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Opinion

  •
    Ultrasound bill has cleared the...

    We have reached the half-way point of the 2012 General Assembly Session. There are daily committee meetings, policy briefings, visits from constituents, and meetings with various advocacy groups.

  •
    House has approved 68 bills midway...

    We have reached the half way mark of the 2012 session and I believe the House of Representatives has much to show for our 30 days in Frankfort.
    Since Jan. 3, we have been hard at work moving legislation through the committee process, working on budget issues within our subcommittees and meeting with constituents and stakeholders on issues of importance to Kentuckians.

  •
    This is not the bipartisanship we...

    Here's the good news.
    Marion County is in the 24th District of the Kentucky House of Representatives. We know this.
    Marion County voters know we will have a choice between the incumbent, Terry Mills, and challenger Bill Pickerill. The problem for the candidates is figuring out what other counties should be part of their campaigns.

  •
    Raise your glasses

    If you support tourism in Lebanon, last week was a reason to celebrate.
    Not only did the Lebanon Tourist and Convention Commission welcome its new executive director, but the community was able to celebrate what could become our next tourist attraction.
    The tourist commission had a rough year in 2011 for more reasons than we care to list here, but 2012 has gotten off to a much better start.

  • Letter: Doomsday 2012?

    A lot has been shown recently on television concerning the Mayan calendar's end in 2012 and those who believe that a great disaster will strike the earth in late December of this year. I really do not know anything concerning the Mayan calendar and have not been exposed to any information that would let me believe that the world will end anyway soon. However, based upon history and re-occurring earthquakes, I do believe this area could see a major disruption in the very near future.

  • Letter: Protect our horses

    In a state where horses are supposed to be loved they are being sent to slaughter. There is no way it can be euthanasia. According to Dr. Lester Friedlander, DVM and former chief USDA inspector: "The captive bolt is not a proper instrument for the slaughter of equids, these animals regain consciousness 30 seconds after being struck, they are fully aware they are being vivisected." Visit www.vetsforequinewelfare.org for a White paper giving facts. See the FOIA from USDA there or at www.kaufmanzoning.net for proof of abuses at auctions, during transportation and slaughter.

  • Correction, Feb. 15

    A story in the Feb. 8 edition should have described Fr. Ivo Cecil, the recent deceased former pastor of St. Augustine, as a "gentle giant."

  •
    The story of D.B. Cooper

    By James Roberts
    Landmark News Service

  •
    Legislature works to resolve issue...

    Greetings from Frankfort! Anyone visiting the capitol this week would have enjoyed watching democracy in action, both on an individual level as well as a grander level. We passed legislation that made road travel safer for the Amish as well as the "English," we moved forward in education, and we found consensus on congressional redistricting even as legislative redistricting moved to the courts. It was a full week.

  •
    State leaders working to fight...

    When the General Assembly began the legislative session last month, there was already broad agreement on what the three biggest issues would be: Writing state government's budget, realigning legislative and Kentucky Supreme Court districts, and limiting if not stopping prescription drug abuse.
    Last week, the latter two took center stage.

  •
    'Trust, but verify' saves...

    By Jim Waters

    Transparency not only makes government smaller, less costly and more responsive to its constituents. It saves lives, too.
    The downside: It can embarrass government agencies and the bureaucrats who run them.  
    But ask me if I care more about assisting efforts by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services - which is shut up tighter than a pair of vise grips - to save face or finding out what really happened to Amy Dye, a 9-year-old Western Kentucky girl.

  •
    Education bills and the Turtleman...

    The Senate passed several bills last week. Of these bills, three education bills are of particular importance.

  •
    House looks at human trafficking

    It was a hectic and busy week in Frankfort as we worked through the challenges of the House and Senate redistricting plans. We are hopeful that this will be resolved soon so that we can dedicate our full attention to budget issues and important legislation needed to move Kentucky forward.

  •
    Local legislators look to trim...

    Bipartisanship is practically dead, both in Frankfort and in Washington D.C.
    But from time to time, Democrats and Republicans have found issues that bring them together.
    At the state level, we’ve seen a few examples so far.
    - Secretary of Agriculture James Comer, a Republican, and State Auditor Adam Edelen, a Democrat, are working together on an audit of the former ag secretary Richie Farmer’s books.
    - Politicians on both sides of the aisle have recognized something has to be done to stem the tide of prescription pills flooding the state.

  •
    Nurse aides are angels among us

    By Angel Metcalf, Guest Columnist

  •
    A 10-year-old inspiration

    There are some stories, when you hear them, your jaw drops in pure amazement.
    A friend shared a jaw-dropping story with me last week.
    The story, which aired on WLEX18-TV recently, was about 10-year-old Lily Embury of Lexington who is currently training for the Myrtle Beach half marathon.
    A 10-year-old training for a half marathon?
    How can that be?
    Is that even possible?
    I mean, I didn't have the courage to run a half marathon until I was 30. She's only 10! Talk about a blow to the ego!

  •
    Finger-pickin' good time

    I didn't listen to much bluegrass music growing up. Metallica, Eric B and Rakim, Public Enemy, and AC/DC were more likely to be playing in my cassette deck. (Why does that make me feel old?)

    Like many teenagers, I was convinced that I knew more than I really did, and music was one area I wasn't open to anything but my limited tastes.

  •
    Learning compassion from canines

    "Any society, any nation, is judged on the basis of how it treats its weakest members -- the last, the least, the littlest." - Cardinal Roger Mahony

     

    The last...

    The least...

    The littlest...

    Our society is failing to protect our weakest members, and you don't have to look far to recognize that sad fact.

  •
    A lot of work remains for the state...

     

  •
    Jail all the dogs!

    With deepest apologies to Johnathan Swift, I have a modest proposal for the Marion County Animal Shelter and the Marion County Detention Center.
    Let's put some dogs in jail.
    Before you doubt my sincerity (which some of you might if you read my boss's column in last week's Enterprise accusing me - ME - of being sarcastic), hear me out.
    The Marion County Animal Shelter is overrun with dogs, and it's not something they can control.