Dean Manning

I admit I’m a train person. While I can’t identify the various types of locomotives in use, or give details on the various railcars, trains fascinate me. I don’t mind being stuck at a crossing as a train goes by. I wish there was a platform where you could stand and watch cars being shuffled in the Corbin railyard. Though, I realize it is a shell of its former self. I was one of those who thought it was great when the Corbin Tourism Commission agreed to bring the steam engine from Georgia to be put on display in Corbin back in 2014. I had high hopes for the train museum. Like anything...

With businesses across Kentucky preparing to open their doors once again, it may feel like black Friday at some as customers return to some of their favorite places for the first time since mid–March. Customers should take a deep breath and have some patience as the stores and restaurants, and especially their employees, work to serve them while also adhering to the COVID–19 guidelines that will be in place. An ice cream shop in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, recently experienced this problem, resulting in a teenager who was serving up scoops quitting in frustration. The owner told the local TV station that the girl had been subjected to language you wouldn’t even hear...

U.S. history is full of instances where people have taken a stand against what they perceive as excess, overreach, inaction, ineptness, or just plain evil on the part of local, state and/or federal government. The nation was founded by just such people, and they added provisions in the U.S. Constitution to ensure future generations would have a legal leg to stand on should they feel the need. The Constitution guarantees the right for people to peacefully assemble and to speak their minds without fear of reprisal from the government. Since 1791 when the Bill of Rights, including the First Amendment, was ratified, courts have found some limitations. In 1919, the U.S. Supreme Court...

(Dean Manning is a reporter at the News Journal.) While COVID–19 has numerous people, including school children, stuck at home, it has provided the perfect opportunity for those considering adopting a pet. Yes, the Knox-Whitley Humane Association has closed to walk-in adoption. However, shelter employees are continuing to update the shelter’s Facebook page with photos and videos of dogs and cats that are available for adoption. If you see an animal you would like to adopt, you may contact the shelter between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, or 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. on Saturday to schedule curbside adoption. The shelter is relying even more on local adoptions. It has arrangements with...