 Tonight on EKB Evening News at 6, communities around the region are still waiting for help from FEMA. Good evening, everyone. I'm Jill Dotson. And I'm Gary Sloan. Cindy Mae Johnson is off tonight. The city of Williamson, West Virginia and Floyd County, Kentucky are in limbo when it comes to FEMA. Both areas have applied for extra assistance, but are now waiting to hear whether they will be awarded funding for recovery and repairs from this winter's severe weather. EKB News reporter Shelby Steele talked to officials in both areas and brings us this report. A declaration from FEMA regarding assistance for the severe storms in the city of Williamson, West Virginia during March 3rd through 14th has been announced. Representatives from FEMA visited the city of Williamson Thursday afternoon to discuss details of damages from the storm. Williamson Fire Chief Joey Carey says this will be a difficult but fairly quick process. This is going to be a lot of documentation that they're requesting, but the process is going to move really quickly. I will be in contact and working, you know, alongside of Jason, who is a project manager for Viola and handles the utilities and the city works in the street department. Carey explains once the money becomes available it will be dispersed to a lot of different areas. The money that we're going to be receiving is reimbursements for expenditures that the city was out during that time to pay overtime and fuel for our trucks. Meanwhile, Floyd County, Kentucky is also in limbo with FEMA. If approved for the final application sent to FEMA, Floyd County will have four different declarations in four months. Floyd County Judge Executive Ben Hell says once a declaration is announced, FEMA will assess the damages caused by severe weather. Their individuals will be coming in and actually going out and looking at the individual sites and writing up what we call PWs, project worksheets. And once those are approved by FEMA, then we are allowed then to go in and fix them back the way they were pre-disaster. Hell explains that it is important for residents to remain patient as they are hashing out the final details in regards to receiving federal assistance. People need to understand that if we can get these declarations, which we have, then we'll be able to fix the roads that were torn up, complete it and fix them back the way they were and then when we get reimbursed on it, we'll be able to take that money and take it and do other roads. For EKB Evening News at 6, I'm Shelby Steele. To wrap up National Police Week, the Pikeville City Police Department joins city, county and state law enforcement agencies from across Pike County at the Billy Johnson stage just outside the East Kentucky Exposition Center in downtown Pikeville. A short ceremony was held and different law enforcement officials spoke on behalf of their department to pay tribute to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice by giving their lives for their communities. A memorial parade was held immediately following the ceremony. Pikeville Police Chief Phillip Reed described the day as a wonderful opportunity. Today, we have a ceremony, you know, all the different agencies were able to gather together as one. We were able to be there for the families of the individuals that have lost their lives in the line of duty in Pike County to allow us all together in one spot to show our appreciation to them as well as appreciation to all the law enforcement that's still active. It was just a great opportunity to be able to do that here today. This was the final event to take place in honor of National Police Week. One Martin County man is dead. Another is in jail. After an accident while the two were allegedly stealing copper yesterday. The Martin County Sheriff's Office as Charlie Walker Jude had climbed a tower at a substation at the Van Leer Mine at Meathouse when he came in contact with a 70,000-volt electrical line. Jude died at the scene. His cousin, an alleged accomplice, 27-year-old Stephen Michael Jude, was arrested and charged with second-degree burglary, possession of burglar tools, trespassing and criminal mischief. He remains lodged in the Pike County Regional Detention Center. The Williamson Fire Department has been short-handed for a while with the resignation of the previous fire chief and a longtime fire official moving to work in Tennessee. Current fire chief Joey Carey is in the process of hiring three new firefighters in hopes of getting the department back up to full strength. Carey explains that since the department is short-staffed right now, the men are having to work overtime and sometimes only one man is at the fire department when there used to be two. Carey adds that in order to move further in the process, the fire department, along with the mayor and city officials, needs to hire a new board member for the Civil Service Board which helps administer the test for those who are hoping to be hired. The City Williamson Fire Department is under civil service so there's a lot of guidelines that we have to go through from the state in order to have a hiring process. The Williamson Fire Department has not set a date for when firefighter applications need to be turned in, but if you would like to be considered by the Civil Service Board, you must be a resident in the City of Williamson. Floyd County magistrates today entered into agreements with the cities of Whiteland and Wheelwright to provide animal control service in those communities. Under the agreement, the county's animal control officer will operate the city's boundaries. Now County Judge Executive Ben Hale said the county will only step in to address certain specific problems. Once it's approved, then we'll be able to go into their cities for vicious, dangerous, or diseased animals. If it's just strays or they're having a problem with it and they're not a dangerous or vicious animal, then they can take them to the shelter, but when it becomes a problem that they don't have the equipment to be able to pick up these vicious or dangerous or diseased animals, then we'll be allowed to go into those cities and help them with that. The agreement approved today will continue until December 31, 2018. Coming up, Prestonburg is looking for ways to revitalize downtown. Virginia Wally State Reserve Park hosted area senior citizens in competition today. We'll be back in two minutes. Tuesday is election day in Kentucky with primary races on the ballot for state constitutional offices such as the governor and attorney general. But while the importance of the election is high, interest in the races appears to be low. Secretary of State Alison Lundgren-Grimes is predicting as few as 10 percent of Kentuckians will head out to the polls on Tuesday. Alison said she hopes that prediction turns out to be low. We are just a few short days away from a May 19 primary where we hope all eligible Kentuckians will get out and have their voice heard by voting. It's not enough just to register, you've got to make it to the polls on election day and this year we have all of our statewide constitutional officers up from our governor and lieutenant governor, auditor, secretary of state, attorney general, commissioner of agriculture and we want to make sure that everyone across the Commonwealth gets out and cast their vote on May 19th. Pulse will be open this Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time. EKB-TV and the radio stations of East Kentucky Broadcasting will bring you the results afterward. The 30th annual Big Sandy Senior Games were held today at Geniwale State Resort Park drawing competitors from all across the Big Sandy Area Development District. EKB news reporter Shelby Steele attended the games and brings us this report. The rain didn't stop the fun today here at the Dewey Dam Recreational Center where Big Sandy Senior Games were held. 350 participants, 50 years and older, got the chance to compete in different activities during the 30th annual Big Sandy Senior Games. Lead case manager for Big Sandy Add, Stacey Hall says this is their biggest event. They're able to get out and socialize and also have fitness, they look forward to this every year. They love to come out here and try to win those gold medals. We love their smiling faces and believe me, they're ready to compete. Hall adds that there are many different events and new activities were added this year. They can participate in shuffleboard. We got a softball toss, cornhole, horseshoes, softball toss. We have an archery this year that's a medaled event, lawn bowling. We have about 10 events that they can participate in and we also added this year just for our 30th annual some fun events. We have a cookie stacker contest, Johnny Applestack and a breakfast scramble with cereal boxes. Hall explains that over 100 volunteers are needed to make this event possible each year. If you would like to volunteer or participate in next year's games, contact the Big Sandy Add. For EKB Evening News at 6, I'm Shelby Still. Like many communities around the region, Prestonsburg is looking to revitalize its downtown district. Last night, the city held a meeting to discuss ways to do exactly that. EKB News reporter Courtney Lovern attended the meeting and tells us what is being considered. Prestonsburg City Hall was the site for the first-ever economic development meeting in the city of Prestonsburg. Four businesses from downtown showed up to brainstorm with Mayor Les Stapleton on ways that their business and downtown Prestonsburg could be improved. We're going to try to bring interest back to downtown and get people in there. Now that being said, we're going to use downtown as a springboard to also go to these other clusters of businesses we have out in town and let everybody feed off each other. And what we're trying to do is get people involved. You know, they're the ones got to be as a state of who comes and goes. We want them to tell us what we can do to help them increase their business. The meeting was set up by new economic development director Miranda Hicks and several ideas were considered. Some of the ideas mentioned included randomly selected zip codes wherein the residents of that zip code could bring their ID to participating businesses and get a discount on their purchase. Another idea discussed was to stay open later one Friday out of the month and also include music and car shows on those nights to generate a more marketable downtown area. We are, we're very quaint and it's original quaint. It's not been remodeled. It's not been redone. It's not been tweaked here and there. I mean, we're an original town and I think that we need to capitalize on that part downtown and then bring everything else in as it goes. For EKB Evening News at 6, I'm Courtney Levering. Coming up on EKB Evening News at 6, parents and fans rallied last night in support of an embattled baseball coach. But first, EKB chief meteorologist Lathan Hopkins will be in to tell us how the weekend weather is looking. We'll be back in two minutes. Well, it was a really, really nice day to end the week. We've had beautiful temperatures very mild this week, a little bit of rain this afternoon and I'm afraid that's going to stick around for the rest of the weekend. You know, just in time for the weekend, the rain would return to the forecast. As you mentioned, I had a few showers earlier this morning and to the early afternoon, those long gone now. Doppler radar showing well, just that a dry Doppler radar across our region. But we do have showers and thunderstorms in central parts of the state that we will watch very spotty in nature, very isolated. You have to look all the way back into western parts of Kentucky, into Indiana, western parts of Tennessee before you see any real scattered showers and thunderstorms. Now, I think that will be changing though as we make our way into the day tomorrow. Let's talk about temperatures. We had the rain earlier, as Jill mentioned, but once the sun broke out of the cloud cover, this is what happened. Temperatures rebounded into the low 80s for most of us. 81 Pikeville, Prestonburg, Paintsville, Logan, 81 in Weitzberg. We have 83 in Sowersville, 84 in Williamson, 78 right now in Dorton, and in Wise, Virginia. The official high today went down in the record books at 82 degrees. The official low 63 above normal once again, 74 and 54, where we should be this time of the year. Officially at the National Weather Service office in Jackson, we picked up about a quarter inch of rain. It puts us about two inches below average for the month, but as you can see, still a well above average for the year. Sunrise tomorrow morning is the days keep getting longer and longer, 6.20 sunset at 8.33. We're going to show you the satellite and radar composite across the entire eastern half of the country. And what I want you to pay close attention to, not really the showers and storms to our west, where we generally would look for our weather. You have to look down to the south and notice all the showers and thunderstorms developing from Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia. This is some of the moisture that will gradually be heading right toward eastern Kentucky, southwest Virginia and western West Virginia here over the next 24 hours. I'm going to show you one of the computer forecasting models and show you what it's predicting. You can see drive through much of the overnight hours. Then with the heating of the day, notice all the blue and the green showing up on the map. That's those scattered showers and thunderstorms. Once we get to tomorrow night, we lose those. And then in Sunday, here we go again. Another round of those scattered showers and thunderstorms expected all the way through Tuesday, as a matter of fact. Again, this is mainly going to be an afternoon and evening event, but could put down locally heavy rainfall across the region. We do need a little rain. I know it's hard to believe after the month of April, where we had about eight inches of rain above average for the month, but we do need a little rain across the region. So not a bad thing. The only bad thing about it, it's happening on the weekend. You're a poll account sponsored by Faith Pharmacy, Adams Plaza in Pikeville. Of course, with the rain moving in, 6.0 tomorrow in the moderate category. With the 50% chance of rain on Sunday, 8.5, which puts us back into the high category. And then right back down in the moderate categories, we head into Monday. Your seven day forecast, 70% chance of rain for Saturday, 50% chance of rain Sunday. Right back to a 70% chance on Monday, temperatures in the low 80s. By Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, we are in the low to mid 70s. And we start to dry things out by the middle to the latter part of next week. Looking good next week. So rain just in time for the weekend, but... Yeah, fortunately. But the gardeners are saying, thank goodness, we need a little rain. They need to plant their tomatoes this weekend. They do indeed. It's very important. You will be on that. I will be. We all will. All right, Latham, thank you. Each Friday, EKB Showcase is one of the many local attractions in our region where you can satisfy a thirst for nature or for adventure. Tonight, videographers Ronnie Hilton and Charles Mim takes us to one of Eastern Kentucky's most beautiful locations, Letcher County's Bad Branch Falls. This week, we took a ride over Pine Mountain and Letcher County to visit the Bad Branch State Nature Preserve. The Nature Preserve encompasses a pristine mountain gorge featuring a 60-foot waterfall, a high-quality stream, and numerous species of flora and fauna. Beginning at the trailhead located on the southern side of Pine Mountain in Letcher County, the hiker has a mile-long hike along an old logging road until they reach Bad Branch Falls. The trail follows a mountain stream through a densely-wooded forest featuring a couple stream crossings and a moderate uphill climb. Venomous snakes, although rare, are in the area, so it is wise to stay on the marked trail. About three quarters of a mile into the hike, you will come to a fork in the trail. The trail to the right will take you onto the falls, while going straight will take you another 2.4 miles to High Rock on top of Pine Mountain. From this point on, the trail becomes slightly more difficult as the hiker climbs over rocks and boulders to reach the falls. Be sure to wear sturdy shoes if you hike this trail. This isn't the place for flip-flops and sandals. After climbing uphill for approximately a quarter-mile, you will catch your first glimpse of the falls. Plummeting 60 feet over a sandstone cliff, the water descends into Bad Branch Gorge and eventually flows downstream to meet up with the port fork of the Cumberland River. The water runs crystal clear here and the mist from the waterfall offers a refreshing cool-down after you've climbed up to the falls. Giant boulders dot the stream bottom while towering sandstone cliffs loom overhead, completely dwarfing the hiker. One forgets just how small they are in the world until you visit a truly stunning place such as Bad Branch Falls. The Bad Branch State Nature Preserver is definitely one of Eastern Kentucky's prime jewels, showcasing just how beautiful our region really is. If you're looking for a little adventure in a truly amazing place, take a hike up the Bad Branch Falls. You'll be glad that you did. For EKB Evening News at 6, I'm Ronnie Hilton. Wow, that's beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous. Gonna put that on my bucket list. Absolutely. Well, we'll be back with jammin' Jamie Johnson with Sports in Two Minutes. Well, the Reds continue their role. Yeah, they went streaking last night. Three in a row. I'll tell you about that in a minute. First though, over 100 parents, fans, and current past and past players from Prestonburg High School's baseball team held a meeting following last night's game against Painesville in support of the Black Cats head coach, Shane Simpkins, who has been told that he would have to reapply for the baseball head coaching position next season despite winning 96 games the past five seasons, three all-A regional championships, and finishing in the final eight of the state baseball tournament after winning the 15th region championship in 2013. Those in attendance verbally gave a vote of no confidence in Prestonburg High School's decision to let go of a coach that's impacted so many lives. What we have to do is show the people. And I'm talking about the TV cameras. I'm talking about sports cancels. I'm talking about social media. I'm talking about any way you can get out there what a positive impact he is. Let people know. If we don't pay the stand right now, we'll lose the baseball coach. The decision to rehire Simpkins falls squarely on the shoulders of Prestonburg Principal Jerry Butcher. A petition in support of coach Simpkins will be collected and some plan a campaign on social media to inform alumni, parents, and citizens of what's going on at their school. Because there's a lot of smart people in this crowd. We got a mayor. I've seen doctors and lawyers and dentists. You know, it's obvious where it starts at. It don't start at the bottom. Starts at the top. You get your superintendent. If he don't want to do his job, get him out. You get your principal. He don't want to do his job. Get him out. You fix those two things. All this crap that goes on inside that high school is solved. Interesting candidates would be able to apply for the job through June 30th. Now some at the meeting feel that the coaching position has already been fueled for next year. Thus, the motivation behind this move is about the show of support. Many feel that nothing will be done to change the outcome. And I don't have a child playing baseball. I had a child playing baseball. And Shane Simpkins taught my child more in three years as a man, as a human being than any coach he has ever had in his entire life. So I'm here as a past parent. I think whatever goes to Butcher, because it will disappear. Go to this board meeting. I mean, let your face be seen, your voice be heard. And again, I'll say this, Shane knows he's got support. I'm telling you, until you take down the top guys, this is not the next guy. The next guy coming in is going to get the same support. But you know how long he's going to last? It's going to continue to happen. Parents are planning a demonstration walk across from Prestonsburg High School next Friday before graduation in support of Coach Simpkins, who made this statement today to EKB Sports. Quote, it was incredible to see people who came out to support not only me, but Prestonsburg Baseball and the kids last night. It was a very humbling experience to see that number of people and see how myself and baseball have affected and reached so many people. As for the action on the field, the black cats found themselves trailing Painesville 16-nothing in the bottom of the fourth. Scott Stapleton, with runners on first and third, slaps this single to right field, driving in the first run of the night for Prestonsburg. Stapleton would steal second base just because he can. Two runners now in scoring position, senior Jaren Hall with a dunk to third. Bearhand and grab, but the throw pulls the first baseman off the bag while there were another run to score. Prestonsburg trying to get back in this ball game. Next, Grant Martin with this dribbler back to third base and bad news bears. Another bad throw. Two more runs would score. The rally, though, would come up short. Painesville hangs on for a 19-eight win. Other scores, Alan Central took down MacGuffin County 17-4. Belfrey took care of Sheldon Clark 12-8. Jenkins defeated Betsy Lane 9-6, and Johnson Central shut out Ashland Blazer 10-0. It was Knot County Central over Eastridge 13-6. Lawrence County took care of Pikeville 8-3. Finally, Letcher Central slipped past Pike Central 4-3, and Shelby Valley defeated Sound Floyd 6-5. The Reds last night were going streaking, as I mentioned earlier, looking to put together a three-game winning streak behind a starter Johnny Cueto. We'll pick this up with the conventional two, six, wait for it, wait for it, two, six, five, two, double play if you're scoring it home. Bottom of the fourth, Brian Pena with the bouncing ball to center field. That was scored Todd Frazier, Reds pulled within one. Johnny Cueto last night was solid. Casey McGee, freeze frame. Tim Lensigam last night. He's going to be swatting nets. And Joe Panic, Joe Panic at the disco. Cueto strikes out the side, yet the Reds needed Marlon Bird. Time for me to fly. Bird's eighth home run of the season, hitting 3-42 in the month of May. Reds win their third in a row, 4-3 the final. Reds and Giants continue to visit at Great American Ballpark tonight. Star Wars night tonight's made the four speak with them. The hero of the World Series, Madison Bumgarner will go for San Francisco versus Jason Markey of the Reds. Game time is 7-10 on Hitt City, USA, 98-1, and 104.3 at Phelm, and that is a look at sports. Wow, interesting. Very busy, absolutely. Busy time of year for baseball, too. That it is. Good to see they kind of support for Shane Simpkins. He's only been there going on five years now and to see that kind of support for a program that maybe doesn't get the recognition that maybe football does or other sports at other schools. Good to see the community out last night. Absolutely, Jamie, thank you. We'll be back in two minutes. Well, some showers possible this weekend. No, more than possible. 70% chance of rain in the forecast for tomorrow with temperatures in the low 80s. Again, a 50% chance of rain on Sunday, 70% chance of rain on Monday, and then back into the 70s. And of course you can find the latest forecast in tomorrow's edition of the Appalachian News Express. Okay. Very good. Jamie, what's on tonight? The award ceremony for patient care at Pawville Medical Center as soon as we wrap things up here. Coming up right after the newscast. Well, that will do it for tonight's CKB Evening News. Remember, you can get more local news anytime by listening to the radio stations of East Kentucky Broadcasting. You can also follow EKB News and EKB TV on Facebook. Tonight, we leave you with a tribute to the King of Blues, BB King, who died last night at his Las Vegas home. He was 89 years old. Good night and thanks for watching.