In this episode host Jason Belcher will introduce you to two veterans from the Big Sandy Region, Bradley Taylor of Meta who served during World War I and Brigadier General Walt Hatcher of Pikeville who served during the Vietnam War. We also will briefly examine the causes and consequences of those conflicts. As always, we salute all veterans of the Armed Forces.

Ninety-five years ago this week the stock market crash triggered the Great Depression, a decade long economic downturn which resonated across the entire world. This week host Jason Belcher talks about how the Great Depression impacted the lives and fortunes of those who were living in the Big Sandy region during those tumultuous years and how they responded to the hardships of those difficult times.

Our hearts go out to those who were impacted by Hurricane Helene last week, and we give thanks to the brave first responders who have already rescued and aided so many. Much of the worst damage from the storm was caused by floods, and flooding of course has long been a part of Pikeville's own past. Mayor William Hambley, who came up with the idea for the Cut Through Project, did so in large part due to his own experiences with devastating flooding in Pikeville as a boy.

Thirty-seven years ago today, the Cut Through was officially opened in Pikeville, with a grand ceremony attended by local leaders and then Governor of Kentucky Martha Layne Collins. Join us to explore how and why the Cut Through came to be, and how the project's completion changed the future of Pikeville forever.