Darren Doyle, story and photos:
The Hidden Homestead Wedding and Event Venue along with Scott Skaggs Photography celebrated a ribbon cutting in Chalybeate last night.

The event was part of a series of events called "Chamber Chats" with the Edmonson County Chamber of Commerce, which was hosted at the venue.

Although the venue has been steadily booked for a few years, the facility hopes to attract more local customers as most users are from out of town.

"I still talk to so many local people that don't even know we're here," said owner, Scott Skaggs. "Sixty-percent of our business comes from out-of-town and we'd like to change that. As you might imagine, so many weddings and events were cancelled last year, but we're looking at having our biggest year ever in 2021."

Skaggs says what makes their venue different from others in the region is that the facility is all inclusive, where customers have access to decorations, dressing rooms, bedrooms, a full kitchen, outdoor areas, and a large pond with a dock and fountain.

Chamber Director Greg Hudson said the Chamber Chats are just one of the many events that the local Chamber is currently promoting.

"These are great networking opportunities for our local businesses," he said. "I know of multiple businesses that have gained new customers just from these events. Tonight's ribbon cutting was an extra benefit of this event. We also want to thank Rafferty's, another Chamber member, for furnishing our meal hear tonight."

The property is located at 56 Chapel Center Lane, Smiths Grove, KY 42171 in the Chalybeate community. To book an event or to make an appointment to see the property, you can call 270-597-2598, or visit their Facebook Page here. You can also visit their website here.

To find out more about the Edmonson County Chamber of Commerce, visit edmonsonchamber.com or call Greg Hudson at 270-991-3578.

courtesy of Feeding America:
Edmonson Co., Ky. – Through the combined efforts of REALTOR® Association of Southern Kentucky (RASK) and Feeding America, Kentucky’s Heartland (FAKH), a total of 5,207 pounds of food have been distributed to families in need in Edmonson County.

Now in its 10th year, REALTORS® Hope for Hunger, led by members of RASK and in partnership with FAKH, again hosted a food and fund drive to bring awareness and fight hunger in southern Kentucky. More than $35,000 in funds were collected, and Western Kentucky University’s Greek organizations donated food from their April Greek Week CanStruction Event held on campus. A total of 98,507 pounds of food was distributed to school resource centers in southern Kentucky.

“The support of our community has always been, and continues to be, tremendous,” said Brooke Vinson, chairperson for the REALTORS® Community Service Committee. “With their help, over the last decade we have been able to distribute nearly 3.2 million servings of food for people facing hunger in southern Kentucky.”

Family Resource Coordinators from schools in Edmonson County will determine how the food will be allocated.

“They are in the best possible position to see which of the children and families in their area need a hand up,” Vinson said.

With one in five children facing hunger in FAKH’s service area, Jamie Sizemore, executive director of FAKH, said projects like this are needed now more than ever.

“As we shift more toward recovery in dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, we know we will see families continue to face hunger,” Sizemore said. “This food and fund drive directly supports food insecure families and we couldn’t be happier to partner with RASK to help them provide much-needed sustenance.”

Edmonson Voice Report:
Rebecca Duvall Scott, author of best-selling Christian historical fiction novel, "When Dignity Came to Harlan," will be appearing at the Edmonson County Public Library on Thursday, May 20, 2021.

According to the library, she plans to talk about her author journey, the book that hit #2 on Amazon's Hot New Release list, and read short excerpts. Signed copies of the book will be available for purchase, or you can bring your copy for her to sign.


“When Dignity Came to Harlan" is a Christian historical fiction novel based on her great-grandmother's childhood. The story is set in the early 1900s and follows 12-year-old Anna Beth Atwood as she leaves Missouri with her family dreaming of a better life in the coal-rich mountains of Harlan County, Kentucky.

The event is free and is scheduled for 6PM until 8PM on May 20th. For more, please visit this event page on Facebook.

 South Edmonson continues their weekly food truck events this Wednesday, May 5th with the Groovy Gus Donut Bus. Click the ad to visit this event on Facebook:

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Edmonson Voice Report: photo submitted
Edmonson County Middle School Principal Brandon Prunty recognized classified and certified staff at 
the April 10, 2021 Board Meeting.

The following staff members were recognized for their outstanding work: Tim Minton, Brad Meredith, Melanie Pierce, Kim Wood, Terri Johnson, Jamie Lindsey, and Kathy Wolf.

submitted flyer:

submitted flyer:

It was a privilege to serve you and our district at the Capitol during the 2021 Regular Session. At this same time last year, no one could have predicted just how drastically our lives would change amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As the 30-day session closed on March 30, we can now see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

Going into this year’s legislative session, we knew we had a pressing responsibility to address the budget and issues related to the pandemic. Constitutionally, we were required to pass a continuing budget following last year’s decision to pass only a one-year budget instead of the traditional two-year budget. Through cautious and conservative planning, along with federal stimulus funds, I am happy to say the General Assembly invested taxpayer dollars in Kentucky to ensure we get the most out of every penny.
 
This year’s budget invests $300 million in federal funding to expand broadband access to areas of the state most in need and advance economic development. While reliable internet connectivity is essential to our state’s financial future, so is improving our state’s infrastructure. To improve that, we must include access to quality water and wastewater systems for Kentuckians. The General Assembly allocated $200 million for county water and sewer projects and grants. Billions of dollars have been placed into highway appropriations, with nearly $700 million for revenue sharing to help county and rural and secondary roads. 
 
Additional budget appropriations showcase the General Assembly’s commitment to building a better Kentucky. Over 40% of the state’s approximate $12 billion budget is dedicated to education. That number is well over 50% when including higher education spending. Additionally, our Family Resource and Youth Services Centers program’s funding was maintained in this year’s budget, with $20 million being appropriated to help our rural hospitals. Finally, the General Assembly met our moral and legal obligation to fund state employees’ pensions fully.
 
Looming over every legislative decision was COVID-19 and its various impacts on our economy, health, education, and more. Knowing how important it is to get our state back on track, the General Assembly passed liability protections for businesses and legislation to allow companies to operate within safety guidelines that are less restrictive so that they can get their employees back to work. For parents fortunate enough to remain employed but have found child care options limited following state-mandated shutdowns, the legislature passed a bill to reopen our child care centers. For those still struggling with unemployment-related issues, we enacted legislation to require the state to reopen regional offices for in-person services. The budget also included $575 million to pay down the state’s $800 million federal loan to refund the unemployment trust fund. Doing this will make sure small businesses do not see a significant tax increase.
 
In response to the multitudes of calls from the unemployed, parents in need of child care, those concerned with their children’s education, and families unable to visit with their loved ones in long-term care facilities, the General Assembly began to review what its role should be when these life-altering decisions are made. We passed priority measures reforming statute to give the General Assembly oversight over the extension of states of emergencies, administrative and emergency regulations, and allow the voters of Kentucky to decide if the legislature may reserve legislative days to return to Frankfort beyond the current constitutionally required session deadlines.
 
Legislation that garnered overwhelming support included bills to protect our children by strengthening the statute of limitations on abuse-related crimes and enhancing penalties for those found guilty. We addressed health care costs by capping the out-of-pocket cost of insulin for people with diabetes at $30 per 30-day supply. We continued to improve criminal justice by ensuring accountability within law enforcement, providing pregnant inmates with the dignity of time with their child, and lessening recidivism by helping connect former inmates with job opportunities.
 
We continued to show our commitment to protecting the life of the unborn in passing the “born-alive infant protection act,” which provides that an infant born alive must be given the appropriate medical treatment and care to preserve life. We also sought to improve government transparency and efficiency by providing the State Treasurer oversight of state contracts and improving Kentucky’s agriculture industry by rightly placing related offices and boards under the Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner’s jurisdiction.
 
With approximately 200 bills passed by the General Assembly, the governor signed into law 158 of them (79%) and allowed 12 others to become law without vetoing them (85% total). Within these three months, there was a significant amount of great work done to build a brighter future for Kentucky.
 
Information on legislation passed during the 2021 Regular Session can be found at www.legislature.ky.gov.
 
I would also like to thank you for your continued support, questions, and comments. Although the session is over, we will participate in interim committee meetings throughout the remainder of the year to prepare and discuss new legislation. If you have any thoughts or questions regarding the work we accomplished during this past session, I certainly want to hear from you. You can contact me toll-free at 1-800-372-7181 or email me at Stephen.Meredith@LRC.KY.GOV. 
 
I am happy to be home, reunited with loved ones. I hope to see you out and about in the coming year. Stay safe, and God bless.

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
The Edmonson County Chamber of Commerce hosted a spring breakfast event this morning at the Heritage Centre, located on Washington Street in Brownsville.

Chamber Director Greg Hudson spoke to representatives of local businesses in an attempt to convey that the Chamber is actively working to help local businesses see results.

"We're focusing on doing everything we can to see that your business stays sustainable," he said.

Hudson said feedback he's received from members of the past showed that businesses felt like there was not much benefit in being a member of the Chamber; however, he said the Chamber has taken bolder steps in becoming proactive for local industry.

"This is just one of the events we're hosting throughout the year," he said. "These are great opportunities for you to network with other businesses and we've seen results from our recent showcase."

Hudson said there were multiple products and services shared among businesses at last week's event where local business owners were not aware of what the other actually offered.

"People enjoyed that event and it's one of the many examples of how your local Chamber is working for you."

He also discussed the recent "Coffee With A Cop" event held in Lincoln where local law enforcement agencies had discussions with community members. He said that there are plans to bring the event to multiple communities throughout the county.

"I appreciate everyone coming out for this event," Hudson told the Edmonson Voice. "As I said here today, we want our local businesses to know we are here for them and working for you. We want you to see results."

The meal was catered by Creations Cafe.

Click here to find out more on becoming a member of the Edmonson County Chamber of Commerce.

Darren Doyle, story: photo-ECHS:
All six nominees from Edmonson County have been selected as Governor's Scholars. School officials say this is the first time all nominees from ECHS have been selected.

“We are so thrilled that all six of our students were accepted into the Governor’s Scholar Program," said ECHS Counselor Nikki Culbreth. "This is a huge accomplishment for our kids and our school. We could not be more proud of this group of students.”

Students named are: Hallie Cassady, Macy Cassady, Meredith Hennion, Derick Jaggers, Catherine Vincent, and Morgan Vincent.

ECHS Principal Jonathan Williams said the process to be named a Governor's Scholar is highly competitive with rigorous application procedures.

"ECHS getting six out of six students in the program is almost unheard of, and as I’ve repeatedly said, we have some of the finest students, families, and educators right here in Edmonson County and I’m looking forward to more wins like this for our kids," he said. " If we can continue to focus on safety, achievement and opportunity here, doors will continue to open.  Thank you to everyone that contributed in any way to helping guide these young people through this process, because it was a total team effort.”

Edmonson Voice Report: photos by VFW 6937
Three Edmonson County High School students were recognized for their Voice of Democracy essay awards from 2020 on April 19th at VFW Post 6937’s monthly meeting. Each year, the Voice of Democracy audio-essay program provides high school students with the unique opportunity to express themselves in regards to a democratic and patriotic-themed recorded essay. 

The annual event, which is held on Veterans Day each year at ECHS, was cancelled last year due to the COVID pandemic. 

Kaylee Russell was awarded first place for her essay.

Second place was awarded to Lainey Alexander and third place went to Catherine Vincent.

Financial awards for the Voice of Democracy were provided by the Bank of Edmonson, Gravil Funeral Home, PVA Kyle White, and County Clerk Kevin Alexander.