STAMBAUGH, Ky. — One man is dead following a house fire in Johnson County. W.R. Castle Fire and Rescue was dispatched to a house fire on Route 1559 at Stambaugh just before 8 a.m. Wednesday morning. After firefighters extinguished the blaze, they found the body of the home’s occupant, 77-year-old Clarence VanHoose, in his bedroom. A preliminary investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s Office determined there were no signs of foul play and the fire likely started due to improperly discarded smoking materials. There were no smoke alarms in the home. One firefighter was treated at the scene for smoke […]

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LEXINGTON, Ky. — A Martin County man has agreed to plead guilty to a federal gun charge in exchange for having drug charges against him dropped. Jimmy Cornett, 61, of Tomahawk, appeared in Lexington federal court on Tuesday for a pretrial conference. He had been facing two counts of distributing meth and two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Cornett had previously been convicted of similar charges in 2010. On Tuesday, he pleaded guilty to one of the gun charges. In his plea agreement, he admitted selling meth to an undercover informant on two occasions last […]

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by RODERICK MULLINS CLINTWOOD, Va. — The Dickenson County Board of Supervisors moved forward Tuesday with a federal grant agreement to clean up local waterways and voted to maintain current tax rates for the upcoming fiscal year. In a series of public hearings and special meetings, the board addressed lingering concerns over a USDA Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWPP) grant. The funding is earmarked for debris removal and restoration at five specific sites in the county following previous flooding events. County Administrator Larry Barton informed the board that while some members previously questioned the selection of the five sites, a […]

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by RODERICK MULLINS HAYSI, Va. – Dickenson County Court Clerk Josh Evans announced his candidacy for Commonwealth’s Attorney late Tuesday, following a judicial reshuffling that has triggered a special election for the county’s top prosecutor post. Evans, a Republican, made the video announcement on his “Josh Evans – Circuit Court Clerk” Facebook page from the Haysi Riverfront Riverwalk just one day after Circuit Court judge Brian Patton officially ordered the special election for Nov. 3. The vacancy was created after former Commonwealth’s Attorney Josh Newberry was appointed by the General Assembly to a General District Court judgeship. That seat opened […]

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BELFRY, Ky. – Steven Vipperman of Belfry High School is the 2026 Section 2 recipient of the National High School Spirit of Sport Award by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). Vipperman, a football player at Belfry High School, survived a major car accident last May. The award was created to recognize individuals who exemplify the ideals of the spirit of sport that represent the core mission of education-based athletics. Vipperman’s significant injuries left the Belfry offensive lineman without use of his right hand, severe knee and elbow lacerations, and a head injury. After multiple surgeries to […]

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