Oscar L. Combs is a native of Jeff in Perry County, and got early newspaper experience as a high school sophomore writing high school regional sports news for the Courier-Journal. After attending Cumberland College, he started work as news editor of the Hazard Herald in 1965. Four years later he was named editor of the Eastern Kentucky Voice, a paper he later purchased along with the Tri-City News. He turned the Voice into a crusading weekly paper without regard for the whims and wishes of controlling forces in the county. He spoke out strongly against strip mining in the region, corrupt county officials and civic leaders, many times at his own peril. He is frequently recognized for journalistic excellence by the Kentucky Press Association. He sold his papers, moved to Lexington and started The Cats’ Pause, a new kind of tabloid newspaper dedicated to coverage of University of Kentucky sports. Instant success followed, and within 10 years the publication had paid subscribers in every state and some foreign countries. The paper was not a cheerleader or a muckraker but an appropriate blend of both. He sold the paper to Landmark Community Newspapers in 1997 but continues to write a regular column.