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Opinion

  •
    Bull by the horns

    After nearly a month and a half without any kind of dead animal removal, the Marion County Fiscal Court has put all the pieces in place for the county to begin providing the service on its own.

    This is a good thing for farmers and for the rest of the county.

  • 2009 regular session ends in...

    As is tradition with every legislative session, the Speaker's gavel sounded adjournment to this year's Regular Session, but that is where the similarities to sessions of the past end. The 2009 General Assembly began with an air of uncertainty and proceeded with the passage of vital legislation. We have now adjourned using only one of our two constitutionally allowed veto days.

  •
    A love for the arts

    A shiny red dress, a crystal ball, and a stage jam-packed with students singing "The Kingdom of Swing"... those are a few of my fondest memories of school in Marion County.

    Notice, there is no mention of a textbook or even a classroom. In fact, instead of a pencil, there was a microphone. Instead of a desk and a chair, there was a stage. And instead of a chalkboard, there was a sea of my peers watching me complete my "assignment."

  • Letters to the editor, April 8

    Exchange student experience is rewarding

    I have been involved with foreign exchange students now for several years as a local coordinator with CIEE: Council on International Educational Exchange. In that time, I've learned that the world can be made better through cultural exchange through the CIEE mission to help people gain understanding, acquire knowledge and develop skills for living in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world.

  • Owen's firsts in Florida

    A potty training two-year-old, breeding flamingos, beautiful beaches and scary, slimy fish with teeth... those are just a few of the things I had a chance to experience and enjoy recently during my first-ever family vacation in Florida.

    It was the first "real" vacation I had been on in nearly five years, but for some reason when I returned I felt like I needed another vacation. I guess that's where the two-year-old comes in, huh?

  • Letters to the editor, April 1

    A passion for helping people   In remembrance of David Ford (my brother).

    This is your favorite sister as I would always say to him.

    Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2009, was the worst day of my life, and Wednesday, Feb. 11 through Friday, Feb. 13, were the hardest days of my life to get through.

    My brothers, Darrell and David are my rocks to lean on and my protectors. Both my brothers are wonderful.

    I wanted to talk about him at the funeral service. But it was so hard at the time.

  • School board making its most...

    When the Marion County Board of Education first met with Mike Oder, the consultant it hired to help with its superintendent search, Oder shared an important truth with them.

    If the search goes well, and the district hires a strong candidate, the board of education and the screening committee will get credit for doing a good job.

    If the search goes poorly, and the district hires a candidate who doesn't fit well, the board of education will get the blame.

  •
    MCHS sharing the power of a wish

    Making wishes come true... Marion County High School students have been doing it for three years now. Through their tireless efforts and fund-raisers, such as this past weekend's Junior Mister competition, local students have been raising money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

    For almost three decades, the Make-A-Wish Foundation has been granting the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.

  • Veto period provides legislators...

    As my colleagues and I left Frankfort on March 13 for constitutionally designated veto days, a common sense of relief was felt knowing we had approved some key pieces of legislation that are awaiting the Governor's signature into law and will have far reaching effects on a number of our citizens. In last week's column, I shared with you the highly anticipated passage of Senate Bill 1, which eliminates the Commonwealth Accountability Testing System through a phase out process.

  • Letters to the editor, March 25

     

  •
    What do you care about?

    Kentuckians are known for many things. We are known for horse racing, for bourbon and for tobacco. We are known for being part of the Bible Belt, and we are known for our nearly religious devotion to our favorite basketball teams.

    And we're also known, regrettably, for not caring too much about education.

    We know there are many individuals who do care - deeply and sincerely - about how and what their own children and all the children in our community are taught.

  •
    Will the real G.I. Jane please...

    "Are you going to shave your head this year?"   That's a question I have been asked regularly the past few weeks. While I definitely need a trim, I'm not feeling brave enough to shave my curly locks during this year's St. Baldrick's event.   I know, I know. I'm such a wuss. Jama Watts, who shaved her head last year, reminds me of that anytime the subject is discussed.   You're right Jama. I admit it. I am a wuss.

  • 25 random things, but not quite...

     I don’t have a Facebook account, nor do I intend to create one (so quit asking). Despite that, I know about the “25 Random Things About Me” phenomenon because I’ve seen several news stories about it.

  • Stem cell research: Friend or foe?

    Cells, science, ethics, medicine, and morals: just some of the words that describe the world of stem cell research. To the average American, this is just some educated mumbo-jumbo that is hardly worth following. The Bush Administration cooled the flames of stem cell research in early 2001, by limiting the amount of taxpayer dollars that could be spent on the research. 

  •
    History is worth preserving, but it...

    Putting the cart before the horse.

    It's a common mistake when beginning a new project. People get so excited about thoughts of the end result that they innocently skip over some of the most essential steps along the way.

    That is what we believe has happened with the Marion County Historical Society and its plans for a local history museum. The society and its members have hundreds of fascinating items to include in exhibits and a list of possible volunteers to help with the day-to-day happenings at the museum, but several key components are missing.

  •
    Down, but not out

    Fewer shavees showed up this year, and less money was raised, but none of that changes the reason Marion County hosted its third St. Baldrick’s Saturday.

  • Letter to the editor: History...

    For the past year, the Marion County Historical Society Board of Trustees has focused on the message of “Opportunity, Challenge, Responsibility.”

  • Letters to the editor, March 11

    Poor judgment indeed!

  • February closes with a flurry of...

    As my colleagues and I returned from the 2009 session's five-day hiatus, we quickly resumed our work attending meetings, hearing testimony, studying proposed legislation and approving bills in the House chambers as only 12 days remain in this year's legislative session.

    Legislative committee meetings were full of debate and action this week.  The House Banking and Insurance Committee approved legislation that protects life insurance policyholders.

  • News staff is being unfair over...

    I am writing to express my displeasure with the manner that the staff of The Lebanon Enterprise have conducted a judgment of my receiving and forwarding e-mail.