The Top 10 -- make that Top 12 -- local stories of 2023

Dec. 26—It seems like there's no shortage of bad news every year, and 2023 had its share — but there was much to celebrate as well.

While words like "leachate," "fire" and "bad audit" made for plenty of negativity in local headlines this past year, it was also a time to celebrate Somerset's time on national TV, a record-breaking Master Musicians Festival, and a run for the governor's mansion by one of Somerset's own. There were moments of tragedy in 2023, and moments of triumph; stories that prompted debate, and stories that prompted community togetherness.

In fact, there were so many stories that were of significance in 2023 that for the first time, the Commonwealth Journal will offer a year-end Top 12 Stories round-up, rather than the normal Top 10. A list of potential top stories is compiled each year, and members of the CJ editorial staff vote on what they found the most significant; normally, there are about 12-15 stories to choose from. This year, there were 23, and the votes were all over the place, rather than focusing on any clear favorites. In fact, there were two ties, including for the story that got the most votes overall — so it seemed appropriate to expand the list to accommodate the wealth of local news covered this year.

Following are the top 12 stories in local news from 2023:

12. EMS Funding a Cause for AlarmHow much does it cost to save a life? Like most things in today's world, more than it used to cost.

The increasing amount of funds needed to operate the Somerset-Pulaski County EMS (Emergency Medical Services), as well as the conditions those responders work under, was a hot topic locally in 2023. In May, a City of Somerset budget workshop explained how factors like inflation, Covid, and supply chain problems have caused EMS, fire, and police expenses to skyrocket, going up $5.5 million per year since 2019. Officials were warned that while it wasn't an immediate concern for the city, there was a need to prepare for the future.

In Pulaski County Fiscal Court, there was more EMS talk. Former paramedic and EMS advisory committee member David Sparks approached the court and said the local EMS was losing paramedics to other agencies where they can make more money and fewer runs. With Somerset Mayor Alan Keck in attendance, Magistrate Mark Ranshaw said that Keck needs to look at how better to fund EMS.

The issue about how much each government entity chips in to fund the service became a point of controversy over the course of the year, with Keck saying in November that the city is putting more money in than the county with less than 20 percent of Pulaski's population; "We can't do much more."

Sparks had suggested a special ambulance taxing district, to the court and again to the Somerset City Council in November. Keck said in November that was likely the best solution, but Sparks didn't feel like the idea was popular with the fiscal court. Todd and Keck would both would write editorial pieces that ran in the CJ in November, with Keck urging the county to do more and offering up either the taxing district or the county starting its own non-hazardous duty EMS and splitting the services, and Todd saying to "take (the taxing district idea) off the table" and that the county was already sufficiently contributing to EMS.

11. The Cooper Legacy in SomersetJohn Sherman Cooper impacted not only his hometown of Somerset from his political offices, but also the nation. As a distinguished U.S. Senator, foreign ambassador, Pulaski County Judge, Kentucky State Representative, Circuit Judge and so much more, Cooper's actions made sure his name would be remembered down through the decades in a number of ways, even after his passing in 1991.

One of those ways was having the former Carnegie Community Arts Center renamed the John Sherman Cooper Community Arts Center in 2021. Unfortunately, the facility's most recent life as an arts hub (having previously been the post office and library) came to an apparent end in 2023, when in February, Pulaski County Public Library Director Charlotte Keeney confirmed that the library's board was looking to sell the building and its arts tenants would have to be evicted. The Cooper Center's own board objected to the sale and drafted a letter sent to local entities stating that they wouldn't move or comply with "informal eviction notices contradicting (their) lease," and public reaction on social media was often in their favor.

But in August, Cooper Board Chair Chrystal Wilson said residents were told to evacuate by the end of September, and that occurred — except for the International Paranormal Museum and Research Center, which held its Cumberland Con event there in October and was allowed to stay until a buyer for the building materialized. Fire trucks were called in August after a piece of equipment in the museum started smoking, leading to a temporary shutdown of the facility, which continued to operate as other tenants moved out.

More positive news came in the form of the Kentucky Senator Bourbon bottle honoring Cooper, introduced to the Somerset-Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce luncheon crowd by the brand's co-founder State Sen. Damon Thayer in June. A special celebration was held in August to celebrate both the spirit and Cooper himself, with members of Cooper's family in attendance and a narrative of his many accomplishments presented. And in December, Cooper's sister-in-law and prominent local arts patron Cornelia Dozier Cooper was honored by having the theater at The Center for Rural Development named after her.

9 (Tie). Hometown HollywoodAre you ready for your close-up, Pulaski County? In 2023, the area found itself square in the shot as cameras rolled into town — and so did a couple of reality TV celebrities.

The biggest news came in March, when it was announced that a new feel-good television movie, "Christmas at the Amish Bakery," would be the first of several such productions to be filmed here in the area. A call was put out for extras, and citizens showed up to get a taste of the on-camera experience. This was made possible due to restored tax incentives for production companies to film in Kentucky, and when producer Danny Roth came to town and was shown around by local officials, it was clear there was a lot to like about filming in Pulaski County. "Christmas at the Amish Bakery" eventually aired in December, with scenes shot at Haney's Appledale Farm, Bear Wallow Farm, downtown Somerset and elsewhere. A second movie was filmed shortly thereafter, which has not yet been released, but plans for more were reportedly put on hold by strikes within the entertainment industry.

In January, David Bromstad and the crew of HGTV's "My Lottery Dream Home" visited Somerset to film an episode and was spotted by fans out and about downtown. The episode aired in April. Another TV star who was seen exploring downtown in April was Mike Wolfe of History's "American Pickers," who was brought by his significant other Leticia Cline, herself a TV personality and a friend of Somerset Mayor Alan Keck from her work in Cave City government. Cline was impressed with what Somerset had done to improve its downtown, and wanted to show Wolfe, who was happy to talk to locals, take pictures, and share glowing reviews about the community he encountered.

9 (Tie). Controversy in the Circuit Court Clerk's OfficePulaski County Circuit Court Clerk J.S. Flynn had been put on administrative leave in 2022 in connection to a complaint received by state court officials, and in 2023, the details of that complaint were explored in detail

In January, the hearing was scheduled for late April; not long after, the Rockcastle County Clerk who had been appointed to fill in for Flynn, had to be replaced by Dennis Loy, the Adair County Circuit Court Clerk. The three-day evidentiary hearing eventually began in May, which exploded with salacious subject matter. Questions about whether Flynn was in a relationship with former deputy clerk Tabitha Burnett and whether or not he had inappropriately touched her without her consent were raised, as were questions about the nature of a conflict between Flynn and then-District Judge Scott Lawless, and testimony concerning Flynn yelling and swearing at a District Court staff member.

In July, Special Commissioner Jean Chenault Logue wrote in her conclusion about the matter that special advocates with the state Attorney General's Office "proved by clear and convincing evidence Flynn is unfit to perform the duties of Pulaski Circuit Court Clerk and good cause exists for Flynn's removal." At this point, it is up to the Kentucky Supreme Court to make the final ruling on whether or not to remove Flynn from office, and they have not made that decision as of yet.

8. The New Marshall in TownWhen new Pulaski County Judge-Executive Marshall Todd entered the job at the beginning of 2023, he didn't like what he found left over from the previous administration, with a messy budget and troubling audit findings. In January, at his first regularly-scheduled fiscal court meeting, Todd said that the county "budget-wise (was) exhausted" and was supposed to have been left at 35 percent of the budget to work with from previous judge-executive Steve Kelley, but that amount was "way below 20 percent" with six months left.

In May, the 2021-22 fiscal year audit came back from Louisville firm Pearcy & Gray showing numerous problems, including a lack of adequate segregation of duties, a failure to properly disclose debt information on the quarterly financial report, and poor internal controls over disbursements. Much of this was blamed on the chaos caused by the Covid era and dealing with ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds, issues other counties had too. In July, Todd told the court that he expected 18 findings of issues for the audit of the 2022-23 fiscal year, more than were found for the previous fiscal year.

In August, Todd spoke to the Somerset-Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce luncheon crowd about the issues, noting that the county was $16 million in debt when he came into office and they have to "work with that every day." In October, the Kentucky Auditor's Office showed 13 findings against the county from the 2021-22 fiscal year. Changes made by Todd in 2023 included hiring former Burnside City Clerk as the new county treasurer and Natasha Duncan as finance officer.

Money woes also plagued the fiscal court when considering whether or not to build a new detention center to deal with overcrowding in the current one; a September meeting to address the jail's feasibility study left magistrates realizing their were no easy answers on what to do or where to get the money to do it. And finding an insurance plan that worked for county employees was another challenge, and led to a contentious October meeting with Todd grilling representatives of Neikirk Insurance over the county's past dealings with them — even though the court decided to again go with the plan presented by Neikirk.

7. Master Musicians Festival Hits an All-Time High NoteThe stars of television weren't the only ones shining on Pulaski County in 2023. In July, Master Musicians Festival celebrated its 30th year of providing an incredible weekend of music for Pulaski County, and did so in style, with a line-up of almost entirely Kentucky artists — including country superstar Wynonna Judd at the top of the ticket. This helped result in MMF's most well-attended festival ever, welcoming approximately 7,800 people, breaking the previous record from 2021 by about 300 attendees.

But Judd wasn't the only hit attraction at this year's MMF. Thanks to a state grant, the Louisville Orchestra was able to come to Somerset and help MMF give new life to "Classical Night," a part of the festival that was popular in the past but had faded away over the second half of the event's existence, even as it gained a strong reputation as a two-day outdoor entry on the festival circuit. Tickets were made available at no charge at the start of February, and were almost instantly snatched up; on the Thursday of MMF weekend in July, the Louisville Orchestra played at The Center for Rural Development to an overwhelming crowd reaction, and MMF organizers noted the demand for "Classical Night" features in the future.

More big names will take the Master Musicians Festival stage in 2024. Line-up announcements have normally been made early in the same year as that festival, but MMF gave fans an early Christmas present this time by releasing the '24 roster in November, which will be headlined by The Wallflowers. Their single "One Headlight" was seemingly everywhere on the air after being released on the 1996 album "Bringing Down the Horse," and lead singer Jakob Dylan has a famous name thanks not only to his own success but also that of his father — folk icon Bob Dylan.

6. Crime and PunishmentCrime stories were plentiful in 2023, with a number of them capturing public attention, with a strong reaction to Commonwealth Journal stories on social media. In January, a woman reportedly entered a local optometrist's office and threatened employees there with a firearm; Love Leann Phelps was arrested in connection with the incident, has pleaded not guilty to charges including Attempted Murder and Wanton Endangerment, and her trial has yet to take place. Also that month, a woman was dropped off at Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital were multiple gunshot wounds, and the male who took her there reportedly left. The suspect, Sonny Powell, was eventually arrested in Illinois and returned from there in March. He pleaded not guilty to Attempted Murder and his trial has yet to occur.

Cars were occasionally involved in law enforcement-centered stories in 2023, such as with the 2008 Hyundai Elantra that was taken for a supposed test drive and never returned, then found totaled and burned in March. In September, a deceased body was found at the Tri-City Motors used car lot; it was identified as 39-year-old woman named Kristina Baldridge, who had been missing since April.

Looking for suspects out of state was a theme in 2023. Samuel Baker, 24, facing charges connected to a March 2021 shooting death, slipped out of his ankle monitor and went on the run in November, according to the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office, which said that he was located in Kansas later that month with Adriana Brown, 28. In December, Baker was charged with a number of offenses in connection with the above incident, and Brown was charged as well; their cases have not yet bene resolved. Austin Prather, 20, was the suspect in a November shooting incident in Science Hill that left his father and grandfather dead, and grandmother injured. He was taken into custody in Indiana, then indicted on Murder charges and returned to Pulaski County in December. He has pleaded not guilty, and his case has yet to be resolved.

One former police officer was also on the wrong side of the law in 2023, as retired Somerset Police Captain Mike Correll was indicted on 22 charges in March, including counts of Burglary, Tampering with Physical Evidence, Theft of a Controlled Substance and Trafficking in a Controlled Substance. His case has yet to be resolved.

In December, remains believed to belong to David J. Whitt, 20, were discovered in the Bethlehem Ridge Road area. Whitt was a Casey County resident who reportedly assaulted a sheriff's deputy in September, then fled on foot, near the area where the remains were found.

5. Keck Tries to Go From Mayor's Office to Governor's MansionThe Republican Primary race for Kentucky Governor was a heated one in 2023, and Somerset had its own challenger in the race. Shortly after winning a second term as Mayor of Somerset in 2022, Alan Keck announced that he would be in the running for the governor's office. In 2023, that campaign ramped up and in January, Keck went to Frankfort to officially file for his nomination at the Secretary of State's office.

Keck split his time between Somerset and other communities on the campaign trail, and took part in debates against challengers with bigger names, earning some respect along the way; Renee Shaw, Director of Public Affairs for Kentucky Educational Television (KET), had served as moderator for a gathering of five of the top Republican candidates for Kentucky Governor before speaking to the Somerset-Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce luncheon crowd in May. She told those there that Keck had an "extraordinary" showing, without giving "cookie-cutter" answers and came across as "the adult in the room."

Keck finished sixth out of 12 candidates in the GOP Primary field, though last among those who achieved significant visibility throughout the race, earning 2.4 percent of the vote statewide; in Pulaski County, he came in third, behind winner Daniel Cameron and Kentucky runner-up Ryan Quarles, with 15.54 percent of the local vote. Cameron would eventually fall to incumbent Andy Beshear in November; Keck would eventually go to Frankfort in August to speak at a meeting of the Task Force on Local Government Annexation, sharing things that Somerset and Pulaski County have done well with the rest of the state.

4. Building Toward a Solution for Homelessness The issue of homelessness was a frequently discussed topic in Pulaski County in 2023, approached from a variety of different angles and attempts to help. Local organization Help the Homeless announced in January a conference to be held in March to address how to serve the unhoused; a number of notable local figures attended and spoke from different agencies, governments and organizations, sharing resources those without a home can use and the situations that can lead to that status. In April, Help the Homeless was able to buy a trailer that provided a shower and washing machine that homeless individuals could use, and during the year, Help the Homeless continued to provide weekly meals, as well as getting involved in various community events, like cleaning up at Master Musicians Festival.

Advocates for the homeless were active in local government proceedings as well; discussion about a potential homeless shelter with the Somerset City Council took place in July, where Mayor Alan Keck said that rather than a permanent shelter that could become a "magnet" for homeless individuals, he wanted to work to transition homeless individuals "from struggle to survival." A "reentry simulation" was held in September to help people understand challenges faced by those leaving jail and reentering society, a factor in homelessness.

In October, it was reported that the warming center at New Life Church in Ferguson was unlikely to open this winter, due largely to drug paraphernalia being found there, making for dangerous conditions, particularly when children are using the gym for church functions. A group called the Pulaski County Community Coalition met multiple times to discuss the possibility of finding a new warming center, and visited Somerset City Council and Pulaski County Fiscal Court to ask for help on the issue — perhaps the biggest hurdle being the right location. In December, it was announced that New Life would tentatively reopen the warming center this winter for emergency situations, such as when the temperature falls below freezing.

Other organizations stepped up to play a role in alleviating the conditions that can result in homelessness. Connect Community Village secured a home in May for its "tiny village" to help people get clean and better themselves; the organization became active in community events, and held a veterans' needs forum in October. The planned OakPointe Center, a project of God's Food Pantry, received nearly $1 million in grant funding to help make its future home on Bourne Avenue safe for its mission of serving individuals and families in need and breaking the cycle of generational poverty. And in June, veteran Wesley McCaskill announced plans to start The Captain's House in downtown Somerset, a community-based, non-profit transitional housing and support center for service members, veterans and their families.

3. Throwing the Muck About LeachateDebate about the City of Somerset's acceptance of leachate — liquid runoff from landfills that the city accepted to treat in return for financial compensation — continued from last year into 2023, dominating council meetings in the early part of the year. Concerns were that potentially harmful "forever chemicals" in the water were getting into the city's water supply, as well as Lake Cumberland and local waterways. Local attorney Jay McShurley attended in January to share results of a private test he conducted on the drinking water in his home, in which he found a trace amount of one "forever chemical."

In April, the controversy came to a boiling point when the Somerset City Council voted 10-0 to stop taking and treating leachate at the Pitman Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. The vote came at the end of a contentious discussion between Keck and the standing-room-only audience about the safety concerns; Keck confirmed later that month that the city would discontinue its leachate contracts. However, citizens again spoke out about the topic at a May meeting, after a social media post from podcast host Darlene Price communicated the idea that Keck may try to get the previous vote overturned, which Keck assured those present was not the case. Keck and councilors John Ricky Minton and Jim Mitchell got into heated exchanges during this meeting over the council's awareness of what was in the leachate contracts; discussions of leachate continued at the second May meeting as well, notably about billboards urging the city to "stop dumping leachate" in the lake that could potentially hurt area tourism promotion efforts.

In July, state officials in Frankfort weighed in, expressing concerns about the city's decision at an Interim Joint Committee on National Resources and Energy meeting. Concerns were that Somerset's decision could start a "domino effect" with other communities that take leachate terminating their contracts, resulting in a backlog of leachate and sludge throughout the state that will have nowhere to be treated. In August, Keck said that the city was having problems finding places willing to take its sludge, and the loss of leachate revenue would cause the city's cost of disposal to go up exponentially.

Part of the reason the city began looking at leachate as a revenue stream — and part of the reason why opponents disliked the practice — was because the wastewater treatment plant required repairs and upgrades; 14 violation notices were received between June 2016 and October 2017 under previous mayor Eddie Girdler. Pledged repairs were still underway in 2023, but the city did get some good news at the start of August, when the Kentucky/Tennessee Water Professional Conference awarded Somerset as having the top water treatment plant and water distribution system in either state.

1 (Tie). The Devastating Power of FireThe Pulaski County area experienced an unusual amount of high profile fires in 2023, most within a short span of time. In March, Cornerstone Baptist Church on Ogden Street was destroyed by a fire. No one was inside the building at the time and no one was hurt, but those in the church congregation lost their place of worship; the Sunday after the fire, Cornerstone Pastor Jamie Taylor gave his sermon in the church's parking lot.

About a week later, the Best Western hotel on South U.S. 27 near Lowe's also caught fire and suffered significant damage; the building has since been demolished. All employees and guests were reported as evacuated and accounted for. After three more fires broke out in different places across town over one weekend shortly thereafter, speculation on social media about a possible serial arsonist was raised, but Chief Benjie Howard of the Somerset Fire Department dismissed that idea in April, saying that there was no apparent connection between the fires — one was apparently caused by a lint trap, for instance, while another appeared to be electrical, and a trailer on North Ky. 2147 was suspected to be foul play. "Having this many in this short a time, yeah, it is unusual, but it doesn't mean there's any connection," he said.

Another fire in late March on Cannonball Road in eastern Pulaski was devastating for a local family after a family member had passed away only a couple days earlier. The family got out safely but their house, mobile home, barn and car were destroyed; the fire was believed to be an accident resulting from burning waste. In August, a fire damaged multiple businesses at the Burnside Plaza on South U.S. 27, apparently starting in a vendor's hub called The Barn and affecting the Whippoorwill Diner and Good Samaritan Thrift Store. And in November, seven fire departments, the Somerset-Pulaski County Special Response Team and Somerset-Pulaski County Rescue Squad responded to a fire at Tri-B Trucking Inc., helping to salvage the building.

1 (Tie). A Life Gone Too SoonAndrew Dodson was only 17 years old, a junior at Pulaski County High School and a healthy young man playing on the Maroons' football team in a spring scrimmage when his life was cut tragically short in April following an injury suffered in the game. Dodson suffered a brain injury while being tackled, from which he never recovered. A popular and well-rounded young man, Dodson's death not only had a tremendous impact on this community, but was felt throughout the state and even beyond its borders as well. University of Kentucky Football Coach Mark Stoops said that lights would be turned on for 80 minutes at Lexington's Kroger Field in honor of Dodson, who word jersey no. 80; other football fields across the commonwealth did the same. The news of Dodson's death was reported by the national Associated Press and ESPN.

The Dodson family found themselves in local headlines again in October when Andew's father Alan Dodson — who works for a company that gives Holy Land tours — found himself in Israel at the time of the militant Hamas attacks that dominated international news. Dodson was eventually able to get out of Israel and return safely to Pulaski County, but not before moving locations and hunkering down for safety. After returning, in November, Alan Dodson spoke at the "Anchored: Hope for Lake Cumberland" crusade at Pulaski County High School's gymnasium, sharing his testimony about his son's remarkable life and legacy.