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Danny Dexter Kiser

1962-2020

Mr. Danny Dexter Kiser, age 58, of Olive Hill, Kentucky, passed away Saturday, November 14, 2020, in Carter County, Kentucky.

He was born January 2, 1962, in Boyd County, Kentucky, a son of Freda Marlene Sheppard Kiser and the late Phillip Gale Kiser.

Danny worked for Kentucky Electric Steel for 15 years and he enjoyed fishing and playing his guitar.

Funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, November 18, 2020, at Globe Funeral Chapel in Olive Hill, Kentucky, with Brother Terry Stamper officiating. Burial will follow in the Bairtown Cemetery in Elliott County, Kentucky.

Friends may visit from 12 noon to 2 p.m. Wednesday, November 18, 2020, at Globe Funeral Chapel, 17277 West Highway US 60, Olive Hill, Kentucky 41164.

Family and friends will serve as pallbearers.

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

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

The driveway deer

By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times

As you probably know, it’s deer season again. It’s hard to miss, even if you don’t hunt, what with the sea of orange vests and camouflage coveralls lining up at the gas pumps in the morning. (Bowhunters, please bear with us, we know you’ve already been out in the woods for months.) 

I got out into the woods for modern rifle season a little bit this weekend. On Sunday, as I sat under the branches of a big beech tree, within spitting distance of two large scrapes, watching the sun come up, I remembered back to gun season last year – my first on our new property – and the light skiff of snow that covered the ground. Thankful for the unseasonably warm weather, my mood turned with the weather as a light rain began to fall. At first I thought I’d wait it out. It wasn’t raining hard. But as two big drops hit my glasses, I decide to give it up. 

On the hike back off the hill it seemed like it was going to pass, but as I started for another stretch of woods to do some still hunting the rain came back and I decided to walk on home and make coffee. 

Every hunter has experienced something like this. You’ll see deer in your fields all year, but sit out in the cold and wind waiting to see one and nothing happens. In deer season we’ll see nothing but squirrel. Go squirrel hunting, and it’s turkey everywhere. Take off in turkey season and jump rabbits out of the bush. Take the dogs out to rabbit hunt, and have a young pup take off after deer. It’s almost like mother nature revels in taunting us sometimes. 

Sometimes, though, fate smiles on you. 

A couple of years back, during a brutally cold muzzle loading season, I sat out in the snow until my nose was red and my fingers were numb. It was so cold the little bit of coffee left in my insulated mug had started to freeze. I decided to call it quits. I took the cap off my muzzleloader, slid the gun into the backseat, and drove into Sandy Hook for more hot coffee and a plate of biscuits and gravy from the Penny Mart. 

After filling my belly, and thawing my nose and toes, I headed for home. As I pulled into our driveway, though, three does (or two large does and one yearling button buck, it was hard to tell for certain) ran directly across the drive in front of me. I slammed on the brakes, threw the car into park, jumped out, put a cap on my rifle and – as the biggest doe paused in the trees on the hillside above our barn to glance back at me – fired. 

The shot was good, and well placed just behind the left shoulder and through the heart. The doe ran parallel to our yard until she was directly above our backyard. Then she fell down, dead. After all that waiting and freezing and shivering, I filled our freezer with meat from a deer I almost hit with my car, in my own driveway. 

It was easily the least labor intensive deer I’ve ever harvested. I field dressed her on the hillside, then dragged her maybe 15 yards downhill before hoisting her up on the back porch to hang. 

I probably won’t get that lucky again this year, or ever, but a man can always dream. 

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

Setting the record straight on Christmas joy at my home

By: Keith Kappes
Columnist
Carter County Times

Christmas is still a month away and I’ve already received my first thinly-veiled insult from my family members who wrongly believe that I do not enjoy that holiday because it is relatively expensive. 

In fact, all I did was ask why we are buying new outdoor Christmas lights again this year. True to form, two of my adult children accused me of being a “Scrooge.” 

Rather than be offended, that reference always reminds me of the memorable phrase, “God bless us, everyone”, first uttered as a Christmas dinner blessing by Tiny Tim and then repeated by a repentant Ebenezer Scrooge at the end of “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens. 

To me, those words embody the true meaning of the joyous holiday we will celebrate next month. And it should inspire all of us to keep the spirit of Christmas in our hearts all year long. 

Dickens used the possibility of young Tiny Tim’s death as a psychological weapon against the miserly Scrooge who didn’t pay Bob Cratchit enough to get medical treatment for his crippled son. 

Guilt can be a powerful motivator for doing the right thing and that’s apparently what drove ole Ebenezer to change his ways and become like a second father to Tiny Tim and the Cratchits. 

This Christmas will bring us another helping of wonderful examples of how we Americans are the most generous folks on earth, giving copiously of our time and treasure to help others. 

My favorite is the Christmas giving technique used by the so-called “check-out angels”. They stand near check-out lanes and pay for layaway gifts and other holiday purchases by many low income families. 

That approach will be even more important this year in the midst of the economic disaster caused by the pandemic. 

I still remember when my wife and I made sure our kids had a “good” Christmas in terms of gifts and then we spent the following year paying off the credit cards. 

Here’s a simple but profound observation to help us have the right attitude about giving during this wondrous season.

“Christmas begins with Christ.”

Keith Kappes can be reached at keithkappes@gmail.com.

As we see it: Grayson needs another traffic light

If you’ve spent any amount of time in Grayson, we’re sure you’ve seen an accident at Carol Malone Boulevard and Interstate Drive. It seems like this intersection, in particular, is terribly prone to accidents. 

Maybe it’s because of the weird angles there at Interstate Drive. After paralleling I-64 for most of its length, the road turns to run parallel to Carol Malone briefly before turning again to intersect with Carol Malone in front of the Arby’s restaurant. 

Maybe it’s because of the heavy truck traffic coming and going from I-64 to the Love’s truck stop just on the other side of the intersection. It does seem like a lot of these accidents occur between big rigs or other commercial trucks and commuter vehicles. 

Maybe it has to do with the large number of gas stations there just off the interstate, and the early morning and early evening rush hour traffic. If you want to make a turn there, you’ll often find it difficult to see the oncoming traffic you need to cross. It doesn’t matter if you are north bound or south bound, turning left or turning right. There are always other vehicles in front of you trying to make a turn, or vehicles coming towards you making a turn. 

Sometimes these other drivers are respectful and accommodating. Often they are not. 

No matter what is causing it, there is a lot of traffic coming and going along Carol Malone there just before the interstate. It’s difficult to make a turn in to or out of any of the businesses near the intersection, and the closer you are to the interstate – and the paralleling Interstate Drive – the more difficult it becomes. 

None of us like sitting at red lights, and adding extra traffic signals, especially so near an already existing traffic signal, would normally be one of the last things we would suggest. But would it be worth adding another traffic signal there at Interstate Drive and Carol Malone if it could cut back on the number of accidents we see there? 

There is, indeed, already a traffic signal just past the intersection, before you exit Carol Malone onto I-64 or continue northbound across the interstate overpass. But that signal isn’t close enough to the intersection with Interstate Drive to be much help with the traffic problems that are leading to accidents. 

What is needed is something to stop, or at the very least alert, drivers to the other vehicles that may be trying to enter the flow of traffic onto Carol Malone Boulevard. 

Maybe this could just be a large sign, or hanging traffic signal, with flashing yellow caution lights. Maybe the northbound traffic light currently on the overpass approach could be pushed back to the other side of Interstate Drive, while leaving the light in the southbound lane where it is. This option could still control the flow of traffic entering and exiting the interstate but would also give those wanting to turn out of Interstate Drive more opportunities to do so safely. 

We don’t know exactly what the best option is for this situation. We’re not highway safety experts or city planners. But something clearly needs to be done to curb the number of accidents that take place here. 

We strongly encourage those who are experts in highway safety and city planning to look at what options are available here, and what could best increase safety while having the least impact on traffic flow. 

None of us like sitting at traffic lights. But wouldn’t sitting at an extra light be worth it if it helped keep car insurance rates down? Wouldn’t it be worth it if it were easier to make your turns across traffic to fill your tank on the way to work in the morning? More importantly, wouldn’t sitting through an extra light be worth it if it could save somebody’s life? 

We won’t tell you how you should answer, but from us, the answer is a simple and resounding, “yes!” Yes, sitting through an extra traffic light would be worth it if it meant saving a life, plain and simple. 

Uncle Jack Fultz’s Memories of Carter County: Celebrating the holidays

A look at the ghosts of Christmases past

By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times

Spirits were on the minds of folks following Christmas 1917, but not the kind found in a Charles Dickens novel. Instead the spectre of impending Prohibition – still two years away – was on the minds of the Carter County Herald staff, who were openly on the side of the “dries” in the wet/dry debate gripping the state and the country. Specifically, they were thankful for a quiet and sober holiday season and hoped for more of the calm in the new year. 

The wet/dry argument is one that would resurface again and again in election coverage and the lead-ups to state and national prohibition efforts, as we have seen in other Uncle Jack installments. But when the holiday season hits, then as now, folks first thoughts went to gift giving – often skipping straight over preparations for Thanksgiving to start planning what they were going to get for their kids and loved ones. Or at least, that’s what the advertisements might lead you to believe. 

While of course a lot has changed over the last 100 years, you can see patterns to the advertisements that you’d likely recognize from seasonal ads today. For mom it was home items; home décor, furniture, kitchen implements, and the like. For dad it was tools, hardware, and things to help with work around the home or the farm. And for kids, it was toys, with J.E. Wallace & Company advertising that they had, “one of the largest and best assortments of toys ever shown in this city.” 

Eat your heart out FAO Schwarz. 

Of course our favorite advertisement was the one from the Herald, suggesting that you give the gift that keeps on giving all year long – a subscription to the newspaper. 

Who can argue with logic like that? 

Editor’s Note: This is the 19th in a series of articles drawn from the historical newspaper clippings 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

Indictments: 10/16/20

The following indictments were returned by the Grand Jury of the Carter Circuit Court on October 16, 2020. An indictment is not a determination of guilt or innocence. It is simply a charge that an offense has been committed and indicates that a case is pending on the charges listed. All defendants have the presumption of innocence until found guilty in a court of law. 

Though it is a part of the public record, the Carter County Times does not make a habit of printing the names of minor children or the victims of alleged crimes, except under exceptional circumstances. 

  • Desmonique Nesha Bennett, 23, of Frankfort, on or about September 5, trafficking in a controlled substance, first degree, first offense, by knowingly and unlawfully trafficking in a controlled substance by distributing, dispensing, selling, transferring, or possessing with intent to distribute, dispense, or sell heroin, a schedule one narcotic, a Class C felony; possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class A misdemeanor. 
  • Travis J. Hedge, 28, of Olive Hill, on or about September 23 through September 26, criminal mischief first degree, by intentionally destroying property belonging to another, causing more than $1,000 damage, a Class D felony.
  • Darryl Owens, 55, of Olive Hill, on or about September 5, possession of a controlled substance, first degree, first offense, when he possessed methamphetamine, a schedule one narcotic, a Class D felony; possession of a controlled substance, first degree, first offense, when he possessed heroin, a schedule one narcotic, a Class D felony; possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class A misdemeanor; possession of a controlled substance, second degree, by knowingly and unlawfully possessing suboxone, a controlled substance classified as a schedule three drug, a Class A misdemeanor. 
  • Ryan Porter, 24, of Grayson, on or about September 5, complicity to trafficking in a controlled substance, first degree, first offense, by soliciting, commanding, or engaging in a conspiracy with another person to commit the offense, or aiding, counseling, or attempting to aid another person in the offense of knowingly and unlawfully trafficking in a controlled substance, by distributing, dispensing, selling, transferring, or possessing with intent to distribute, dispense, or sell heroin, a schedule one narcotic, a Class C felony; theft by unlawful taking over $500, by taking money from Desmonique Bennett valued at over $500 with intent to permanently deprive her of her property, a Class D felony. 

Livestock and Grain Market Report: 11/13/20

Extension Notes: Order beef cattle minerals now

By: Rebecca Konopka
Carter County Extension Agent

The Northeast Area Livestock Association is taking orders for the winter group mineral order. Hinton Mills won the bid and will be providing two minerals to choose from. Spring calving operations should choose the UK IRM Basic Cow/Calf Mineral containing High Magnesium ($16.70 per 50-pound bag) to help prevent grass tetany. Fall calving operations should choose the UK IRM Basic Cow/Calf Mineral ($14.00 per 50-pound bag). These products are not recommended for sheep, goats or Jersey cattle due to potential copper toxicity. 

Mineral orders must be placed by Tuesday, November 24th by calling the Carter County Extension Office at 474-6686. Minerals can be picked up at Hinton Mills or at the Carter County Extension Office at 9:00 AM on Friday, December 11th. 

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. 

Mark of the Bell Witch: Small Town Monsters film explores legend

By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times

The Small Town Monsters films are all treats. Director, writer and producer Seth Breedlove has made some spectacular films on a wide range of topics, from Bigfoot (The Minerva Monster, Beast of Whitehall) to Mothman (The Mothman of Point Pleasant, the Mothman Legacy) to crashed and recovered UFOs (Invasion on Chestnut Ridge, the Flatwoods Monster) to werewolves (The Bray Road Beast). Along the way we’ve been able to watch Breedlove grow as not only a filmmaker, but as a storyteller as well, experimenting with different cinematic techniques and styles. In Momo the Missouri Monster, for instance, he worked at creating a less documentary style, casting longtime collaborator and narrator Lyle Blackburn as the fictional host of a late night B-movie monster series presenting the dramatized story of the Momo phenomenon, to entertaining but mixed effect. 

With his most recent Kickstarter project, featuring the recently released Mothman Legacy and the soon-to-be-released Mark of the Bell Witch, he’s back in the mode of pure documentary filmmaker. But the lessons learned from those forays into other styles are on full display, especially in Mark of the Bell Witch. The film – one of the more comprehensive documentary treatments of the topic – uses a gorgeous mix of black-and-white dramatization footage and animation, along with commentary from local historians, folklorists, and Adams, Tennessee locals, to tell a compelling story that is both informative and creepy at the same time. 

I found myself caught by a jump-scare at one point, bolting a little in my chair, something that was both unexpected and delightful. 

For those unfamiliar with the Bell Witch story, it isn’t so much a witch story as it is an amalgam of odd and unexplained experiences – sometimes reminiscent of poltergeists, sometimes cryptids and phantom critters, sometimes ghost lights, spectres and haints. The story started in 1817, near Adams, Tennessee, when John Bell, a church elder, farmer, and landowner with 320 acres and ten slaves, took a shot at an unidentified animal that resembled a dog in some ways, but wasn’t quite right. That animal fled, apparently unharmed. But it wouldn’t be the last odd creature seen on the Bell land. One of Bell’s sons would see large unidentified birds, and a family slave, Aberdeen Bell, would claim to be threatened by a large black dog while coming home from visiting his wife on a neighboring farm. Aberdeen, or Dean, claimed that he split the animals head with a blow from an axe. But the next night, while making the same trip, he would see the dog again, this time with two heads and uttering terrible noises. Other phenomenon would follow, including the image of a hanged woman who disappeared and strange floating globes of light. 

But it was the “witch” who haunted the family home that would steal the show and make the Bell family famous. The “witch” – a catch-all phrase for spirits, demonic activity, or hobgoblins used in the rural south of the time – started as scratching and banging noises before moving on to persecuting the family patriarch and youngest daughter with slaps, hair pulling, and other physical assaults, and eventually developing a full voice and holding conversations with visitors to the Bell farm. She would ultimately say her purpose was to cause the death of “Old Jack Bell” as she called the senior John Bell; a fate that occurred within three years of the onset of the phenomenon. 

Though the phenomenon largely ceased with the death of John Bell Sr., with the exception of a promised return eight years following his death and three nights of interaction with John Bell Jr. at his home, it has continued to impact the area in and around Adams as other local legends have grown up around or taken on the veneer of the Bell 

Witch story. A mirror legend similar to the Bloody Mary stories is told by young people around the small Tennessee community, for instance. There is also a tradition that if you take a rock from the Bell Witch Cave you will be cursed. A story of a 1950s automobile accident that resulted in the death of the driver, shortly after stealing the tombstones of John and Lucy Bell, is also told. According to that legend the tombstones were found in the trunk of the wrecked car and returned by the frightened and shaken parents of the teenage thief. 

Mark of the Bell Witch does a fantastic job of weaving all these disparate threads together, along with the history and legacy of slavery and westward expansion in the early 19th century, for a compelling and creepy hour and a half of viewing. The film is helped along by the thoroughly spine-tingling score of composer Brandon Dalo, who has worked on other Small Town Monster productions, and the narration of Lauren Ashley Carter. Carter’s soft and comforting voice is the perfect counterpoint to the score and the subject matter. While many of the more recent STM films have used Lyle Blackburn as narrator, the decision to use Carter for Mark of the Bell Witch was a wise choice that felt right for the subject matter straight from the beginning. It was an unexpected but welcome change from Blackburn that might not have worked on any of the other films, but was perfect for this film. 

I can’t recommend Mark of the Bell Witch enough, and hope you all find it as compelling and engrossing as I do when it launches on Vimeo, Amazon, and other streaming outlets, as well as Blu-ray and DVD, on December 15 of this year. Just in time for the 200th anniversary of John Bell Sr.’s December 20, 1820 death and the fulfillment of the Bell Witch’s curse. 

For more information, look for Small Town Monsters on Facebook or online at smalltownmonsters.com. 

Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com

Grayson Tree Carving

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 The city building tree carving, by Larry Porter, was uncovered and visible this week. The carving, Porter’s largest piece to date, is not yet complete and will contain more detail when finished. (Photo by Jeremy D. Wells, Carter County Times)

Getting new cruisers: Grayson council discusses police car lease program

By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times

 New police cruisers have been on the agenda for Grayson City Council since before Chief Travis Steele took over the position from retired Chief Kevin McDavid, but the city got one step closer to making a decision on the issue during their regular meeting last Tuesday. The police department discussed a possible fleet management program for lease of police and, potentially, other city vehicles with council during that meeting. 

By leasing instead of buying, the city could see savings over time on maintenance costs, according to the department. Instead of paying to repair an older vehicle they were buying or had purchased, they could trade those vehicles out every five years for new vehicles, or choose to hold onto them if they were satisfied with the performance. Regular vehicle maintenance, like oil changes, would still be the responsibility of the department, as with any other lease. But instead of the city handling that as they went, it would all be billed through the leasing service. The service would then bill the city at one time for those regular maintenance costs. 

Steele told council one of the other things he liked about the program was that the department had the ability to tell the service not only how many vehicles they wanted, but when they would like to take delivery. He explained this would allow the company to begin the process, but would also allow the department to prepare for the cost and to put off delivery until funds were expected to be available to cover the cost of replacing the new vehicles. This feature seemed to allay the fears of councilperson Pearl Crum, who expressed concerns about the cost of the program when the city was operating on a tight budget. 

Steele said another feature of the program that could benefit the city was the offer to sell any existing vehicles that the department wanted to replace. This, he explained, would help the department get the most out of existing vehicles before leasing new vehicles through the program. It would also spare the department the time and effort of selling the older vehicles. 

“We have the option of having the Enterprise Company sell those (existing vehicles) or we could sell them ourselves if we want to,” he said. 

With the “original program” he said, they were looking at seven new police cars and two new vehicles for the fire department. 

“One of the (fire department) rescue trucks would need replaced and one of the SUVs,” he said. 

In addition to being used by the Carter County sheriff department and other county systems, the Enterprise service is endorsed by the Kentucky League of Cities. Code enforcement officer Duane Suttles explained that this means many other cities also utilize the program. 

Councilperson Pam Nash made a motion to allow the police department to begin the process of placing an order for the cars they want. While this doesn’t yet lock the city or the police department into a lease agreement, it allows Enterprise to come back with an agreement and a price so council will be able to make an informed decision. 

Council voted to approve beginning the process, with councilperson Pearl Crum the lone “no” vote. Crum said she would oppose the agreement until council had something in writing for city attorney Jason Greer to review and advise council on. 

In other department reports, alcoholic beverage officer Willis Johnson told council that restaurants with a liquor license can waive one year of license fees, due to lost alcohol sales related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This fee waiver doesn’t apply to liquor stores, as they weren’t hurt in the same way by closures. 

Council also moved to pass suggested code enforcement ordinance amendments to the city attorney for review and preparation of new language that council could vote to give a first reading to at the next regular council meeting. Suttles explained to council that his suggested changes were to clean up old and obsolete language and policy. 

Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com

To turf, or not to turf?: Artificial surface still option for park

By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times

 Grayson Sports Park manager Grant Harper has been working to seed the ball field at the park with grass. He’s also discussed options for bringing in topsoil to help that grass grow. But this doesn’t mean the idea of artificial turf surfaces are off the table just yet. 

Harper spoke with the Grayson Tourism Commission last Thursday and gave an update on progress at the park. In addition to noting that they have finished up with most contractors – only the contract for fencing is still open – Harper told the commission that the park board is still hearing suggestions on artificial turf, at least on some surfaces. 

He told tourism that he and members of the park board have spoken with representatives of the Motz Group, an Ohio based company that specializes in both artificial and natural grass turf, about some of those options. While they haven’t come to any decisions yet, Harper said going with artificial turf over natural grass has several benefits. Specifically, he said, going with artificial turf could, “free up time and resources for other projects.” 

Harper also updated tourism on plans for the playground. He said he is currently, “narrowing down playground options,” and will send out his suggestions on those options to the park board and tourism commission after he has finished making those decisions. He said they will likely go with Landscape Structures, the company associated with the Kiwanis “Legacy of Play” contest, for some of the equipment. While Grayson did not win the funding offered in that contest, Harper said the company did give the park a certificate that entitles them to a free piece of playground equipment with purchase. 

Tourism also heard an update on the hotel tax during the financial report. Treasurer Don Combs told the commission that the hotels have started making payments, and the commission now has funds in that account which could be used for local tourism related grants. The commission had put a freeze on grants from the fund earlier this year as a lack of hotel tax payments cut into available money. 

This funding freeze did not have a significant impact, as COVID-19 concerns led to the cancellation of many events that would have normally sought grant funding from the commission. Nevertheless, the tourism commission did approve a motion to start looking at grant requests once again. One of the groups expected to apply for some grant funding would be the Grayson Chamber of Commerce, who plan to move forward with the seasonal Christmas light trail. 

Combs also gave the commission an update on restaurant tax funds. While those tax funds were down a little from last year, Combs said, it was not down as much as it could have been given the impact of the pandemic on restaurants; especially dine-in restaurants. While those tax funds are down slightly, Combs said he did not see it having any impact on plans for the sports park. He told the commission they still have money in the bond for the sports park and well as in the maintenance reserve account. He said the park should have enough money in the bond to purchase and complete installation work on playground equipment. 

“We ought to be able to do most of what we planned to do with bond money,” Combs told the commission. 

Restaurant tax money, by state statute, must be used for tourism related projects like the sports park. 

Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com 

Out of this world opportunities: Cosmic Athletic Center reaches out to community

The Cosmic Center’s Amy Greene talks with Olive Hill Chamber of Commerce members. (Photo by Jeremy D. Wells, Carter County Times)

By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times

 “We’re wanting to try to help you understand what happened to us as a gym,” Cosmic Center founder Amy Greene told the Olive Hill Chamber of Commerce during a special meeting last Thursday. 

Greene was referencing a legal problem with a former employee who left the business on bad terms. She didn’t want to linger on the issue, preferring to focus on her Olive Hill roots and reasons for returning to the community to found the athletic center, which offers a variety of programs to local youth. But it was the 500-pound gorilla in the room that needed some attention. All Greene wanted to say on the issue was that legal action had been taken, the individual was investigated, and the allegations had gone to the grand jury for indictment. 

Parents whose children participated in activities at the center, and who contributed to fundraisers for their events, were more open about what happened. One parent explained that the individual in question had stolen money raised by the parents for the children. Thousands of dollars in fundraiser money walked out the door with the employee, she said. Not only did the employee walk away with the money raised, she also failed to pay for the fundraiser items, leaving the center stuck with the bill which they had to pay for out of their own pockets. In all, the employee cost the center over $30,000 according to Greene. 

Because they know it’s been talked about in the community, they felt they had to address the issue, but it isn’t where they want the focus to be moving forward. Instead, Greene said, they want to focus on the services and events they offer to the Olive Hill community. It isn’t just sports, athletics, and tumbling activities, she said. She wants the community to know the building is available for other events too. 

“We’re fighting for our community,” Greene said, adding that she is “always thinking of ways to be involved in the community. 

She asked the chamber members for advice on how to promote the events they already have planned and in improving participation and awareness of future events. The chamber responded with several ideas for promotion and strategies for effective use of social media. 

Von Perry, who offered several insights on social media use, also reminded Greene that the Galaxy Project offers scholarships to children who might otherwise not be able to participate in activities due to costs. 

Kieara Judd-Irick, with Center 4 A Change and Jenkie’s Journey, also agreed to sponsor some scholarships to the Cosmic Center, with details to be confirmed. She said activities and community of the sort offered in places like the Cosmic Center can help keep kids from turning to drugs and offer them the sense of belonging and security they are often lacking when they begin seeking solace in drugs and the drug community. 

In addition to the Winter Wonderland Princess/Power Palooza, a December 19 event that will offer super hero (Power) and Princess themed activities for kids, the center’s upcoming events include the Cosmic Holiday Hoop Basketball Tournament, December 11-13, Cosmic Christmas Movie Nights on December 4 and 5, and Cosmic Hip Hop Classes, December 13-30. Greene said they will also be adding volleyball to the agenda soon, and that members of the West Carter volleyball team will be serving as the “princesses” during the Princess/Power Palooza. They also offer one of the few special needs cheering classes in the region. 

For more information on events Greene encouraged those interested to find them on Facebook at Cosmic Athletic Center. 

Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com

Peter David “Pete” Koniowsky

1967-2020

Mr. Peter David “Pete” Koniowsky, age 53, of Olive Hill, Kentucky, passed away Wednesday, November 11, 2020, at his residence. 

He was born August 3, 1967, in Warren, Ohio, a son of the late Stanley and Shirley Gifford Koniowsky.

Pete enjoyed fishing, playing horseshoes and being with his family.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by one daughter, Sandra Bernadine “Pumpkin” Koniowsky, one sister Debbie Woodly and his companion, Sandra “Sandy” Elise Reeves Barker. 

Pete is survived by one son, Michael Koniowsky (Christine) of Deerborn, Michigan; two brothers, Ricky Koniowsky and Steve Koniowsky both of Niles, Ohio; and three sisters, Jackie Hanshaw and Cindy Lewis both of Warren, Ohio, and Virgina Hanshaw of Olive Hill, Kentucky. He also leaves many other family members and friends who will sadly mourn his passing.

A graveside service will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, November 19, 2020 at the Garvin Ridge Cemetery in Olive Hill, Kentucky, with Brother Larry Joe Ruley officiating.

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

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

Myrna Josephine Kiser

1937-2020

Miss Myrna Josephine Kiser, age 83, of Huber Heights, Ohio, passed away Friday, November 13, 2020, at Soin Medical Center in Beavercreek, Ohio. 

She was born July 23, 1937, in Carter County, Kentucky, a daughter of the late Culie B. and Kathryn Edison Kiser.

Myrna was a member of the Salem Church of God and enjoyed festivals, shopping, fashion, gift giving and spending time with her family.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by one brother, Vernon Kiser.

Myrna is survived by six brothers, Gary Kiser of Dayton, Ohio, Gene Kiser (Rachel) of Ashland, Kentucky, Gayle Kiser (Sally) of Ann Harbor, Michigan, Danny Kiser (Sharon) and Timothy Kiser (Chattie) all of Olive Hill, Kentucky and Jeff Kiser (Sue) of Morehead, Kentucky; and two sisters, Elizabeth Kiser Short (Richard) of Olive Hill, Kentucky and Trish Kiser Cloud of Frisco, Texas. She also leaves many other family members and friends who will sadly mourn her passing. 

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, November 17, 2020 at Globe Funeral Chapel in Olive Hill, Kentucky, with Brother Richard Short officiating. Burial will follow in the Kiser Cemetery in Carter County, Kentucky.

Friends may visit from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, November 17, 2020 at Globe Funeral Chapel, 17277 West US Highway 60, Olive Hill, Kentucky 41164.

Family and friends will serve as pallbearers.

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

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

Glenna Faye Parsons Holbrook

1958-2020

Mrs. Glenna Faye Parsons Holbrook, age 62, of Olive Hill, Kentucky, passed away Wednesday morning, November 11, 2020, at St. Claire Healthcare in Morehead, Kentucky.

She was born September 13, 1958, in Rowan County, Kentucky, a daughter of the late Harold Glendal Parsons and Shirley Faye Webb Parsons.

Glenna was of the Christian faith and she enjoyed yard selling with her husband, watching Days of Our Lives and spending time with her family and her grandchildren.

She is survived by her husband of 46 years, Danny Holbrook; one son and daughter-in-law, Danny Joseph Holbrook and Angie of Olive Hill, Kentucky; one daughter and son-in-law, Lori Faye Wright and John of Morehead, Kentucky; four grandchildren, Danni Alyssa Holbrook, Maci Jo Holbrook, Eli Ransome Wright and Aubrey Grace Wright; and one brother, Gary Thomas Parsons of Jeffersonville, Kentucky. She also leaves many other family members and friends who will sadly miss her.

Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, November 14, 2020, at Globe Funeral Chapel in Olive Hill, Kentucky, with Brother Terry Frerichs and Brother Bobby Day officiating. Burial will follow in the Holbrook-Clay Cemetery in Olive Hill, Kentucky.

Friends may visit from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, November 14, 2020, at Globe Funeral Chapel, 17277 West Highway US 60, Olive Hill, Kentucky 41164.

Danny Joe Holbrook, Danny Holbrook, Josh Parsons, Corey Frerichs, Sammy Lee Maddix and Todd Minor will serve as pallbearers. Eli Wright will serve as a honorary pallbearer.

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

Uncle Jack Fultz’s Memories of Carter County: Veterans, Armistice, and Carter County’s sons

By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times

Today is Veteran’s Day. The day when we honor those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, regardless of the branch or conflict they served in. But it wasn’t always Veteran’s Day. Until 1954, when it was renamed so we could also honor those veterans of WWII and later conflicts who answered the call to service, November 11 was known as Armistice Day – and still is in some other countries. That name denotes the cessation of hostilities in the First World War, at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the year in 1918. 

The articles from the Carter County Herald we have in the scrapbook of Uncle Jack run through 1918 and 1919, so there is a great focus on WWI – The War To End All Wars – and the young men from Carter County who fought and served and, in some cases, paid the ultimate price in duty to their nation. 

What we are printing here today from the scrapbook is by no means a complete list of those from Carter County to serve and sacrifice for their nation. What it does do, though, is show that Carter County was not bashful when it came to answering the call to service. These lists of young men who have enlisted, the lists of young men to die, the numerous articles and advertisements about War Bonds and rationing – they show that Carter County’s service is as old as the roots of the holiday that now celebrates their service. 

While WWI sadly did not “end all wars” as some hoped, it did mark the United States entry as a player on the world stage. A player that, for better or worse, has sent our men and women into harms way to preserve and encourage the cause of freedom around the globe. Today we use the Uncle Jack’s column to highlight a few of those who served in the First World War, and to say thank you to all of our county’s veterans for your service. 

Editor’s Note: This is the 18th in a series of articles drawn from the historical newspaper clippings 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

Keeping up with Bob: Fall yard work tests my limits

By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times

One of the best investments we’ve made has been our Husqvarna robot lawn mower. Through a round-about naming process, our lawn robot earned the name “Yard Bob” (to differentiate him from our Roomba, “House Bob”) and while he requires some work and maintenance in his own right, he makes yard work so much easier. 

My dear partner, Nicole, is much more laid back about most things than I am, but one area where we flip those roles is with yard work. I’m fine letting the weeds grow up along the fence line and leaving the grass until it’s closer to baling height than lawn length. This isn’t okay with her, so Yard Bob helps keep us from fighting over mowing the grass. 

What Yard Bob can’t do, though, is weed eat around the house and the fence, or up and down the driveway. When I had to re-lay Bob’s guide wires after we had a French drain installed this spring, I pushed them out to the very boundaries of what he can manage. This cuts down on the weed eating I have to do, even if it means – at least until the back hill has resettled – I will have to occasionally get Bob off a dirt clod he’s gotten hung up on. 

While Yard Bob does the heavy lifting, this weekend I had to finally break down and do some yard work I’ve been putting off for a while. This included the much loathed weed eating, cutting back some of the pernicious multi-flora rose that threatens to take over the paths leading into the woods on our property, and finally planting some apple trees that have sat in a planter on our stoop for over a year now. 

That last one took a lot of work, not only digging the holes but hauling well over 100 pounds of good top soil from the bottoms to fill the deep holes I had dug in the eroded clay hillside. 

I grafted some cuttings onto the apple rootstock from my mom’s apple trees a while back. Not all the grafts took, but a couple did, and I’m looking forward to having some good apples for frying and making apple butter, as well as eating out of hand, in the years to come. 

I know that these apples, along with the pawpaw I grew from seed, won’t give us any decent crops of fruit for quite some time. But I’m taking a long view of our stewardship of this land. As my son grows into a young man, and eventually into having a family of his own, hopefully these trees – along with the wild blackberry and raspberry brambles I’m relocating to takeover where the wild rose grows now – will give them the same appreciation of the land that my grandparent’s trees helped foster in me. 

If not, at least it’s been good exercise for now. 

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

Now I know why some folks have overlooked me

By: Keith Kappes
Columnist
Carter County Times

It was a few years ago that I began to notice that clothing manufacturers needed better quality control in marking sizes on men’s clothes, especially trousers. 

I even considered buying a pair of suspenders to hold my pants high enough to keep me from constantly stepping on the hem of each pant leg. 

One of my thoughtful daughters bought me a new set of jeans to wear in our family group photo. I gave her my measurements, including the 32-inch inseam I had worn since college. 

At her suggestion, I tried them on and quickly discovered another mismarked size on the inseam. Lo and behold, I had three inches of fabric below my shoes. 

My wife had been telling me over a period of several months that I seemed to be shorter in height than when she begged and pleaded with me to marry her in 1971. 

I scoffed at her idea of me losing height. At that point, she led me into the laundry room where she measured our kids as they were growing up. She marked the spot on the door facing and then measured from the floor up. 

I insisted on closely watching the procedure to make sure I was not being pranked. Lo and behold, I am two inches shorter than I had been through most of my adult life. 

I recall reading that many folks do shrink as they grow older because the cartilage between their joints gets worn out and/or osteoporosis causes their spinal column to become shorter. 

My thoughts went immediately to “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids”, that goofy science fiction movie from 1989 about a bumbling scientist who accidentally shrank his kids to the size of insects. 

My physician encourages me to lose weight but I hope that is not what he has in mind. 

Finally, I apologize to all vertically-challenged family members and friends whom I have subjected to short-person jokes. In my heart of hearts, I know that all of you are really down-to-earth people. 

Keith Kappes can be reached at keithkappes@gmail.com

As we see it: Good on Grayson

Last Tuesday, while the rest of the country was voting – and waiting for voting results to come back in – Grayson City Council quietly met in special session with one item on the agenda; funding for the Grayson branch of the Carter County Public Library. 

Council voted to continue funding the library with quarterly payments until some other way of fully funding the library system can be arranged. Ideally this would be with either general funds from the county fiscal court, or with a county wide library tax as Grayson Mayor George Steele has advocated for. 

While we would support a county wide library tax, there is less chance of the county passing a new tax than there is of Carter County residents supporting the use of existing county tax dollars – another option proposed by Steele – to pay for the library. With the already implemented county payroll tax increase, county funds could increase with growth of the local economy. But that is going to take support for local businesses from local residents. It’s also going to take support for projects, like the Grayson Sports Park and Olive Hill Welcome Center, that can help draw more visitors to Carter County to spend their money here. 

It also means drawing outside investment to Carter County. We’ve all been waiting patiently for Braidy Industries to do more than put up a fence and some signs. But even if that aluminum mill becomes a reality as we hope it eventually does, it doesn’t mean we can or should stop seeking other industry to locate in and near Carter County. 

Some of the things that attract businesses, though, are quality of life amenities that will appeal to their employees and executives. Things like welcome centers that promote outdoor activities, sports parks and playgrounds where their children can play, and – yes – libraries. 

Carter County has great natural beauty. We have creeks and a lake for kayaking, canoing and fishing. We have trails for hiking and riding. We have gorgeous vistas along our country backroads that give motorists a chance to see nature in all her seasonal glory; from the flowering of spring to the green of summer, and from the golds and browns of fall to the snowy, stark beauty of winter. 

The sports park will be open for business next spring. It will offer not only a place for kids to play competitive games, and for travel teams – and their spending money – to visit, it will offer playgrounds and spraygrounds and sensory gardens for local families to enjoy when their kids aren’t participating in organized sports. 

The amenity that Carter County was in risk of losing was its library – or at least the Grayson branch. Carter County librarian Christy Boggs told Olive Hill Council at their last regular meeting that the library was currently operating with an $8,000 deficit while trying to maintain both branches. That was with COVID-19 restrictions limiting library use to no-contact bagged items left outside for patrons. When COVID restrictions eventually lift there would be no way for the library to maintain both branches without the funding, so the decision from Grayson Council was very much needed. 

We commend council for voting to resume library funding, and Mayor Steele for showing the leadership necessary to bring the issue back before council. 

We agree with Steele that a better way to fund the library is needed. But until that funding source can be secured the funding from the city is necessary to keeping the library solvent. That solvency benefits the continuation of adult education opportunities, student study and recreational opportunities, and making Carter County an attractive place to visit and to locate your business. 

It was a brave move given the strong stance Grayson has taken in regards to county funding for the library, and the entire county owes them thanks for doing their part to keep the library going during these difficult times. The Carter County Times is proud to be able to say “thank you” to Mayor Steele and council for stepping back up to the plate and doing what was needed for the library. 

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