Mountain Top Daily - 09/01/26

Two Pike County residents have pleaded guilty in a federal drug case and the Breaks Interstate Park Commission pays tribute to Jack Sykes. I'm Nick Collum and this is the Mountain Top Daily. Two Pike County residents have entered guilty pleas in a federal drug case. 57-year-old Wayne Buzzard of Zebulon Highway and Kathy McKinney, 54 of Island Creek, were arrested in March as part of a round up by Pikeville police. The following month, they were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiracy to distribute meth and possession of meth with the intent to distribute. Buzzard was also charged with using a gun in a drug trafficking crime while McKinney was charged with three counts of distributing meth. Buzzard appeared in court Monday to plead guilty to the possession with the intent and gun charges. In exchange for his plea, prosecutors agreed to dismiss the conspiracy charge. He will face up to 20 years for the possession charge and up to life in prison for the gun charge. McKinney appeared in court last week to plead guilty to one of the distributing charges in exchange for the remaining charges to be dropped. She now faces a sentence of up to 40 years in prison. Sentencing dates for Buzzard and McKinney will be set once a judge accepts their pleas. Former Pikeville city engineer and Summit Engineering President Jack Sykes died over the weekend. While he served his community in many ways, one of his favorites was by being a member of the Breaks Interstate Park Commission. That admiration was mutual as the commission today paid tribute to Sykes. Robin has the story. >> At a Breaks Interstate Park Commission meeting today, long-time member Jack Sykes, who passed away Saturday, August 29th, was honored with a resolution. >> If you look back all through the commission's history, you know, one person that was really influential, um Jack would be in the in the top two or three people uh that you could identify as just being critical for the fulfillment of the mission of the Breaks Interstate Park. Um Jack served the commission with distinction for 25 years. Uh he first started in 1994 and uh served all the way up till 2019. >> Sykes played an integral part in making the park what it is today. >> Jack was an engineer by uh profession and uh what I loved about that is that, you know, he he brought a perspective to the park. He not only loved it, but he he brought a set of talents and capabilities that, you know, not just the average person has. So, uh the amount of work, pro bono engineering work that Jack did on behalf of the park, helping us design projects, evaluate projects, um in all honesty, it it probably amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars over his time uh working with the park. >> I have known Jack for probably 35-plus years. I actually worked for him at Summit Engineering for 9 years and Jack was a great guy and I knew he was on the park commission because he would call me to come up and fish with him while he was up here. Jack was very instrumental in the park's direction. He had a passion about the park. Jack was a very analytical and project-minded person and he wanted to see the park grow and uh everything you look at, his thumb print's on it here. >> He will not be forgotten by his peers. >> Jack served as the chairman uh for the Breaks Interstate Park Commission for years and, you know, honestly, I I think he sets the bar for all chairman that come after him. >> He was a mover and a shaker in the Pike County area. He really helped the city of Pikeville. He was the engineer for them for years. His thumb print in the region is all over the place and he really helped get the park on good footing and put the arrow in the right direction. >> Reporting for Mountain Top News, I'm Robin Tillman. >> Coming up after the break, we'll take you to the Coal Country Tattoo Expo held in Pikeville over the weekend. That's coming up when the Mountain Top Daily continues. But first, sports and weather. >> How's it going everybody? I'm Olivia Stanley and this is your Mountain Top Sports Recap. Last night, Lawrence County and Belfry competed in a nine-hole match at Eagle Ridge Golf Course with the Bulldogs picking up the win. Mason Lowe of Belfry took first [music] place with the best individual performance. Stay tuned in our Facebook page to see all of our Pike County Bowl highlights from both nights. We will also be bringing you live radio coverage of Pikeville versus Raceland and [music] Belfry versus Johnson Central this Friday with game time set for 7:30. That's your Mountain Top Sports Recap. [music] For the latest in sports, be sure to follow Mountain Top Mountain Top Sports on Facebook, Instagram, and X or visit mountaintopsports.com. >> [music] [music] >> Ned Pillersdorf fights for the underdog in courtrooms where he advocates for the most [music] vulnerable and in classrooms where at-risk kids get a second chance. Ned doesn't just talk about things. Ned shows up and people notice. He's the best pro bono attorney in the nation. Now, [music] he's bringing his fight to Washington. >> I'm Ned Pillersdorf and I approve this message. >> Are you still stuck with a wireless carrier that just doesn't get [music] you? You know, you call for help, nobody knows your name, and they definitely don't know where you're from. Well, maybe it's time to come back home [music] to someone who does. Switching back to Appalachian Wireless, it's never been easier. You can keep your number with no awkward breakup and no starting over. [music] Just great savings on an advanced 5G network with local people. Keep your number, >> [music] >> keep it local, and keep it connected. So, come back home because we are you. We are Appalachian Wireless. >> Tattoo artists and enthusiasts gathered at the Appalachian Wireless Arena over the weekend for an event devoted to showcasing the artistry of the field. I went to the Coal Country Tattoo Expo to find out more. The second annual Coal Country Tattoo Expo recently took place at the Appalachian Wireless Arena with hundreds of artists from Kentucky and surrounding states in attendance. With needle in hand, and artists displayed their styles and talents to later be judged for cash prizes at the end of the event. Organizer Earl Christopher Walker tells us more. >> We just organized a lot of artists just to come together, have fun, enjoy the time. Basically, just enjoy the Appalachian Mountains, come to beautiful downtown Pikeville, Kentucky, you know, and just show our our talents, show most of the art. We're giving out awards, which is never done in in Kentucky, but the best of show, which is the one trophy for the whole entire show, that pays out $5,000, and then we have four of the first place trophies that pay out $1,000 a piece. And it's kind of my way of giving back to the artists and letting them you know, show their styles. And so, I want to give back to the artists, you know, and the community. And then, so >> Walker says artists that know each other well treat one another like family. Tattoo enthusiasts of all kinds are hopeful to see the expo grow in later years. >> The neat thing about the tradition of tattoo artists, they're almost like a one big huge family. So, it's kind of like when you meet someone new, it's like welcome to the fold, you know, on this side of the mountain if that makes any kind of sense. But, it's really the tattoo community it it's so larger than what most people think. The tattoo industry itself, we're we're all we're artists, you know, just trying to create, uh have a good time, you know, and do what we can just to prove to each other that you know, what kind of talent we have. >> That will do it for this edition of the Mountain Top Daily. Be sure to check us out at 6:00 p.m. every weekday on Mountain Top TV, the Mountain Top TV app, and the Mountain Top News Facebook page. With your Mountain Top Daily, I'm Nick Collum for Mountain Top News.