Naturally, working for the local newspaper means you get asked questions all the time about various happenings around town. Sometimes I have knowledge of a particular situation, and am therefore able to share information with whoever happens to be asking me the question. Sometimes, on the other hand, I have no clue and am no help at all.
This week, I wanted to use my column space to address a few of the questions that I have been asked recently. There are a few other topics that I’d like to touch on as well, so let’s dive in.
I have been asked on more than one occasion lately, “What is the Duck?” This is in reference to the sign located in the vacant lot next to our downtown Corbin offices. It simply reads, “The Duck is coming…”
I have been in contact with the owner of the lot, but both of our busy schedules have made it difficult for us to get together and chat about whatever this intriguing sign is referring to. I hope to be able to provide an explanation soon, but in the mean time we may just have to assume that Daffy Duck is en route to Corbin. Or perhaps Donald. Maybe even Howard the Duck, which would be pretty cool for myself and all of my fellow comic book nerds out there.
Another question that I have been asked repeatedly is, “When is Apollo Pizza opening?”
As most of our readers probably already know, Apollo Pizza has been in the process of opening a downtown Corbin location for a long time now. Several stories have appeared in the pages of the News Journal in recent years regarding these efforts. Every time there is some activity at the property, it inevitably generates a great deal of excitement and interest amongst the local (hungry) citizenry. Many times, it has appeared that Corbin’s newest dining destination is about to finally open its doors. We haven’t quite made it to that point yet, at least not of this writing, but it would appear that we are extremely close.
A few weeks ago, as I was out in our delivery van, I noticed that some new furniture – tables and chairs and such – had been stacked up inside the restaurant. I have also noticed some announcements concerning hiring recently, so with seats to fill and staff members ready to get to work, one would assume that we will see Apollo Pizza actually inviting customers inside in the very near future.
One other question that I get asked ALL THE TIME is if I have any idea what in the world is going on with the City of London. Granted, this has become a popular topic of discussion in many circles, and the question could mean many different things. It could mean do you know what is happening with an ongoing investigation. It could mean do you know if an elected official is about to get ousted and/or resign. It could also mean do you know what happened at the latest protest outside of City Hall. Or are you up-to-date on the latest “he said, she said” that happens to be making the rounds on social media.
While trying to keep a handle on all of the developments in the City of London is a big enough task for someone whose job it is to actually cover that city, it is doubly difficult for us here at the News Journal considering the fact that we spend the overwhelming majority of our time keeping a close eye on happenings in Corbin and Williamsburg. We will tune in to London City Council meetings online, along with hundreds of others across the region, and we will attend certain functions in person if we feel it is necessary, but generally speaking, we just aren’t up there. It’s not our normal coverage area.
With that being said, the questions that I have personally been receiving most often concerning the craziness in London have to do specifically with the city’s housing authority. I have done a little bit of reporting on housing authority operations in Corbin and Williamsburg in recent years, and because of that fact I have found myself engaged in some conversations lately regarding the state of London’s housing authority, whether it has a legal and functioning board at this point in time, what might happen to the residents who are currently obtaining housing through the authority, etc., etc., etc.
My intention for the better part of the last month has been to put together some type of an article, or series of articles, that would hopefully clarify certain things regarding housing authority operations, generally speaking. I am not an expert on the matter, but I have consulted with someone who is, Corbin Housing Authority Executive Director Dr. Robert Hayes, and he has provided me with A LOT of information about how a housing authority board comes together, what the main objectives of the board are, how executive directors are appointed, what their job description entails, and how housing authorities work with the federal government to ensure that subsidized housing can remain as a viable option for those who meet the requirements.
Sharing this information has been my intention, and it still is, but the trouble has been finding enough time to dedicate to writing a thorough and factual report on such a complicated topic. It’s still on my to-do list, but it is going to require more reading on my part, and more focus than I have been able to give to the endeavor in recent weeks. Stay tuned, though.
Now to quickly touch on a couple of other topics before I conclude…
- I was very excited to see an announcement on Facebook over the weekend that Ngoc Kitchen in downtown Williamsburg will be re-opening this week. This comes weeks after an unfortunate incident that saw the owner of the establishment sustain some pretty serious injuries in a motor vehicle accident. I know a lot of folks in the local area have been sending their well wishes since that incident, so I am glad to see that the restaurant is once again open for business.
- As has become tradition, I attended the Annual “Honoring Our Veterans” Labor Day Weekend Pow Wow this past Saturday. This was the 16th year for the event, which takes place just off of Cumberland Falls Highway, near the Fifth Street Road/Corinth Cemetery intersection. This year’s gathering seemed to be a little larger than it has in recent years, with a ton of handmade items for sale, bounce houses for the kids, an authentic tipi display, and of course, plenty of dancers in elaborate costume performing for the crowd in attendance. See some photos from this year’s pow wow elsewhere in this week’s edition.
