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Columns

  • Legislature attacks ‘complex’ budgeting process

    As temperatures plummeted to near record lows across the Commonwealth on Jan. 2, state’s lawmakers convened the 2014 Regular Session.
    Our biggest task this year – as with every 60-day “long session” – will be writing the state government’s biennial budget. It’s a job that’s even more complex as we continue the hard uphill climb out of the worst recession in recent history.

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  • Extreme Makeover: Dog Edition

    I could barely see his eyes when he showed up on my doorstep.
    His long, stringy hair covered most of his face. His coat was wet and covered in mud. Parts of his body were covered with huge mounds of matted hair.
    He was very quiet, and seemed frightened. He wouldn’t let me get too close.
    I assumed he was hungry so I brought him some dog food, which he spilled all over the ground. Desperate to feed this poor animal, I found some country ham leftover from Christmas in my refrigerator, which he wolfed down as fast as I could give it to him.

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  • Legislators are preparing for the 2014 General Assembly

    I send my best regards to you and your family for the New Year. The holidays are behind us now, and we strive to get back into our routine with school and work. For me, Jan. 7 convened the 2014 General Assembly, a 60-day legislative session creating the next two-year budget for Kentucky. This year is loaded with issues that require legislative action as the Senate Majority strives to make pathways for economic growth and fight for fiscal responsibility.

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  • Looking back to look ahead

    The General Assembly returned to the Capitol on Tuesday this week, and it is worth taking one last look back at 2013, to review some of the issues my legislative colleagues and I have been studying in recent months.

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  • Budget is top priority for General Assembly

    While there are dozens of issues considered during a legislative session, the General Assembly’s top priority in even-numbered years is always the same: Adopt a budget to run state government.

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  • Share your views on current issues

    As we get ready to close out 2013, let me wish you and your family a happy New Year!
    It’s time again for members of the Kentucky General Assembly to meet for a 60-day legislative session that is frequently called a “budget session.” During this time, my colleagues and I will work to develop a two-year budget for state government. We will also discuss other issues important to Kentuckians, including jobs, economic development, education and health care.

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  • Just one man’s opinion

    State Sen. Jimmy Higdon has submitted a survey seeking input from his constituents on a variety of issues that may come up during the next General Assembly.
    Higdon’s survey can be found elsewhere on this page. What you’ll see below are my views on those issues.
    1. Do you support pro-life legislation?

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  • Kentucky knows how to celebrate the holidays

    It may seem to start a little earlier every year, and it may fatten our waistlines while it thins our wallets, but there really is no time more special than the holidays.
    That is especially true here in the Commonwealth, where there is always something to do to get in the spirit of the season, from Christmas parades and concerts to numerous events at our churches, schools and state parks.

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  • Tough Decisions

    On Dec. 6, we heard a report on the scanner of a serious automotive accident on Danville Highway. I went to the scene and took photos. 

    Shortly thereafter, I started seeing posts on Twitter indicating that Colin Whitfill, 19, died as a result of the accident. The Kentucky State Police confirmed that in a press release about the accident.

    In our coverage of that tragedy, we included a picture of the vehicle.

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  • Public libraries are a true gift

    Of all the gifts that Benjamin Franklin gave us, one of the most far-reaching has to be establishing the forerunner of our country’s public libraries.

    They have been a mainstay in Kentucky almost from the beginning, when the first opened in 1795 at what is now Transylvania University in Lexington. Some historians believe it was also the first outside of the 13 original colonies.

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