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Opinion

  •
    Big premiere

    Summer is typically the time movie studios release their big multi-million dollar blockbusters on big screens all over the country.

    This Friday, July 31, for the first time in a decade, Marion Countians may have a chance to watch a movie on a big screen in Lebanon. It may not be a summer blockbuster ("Happy Feet" is scheduled to be shown), but the first "Cinema at the Square" should be a memorable event (weather-permitting, of course).

  • Getting the word out about underage...

    It was refreshing to see the guest column in the July 15 edition of The Lebanon Enterprise by Brooke Lee. She expressed very well what some students in our community are trying to accomplish to reduce underage drinking. Many people think the problem of underage drinking in Marion County is minimal or doesn't exist. But, talk to teenagers, they will tell you that it goes on all the time.

  • Health reform fears run amuck

    Years ago, when I still lived and worked in Iowa, I was on a plane from Chicago to Omaha when an older man who walked with a cane and severe limp took the seat next to mine.

    He was on his way back to British Columbia, and he still had to switch planes a few more times before he got home. As we talked, I couldn't help asking him about his health issues.

    When I asked him what he thought of Canadian health care system? He said he loved it.

  • Bad news

    This week's Lebanon Enterprise is depressing.

    Any time we have bad news to report, it's depressing, but it's rare that so much bad news happens all at once.

    During the last eight days, Marion County has experienced a murder/suicide, an attempted murder, the arrest of four firefighters (and reports from the Kentucky State Police that more arrests are possible) and a car accident that forced an emergency Caesarean section. More sadly, the baby, Raelyn Michelle "Skeeter" Gribbins, died the day after the accident.

  • Second reading on alcohol sales -...

    I subscribe to The Lebanon Enterprise, which means I receive my copy in the mail late in the afternoon.

  • YAC raises awareness of alcohol...

    YAC, or Youth Advisory Council, was started at the high school two years ago by students who felt there was a problem that needed to be addressed. We meet once a month in the morning before school starts.  Being an active member of this club since its beginning has impacted me greatly. We have made a lot of accomplishments that I had never dreamt of.  The purpose of this club is to raise awareness of underage drinking. Among the students at school, I'm in the minority of kids who don't drink.

  • 'A good man's gone...

    "A good man's gone" That was the headline of my father's column on the opinion page in the April 8, 1981 edition of The Lebanon Enterprise. It was about his buddy, John Sheperson, who he referred to as "Shep," who had been working as a Kentucky State Trooper in Marion County for 11 years and had been promoted to sergeant, which meant he would be working in Morehead instead of Marion County. I was only a year old at the time, so I obviously didn't read this particular piece by my father, but a copy of the article was given t

  •
    Flying high again

    At a time when the economy isn't exactly stellar, it's nice when something gives a boost to the local economy. Three years ago, the Lebanon Tourist and Convention Commission recruited a model jet show to the Lebanon-Springfield Airport. The event has grown every year, and the 2009 Jets Over Kentucky show was the biggest one yet. More than 100 pilots (representing all 50 states and England) brought nearly 200 model planes and attracted thousands of visitors to the area during the showcase. The show itself expanded as well.

  •
    Better days ahead

    Once every three months, Marion Adjustment Center hosts a meeting of its community relations committee.

  •
    Musical legend

    I was four years old when I was first introduced to Michael Jackson.

    Only, I didn't call him that. I called him "Michael Jackins."

    The letter "S" was just too difficult for me to enunciate back then. I didn't have my two front teeth for quite some time as a young child (I have many embarrassing photos to prove it) and the "S" in Michael Jackson was very difficult for me to enunciate, so I just chose not to.

  • 2009 extraordinary session yields...

    As my colleagues and I began the second week of the 2009 extraordinary session, we were still uncertain as to if we would be able to accomplish our foremost mission, addressing our almost $1 billion budget shortfall. With the Senate approving one version of the budget and the House approving vastly a different one, many were unsure about the bill's fate.

  • Budget woes and proposed solutions...

    Less than three months after adjourning the 2009 regular session, my colleagues and I once again find ourselves at the state capitol to address the inevitable - a compounded budgetary shortfall and dismal economic outlook. With the projected shortfall for the upcoming fiscal year surpassing 10 percent, the governor exercised his gubernatorial power to call the legislature to Frankfort for an extraordinary session.

  • Film is dying, but not forgotten

    It's official. Digital wins.

    The Associated Press has reported that Kodak has announced it will discontinue making Kodachrome film.

    I don't say this with any kind of nostalgia for the days of film. There's no question that digital has helped me both take and process photos, but there is something sad about the end of production of color film.

    I realize that Kodak is not the world's only film maker, and Kodachrome isn't the only color film made by Kodak. Yet, I can't help thinking this is the beginning of the end.

  •
    Difficult Times

    I was listening to the news one morning last week and one of the topics was naturally the economy. The banks, the car manufacturers, mortgage companies and then the words domestic violence came into play. Working with women that are going through domestic violence is my job and naturally when I hear those words, my ears automatically perk up.

    As most of us already know, one out of three women will experience some form of abuse in their lifetime. That is startling enough.

  •
    Lend a hand, lend a heart

    A small house is being built on Lincoln Avenue in Lebanon. In some ways it's like many other houses in many other small towns.

  • Previewing the 2009 special session

    As you read this article, I am back in Frankfort for the special session called by Governor Beshear. The governor called the special session after the Consensus Forecasting Group predicted a $1 billion shortfall in the 2010 budget. Under Kentucky law, the governor can make adjustments to the budget to offset up to a five percent shortfall. The forecasted shortfall for next year is over ten percent; this requires the General Assembly to convene in order to resolve the shortfall.

  • Numerous bills slated to become...

    When the 2009 General Assembly adjourned on March 26, my colleagues and I were greeted with the public sentiment that too many issues were left unresolved.

  • Creating confusion on the sidewalk

    It was supposed to be easy.

    All I had to do was get on a plane in Louisville, meet up with my son in Rhode Island, and ride back to Kentucky in his car.

    Something any normal person should be able to do with ease.

    Only one problem.   I've never been normal.

    If I was normal, I never would have attempted to walk from my home to downtown Frankfort on the hottest day of the summer last year.

  • Seinfeld, monks offer life lessons

    I've watched a lot of Seinfeld episodes in my day, and I've had a chance to meet and cover some pretty interesting people through my work.

    I bring this up because many people I know and care about are going through some big changes.

    Some are going through big changes in their relationships. Others are preparing to welcome a new life into their lives, and still others will be waiting longer than they anticipated to do so.

  • Horse neglect isn't new

    Animal neglect and abuse have always been with us. Studies have shown that neglect gets worse when unemployment increases, but that it did not worsen following the closing of the Texas and Illinois slaughter houses.

    Moreover, slaughter auctions continue, unabated. Horses are simply hauled to Canada and Mexico. Over 134,000 American horses were slaughtered in 2008, the second highest number since 1995!

    Euthanasia is a humane solution for older horses, when their owners wish to rid themselves of a mouth to feed. The cost is minimal.