Ralph Davis

ASHLAND, Ky. — A California health care company has won an initial procedural victory in its lawsuit over ownership of the former Bellefonte Hospital property, as a federal court clerk entered a default against one of the defendants after it failed to respond to the case. The dispute involves Emend Health Corporation, which claims it purchased a 50 percent ownership interest in Bellefonte Properties LLC—the company that owns the former Bellefonte Hospital campus—from Shelton Robinson Properties LLC for more than $1 million in cash, plus a promissory note, in January. Emend alleges the sale closed Jan. 27 and that, for […]

ASHLAND, Ky. — The company at the center of a dispute over ownership of the former Bellefonte Hospital property is asking a federal judge to excuse its late response, saying leadership upheaval at its parent company caused it to miss the court’s deadline. On Wednesday, a federal court clerk entered a default against Shelton Robinson Properties LLC after the company failed to answer a lawsuit filed by California-based Emend Health Corporation. Emend claims it purchased a 50 percent ownership interest in Bellefonte Properties LLC, the company that owns the former Bellefonte Hospital campus, for more than $1 million in January. […]

PIKEVILLE, Ky. — One of the three Cincinnati men charged in connection with a 2023 double murder in Belfry has renewed his request for a separate trial, arguing that a newly disclosed statement he gave prosecutors could unfairly prejudice both him and his co-defendants. In a memorandum filed Thursday in Pike Circuit Court, 28-year-old Orlando Pack’s attorney says the Commonwealth recently turned over a proffer statement Pack made during mediation. The filing argues that the disclosure “materially changes the severance analysis” because introducing the statement in a joint trial could create constitutional issues and encourage co-defendants to shift blame onto […]

LEXINGTON, Ky. — A federal judge has rejected a Pike County woman’s plea for leniency after she pleaded guilty to producing child pornography.Instead, if she completes her sentence, she will have spent as much time in prison than out. Pamela Denise Sargent, 45, of Kimper, pleaded guilty back in March to two counts of producing child pornography. In exchange for her plea, the prosecution agreed to drop two additional charges. In her plea agreement, she admitted to producing a sexually explicit video of herself with a toddler-aged boy and another of two toddler-aged boys with each other. Police discovered her activities […]

LOGAN, W.Va. — The Aracoma Story will bring S.E. Hinton’s classic novel The Outsiders to the stage starting this week with a two-week run at the Liz Spurlock Amphitheater in Chief Logan State Park. Performances are scheduled for July 16 through 19 and July 23 through 26. A pre-show will begin each evening at 8 p.m., followed by the main performance at 8:30. The production tells the coming-of-age story of friendship, family and finding where you belong. It features a local cast and volunteers who continue The Aracoma Story’s long tradition of community theater in southern West Virginia. Now in […]

LEXINGTON, Ky. — A Louisville man will spend more than 13 years in prison, after he pleaded guilty to transporting meth into Eastern Kentucky. Robert Pilgrim, 36, was pulled over on the Mountain Parkway in Magoffin County in August of 2023. During that stop, police discovered a large amount of meth in the car. He was indicted on a single count of possession of more than 500 grams of meth with the intent to distribute. He agreed to plead guilty to a lesser charge of possession of more than 50 grams of meth with the intent to distribute. During his sentencing […]

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky State Police invites Kentuckians to pull up a seat and join the conversation with the launch of its new podcast, Trooper Talk. Each episode will give listeners an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the agency through candid conversations with the men and women who serve while also offering crime prevention tips, public safety insights and information about career opportunities with KSP. Trooper Talk will feature officers and employees from across the state, with two 20-plus-year veterans hosting the debut episode. Trooper Corey King, Post 16 Henderson, joins Trooper Scottie Pennington, Post 11 London, to pull back the curtain on their journeys […]

INEZ, Ky. — A Martin County man has been arrested for a stabbing which he says he doesn’t remember. Robert Brayden Moore, 18, of Debord, was arrested early Sunday morning for the incident, which occurred during an altercation. The victim and two witnesses told police Moore was fighting the victim when he stabbed him in the back. Police were able to review the victim’s wounds at the hospital, which included a knife wound in the back and a large cut on the back of his head. Moore reportedly told police he had been drinking and got into a fight with […]

McDOWELL, Ky. — A Floyd County man has been arrested following his indictment earlier this month on a child sexual abuse charge. Joshua Hopkins, 36, of McDowell, was indicted July 8th on one count for first-degree sexual abuse of a child younger than 12. That charge is a felony, punishable by 5-to-10 years in prison. According to the indictment, the abuse is alleged to have taken place in October of 2019. Hopkins was arrested Tuesday evening by Kentucky State Police. No date has yet been set for his first appearance in court.

CEDAR BLUFF, Va. — The Solar Workgroup of Southwest Virginia is hosting a community meeting next week in Tazewell County, Va. The meeting will focus on options for residential solar power in the commonwealth. These options include rooftop solar, shared solar and plug-in solar for both homeowners and renters. The meeting will be held July 22, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Appalachian Arts Center, 112 River Road, Cedar Bluff, Va. The event is free and will include dinner. Attendees will be registered for a door-prize drawing for a Solar Workgroup Solsquatch t-shirt. Those interested in attending are encouraged to register by […]