Features
- Features
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Refining Moment
The plant manager of Somerset Refinery, evolving into Continental Refining Company, is one who Pulaski countians would call “one of us.”
Kristopher Gibson, son of Doyle and Deidra Gibson, is a native of Somerset. So is his wife, the former Kristen Flynn. Both Gibson and his wife are graduates of Somerset High School. They have two little Pulaski countians with another on the way.
Kristopher –– everybody calls him Kris –– knows his way around Somerset Refinery. He started working at the refinery as “summer help” in 1994 while still in high school.
Gibson earned his way up through the ranks in the maintenance department; as process operator and then operations manager. In 2006, Gibson left Somerset to work for Marathon Oil in Catlettsburg. He returned to Somerset Refinery in 2008 as plant manager. -
Howl About That
A growing population of wild hogs has recently been making news in western Pulaski County while coyotes, a more widespread pest, continue to be a problem in many parts of the county.
Wayne Adams, who lives on Pitman Road off Ky. 192 along Pitman Creek, is totally frustrated with the number of coyotes around his place. He believes one of his dogs has been killed by coyotes, and he killed a coyote Sunday night attacking his other dog.
“I’ve got a night light outside and we feed our dogs out there,” said Adams. “Coyotes come into his yard all the time ... we see them.”
Adams said his little Blue Heeler, an Australian cattle dog, disappeared about a month ago and he is convinced coyotes killed him. His other dog, a mixed Blue Heeler and collie, was attacked by a coyote Sunday night shortly after dark.
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A Sister Among Brothers-In-Arms
Somerset Police Department on Monday officially welcomed the first female officer in nearly two decades into its family.
“Make no bones about it, we take care of each other as brothers, and we’ll take care of our sister too,” said Acting SPD Police Chief Major Doug Nelson during Monday’s Somerset City Council meeting.
Newest SPD officer Courtney Brittle took the Oath of Office during the meeting from Pulaski District Court Judge Jeffrey Scott Lawless with a generous number of family and friends in attendance. -
A Ray of Sunshine
Katelyn Collins has a smile that can light up a room, and it seems to do just that wherever she goes.
“She’s just so happy,” said Lisa Criswell, a Hopkins Elementary School 3rd grade teacher, who has worked with Katelyn for almost two years. “All the kids kind of feed off (her).”
Katelyn, a third-grade student at Hopkins, has seen her fair share of obstacles. She was born four months early in 2001 to mother Tawana Collins. She was one of a set of twins. The other twin did not survive.
Katelyn was born with several health issues. -
Newspaper veteran name Publisher of Commonwealth Journal
SOMERSET — A fourth generation newspaperman has been named publisher of the Commonwealth Journal.
Rob McCullough, 50, who started working in a newspaper mailroom when he was 15, officially assumes his duties today. He succeeds Jack McNeely who has accepted a position with the Daily Mountain Eagle in Jasper, Alabama.
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Daryl Brunner seeking a better life
Like many non-traditional students, Daryl Brunner enrolled in classes at Somerset Community College seeking a better life for himself and his family.
“I’ve built homes, worked in factories and done the blue collar thing,” Brunner said. “I realized you can only go so far in that line of work.” -
Avery Countryman is first baby of 2012
One local couple welcomed a new baby into their family —and the community welcomed the first birth of 2012 as well.
Jessica and Hunter Countryman were excited to welcome Avery Countryman, who was born at 1:47 a.m. on New Year’s Day at Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital. Avery weighed 5 lbs, 9 ounces.
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Hog Wild
Numbers of wild hogs are increasing in Kentucky and the untamed porkers have been aggravating farmers in the western part of Pulaski County for the past four or five years.
“I saw six last Sunday morning,” said Eugene Harness, speaking from Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital where he was recovering from surgery resulting from a fall at his barn on New Year’s Eve.
Harness, a cattle farmer who lives on Carter Ridge Road, has been dealing with wild hogs for a considerable time. He trapped four wild hogs last spring, and, under supervision of a conservation officer, killed and cleaned the animals.
“You’re not allowed to turn them loose,” said Harness. “You have to kill them ... Kentucky Fish and Wildlife doesn’t want them. We don’t want them. They are very destructive.”
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It's Official
Andy Stephens can now call himself the Southwestern head football coach without ‘interim’ being in front of it.
After being hired as the new Southwestern Warriors football coach yesterday, Stephens can now remove the ‘interim’ tag from his name.
“I'm excited for the opportunity,” began Stephens, who becomes only the second coach in Southwestern High School football program history. “I feel like we have a great program and a great school. Anytime you have that many positives around you I think you have an opportunity to be successful.”
Stephens, who spent ten seasons coaching at Casey County High School, led Southwestern to their best season in school history this past fall. Stephens took over the head coaching duties midway through the season after the sudden resignation of long-time coach Dale Anderson.
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is Gas Price Rollercoaster ready to roll?
We haven’t heard anything official yet, but Iran’s threat this week to block the Strait of Hormuz was an uncomfortable reminder of the early 1970s when an Arab boycott caused a nationwide gasoline shortage.
Even the possibility –– the U.S. Government initially declined comment –– a threat to shut off one-fifth of the world’s oil supply makes Big Oil nervous, and those folks calm their jitters by raising the price of oil. Oil topped $100 a barrel after the threat.
And, with that happening, before you can say “fill’er’up,” gasoline at the pump likely will jump in price. It goes up in generous increments, but the price comes down a stingy penny at the time.
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