SOMERSET – Drug trafficking is a huge problem in Somerset and Pulaski County that requires a strong coordinated effort to stop. That effort was on full display Tuesday, August 31. “We average about 20 drug arrests per week,” acting Somerset police chief Major Doug Nelson explained to more than three dozen people gathered at Somerset City Hall prior to a roundup of 38 suspected drug dealers. In addition to law enforcement officers from four agencies,...

HINDMAN – Learning how to play and working together as a team to conquer adversity comes in many forms. Winning is much more than merely being the biggest, the fastest, or having the highest score at the end of a game. That message was delivered with the precision of a last-second buzzer-beater during Operation UNITE’s final Shoot Hoops Not Drugs basketball camp of the year, held Thursday, July 8, at the Knott County SportsPlex. Four former University of...

McKEE – Winning is much more than merely being the biggest, the fastest, or having the highest score at the end of a game. What’s important is learning how to play and working together as a team to conquer adversity. “The best way to get from where you are today to where you want to be is to set a goal,” Jeff Sheppard told the 156 school-age youth participating in Operation UNITE’s Shoot Hoops Not Drugs basketball camp at Jackson County Middle School on...

PIKEVILLE – Doubling up on the fun to reach as many youth as possible, Operation UNITE brought two Shoot Hoops Not Drugs basketball camps to Pike County on Tuesday, June 29. The free interactive program tipped off at Phelps High School then, after a brief cross-county intermission, was repeated at East Ridge High School. Former University of Kentucky basketball star Jeff Sheppard told participants that fundamental skills used to play basketball – or any other...

IRVINE – It’s all about making the right moves – on the basketball court and in life. Residents of WestCare’s substance abuse treatment facility, who have been instrumental in providing volunteer assistance to Operation UNITE’s Shoot Hoops Not Drugs basketball camps for the past five years, brought that message front and center Monday afternoon June 28. The men, anxious to show that lives nearly ruined by addiction can be salvaged, debuted an...

Operation UNITE has received funding to add 10 new AmeriCorps members to serve schools in Eastern Kentucky during the 2010-11 school year. News of the $325,000 grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service was announced by Fifth District Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers. “Citizen service is an essential part of the solution to many of the social changes facing our communities, especially in tough economic times,” Rogers said. “These...

HYDEN – Fundamental skills used to play basketball – or any other sport – can be applied to the rest of your life. “The best way to get from where you are today to where you want to be is to set a goal,” Jeff Sheppard told the 89 school-age youth participating in Operation UNITE’s second Shoot Hoops Not Drugs basketball camp of 2010 at Mountain View Elementary on Thursday, June 10. “None of us is perfect, but you need to set goals, work hard and avoid...