 At Audiology Associates at Prestonsburg, you can live your life the way you want and find the freedom of better hearing. You'll experience patient care that is specific to you with exceptional follow-up care that ensures your hearing and balance needs are being met. Audiology Associates at 1428 Northlake Drive in Prestonsburg. The Bureau of Prisons held a public meeting November 17th, giving residents the opportunity to voice their support, concerns, and opposition to the recently revived proposed federal prison project in Letcher County, Kentucky. Plans to build the prison were halted in 2019 following a federal lawsuit citing the National Environmental Policy Act. However, intent to prepare a draft environmental impact statement for the prison was announced in September 2022. We are studying the potential sites and that's all part of the process for the draft EIS. The NEPA site requires investigating multiple sites and then analyzing each of the sites and then using the rational analysis process to select the best site. Despite receiving much opposition throughout the 2010s, the prison has a large group of supporters throughout the county who believe the prison will provide a greatly needed boost to the local economy. Most of the staff would have to come outside the area just because of training and as folks here locally get trained to work at a facility such as this then they would transition into the facility. But early on, the influx of federal workers into Letcher County, you know, that not only means the person working at the facility but also their kids go to our schools and they shop in our grocery stores and just the economic boost alone will be great for Eastern Kentucky and Letcher County. With all many voiced their full support at the forum, several voiced concerns related to the environmental impact of the prison and the declining federal prison population. I think that if you look at crime statistics in this country, crime has been going down for about 20 or 30 years. They present this like it's recession proof. What they're saying is that it's going to be insulated from the larger effects of the economy. Prisons close and we have to be honest about that. And, you know, especially now post flood, we're talking about long term planning, like what's going to happen to our community. I think the flood demonstrated how dangerous it can be to build large infrastructure like that. To voice your support or concerns, the Federal Bureau of Prisons will be accepting written statements until November 30th. To submit a statement, email it to kshudson at bop.gov. For mountaintop news, I'm Brianna Robinson.