 If you've been waiting for the new Samsung Galaxy S22 device, then the team at Appalachian Wireless has some good news for you. Appalachian Wireless is launching all Samsung S22 models on sale. We are you. We are Appalachian Wireless. Friday, March 18, the Pikeville office of the Department of Public Advocacy held an open house to celebrate their 50th anniversary. We are the public defenders here in Pike County. Today is basically National Public Defender Day. It is March 18th, the anniversary of the Gideon versus Wainwright United States Supreme Court case that established that it is a constitutional right under the U.S. Constitution Due Process Clause for anyone charged with a crime in which they would lose their liberty, in other words, go to jail, that they have a constitutionally guaranteed right to counsel whether they can afford counsel or not. The public defender system started 50 years ago in Kentucky as a unified system. The Pikeville office previously covered Pike County and Floyd County but has been covering Pike County exclusively since 2010. This is like the only day that anything is done anywhere that talks about public defenders. So they chose today to be a day to do this and state-wide at least. Every DPA office is having a celebration and open house right now. So we're basically doing what everybody else is doing. They're just not doing it in Frankfurt because as they explained to us, we're not the ones with feet on the ground, you guys are and this is for you guys. Public defenders have heavy caseloads and the Pikeville Department of Public Advocacy is no exception. In prior years, they averaged about 700 cases per attorney. The Pike County office has the second highest caseload per attorney in the state of Kentucky and our caseloads far exceed American Bar Association recommendations. As an example, the American Bar Association recommends that an attorney should not handle more than a total of between 100 and 150 new cases per year. And there is some give and take in there between the more serious felony cases versus the less serious misdemeanor cases. We'll have more misdemeanor cases, fewer felony cases. Most offices in the Commonwealth of Kentucky are carrying a caseload per attorney between 250 to 350 cases per attorney, well in excess of ABA guidelines. Our office, our average is now down to a little over 500 cases per attorney per year. There are five attorneys in the office, including the regional manager Tracy Hancock. She is responsible for six offices across Kentucky, many being understaffed and handling heavy caseloads. We're here to try and help and protect the rights of every person and especially those who are not fortunate enough to be able to afford their own attorney and try and help them and represent them in the best manner that we can. And quite frankly, public defenders are really the best attorney that money can't buy. Despite the challenges of being a public defender, the system continues to give legal representation for its clients daily without faltering. For Mountain Top News, I'm Kelsey Dean.