20 years ago

(Aug. 5 and Aug. 7, 1992)

A Floyd County man was charged, Saturday, with the armed robbery of a Paintsville business. Paintsville Chief of Police Tom Haney said Monday, that Charles D. Parsons, 38, of Betsy Layne, allegedly walked into the Broadway Pharmacy in Paintsville at approximately 11:37 a.m., and handed a clerk a note which demanded that the clerk give Parsons various Schedule II and Schedule III drugs, including Percocet, Percodan, Tylenol 3, and Tylenol 4.

At least three Floyd Countians and one Pike County man are currently lodged in the Floyd County Jail as a result of the largest drug bust in Kentucky history. George E. Kidd, John D. Hall, Charles E. Hall and Arnold E. Tackett were arrested, Tuesday morning, by officers of the Pikeville Post of the Kentucky State Police as a part of Operation Round-Up, an annual sting operation conducted by the Kentucky State Police, local police and sheriff’s departments, to wipe out street-level drug sale and abuse.

The Floyd County Chamber of Commerce, in association with County Court Clerk Carla Boyd and Prestonsburg Community College, is developing plans to conduct voter education forums, this fall, in each of Floyd County’s four magisterial districts. The forums are expected to focus on four constitutional questions that voters will be asked to decide in the November 3 election.

Floyd County sheriff’s deputies discovered 238 marijuana plants in two days in an effort to destroy as much of the home grown weed as possible, before the fall harvest. Sheriff Paul Hunt Thompson, chief Linzie Hunt, sergeant Lloyd Powers and deputy Ricky Newsome discovered 169 pot plants, Tuesday afternoon, at Big Branch in Little Mud Creek. The illegal crop was burned at the site.

The Floyd County Landfill, which closed temporarily last week, may be ready to reopen within the next four to six weeks. The Floyd County Solid Waste division began storing all waste at a temporary site in June, following closure of it’s phase I landfill, due to tougher standards and restrictions imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency and Kentucky’s Cabinet for Natural Resources Division of Waste Management.

A Floyd County man narrowly escaped a fiery death, Wednesday evening, when his neighbors pulled him from his blazing home. The Prestonsburg Fire Department responded Wednesday to a 10:20 p.m., call from Kenny Marsillett of West Prestonsburg, who said that his brother Eugene, was trapped in a blaze at his mobile home at Corn Fork.

Two Floyd County men died in separate traffic accidents on Route 80 this week, prompting investigations by the Kentucky State Police and the Floyd County Coroner’s office. On Wednesday, Donald Martin Thompson, 38, of Rough and Tough Road on Middle Creek, was killed instantly, as he was traveling east on Route 80 near Langley at around 1 a.m., when his car was struck by a vehicle driven by Edward P. Dobbins, of Wooten; Edward Patton, 73, of McDowell, was killed around 5:50 a.m., Thursday, while a passenger in a vehicle driven by his wife, Ola, which struck approximately four to five tons of coal that had been spilled in the east-bound lane of Rt. 80, by an unidentified coal truck. Ola Patton lost control of the vehicle and crossed into the west-bound lane, striking a vehicle driven by Bobby Stewart, 35, of Summersville, West Virginia.

There died: Geraldine Nelson Hager, 66, of Auxier, Sunday, at St. Joseph Hospital in Lexington; Stella Justice, 96, of Martin, Tuesday, at Mountain Manor Nursing Home; Douglas “Doug” Davidson Perry, 93, of Prestonsburg, Sunday, at Highlands Regional Medical Center; Silas Jones Jr., 46, of Prestonsburg, Saturday, at his residence; Edgar B. Newman, 41, of McDowell, Thursday, at The Sure Fire Coal Company, Robinson, from injuries suffered in a mining accident; Minnie Lee Sizemore DeRossett, 101, of East Point, a native of Bull Creek, Tuesday, at Highlands Regional Medical Center; Lizzie M. Keathley Frasure, 75, of Harold, Friday, at her residence; Goldie Johnson Burke, 83, of Halo, Thursday, at McDowell Appalachian Regional Hospital; Claude Joseph Hunter, 79, of Auxier, Sunday, at Highlands Regional Medical Center; Oval Clark Martin, 72, of Harold, Thursday, at her residence; Doris Blair, 83, of West Van Lear, Tuesday, in Springfield, Ohio; Orville Hamilton, 83, of Virgie, Sunday, at Pikeville Methodist Hospital; Jessie Mae McKenzie Case, 58, of Wittensville, Friday, at Tutor Key; Willard Ratliff, 77, of Lexington, formerly of Betsy Layne, Monday, at Humana Hospital, Lexington; Com Huff, 79, of Mousie, Thursday, at Our Lady of the Way Hospital; Butler Owens, 96, of Blue River, Thursday, at Knott County Health Care Center, Hindman; Dellano O. Ritchie, 45, of Ligonier, Indiana, formerly of Knott County, Tuesday, at his home; Minnie Lee Sizemore DeRossett, 101, of East Point, a native of Bull Creek, Tuesday, at Highlands Regional Medical Center; Minerva Owens Murphy, 67, of Granada Hill, California, May 19; Lonie McSurley, 66, of Warsaw, Indiana, native of Emma, Tuesday, at his residence; Florence Baldwin Vance, 90, of Langley, formerly of California, Tuesday, at The Buchanan Hospital, Grundy, Virginia.

30 years ago

(August 11, 1982)

Prospects of an end to the long and bitter dispute over the future of the Martin water system brightened last week, with the signing by officials of Martin and Prestonsburg of a contract providing for use of Prestonsburg water as a backup source of supply for Martin.

The threat of a disastrous explosion faced the town of Martin for a time, early Saturday morning, after a fire was reported at the Solo Service Station on Main Street there.

State police have been alerted by Mary Anderson, McDowell nurse, that her sister, Zelma Anderson, 53, has been missing since Monday afternoon, August 2, and that efforts of relatives and others to locate her have been fruitless.

There died: Floyd Adkins, 73, of Betsy Layne, July 31, in Lexington; Alice M. Hornsby, 86, formerly of Garrett, last Friday, at Riverview Manor Nursing Home; Wanda T. Hall, 70, of McDowell, last Saturday, at St. Josephs Hospital, Lexington; Alex J. Collins Sr., 43, of Endicott, July 30, at Pikeville Methodist Hospital; Manford Lee Boyd, 47, last Wednesday, at his home; Mintie Greer, 85, of Prestonsburg, Monday, at Riverview Manor Nursing Home; Mary Richmond May, well-known Prestonsburg resident, last Friday, following an extended illness; Ishmael Price, 70, retired Harold miner, August 3 at UK Medical Center, Lexington.

40 years ago

(August 9, 1972)

Four regions, composed mainly of eastern Kentucky counties, will see the first implementation of the new Regional Organization of Providing Educational Services (ROPES) in the state, and Region 11, one of these four, will have its headquarters in Prestonsburg.

Charles Clark took the oath of office of superintendent of Floyd County Schools at Saturday’s meeting of the Floyd County Board of Education, for his fourth four-year-term and thus began his 13th year in the office.

An attempt, last Wednesday, by a custodian at Prestonsburg Community College to sell to a faculty-member a laboratory item triggered an investigation which resulted in one arrest, the recovery of an estimated $1,500 worth of college property and the issuance of a warrant for a second man.

Broadway and Metropolitan Opera star Christine Johnson returns to the stage this week at the Jenny Wiley Summer Music Theatre to recreate her most memorable role as Nettie Fowler in the musical, “Carousel.”

There died: Mrs. Claudia F. Leete, 74, formerly of Prestonsburg, Thursday, at King’s Daughters’ Hospital in Ashland; Goldia Mae Fraley, 52, formerly of Floyd County, last Saturday, at Portland, Ind.; Wilson Crisp, 85, of Martin, Friday, at Mountain Manor Nursing Home here; Henry A. Robinson, 57, of Water Gap, last Wednesday, at the U.K. Medical Center, Lexington.

50 years ago

(August 9, 1962)

Beginning with this school year, Floyd County elementary schoolchildren who are physically unable to attend school will receive teaching service at their homes or at hospitals, it was announced this week by Charles F. Clark, superintendent.

Lowest of the bids on sanitary sewers and a sewage treatment plant and pumping stations for Prestonsburg are approximately $270,000 higher than the entire project cost estimated by Howard K. Bell, Consulting Engineers, Lexington.

The Proud Heritage, a historical drama scheduled for its second annual presentation here, August 19, is unique in regional outdoor plays, for it depicts history as it occurred, and on the very spot the events transpired.

Squirrel hunters were turned loose in the eastern Kentucky hills, Tuesday morning, 19 days ahead of schedule, by Governor Bert T. Combs in the hope that one of them might find the plane which has been missing somewhere in the region, since July 29.

Born: to Mr. and Mrs. Cliff Todd, a daughter, August 8, at Methodist Hospital, Louisville.

There died: Milburn Caudill, 59, of Melvin, July 28, at home; Mrs. Susie W. Hubbard, 75, of Water Gap, Monday, at the Paintsville Hospital.

60 years ago

(August 7, 1952)

Tuesday’s primary election saw less than 4,000 votes cast in this county, and at Hen Hall precinct election officers were not interested enough to open the polling-place. Mayor Curtis Clark, of Prestonsburg, won the Republican nomination for the Seventh District Congressional seat to oppose incumbent Democrat, Carl D. Perkins, in November.

The Sparks Brothers Bus Company has been granted a 10 percent rate increase on passenger fares, the Division of Motor Transportation announces.

Two new polio cases—one at Drift, the other at Betsy Layne—brought the county total of sufferers, this season, to nine.

Charles Edward Campbell, 17, native of Hippo, drowned last Thursday in a Burlington, New Jersey, swimming pool.

Three Floyd Countians were among the 93 persons who passed the Kentucky bar examination in June, it was learned this week. They are: Miss Mary Louise Osborne, of Bypro, who was Miss Kentucky of 1950; Jarvis Allen, former Floyd County Court Clerk, and Charles M. Tackett, of Prestonsburg.

Married: Miss Mary Jane Leake and Mr. Cleon Kilmer Combs, at the Episcopal Church of the Advent, Cincinnati, August 2.

There died: Mrs. Rufus Crisp, 73, at Allen, last Thursday; Mrs. Draxie Reynolds Goble, 32, at Ligon, Friday; John Lee Sanders, 55, of Betsy Layne, Monday at a Paintsville hospital; Patty Lou, 1, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Eathel Hicks, of Wayland, July 30, at a Lackey hospital.

70 years ago

(August 6, 1942)

Senator A. B. Chandler led John Y. Brown, his opponent for the Democratic nomination, by 160 votes in the Floyd County primary, Tuesday.

Ninety-one from this county are slated for induction, August 18, the Draft Board here, announced Monday.

Five thousand persons attended the Floyd County Fish & Game Club’s annual fish fry at Allen, Sunday.

Raymond Huff, 45, Wayland miner, was instantly killed, and Sisco Hays, also of Wayland, was seriously hurt, Saturday, when their auto wrecked at Gearheart, on Left Beaver Creek.

The WYA Shop here, last week, transferred 12 youths to active war production work in Connecticut and Maryland.

Released from Japanese “protective custody,” Miss Lydia Mae Francis, of the U.S. diplomatic service, has been sent to a Turkish post, and may not return here till the war is over, her mother, Mrs. H. C. Francis, of Prestonsburg, has learned.

There died: Mrs. Willard Stephens, 34, Sunday, at her home on Middle Creek; Mrs. Theodore Slone, 35, formerly of Garrett, Friday, at Niagra Falls, New York.