Mountain Top Media
Virginia pair arrested in Kentucky, after police find pounds of marijuana in their car
LOUISA, Ky. — A Virginia man and woman traveling between two states where marijuana is legal ran out of luck as they drove through Kentucky early Thursday morning, when they were arrested after police found duffel bags filled with marijuana in their trunk.
A state trooper pulled over a rental car driven by Abigail Dickenson, 29, of Castlewood, Va., after clocking it traveling 56 mph in a 55 mph zone on U.S. 23 near Louisa. Ja’juan Calis Williams, 30, also of Castlewood, was a passenger in the car.
The officer detected the scent of marijuana while talking to Dickenson, so he asked her about it. She said she had smoked some four or five hours earlier in Ohio and that she had a small amount with her for personal use. However, she refused to give the officer permission to search the car.
A K-9 unit was called in instead, and the dog quickly alerted on the vehicle, prompting a search by police.
Inside the trunk were three duffel bags filled with vacuum-sealed bags of marijuana, as well as a fourth duffel bag filled with marijuana vape cartridges.
Dickenson and Williams were arrested and charged with trafficking in more than 5 lbs. of marijuana, a felony punishable by 5-to-10 years in prison. They are being held in the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center, in Paintsville.
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Millions announced for East Ky. projects at SOAR conference
CORBIN, Ky. — Pike, Johnson and Letcher counties are among the Eastern Kentucky communities receiving millions of dollars in new funding for economic development, education and infrastructure through the state’s Abandoned Mine Lands Economic Revitalization program.
Gov. Andy Beshear and U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers announced more than $22 million in funding for projects across Eastern Kentucky on Thursday during the Shaping Our Appalachian Region Summit in Corbin.
Pike County will receive $600,000 to prepare a site at Wolfpit Industrial Park for future development. Johnson County Schools will receive $2.9 million to expand nursing and agriculture programs at Johnson Central Career and Technical Center. The Letcher County Water and Sewer District will receive $2.15 million to extend water service to the Mountain Comprehensive Health Corp. Children’s Autism Center and 200 households.
The grants are intended to strengthen infrastructure, expand access to health care and education, support tourism and encourage business investment in the region.
“This is about creating new jobs and opportunities where we need them most,” Rogers said of the AMLER program, which he helped establish in 2016.
PIKE COUNTY
The Pike County Fiscal Court will use its $600,000 grant to construct a build-ready pad at Wolfpit Industrial Park, an 88-acre industrial and technology site.
The work represents the final phase of the Wolfpit Industrial and Technology Park project, according to Pike County Judge-Executive Ray S. Jones II.
The prepared site is intended to make it easier to attract businesses and future investment. The project is expected to generate $125,000 in occupational tax revenue during its first year, according to the announcement.
Jones said the industrial park has the potential to create 250 manufacturing or technology jobs.
“ This award is the final phase of the Wolfpit Industrial & Technology Park,” Jones said. “The funding will be used to construct a building pad and enable this site to be ‘Build Ready.’”
JOHNSON COUNTY
Johnson County Schools will receive $2.9 million to support the expansion of nursing and agriculture programs at Johnson Central Career and Technical Center.
The funding will help develop health science classrooms and laboratories, including simulation equipment and supplies that will give nursing students opportunities to practice in realistic clinical settings.
The agriculture program will add high tunnels and farming equipment to create hands-on learning opportunities.
The agriculture program is expected to train 246 students during its first year, while the nursing program anticipates training 75 students. The nursing initiative is also projected to lead to the creation of 50 jobs within five years.
Johnson County Schools Supt. Thom Cochran said the funding will help the district continue construction of its new career and technical center.
The investment will support classrooms, labs and greenhouses designed to prepare students for careers after high school, Cochran said.
LETCHER COUNTY
The Letcher County Water and Sewer District will receive $2.15 million to extend water service to the Mountain Comprehensive Health Corp. Children’s Autism Center and approximately 200 households.
The project will provide a critical utility connection for the planned autism center, which is expected to occupy more than 15,000 square feet and focus on diagnosing and treating children with autism.
MCHC CEO Mike Caudill said the grant provides the final link needed for the organization to build the facility.
“Without this grant, this much-needed project may never have come to fruition,” Caudill said.
The project is intended to expand access to specialized services for children and families while extending water infrastructure to nearby homes.
OTHER PROJECTS
The funding announcement included several other projects across Eastern Kentucky:
- Leslie County Fiscal Court will receive more than $4 million to install more than 35,000 linear feet of natural gas line serving 12 businesses, more than 100 households and six schools and churches.
- The City of London Convention and Tourism Commission will receive $3.5 million to improve infrastructure at the Wilderness Road Event Center. The project anticipates as many as 65,000 visitors during its first two years and five full-time jobs at opening.
- AdventHealth Manchester in Clay County will receive $2.76 million to purchase a da Vinci 5 robotic surgical system. The system is expected to provide five new surgical services and serve 360 patients during its first year.
- Elliott County Fiscal Court will receive $2.5 million to replace its emergency medical services facility in Sandy Hook. The City of Cumberland in Harlan County will receive more than $2.2 million to replace aging water distribution infrastructure.
- In Owsley County, the City of Booneville will receive $1.64 million to build three executive cabins as part of the second phase of the Sag Hollow Business Development project.
The funding comes through the Abandoned Mine Lands Economic Revitalization program, which was established in 2016 to help coal-producing communities pursue new economic opportunities.
More than $1.3 billion in federal funding has gone toward the program since its creation, including more than $280 million for 120 projects in Kentucky.
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