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Friday, February 25, 2011 Serving the Tri-State community Printed on 100% Recycled Newsprint 12 Pages, 50¢ INSIDE Phillips Machine Service SOLD: acquires Combs Group, Inc. BY ADAM YOUNG Staff Writer MIDDLESBORO — Phillips Machine Service announced on Wednesday the acquisition of the Combs Group, Inc. — which will now conduct business as CBJ Machine and Hydraulics. The Combs Group, formerly owned and operated by John and Susan Combs, spe- cializes in rebuilding underground mining Lady Jackets & machinery, associated part sales, machin- Lady Lions fall in ing, fabrication, hydraulics and chrome plating. title games Phillips Machine Service, based in — Page 8 Beckley, West Virginia, will retain the Combs Group as an operating subsidiary YOUR with its current offices and shops in Middlesboro and Harrogate, Tenn. COMMUNITY John Combs will remain as president of Combs, Inc. and will continue to serve the coal industry in Illinois, Kentucky, House OKs Tennessee, Western Virginia and Alabama. Combs has 27 years of experience spe- Nelson bill cializing in sales and service to the mining restricting Daily News photo file and industrial sectors. His resume includes Pictured above is John Combs and his wife Susan Combs, former owners and Sigmaform Corp., Kennametal Inc., release of operators of The Combs Group. The Combs Group was sold to Phillips Machine Fairchild International and most recently elk in Ky. Service, the company announced on Wednesday. Phillips Machine • See SOLD, page 3 FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Wildlife officials would Kentucky drug problem gains need approval from local leaders before releasing elk anywhere in Kentucky under a bill approved by the House on Wednesday. national attention Democratic Rep. Rick Nelson of Middlesboro BY LORIE SETTLES program and about how that struggle to address the growing enough,” Caldwell contended. introduced the legislation on Staff Writer last week we became a national problem, Caldwell insists that “So, we have to keep this fund- behalf of eastern Kentucky model for drug prevention for UNITE has made great strides ing in southern Kentucky.” BELL COUNTY — The the First Tee program.” in Bell County, and is vital to Some information in this constituents who complain drug problem in Bell County that elk have become nui- Caldwell said he said that continuing the fight against article courtesy WYMT News. and eastern Kentucky at large prevention programs in schools drugs. sances and hazards in has been noticed nationally. Lorie Settles is a staff writer for mountain communities. are the key to tackling the prob- “Without Hal Rogers and The White House Director for the Middlesboro Daily News. She The bill passed 93-5 and lem, and golf programs like without Operation UNITE, we Drug Policy, Gil Kerlikowske, may be contacted via e-mail at now heads to the Senate. First Tee, as well as an archery would be losing thousands of has been touring eastern [email protected] Public records show that program he believes in, can lives, and we’ve already lost m. more than 100 motorists Kentucky this week to gain help empower them to make have collided with elk on insight into the region’s prob- better decisions. rural roads in eastern lem with drugs, and spoke with “By representing their Kentucky since 2005 and a Bell County representative on school in archery or in the First Feds raid Fla. pill mills; that hundreds of residents Wednesday. Tee or some of these programs, have complained about Kerlikowske was in London, it can give everyone an identi- property damage caused by Ky., Wednesday night, along ty,” he said. arrest docs, owners roaming herds. with U.S. Representative Hal Caldwell said that the sense BY CURT ANDERSON Under Nelson's bill, Rogers, for the "Rising Above of self gained from belonging AP Legal Affairs Writer wildlife officials couldn't Celebration Dinner." to a team is a better prevention release any kind of animal Rogers worked to create tool than anti-drug lectures for WESTON, Fla. (AP) — U.S. Drug Enforcement weighing 500 pounds or Operation UNITE, an organiza- young people. He hopes to Administration agents and local police swept across South Florida more without local consent. tion that has been fighting the expand the role of schools in on Wednesday making arrests as part of a lengthy undercover problem for years. drug prevention in the future. operation into illegal pill mills that dispense huge amounts of Galbraith "We think the UNITE pro- “My answer is to put more powerful prescription drugs across the nation. gram is world class, and it money into prevention, put Federal law enforcement officials said the yearlong probe comes out should be copied around the more people into the school resulted in initial arrests of 20 people, including at least five doc- country," said Rogers. systems... we should have tors, in an operation in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach against Kerlikowske commented someone in every school sys- counties that involved about 400 law enforcement officers. Six mountaintop that the problem exists across tem doing prevention measures people were charged in a federal indictment and others face state the country, but said that the every day,” Caldwell declared. charges, including the physician son of Broward County's med- removal united front against drugs in On the state level, leaders ical examiner. eastern Kentucky stands out. are exploring options to Mark R. Trouville, chief of the Miami DEA field office, said FRANKFORT, Ky. “The fact that people are so decrease the incidence of illicit more arrests are coming, noting that undercover agents made at (AP) — Independent committed and so willing to drug use, including abuse of least 340 purchases of oxycodone and other painkillers at 40 clin- Gatewood Galbraith has work together to make such a prescription pills and metham- ics over the past year. differentiated himself from difference in the quality of life phetamine. Speaking at a news conference directly to doctors and clinic all other Kentucky guber- for the people around them,” Governor Beshear and mem- owners, Trouville said: "We have probably bought dope from you natorial candidates by tak- said Kerlikowske. bers of Kentucky Congress — and we're coming to see you soon." ing a strong stand against a Representatives from have urged the state of Florida The federal indictment unsealed Wednesday against six people mining method descriptive- UNITE’s county coalitions to take a harder line on the pre- who operated a network of South Florida pain clinics asserts that ly dubbed "mountaintop addressed Kerlikowske to talk scription drug problem, since they trolled the Internet for prospective patients using some 1,600 removal." about the problems they face many offenders are flocking to domain names that captured searches for pain medication. They Galbraith said Thursday locally. Donnie Caldwell, a the Sunshine State to take charged clinic visit fees of between $200 and $350 per patient, the practice has caused staffer for the Bell County advantage of less stringent drug and patients could pay additional "VIP" fees to jump ahead in "unsurpassed environmen- Coalition of the group, repre- laws. line. tal damage" in the sented the area to Kerlikowske. Federal agents on Court documents show this one network dispensed some Appalachian region and Caldwell said that the issues Wednesday executed a drug 660,000 units of oxycodone through five clinics between Jan. 1, should not be allowed. facing Bell County are echoed raid in Florida after a year-long 2009, and Dec. 31, 2010. The six operators are charged with oxy- The Lexington attorney throughout the region, and that federal probe, resulting in the codone distribution conspiracy and some with money laundering making his fifth run for he’s spoken with youth in the arrest of 20 people, including at as well. governor is the only candi- area who don’t understand why least five doctors. Agents said Prosecutors in that case seek forfeiture of more than $22 mil- date who has voiced oppo- there are so many repeat more arrests are pending, lion in cash, real estate and a list of 49 vehicles and boats includ- sition to mountaintop offenders. according to the Associated ing exotic Lamborghini sports cars, a Bentley convertible and removal. All others have “We’re scared for family Press. several Mercedes-Benzes. called for the U.S. members, we don’t know what Kentucky lawmakers are U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer said the raids targeted “drug Environmental Protection to do with people that are fac- considering a bill to require a dealers who are hiding behind medical prescriptions.” Agency to ease regulations ing jail time,” Caldwell said. prescription for medications A total of 172 state charges were brought in Palm Beach that are hampering the pro- “We know that we have people containing pseudoephedrine, County against clinic operators and employees and doctors, cedure. who need to face consequences like Sudafed, in an effort to including racketeering and oxycodone trafficking. The potential Galbraith won an early and be in jail.” decrease access to the ingredi- maximum sentences for some of those defendants top 500 years. endorsement from the Caldwell said that he ents of methamphetamine. Affidavits filed by undercover agents show how easy it is to get United Mine Workers of stressed UNITE’s ideas for Most recently, a Senate prescriptions for massive amounts of pills despite complaining America, a sign that he says solving the problem, rather Judiciary Committee cleared a only of a stiff neck. In one buy, an agent is warned to stay away shows Kentucky's working than reiterating the stories of bill to reduce prison time for from chain drugstores because suspicious prescriptions are easier class is unhappy with the desperation that were told from offenders caught with small to track. state's political leadership.

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