West Carter’s Jenna Jordan (3) hits the volleyball through the block attempt of Emily Ruggles (12) and McKenna Barfield of Russell
By: Mason Branham for Carter County Times
OLIVE HILL – Russell took advantage of West Carter hitting errors to beat the 62nd District runners-up in straight sets, 25-15, 25-21, 25-16, last Tuesday, to close out the opening round of the 16th Region Tournament.
West gave Russell its first four points of the match on two hitting errors, a serving error and a player getting into the net.
West had 10 kills in the opening set to just seven for the Lady Devils. However, the West kills were offset by an equal number of hitting and serving errors. The hosts also gave up two points by getting into the net.
In contrast, the Lady Devils had just three errors.
After the four West mistakes to start the game, Tori Hester served an ace for a quick 5-1 lead. Then three kills by Jenna Jordan helped West rally to within a point at 7-6.
The margin was still one, 8-7, following an exchange of kills by Russell’s Jady Green and West’s Macie Inskeep. However, a kill by Christen Corey and a block by Sadie Hill helped Russell start to pull away.
The margin was four when the Lady Devils went on 6-1 run to lead 23-15. Mallory Allen ended the set with a block.
West got off to a good start in the second set, building an 18-12 lead on an ace by Rebecca Stevens.
A couple of kills by Corey started a Russell comeback, though. An ace by Emily Ruggles pulled the Lady Devils within two, 18-16.
After a West point, the Lady Devils charged to the lead.
Kills by Hill, Cory and McKenna Barfield drew Russell even at 19 and a tip by Hill gave the Lady Devils the lead. Back-to-back aces by Ava O’Neal gave Russell a 22-19 lead.
West’s serve for the tie was wide for an error. A hitting error set up set point, which Allen notched with a kill.
Russell opened up a nine point lead in the third set, 15-6.
West then rallied again. After a Russell serving error, Cora Burton had a pair of aces as she served for six points, closing the gap.
After a Russell score, the Lady Comets immediately broke back on a kill by Peyton Steagall and ace by Hailey James. That cut the Russell lead to one. However, West made back-to-back hitting errors to start a 9-1 run for Russell to end the match.
Russell collected 28 kills, only one more than the Lady Comets. But the big difference came on blocks. Russell had a dozen led by Barfield with six. Corey added four
West (17-5) was the only 16th Region opponent to beat Russell (17-2) during the regular season.
West Carter’s Jenna Jordan (3) hits the volleyball through the block attempt of Emily Ruggles (12) and McKenna Barfield of Russell
Senior Madison Adkins serves for West Carter against Russell at the regional tournament.
Madison Adkins (8) of West Carter is in position for a block, but the Russell return hits the top of the net.
RUSSEL – West Carter was down by one, with less than three minutes left in their game against Russell last Friday, when Russell’s quarterback Charlie Jachimczuk intercepted a pass on a play that West needed to win the game, taking the score to 21-13 and seemingly assuring Russell of their 28th win over the Comets. But West Carter wasn’t ready to let things lie there, fighting back for a 25-21 win over the Red Devils – the team’s first ever win against Russell.
Russell scored first, near the end of the first quarter, on a three yard run from Ethan Osborne and a Nathan Totten kick, making the score 7-0 going into the second quarter.
West Carter tied things up near the end of the second quarter when Leetavious Cline ran 55 yards on an interception return and Garrett Wolfe made good on his kick.
Things were tied 7-7 going into the second half, but Russell scored next with 5:46 left in the quarter when Osborne ran the ball five yards and Blake Hern made good on his kick for the Red Devils. This had the score at 14-7, Russell, as the teams headed into the final quarter. That’s when the game really heated up.
Logan Berry took the score to 14-13 on a ten yard pass from QB Orry Perry, but the kick from Wolfe was blocked by Russell.
That was when Jachimczuk took the score to 21-13, and things seemed over for the Comets. But if we’ve seen anything from West Carter this year, it’s the this team doesn’t give up when things get rough.
“(We had) stopped Russell at the three yard line with (less than three) minutes to go, down 14-13 needing to go 97 yards for an opportunity to win,” West Carter stat keeper Zach Stevens explained. “Russell’s QB/DB Charlie Jachimczuk intercepted (that) pass and returned it for a TD making the Russell lead 21-13.”
But, Stevens noted, West Carter wasn’t ready to quit just yet.
“West got the ball back with around 1:20 left. They scored on the (23 yard) pass to (Jackson) Bond with 20 seconds left, to make it 21-19 Russell.” But, the attempted two-point conversion to tie the game failed, Stevens noted.
“West then executed a perfect onside kick,”he said. “West Carter kicker Garrett Wolfe lined up to kick the ball to the left side of the field, but when he kicked he perfectly executed a back foot kick to the right side of the field and Cole Crampton was able to recover the kick at the perfect location after it had traveled the ten yards it has to travel to be a legal kick. West took over with 20 seconds left, down 21-19. Perry threw a shirt pass to Cline to get to Russell’s 32 yard line with four seconds left. Next play Perry dropped back and threw the Hail Mary into the end zone, Bond tipped the pass and Gage Leadingham grabbed it for the TD to win the game.”
West Carter’s 25-21 win over Russell makes the team’s record for regular season play seven wins and one loss. Stevens said, with COVID restrictions, this coming week’s game against Greenup still looks to be canceled. If something changes, though, West could host the first round of playoffs November 13.
West Carter had ten first downs to Russell’s 20, and five penalties, for 35 yards, to Russell’s two for 15 yards. Each team had two turnovers, one each on a fumble and an interception. West Carter rushed for 103 yards on 21 plays. Russell rushed for 212 yards on 53. The Comets passed for 96 yards, making good on nine of 21 attempts, while the Red Devils passed for 99 yards, with eight connections on 16 attempts. Total yardage for each team was 199 yards West Carter, on 42 plays and 311 yards for Russell, on 69 plays.
Cline had 17 of those carries, for 107 yards, including his 55 yard interception return for a touchdown and 16 tackles. Perry was 9 for 21, for 96 passing yards and three touchdown passes. Gavin Gibson had 15 tackles, Dylan Roe had 13, and Isaac Bond 10. Jackson Bond had three catches, for 35 yards and one touchdown.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
For the last three years Carter Caves State Resort Park has worked with the county’s school resource centers to collect food and funds for a backpack program that helps feed hungry students over weekends and holidays. The school resource centers know that many students suffer from food insecurity, and some of them only eat hot meals when they are provided for them at breakfast and lunch in the school, or over the summer when school lunch programs continue across the county.
The staff at Carter Caves have been happy to help fill those nutritional gaps with their “backpack program.” The program works with the resource centers to send needy students home with backpacks filled with non-perishable food items so they can have something to eat during those times when they aren’t in school. Not only does Carter Caves provide non-perishable food items and backpacks, but they also provide cash donations to the schools so they can purchase other needed items, or more food, to help meet the students’ needs.
Carter Caves relies on donations of food and money from the community every year to make the program a reality. This year, however, that need is especially pressing. One of the biggest fundraisers for the backpack program has been Carter Caves’ very popular Haunted Trail event. The event not only raised cash through entry fees to the Haunted Trail that could be put toward the program, it also provided a lot of the non-perishable food items used to fill those backpacks. The park collected those food items from Haunted Trail enthusiasts by offering a discount on entry for every donated canned or boxed good.
This year, however, the Haunted Trail – like many other events – was canceled due to COVID-19 related restrictions. While this was a disappointment for those who enjoy the Halloween season, and the thrills of a good jump scare, it could mean the difference between eating or going hungry for the kids who rely on the food and money raised by the event.
Park manager Chris Perry has taken the cancellation of his park’s various fundraisers in stride, and has been using social media to ask the community to pitch in, with some success. However, despite the generosity of the people and businesses of Carter County, the program is still running woefully short of the food and funds needed to feed all the children at risk of going hungry over holiday breaks.
We could go on and on about how it’s a shame that – in one of the wealthiest industrialized nations on earth – children go to bed hungry every night. But the simple fact of the matter is, they do. All the pontificating and editorializing and social commentary in the world does nothing to change that fact. The backpack program, on the other hand, does.
The work Chris and the rest of the staff at Carter Caves do for this program is a labor of love that has benefited countless children and families over the years. Though we praise them for the work they do, those praises aren’t why they do the work. They do it because they care, and because they want to make a difference.
They can’t make that difference without the support of the community, though. That’s true every year, but especially this year.
So we’re asking you to pitch in and help out. If you have an extra ten dollar bill floating around in your wallet, or a twenty, or a hundred, please consider donating that money to the backpack program.
If you don’t have that much money, maybe you can pick up an extra box of macaroni and cheese or an extra can of ravioli or soup when you go to the grocery store. Then take a drive to the park to enjoy the fall leaves before they all blow away and leave that food at the lodge where it will be sorted and redistributed to the schools.
Trust us when we tell you it means so much to the children who will benefit from it, more than most of us can realize, especially this year.
Before the pandemic hit, and shut down much of what we took for granted, I ran a monthly poetry slam at the Grayson Gallery & Art Center. It was a labor of love for me. Something that I genuinely enjoyed sharing with the community and something that I like to think meant just as much to those regular participants.
Language and the written word have always been important to me. I read over a hundred books for a Multiple Sclerosis Read-A-Thon when I was in the third grade. My father, though, whose co-workers had sponsored me for up to ten cents a book or more in some instances – against his warnings that I was a voracious reader – would only let me claim 100. It was still enough to make me the top reader in the contest and won me a ten speed bicycle.
In the eighth grade I won my school’s creative writing award. Though I had some academic setbacks early in my high school years, largely due to a personality conflict with a freshman English teacher (who chastised me for reading ahead of the class in Great Expectations), by my junior year I had a teacher who recognized my writing. It was she who got me back on an honors English track by my senior year. But though I was always confident in my writing, I wasn’t a confident speaker.
It was poetry, and my good friend – the poet and writer Jacob Rakovan – who got me to come out of my shell by goading me into reading my work in front of others. Within the year I was not only a regular reader at open mic events, I was helping organize and sometimes hosting.
When I left Kentucky for Austin, TX it was the poetry slam community there who became my surrogate family. It was there I made life-long friends I still stay in contact with to this day. It was also there that my love for music really blossomed and I began putting together all the lessons of high school band and open mic jam sessions. There was a lot of overlap between the two groups, especially at the Ruta Maya coffee house I frequented, and I took it all in.
It was an amazing time for me, and that’s what I wanted to help create for others when I started the poetry slam in Grayson – and we were starting to get there too, in our own eastern Kentucky way. It wasn’t what I planned, but it was becoming its own creature. Growing up and surprising me, the way I’m sure my son will do. Then, the pandemic hit, and it all shut down.
It’s probably for the best, in some ways. I doubt I could keep up with this new paper and dedicate the kind of time to the slam that it deserved. But that doesn’t change the fact that I miss it, and the new community that was growing up around it. When we finally get on the other side of this virus, I’m looking forward to starting it up again. I’m not sure how. Maybe it will return to the gallery. Maybe the library. Maybe somewhere else. But I know one thing, I never took it for granted, even before the pandemic hit. If any of our old readers come back around again, I hope they won’t either; and I hope it has the same sort of impact on them that those early readings and slams did on me.
Jeremy D Wells can be reached at editor@cartercountytimes.com
Halloween has come and gone for another year, much to the dismay of the kids who didn’t get to go Trick-or-Treating and even more so to all of the candy manufacturers and retail stores left with crates full of sweet treats wrapped for the holiday that barely happened.
The new surge of COVID-19 infections caused some communities to cancel Halloween festivities and that was a huge disappointment to the little ghosts and goblins who’d been practicing saying “twick or tweat”.
I decided this time around not to get caught up in the horror movie marathons on cable TV or the other rituals of Halloween. Yes, it’s not springtime and I’m not a young man, but my thoughts still turned to love instead of scary costumes and the cackle of witches.
So, I composed a Halloween love poem to my special lady and paid a radio station to put it on the air as part of a fundraiser for a local charity. I also posted it on Facebook and, to my great surprise, nearly 300 persons responded with positive comments.
I heard from folks I hadn’t seen or talked with for many years and it was one joyful message after another for about three days. When you read the poem, you’ll understand why many of them thought we were celebrating a wedding anniversary.
The title of my now-famous poem is “That Didn’t Scare Me…” and here’s what I wrote and broadcast:
“She said she’d been married before…but that didn’t scare me.
She said she wanted a big family…but that didn’t scare me.
She said she wanted a loving husband who would provide a good living…but that didn’t scare me.
She said she wanted a husband who would take her to church each Sunday…but that didn’t scare me.
She said she would be happy eternally if I would run away from home at almost 29 and marry her…and that part really scared me.
But that’s exactly what I did…49 years ago.
Janet Kappes, I’ll love you forever.”
Keith Kappes can be reached at keithkappes@gmail.com
Kane is a two-year-old male pit mix. He’s a very friendly boy who needs a family to call his own. Kane has a reduced adoption fee of $25 to an approved home. Stop by the Carter County Animal Shelter and meet him or call 475-9771 for more information.
Shelter hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Saturday by appointment.
When you look at most of the advertisements from the old Carter County Herald held in the pages of Uncle Jack Fultz’s scrapbook, you know exactly what they’re for. Many of them are for brands (Wrigley’s, Ford, Rexall, Kodak) that are still around today. Some of them are for brands or items that aren’t so common today, but we still know what they are.
Then, there is Bone Dry. One thing we know about Bone Dry from the ads is that it was a beverage. The other thing we know is that “it’s wet,” because one of the ads tells us so in no uncertain terms. We also know it was “Served Ice Cold in Olive Hill by” a long list of distributors, including L.G. Armstrong, G.W. Burchett, J.E. Campbell, Ideal Pharmacy, Caudill Grocery, L.B. Porter, Jas. Waldeck, H.M. Stephens, J.L. Workman, and M.S. Qualls & Co. We also know that it was distributed by Maddox Wholesale Grocery Co., Inc.
But that’s really all we know. Several internet searches over the last couple of months have turned up no information. We don’t know for sure if this was a soft drink, a near beer, or if it had some sort of alcohol content. If it was a soft drink, what was the flavor? Was it a cola? A ginger ale? A root beer? Or was it a low alcohol beer or non-alcoholic malt beverage of some sort? It seems like it might be, since one of the ads notes that it’s, “The wettest drink out and as near as the law allows.” But that might just be a clever ad pitch in the early prohibition era.
Whatever it was, we know you couldn’t go too many places in the Olive Hill of a century ago without being able to get yourself a glass of it, and we assume it was probably available in Grayson too. But just what it was remains a mystery to us. Was it made locally? Was it made regionally and just marketed in Olive Hill in the ads we’ve seen because of where the newspaper was based? Was it a statewide thing, akin to Ale-8-One? Or was it a national brand? We have no clue at all. But we’d sure love to know more.
If you know anything about this relic of Carter County’s past, please don’t hesitate to share, because we’d love to know more about Bone Dry.
Editor’s Note: This is the 17th 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
I usually like games with a story line of some sort. It’s why most first-person shooters aren’t my cup of tea. (That and the fact that I’m really bad and get frustrated when nine-year-olds are owning me.) It’s the same reason that I’m not into other competitive online games like the MOBAs (multiplayer online battle arenas) that are all the rage with PC gamers these days. When I played World of Warcraft – for way too many years – I only played on a PVP (player-versus-player) server because that’s where my real-world friends were playing. If I were playing it alone I would have played on a PVE (player-versus-environment) server. Probably even a role-playing PVE server, because I am that kind of nerd.
I prefer role-playing games and, when I had the time, usually played them through multiple times, with different characters, so I could experience all the different story options. But every now and then even I need a break from the story-driven experience. When I do, I want something that’s still mentally engaging, but that I can pick up and sit down without worrying about breaking that sense of immersion. When some folks want that kind of experience, they play bubble popping games or fling surly birds at green piggies (both fun and engaging games that I’ve enjoyed myself). Tower defense games can be fun too. But what I find myself returning to, over and over again, is Mahjong.
I hadn’t ever played Mahjong – a tile matching game that’s a sort of combination of dominoes and solitaire with the strategic DNA of chess somewhere in the mix – until I went to work for Electronic Arts. When I worked for EA they had a gaming service they’d bought from America Online called Pogo. Pogo offered a mix of games, some you could play for free and some that required a paid subscription, and largely catered to an older demographic. There, along with digital bridge tournaments and word building games was a game with these little tiles, covered in confusing Asian characters I couldn’t read, but once I started playing I was hooked.
In Mahjong you match tiles that are on the outside or top edges of the design, removing them from the board. Doing this grants you access to the other tiles further inside the design, and tiles that are hidden or held in place by tiles on top of them. You have to find all the available matches while clearing that access to the tiles locked in place by the others. The concept is simple, but the execution is anything but.
My current version of choice is Random Mahjong, a free-to-play game available on the Google Play store for Android that has a minimum number of advertisements, but there are others. I’ve got a version that I played on the PlayStation 3, and there are a couple of versions I’ve tried for free from the Windows marketplace. My chief complaint about the free versions available on Windows is the number of intrusive ads. There is an ad after every round, and sometimes in the middle of the round if you have to shuffle – an option if you run out of moves, but one that lowers your potential high score.
For me, though, it’s less about the score than it is about figuring out how to clear the board in a single run. There are sometimes three tiles of the same type available to play, and you can match any two. But you have to decide which option gives you the best opportunity to clear access to the other tiles. You also have to make sure that you can clear a path to that other tile you know has to be in there, so you can match it up to the third remaining tile. That’s where the strategy (aka the Chess DNA) and understanding the different layout designs comes in. There is always a way to clear the board in a single run, but it might not be obvious at first.
It’s why I love Mahjong games. It’s challenging without being competitive and bringing along with it all those negative interactions that competitive gaming can have. Like skateboarding or in-line skating – two of my favorite sports when I was young and healed better than I do today – the challenge is against yourself, not necessarily against others. That’s the kind of thing I like when I need a change from games with a story. If you’re looking for a break from competitive online shooters, MOBAs or collectible card games that’s still challenging, try out a Mahjong game. I think you’ll find you like it.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
The Carter County Public Library was at the top of the agenda when fiscal court met in special session last week.
The future of the library has been in question since the city of Grayson chose to discontinue their share of funding for the library earlier this year. The library, which has a branch in Grayson and a branch in Olive Hill, has been funded since its opening with equal financial support from each of those cities and the county. But when Grayson mayor George Steele chose not to include funding for the library in the budget he presented to the city earlier this year, the library had to consider the possibility of closing the Grayson branch. Steele, who has said he would support a county wide tax to support the library, has made it clear he feels the financial responsibility for the library should be placed completely on the county, not split between the county and the two cities. Steele has approached the county about covering the total costs for the library – either by using money from the county’s general fund or by instituting a library tax – but he has made it clear that he has no plans to add library funding back into the city of Grayson’s budget.
On the other end of the county Olive Hill has chosen to continue funding their share of the library, but with the caveat that if a branch has to close due to insufficient funding it will not be the Olive Hill branch, which the library board agreed to. Judge executive Mike Malone, meanwhile, has discussed the possibility of having the county fund the entire cost for running the library in previous meetings, but told fiscal court if the county chose to pick up the share of funding Grayson dropped he felt it was only fair to also cover the share for the Olive Hill branch. Fiscal court, however, has taken a “wait and see” stance instead of choosing to fund the entire cost of the library at this time.
While there is a group of concerned citizens who have gotten the library on the agenda for the next meeting of Grayson City Council, with hopes that they can come to some agreement with the mayor and city council, the county pledged their continued support for the library in their last meeting. That support, fiscal court has now said, will continue even if the Grayson branch ends up closing.
“The county needs a library” Malone told the court shortly before magistrates moved to approve a motion that the county continue their share of funding for the library even if it has to cut back to one branch.
In other action the court discussed the funding of an EMS helipad at the western end of the county. EMS have recently began refurbishing the helipad behind in the EMS office in Grayson. That upgrade includes new striping and the installation of lights. But EMS director Rick Loperfido has said the county also needs another helipad on the western end of the county for emergencies occurring nearer to Olive Hill than Grayson that require helicopter transport to a hospital.
“We have one here (in Grayson) and we probably need one over there,” Malone told the fiscal court before asking magistrates to approve the costs related to pouring and outfitting a concrete helipad on the western end of the county.
Magistrates voted to approve the costs once EMS is able to find a suitable location for the pad.
Court also moved to set election policy for county employees, granting them up to four hours of paid time off to vote, but giving them that time on Friday to participate in early voting rather than on election day. While fiscal court cannot see how employees vote, they can see if employees have signed the voter rolls, and employees would only be granted the paid time off if they signed in to vote.
The county also discussed road and bridge issues. Malone told the court that road crews “will get the cold paving done this year,” and that the county also received almost $200,000 in discretionary funds for repairs to two county roads. Those funds are earmarked for West Brinegar Road and Huffs Run Road and must be used for paving projects on those roads only.
The court also discussed bridges, moving to solicit bids for bridge projects. Malone said the county also expected bridge material to be delivered in the coming week for already approved bridge replacements on Appaloosa Lane and Flat Fork Road. Malone said no engineer stamp was needed on the bridges, which are on solid foundations, but that this would impact the weight rating of the bridges. If the bridges need to be rated for a higher load limit than the minimum weight rating an engineer would need to inspect and stamp the bridges.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
Staff from the various A Center 4 Change locations discuss the services offered at the centers. (Photo by Jeremy D. Wells, Carter County Times)
By Jeremy D. Wells Carter County Times
Before A Center 4 Change held their ribbon cutting a couple of weekends ago, they held a QA event where they took community questions about what the counseling center would offer in their new Olive Hill location. But before they took questions from the community, they did a couple of activities with staff – some of whom are former addicts and Center 4 Change clients – where each person had to compliment another staff member from each office. The activity, which made them search for the positives in others and themselves, was indicative of the approach A Center 4 Change takes with their clients, and what they hope to bring to the communities they serve.
“Carter County needs (what other communities have),” Morgan Kinder, who works in the new Olive Hill office, said of the services A Center 4 Change offers. “When I was growing up, if you heard someone say they were going to Pathways, (they) were crazy.” But, she said, though that was no more the case then than it is now, there is still a stigma associated with seeking help for mental health issues. That needs to change, she said. Kinder, who said she has seen the impact therapy and intervention can have not just on those with addiction problems, but anxiety and other mental health issues, said our communities need another way to look at mental health.
No matter what issue the center is treating, from addiction to anger management to marriage counseling, child and family counseling, or even medication management, what they endeavor to do at the center is “provide people with a solid foundation” to build a healthy future on, explained Nikki, a former department of corrections psychologist who now works with the center.
Staci Carpenter, who is from Olive Hill and will be working as a therapist, said she feels the center offers an “exciting chance to break the stigma” of mental health services.
“We’ve all struggled at some point with something we’ve needed help with,” Carpenter said.
It’s not just addiction that people suffer with. A Center 4 Change has helped bankers with OCD and judges with emotional support, the founders explained. But for them, it was drugs that led them to found their first center in Summit, near Ashland, before adding locations in Grayson, Morehead, Russell and now Olive Hill.
“I tried everything,” said founder Tonya Bond-Judd, who along with her daughter Kieara Judd-Irick – a former addict – started the journey that would lead to A Center 4 Change. That included threatening to drive her vehicle through a drug dealer’s home. She was trying to attack the source of the drugs her daughter was taking. But it was only after realizing she needed to support her daughter in fixing herself that Bond-Judd made the breakthrough that would inform all of A Center 4 Change’s therapies.
“For every addict we work with, it’s not us fixing them,” she said. “It’s us giving them the tools needed to fix themselves.”
That includes their approach to Suboxone therapy, which Bond-Judd was skeptical of at first. But with Suboxone, when they use it, they have a plan to wean them off of it. Suboxone isn’t an end in and of itself but is used only “as a tool in a tool box.” Patients have to go through every other step before they get to medical intervention, which can include Suboxone to help keep them from relapsing due to drug induced sickness.
“Brains in addiction are different,” explained Melody, who works with medical intervention. “But (Suboxone) doesn’t have to be forever.”
“They’re going to work for it every week,” she said. They won’t just hand it out. Patients using Suboxone will be given only what they need for the day or the week, and will have to continue with therapy and the building of other support systems.
They are difficult steps to take, explained Shawn Speers, who originally hails from Sandy Hook.
“The hardest thing to do is say, ‘Here’s my trash. Can you help me go through it?;” he explained. But it’s a necessary part of the process, for drug addiction or overcoming any other mental health issue.
While A Center 4 Change can help with various mental health issues, addiction is one of the issues that has the most impact on the community as a whole. It’s also the focus of the residential treatment program at Jenkie’s Journey, located on a rural 32 acre campus where they can focus on the individual needs of the clients they are serving.
The residential treatment center is named for Judd-Irick’s childhood friend Josh Jenkins, who was always a source of inspiration and support, even in her darkest hours.
It’s been a long road from the opening of the first center, at Summit in 2016, to the Olive Hill location and Jenkie’s Journey, but it’s been worthwhile for the mother and daughter duo who founded the centers. Bond-Judd said that Kieara has been very vocal about offering services in Olive Hill from the moment they started, but she was more hesitant about opening one in the community where they lived.
“It’s hard to work in a community that you live in,” she said. “Because everyone has their own thought processes about who you are as an individual in the community, and they also start worrying, if they come for services, ‘Are they going to tell someone what I tell them?’”
That is not an issue, though, both Judd-Irick and Bond-Judd assured. They take personal privacy very seriously.
“We take HIPAA very seriously,” Bond-Judd said. “We don’t talk about our clients outside the office.”
With Jenkie’s Journey, the residential program, clients are assured their privacy at the remote location.
“It’s a residential women’s facility,” Judd-Irick explained of the separate program which is a subsidiary company of A Center 4 Change. “It’s a 180 day program… named after one of my best friends who passed away.”
“He (Josh Jenkins) made a huge impact on the community, and a lot of us individually,” Judd-Irick continued. “He was such an awesome person, full of life. He never failed to make you smile, even if he was having a bad day too.”
She said she wanted to name the program for him as a way to honor the legacy of his impact on the community.
Bond-Judd said they were going over a section of road that the kids called Rollercoaster Hill, which Kieara and Josh used to like to drive over for the feeling of the rollercoaster type drop, when Judd-Irick turned to her and said, “Mom, it isn’t just about the people we save, it’s about honoring the people we’ve lost. I want to call it Jenkie’s Journey. And that’s how the name was born.”
While the first facility is a women’s residential center, they hope to add a men’s program in the future. They also hope to offer equine therapy as part of the program at some point.
The motto for the center was also one of Jenkins’ favorite quotes, Kieara said, paraphrased from Irish poet Oscar Wilde.
“Every sinner has a future, and every saint has a past.”
And no one, she said, should let that past define their future.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
A Center 4 Change and Jenkie’s Journey co-founder Kieara Judd-Irick models a t-shirt with the center’s motto, a paraphrase of a quote from Irish poet Oscar Wilde, emblazoned on the back. (Photo by Jeremy D.Wells, Carter County Times)
Staff from the various A Center 4 Change locations discuss the services offered at the centers. (Photo by Jeremy D. Wells, Carter County Times)
The Olive Hill Depot decorated for Christmas in a file photo (Photo by Jeremy D. Wells, Carter County Times)
By Jeremy D. Wells Carter County Times
When the Olive Hill depot building was purchased by the city there were a few stipulations. One was that the building must be maintained as a historical structure, meaning no significant changes can be made to the building and any repairs have to adhere to historical standards. The other, Olive Hill Chamber of Commerce President Lisa Messer-Conley said, was that the building be used as a visitor center and the trail head for Olive Hill as a Trail Town.
Messer-Conley addressed city council about steps that could be taken to fulfill the stipulation that the building be used to welcome visitors to Olive Hill during council’s regular October meeting. She assured council that the chamber was not attempting to take ownership of the building from the city, but that they did want to open the building to visitors and use it as a place where they could share a little bit of the city’s history with visitors to Olive Hill and direct them to different local businesses based on their interests.
“We’re not trying to cost (the city) any more money,” she said. “We’re not trying to take ownership… This will take the financial burden (of maintaining the building) off the city,” she said of the plan to make the depot self-sustainable. She explained that they would run the visitor center with a mix of grant funds and money earned by running a small gift shop, but that the main role would be a place to see local cultural and historical exhibits – including several items donated by Tom T. Hall – and to give out brochures and information on local businesses. For instance, if someone was interested in kayaking Tygart Creek, the visitor center could direct them to an outfitter who could rent them kayaks and guide them on a trip down the creek. Or, if they were interested in a place to eat, they could provide them with information on local restaurants.
Though council took no action on approving the plans at the time of the meeting, they told Messer-Conley they would continue to look into the chamber’s request.
Council also heard from Carter County Public Library director Christy Boggs. Boggs informed council that two of the library board members appointed by Olive Hill Council were stepping down, including board president Jeff Erwin. She told council she was looking for nominees from council and gave them a list of possible candidates who had expressed interest in serving on the board.
Before acting, though, council had questions about whether the makeup of the board could change with Grayson’s refusal to fund their share of library funding. The board currently includes members approved by each city council and by the county fiscal court, but that might need to change if the Grayson branch was closed due to Grayson City Council not including library funding in their budget this year.
Boggs told the Olive Hill Council the library was currently operating with an $8,000 deficit due to Grayson cutting their share of funding.
In other action council passed an ordinance forbidding the discharge of firearms inside city limits, except in instances of protecting home, life or property, or when discharged in a designated indoor firing range. The city also passed their property tax ordinance for 2020. That ordinance set the tax rate at the compensating rate of .237 cents per $100 of valuation, for both real estate and tangibles.
Council also adopted resolutions transferring retirement coverage for police from non-hazardous to hazardous retirement coverage, utilizing KRS form 7005 for employees hired prior to September 1, 2008 and KRS Form 7008 for employees hired after that date.
Council also accepted department reports, including a report from Olive Hill police chief Bobby Hall related to plans to switch from .40 caliber to 9 mm handguns for police personnel. Hall said many departments are moving to the 9 mm because of the lighter weight and the cheaper cost of ammunition. He asked for permission to surplus the existing .40 caliber handguns as part of a trade-in deal for the 9 mm handguns, or to allow officers to purchase their current .40 calibers if they chose to do so. Council voted to approve Hall’s request to surplus the handguns.
Hall also informed council of a program that will allow the department to receive military surplus rifles at no cost to the department, with a stipulation that the department will return the rifles if they ever upgrade or otherwise cease to utilize the rifles for police department usage.
Council also discussed the possibility of adding paid fire department positions, but noted they would need to add any fire department employees to the pay scale before positions could be established and filled.
Council also moved to approve a request from Mayor Jerry Callihan that city clerk and treasurer Chimila Hargett be made a FIVCO proxy for the mayor.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
Poll workers and reporters watch results come in. (Photo by Jeremy D. Wells, Carter County Times)
By Jeremy D. Wells Carter County Times
The results of the election may not be known on a state and national level until all absentee ballots, mail-in ballots and other early voting results are added with the mechanically tabulated votes from election night. But at the end of the night on Tuesday Carter County was leaning toward reelecting President Trump. In the Senate race it looks like Mitch McConnell won handily.
President Trump received 8,773 votes across Carter County to Joe Biden’s 2,641. Libertarian candidate Jo Jorgensen received 107 votes, and independent candidates Kanye West and Brock Pierce took 44 and 16 respectively.
In the United States Senate matchup, incumbent Mitch McConnell received 7,722 votes, while Democratic challenger Amy McGrath was a distant second with 3,253 votes. Libertarian candidate Brad Barron received 570 votes.
In the House race incumbent representative Harold “Hal” Rogers received 8,503 votes and challenger Matthew Ryan Best received 2,754.
In the state representative race incumbent Democrat Kathy Hinkle lost to local attorney and former county attorney Patrick Flannery, with Hinkle getting 3,360 votes to Flannery’s 8,105.
In nonpartisan judge races Robert C. Conley won over Chris Harris for Justice of the Supreme Court in the 7th Supreme Court District. Conley took 5,344 votes to Harris’s 3,582.
In the 37th Judicial Circuit Family Court race Derrick E. Willis won the support of Carter County. Willis had the most votes with 4,784 while challengers Jennifer Barker Neice took 3,576 and Gary E. Conn took 1,423 of the votes.
In the race for Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisors race John Buch took the most votes with 5,306. Herbert Suttles had the next highest count with 4,953, Tracey J. Elliott with 4,515, Will Davis with 4,463 and Marcella Clay with 3,752.
In School Board races incumbent Rachel Fankell won with 1,158 votes to Scott Felty’s 767 in the First Educational District. In the Third District incumbent Lisa Ramey-Easterling received 1,302 votes. Write-in challenger Trish Brammell’s results will not be available until all the write-in and absentee votes have been counted, which could be as late as November 9. In the Fouth Educational District William M. Bradley, who ran unopposed, received 846 votes.
In the non-partisan race for Grayson City Council, where voters were allowed to choose up to six candidates, only five names were on the ballot. Incumbent candidate Derrick McKinney received 720 votes, Jerry Yates – who was appointed to fill an unexpired term – received 580 votes, Sudy Walker received 631 votes, and long-time council member Pearl Crum received 659 votes. Newcomer Bradley Cotten received 804 votes while results for Troy Combs, who ran as a write-in candidate for the sixth seat, will not be available until all write-in and absentee ballots have been counted. This could be as late as November 9.
In Olive Hill, where voters could also choose up to six candidates, the ranks of council remained unchanged. Current council member Eric Rayburn received 374 votes, Justin Dixon 410, Allen Stapleton 342, Wayne Russell 387, Shannon Shutte 378 and Chris Bledsoe 403.
On constitutional amendments Carter County voters voted for Amendment 1, the victim’s rights amendment popularly known at Marsy’s Law 5,708 to 3,855. On Amendment 2, which would extend terms for Kentucky judges from four to eight years, and for Commonwealth attorneys for six years until 2030 and eight years thereafter, Carter County voted against 6,464 to 2,648.The amendment also would have changed requirements for how long a candidate must have been a licensed lawyer before becoming eligible to run for office.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
Mrs. Misty Binion, age 41, of Olive Hill, Kentucky, passed away, Sunday, November 1, 2020, at her residence.
She was born January 22, 1979, in Rowan County, Kentucky, a daughter of Bill and Shirley Stevens Binion.
Misty was a homemaker and she loved flowers, listening to music, and being with her family and friends.
In addition to her parents, she is survived by two sons, Shay Maddix of Grahn, Kentucky, and Gage James of Olive Hill, Kentucky; four daughters, Brookie Maddix, Stormy Goodan, Lacey Goodan, and Ivey Miller, all of Olive Hill, Kentucky; three grandchildren; one brother, Jared Binion of Olive Hill, Kentucky; and two sisters, Tasha Binion and Billie Binion, both of Olive Hill, Kentucky. She also leaves many other family members and friends who will sadly miss her.
A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, November 4, 2020, at the Garvin Ridge Cemetery in Olive Hill, Kentucky, with Brother Marcus McCleese and Brother Larry Joe Ruley officiating.
Family and friends will serve as pallbearers.
Due to COVID-19 regulations, we ask that you wear a mask and practice social distancing.
Public can review, make comments Oct. 30 – Dec. 15
FRANKFORT – The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) is seeking input from Kentuckians on the state’s public involvement process used to identify and plan for statewide transportation projects.
Comments are welcome from members of the public between Friday, Oct. 30, 2020 through Dec. 15, 2020. A draft of the Public Involvement Process can be found online here or on transportation.ky.gov. The public is invited to submit comments through a short confidential survey available on the website.
“The goal of the Public Involvement Process is to give Kentuckians a chance to weigh in on the process used to identify, invite, inform and involve the public in transportation planning,” said Transportation Secretary Jim Gray. “Every road we construct and bridge we build improves the quality of life in communities across the state so getting input from the people we impact is valuable.”
Paper copies of the “Public Involvement Process for Statewide Transportation Planning and Project Delivery: Interested Parties, Public Involvement, and Consultation Process” document is available at the following locations throughout the state by appointment due to COVID-19:
KYTC Highway District offices
Area Development District offices
Metropolitan Planning Organization offices
KYTC Office Building, 200 Mero Street, Frankfort
For special accommodations, please email kytc.comments@ky.gov or call 502-564-3419.
Any individual, agency, or organization may also provide comments to:
State Highway Engineer Department of Highways Transportation Cabinet Office Building, 6th Floor 200 Mero Street Frankfort, Kentucky 40622 Phone: 502-564-3730
Mrs. Clarissa Baker Burchett, age 83, of Olive Hill, Kentucky, passed away, Thursday evening, October 29, 2020, at her residence surrounded by her loving family.
She was born November 22, 1936, in Olive Hill, Kentucky, a daughter of the late Thurman and Ada Barker Baker.
Clarissa was of the Christian faith, and a life long member of the First Baptist Church of Olive Hill, and retired from the United States Postal Service in Grahn, Kentucky and Grayson, Kentucky. She enjoyed attending church services, cooking and spending time with her family and breakfast club friends.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by one great grandaughter, Devyn Reann Burchett; one brother, Jack Baker; and one son-in-law, H.P. Menix.
Clarissa is survived by her husband of 61 years, Ronald “Ronnie” Burchett, one son, Steven Burchett (Rene) of Olive Hill, Kentucky; one daughter, Sharla Menix of Olive Hill, Kentucky; five grandchildren, Jarrod Burchett, Sarah Maggard, Jordan Burchett, Jamison Burchett and Jessica Reed; nine great grandchildren, Sawyer Maggard, Hadlei Maggard, Jonah Reed, Leighton Maggard, Adaya Reed, Austin Maggard, Addison Reed, Jade Martin and Julien Burchett; one sister, Glenna Powers of Ashland, Kentucky. She also leaves many other family members, church family and friends will sadly mourn her passing.
Funeral services will be held 2 p.m. Sunday, November 1, 2020, at Globe Funeral Chapel in Olive Hill, Kentucky, with Sister Anita Wells and Brother Landon Copley officiating. Interment will follow at the Pleasant Valley Cemetery in Olive Hill, Kentucky.
Friends may visit from 11 a.m. to 2 Sunday, November 1, 2020, at Globe Funeral Chapel, 17277 West Highway 60, Olive Hill, Kentucky 41164.
Clarissa grandchildren will serve as pallbearers.
Due to COVID-19 regulations, we ask that you wear a mask and practice social distancing.
Mr. Jerry Camillis Estes, age 71, of Olive Hill, Kentucky, entered into rest Saturday evening, October 24, 2020, at St. Claire Healthcare in Morehead, Kentucky.
He was born October 3, 1949, in Carter County, Kentucky, a son of the late Rexford Theodore “Ted” Estes Sr. and Nona Hensley Estes.
Jerry proudly served his country in the United State Marine Corps, was of the Apostolic Faith and a member of the American Legion Post # 138. He enjoyed traveling, fishing and spending time on the farm.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by two brothers, Samuel Estes and James Estes.
Jerry is survived by one daughter, Camillia Dawn Holley (Brian) of Mooresville, North Carolina; one stepson, Duane Biggs (Michelle) of Olive Hill, Kentucky; six grandchildren; five great grandchildren; two brothers, Hank Estes and Ted Estes (Sue), all of Olive Hill, Kentucky; two sisters, Mary Vernus “Abby” Walker of Akron, Ohio, and Patty Bowles of California; and his special friend and companion, Connie Chambers 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 2 p.m. Tuesday, October 27, 2020, at the Garvin Ridge Cemetery in Olive Hill, Kentucky, with Brother Larry Joe Ruley officiating and full military honors presented by the Olive Hill American Legion Post #138.
Due to 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. Jerry Camillis Estes.
Frankfort – State Rep. Kathy Hinkle said Gov. Andy Beshear’s announcement this morning, that Carter County would be getting $194,928 to repair two local roads, “will make a significant difference for our community and give us the improved infrastructure we need and deserve. This will mean so much for those who drive these roads every day.”
“Representative Hinkle has worked closely with Governor Beshear, Transportation Cabinet officials and local county leaders to make sure Carter County gets its fair share from the state to improve its local roads,” said Rocky Adkins, current senior advisor for Gov. Beshear and former House Democratic Floor Leader. “Our goal is to get these roads repaired as soon as possible.”
Rep. Hinkle added, “I was proud to work with County Judge Executive Mike Malone, the fiscal court, Governor Beshear and Transportation Cabinet officials to make this money available. These projects will make these roads much safer, and I’m looking forward to the day when this work is complete. At the same time, I realize there is still more to be done.”
The two roads getting repaved with state funds include Huffs Run and West Brinegar Road.
