On Friday, Jan. 10, students and staff of Galen College of Nursing celebrated the school’s sixth graduation commencement since its opening in March 2017. During the commencement, 31 graduates walked the stage and received their nursing degrees. Graduates included: Katlyn Anderson; Lisa Ander…

Last Thursday, Jan. 9, the students and staff at Buckhorn School celebrated the grand opening of the Mountain Heritage Recording Studio, which will provide students with an opportunity to participate in dual credit music classes. The program, school officials said, was created in partnership…

Mandi Fugate Sheffel said that she often found herself leaving Eastern Kentucky to shop for books and that led her and her husband wanting to open a local store. Sheffel has been at work for some time preparing the Read Spotted Newt for opening day.

The Perry County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a robbery which occurred at the Dollar General store located on Trus Joist Lane in Chavies. A white male entered the store Sunday night, informed an employee he had a gun, and demanded money. He was last seen running towards Trus Joist Lane.…

From left, Rep. Lynn Bechler, R-Marion; Rep. Sal Santoro, R-Florence; Rep. Bart Rowland, R-Tompkinsville; and Rep. Chris Fugate, R-Chavies, converse on the first day of session in the House Jan. 7. The 2020 General Assembly, a session in which legislators will set the state’s spending plan f…

A deputy at the Kentucky River Regional Jail was arrested during a Jan. 1 traffic stop and charged with allegedly attempting to smuggle drugs into the jail, and according to jail officials, the deputy had been under investigation for weeks.

During the winter months, proper pet care is a topic discussed by many people. At the forefront of these discussions are dogs, cats, horses and other outside animals. However, one local man wants to remind people that there are certain inside pets that require special attention as well — reptiles.

Perry County Judge-Executive Scott Alexander said that a number of people who were employed at Perry County Coal and were laid off had not received wages for hours worked with the company.

On Jan. 2, a local business, the Rx Discount Pharmacy, celebrated the organization’s 25 year anniversary of being in their location on Morton Boulevard. In June, the company will celebrate 28 years of being in Hazard. Representatives from the business said they hope to have some types of giv…

2019 has been a busy a momentous year for Hazard and Perry County. The past year was full of memorable events that can be looked back on and remembered as the community moves into the new decade:

The Kentucky River Regional Animal Shelter said that their rescues don’t just save the many animals of Eastern Kentucky, but they also help the children of the area, as well.

The Perry County Conservation District is asking residents to remember the environment as the holiday season and the year come to a close. The district is looking for things that likely aren’t going to put to use in the new year, live Christmas trees and old electronics and appliances.

During the summer of 2019 Marlena Holland Hurt was murdered.

A new business, Airport Gardens Gun and Pawn, has opened in Perry County, next door to Airport Gardens Quick Cash. Johnathan Rice is an owner of both the new pawn shop and Quick Cash. The Airport Gardens Gun and Pawn is also co-owned by Chuck Cottengame.

On Dec. 17, the Eastern Kentucky Veterans Center celebrated the holidays with its annual Christmas party sponsored by the Kentucky County Clerks Association. Throughout the year, the KCCA held fundraisers to raise enough money to buy all of the residents of the EKVC Christmas gifts from thei…

After years of planning and months of construction, Perry County now has a new resource and form of relief for individuals experiencing domestic violence. On Dec. 18, a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house were held for the new KCADV Homes Hazard apartments in Combs.

Appalachian Regional Healthcare Staff Accountant Greg Champion has been with the organization for three years, but during the holiday season, his efforts extend beyond revenue adjustments. This winter marks the fourteenth annual “Christmas With Kenny’s Kids” toy drive, a tradition first begu…

Earlier in the year, local business owner, Michelle Combs, started a “Pay it Forward” program for her restaurant Shenanigans, providing people with the opportunity to help others. The program, Combs said, was very successful during the summer and fall months, but participation in it has bega…

On Dec. 19, senior citizens from the Hazard-Perry County Senior Citizen Center visited the Perry County Fiscal Court and sang various Christmas carols to employees at the courthouse. Wanda Brown, the Perry County Fiscal Court event coordinator, said the seniors come and perform every year an…

On Thursday, Dec. 12, the Perry County Central High School Fine Arts department held “A Holiday Fine Arts Night,” displaying a variety of art forms including music, drama, sculpture, painting and more. Throughout the evening, student artwork from the visual arts classes was displayed through…

This week, the Hazard Fire Department held “Shop with a Firefighter” for 15 Hazard Middle School students. On Dec. 16, members and volunteers from HFD took the HMS students Christmas shopping at Walmart, with each student having a set budget to spend. The children were paired up with firefig…

STAR seniors at Hazard High School participated in a program focused on purchasing Christmas gifts for students in the Hazard Independent school system who may have not had gifts to open otherwise.

The Appalachian Arts Alliance presented the annual Christmas Piano Recital at Hazard Community and Technical College on Tuesday, Dec. 3.

On Saturday, Dec. 14, the Challenger Learning Center of Eastern Kentucky held the organization’s annual FIRST LEGO Robotics competition for local and surrounding students ages 9-14. CLCKY staff members said that the CLCKY has held the competition for eight years and that it grows each year.

Each year during the weeks leading up to Christmas, Cash Express on Daniel Boone Parkway holds its annual coat and toy drive for the children of Perry County, working closely with the area’s school resource centers to make sure that students in need have a good Christmas. This year, the busi…

Perry County was filled with holiday cheer last weekend during the annual Christmas in a Small Town celebration. Rain couldn’t put a damper on the festivities in downtown Hazard, although it did lead to the cancellation of the fireworks display and a few other activities.

The Hazard Area Community Choir and the Community Youth Choir presented “A Candlelight Christmas” at Bowman Memorial United Methodist Church on Monday, Dec. 9, to a packed house. Admission to the event was free but donations of gloves and socks were accepted and distributed to Little Flowers…

Kentucky State Police Post 13 has had several events this December focusing on helping those in need in the community. These include events such as Cram the Cruiser and Shop with a Cop, that offer help to individuals and families during the holiday season. Public Affairs Officer Master Troop…

On Friday, Dec. 6, a new program was announced that will offer free community health worker tuition and training for area students when United Healthcare and the University of Kentucky Center of Excellence in Rural Health (UK CERH), in partnership with Hazard Community and Technical College,…

The Perry County Public Library held its annual Holiday Bazaar last week on Thursday, Dec. 5, and Friday, Dec. 6. The bazaar included a number of arts, crafts and creations from local artists and crafters. Some of the goods available at the event included baked goods, handmade ornaments, bir…

On Saturday, Dec. 7, families from all across southeast Kentucky gathered at A.B. Combs Elementary School for the Love Project. The Love Project is a yearly effort by Dr. Jeremy Mays, his wife, Niki Mays and Healing Waters Ministry in Erin, Tennessee, of which Jeremy Mays is the president. T…

The Perry County Public Schools have launched Kentucky’s first Virtual Reality (VR) Academy to prepare students for opportunities in the digital economy and to utilize the emerging technology in selected areas of classroom instruction. Beyond developing fluency in the technology, students wi…

Recently, the Perry County Central High School JROTC Raiders were given the privilege of posting flags on the graves of past war veterans at the Kentucky Veterans Cemetery South East in November. While there, PCCHS JROTC teacher Maj. Tim Cory said the groundskeeper showed the cadets where to…

Perry County’s Christmas in a Small Town event kicked off on Nov. 26, with a tree lighting. The large Christmas tree has been on display on the steps of the Perry County Fiscal Court building for a few holiday seasons. This year, the tree is synchronized to 50 different Christmas carols that…

On Dec 2, the Perry County Community Foundation held a check presentation event to mark the end of the “Supporting Success in Perry County” fundraiser.  

Many community members ended Thanksgiving week with a weekend of holiday shopping and taking advantage of the multiple Black Friday and Small Business Saturday deals being offered throughout Hazard and Perry County.

After being selected as an “Outstanding Production” of the 2019 KTA East Regional High School Drama Festival in October, Perry County Central High School drama students advanced to the state level and competed against 11 other schools in the 2019 KTA State Drama Festival. The competition was…

A Hazard man was recently arrested for allegedly having sexual electronic communication with a minor.