 Tonight, on EKB Evening News at 6, can Kentucky put a stop to out of state trash? Good evening. I'm Gary Slum. And I'm Cindy Mae Johnson. Earlier this week, State Senator Ray Jones called on Attorney General Jack Conway to take action against the Commonwealth of Virginia for its failure to notify Kentucky residents of the Grundy sewage spill. This comes on the heels of his request to the Division of Water last week to look into ways to stop Virginia trash from flowing through rivers and streams into Kentucky. Gary sat down with Senator Jones earlier to talk about these very issues. Senator Jones, let's talk about the pollution coming in from Virginia into Kentucky. Now, this has been an ongoing situation for quite some time, but it's been exasperated lately. Well, it's my understanding that beginning in early March that a storm-related problem caused the spill of about 118 million gallons of raw sewage into the Levisa Fork. Of course that flows directly into Fish Trap Lake. And Kentucky's environmental enforcement officials were not advised of that until sometime around May 13th. Now the steps are starting to be taken now. I know you're calling for steps to be taken. Well, I am. We're trying to put a meeting together on July 30th here in Pifle with representatives from state government, federal government, hopefully county government. And it's time that, first and foremost, we need a system put in place that if this ever happens again, that a way to make sure that Virginia officials notify Kentucky officials. Second, if there has been damage done in Kentucky, the people responsible need to be held accountable for that. Now, how does this spill go for such a long period of time? And no one finds out about it. And it raises the issue of where the EPA is. I mean, we've seen what the EPA has done to the coal industry under the guise of the Clean Water Act. The EPA needs to be held accountable. They need to explain why this could happen and not take action under the Clean Water Act. Well, I know that's something that's been discussed quite extensively. And one more question. How can we enforce this on Virginia if there's some laws made and some regulations put in place? How can the state of Kentucky enforce it on the state of Virginia? Well, first and foremost, there are federal regulations that deal with water pollution, the Clean Water Act. The easiest way would be if the federal government would act to address the situation. And it's not just a pollution issue from discharge, but go look at the trash problem that we have had. One of the other issues that I hope to address in this meeting is the perpetual trash problem that we've had at Fishtrap. And it's not acceptable. The lake could be a significant tool for economic development and tourism development. And it's not. We can't use it for that purpose because of the trash problem. And that meeting, once again, is going to be held. July 30th. Okay. Thank you so much. Thank you. In Floyd County, Southern Water and Sewer District is seeking state approval to make improvements to their system. The utility proposes to replace the main water transmission line between Allen and Martin. That line has experienced numerous breaks in recent years that have caused outages and led to extensive water loss. Southern also plans to upgrade its water treatment plant at Allen. The upgrades will be funded through a $1.7 million loan and a $1.4 million grant, both from USDA rural development. As a result, USDA is calling for the utility to raise rates to repay the loan. That will mean an average increase of 4 percent on water bills. Former state representative W. Keith Hall is asking a judge to throw out his federal bribery conviction and grant him a new trial. Hall was convicted last month of paying a former mine inspector to overlook violations at Hall's mines. In a motion filed yesterday in U.S. District Court in Pikeville, Hall argues that an outburst made by his estranged wife during her testimony tainted the jury and was the quote, nail in the coffin end quote for his defense. During her testimony, Stephanie Hall was asked about a check, a consulting firm connected to the mine. She admitted signing the check, but she said she did not know what it was for. She further said Hall told her it was for consulting. Stephanie Hall then made a statement on her own accord that she had seen other payments for consulting in the past, but in her opinion, they were quote, under the table kickbacks in quote. Hall's attorneys asked for a mistrial afterwards, but the judge instead told the jury to disregard her statement. Hall now argues that direction was not enough. In the motion for a new trial, Stephanie Hall's testimony is described as quote, a blatant effort to drive a stake into the heart of her husband in quote. The motion further argues that the attempt was successful and poisoned the jury against Hall. The Kentucky Council on post-secondary education will hold a town hall meeting in Pikeville next week. Input will be gathered on a five-year plan to guide the state's higher and adult education systems. General President Bob King says the meetings are to find ways to improve access and increase workforce skills to grow the economy. The meeting will take place from six to eight Wednesday in room 125 of the Community Technology Center on the University of Pikeville campus. Coming up, if you're like most of us, you're looking for something to do this weekend. We've got a list for you to choose from. And in the latest installment of Outdoor Adventure, Ronnie and Charles Texas for a ride along the ridge of Pine Mountain. We'll be right back. The simple act of walking can help treat many different ailments. Walking has been shown to reduce body fat, lower blood pressure, and improve cardiovascular health. At the Martin Ball fields yesterday, St. Joseph Martin Hospital put walking to work during the Walk with a Doc event. Participants met at the Martin Ball fields to walk with the hospital doctors. The event was designed to let participants be physically active while also getting a chance to seek health advice from professionals. Rain limited the number of participants, but the event still went on. The idea is to encourage fitness and encourage a little bit of exercise and also at the same time give a little brief talk on a health-related topic with the opportunity to informally ask questions of whichever doctor is giving the talk. Organizers say that Walk with a Doc is just one of many events they have planned to reach out to the community. Well, if you're looking for something to do this weekend, many people are. There's plenty going on in the area. Two big events are planned for tonight and tomorrow in Kentucky and Virginia. In Pikeville, Muscle on Main kicks off with a block party and burnout contests tonight, followed by a full day of activities tomorrow, including a car show, cruise in and drag race. Over and wise, the chillin' and grillin' in the glades barbecue and music festival kicks off with a slate of concerts tonight, followed by a barbecue contest. In Prestonsburg, Kentucky native singer and songwriter Chris Stapleton will be in concert at the Mountain Arts Center tonight and tomorrow night. Brakes Interstate Park will host the McClure River car show Saturday night. And in Norton, Appleseed is hosting Appalachian Green to Gold, a free workshop on growing and marketing ginseng and other herbs. And speaking of growing area, farmers markets will be open as usual tomorrow. The Pikeville Farmers Market will be open from nine to one. Tomorrow, the market will feature zucchini recipe demonstrations from the Pike County Extension Office. In Prestonsburg, the Floyd County Farmers Market will host its first monthly Crafts Day from nine till two. And the Williamson Farmers Market will be open eight till four. And tonight's installment of our continuing series, outdoor adventure videographers Ronnie Hilton and Charles Memms took a break from their usual heart racing adventures. Instead, they take us on a more low key trip anyone can take by car. However, the ride along the Little Shepherd Trail does not sacrifice any of the breathtaking scenery we've come to expect from their travels. This week, we took a drive to Letcher County to take a ride along the Little Shepherd Trail. The trail begins off US 119 at the top of Pine Mountain near Weitzberg. The section we've traveled on is nearly 14 miles long and will take you to Kingdom Cum State Park in Harlan County. The road is narrow but paved and takes you along the crest of Pine Mountain. While we weren't able to see any, black bears are known to be seen frequently along the Little Shepherd. The road twists and turns along the top of the ridge taking you through dense forests. Rocky outcrops, known as hogbacks, protrude from the ridges and rhododendron and mountain laurel blanket a large majority of the forest. Admire the views but be cautious. There are no guardrails along the Little Shepherd and there are quite a few steep drop-offs adjacent to the road. As you approach Kingdom Cum State Park, you will come to a series of overlooks that offer stunning mountaintop views of eastern Kentucky. While most of our outdoor adventures have required strenuous hiking and paddling, the Little Shepherd Trail can be enjoyed by everyone. Each overlook features easy access and the drive down the trail itself is quite relaxing. Take your time and enjoy what is possibly the most scenic 14 miles of roadway in eastern Kentucky. For EKB Evening News at 6, I'm Ronnie Hilton. What views. Oh, beautiful. That's incredible. Coming up, NASCAR comes back to Kentucky this weekend. Joe Kinzer will be in to talk about it. But first, EKB Chief Meteorologist Lathan Hopkins will tell us if the weather will interfere with weekend activities. We'll be right back. All right, it may not have been this way throughout our whole coverage area. But today, here was glorious. So far, so good. Prestonsburg, Pikeville-Wise. But the farther north you go toward the Mountain Parkway and even up toward Interstate 64, numerous trees down. Power out for a lot of folks. So we dodged a bullet so far. Doppler radar showing right now we are nice and quiet across eastern Kentucky, Western West Virginia, and Southwest Virginia. But when we brought in the picture with the satellite and radar composite, you'll see several showers and thunderstorms ongoing across central parts of Kentucky, from Lexington to Louisville to Bowling Green. This is what we will have to watch as we make our way through the rest of this evening and into the overnight hours tonight. Now, we did have that severe thunderstorm watch that was in effect for all of the region at 6 o'clock. That was allowed to expire. So that's good news. These storms as they make their way to the east have been trying to fizzle out somewhat. So I don't think we'll see anything in the way of any severe weather tonight, but we still could have a heavy downpour or two. This is all along this front that would be moving through the region during the overnight hours. And again, you'll see some of these lines setting up. It's what we call training. The storms is repeating over the same areas over and over and over again. For that reason, we do have a flash flood watch that is in effect for Western West Virginia, Southwest Virginia through early tomorrow morning and for Eastern Kentucky that is set to expire at eight o'clock this evening. Temperature wise, well, it all depends on location. Rain cooled 75 in Paintsville, but 85 in Pikeville, 81 Dorton, 85 in Williamson, 82 in Logan, 86 in Grundy. Official high today at the National Weather Service Office in Jackson, 86 degrees, the low 68. Nowhere close to the record of 96 and 59. To pick up about a quarter of an inch of precipitation at the National Weather Service Office in Jackson today that puts us about it. 1.74 inches of rain above average for the month and about eight and a half inches of rain for the year. Sunrise 617 tomorrow morning and sunset as the days are now getting shorter at 853. Temperatures tonight back into the mid and upper 60s. Highs tomorrow will be back in the mid and upper 80s, but notice those 90s very, very close. And as we make our way into the day on Sunday, you'll see some of those start to move right across parts of central and even eastern Kentucky, so we will flirt with the 90 degree reading, I think, on Sunday and then again on Monday. Polling Count time sponsored by Faith Pharmacy, Adams Plaza in Pikeville, 3.5 on Saturday, 3.4 on Sunday, 2.7 on Monday. Dropping a little on Monday, why is that? That's when the better chance of rain will move into the region. 30% chance for tomorrow, maybe a quick afternoon shower or a thunderstorm. Then I think the better chance of rain will move in Sunday night, last through Monday, Tuesday and even into Wednesday. Again, we could see some severe weather. We could be dealing with some flash flooding temperatures in the mid and upper 80s, and then maybe back near 90 degrees by the end of next week. So it's feeling a little more like summer. The heat, the humidity will be around all weekend long. I'm excited about tomorrow with all those activities that you listed earlier. Yeah, it's going to be a nice day tomorrow. And that rain chance only at 30%, not too bad. And of course you can catch the latest forecast in tomorrow's Appalachian News Express and Mingo Messenger. That's Andy. Thank you, Clayton. We'll be right back with sports. Well, Joe, NASCAR is back in Kentucky. For the sixth consecutive year, thanks a lot, Gary and Sandy. And good evening, everyone. Kentucky is known for racing, whether it be horse racing or NASCAR. Last night during the NASCAR capping World Truck Series, Matt Crafton takes the win as the defending champion, but take a look at this incident that involved Ben Kennedy with five laps remaining. Kennedy's vehicle was accidentally pit maneuvered while on the inside of the track, Kennedy then pursued to rotate 360 and went up into the catch fence. Take a look again as he got again bumped from behind. His truck goes up into the catch fence and taken a wild ride on top of the safety barrier. Kentucky Motor Speedway will host the Quaker State 400 tomorrow evening at 7.30. Kevin Harvick is leading the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with 656 points so far. 10 drivers qualified for the chase for the cup. With time running out, Kyle Busch needs to stream together a series of good races to be able to be in the running for the chase for the cup. Maybe this will be his race. Qualifying was rained out earlier today, Kyle Larson will be on the pole based on practice time results. Now NASCAR has implemented some rule changes for this year. There is a rear spoiler reduction from six to three and a half inches in height, radiator pan reduction from 38 to 25 inches in width, and a front splitter reduction from two inches to a quarter inches overhang. Now these changes are going to affect the handling and reduce the downforce on the cars by lowering the speed by 10 miles per hour. Some experts are saying that the Reds are one loss closer to a fire sale as they dropped a two nothing decision to the Miami Marlins. Walt Jocody will have some tough decisions to make over the next two weeks on who he will keep or dangle as trade baits. The Reds picked back up this evening at 7.10 for the second game of the series. Coverage can be heard on 98.1 Hit City, USA. In Kentucky, they are now exactly six weeks into the football season kicks off. The dead period ended yesterday allowing fall sports to begin preparation. Football can now begin practice today but use helmets only. Starting August one, they will be able to use full gear. Now July 15th is the first day that volleyball, soccer, cross country, and cheerleading can begin according to the KHS AA. The NCAA has officially ended a 15 year band on South Carolina hosting sanctioned championship events following the decision to remove the Confederate flag from the state's capitol. Due to the fact that the Confederate flag was considered a symbol of racism and this just in as of earlier today, Sean Hager has accepted the head baseball coaching position at Prestonsburg High School. He will also serve as an assistant basketball and football coach. Hager was the head football coach at Shilner Clark High School and also served as the baseball coach. And Gary and Cindy, the results are just in and bad news for Reds fans. He just continues to improve. And yet you grin when you say this. Well, Carlos Martinez, right handed pitcher for St. Louis 10 game winner. He edged out Johnny Quaidou for the final position, fan vote in the National League All-Star Game coming up next week. I wanna thank you for using one of my favorite sports names tonight. Which one's that? Jockety. Yeah. I like that name. And we'll be right back. Latham, a chance for some showers still tonight. Showers and thunderstorms will remain in the forecast through tonight, but starting to look a little better for the weekend. Saturday, only a 30% chance of rain. Temperatures, 85 degrees, 86 into the mid and upper 80s on Sunday. And well, that's pretty much where we stay. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, best chance of rain Monday through Wednesday of next week and some of those storms may again be on the strong side. Something to watch again and again and again. Well, speaking of watching things again, classic music videos are fun to watch. Sandy, the weekend is here. If you wanna unwind and get down a buggy into privacy of your own home or not, it's Ted Meadows from Full Throttle Videos coming up tonight at seven o'clock. I love those things. They're good. That will do it for tonight's EKB Evening News. Remember, you can get more local news anytime by listening to the radio stations of East Kentucky Broadcasting. You can follow EKB News and EKB TV on Facebook and Twitter. We leave you tonight with an up-close look at butterflies. Good night. Thanks for watching.