By RODERICK MULLINS BRISTOL, Tenn. — Four-time Top Fuel world champion Antron Brown secured his first-ever career victory at historic Bristol Dragway on Sunday, defeating points leader Shawn Langdon in a side-by-side final round at the 25th annual Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. The weekend event marked the ninth of 20 races in the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Matt Hartford (Pro Stock), and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also took home victories in their respective professional categories. Brown powered his 12,000-horsepower Matco Tools dragster to a 3.788-second pass at 331.61 mph, […]

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WHITESBURG, Ky. — Attorneys for former Letcher County Sheriff Shawn Mickey Stines are speaking out about their belief that their client was not acting as himself when he shot and killed Letcher District Judge Kevin Mullins in September of 2024. Stines is now facing a murder charge for that shooting. But during a court hearing two weeks ago, his aunt testified about his mental state the day before the shooting, saying he hadn’t slept for a week and he seemed paranoid. His attorneys, Jeremy and Kerri Bartley spoke about the importance of that during an interview last week on the […]

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SALYERSVILLE, Ky. — A Magoffin County man is facing a number of charges after police say he nearly ran head-on into a police car, then allegedly swallowed drug evidence before being taken to jail. Billy Jack Montgomery, 72, of Salyersville, was pulled over Thursday evening after he rounded a corner and nearly struck a Salyersville Police car. He was pulled over and arrested for DUI, wanton endangerment and two counts of drug possession after police found marijuana and a pill bottle containing four Xanax, three Adderall and half a Neurontin tablet. When the officer got out of the police car […]

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PIKEVILLE, Ky. — Mountain Top Sports has announced the hiring of Braxton Stanley as its new Sports Director. A native of Pike County, Stanley brings a strong background in athletics and local sports to the position. He played varsity basketball for five seasons at East Ridge High School and graduated in 2023. He later continued his basketball career at the University of Pikeville, where he played for two seasons. “I’m excited to begin this new chapter as the Sports Director at Mountain Top Sports,” Stanley said. “It’s especially meaningful to have the opportunity to serve the same region where I […]

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PIKEVILLE, Ky. — A Pike County man has reached an agreement to plead guilty in a federal child porn case. Charles Michael Hopkins, 35, of Virgie, is currently charged with one count of possession of child porn. He was arrested in October, after Kentucky State Police received 13 reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that child porn had been uploaded and downloaded by a phone number associated with him. Under questioning by police, Hopkins said he was sent images by a person he met online, but he deleted them after discovering they were child porn. He […]

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