News

Eight injured in stair collapse on last day of school

By Dennis Brown

Eight men with the Lewis County School System were injured Friday afternoon when an outside stairway collapsed at the Central Office on Plummer Lane in Vanceburg.

Nick Adams, Director of District Services, said the men were on the stairway as people were taking photos following a cookout at the Central Office. The accident happened about 12:45 p.m. on the last day of classes for students.

"We were celebrating a successful year," Adams said. "The top section of the stairway collapsed and eight people went down." He said the men fell from between six and 10 feet.

Adams said the injured included Jason Hill who complained of lower back pain; Mike Forman received a broken ankle and broken rib; Kevin Duff received scrapes and bruises; Steve Henderson suffered chest pains; Gary Kidwell received a broken rib and arm injuries; Stanley Allen had bruises and scratches; Stub McGlone received scrapes; and Rick Evans had an injured ankle.

Adams, who said he was helping to position people for the photographs, said he heard a noise at the same time the stairs gave way.

The stairs lead from Adams’ office on the second floor of the building to the ground outside. The building is a former residence and was purchased by the Lewis County Board of Education for a central office building about 12 years ago.

Adams said the Vanceburg Fire Department, Sheriff Bill Lewis and Emergency Management Director Carl Chaney assisted the MedCorp Ambulance personnel at the scene.

Two of the men (Henderson and Kidwell) were reportedly airlifted to a Huntington, West Virginia, hospital while two were taken by ambulance and three by private vehicle to area hospitals.

Hill was the only one who remained hospitalized on Monday morning.

Graduation for LCHS Seniors went on Friday evening as scheduled with others filling in for those who were injured.

LCHS Commencement held; 166 receive diplomas

Staff Report

Lewis County High School held commencement exercises on Friday, June 4. The graduating seniors are:

Jonathan Abrams, Gary Applegate, Tanner Applegate, Zachary Applegate, Justin Barrett, Ericka Bentley, Steven Berry, Jeremy Bevins, Adam Bloomfield, Miriah Bloomfield, Glen Bolander, Hannah Bolander, Kayla Bonner, Kelly Bonner, Kourtney Boyd, Ryan Bradley, Carter Breeze, Brandon Buckner, Astin Butler, Kenneth Butler, Kailee Caldwell, Gary Carpenter, Patty Carpenter, Rebecca Carpenter, Alexandrea Carroll, Angel Carroll, James Carver, Kyle Carver, Autumn Clark, Casey Clark, Saprena Clifford, Laura Cluff, Adreana Coldiron, Benjamin Cooper, Cassandra Cooper, Cole Cooper, Mark Cooper, Wesley Cornell, KC Cropper, Kurt Cropper, John Cushard, Jacqueline Dotson, Adam Dummitt, George Dummitt, Erica Dyer, Laura Edington, Joshua Ellis, Robert Enix, Kasey Erwin, Amber Esham, Bailey Esham, Emily Esham, Alisha Evans, Stacy Evans, Taudia Evans, Raechael Flora, Brandon Foreman, Bridget Fraley, Angelica Fulton, Laura Gilliam, Samantha Gilliam, Trey Gilliam, Morgan Gum, Crit Hall, Kristen Hamilton, Scott Hamilton, David Hampton, Emily Hardymon, Robert Heddleston, Erin Hedge, Sarah Helphinstine, Charles Hensley, Joey Holsinger, Dylan Hord, Joseph, Horner, Markel Horsley,

Samantha Howard, Ricky Howe, Keri Howell, Julian Hull, Marshall Hull, Tyler Hunt, Joanna Jamison, Shelby Johnson, Aaron Justice, Cody Kamer, Mack Keaton, Derrick Kegley, Dylan Kennedy, Kelton Kilgore, Derek Knell, Kristin Kraft, Miranda Lacy, Codi Lewis, Matthew Lewis, Michael Lewis Andrea Lung, Clayton Lykins, Kayla Lyons, Steven Mason, Kathern Masters, Savanna McCane, Colton McCann, Dakota McClurg, Brittany McCord, Cheyenne McGraw, Amanda Medley, Levi Miller, Billie Moore, Erika Morgan, Roger Morgan, Zachary Mustard, Brett Osborne, Tony Palarie, Marlene Patton, Serena Penrod, Jessica Pierce, Tammy Polley, Audree-Ella Potter, Katelyn Potter, Charles Prater, Bailey Pruitt, Jared Pruitt, Labreeska Reed, Alexis Reis, Bradly Rhoden, Anna Richmond, Loriann Rickett, Lathan Rigdon, Chelsey Riley, Michael Royal, Justin Royster, Chelsey Ruark, Megan Ruark, Tommy Ruckel, Brittany Ruggles, Brandon Sander, Michael Sauley, Blake Scott, Michael Soard, Michelle Soard, Jennifer Sparks, Brittany Stamper, Nathaniel Stone, Cassandra Streator, Victoria Sullivan, Dylan Swafford, Brittany Tackett, David Tackett, Casandra Tanner, Elizabeth Thayer, Aaron Thoroughman, Amy Thurman, Jonathan Truesdell, Brandon Vaughn, Rebecca Waddell, Brittany Wagner, Kayla Walters, Justin Wilburn, Autumn Williamson, Randy Wills, Brittany Winham, Martha Witten, Robert Workman, Larry Wright and Jonathan Yates.

Tollesboro man hurt in auto/tractor accident on AA Highway

By Dennis Brown

A Tollesboro man was injured last week when the tractor he was operating was struck by another vehicle on the AA Highway.

Deputy Tom Polley said the accident happened about 4:40 p.m. Thursday at the intersection of the AA Highway and Simmons Road at Tollesboro.

Polley said a 1964 Ford 4000 tractor, operated by Harry D. Osborne, 65, of Tollesboro, was struck by a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee, operated by Paul D. Jordan, 45, of Vanceburg.

He said the tractor was traveling at between five and 10 miles-per-hour and the Jeep was estimated to be traveling at between 50 and 55 miles-per-hour when the collision occurred.

Polley said Osborne was taken to Meadowview Regional Medical Center in Maysville by private vehicle.

Polley is continuing the investigation into the accident. McCann Towing removed both vehicles from the scene.

LCHS student charged with assault

By Dennis Brown

A Lewis County High School student was arrested and charged after an incident at the high school, according to a spokesman with the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

Kendra R. Ruggles, 18, of Tollesboro, was arrested at the school and charged with third-degree assault of a school employee or school volunteer and prohibited abuse of a teacher, according to the spokesman.

Sheriff Bill Lewis said a minor disturbance happened at Lewis County High School on Wednesday, May 26. Ruggles pled not guilty to both charges during arraignment proceedings in Lewis County District Court last week.

Lewis said the incident reportedly happened in an area of the school where there were few other students around. He said Ruggles reportedly had a blade from a disposable razor in her possession and stressed that no one was injured during the incident.

“It was really just a minor incident,” Lewis said. “Things sometimes just get blown out of proportion.”

Ruggles was scheduled to appear today for a preliminary hearing in Lewis County District Court on the assault charge, which is class D felony. Abuse of a teacher is classified as a misdemeanor, Lewis said.

Nick Adams, Director of District Services for the school system, confirmed that a student had been uncooperative with teachers and administrators at the school and had been taken from the building by deputies. He said confidentiality rules wouldn’t allow further information to be released.

Adams said no injuries were reported as a result of the incident and added that school workers followed policy in handling the situation.

KSP warns of telephone fundraising scams

By Dennis Brown

Citizens throughout the Commonwealth should be on guard for telephone solicitations requesting donations for the benefit of the Kentucky State Police.

According to Lt. David Jude, commander of the KSP Media Relations Branch, the agency has received numerous reports from individuals throughout the state regarding efforts to raise funds for the families of fallen troopers or to purchase drug dogs for schools.

“These calls are not authorized by the Kentucky State Police,” he said. “They should be reported to the nearest state police post as soon as possible.”

The agency’s Electronic Crimes Branch is conducting an on-going investigation of the matter, he added.

The Kentucky State Police Professional Association, a separate organization consisting of KSP troopers and retirees, occasionally conducts fundraising efforts, but is not involved in such activities at this time.

The Kentucky State Police offer the following tips to reduce the risk of telephone fraud:

*When in doubt, ask for more information in writing.

*Never feel obligated to provide your credit card number over the phone.

*Ask questions such as “How much of the donation will go directly to the charity as opposed to paying for administrative costs?” The fewer questions the caller can answer, the less likely it is legitimate.

*Ask for a call-back number or website address so you can research the organization and contact them later.

*Hang up if a caller offers to send a messenger to your home to pick up cash or a check.

Questions or comments? E-mail Us:
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