” she whimpered. “I’m not worthy of your help. My life is over. Please go away.” 

Her voice faded to a whisper as her head fell back onto the table, knocking her empty wine glass to the cobblestones below. 

Patrons at the other tables turned their heads at the sound of breaking glass. A nearby waiter started walking toward them. 

The young man quickly seated himself at her table and laid his hand tenderly on her shoulder. The waiter was red-faced and angry as he reached the couple. He spoke in a demanding voice.

“Was geschieht hier? Quel est le problème?”

The young man quickly responded.

“I know you just asked me something in German and in French. Can you ask it again in English? 

The waiter paused then smiled as he recognized Joshua Stebbins, the handsome young American writer who lived in the hotel basement, a converted wine cellar. Tanned and well-muscled, he seemed confident and experienced. 

The waiter replied in perfect English but in a lower voice.

“Herr Stebbins, I didn’t realize it was you. Is there a problem with your friend? She’s been sitting here all afternoon. She drank most of two bottles of wine before her money ran out. The café manager has been watching her. May I be of assistance?”

“Thank you…it’s Bernhard, isn’t it?”, Josh said with a sigh of relief. “I’ve heard the staff say you are the best waiter at this hotel. I don’t know this woman, but she needs our help.” 

Flattered by the young American’s words, the stocky, bearded waiter walked closer and spoke quietly as the woman stirred and started to raise her head from the table.

“I will bring the fraulein some coffee. She can’t sleep here or disturb the other guests. I will tell the manager she is one of your students from the University…and that you are responsible for her.”

Bernhard began to walk away before Josh could protest. As he looked around Café Tulip at the other well-dressed patrons, Josh began to feel uncomfortable. He offered to help this stranger, but she refused him. Should he just walk away? He looked at the woman and turned back to Bernhard.

“Thank you. I’ll try to get her back on her feet. But she wasn’t too friendly when I first offered to help.”

The woman finally sat up, quietly staring at the river, trying to regain her composure. She avoided looking directly at the handsome but uninvited guest at her table. Finally, she spoke. 

“Warum helfen sie mir?”

Josh shook his head and reached for his German-English dictionary. Before he could open it, she spoke again, this time in English.

“I asked why are you helping me? Am I not a stranger to you?” 

Tears began pooling in her eyes as Josh leaned over to push the dark, matted hair away from her face. This time she accepted his handkerchief. 

The coffee arrived and he poured her a cup. Before she could turn away again, he gently touched her trembling arm and spoke in low, soothing tones.

“I grew up in Tennessee in the States. My mama would be mad as the dickens if she ever found out that I didn’t help someone in trouble, especially a lady. I don’t want to meddle in your life but I am curious about why a beautiful woman like you would be so upset and say her life was over.”

A faint smile crossed the woman’s lips as she responded.

“If you knew the truth about me, you would leave and never look back. I am not a good person. I married a man for his money and now I have nothing. No family. No money. No place to go. Nothing.” 

Josh was shocked by her candor. His mind raced with questions about this mysterious woman. She was not as young as he first thought but close enough for him. She was tall and slender, his favorite body type.

Elsa, at 29, was a few years older, but seemed to respond to his energy and enthusiasm. 

In turn, he could feel a growing physical curiosity about her. He was handy with the ladies back home and hoped his time in Europe would be more of the same. He was determined to learn more about this woman.

“I must go back to the University within the hour. May I escort you to wherever you live?” 

Again, her eyes brimmed with tears.

“No. You don’t understand. I am destitute. Hotel Central is holding my luggage because I couldn’t pay for my room. The Polizei will take me into custody and send me back to Germany because my name is on the list.” 

Josh recognized “Polizei” as “police” in German. Was she a fugitive from justice? His writer’s instincts were taking over. Who is she? What is her story? He had to know more. He gently squeezed her hand.

“What list?” he asked.

Now it was her turn to be surprised. Did this young American not realize what was happening in Europe? 

She hesitated, then answered. 

“It is the list of Jews living in Czechoslovakia. This used to be a German city called Pressburg and the Nazis intend to reclaim it for the Third Reich, much like they did to Austria this spring with Anschluss.” 

Josh wasn’t sure what that last word meant. His facial expression said so and he blurted out the obvious question. 

“What’s Anschluss?” 

“That’s what they call the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany,” Elsa said. “It happened three months ago.”

Her words suddenly came in torrents.

“Too bad for me I married a Jew and must always be Jewish and not Aryan. My name is Elsa Muller and I am Catholic but not to the Nazis. They have my picture on wanted criminal posters in this area.” 

Her voice grew more frantic. 

“To them, I will always be Frau Bleiberg, wife of the Jew merchant, Jakob Bleiberg, my divorced and very dead husband, the man I hated but had to marry to support my mother and brother. If they find me, I know they’ll take me to one of those camps. I’ve heard what happens there to Jews and gypsies.”

She pulled Josh closer and whispered.

“I’ll kill myself before I let them take me.”

At first, Josh was taken aback by the sheer power of her vow never to be taken alive. For a fleeting moment, he thought it would be a great line of dialogue for one of his future novels. 

He leaned back and closely watched her, admiring both her courage and her nicely proportioned body. Later, he would learn, much to his delight, that she had been a standout athlete which left her with very well-developed muscle tone.

Elsa, too, found herself becoming more and more intrigued by this friendly, courteous newcomer with killer blue eyes, blond hair, and a chin dimple. At six feet tall and well-muscled, he might offer her refuge and protection from her pursuers. At this point, she really had no other options.

She was flat broke and had only one bargaining chip left… herself. 

Carol Malone widening funded: Mountain Enterprises wins bid for $6 million project

A truck carrying heavy equipment turns off of Carol Malone Boulevard onto Main Street in Grayson in this file photo. A recently funded project will widen Carol Malone to help accommodate the heavy traffic the road receives, including additional turn lanes onto Main Street. (Photo by Jeremy D. Wells, Carter County Times)

By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times

 The often discussed road widening project on Carol Malone Boulevard could see some progress in the new year. 

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet announced last week that a contract has been awarded for the project which KTC expects to begin “early next year” according to a press release from the cabinet. The contract for the project, which was advertised for bid this past fall, went to Mountain Enterprises, who had the lowest bid on the project at $5,976,248. 

That cost will cover wider travel lanes along the one and a half mile stretch of road between the entrance to Kentucky Christian University at Academic Parkway and the Little Sandy River, as wells as new right and left turn lanes. This will include additional turn lanes onto Main Street (US 60), and other work that is expected to help reduce congestion and improve traffic flow along the route. KTC said in their release that the plan should also help improve safety and reduce accidents along the route. 

The stretch of roadway, which runs concurrently with portions of KY Route 7 and KY Route 1 through town, “serves as many as 17,000 vehicles per day” the KTC said, as well as serving as “an important I-64 connector in Carter County.” 

While a construction schedule for the project hasn’t been decided upon yet, KTC said contractors and state highway engineers will be meeting “soon” to develop that schedule. 

Contact the writer at editor@ cartercountytimes.com 

Olive Hill Fire Department seeks volunteers: Department hopes to add more paid positions in future

Volunteer firefighter Caleb Manning hoses down his gear after responding to a fire Monday morning on Aden Road. (Photo by Jeremy D. Wells, Carter County Times)

By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times

 While the Olive Hill City Council recently voted to add the description of firefighter to paid city positions, allowing the fire department to employ part time staff three days a week, new fire chief Jeremy Rodgers says the department still needs more volunteers to fill the needs of the city and surrounding communities the department serves. 

Speaking to the Times after returning from a fire on Aden Road Monday morning, Rodgers explained that the department had three different fire departments respond to that call, with 14 firefighters from the Olive Hill, Grayson, and Grahn fire departments working together to battle the fire. That, he said, was a good response. Normally the numbers are much lower. 

“The benefit of today is a lot were off because of the holiday,” he said. “Normally it’s half that.” 

The department has 35 volunteers on their roster, he said. “But if we get 6 to 8 at any given time, we’re lucky. That’s a big number.” 

While the three paid staff, who have been serving three days a week since the start of the month, have been a big help for the department, Rodgers said the department needs more volunteers. Even if they can eventually increase the number of days to five, which is one of the new chief’s goals, they still couldn’t meet all the demands on the department without the help of volunteers. 

As an example, he noted, the department had responded to 15 calls in the three days since Christmas Eve. 

“Most of those were wrecks,” he said. But, he explained, they get calls for all kinds of situations. Everything from the proverbial kitten up a tree to helping medical staff get to work in white-out snow conditions. 

“We’ve even gotten calls to remove snakes from houses,” he said. “It sounds cliché, but when people don’t know who to call, they call the fire department.” 

There is also the cost involved for the city to bring on paid firefighters, something most eastern Kentucky communities simply can’t afford to do. 

While Rodgers praised the mayor and city council for their efforts to bring paid firefighters on, the costs for the department’s equipment, not to mention kits for firefighters, are exceedingly expensive even without the additional cost of payroll. Just the cost of a coat and pants alone is in excess of $2,600. A full kit, with coat, pants, boots, gloves, helmet and protective hood can run upward of $3,400 – per firefighter. That doesn’t include the costs for trucks, air tanks and breathing equipment, or extraction equipment for removing people from wrecked vehicles. 

New extraction equipment can cost $30,000 or more. The costs for trucks can be from several hundred thousand to a million dollars or more if new. While the department tries to find deals on used trucks and equipment, it’s expensive to run a fire department. 

In order to meet all the department’s needs, they have to have volunteers. 

While you might think the department needs young, strong volunteers – and they do – Rodgers emphasized that the department is open to volunteers “at any age.” Anyone, he said, can help with tasks from handing out water to assisting with traffic control. Or, getting snakes out of homes. 

To be a state certified firefighter, he said, requires 150 hours of training. 

“But we’re not a career department,” he explained. While paid, career firefighters might have to go through intensive training and meet those hours in a relatively short amount of time, with the volunteer departments those hours might be spread out over two years. 

“To get started, you need about 20 hours of core classes,” he said, adding that a lot of what the volunteers end up learning is through “on the job training.” 

Even if they don’t have those 20 hours of core classes in, he said, “they can start helping on day one.” 

Those who are interested in volunteering can come out to any of the regular firefighter meetings, which take place at the Olive Hill station house at 6:30 on Thursday evenings. 

“Just come in, sit in, and if you’re interested fill out an application,” he said. “If someone doesn’t know for sure, and wants to see if they’re interested, come to a meeting.”

Volunteers are not required to be residents of the city, and in fact most of them live outside of city limits but in the area served by the department. 

If you decide you do want to volunteer, you can come in and help at any time that’s convenient as well. 

“There’s always something to do,” he said, from wiping down equipment to washing fire trucks. 

They also do a nice breakfast on Saturdays. 

Those interested in volunteering can also call Rodgers at (606) 255-0004 or assistant chief John Humphries at (606) 315-6069 for more information.

Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com

Michael “Wayne” Barker

1974-2020

Mr. Michael “Wayne” Barker, age 46, of Olive Hill, Kentucky, passed away Monday, December 28, 2020, at his residence.

He was born February 24, 1974, in Boyd County, Kentucky, a son of Patricia Catherine “Cathy” Perry Barker of Olive Hill, Kentucky, and the late Marvin Wayne Barker.

Wayne enjoyed working on vehicles.

In addition to his mother, he is survived by two brothers, Jason Barker (Bonnie) and Kevin Lee Barker, all of Olive Hill, Kentucky, and one sister, Janice Sue Phillips of Olive Hill, Kentucky. He also leaves many other family members and friends who will sadly miss him.

A graveside service will be held at 12 noon Friday, January 1, 2021, at the Barker Family Cemetery in Olive Hill, Kentucky, with Brother Jimmy Barker officiating. 

Due to the COVID-19 regulations, we ask that everyone wear a mask and practice social distancing. 

Globe Funeral Chapel in Olive Hill, Kentucky, is caring for all arrangements for Mr. Michael “Wayne” Barker. 

Condolences may be sent to the family at www.globefc.com.

Angela Thornsberry

1967-2020

Miss Angela Thornsberry, age 53, of Olive Hill, Kentucky, passed away Sunday, December 20, 2020, at King’s Daughters Medical Center in Ashland, Kentucky. 

She was born January 18, 1967, in Ashland, Kentucky, a daughter of Kathleen Nolan Thornsberry of Olive Hill, Kentucky, and the late Gladie Thornsberry.

Angela attended Soldier Church of God and she was a homemaker. She enjoyed shopping for purses and jewelry and listening to music. 

In addition to her mother, she is survived by five brothers, Ronnie Thornsberry (Kimberly) of Shelbyville, Kentucky, Wade Thornsberry (Wilma) of Raceland, Kentucky, Vaughn Thornsberry (Joyce) and Tim Thornsberry (Amy), all of Soldier, Kentucky, and Rodney Thornsberry (Shaun) of Catlettsburg, Kentucky; two sisters, Debbie Rayburn (J.D.) of Olive Hill, Kentucky, and Pam Lawson of Lexington, Kentucky; and several nieces and nephews. She also leaves many other family members and friends who will sadly miss her.

Funeral services will be held at 12 noon Sunday, December 27, 2020 at Globe Funeral Chapel in Olive Hill, Kentucky, with Brother Clifford “Tippy” Price officiating. Burial will follow in the Patton Cemetery in Soldier, Kentucky. 

Friends may visit from 11 a.m. to 12 noon Sunday, December 27, 2020, at Globe Funeral Chapel, 17277 West Highway US 60, Olive Hill, Kentucky 41164.

Angela’s family will serve as pallbearers.

Due to COVID-19 regulations, we ask that everyone wear a mask and practice social distancing. 

Condolences may be sent to the family at www.globefc.com.

Franklin Sturgill

1935-2020

Mr. Franklin Sturgill, age 85, of Olive Hill, Kentucky, passed away Monday, December 21, 2020, at Carter Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Grayson, Kentucky.

He was born October 3, 1935, in Carter County, Kentucky, a son of the late Lonnie and Ada Blevins Sturgill.

Franklin was of the Regular Baptist faith and he enjoyed fishing and hunting.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife of 63 years, Rosalene Tackett Sturgill; three brothers, Darvin Sturgill, Berl Sturgill, and Raymond Sturgill; and three sisters, Pearl Waugh, Julie Roar, and Sue Carroll.

Franklin is survived by one son, Gary Mitchell Sturgill (Vicki) of Grayson, Kentucky; two grandsons, Dale Sturgill (Darlene) and Dustin Reid; two great grandsons, Brayden Sturgill and Brendon Sturgill; and one sister-in-law, Alma Sturgill of Olive Hill, Kentucky. He also leaves many other family members and friends who will sadly miss him.

Funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, December 26, 2020, at Globe Funeral Chapel in Olive Hill, Kentucky, with Old Regular Baptist Ministers officiating. Burial will follow in the Biggs Hill Cemetery in Olive Hill, Kentucky.

Friends may visit from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, December 26, 2020, at Globe Funeral Chapel, 17277 West Highway US 60, Olive Hill, Kentucky 41164.

Franklin’s family will serve as pallbearers.

Due to COVID-19 regulations, we ask that everyone wear a mask and practice social distancing. 

Condolences may be sent to the family at www.globefc.com.

Ora Albert “Bub” Price, Jr.

1966-2020

Mr. Ora Albert “Bub” Price Jr., age 54, of Olive Hill, Kentucky, passed away Monday afternoon, December 21, 2020, at his residence.

He was born June 8, 1966, in Mansfield, Ohio, a son of the late Ora Albert Sr. and Helen Smith Price. 

Bub was of the Christian faith and he enjoyed going to the Vanceburg Outlaw Pulling Club and racing the Hulk, watching The Walking Dead on Sunday nights and spaghetti dinners.

He is survived by one daughter, Meagan Price (Dustin Mabry) of Olive Hill, Kentucky; two sisters, Teresa Price and Allison Slone (Ivan), all of Olive Hill, Kentucky; and nieces and nephews, Crystal Kiser, Mathew Blankenship, Ivy Slone, Travis Slone, Cody Slone and Adan Slone. He also leaves many other family members and friends who will sadly miss him.

A graveside service will be held 11 a.m. Saturday, December 26, 2020, at the Bradley Cemetery in Olive Hill, Kentucky, with Brother Matthew Blankenship officiating. A funeral procession will be leaving Globe Funeral Chapel at 10:15 a.m. on Saturday.

Aaron Dickerson, Little Aaron Dickerson, Taylor Dickerson, William Abbott, Travis Slone and Eric Price will serve as pallbearers.

Due to COVID-19 regulations, we ask that everyone wear a mask and practice social distancing. 

Condolences may be sent to the family at www.globefc.com.

Barbara Kay DeHart Gilliam

1936-2020

Mrs. Barbara Kay DeHart Gilliam, age 84, of Olive Hill, Kentucky, passed away Monday, December 21, 2020, at her residence.

She was born April 17, 1936, in Olive Hill, Kentucky, a daughter of the late Roy and Dessie Bond DeHart.

Barbara became a member of the Garvin Ridge Wesleyan Church in 1986, she served as a board member, Sunday School teacher, and president of W.W.I. (Wesleyan Women International.) She loved serving the Lord and was baptized at the age of 15. In 1990, she opened the Citizen Bank and managed it as a cashier and also served as Vice President until they sold the bank in 2000. She enjoyed teaching, working with the ladies missionary and serving dinners to families. 

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband of 44 years, Donald Gilliam, and one sister, Jacqueline Roe.

Barbara is survived by three sons, Gregory Gilliam (Sherry) of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, Harrison Gilliam (Andrea) of Huntington, West Virginia, and Matthew Gilliam of Olive Hill, Kentucky; two daughters, Lori Reinheimer and Jeanie Bolin (Tracy), all of Elizabethtown, Kentucky; five grandchildren, Anna Marie Sanders (Troy), Andrew Reinheimer, Darrel Bolin (Brandy), Jeremy Bolin (Jessica) and Bailey Gilliam; eight great grandchildren, Tyler Reinheimer, Dominic Hope, Pierce Lee, Ande Reinheimer, Drew Reinheimer, Kylee Bolin, Jarrett Bolin and Judson Bolin; two brothers, Roy Roger DeHart of Ashland, Kentucky, and Phillip Harrison DeHart (Katie) of Jackson, Ohio; and one sister, Joan Marilyn Blevins of Olive Hill, Kentucky. She also leaves many other family members and friends who will sadly miss her.

Funeral service will be held 6 p.m. Wednesday, December 30, 2020, at Globe Funeral Chapel in Olive Hill, Kentucky, with Brother Clyde Holbrook and Brother J.C. Bond officiating.

Friends may visit from 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Wednesday, December 30, 2020, at Globe Funeral Chapel, 17277 West Highway US 60, Olive Hill, Kentucky 41164. 

Due to COVID-19 regulations, we ask that everyone wear a mask and practice social distancing. 

Condolences may be sent to the family at www.globefc.com.

Uncle Jack Fultz’s Memories of Carter County: The rise and fall of Peoples Bank

Reclaiming a beautiful facade

By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times

Peoples Bank was founded in Olive Hill in 1913, according to local historian Francis Nash. Five years later, in September of 1918, the Carter County Herald reported on the construction of their new building on Railroad Street, across from the Depot. 

“We are reliably informed by M.S. Qualls that the entire lot of material for the erection of the new home for the Peoples Bank had been purchased and shipped,” the Herald read. The article finished with the line, “The building will be a nice structure and will add much to the appearance of the street.” 

It is a nice façade, though the interior has not stood the test of time, especially following the flooding of downtown Olive Hill. By 1965, though, as Nash noted, the building no longer served the purposes of Peoples Bank and a new home was secured on Main Street. That location would serve the bank for another dozen years. But by 1987 the bank – which had served the community for 74 years – was in trouble. 

The Associated Press reported in December of that year that the bank was being closed by state regulators because, “it’s financial condition had deteriorated to the point it could not operate in a ‘safe and sound manner.’” 

Peoples Bank was one of several banks to be closed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) that year, following downturns in economic markets beginning in October with the “Black Monday” stock market crash. The Peoples Bank closure, for instance, was “one of nine commercial bank failures” on Thursday, December 3, according to the AP. “(A) record for the most bank closings in one day in the (then) 53 year history of the (FDIC).” 

The bank building wouldn’t stay closed for long, however, re-opening the next day as a branch of the Commercial Bank of Grayson “in a purchase arranged by the FDIC.” 

That original building, though, on Railroad Street, outlived the bank itself, and is once again having new life breathed into it. While the interior is being completely redone, the 100 year old building will still look largely the same on the front, with the handsome stone work preserved through the project of Scenic Hills Realty proprietors J.D. and Debbie Rayburn to help revitalize the downtown area. The Scenic Hills Realty office itself stands as an example of what can be done to beautify and reclaim these downtown buildings that have suffered from neglect over the years in addition to natural disasters like flooding. 

We’re excited to see what the project will bring to the building and to see some effort made to preserve what is left of this piece of Olive Hill history. 

Editor’s Note: This is the 24th in a series of articles drawn from the historical newspaper clippings and documents in the scrapbooks of Jack Fultz. We thank Sally James of Sally’s Flowers in Olive Hill for sharing her uncle’s collected clippings with us and the community. – Jeremy D. Wells, editor, Carter County Times 

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