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Board moves school start date back: Teachers will start August 11, students August 26

Dr. Ronnie Dotson wears a mask while speaking to the school board on Friday night. (Photo by Jeremy D. Wells, Carter County Times)

By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times

The Carter County School Board met in special session on Friday with one item on the agenda, the start date for classes in Carter County. The board voted unanimously to change the start date for students, pushing it back another 16 days from Monday, August 10 to Wednesday, August 26. Teachers will return to work on August 11 which – with their one day of mandated professional development – gives teachers nine work days to prepare non-traditional instruction (NTI) plans for students that will be joining class online and picking up instruction packets.

Board member Bryan Greenhill noted that “CDC guidelines change daily” and told those joining the meeting in person and online that the board had been informed on Thursday that five children in the county have recently tested positive for COVID-19. Greenhill said he would “urge (parents and teachers) to be mindful” and resist the tempation to take vacations or trips during the extra off time, especially considering that some tourist destinations have now become “hot spots” for covid transmission.

Lisa Easterling noted the board had previously stated the need to remain flexible, and that this is what the board was doing by taking advantage of the variable instructional calendar options available under KRS 158.070.

“When you look at the numbers… we need to be flexible in this,” Easterling said.

Even this current situation might change, she continued. She noted the governor said he would be, “making a strong rccomendation,” next week.

“We realize, moving forward, this may also change,” she said.

Dotson said the dirtrict will now attend school 167 days. This will allow them to meet the requirement of 1,062 hours, which “is considered ‘proportionally equivalent’ to 170 days for the purpose of calculating the work contracts of teachers.”

Dotson said districts who chose to go to school for seven hours a day could have as few as 152 instructional days, but he did not wish to cut instructional days any more than was necessary. This, he said, is why he had encouraged the board to hold with an earlier start date until new information from the health department was made available to the district.

“I didn’t feel it was a prudent thing to do (unless necessary),” Dotson said, stating that regardless of the virus, the board and the district had an obligation to educate children. He said he wouldn’t be surprised no matter what came down from the state, but he was, “100 percent committed to making sure kids get the best education.”

Dotson said he was already working to get Chrome books to families who were choosing NTI but needed a device to access the internet, so they could join class, “in real time.”

In addition to pushing back the start date again, Dotson reminded those joinging the meeting online that the district would be providing two cloth masks and a gaiter mask – the style that goes around the neck and can be pulled up over the mouth and nose – for every student. The gaiter mask, he said, has been found by some people to be more comfortable to wear than the cloth masks that hook around the ear.

In kindergarten and pre-K classes, he said, the district is installing sneeze guards between each desk, so students can still work across from each other with less risk of spreading a virus.

Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com

Black Lives Matter rally scheduled for Sunday: Counter-protest planned over social media

KCU Football player Dee Garrett said the Lord put it on his heart to organize this demonstration to raise awareness, and to call out injustice and hate in a loving and Christian fashion.

By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times

A Black Lives Matter (BLM) rally scheduled for Sunday in the City of Grayson has some on social media concerned about violence, looting, and rioting. Supporters of the rally, however, have noted that these BLM rallies have been ongoing since early June, with no violence or problems so far. 

Concerns began circulating on social media last week, after the organizer of the rally, KCU student Dee Garrett, posted a video to Facebook where he said he would not “back down” in the face of racists and personal attacks.

Many of the personal attacks centered around Garrett’s criminal record, which the ministry student has been open about. Garrett, who was born in 1992, has stated that his listing on the sexual offender registry results from an incident that occurred when he was 15-years-old and the female involved was 12-years-old. A search of the Ohio public records confirms that Garrett was indeed 15-years-old when the incidents in question took place, between June and September of 2007, and that the person he had contact with was “less than thirteen years of age.” The offense Garrett was required to register for was “gross sexual imposition” which Ohio law defines as, “any touching of an erogenous zone of another, including without limitation the thigh, genitals, buttock, pubic region, or, if the person is a female, a breast, for the purpose of sexually arousing or gratifying either person.” 

Garrett also served four years in prison for a third degree felony robbery. He has said his faith allowed him to turn his life around, and he is now studying to be a minister. 

Garrett’s Facebook profile has since been deleted or archived, and the page and the videos are no longer available. The initial concern, however, was enough to encourage locals who self-identify with the militia group the Three Percenters to begin organizing a counter-protest. Some of those who claim to be affiliated with that group have asked, in social media posts, for counter-protesters to bring hand guns instead of long guns to the event. 

Others on social media are asking for citizens to allow the Carter County Sheriff’s Department and the Grayson Police Department to handle security, and asking for donations of water, sports drinks, and snacks for officers who will be handling the event. 

The Grayson Police Department, on Thursday afternoon, posted the verbiage of Grayson’s Special Event ordinance, ordinance 2018-02, which requires groups planning rallies, events, or parades to obtain a permit from the city for the event. While some thought this might be sufficient to stop the planned Sunday rally before it begins, city attorney Jason Greer said this ordinance does not apply to political or social rallies which are protected speech under the First Amendment. 

“The Ordinance does not restrict matters protected by the First Amendment, which would include protests or matters of public speech,” Greer wrote in a response to questions from the Times. “This ordinance is geared toward public events that may utilize city streets, i.e. parades, 5Ks, etc. So I would say that a political or social demonstration falls under a different category than a festival or something of that nature.”

Greer said while the ordinance in questions cannot be used by the police to stop political protests, there are other measures police could take if the rally begins to get out of hand. 

“Yes, police will break up a protest when there is a clear and present danger that is an immediate threat to public safety,” Greer said. “They can also arrest those that are violating laws.”

Greer confirmed that this could include trespassing laws, if a landowner contacted the police on demonstrators.

“I suppose if the landowner didnt want them there, and they were on private property, that could be an option,” he said.

But, he noted, sidewalks surrounding those private parcels are still considered public property. As such, they must be open to political or social protests. 

“There is a constitutional right to free speech on public places,” Greer said. 

The Grayson Chamber of Commerce also released a statement on the planned rally, in response to concerns from chamber members and business owners who worried that their shops might be targeted by protesters. 

“The  Grayson Police Department, (Carter County) Sherriff’s Department, Fire Department (and) Emergency Management are coordinating a plan to protect the peace during the protest to avoid any damage to persons or property,” Chamber president Michelle Wilhoit wrote in an email to Chamber members. “Travis Steele, interim Chief of Police, stated that the mission of the Grayson Police Department will be to provide the attendees and participants with a safe environment to exercise their Constitutional Rights. Personnel of the Grayson Police Department and Carter County Sherriff’s Department will be assigned to locations to ensure public safety for the duration of the event. Chief Steele has met with the organizer of the protest and is assured that it will be peaceful. However, there is a contingency plan in place should it escalate and become destructive or violent.”

Wilhoit also alerted Chamber members that Main Street, will be closed from Landsdowne to Carol Malone Boulevard beginning at 10 p.m. on Saturday, and any vehicles left parked on the road would be towed. She also noted that there will be a public address system set up for speakers, including the mother of slain Louisville EMT Breonna Taylor, who was shot in her bed by police serving a no-knock warrant on her address. The person they were seeking did not live with Taylor and was already in police custody at the time the warrant was served.

The Protest March is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. on Sunday, in between Landsdowne and Carol Malone.

“The march will start on Main Street and move towards Prichard,” Wilhoit stated in her email to Chamber members. “They will (then) turn north onto Robert & Mary and then turn up Third Street towards the police station where they will (lie) down for (eight) minutes and 46 seconds, referencing George Floyd’s death. They will repeat this march (seven) times.”

The Carter County Times will be present at the Sunday rally and provide additional coverage at that time, as well as post updates to this story as they develop. 

Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com

Norma Justice Jones

1925-2020

Mrs. Norma Justice Jones, age 94, of Olive Hill, Kentucky, passed away Tuesday evening, July 21, 2020, at Kenwood Health and Rehabilitation in Richmond, Kentucky. 

She was born August 14, 1925, in Carter County, Kentucky, a daughter of the late Bill and Polly Johnson Justice.

Norma was of the Protestant faith and she enjoyed mowing, cooking, doing word puzzles and spending time with her family.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband of 52 years, Fred Jones; two sons, Ronald Jones and Donald Jones; two great grandchildren; five brothers, Chead Justice, Sol Justice, Sam Justice, Walt Justice, and Tom Justice; and one sister, Carrie Mennach.

Norma is survived by three sons and five daughters-in-law, Chris and Erma Jones of Richmond, Kentucky, Rick and Cleda Jones of Grayson, Kentucky, Alan and Paulette Jones, Mitzie Jones, and Michelle Jones, all of Olive Hill, Kentucky; 11 grandchildren; 15 great grandchildren; and five great-great grandchildren. She also leaves many other family members and friends who will sadly miss her.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 25, 2020, at Globe Funeral Chapel in Olive Hill, Kentucky, with Brother Brent Duncan officiating. Burial will follow in the Jones Cemetery on James Chapel Road in Olive Hill, Kentucky.

Friends may visit from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, July 24, 2020, and after 9 a.m. on Saturday at Globe Funeral Chapel, 17277 West Highway U.S. 60, Olive Hill, Kentucky 41164.

Norma’s family will serve as pallbearers. 

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

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

We must remember that acts of kindness never go out of style

By: Keith Kappes
Columnist
Carter County Times

As we absorb our daily doses of man’s inhumanity to man on TV newscasts, it is heartening to know that acts of human kindness still happen daily.

We should be proud that our communities continue to be blessed with individuals like:

  • The social media followers who respond to fund raising efforts of their friends, relatives, and strangers.
  • The neighbors who always shovel snow from the driveways and sidewalks of the elderly or disabled.
  • The hometown pharmacist who’s more interested in how quickly you get your medicine than how soon you pay the bill.
  • The health care providers who volunteer their time and energy at free clinics for those who can’t afford medical care. 
  • The funeral directors who provide thousands of dollars of free arrangements to families who cannot pay, simply because those dedicated professionals believe every person is entitled to a decent burial.
  • The person who gave an automobile to a single mother in his church so that she could find and keep a job.
  • The businessman who demonstrates his Christian values by clothing and feeding those less fortunate.
  • The adoptive and foster parents who demonstrate each day that loving, supportive families don’t have to be biologically related.
  • The recovering addicts who befriend and coach others trying to escape the horrors of addiction through rehabilitation.
  • The volunteer firemen who are paid little, if anything, to put their lives on the line to save our lives and property.
  • The animal rescuers who believe so passionately that God’s creatures include those with more than two legs.
  • The men and boys who clear away storm debris from the lawns of the elderly.
  • The anonymous but blessed individuals who secretly pay the bills for layaway Christmas gifts or for food to feed struggling families.
  • And those kindly folks who always show up at your house with good food and warm hugs (when permitted) each time is seriously ill or loses a loved one.

Keith Kappes can be reached at keithkappes@gmail.com

Late to the Game(s): Gone Home, but in space

Fullbright Company’s exploration adventure game, Tacoma, free this week

By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times

When I taught a game documentation class as an adjunct at Shawnee State, one of the things I tried to get my students to understand was the way video games have changed over the last 40 years. Many of us older gamers remember the games on our Ataris and Nintendo systems as being extremely difficult. There was a time when I thought that was just me being a kid, but going back and attempting to play those games confirmed that – nope – it wasn’t just me being a kid. Those games are insanely difficult! 

There is a reason for this. The developers of those early home console games were coming at game design from a completely different angle than many modern game designers. When they started developing games, the market was made up of arcade machines. Machines that the proprietors of those arcades wanted you to keep pumping quarters into. What’s the best way to keep a kid dropping his coins into the slot? Make the game progressively harder and impossible to “beat.” Many games didn’t even have endings like modern games do. Instead they just kept adding enemies, that kept moving faster, until the player was eventually overwhelmed – and out of quarters. 

Fast-forward a couple of decades and not only could games be “beaten” but they had clear endings and narrative arcs. They weren’t always deep and complex stories, but they were stories. 

Today games have undeniably crossed the threshold from digital distraction to art, and I would argue that some of the most compelling stories being told today are in the medium of gaming. All of that brings us to Tacoma, the  T for Teen rated offering from game studio The Fullbright Company that is one of this coming week’s free game offerings from the Epic game store. 

Tacoma, like Fullbright’s break out offering, Gone Home, isn’t an action packed shooter. It’s not a puzzle platformer that has you attempting impossible jumps across yawning chasms or moving blocks around to open a door. Instead, like it’s predecessor, it’s an adventure exploration game. But where Gone Home had you exploring your childhood home for clues to discover what happened to your family, Tacoma has you exploring the eponymous space station to discover what happened to the missing crew. Along the way you can also discover the crews relationships to one another, what was important to them, and what happened to them all. While the character the player controls doesn’t fight, kill, or maim anyone, some of the situations they discover may not be appropriate for (or very interesting to) younger players. But for older kids or adults who want to spend two to five hours immersed in a story, and diving as deep or as shallow into the lives of the previous tenants of the space station Tacoma as the like, the Epic Store’s next free offering is worth your time. 

For those looking for a more traditional game experience, the E 10+ (for Everyone age ten and up) Next Up Hero offers a variety of customizable heroes the player can choose to fight enemies in this fun little dungeon crawler RPG. The E 10+ rating also makes it more suited to families with younger children. 

Both games are available for free from the Epic Game store beginning Thursday. If you act quickly you can also still snag last week’s free offering, Torchlight II, before it expires on Thursday. Torchlight II is also a dungeon crawler RPG, rated T for Teen, and featuring both online and LAN co-op play options in addition to a single player campaign.  

Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com

Huntington Blues Society at the Grayson Gallery & Art Center

Christian Couture: Trinity Sisters’ Design brings faith based creations to Olive Hill

By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times

Christy Nolen Stamper has had passion for design for a long time.

“I have always had an interest (in design),” Stamper explained. “I’ve always been really, really crafty. All through high school and stuff I was always in art class – doing this, doing that. Then as I got older I was like, ‘Wait a minute? I can do something to make a profit!’ So, back in 2018 I was pregnant and me and my husband decided, let’s just go ahead and start. Try this thing out. So we went out and started purchasing the equipment. I started working from home and doing it from there so I could stay home and not have to return to the orthodontics office I was working at.”

If Stamper had always had an interest and passion for art and design, moving to make it her career caused her to fall deeply and madly in love with it.

“I loved it,” she said of her new work. She set up an etsy shop (www.etsy.com/shop/TrinitySistersDesign), and began pushing her work through social media.

“Then I was selling stuff on Facebook. It started from there and then came to this,” she said, gesturing around at the shop, located in a refurbished dry cleaners shop on Railroad Street in downtown Olive Hill.

“The help of friends and family is actually what’s made this what it is,” Stamper said. “We had to completely strip (the building) out. There were walls up that we had to take out. We took all of the (dry cleaning) equipment out that was in here… Then started from scratch.”

The design of the shop takes advantage of the building’s innate charm, though, with areas of exposed brick and original plaster kept on some walls.

“We wanted to keep some of the original stuff to the building,” Stamper said. “You know, some of the walls and stuff, yeah, they’re a little bit rustic, but we kind of liked that feeling.”

The name of the business, Trinity Sisters’ Design, reflects the close relationship between the three sisters and their faith.

“We’re three sisters,” Stamper said. “And we’re really, really close and wanted to keep everything together. So when we talked about doing this I told them, ‘We need something that represents the three of us.’ We’re real big into church and stuff, so I told the girls, ‘There’s three of us, let’s do Trinity,’ then with us being sisters and design, it just fell into place.”

That faith is reflected in some of the original designs on t-shirts in the shop, such as the mustard yellow shirt with a quote about having “faith the size of a mustard seed” from the book of Matthew, and another with the commandment to “love one another” taken from the book of John. Others reflect the busy life of a mother, something Stamper knows well as the mother of a toddler. These original designs, and others, are mixed in with boutique offerings and other items.

The sisters – Christy Nolen Stamper, Ashley Nolen Johnson, and Brooke Nolen – held their ribbon cutting and grand opening on Saturday. The shop, located at 420 Railroad Street in Olive Hill, is open from 9 – 5 Monday – Friday and 9 – 2 on Saturday.

Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com

As we see it: Library funding important for communities

In today’s world of streaming video, music on-demand, online gaming, and electronic books you can read or listen to on your phone, tablet, or other device, printed books you borrow from the library can seem almost quaint. Sure, there are still plenty of bibliophiles who prefer a book they can hold in their hand, but you could be forgiven if you prefer to consume media digitally. Some might say that, in such a world, the value of a library is limited. 

Those people, however, would be wrong. The role of the library in our communities is still as important as it ever was. In some ways, it may be even more important. Far from being a simple repository for paper books, the modern library – and the modern library patron – reflect these same changes in how people consume media. Along with printed books the modern library offers audio books, films, and even video games for their patrons to borrow. With your library card you can even borrow electronic books, digital audio books and streaming films through phone and computer apps like OverDrive. But the library is more than this too. 

The primary role of the library is, and always has been, to serve as a window into and a portal to the larger world around us. Particularly in rural areas, like Carter County, the library serves as a place where those without home internet access, or even a home computer, can go to access those resources. The library allows those without a high school diploma to obtain an education. It allows those looking for a job to apply for one, particularly in a world where online job applications are increasingly the norm. If a job requires a printed application, résumé or other documents, they can use library resources to build and print those. If a remote job requires someone to submit payroll or mileage online, the library is there to help with that task too – ensuring that truck drivers and contractors without adequate access to the internet, either while on the road or at home, can get paid and feed their families. 

More than that, though, the library serves as a social hub for a community. Library space can be used for job interviews, for business meetings, and for clubs and other community groups to meet. The Carter County Public Library has provided space for poetry readings by local author George Eklund. They provide a regular meeting space for school based gaming clubs, like the group that teaches math, social studies and literature through tabletop role playing games. They have also provided meeting space for local writers group Beyond the Forest, space for volunteers working with Maysville artist Ken Swison to put together art and literature magazines, and many, many other groups and organizations. 

The roles the library fills in our communities is important, and they could do so much more if they were adequately funded. Unfortunately, though, they are not. Former Governor Matt Bevin cut state funding to libraries during his tenure, putting many rural libraries at risk. Former library director Nellie Middleton took a cut in salary during her last year with the library to keep it going after state funds were cut, and the library’s new director, Christy Boggs, has already taken a pay cut as well – and according to library board member Jeff Erwin has continued to work without drawing a paycheck while the library waited on funding from the county and cities. Governor Andy Beshear’s proposed budget would have rolled back the dramatic cuts to state library funding, however the House budget reduced Beshear’s proposed $7.8 million for libraries to $5.3 million, and earmarked all of that for new construction. 

While this is going on at the state level, Carter County Fiscal Court has moved to pay their share of funding for the library, approving $25,000 for the library, to be paid in quarterly payments of $6,250. Likewise the city of Olive Hill has approved the payment for the current fiscal quarter, injecting needed funds into the library to help keep them solvent while they wait to see what the future holds. In Grayson, however, council moved not to fund the library and Mayor George Steele told Boggs that while he supported the idea of the library he would “not budge” on his position to cease doling out the meager funds the city once provided to support the library. 

Steele told Boggs he felt the county should cover the full cost of the library and that he had spoken with Judge Executive Mike Malone about having the county cover the portion the city used to provide. Malone confirmed that Steele had spoken to him, and said he would support the initiative if it was brought before fiscal court, but Steele did not show up at the last meeting of fiscal court to propose the plan as Malone expected. 

“He made a good case for county funding I wanted the court to hear,” Malone said. He also noted, however, that if the county approved covering the portion previously provided by the city of Grayson, he felt the court should also approve covering the portion that the city of Olive Hill, which has a smaller tax base, currently covers. 

Ultimately, however, while Malone may support fully funding the library, and Steele may not support his city funding their share of the library, the decisions do not belong to the judge executive or to the mayors of either city. Decisions about how tax funds are distributed are the purview of the county magistrates and the city council members of each city. They are the ones who decide through their votes how the county and the cities will spend their tax dollars. 

While it would be grand to see the library fully funded by the county, and to see state funding of local libraries returned to previous levels, until legislators at the state level and county magistrates make the decisions to do so the library relies on the funding they can get from the county and both cities. 

We commend the Olive Hill council members for approving their most recent payment to the library while they wait to see what the county will do, and we wish the city of Grayson would be willing to do likewise. Funding the library at $6,250 for another quarter while plans for county-wide funding move forward would not break the bank for the city of Grayson, but it would go a long way for the library. If, by next quarter, the county approves total funding of the library, then the city of Grayson will be off the hook for future payments. But if they do not fund the library, and the county magistrates choose not to cover the full costs, the city risks losing their branch of the library. 

Steele has said in the past that city residents are also county residents, and pay county taxes, so the county should provide certain county wide benefits to them without the need for city funding. He has a valid point, and one that deserves discussion and consideration. But the city of Grayson does enjoy the benefits of having a library branch within their city limits – something that residents of Willard and Grahn and Carter City and other Carter County communities do not enjoy. 

In an ideal world not only would the cities continue to fund the branches within their own city limits, but the amounts funded would be higher so that more of the county funds could support bookmobiles and other remote services to benefit county residents that do not live within city limits. What Carter County may eventually need is a small library tax to help keep the libraries open and, possibly, allow them to expand their services. Until that happens, though, paying their promised share to the library so that our director can draw the paycheck she earns is the very least the city of Grayson could do. 

(Note: Representatives from the county, each city, and the library did meet on Monday to discuss county funding, but no group had a quorum and no decision was reached.) 

Making it local: Walking on Sunshine highlights Kentucky artisans in new location

By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times

Walking on Sunshine Wellnes Spa & Shoppe wants you to know they haven’t closed. They’ve simply moved to a new location – one that allows them to more fully meet the needs of the clients they serve. 

The new shop is on the corner of Main Street and Hord Street, across from the circuit court house. The new location, co-owner Pamela Howard explained, gives them more room for the various spa services they provide while also expanding the space available for locally and regionally produced artisanal goods. 

“Everything is Kentucky made,” Howard said of the location’s Artisans Room. “There are bowls made from Kentucky trees, locally made baskets woven by Kentucky artisans, and silver and glass jewelry items made by Ken Beck.” 

The bowls are made by Kentucky artist Glenn Wilder, she explained, while other items are made by an artists collective known as the Willow Barn. Other items include cross-stitch from Cherie Caulley, and “Crazy Daisy” masks, including masks in children and toddler sizes, made by locally by Whitney Carroll. 

Howard said she loved the masks, which come in plan fabric varieties as well as with pockets for an additional filter, because of the wire placed inside the mask around the nose area. She said it helped seal the mask, so that her glasses didn’t fog up as badly. Carroll will also take orders for custom masks using any material the person commissioning the mask likes. Some of her custom creations have included those featuring the logos of various branches of the armed services for active duty military and veterans. 

The Artisans Room also features skin care and beauty products, both Walking on Sunshine’s own branded items produced in house, as well as soaps, scrubs, and natural bug repellants from Wood & Flower. Other items, either behind the counter or in the Artisans Room, include aromatherapy tools, CBD products, essential oils and blends, herba tinctures, local honey, lip balms, lotions, scrubs, soaps, silver jewelry, and stones and minerals. 

Howard said the larger space also really helps expand the spa experience. In addition to the services they already provided, like massage therapy, reiki, parafin hand treatments, makeup application, facials and other skin care services, and reflexology, they have added a new “sugar based spray tan,” that Howard said has been very popular. 

The only service they aren’t currently providing is hypnotherapy service, Howard explained, because the person certified to provide that service can’t perform it while wearing a mask. All other services, however, are still available, though appointments may be required for some specialty services. Ionic foot detoxes and other treatments, like reflexology, can be provided by any staff member and are available as walk-in services.  

Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com

Olive Hill votes to fund library

City looking at CARES, LIHEAP and other funding sources

By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times

The city of Olive Hill took action in a special session budget meeting to help keep the Carter County Library running while the county looks at other funding on the same evening that the city of Grayson voted not to continue funding the library. 

Library board member Jeff Erwin addressed the Olive Hill Council while librarian and director Christy Boggs was in Grayson addressing that city’s counterparts. Erwin explained to council the various services the library offers besides book loans; including internet and computer access, space for GED training, special events like magic shows for area children, space for a Dungeons & Dragons club, access to Nintendo Switch video games, and meeting space for various groups and organizations.

He said with the library budget as low as it is, Boggs had taken a pay cut, and had not drawn a pay check in several weeks. While Mayor Jerry Callihan said he would support a vote to fund the library, he also said he would like a statement “in writing” indicating that if a lack of funding led to one of the branches being closed, it would not be the Olive Hill branch. He also said if the fiscal court moved to cover the amount previously paid by the city of Grayson, he felt they should cover the Olive Hill portion of library funding as well. In the past the two cities and the county have each contributed $25,000 to running the library system, paid in $6,250 quarterly payments, for a total operating fund of $75,000 from local government sources. 

Olive Hill council moved to approve the quarterly payment of $6,250 for the library, with payment approved unanimously. 

In other action council approved an amended budget, accepted reports from city clerk and treasurer Chimila Hargett and discussed various budget issues, including AEP’s low income home energy assistance program (LIHEAP) and possible reimbursement through CARES Act funding sources. Hargett said the city has $161,000 in credit available through LIHEAP, which can be used to cover payment delinquencies. Hargett said the city was also looking at “every possibility” for the use of CARES Act funding. She also reported that the city only had $4,000 in outstanding uncollected taxes, however for the past two years the city hasn’t collected any pole rental fees from Windstream. 

“Not a penny,” Hargett reported. 

Council also accepted budgets from the police and fire departments, and approved classification for the newly created position of records clerk. 

Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com

Grayson says “no” to library: Approves budget and pay raises for city personnel

By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times

The city of Grayson approved their budget during their regular meeting last Tuesday, including pay raises of $2 per hour for all police personnel and a total police budget in excess of $1 million. But Mayor George Steele did not include funding for the Carter County Public Library in a budget he told council last month would be “tight” through September. 

Director of the Carter County Library, Christy Boggs, spoke with council at the meeting to request the city renew the contract for their share of costs for the library, which in the past has been $25,000 paid in quarterly payments of $6,250. Steele told Boggs, though, that the city could not afford the cost at this time and that funding for the library was not included in the 2020-2021 budget. He told Boggs he supported the library in spirit, if not with funding, and had spoken with Carter County Judge Executive Mike Malone about having the county cover the full cost of library funding. Boggs said Steele invited her back to future meetings but told her he was “not budging with my decision” to cut library funding from the city budget. 

Boggs has already taken an annual salary cut of more than $11,000 and said that without the funding the library would also have trouble meeting payroll for other library employees as well. 

While there was no money available for the library, the city did approve a municipal order approving pay raises for certain city personnel, including an across the board pay raise of $2 per hour for Grayson police. Steele said last month that the raise was necessary to retain talent. Councilman Derrick McKinney voted “no” on the pay raise, which passed with a vote of five to one. 

McKinney, who has expressed concerns in past meetings about the city’s budget because of lower tax revenue due to COVID-19 related closures of non-essential businesses, was also the lone “no” vote on approving the 2020-2021 budget. The budget passed shows a total fiscal expenditure of $2,633,193 with salaries making up $1,062,120 of the output and retirement another $220,275. Almost half of the city’s 2020-2021 budget was allocated for police department expenditures, including $452,188 for police salaries, $55,000 in overtime, $24,630 in double-time, and $154,500 in retirement, and a total police expenditure of $1,218,795. 

Other expenditure totals in the budget included $394,413 for administrative expenditures, $515,905 for street expenditures, $396,130 for fire department expenditures, $26,500 for emergency management, $30,300 for parks, recreation and cultural expenditures – which used to include library funding, and $51,150 for alcoholic beverage control. With the $1,218,795 allocated for police this brings the total budgeted expenditures to $2,633,193. 

In other action, council unanimously adopted a resolution for reimbursement for COVID-19 related expenses. The resolution allows the city to apply for reimbursement of certain COVID-19 related expenses through the CARES Act. Council also heard from an individual seeking changes to the city’s prohibition on livestock within city limits which would allow individuals to keep chickens within city limits. 

Representative from the police department also addressed council, asking that, when a new police chief is hired to replace retiring Chief Kevin McDavid, council’s hire would be someone already within the department. Council also approved a request to transfer five vehicles from the police department to the fire department for the fire department to practice on. 

City personnel told the Times in a phone call that the meeting would be live streamed through the city’s Facebook page, as past meetings have been since the COVID-19 pandemic led to social distancing recommendations, but the meeting was not streamed or video recorded. They also did not record audio of the meeting as they typically do. Meeting minutes and the budget were provided to the Times upon request. 

Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com

Uncle Jack Fultz’s Memories of Carter County: Shooting on the homefront

Photography’s popularity reflected in local ads

By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times

By the time WWI rolled around, photography as a hobby was firmly entrenched in American society. The Kodak Brownie, which shot a 2 1/4″ x 2 1/4″ negative on 117 film, was introduced in 1900. It was a roll film format, and in many of the cameras of the era you advanced the film until you saw the next number come up through a small red “window” on the back. That was how you knew you weren’t double exposing the film, since most cameras didn’t have the automatic stop that later film cameras would incorporate. (Or, if you were looking for an artistic effect, how you purposely shot a double exposure by not advancing the film.)

The 35 mm film camera was introduced in 1913, but production was stalled by WWI, and the cameras and film were too expensive for most hobbyist. The most popular camera on the battlefield, at least among American soldiers, was the Kodak VPK, or “vest pocket Kodak.” The camera, which folded flat for stowing in a pocket and featured a pull out bellows design, took 127 film. The 127 film shot a smaller (4.6 cm x 5 cm) negative than the 117 film the Kodak Brownie took, but the camera was also much more compact and easier for soldiers to carry in their kit. Other than size and portability, though, one of the greatest innovations of the VPK was the ability to take notes on the paper back of the film, known as the “autographic feature,” so soldiers could record details of the images they shot.

Regardless of what format they were shooting in, though, photos – both those shot by soldiers in the theatre of war and on the homefront to send with letters to soldiers – were a big part of the war experience, and ads from Kodak and their film developers reflected that. These ads, from the Carter County Herald, show just how ingrained photography had become in American society by 1918, with pharmacy, like the Ideal Pharmacy in Olive Hill, offering developing and printing services.

Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com

Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of articles drawn from the historical newspaper clippings in the scrapbooks of Jack Fultz. When necessary typographical errors and misspellings in the original have been corrected for clarity. 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

Pet of the Week 7/22/20

Trixie is a one-year-old pit mix. She’s a very sweet friendly girl. Trixie gets along with other dogs and walks well on a leash. Her $75 adoption fee includes rabies vaccination and being spayed. Stop by the Carter County Animal Shelter and meet her or call 475-9771 for more information.

Shelter hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Saturday by appointment.

Board gives teachers extra prep time: Students will return to school on August 10

Last Thursday, Superintendent of schools, Dr. Ronnie Dotson, spoke to the board of education about plans for the new school year. Possible scenarios include streaming classes online and staggered attendance for high school students. Photo by Jeremy D. Wells, Carter County Times.

By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times

The Carter County School Board has made some adjustments to their original planned start date, but it isn’t the push back to late August that some parents and faculty feel the board should be considering. The board voted four to one to approve a recommendation from Superintendent Dr. Ronnie Dotson to push the start date for pupils back to Monday, August 10 instead of the original recommended date of Thursday, August 6. Teachers will still be expected to report back to school on August 3, as the original plan indicated. Otherwise the calendar for the school year will not be changed. Dotson said  he brought this option to the board because it would allow teachers two more work days to prepare instructional packets and plans for students whose parents choose a non-traditional instruction (NTI) option instead of a return to a traditional classroom. 

Dotson also explained to the board that while this cuts the number of school days for students from 175 to 173, it is still more than the 170 instructional days the state requires districts to meet unless they choose the option to start back August 26. Districts choosing that method have to meet a set number of instructional hours instead of a set number of days. 

While parents participating in the meeting through an online portal and in person continued to express concerns about the planned start date, Dotson said he and the board are in constant communication with both local and state health departments, and state education officials, to learn and follow steps, “to keep employees and students as safe as possible.” While he said the district would follow whatever plan the board decided on, he said the health officials the district had consulted with had told him they couldn’t think of any safety measures the district could have in place by August 26 that they could not have in place by the first of the month. He also said that he didn’t know that anyone’s personal situations would change significantly within those 20 days. 

“Some things we will have to figure out along the way,” Dotson conceded. “We always do.” 

He said the district is also looking at new activities and techniques teachers can use to allow students to interact and work together on projects while still maintaining responsible social distancing. 

District 5 board member Kirk Wilburn, voting via teleconference, was the lone “no,” vote on the decision to change the start date from August 6 to August 10. Board members Rachel Fankell, district 1, Bryan Greenhill, district 2, Lisa Easterling, district 3, and William Bradley, district 4, voted in favor of the measure. Wilburn also asked to have the meeting minutes for the previous meeting amended to show that he voted against the original measure to return to school on August 6 as well. The minutes originally showed that the vote for the August 6 date was unanimous. 

Mitzie Heaberlin, with the Prichard School site based decision making council, was in attendance at the meeting and addressed the board with a number of concerns she, other parents, and teachers shared about the planned start date. Heaberlin said she and others worried that, with the small size of classrooms at Prichard, it would be difficult to impossible to maintain appropriate social distancing. She also asked the board to consider other options beyond the in-person education and NTI choices currently being offered to parents. Heaberlin said that while some students did need to be in a classroom every day, for various reasons, it was not necessary for all. She asked the district if they would consider staggering attendance days, so that some students could report to school every other day, or other options. She also expressed concerns about the schools HVAC ventilation system, and requested the school conduct a “culture and climate” survey so that staff and parents could respond anonymously to share their feelings about the start date and other issues. That survey could be conducted at no cost to the district through the Kentucky Educational Development Corporation, she said. She noted that the district has lost many teachers, and read off the names of a few of them. 

“Why did they give up… to go somewhere else?,” she asked. 

She said there are issues at Prichard, and elsewhere in the district “that need to be addressed.” 

Dotson told Heaberlin that Prichard – along with each other school in the district – has a school reopening committee. He said he had recently gone to Prichard and walked the classrooms with principal Jason McGlone, and had determined they could responsibly put 17 to 20 students per classroom while maintaining proper distancing. Dotson said if only 40 percent of parents chose an immediate return to the traditional classroom space, as numbers seemed to indicate, he didn’t feel there would be any problems with maintaining that class size. He said the district was also looking at using other spaces in the school, such as the gym or library, to maintain distance between students. Dotson also encouraged Heaberlin, and other parents, to direct their questions or concerns about their school’s start date or plan to the principals of each building.  

But, he added, many of the decisions were not in the hands of the individual schools or the district. For instance, he said, it wasn’t up to the school district or the individual schools if they took student temperatures as they boarded school buses, or if the buses were sanitized each day.  

“We have to do… exactly what they Kentucky Department of Health requires,” Dotson said. “We’re told what we have to do.” 

The only leeway, he explained, was that the principal of each school could decide how they would meet those guidelines. 

Heaberlin had also told the board that some teachers and parents didn’t feel as if their concerns were being heard, but Fankell said even if they were not happy with the decisions the board made, their concerns were heard. 

“We have to make decisions based on what is good for the whole county,” Fankell said. “(But) teachers and and parents always have a voice.” 

Greenhill noted that “recommendations are changing daily,” and that the governor could change what the district had planned at any time, but that there was no way to make everyone happy. 

“I feel like the referee at a basketball game,” he said. “No matter what I do, half the gym is going to hate me and half the gym is going to hug me.”

Director of Maintenance Ronnie Cooley addressed Heaberlin’s concerns about the HVAC system at Prichard. Cooley acknowledged that the system was old and due for an upgrade, but said there was nothing unusual about cutting filters to fit the system. He said that the filters used in Prichard were also among the thicker filters used in the school system. He said they would also be changing air filters at Prichard and other schools more often. 

When Heaberlin asked again about the school culture survey Dotson told her that the school system had just completed a survey of the active faculty. Heaberlin pressed on the KEDC survey, noting that it is 100 percent anonymous and there could be conducted at no cost to the school system. 

“I just request the survey to be ordered,” Heaberlin said.  

She also asked about Easterling’s residential status. She noted that Easterling maintained what she believed to be her primary residence in another state. Dotson, however, noted there was nothing in the board’s rules that prevented a board member from owning property or working a job in another state. 

Easterling’s address, as listed on the school districts website, is located in Olive Hill, and she represents the Oakland, Courthouse, Gregoryville, Buffalo and Iron Hill precincts. 

Heaberlin wasn’t the only parent to express their concerns about the board and their plans for the coming school year. Technology director Barrett Bush noted that 191 parents joined the meeting online, and many of them had questions that echoed Heaberlin and the Prichard Site Based Council’s concerns. 

A number of those questions revolved around concerns about teachers having adequate time to prepare for both NTI and traditional instruction. Dotson explained this is why he asked for, and the board approved, pushing back the student start date from August 6 to August 10. 

The board also answered questions about the time off teachers would be allowed in case they were exposed to COVID-19 and had to quarantine, and how contact tracing and informing parents would work. In those cases, Dotson noted, teachers and school personnel, “are in a clas of employees that the federal government has said can have up to ten days.” If they needed more time than that they would have to use their own personal time. Dotson said they didn’t ask the teachers about that because the district was told by the health department what was allowed through the federal program. He said the health department would also handle any necessary contact tracing, based on  the contact infected persons had with others, including informing the parents of any students potentially exposed to the virus. 

Dotson also elaborated on how NTI would look this year as compared to last year, because of the additional time to plan for it, and noted that the district has granted schools some extra staff to help with cleaning and sanitizing duties. Several parents also asked about mask requirements. Dotson explained that the mask provided would not by N95, but cloth masks only. In addition to the two masks per child already purchased, they were looking at other styles of mask that might be more comfortable to wear. He said they had also discussed plexiglass barriers for teachers, but that the materials were not available. 

Easterling said she would, “highly recommend that folks online (who had not had their questions answered) reach out to principals.” 

In other action the board approved action on consent items, approved financial documents, and approved School Resource Officer contracts with the City of Grayson and City of Olive Hill police departments.  

Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com

Freda “Joy” Carroll Owens

1943-2020

Mrs. Freda “Joy” Carroll Owens, age 77, of Rattlesnake Ridge, Olive Hill, Kentucky, was called to Heaven Friday morning, July 17, 2020, at her home surrounded by her loving family after an extended illness. 

She was born March 8, 1943, in Grahn, Kentucky, a daughter of the late Mid and Opal Mosier Carroll. 

Joy attended the Shelby United Baptist Church. She devoted her life to the fullest to her husband, children, and grandchildren. She enjoyed spending time with her family and friends.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband of 40 years, Howard Owens.

Joy leaves behind two sons, Jeffery Owens (Lisa) of Lenoir City, Tennessee, and Darrin Owens (Kim) of Olive Hill, Kentucky; six grandchildren, Darrah Rose, Becky Little (Daniel), Samantha Vanderpool (Sam), Courtney Bond (Dustin), Kristen Terry ( Kyle Lawson), and Kenzie Owens; two great grandchildren, Harleigh Bond and Kennedi Lawson; and one sister, Katherine Barker (Donald) of Grahn, Kentucky. She also leaves many other family members and friends who will sadly miss her. 

Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Monday, July 20, 2020, at Globe Funeral Chapel in Olive Hill, Kentucky, with Brother Jim Owens officiating. Burial will follow in the Owens Barker Cemetery on Rattlesnake Ridge in Olive Hill, Kentucky. 

Friends may visit from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, July 19, 2020, at Globe Funeral Chapel in Olive Hill, Kentucky and after 9 a.m. on Monday at the funeral home. 

Rick Barker, Chris Coleman, Doug Mosier, Sam Vanderpool, Clinton Johnson, and George Barker will serve as pallbearers.

COVID -19 restrictions will be observed. Everyone is required to wear a mask.

Condolences can be sent to the family at Globe Funeral Chapel.

Old Time Farm Machinery & Antique Association cancels September show

Tractors on display at last year’s Old Time Farm Machinery & Antique Association show. (Photo by Jeremy D. Wells, Carter County Times)

By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times

Grayson’s Old Time Farm Machinery & Antique Association has canceled their 39th annual Farm Machinery Show, originally scheduled for September 11 and 12 of this year, due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“The show is always the second weekend in September,” explained association spokesperson Judy Campbell Lewis. “(But) we want to keep our town, community and all the public safe from this pandemic. So, by not having it this year, all of us club members feel this is the safest way we can help keep it from spreading anymore than it already has in this area.” 

While the event is outdoors, and the organizers could have mandated masks and encouraged people to maintain a distance of six feet, the association members didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks. 

Lewis said the group felt it was the most responsible move they could make, especially since many participants travel from other states to take part in the event. 

“We knew that other states would be involved (if we went forward),” she said. If those states had higher COVID-19 numbers, the association didn’t want to risk them bringing the virus into Carter County, or taking it home from Carter County if they encountered someone with the virus here. 

The organization hasn’t been holding their regular meetings either, in order to keep their members safe. 

“It’s too dangerous for our members to mix together too,” Lewis said. 

As far as she is aware, this is the first time in 39 years that the organization has canceled the Farm Machinery Show. 

Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com

Pet of the Week 7/15/20

Blue is a one-and-a-half-year-old female heeler mix. She’s a happy playful girl that needs a home to call her own. Blue’s $75 adoption fee includes rabies vaccination and being spayed. Stop by the Carter County Animal Shelter and meet her or call 475-9771 for more information. 

Shelter hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Saturday by appointment.

Fatherhood after 40

By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times

Let’s be honest and open here – at 44, almost 45, I’m a bit long in the tooth to be the father of a toddler. But, here we are. I was 43 when my son was born. That’s the same age my grandfather was when I was born. Many of my peers and high school classmates have already raised their children, and are enjoying their grandchildren. When my little one graduates high school, I’ll be in my early 60s. 

I already know I’m probably going to be confused for grandpa at school sporting events when he’s old enough to play basketball and soccer. (Or, possibly, when he’s a band geek like his old man was.) My beard is going grey at a frightening pace, and I expect that by the time he starts Kindergarten it will be fully white. 

I’ve already been mistaken for grandpa, in fact. When he was just a few months old, and mommy was busy with work, I took him with me for a run in to a local convenience store. While we stood in line waiting and I beamed and talked to my little guy, the older gentleman running the register smiled over at us. When I got to the counter he asked, “Is this your first?” 

“Yes,” I replied. 

“I remember my first grandson too,” he said. “Nothing else like it in the world. Almost as good as becoming a daddy for the first time. He’ll end up being your best friend.” 

Awkward doesn’t begin to describe the situation as I informed him that, no, this was my first, and likely only, child. 

His mother is, obviously, a bit younger than me, and she already has another ten-year-old son. We’re happy with our family as it is and don’t plan to have any more children, though we have discussed becoming foster parents some day. 

By the time I do become a grandfather, if I become a grandfather, I’m going to be the old grandpa. The grandpa that has lots of wrinkle and shares his Werther’s Originals with you while he teaches you to play chess. So, yes, I know I’m a bit old to be a father. But I’m very glad I waited. 

There are some definite benefits to becoming a father after 40, at least for me. For one, I feel like I’m much more patient with my son than I would have been if I became a father in my 20s – or even my 30s – like so many of my family and friends did. I’ve had time to work on my emotional health, and while I still won’t even try to claim perfection, he’s been a great impetus to continue my personal growth and self improvement. 

Nicole and I are also better positioned to provide for our sons than I would have been 20 years ago. There will hopefully be none of the missing out on activities that will enrich his childhood because mom and dad can’t afford them. We’re not wealthy, by any definition of the term. But we can provide for our children. I know that poverty and doing without can build character. It certainly did for me. That can wait until he’s in college and out on his own, though. Hopefully by then we will have instilled him with the character he needs to endure those hardships, and he knows that if things are ever too rough, mom and dad will be there for him, always. I’m sure those are feelings all us parents share, no matter how old we were when our children came into our lives. 

I just know I’ll be forever grateful this wonderful little guy is the one who allowed me to finally be called “dad,” even if I’m a little long in the tooth. 

Property Transfers: 6/19/20 – 7/2/20

Click the image below to open as a .pdf.

Why is it impossible to outrun the hounds in our lives?

By: Keith Kappes
Columnist
Carter County Times

For years, I have resented the intrusion of telemarketers into our daily lives, constantly calling at all hours, trying to sell us stuff we don’t want or need. And I’ll never understand how they got my cell number. 

I’ll share two examples of the craziness exhibited by those rude, pushy folks on the phone. My wife was told that her Social Security card had expired. My 96-year-old, legally blind father-in-law was chastised for not renewing the extended warranty of a car he had sold eight years earlier. 

We are in the midst of a presidential election year so now another pack of hounds is after us. I’m constantly bombarded by political volunteers asking for more money or taking a survey or asking me to sign an online petition to get someone fired, hired or chased out of town. 

I made a modest contribution to one of the national candidates and received more than two dozen calls and e-mails asking for more. I finally told a solicitor that if I received another call or e-mail that I would give twice as much to their guy’s opponent. That slowed down the begging but it didn’t stop completely. 

I’m thinking that next year I may follow the example of one of my favorite MSU professors and change my registration to “Whig”. Henry Clay of Kentucky ran for president as a Whig and said he would rather be right than president. The voters of 1840 gave him his wish. 

I’ll close with an account of my latest fight with unwanted communications. I shopped online for something trivial but didn’t buy anything. One of the websites I visited that night contacted me more than 50 times before they got tired of my snarky e-mails and informed me that Google was the problem, not them. 

They told me how to block unwanted advertising messages and I did so about 100 times before I learned that I was fighting a losing battle. 

Lo and behold, those folks at Google reportedly have about eight million advertisers!

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