9:44am

Mon July 11, 2011
Eastern and Central Kentucky

Ghost Hunting Reduces Stigma

Credit Brooke Didanato / Lexington Herald-Leader
Ron and Lori Coffey, at Machpelah Cemetery in Mount Sterling, are members of Gateway Paranormal Society. The group looks for reasons before they look for ghosts.

Their conventional occupations as a retired school teacher, emergency room clerk and firefighter don't hint that in their spare time, Ron and Lori Coffey and Howard Hamilton investigate reports of ghost sightings. The trio are members of the Mount Sterling-based Gateway Paranormal Society, one of numerous teams statewide that investigate paranormal activity in private homes, historical sites and cemeteries. The groups say that as the pastime has become more popular, the stigma is beginning to end. Known as ghost hunters, they consider the searches not just a hobby but services to provide help to people.