WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2026  ·  EASTERN KENTUCKY'S COMMUNITY NEWS HUB
All the news from the hollows & hills of Eastern Kentucky

Today's Stories 59 stories · Updated 06:15 PM

Johnson man killed in Wednesday morning fire
Mountain Top Media9m ago

STAMBAUGH, Ky. -- One man is dead following a house fire in Johnson County. W.R. Castle Fire and Rescue was dispatched to a house fire on Route 1559 at Stambaugh just before 8 a.m. Wednesday morning. After firefighters extinguished the blaze, they found the body of the home's occupant, 77-year-old Clarence VanHoose, in his bedroom. A preliminary investigation by the State Fire Marshal's Office det

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Mountain Top Media29m ago

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- A Martin County man has agreed to plead guilty to a federal gun charge in exchange for having drug charges against him dropped. Jimmy Cornett, 61, of Tomahawk, appeared in Lexington federal court on Tuesday for a pretrial conference. He had been facing two counts of distributing meth and two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Cornett had previously been convi

Kentucky Lantern43m ago

Senate President Robert Stivers responded Wednesday to a Kentucky Supreme Court ruling ordering lawmakers to halt the impeachment of a Lexington judge, but it’s unclear if the Senate will comply with the order or move forward with a trial. In a press release from the Senate Republican caucus, Stivers said the Senate was aware of [...]

Mountain Top Media1h ago

by RODERICK MULLINS CLINTWOOD, Va. -- The Dickenson County Board of Supervisors moved forward Tuesday with a federal grant agreement to clean up local waterways and voted to maintain current tax rates for the upcoming fiscal year. In a series of public hearings and special meetings, the board addressed lingering concerns over a USDA Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWPP) grant. The funding

Mountain Top Media1h ago

by RODERICK MULLINS HAYSI, Va. - Dickenson County Court Clerk Josh Evans announced his candidacy for Commonwealth’s Attorney late Tuesday, following a judicial reshuffling that has triggered a special election for the county’s top prosecutor post. Evans, a Republican, made the video announcement on his "Josh Evans - Circuit Court Clerk" Facebook page from the Haysi Riverfront Riverwalk just one da

Harlan Enterprise2h ago

FRANKFORT- Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, along with her counterparts from four other states, co-sponsored a resolution recognizing American agriculture and its impact on the world, which passed at a National [...]

Harlan Enterprise2h ago

VERSAILLES, Ky. (KT) - April is Community College Month and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) will celebrate its 110,000 students from all of Kentucky's 120 counties and [...]

WTVQ ABC 363h ago

(ABC 36 NEWS NOW) - Publix Super Markets is expanding its footprint in Kentucky with three new store locations in Richmond, Versailles, and Bowling Green. Each location will feature a 54,964-square-foot supermarket and an adjacent Publix Liquors. The new stores are expected to create job opportunities for about 150 associates at each location. Jared Glover, media relations manager for Publix...

WTVQ ABC 363h ago

LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) - A 93-year-old woman was killed in a two-vehicle collision late Tuesday night at the intersection of Main Street and Jefferson Street in Lexington. According to the Lexington Police Department, officers responded to the crash just after 9 p.m.and learned that one vehicle had struck another vehicle making a turn. The Fayette County Coroner's...

Mountain Eagle7h ago

More than a dozen members of the Neon Lions Club were at the Fleming-Neon Public Library to help move books into the newly renovated building. The library took on more than five feet of water during the flood of 2022, destroying the interior and its contents. The library district has been buying books and accepting donations since then, cataloging books, [...] The post Club helps move books into F

Mountain Eagle7h ago

Letcher County is slated to receive more than $40 million in highway improvements over the next three years under Kentucky’s newly approved six-year road plan, with additional major projects lined up beyond 2028. The funding is part of House Bill 502, which establishes the state’s 2026–2028 Biennial Highway Construction Plan, part of a broader transportation budget totaling about $3.41 billion [..

Mountain Eagle7h ago

The Jenkins City Council has voted to sign a task force agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), allowing Jenkins City Police to be deputized as federal immigration officers. ICE has also approached the Letcher County Sheriff’s Office about joining the 287(g) program, but Sheriff Billy Jones said the office is still reviewing the proposal. It is unknown whether [...] The post

Mountain Eagle7h ago

The Kentucky Court of Appeals has upheld the conviction of a former Kingscreek fire chief who was sentenced to five years in prison for first-degree sexual abuse. Robert Wayne Meade, also known as Bill Meade, was 81 years old when he was convicted on September 9, 2024. Meade was the longtime chief of the Kingscreek Volunteer Fire Department, and some [...] The post Ex-fire chief can’t escape convi

Mountain Eagle7h ago

Pat Etcheberry, a native of Chile, was a Southeastern Conference javelin champion at Kentucky in 1966. He later served as an assistant track coach at UK from 1967–79 and head coach from 1979–84. He also worked as the strength and conditioning coach for all UK teams from 1973–89, where his innovative methods helped numerous athletes and played a major role [...] The post Players loved strength coac

Mountain Eagle7h ago

The Letcher County Central Lady Cougars fast-pitch softball team improved to 7-6 on the season after picking up wins Monday at Hazard and earlier in the week in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Statistics for the Lady Cougars’ 5-4 win over Hazard were not available at press time. Letcher Central also earned a decisive 15-0 victory over Lake Center Christian of [...] The post Lady Cougars pick up wins

Mountain Eagle7h ago

The Jenkins Lady Cavaliers fast-pitch softball team is off to a strong start, carrying a 6-1 record into Wednesday night’s home game against Hazard. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. Jenkins picked up two recent wins, including an 11-1 victory in five innings over Knott County Central on April 6. Ariana Brown led the Lady Cavs at the plate, [...] The post Lady Cavs start strong first appeared on

Mountain Eagle7h ago

The Letcher County Central Cougars baseball team picked up back-to-back wins to improve to 8-5 on the season. The Cougars, coached by Chris Amburgey, opened their 40-game schedule on March 20 and have gained momentum with recent victories over Powell County and Magoffin County. Letcher Central’s latest win came Monday at Alice Lloyd College in Pippa Passes, where the Cougars [...] The post LCC boy

Kentucky Lantern8h ago

A University of Kentucky scientist has found two markers that can be collected through a cheek swab and indicate the presence of schizophrenia. Bonnie L. Firestein, a professor and chair in the Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, published her findings in early March in Science Advances [...]

Kentucky Lantern8h ago

This column was written before Tuesday night’s debate among four candidates in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate. “Kentucky is in play this year. Believe it,” U.S. Senate candidate Amy McGrath told her email list last week. Perhaps she felt obliged to add those two words because so few people think Democrats have a [...]

Kentucky Lantern16h ago

Four Democratic candidates vying to represent Kentucky in the U.S. Senate were asked in a forum Tuesday evening whether they would support government shutdowns if elected and discussed Republican President Donald Trump’s war in Iran. The candidates — Charles Booker, Amy McGrath, Dale Romans and Pamela Stevenson — appeared side by side in the forum hosted by [...]

Harlan Enterprise23h ago

Where did it all go wrong? I'm a peace maker by heart but I have learned and continue learning that a peace maker doesn't necessarily always keep their mouth shut. [...]

Harlan Enterprise23h ago

There comes a point in every grown person's life when they realize that not every thought deserves a response. Not every situation deserves your wisdom, and not every comment deserves [...]

Mountain Top MediaApr 7

BELFRY, Ky. - Steven Vipperman of Belfry High School is the 2026 Section 2 recipient of the National High School Spirit of Sport Award by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). Vipperman, a football player at Belfry High School, survived a major car accident last May. The award was created to recognize individuals who exemplify the ideals of the spirit of sport that repr

Harlan EnterpriseApr 7

When I wrote my memoir in 2018, I titled the book 'Finding Joy: My Life as an Adoptee'. Within the context, I explained the premise that, as an adoptee, I [...]

Mountain Top MediaApr 7

SHELBIANA, Ky. -- A Pike County man is facing a felony assault charge for allegedly shooting his neighbor. Police were called to Pikeville Medical Center after a man showed up in the emergency with a gunshot wound in his left foot near the ankle. The victim told police that he was cutting grass on his property at Shelbiana, when 83-year-old Franklin Kendrick came out of his home and began arguing

Mountain Top MediaApr 7

HAZARD, Ky. -- A Perry County woman has been arrested on child porn charges, following an investigation by the Kentucky State Police Electronic Crime Branch. Megan Combs, 36, of Hazard, is charged with four counts possession of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor younger than 12. The charge is a felony, punishable by 1-to-5 years in prison. KSP says it began investigating Combs after

Mountain Top MediaApr 7

PRESTONSBURG, Ky. -- Officials with the State Medical Examiner's Office have confirmed that a leg bone found Monday night at Dewey Lake is not human in origin, the Floyd County Coroner's Office said on Tuesday. The discovery resulted in a social media uproar, after a transcript of a 911 call reporting a "human leg with shoe" had been found at Jenny Wiley State Resort Park was shared. Coroner Greg

Salyersville IndependentApr 6

From Team Kentucky and Improving US 460 Salyersville, KY (April 6, 2026) – Two public meetings this week will introduce a Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) project that is expected to improve regional mobility and safety along US 460 between Salyersville and Paintsville. Additional passing and turning lanes will improve traffic flow and safety and [...]

Appalachian News-ExpressApr 3

The first of a series of candidate forums hosted by the Appalachian News-Express was held March 30 at the Appalachian Wireless Arena and featured candidates vying for the position of Magistrate in District 4.

Appalachian News-ExpressApr 3

Since it’s Easter weekend, I really tried hard to be nice and not let the evils of politics infiltrate my mind. But something came up, and I just can’t seem to get the voices out of my head. Not that the current administration makes it easy.

Appalachian News-ExpressApr 3

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." — 1 Peter 1:3

Salyersville IndependentApr 2

SALYERSVILLE – A Salyersville man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for incest (victim under 18) and sexual abuse charges. Dwayne Hunt, 59, of Salyersville, appeared in court on January 13, 2026, withdrawing his not guilty plea and entering a plea of guilty via a plea agreement between himself, represented by Neil Borders, and [...]

Salyersville IndependentApr 2

LAKEVILLE – The Magoffin County Sheriff Department executed a search warrant at a home on Rose Branch Spur in the Lakeville community, yielding the confiscation of substantial quantities of drugs, firearms and other drug trafficking-related items, making an arrest in the case the next day. On Sunday, March 29, the Magoffin County Sheriff Department searched [...]

Salyersville IndependentApr 2

FAR MIDDLE FORK – A Floyd County man was arrested on Far Middle Fork after law enforcement conducted a traffic stop that yielded a quantity of methamphetamine and several drug trafficking-related items. According to the arrest citation, Magoffin County Sheriff Department Deputies W. Lafferty and N. Watson were patrolling KY Rt. 378 on Tuesday, March [...]

Salyersville IndependentApr 2

SALYERSVILLE – A Magoffin County man was sentenced to 5 years in prison for the charge of procure or promote use of minor by electronic means (Class C felony). Cory Slusher, 29, of Half Mountain Road, in Salyersville, changed his plea to guilty in January via a plea agreement between himself, represented by Jeff Lovely, [...]