Video summary
Pike County is currently facing a federal lawsuit after withdrawing from a proposed landfill project earlier this year due to significant public backlash. The companies behind the initiative, USA Waste and Recycling and American Land Reserve, argue that the Pike County Fiscal Court illegally rescinded their host community agreement, effectively revoking their franchise which they claim was worth at least $20 million. In addition to seeking financial damages, interest, and attorney fees, the lawsuit alleges that the county violated federal and state constitutional protections as well as breaching good faith obligations under the contract.
In a separate initiative aimed at preserving local heritage, a new grant program called Monuments Across Appalachin Places is offering millions of dollars to tell unique and often untold stories from Appalachian history. This program encourages communities to reimagine what a monument can be, moving beyond traditional statues that often focus solely on battles or famous figures to include more diverse and truthful narratives. The initiative has already collaborated with the Monacan Indian Nation to create a modern long house pavilion for their annual pow-wow, demonstrating how monuments can serve as functional gathering spaces where stories are shared and culture is celebrated.
The broadcast also highlights local achievements in sports and community health, starting with upcoming volleyball tournaments and football games featuring Mingo County teams. A major story focuses on Don Fields, owner of Pro-Fitness Multisports in Prestonburg, who has been recognized for over four decades of dedication to the city's fitness and tourism scene. Following his extensive work organizing bike rides, paddleboarding events, and supporting various outdoor activities, the community honored him by naming a trailhead at the West Preston entrance of the Prestonburg Passage after him. Fields expressed surprise and deep gratitude for the recognition, noting that Prestonburg is likely the most fit town per capita in Kentucky due to its abundance of gyms, bike shops, and trails.
Finally, the program touches on broader community efforts, including a pro bono attorney named Ned Pillarsdorf who advocates for vulnerable populations and brings his legal fight to Washington, alongside advertisements from Appalachian Wireless which emphasizes supporting local carriers over big corporations. The episode concludes with an invitation for viewers to engage with these local stories through various digital platforms, reinforcing the show's commitment to keeping the community informed about everything from legal battles and historical preservation to sports updates and health initiatives.
Read the full video transcript
Pike County is sued after backing out of
a proposed landfill and grant money is
available to help tell the story of
Appalachia's history. I'm Nick Colum and
this is the Mountaintop Daily.
Pike County is facing a federal lawsuit
for backing out of a proposed landfill
project due to public backlash earlier
this year.
USA Waste and Recycling and American
Land Reserve claimed the Pike County
Fiscal Court illegally rescended a host
community agreement tied to the project,
effectively revoking the company's
landfill franchise. The companies
claimed the franchise was worth at least
$20 million and are seeking damages,
interest, attorneys fees, and other
relief. The lawsuit also alleges
violations of federal and state
constitutional protections, as well as
breach of contract and good faith
obligations.
If you have an idea for a monument or
exhibit to promote a littleknown story
from Appalachia's history, a grant
program has millions of dollars to make
it happen. Robin tells us about
Monuments Across Appalachin Places.
>> Do you know a story or piece of history
that deserves some recognition?
Monuments Across Appalachin Places is a
grant initiative looking for unique ways
to shine some light on Appalachin
culture. What we do is ask people to
reimagine what a monument can be. So we
think of them in that sort of way. So
the grant what we do is we say we're
searching for undertold stories.
>> Hakes talked about how many monuments in
Appalachia commemorate battles. One of
my associates, Sarah Plamer, she and her
class did an inventory of all the
monuments within the state of Virginia
and predominantly found that they are
portraying mostly battles,
soldiers, great men types, if you will,
inclusions of indigenous people tend to
be in portrayals of violence and so
things of that nature. So it really set
off on this how do we tell a more
complex a more diverse and a more
truthful history right because history
is super complex
>> the monuments are not limited to statues
or physical structures
>> we've worked with the Monan Indian
nation so they needed a gathering place
they have an annual pow-wow so with them
we kind of help them imagine a monument
that is actually a modern long house
that's a pavilion so the monuments we
like to think of them as something that
community can gather around um and tell
and share stories and continue to have
usefulness, right?
>> The deadline for proposals is Tuesday,
October 13th, and you don't need to be
intimidated if this is something you've
never done before.
>> We have two types of grants that people
can apply for. one is a final mile grant
and that is for organizations that do
this kind of work um and are used to
doing the grant reporting process so
they can just take the money and not
talk to us [laughter]
if they don't want to. Um and then the
other one we have we're calling it a
road trip grant. Um and that's going to
be more of the hands-on. We have a
support team. So, we have uh a legion of
artists, uh lawyer types, people that
know how to do with uh land grants and
sort of working with that sort of stuff,
more the logistical side. We have
faculty partners at Virginia Tech that
we can pair people up with. Um if
someone chooses to apply with the
roadtrip grant,
>> for more information, check out more
mountainstories.org. Reporting from
Mountaintop News, I'm Robin Tilman.
Coming up after the break, Prestonburg
today dedicated a trail head in honor of
a man who has spent his life making the
community healthier. You'll hear from
him when the Mountaintop Daily
continues. But first, sports and
weather.
>> How's it going everybody? I'm Garrett
Markham and this is your Mountaintop
Sports Recap.
Mountain Talk Sports will be on hand
Saturday to stream the 15th [music]
Region All A Volleyball Classic
tournament at Pike Central. Live stream
action is scheduled to begin at 9:00
a.m. and last throughout the day. You
can catch it on our Facebook TV app or
cable [music] TV channel. The football
season kicks off tonight in West
Virginia with a battle between two Mingo
County teams. Mingo Central will face
Toe Valley at 7:30 at Buck Harle
Stadium. Last year, Mingo Central
slipped by with a 35-30 [music] win.
Mountain Talk Sports will work to
provide you coverage of the results.
That's your Mountain Talk Sports [music]
recap. For the latest in sports, be sure
to follow Mountain Talk Sports on
Facebook, Instagram, or X, or visit
mountain-topsports.com. [music]
Ned Pillarsdorf fights for the underdog
in courtrooms where he advocates for the
most vulnerable. And in classrooms where
atrisisk kids get a second chance,
Ned doesn't just talk about things. Ned
shows up and people notice.
He's the best pro bono [music] attorney
in the nation.
Now he's bringing his fight to
Washington.
>> I'm Ned Pillars and I approve this
message.
We understand where you are and we know
where you need connection. Friday Night
Lights, Tuesday night basketball, the
marching band, the robotics team, and
here's the funny thing. You'll probably
see Appalachin Wireless supports all of
them. And you know who you probably
won't see? That's right, those big
carriers. Because supporting our
communities isn't something we do when
it's convenient. It's who we are. So, if
you're thinking about switching,
remember, where you spend your money, it
matters. So keep it local and keep it
[music] connected because we are
Appalachin Wireless.
>> Anytime over the past four decades, if
you've had a question about exercise,
cycling, weightlifting, or adventure
tourism in Prestonburg, Floyd County, or
just about anywhere in Eastern Kentucky,
you may very well have been told to ask
Dawn. Don Fields is widely seen as an
expert on all of those things as owner
of Pro-Fitness Multisports. But his
interests go beyond his business, and he
has been a valuable resource for many of
the city's fitness and tourism
initiatives. Today, the community said
thank you by naming the West Preston
trail head of the Prestonburg passage
after him. Connor takes us there. The
27th of August now marks a special day
in the Prestonburg cyclist community.
Donfields, owner of Pro Fitness in
Prestonburg, now has a trail head named
after him for all he has done for the
star city. Here we have Brook Lmon's
executive director of Prestonburg
Tourism to tell us more.
>> Don is the owner of Pro-Fitness here in
town. So that's the main gym here in
Prestonburg. Um he organizes like
Thursday night bike rides that they do
like the road road rides I guess you
would call them and they go up around
Stone Crest and then down around Jenny
Wy and they'll go out towards the Red
Lens place and then back. So he does
those like organized Thursday night
rides. Don has always been a staple at
all of our events. Uh whether it be
paddlefest like kayaking down the river
or him using his stand up paddle board,
he's always on the trails. You see him
out biking and he's just a huge asset to
the community. And our outdoor adventure
would not be what it is without Don
Fields.
>> Fields has dedicated over 40 years to
Star City and plans for many more to
come. Here is Pryinsburg's mayor Rick
Hughes to tell us more about the trail
head.
>> Truly, we're celebrating a man that
deserves it. I mean, there's a lot of
community support that we get from other
businesses and everything, but but uh
this was something that I had been
approached a while back, but I wanted to
make sure that that DOM was recognized
for for his community efforts that he
puts forth. We had some people show up
today that didn't even know this part of
the trail head was here. So, basically,
it's over in West Prestonburg. You just
need to follow it down and make two
lefts, I guess you would say. Most
people, I don't want to say most, but
several people park in the park and you
can enter it through Archer Park and
that's just about a hundred yards away
from us right now and then they'll come
that way. But, you know, like I said,
Don's a Don's a wonderful community
community supporter and we certainly
appreciate him and his wife uh
everything that they've done for our
community. Everyone gathered together to
celebrate Fields. It shows just how much
the community cares for him. Here's the
man of the hour, Don Fields, to tell us
how he feels about the trail head and
the Prestonburg community.
>> First of all, I'm totally surprised. Uh,
I knew nothing. I suspected nothing. Uh,
I'm honored to be recognized for
something that I just love to do.
Anyway, is wonderful. I mean, I I
sincerely appreciate every everybody
that thought of doing this. And uh I I
want to say that I think the people in
Prestonburg, Prestonburg could possibly
be the most fit town per capita in the
state of Kentucky.
Uh we've got four gyms in this town.
We've got a bike shop. We've got two
rail trails close to us. We have 30
miles of single track mountain bike
trails. [laughter] We have a river for
kayaking. We have the lake for kayaking.
And uh every day, I mean, there's people
on the streets running, biking, kayaks
on top of cars. I I love it. I love
seeing it. It It makes It's a place that
I want to live.
>> Reporting for Mountaintop News, I'm
Connor Kidd.
>> That will do it for this edition of the
Mountaintop Daily. Be sure to check us
out at 6 pm every weekday on Mountaintop
TV, the Mountaintop TV app, and the
Mountaintop News Facebook page. With
your Mountaintop Daily, I'm Nick Colum
for Mountaintop News.