Editor,

In Mingo County, W.Va., they are trying to build a facility unlike any that you’d find anywhere in the world.

Construction was to start in the spring of 2011.

It is a TransGas Development System. The estimate is that it will take 40 months to construct. To get through the construction, there will be somewhere around 2,400 people working at any given time. Permanent job estimates would be about 300 at the job site and about 200 indirect contractors. Then they are going to use about 3 million tons of coal, so that’s about another 200 mining jobs it will support.

Coal is first converted to gasses like carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Once that is cleaned it is converted into methanol, which is finally turned into gas. The plant will produce 18,000 barrels of premium grade gasoline per day. Meanwhile over in China, they’re using our coal to make roofing shingles and they sell them to us.

In St. Paul, Va., they have a new state of the art coal powered electric plant with scrubbers — all clean coal technology.

Contact your representatives and senators. Put pressure on Frankfort first. If Frankfort can come up with over $300 million to build the first part of Toyota, they can do the same for eastern Kentucky.

Jerry Asher

Watts Creek

Editor,

Recently while working on my wife’s family history, I became aware of her uncle, Arthur Clyde Brown.

Born in Pennington Gap in June 1905, he moved to Wallins while a young boy. He enlisted in the United States Navy in February 1927 and served faithfully until August 1943 when he died in the line of duty in Brisbane, Australia.

Originally buried in the US Military Cemetery in Ipswich, his body was returned to Harlan County in December 1948. His family had him buried in an unmarked location in the Upper Masonic Cemetery in Wallins. His father, Herbert Ray Brown and mother Maxine Rasnic Brown lay next to him. there are no marker on any of these graves.

The family would like to place a Veteran’s marker on Arthur Clyde’s grave. Anyone with any information on the cemetery can contact me at mstewart4@woh.rr.com.

Martin Stewart

Editor,

Kentucky Education Television (KET) has entered a new season of enriching programming and robust educational services. Committed to education, KET continues its rich tradition of bringing trusted, world-class digital learning to Kentucky classrooms. In addition, KET provides distance learning courses in Physics, Latin, German, and soon Chinese, early childhood education resources and training, GED preparation courses, and more serving all ages.

Accessible to public schools and classrooms across the state, KET works to support innovation, student achievement, and critical thinking skills necessary for Kentuckians to compete in a global economy. As a local, Kentucky teacher, I daily utilize the resources and support that KET provides free of charge to schools. The resources KET provides enable teachers to meet 21st Century Teacher standards and our Next Generation Learners’ needs. In addition, KET brings into our homes the best arts and performance programs from around the world, for all of us to enjoy. KET was presented with 4 national awards at the National Educational

Telecommunications Association (NETA) annual meeting in St. Louis this past week. In fact, KET won more awards than any other public broadcasting station (!) and was recognized for the following projects: KET’s Self-Paced Professional Development Modules The KET Education Promotions Packet KET’s Election 2011 Coverage Using Social Media Jubilee — “Summertime Blues.”

At present, the Federal Government is considering some major budget cuts for Public Broadcasting. KET depends on a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to help bring excellent, high-quality programming to Kentucky. At present the annual federal investment of $1.35 per citizen for public broadcasting compares with investments of $63 per citizen in Japan and $84 per citizen for the BBC in Great Britain. The annual $3 million grant KET receives from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is 15 percent of KET’s total budget and 30 percent for KET’s funds for local productions. It funds 23 full time positions and four part time positions. In turn, for every $1 received from the federal funding, we leverage for an additional $6, which translates to an excellent public-private partnership. The federal funding base is an essential component of KET’s overall funding.

I was saddened and alarmed to see PBS funding become an issue in the presidential debate. If you do the math, terminating the federal investment would have little, if any, effect on the federal budget deficit, but would have devastating effects on the essential services-in education, engaged citizenship, culture, public safety, health, and more — that public media provides to 170 million viewers, listeners, and learners, including children in low income families for whom Big Bird and company have been a lifeline to educational success for 40 years.

KET is way more than just Big Bird. It is a true state educational treasure that must be protected and supported. If you value KET, I encourage you to get involved. Join www.170millionAmericans to receive information about public broadcasting and its funding. Please write, call, email, or Facebook our representatives and senators expressing your support for KET. Coming up in November is KET’s Winter Pledge Telefund. Volunteers will be manning the phones and help KET receive the much-needed donations to keep the top-notch programming and resources available to Kentuckians and other surrounding viewers! Please call the 1-800 number listed on your television screen during the telefund and donate.

The KET Friends Board and I will be answering the phones on Nov. 26! Call between 6-11 p.m. on Nov. 26 and you can even ask to speak to me and I will personally help you make your pledge! I encourage everyone in Harlan County, the surrounding counties, and the state of Kentucky to help KET continue to be Kentucky’s Extraordinary Treasure! Your voice does matter. I hope you will join with me in support of KET’s educational mission and public service to ALL Kentuckians.

Barbra Ledford

Friends Board President

Kentucky Educational Television

Editor,

Every day, I am saddened when I hear stories of children in our region suffering from abuse or neglect because their parents are addicted to drugs.

Every day, my heart breaks for families struggling to cope with a loved one’s addiction.

Every day, nearly three people die in Kentucky because of drugs.

Every day, I pray that something can be done about the escalating abuse of prescription painkillers.

Drug abuse and addiction are prevalent in every community. The average age of first-time drug use in southern and eastern Kentucky is age 11. It is a problem that won’t go away on its own, and cannot be solved unless we all take a stand.

Let’s ignite a “Fire in the Mountains” at 3 p.m. Sunday, November 18, at three simultaneous regional prayer rallies to be held at the Eastern Kentucky Expo Center in Pikeville, Somerset Christian School Auditorium in Somerset, and the Old Corbin Civic Center in Corbin. “Fire in the Mountains” is a free event for people of all faiths who are concerned about drug abuse, addiction and recovery to come together as one through prayer.

Each program will feature prayers led by leaders representing many segments of the community — reflecting the broad impact of the drug epidemic - as well as special speakers and worship selections.

We hope the rallies will give concerned citizens an opportunity to volunteer to make a difference in people’s lives, whether through prevention, treatment, or support for those dealing with addiction-related issues. We envision the “Fire” to spread throughout southern and eastern Kentucky, sparking on-going prayer events in all counties.

For more information about “Fire in the Mountains” contact Carl Varney at 606-594-8144 or cvarney@centertech.com.

We need everyone is involved. Let us all come together at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 18, to pray with one unified voice crying out to God for help with the drug problem.

Karen Kelly

Director, Operation UNITE