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Police arrest 2 on felony drug charges
Middlesboro police officers report the arrest of two women on unrelated drug charges and also a man and a woman on identify theft related charges. Robin R. Brown, 30, was arrested Monday by Middlesboro Police Department Officer Barry Cowan on the charge of first-degree possession of a controlled substance. Officers were to dispatched to Goody’s to walk through the store because of possible shoplifters. While inside the store, an employee ...
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Unemployment rate mostly unchanged in Bell Co.
Bell County’s unemployment rate remains high despite overall positive trends in Kentucky. The state’s unemployment rate dropped below 8 percent for the first time in four years last month. Unfortunately, those numbers are not reflective of Bell County’s employment picture. The Kentucky Office of Employment and Training reported Thursday that the January rate was down to 7.9 percent. However, Bell County’s jobless rate hovered at 13.5, acc...
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Middlesboro native lobbies for funding for disease
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Middlesboro High School graduate David Chedester and nearly 200 other representatives lobbying for more money dedicated to Parkinson’s disease research invaded Capitol Hill on Wednesday to “share our voice and show our disease state.” Parkinson’s disease affects anywhere from 500,000 to 1 million people in the United States, but Chedester says the money being spent to find a cure just isn’t enough. “With the amount of p...
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James River Coal idling mines, reducing production
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — James River Coal Company is idling mines and reducing coal production by 3 million tons in response to weak demand. The Richmond-based company mines thermal coal used for power generation and metallurgical coal that’s used to produce steel. It has operations in Kentucky, West Virginia and Indiana. James River said Thursday it has idled five underground mines, two preparation plants and one load-out facility. It al...
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Nelson responds to redistricting proposal
The redistricting proposal has been causing quite the discussion as of late. The redistricting plan occurs every 10 years to account for population changes found by the U.S. Census Bureau. Kentucky’s overall population grew from 4 million to 4.3 million between 2000 and 2010. The change required a major reconfiguration of legislative districts, which in the House must represent roughly 43,000 people. “It is a proposal,” said state Rep. ...
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Dr. Seuss celebration at Middlesboro Mall Saturday
Dr. Seuss’ birthday has been celebrated throughout Bell County for the past few weeks and the culminating event is happening Saturday at Middlesboro Mall. The Happy Birthday - Dr. Seuss Event at the mall is taking place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. It is free to the public. The event begins with a Dr. Seuss classic — Green Eggs and Ham. From 9 a.m. to noon., Lazy Joe’s will be serving green eggs, ham, hash browns and toast for $5. After break...
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Goodwill seeking donated goods
Middlesboro’s Goodwill center is asking for the community’s help in supplementing its flow of donated items. While donations and sales at Goodwill have remained largely steady across the state, some areas have experienced noticeable decreases in donations following the end-of-year rush for tax deduction purposes. “Donations slow down a little from January through March, in between holidays and spring cleaning,” said Donna Elliott, center ...
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Hikers trek through Harlan, Bell counties
Snow, sleet and rain fell as hikers Joanna Swanson, 28, of Willow River, Minn., and Bart Houck, 43 of Mollins, W.Va., entered the mountains of Harlan County. Weary from the cold weather, the hikers spent a few days in Harlan County before continuing their journey on the Great Eastern Trail (GET). An environmental education employee, Swanson most recently worked with AmeriCorps VISTA in West Virginia where she met Houck and they decided to...
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Rogers
Rogers enters plea to voyeurism, other charges
A man charged with placing cameras in the Middlesboro Walmart restroom pleaded guilty in two states for similar charges. Randall R. Rogers, 49, of Speedwell, Tenn., pleaded guilty to charges placed against him in Bell County and Claiborne County, Tenn. In Bell County, Rogers pleaded guilty to three counts of promoting a sexual performance by a minor under 18 years of age, four counts of video voyeurism and seven counts of first-degree cri...
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Donations needed for Civil War weekend
Cumberland Gap has a full line up of summer tourism events scheduled to kick off on April 26 with the annual Civil War Weekend. The event is scheduled to begin with a school day on Friday. Students from Bell County are expected to participate again this year. At Monday night’s Board of Mayor and Alderman meeting, it was revealed there have been few donations made toward the event. The Civil War Weekend is primarily funded from public dona...
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Founder of ‘Body Farm’ speaks at LMU
Marisa Anders | Claiborne Progress Dr. William Bass, a world-renowned forensic anthropologist and Professor Emeritus of the University of Tennessee’s Forensic Anthropology Program, spoke at Lincoln Memorial University’s Duke Hall Tuesday evening. He shared highlights of several cases with the large crowd that was composed of students, faculty, staff and the public. Bass also answered several questions from the audience. Marisa Anders | Cl...
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Winning door decorations
Photos by Anthony Cloud|Daily News During the Read Across America event, Bell Central held a door decorating contest. The winner of the contest was “Thing 1” and “Thing 2,” which are shown here. Read Across America celebrates the birthday of Dr. Seuss as part of the event to promote the importance of reading.
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GOP lawmakers to run against each other under plan
FRANKFORT (AP) — Democratic leaders in the House are pushing a legislative redistricting plan that could strengthen their majority by forcing 11 Republicans to run against each other next year. Within the new plan, Bell County continues to have one legislative district under the proposed plan. There are a few changes in the works for Harlan County. Under the current plan, Harlan has four legislative districts. If the new plan passes, Harl...
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Red Balloon Celebrations now open
Middlesboro’s newest business, Red Balloon Celebrations, opened in the Village Square Shopping Center on Friday. Proud business owners, Tim and Tracy Baker, are Middlesboro residents as well as husband and wife. Upon arrival, customers were welcomed by the couple with a free red balloon as a way to express their thanks for celebrating with them on their special day. The Bakers decided to open the store after they had a difficult time find...
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Fuson
Bell Co. business man indicted on theft charge
A Bell County business man has recently been indicted by the Bell County Grand Jury on a theft charge. William Boyd Fuson, 32, of Pineville, was indicted on the charge of receiving stolen property over $500. According to the indictment, Fuson allegedly received, retained or disposed of a haul trailer with a commercial type steam cleaner. The trailer was valued at approximately $9,000. Officers involved in the case include Bell County depu...
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Brooks
Tazewell woman charged for possession
A Tennessee woman was arrested on possession charges last Tuesday. Amanda N. Brooks, 27, of Tazewell, was arrested on the charge of first-degree possession of a controlled substance. According to the arrest citation, Brooks had oxymorphone in her possession. Brooks was arrested on three misdemeanor charges as well. She was arrested on two counts of third-degree possession of a controlled substance for allegedly possessing a Valium and X...
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Area high schools pilot financial planning program
Seniors at Bell County’s high schools may be making history by participating in a financial literacy pilot program. Officials working with the program say that if the seniors post-test scores show enough of improvement from the pre-test, the financial program may be implemented into Kentucky’s school curriculum as early as next year. Helping to launch the program into all three high schools in Bell County — Bell, Middlesboro and Pineville...
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Safety top priority for schools on snow days
With three public school districts, winter weather related school delay and cancellation policies and procedures for students throughout Bell County are somewhat varied. However, all three school districts say they all have one common goal — keeping their students safe when winter weather creates hazardous driving conditions. “Weather is unpredictable and often times our decisions are questioned,” said Waylon Allen, director of pupil pers...
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The new club in town
The Bell County Cooperative Extension Agency is now offering a club for all the dog lovers in the area. The 4-H Dog Club will hold their first meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Middlesboro Community Center. The club will then meet on April 11, May 9 and June 20. Members of the Dog Club will learn the basics of obedience, showmanship and agility training. Members will also learn how to take care of and groom their dog. In the proce...
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Lawson
Man enters guilty plea for assault charge
A man involved in a wreck that severely injured one victim pleaded guilty on Monday. Christopher David Lawson, 38 of Middlesboro, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault. Commonwealth Attorney Karen Greene Blondell recommended a sentence of 10 years in the penitentiary. Nearly a year and a half ago, Lawson was involved in an wreck along U.S. 25E in front of Pineville Community Hospital. The white minivan that Lawson was driving crossed ...
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Funds secured for Dorton Branch Road work
FRANKFORT – Road work will soon proceed on the Dorton Branch Road, KY 2394, as a result of $500,000 in funding, said state Rep. Rick Nelson, D-Middlesboro, for road improvements. Dorton Branch Road in Pineville will be closed intermittently beginning March 4 and concluding on April 1. Flaggers will be on site to provide traffic control while work is in progress, though some traffic delays are possible while work is conducted. Work crews...
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SKCTC holds health fair
Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College (SKCTC) partnered with the Debusk College of Osteopathic Medicine at Lincoln Memorial University (LMU-DCOM) to sponsor a community health fair on Saturday from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. The event was held at the Administration Building, inside the grille area, at the SKCTC Middlesboro campus located on Chichester Avenue. The event was free to the public, but inclement weather appeared to dampen the...
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Read across America
Anthony Cloud|Daily News Bell Central Principal Greg Wilson reads a Dr. Seuss book to students at the school. Ray Welch|Daily News Commonwealth Attorney Karen Greene Blondell reads a Dr. Seuss book to children at Yellow Creek School Center.
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Brock
Brock sentenced on facilitation charge
The fourth and final individual involved in a 2012 robbery was sentenced in Bell Circuit Court on Monday. Whitney Brock, 19, of Pineville, was sentenced on an amended charge of first-degree facilitation to commit robbery. She was sentenced to five years in the penitentiary. Demetrice Osborne, 29, of Evarts, Whitney Cain, 21, of Pineville, and Joshua Hubbard, 23, of Pineville, each pleaded guilty late last year. Brock allegedly came to Smi...
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Search begins for Middlesboro school chief
Middlesboro Independent Board of Education and a representative of the Kentucky School Boards Association (KSBA) has officially launched the search for a new leader for the school district. The search process is necessary after the announced resignation of Dr. Rita Cook, who has led the district for the almost four years. She was hired after several weeks of deliberation by the board of education at that time to replace Darryl Wilder who re...
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