Today's Stories 60 stories · Updated 10:03 PM

Quiet weather into the weekend as the spring season officially ends

It was a delightful finish to the week on Friday weather wise across Central and Eastern Kentucky, especially after all the wet and stormy weather that we dealt with on Thursday. With high pressure pushing the front that created all the severe and wet weather to our south, drier air worked into the commonwealth on the heels of a northwest...

Hometown Hero | Dakota Wayne

"You can be that light,” one person said.

Crews fight fire at residential unit

It happened at a multi-unit residential building in South Charleston.

VP Vance cancels trip as Israeli strikes threaten peace negotiations

Vice President JD Vance postpones Switzerland trip as violence between Israel and Hezbollah escalates.

Weekend Roundup: Soulfeast Week, Monster Jam at Rupp Arena

A 10-day event celebrating Black culture and cuisine and a monster truck show are among the events happening around central Kentucky this weekend.

First Alert Weather | Small Rain Chance, More Dry Hours Father’s Day Weekend

Meteorologist John Gross is tracking the latest forecast.

‘More water than fuel’: Driver says contaminated gasoline left her stranded for hours in new car

A driver in South Carolina says a fill-up at an area gasoline station left her with more than just fuel in her tank.

Marshall Athletics Announces Hall of Fame Class of 2026

PRESS RELEASE: MARSHALL ATHLETICS HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall Athletics’ Hall of Fame Committee is proud to unveil nine inductees who have been announced for the Marshall Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2026. Marshall’s nine inductees will be honored during the 2026 Hall of Fame luncheon, which will take place at Noon on Sept. 12 prior to the Herd’s home opener against Middle Tennessee, which is

Rudd makes Top 12 in Miss Kentucky

BOWLING GREEN – The Magoffin County girls who traveled to Bowling Green for the Miss Kentucky Scholarship Pageant last week represented the county well, coming back with numerous awards and many once-in-a-lifetime memories. Miss Magoffin Erin Grace Rudd was absolutely breathtaking on stage, waking with grace and putting on a stellar performance, and making it [...]

Special Olympics airlift

West Virginia International Yeager Airport held a proper send-off for Team West Virginia ahead of the 2026 Special Olympics Friday.

Mountaineer Challenge Academy graduation

The 22-week program has a 90% success rate, with 71 cadets receiving their diploma Friday.

Hatfield-McCoy Marathon sees both usual, unusual in 2026

Second defendant in Amber Spradlin case released from home incarceration

PRESTONSBURG, Ky. — A second defendant charged in connection with the Amber Spradlin murder case has been released from home incarceration. An order signed June 6 by Special Judge Eddy Coleman released Josh Mullins, 25, of Martin, from home incarceration, one day after Michael McKinney, 58, was released. As was the case with McKinney, all other conditions of Mullins' bond, including random drug te

Pikeville man’s drug case heads to federal court

LONDON, Ky. — A drug bust by Pikeville Police back in April has now resulted in federal charges. Daryl Adkins, 58, of Pikeville, is now charged with conspiracy to distribute more than 500 grams of meth and fentanyl and possession with the intent to distribute. At least two other people have also been charged in the case, but their identities currently remain under seal. Adkins was arrested April 1

Sex offender indicted for not keeping address updated

PRESTONSBURG, Ky. — A sex offender has been indicted after he was discovered not to be living at the Floyd County address he gave to authorities. Jeffery Gary Beasley, 55, who now lists his address as Lexington, was indicted on one count of failing to comply with sex offender registration. According to the indictment, Beasley had allegedly not updated his registration since March of 2021. The sex

One killed, one injured in U.S. 23 crash

LOWMANSVILLE, Ky. — One person was killed and another critically injured in a two-vehicle crash Thursday morning on U.S. 23 in Lawrence County. According to Kentucky State Police, troopers from Post 14 responded to the collision around 7:35 a.m. at Lowmansville. Investigators say a 2012 Kia Sorento driven by Johnathan Haney, 22, was traveling south on U.S. 23 when it crossed the median into the no

We're only beginning to understand all the ways the opioid epidemic harmed Appalachia

Purdue Pharma introduced the painkiller OxyContin in late 1995 – and we are still learning of the harm it has caused. Purdue marketed Oxy in communities with high percentages of people with chronic pain from cancer. The company particularly targeted Appalachian communities. Oxy proved especially addictive and easy to both obtain and abuse. When restrictions [...]

Opioid settlement money aims to battle addiction in rural Kentucky

WHITESBURG, Ky. — Drugs and the consequences of addiction are woven into the fabric of Jamie Madden’s life. Her earliest memory is of standing on the passenger seat of her dad’s car as a toddler, wearing a peach-colored blouse, while he drove from their Kentucky home to Florida to pick up drugs. On a stop [...]

Fiscal court OKs Army display at Cumberland veterans memorial

By Aaron Rowe Harlan Enterprise A resolution was passed authorizing the placement of United States Army combat equipment as a long-term static display on public land at Eastern Kentucky Veterans [...]

Fathers play important role for children with example they set

Father’s Day is fast approaching. If anyone has forgotten to plan ahead for this day which allows us to remember our fathers, there is still time to plan his favorite [...]

Courthouse News

By Paul Lunsford Harlan Enterprise MARRIAGE LICENSES Lauren Mallory Shoemaker, 27, of Baxter, to Justin Cole Adkins, 27, of Baxter. Lanette Pace, 67, of Wallins, to Roy Pace Jr., 65, [...]

Kentucky cave specimen highlights new museum exhibition

WASHINGTON (KT) - The Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History opened its new exhibition, "From These Lands: Sharing Our Natural and Cultural Heritage" on Thursday, with Kentucky artifacts among those [...]

Drug treatment CEO pleads not guilty to federal fraud charges

Tim Robinson, the former CEO of what was once Kentucky’s largest and fast-growing addiction treatment company, has entered a not guilty plea in federal court to fraud charges related to finances at the Louisa-based company. Robinson, who founded what became Addiction Recovery Care, or ARC, as a single halfway house in 2008 in Eastern Kentucky, [...]

Middle Creek Battlefield now offers audio tour

Audio tour makes history more accessible. The post Middle Creek Battlefield now offers audio tour appeared first on Mountain Top Media .

Longtime Kentucky environmental journalist James Bruggers dies

James Bruggers, a longtime Kentucky environmental and energy journalist whose groundbreaking coverage spanned from the hazards of coal mines to scrutinizing polluters, died Tuesday. He was 68. Bruggers spent nearly two decades reporting at the Louisville Courier Journal, first arriving in 1999 after reporting stints in Washington and California and after graduating from the University [...]

Highway District 12 yard sale will kick off fundraising season

Money raised goes to partner charities. The post Highway District 12 yard sale will kick off fundraising season appeared first on Mountain Top Media .

Star City applying to be Trail Town

Prestonsburg hopes designation will improve tourism by showcasing outdoor adventure. The post Star City applying to be Trail Town appeared first on Mountain Top Media .

Editor's Notebook: Are data centers the new coal mines of Kentucky?

Are data centers the new coal? Or are they the new landfills? Or the new prisons? The comparisons aren’t perfect, but they are easy to make: a brand new shiny industry owned by out-of-state corporations comes to a beleaguered region with the promise of (some) jobs, part of an ephemeral promise to buttress the failing [...]

Animal shelter reaches 'no-kill status' following improvements

Brenda Ramsey Harlan Enterprise The Harlan Animal Shelter has achieved no-kill status. Animal shelter director and chief animal control officer Ryan Sawyers announced the news on the Harlan Animal Shelter [...]

Harlan ranks fifth in region for visitor spending from tourism

Special To The Enterprise The Harlan Tourist and Convention Commission reviewed newly released tourism economic impact data during its June board meeting, highlighting another year of growth for Harlan County's [...]

Free day for kids at museum

After 40 years, Kentucky domestic violence organization closing this month

Clients will be able to access services through other partner programs.

Dueling lawsuits: KY AG sues prediction market companies a week after they sue over taxes

Editor's note: Shortly after the Lantern posted its story on the tax lawsuit by prediction market companies, AG Coleman announced his lawsuit against them. Republican Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman is suing two prominent prediction market companies over allegations that they operate unlicensed and illegal sports gambling operations. The lawsuits announced filed Wednesday come less [...]

Still swinging after all these years

Paul Wooton of Hyden and Annie Reynolds of Louisburg, N.C., respond to the caller’s command, “Swing Your Partner,” during the monthly Carcassonne Square Dance on Saturday, June 13, at the Carcassonne Community Center. The gathering is believed to be Kentucky’s oldest continuously operating square dance, having begun in the early 1960s. Following the well-attended June event, five dances remain on

Reed Sheppard’s NBA success is no surprise

Reece Davidson knew his cousin, Reed Sheppard, was a “special player” when he played at North Laurel High School and then the University of Kentucky. However, even Davidson has been a bit surprised by Sheppard’s overall play the last two years with the Houston Rockets. “I can’t say I knew he would be where he is right now, especially this [...] The post Reed Sheppard’s NBA success is no surprise f

A delayed dream trip of ours finally reaches Lake Erie

In the mountains, we are taught from an early age that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and that good things come to those who wait. That certainly proved true for a recent fishing trip to Lake Erie near Monroe, Michigan. I paid for the trip in full back in February and was excited about [...] The post A delayed dream trip of ours finally reaches Lake Erie first appeared on

Drought changes fishing patterns across area lakes

We have been in a bad drought for quite some time now, and it has had a major effect on our lakes. Low water levels have impacted many aspects of fishing, especially the spring spawning season for species such as bluegill and bass. Normally, these fish move into the backs of creeks and along shallow banks to spawn when lakes [...] The post Drought changes fishing patterns across area lakes first a

Drones join battle against invasive kudzu

The much-anticipated UFO report from the federal government didn’t reveal any little green men, but here in the South we’ve had plenty of sightings of one very hungry alien. Green and voracious, it can grow up to a foot a day, crawling along the ground and gobbling up telephone poles, junk cars and even entire buildings. If you don’t know [...] The post Drones join battle against invasive kudzu fi

Family continues search for man missing nearly four years in Harlan County

Elgon Partin Jr. went missing in July 2022, leaving behind three children and a family desperate for answers.

Pikeville commission discusses budget, road safety

The Pikeville City Commission heard a first reading of the proposed budget for the coming fiscal year and heard a presentation about safety improvements on Hambley Boulevard during its meeting on June 8.

Tough birthdays

Birthdays can be tough.

From cash crop to community investment

The legacy of tobacco in Kentucky runs deep, leaving an indelible mark on our state's history, economy and culture. For more than two centuries, tobacco was a vital part of our agricultural landscape and shaped the lives and livelihoods of many Kentucky families.

Beneath the stars and stripes

Each year on June 14, Americans observe Flag Day, a day set aside to recognize one of our nation's most familiar and meaningful symbols. Unlike many holidays, Flag Day is not marked by fireworks, large celebrations, or long weekends. Instead, it offers an opportunity to pause and

Defense seeks jury special instructions in murder case related to missing shirt

Attorneys for a Pike County man charged with murder are seeking “adverse inference instructions” to be given to the jury during his October trial because of alleged loss or destruction of evidence by the commonwealth.

Rural Up launches summer STEM camps across Eastern Kentucky

At the Jackson County Public Library, dozens of students are working with cardboard, dominoes and code to create projects like dinosaur-themed chain reaction machines.