From Miller’s Creek Fire and Rescue:
This morning (Monday, February 16, 2026) just before 10 AM MCFR received a request for assistants in reference to a cow that was down and could not get up. Unit 8 and Squad 8 responded with 3 firefghters trained in large animal rescue and several other firefighters assisted. Crews were able to setup a high point rope system and raised the cow, slid a stokes basket under and moved her to an open area to be cared for. We want to thank our partners with the Estill County Rescue Squad for assisting in making this a successful rescue.Stella moved to safety.
We just finished our fundraiser to order our large animal equipment and will place that order soon. We are looking forward to adding this equipment to make our job easier.
We are happy to report that “Stella” is doing well and gaining energy.
Thank you 4hooves large animal services and Dr. Grimes for your advice today.
There are more photos at the original.
Miller’s Creek Fire and Rescue is a volunteer fire station, men doing what needs to be done on their own, helping people without getting paid for it. Chad, the station chief, helped out my family during the flood of 2021, when our HVAC system was underwater and the flood floated the propane tank, so we couldn’t use the fireplace for heating; our house itself did not flood. We still had electricity, so Chad brought over some electric space heaters to help keep the place livable. This was before the volunteer fire station was established, which started in 2024.
I stopped by the fire station last spring, because I had a piece of metal that had to be cut, and wanted to borrow a torch. Well, the fire station didn’t have a torch, but gave me the name and phone number of a neighbor who did. I called him, and he drove right down, cut the metal for me himself, and wouldn’t hear of me paying him; he was just being a good neighbor.
Out in the wilds of eastern Kentucky, I can’t just walk a couple of blocks and pick up freshly baked croissants from a French boulangerie, and our restaurant choices are few, basically diner food. We don’t have the luxuries that some of my Philadelphia and other ‘urbanist’ friends have, no high-class restaurants, no city nightlife, no Wawa coffee 🙁 but we do have one thing: we have great people around here!
While my wife and I grew up in the Bluegrass State, we aren’t from Estill County, yet the people here accepted us as if we were old, old friends. That’s something you just don’t get in the city.
The rural counties of the Bluegrass State used to be solidly Democratic. Kentucky has had only a few Republican governors in recent memory, and up until the 2016 elections, the state House of Representatives was controlled by the Democrats, the one of the last legislative chambers in the South — I was tempted to write “in the Confederacy,” but Kentucky never seceded or joined the CSA — controlled by the Democrats.
The races in which I could vote? Other than the presidential race, only the contest for Kentucky’s sixth congressional district were even contested. All but one had a Republican nominee, with no Democratic opponent, while one, for Commonwealth’s Attorney, had a Democratic nominee, but no Republican opponent. Naturally, I voted for all Republicans, but left the vote for Commonwealth’s Attorney blank.