Ralph Davis

PIKEVILLE, Ky. — A Floyd County woman who was arrested for allegedly distributing drugs from a Pikeville motel room is expected to plead guilty later this week. Gretchen Bevins, 47, of David, also known as Gretchen Woodruff, was arrested back in April, when police raided her room at Comfort Suites and discovered more than 50 grams of meth, more than 40 grams of fentanyl, and smaller amounts of pills and cocaine. She was later indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of distributing meth and possession of meth and fentanyl with the intent to distribute. Last week, she asked […]

ABINGDON, Va. – Each year, the Food City School Bucks program awards $800,000 to more than 1,000 participating schools. Company officials are currently presenting checks from the 2025–26 program. “Food City is committed to supporting the education of our youth,” said Steven C. Smith, Food City president and chief executive officer. “Our School Bucks Program provides much-needed support to schools across our market area. Since the program’s inception, we’ve awarded more than $24.5 million to participating schools.” Food City has also pledged an additional $800,000 in contributions for the upcoming school year. Through the School Bucks Challenge, earning rewards for […]

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Mountain Water District customers in Pike County will see higher water bills under a rate increase approved by the Kentucky Public Service Commission. The increase will be phased in over two years. For a typical residential customer using about 3,100 gallons a month, the bill will increase by about $4.11 in the first year. It will increase another $4.11 the following year. That will bring the average residential bill from $46.49 to $54.72 once both increases go into effect. The commission approved an increase that will provide the district with about $1.7 million in additional annual water […]

PIKEVILLE, Ky. — Pikeville High School students will have an opportunity to learn about artificial intelligence through a free bootcamp this fall. The Mark Cuban Foundation, in partnership with Pikeville-based technology company Bitsource, will host the Artificial Intelligence Bootcamp for students in grades nine through 12. The program will be held over three Saturdays — Oct. 31, Nov. 7 and Nov. 14. Meals, transportation assistance and technology will be provided at no cost to participating students. Students will get hands-on experience with artificial intelligence tools, including generative AI, and explore how the technology is being used in fields ranging from […]

PRESTONSBURG, Ky. — An early morning raid at a Prestonsburg apartment complex has resulted in one man’s arrest on child porn charges. Jimmy Ray Brown, 31, was arrested after the FBI executed a search warrant at his home shortly after 6 a.m. Wednesday morning, with assistance from Kentucky State Police and Prestonsburg Police. He is currently being held on a single count of possession of child pornography, but that could change after a grand jury examines the case. Brown’s arrest came following a long and winding investigation by the FBI’s Huntington office. Agents began investigating in order to identify a […]

HAZARD, Ky. — Eastern Kentuckians interested in careers in the nuclear and energy industries will have an opportunity to meet with WECTEC next month. WECTEC Staffing Services, a subsidiary of Westinghouse Electric Company, is partnering with SOAR for a regional hiring event Oct. 7 in Hazard. The company is recruiting for positions including instrumentation and controls technicians, valve technicians, field machinists, radiation protection technicians, dosimetry technicians and traveling wind technicians. Some jobs require specialized experience, but officials say workers with backgrounds in mining, manufacturing, industrial maintenance, electrical work, utilities, heavy equipment and mechanical trades may have transferable skills. The event […]

by ROD MULLINSmedia.rodmullins@gmail CLINTWOOD, Va. — The Clintwood Town Council addressed employee retirement benefits, stormwater resiliency planning and several community matters during its regular meeting Tuesday, Sept. 8, at Clintwood Town Hall. Council members Andy Rose, Jim Childress, Mayor Danny Lambert, Vice-Mayor Talbert Bolling and Ron Kendrick attended the meeting. Council member Doris Rife was absent. The council approved minutes from its Aug. 11 and Aug. 26 meetings and adopted the evening’s agenda without additions. Council members approved a donation request to purchase an advertisement in the Ridgeview High School yearbook as well as voted to reappoint Stacy Mullins and […]

LONDON, Ky. —A federal child porn case against a Pike County man has been unsealed, after the suspect was arrested yesterday. William L Bonds Jr., 55, of Canada, was arrested yesterday. He was originally indicted on a single charge of receiving child pornography on Aug. 27, but the case remained sealed until authorities took him into custody. Details of the allegations against Bonds are sparse, but he is accused of receiving child porn in Letcher County back on Sept. 7, 2025. If convicted, Bonds faces a prison sentence of between 5 and 20 years. He is currently being held in […]

LONDON, Ky. — The father of a man who was fatally shot by a Kentucky State Police trooper during a standoff at Harold last year has filed a federal lawsuit against KSP and five officers. Henry Foster III filed the lawsuit Aug. 18 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, individually and as administrator of the estate of his son, Henry Foster IV. The lawsuit names Kentucky State Police, Troopers Corey Charles, Nicholas Howell and Ricky Newsom, and supervisors Jeremy Giles and Bryan Austin as defendants. The lawsuit stems from the Aug. 18, 2025, shooting death of […]

ASHLAND, Ky. — A Wolfe County man has been sentenced for a scheme to distribute meth across three Eastern Kentucky counties. Back in February, Clyde “Rudy” Endicott, 55, of Hazel Green, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute more than 500 grams of meth, in exchange for having six other drug and gun charges dismissed. In doing so, he admitted to obtaining meth from a supplier and distributing the drug in Wolfe, Breathitt and Magoffin counties from June 2023 to July 2025. Endicott was already under investigation and had sold a total of more than 250 grams of meth to undercover […]