Columns

For nearly 150 years now, our nation has set aside a day to remember those who paid the ultimate price to protect our freedom.

It is perhaps fitting that Memorial Day, which traces its roots to the Civil War, was itself the source of conflict for so many years. It is believed to have begun in the South, when Confederate widows decorated not only the graves of their loved ones but also those of Union soldiers, knowing their families were grieving as well.

Kentucky has gotten a lot of attention over the years when it comes to finding innovative ways to govern.  Our education reforms of the 1990s were hailed as national models, for example, and we are the only state to permanently dedicate half of our annual tobacco settlement payments to agriculture, a move that has played a key role in the industry’s record sales in recent years.

No matter when spring falls on a calendar, it doesn’t feel like it truly hits its stride until the first Saturday of May, when the greatest two minutes in sports sends another Kentucky Derby winner into the history books.