THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2026  ·  EASTERN KENTUCKY'S COMMUNITY NEWS HUB
All the news from the hollows & hills of Eastern Kentucky

Today's Stories 63 stories · Updated 06:46 PM

UK trustees approve modest 1.94% tuition increase for 2026
Harlan Enterprise6m ago

LEXINGTON, Ky. (KT) - The University of Kentucky board of trustees has approved a 1.94 percent tuition increase for the 2026-2027 academic year, which has been authorized by the state [...]

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WTVQ ABC 3635m ago

FRANKFORT, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) - Kentucky recorded its fourth consecutive year of declining overdose deaths in 2025, with a 22.9% decrease compared with the previous year and a 50.8% decrease from 2021, Gov. Andy Beshear announced April 30. According to the 2025 Kentucky Drug Overdose Fatality Report, 1,110 Kentuckians lost their lives to a drug overdose last year...

Kentucky Lantern56m ago

Help is available to Kentuckians living with addiction. For resources, visit https://findhelpnow.org/ky. In physical emergencies, call 911. For mental health crises, call or text 988. Locate free Naloxone (Narcan), which can reverse overdoses, near you here. For the fourth year in a row, the number of Kentuckians who died from drug overdoses declined in 2025, [...]

Harlan Enterprise1h ago

As Kentucky is well known for the Kentucky Derby, the first Saturday in May, gardens in the Spring are known for their glorious Redbuds, snow white dogwoods, cheerful daffodils and [...]

Mountain Top Media1h ago

PRESS RELEASE: UK ATHLETICS LEXINGTON, Ky. – Justin McBride, a 6-foot-7 forward, has signed with the Kentucky men’s basketball program it was announced on Thursday. McBride averaged 15.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game at James Madison a season ago. The Plano, Texas, native was a third team pick for the All-Sun Belt team after appearing in all 31 games and making 30 starts for the Dukes in 2025-2

WSAZ1h ago

Upload your SOLO A CAPPELLA performance of the NATIONAL ANTHEM for a chance to win a trip to NASHVILLE to record a professionally produced performance that will air across the country.

Mountain Top Media2h ago

BELFRY, Ky. -- A complaint about squatters resulted in two people being arrested on burglary charges.And one of them was later charged with drug trafficking after being found with meth and fentanyl at the jail. Police were called to Cow Branch Road at Belfry Wednesday evening over a report of people staying in a vacant home without permission. There, they encountered Vangie Thacker, 52, on the fro

WTVQ ABC 363h ago

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) - Trainer Brad Cox’s Fulleffort was scratched from the Kentucky Derby on Thursday because of a chipped ankle. Fulleffort was listed at 20-1 odds and was not among the race favorites. Cox still has two contenders entered in the Derby: Commandment and Further Ado, both at 6-1. The move marks the second scratch from...

Mountain Top Media3h ago

PIKEVILLE, Ky. -- To celebrate America turning 250, KET, in partnership with the Kentucky Historical Society and the America250KY Commission, will host a free screening of Ken Burns’ The American Revolution at the Appalachian Center for the Arts in Pikeville on Tuesday, May 12. The event will begin at 6:30 pm and feature a one-hour screening of the documentary followed by a panel discussion. This

Harlan Enterprise4h ago

James 1: 17 "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." Why do singers [...]

Mountain Top Media4h ago

RICHMOND, Va. — As spring arrives across the region, wildlife officials are reminding residents to leave young deer alone — even if they appear to be abandoned. With fawning season underway from May through July, it’s common for white-tailed deer fawns to be seen alone in yards, gardens and fields. Experts say this is normal behavior. Mother deer, known as does, often leave their fawns hidden for

Mountain Top Media4h ago

CLINTWOOD, Va. — The Dickenson County Board of Supervisors tackled ongoing public utility challenges and authorized new performance-based incentives for local emergency medical technicians during its recent April meeting. The meeting was highlighted by a public comment from Nathan Edwards, who represented 10 families residing on Crooked Branch struggling with severely low-to-nonexistent water pres

WTVQ ABC 364h ago

LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) — A University of Kentucky student was arrested April 28 on a first-degree assault charge stemming from an April 10 attack at a Lexington bar that left the victim with a fractured skull, brain bleed, and possible traumatic brain injury, according to court documents. 20-year-old Hunter Hawthorne was taken into custody by the Lexington...

WTVQ ABC 367h ago

VALLEY STATION, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) - A Kentucky State Police trooper suffered minor injuries in a three-vehicle collision on Dixie Highway in Jefferson County, and the driver involved in the crash reportedly fled the scene before being arrested. The collision occurred near the 15000 block of Dixie Highway, approximately 4 miles south of the Gene Snyder Freeway in...

WTVQ ABC 3620h ago

With a wave of energy sliding through the commonwealth it was a damp and dreary Wednesday across Central and Eastern Kentucky with scattered showers and a few rumbles of thunder around. It was a win/win scenario as we didn't have to be concerned with strong to severe storms for the first time this week and we saw some beneficial rainfall,...

Mountain Top MediaApr 29

Alice Lloyd College added another piece to its roster on Thursday, as Prestonsburg senior Brady Allen signed to continue his baseball career with the Eagles. Allen has been a steady contributor for the Blackcats this season, batting .273. He has scored seven runs, driven in 18 RBIs, and recorded two doubles, one home run and three stolen bases. His all-around play has made him a valuable asset for

Harlan EnterpriseApr 29

Welcome, Derby visitors, in person and online! Each year this column looks at races that go on in Kentucky almost all the time, for elective office, and our card is [...]

Mountain Top MediaApr 29

FRANKFORT, Ky. — The deadline to apply for the Kentucky Elk Hunt Drawing will be midnight on April 30, 2026. The fall elk quota hunt is among the most anticipated hunting opportunities available in Kentucky each year. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources will announce the winners for the Kentucky Elk Hunt Drawing throughout the day on Saturday, May 9, at the fourth annual Kentuck

Harlan EnterpriseApr 29

Loyall American Legion Post 273 officials presented a scholarship check to Harlan County High School senior Addison Gray to pursue a college education at Lincoln Memorial College. Her goal is [...]

Kentucky LanternApr 29

Rescue dogs and cats are the official pets of Kentucky, thanks to a bill passed by the General Assembly in 2026. The Kentucky Lantern asked people to submit their rescue pets to mark the occasion. Take a look at some of the official pets of Kentucky.

Kentucky LanternApr 29

Christian nationalists and their supporters are a majority in the Republican Party, according to a February Public Religion Research Institute poll. The survey revealed that nationally, 56 percent of Republicans "qualify as either Christian nationalism Adherents (21%) or Sympathizers (35%), compared with one in four independents (25%) and less than one in five Democrats (17%)." [...]

Mountain EagleApr 29

Amy Asher Wilson reminisces while looking at photographs taken 50 years ago at Letcher High School and shared by a fellow classmate. She was one of nearly 25 classmates who attended the school’s 50th class reunion, held Saturday at Pine Mountain Grill. A photo of those attending appears inside this edition. The post Letcher High classmates revisit memories at 50-year reunion first appeared on The

Mountain EagleApr 29

The Letcher County Board of Education’s finance corporation will issue more than $1.4 million in bonds to replace roofs on two schools. The finance corporation and the board approved the resolution after a presentation by Lincoln Theinert, a partner with RSA Advisors of Lexington. The bonds will fund reroofing projects at Cowan Elementary School and Fleming-Neon Middle School and are [...] The pos

Mountain EagleApr 29

More than 6,600 Kentuckians — including 17 voters in Letcher County — have already cast ballots in the May 19 primary election, even though Election Day is still nearly three weeks away. As of Monday, 68 Letcher County residents had applied for mail-in absentee ballots. All 68 — 41 Democrats and 27 Republicans — qualified to receive the ballots. Seventeen [...] The post Absentee vote opens as prim

Mountain EagleApr 29

A new childcare option is opening in Jenkins, offering affordable services for families across Letcher County and elsewhere in the region, including those who qualify for financial assistance. Shining Stars Daycare is now enrolling and will provide care in what organizers describe as a safe, loving and educational environment for children. The center is located at 9599 Highway 805 in [...] The pos

Mountain EagleApr 29

DEAR DR. ROACH: I read your column every week. In a recent column, you wrote: “Since age is the major risk factor in getting cancer, it’s likely that some people who were cured of their original cancer will later succumb to a different one.” This statement terrified me as I fall into this category. I had a lobectomy in 2009 [...] The post Cancer survivor has worries first appeared on The Mountain

Mountain EagleApr 29

It’s a busy time of year as we near the end of school and proms and dances and trips. I have always looked forward to this time of year and into the summer vacation. The barefoot days of the time after May 1 have always been so welcome after winter’s cold has melted into spring. Mommy always made us wait [...] The post Mobile brick oven will open catering spaces first appeared on The Mountain Eagl

Mountain EagleApr 29

Hello again everyone. Once more I will ask the question, how is everything in your little corner of the world? There’s been so much sadness. It breaks my heart of passing of Nina Craft. I never met Nina in person, however I know she was one of the nicest people I’ve ever come in contact with. I sure would have [...] The post Nina Craft will be greatly missed first appeared on The Mountain Eagle .

Mountain EagleApr 29

Five-year-old Velle Smith of Louisville shows off an 18-inch largemouth bass she caught Sunday while fishing in a local pond. Using a 2-pound test line, Velle hooked the fish while walking the bank and jigging an artificial bait beneath a bobber. She has been fishing for about a year and a half and handles her own casting, hook-setting and reeling. [...] The post Small angler, nice catch first app

Mountain Top MediaApr 28

PRESS RELEASE: UK ATHLETICS LEXINGTON, Ky. – The 24th annual CATSPY Awards were held Monday inside Historic Memorial Coliseum to recognize athletic and academic performances during the 2025-26 year in the University of Kentucky Athletics Department. With multiple winners in some categories, 31 individuals and three teams were recognized. The 2026 CATSPY Awards cover accomplishments earned from Apr

Appalachian News-ExpressApr 25

The candidates running for the office of Pike County jailer participated in a political forum sponsored by Appalachian Newspapers Inc. on April 20.

Appalachian News-ExpressApr 25

The latest front in the electoral war between the parties of the jackass and the elephant is taking place in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Salyersville IndependentApr 23

SALYERSVILLE – The Magoffin County Fiscal Court met in regular session on Tuesday, April 21, discussing the ambulance service, potential high-paying jobs coming to Magoffin County, transparency with a major utility company and updates to water projects in southern Magoffin. The court approved the following fund transfers from the general fund: $70,000 to the jail [...]

Salyersville IndependentApr 23

SALYERSVILLE – After continuous criticism as of late of the mayor’s and council’s implementation of a three-minute time limit for public comments at city council meetings, as well as the mayor’s handling the failing sewer system and struggling water department, a decision by the mayor was placed on the agenda for Monday’s meeting to forbid [...]

Salyersville IndependentApr 23

WOLFE/MAGOFFIN COUNTIES – A man wanted in relation to some Wolfe County barn burnings last December was found at a residence in Magoffin County and is now facing charges from the incidents. In the initial report from the Wolfe County Sheriff Department in December 2025 indicated that there were three people had already been arrested [...]

Salyersville IndependentApr 23

MOUNTAIN PARKWAY – A motorist walked away from a serious wreck on the Mountain Parkway that was caused by a deer. Emergency crews were called to the Mountain Parkway just before the Johnson Fork exit at approximately 9:30 a.m. on Friday, April 17, to a serious wreck that was caused by a deer. When emergency [...]

Salyersville IndependentApr 23

SALYERSVILLE – The Salyersville City Council met in regular session on Monday, April 20, discussing a contractor for the landscaping project and road funding. The council approved to pay the City of Salyersville and Salyersville Water Works bills, with relatively little discussion regarding either. The council reviewed a recommendation letter from Bell Engineering, recommending CPR [...]

Salyersville IndependentApr 23

From Royalton Community Council Royalton Community Council hosted our annual Easter egg hunt on Saturday, April 4, 2026, with approximately 225 people present. There were four different age groups for the egg hunt, plus four age groups for the 8 bicycles given away (1 girl, 1 boy each group). We also had a surprise visit [...]

Salyersville IndependentApr 23

MIDDLE FORK – A Magoffin man was arrested on Monday for allegedly trespassing, stealing security cameras and shutting power off of a home on Middle Fork. According to the arrest warrant, Magoffin County Sheriff Deputy Eugene Salyer was dispatched to a location on Middle Fork regarding a trespass/burglary complaint, with video surveillance showing Aaron Arnett, [...]

Salyersville IndependentApr 23

Miss Kentucky and Miss Kentucky’s Teen orientation is in the books! The girls spent Saturday, April 11 at God’s Pantry packing food boxes and getting all the information for their week long state competition! Miss Magoffin, Erin-Grace Rudd, will be competing as contestant #39 and Miss Magoffin’s Teen, Lyndsey Wireman, will be competing as contestant [...]

100 Days in AppalachiaApr 17

Maddie McGarvey has spent her career photographing rural Appalachia. She says she wants to bear witness to the struggle and resilience in forgotten pockets of the nation. The post Q&A: The Photographer Documenting Appalachian Poverty, And Resilience appeared first on 100 Days in Appalachia .