Columns

There needs to be a investigation of the way our local justice system handled the cases against Tristan Hall. If you read the News Journal at all, you’ve no doubt seen our reporting on Hall. He’s the local man that was accused of making a posting on the forums of the Internet website Topix (www.topix.com) in 2013 in order to hire a hitman to kill someone. He had some other charges piled on as well. He steadfastly denied all of them. He fought the system at every turn. He stridently contested every charge. He refused to accept even the most lenient and increasingly desperate plea bargain offers from prosecutors. They...

With the battle lines drawn for the upcoming May Primary election, I thought now might be a good time to break down the only local race on the ballot, which pits incumbent 82nd Rep. Regina Bunch against challenger Alex Patrick. The winner will face Williamsburg teacher Bill Conn in the November General Election. Could Patrick beat Bunch in the primary? Sure it’s possible, but I don’t see a real viable path to victory for him here. My political assessment of Bunch has remained roughly the same for several years. I think she is vulnerable to a challenge from a strong candidate. For instance, someone like retired Whitley County Superintendent Lonnie Anderson,...

I love the newspaper business, but being a publisher these days takes a stout heart. Here in just the last few months, newspapers have come under attack from all sides in what almost feels like a concerted effort to sign our death warrant. The rules are constantly being rewritten, or attempted to be rewritten, on public notice advertising. Our state legislature is constantly doing things to roll back and weaken Kentucky’s Open Records Act. In addition, a bill has been filed this legislative session to, again, end the requirement that sample election ballots be printed in your local newspaper. Budgetary information and reports that used to be required advertising only a few...

We are in a rut. Since the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index started publishing in 2008 Kentucky has been right at the bottom, just ahead of West Virginia. The index was published in newspapers and read on TV stations all across the country last week. You love Kentucky. I love Kentucky and we know it is the best state in the union. But we do get tired of hearing those unflattering research polls that are published. Why are we ranked 49th? Although Mississippi has the highest obesity rate, Kentucky, West Virginia, Arkansas and Louisiana consistently has had high obesity rates. Smoking. Kentucky is number one in deaths caused by smoking and has the highest percentage...

This is my most unfavorite time of the year. To my way of thinking, the months of January and February are without a single redeeming quality. We can look at seed catalogs, but it’s too early to start planting a garden. Shopping is no fun. Where’s the incentive? We’re not going anywhere to show off our new clothes. Add to that the fact that what the stores are showing have been picked over until they are practically worn out. Seeking a relief from boredom, I spent the better part of January culling my wardrobe, helping Good Will to line their coffers. I made at least six trips back and forth, back...

Is fat a bad word? Not necessarily. Simply put, fat is just the body’s storage form for energy. If an animal consumes more energy than it uses, its body will store the excess calories as fat - like money in the bank they can use in an energy shortage (think cows calving in late winter). Fat imparts flavor to food (like a T-bone steak), but it also adds calories. So managing fat can be a delicate issue in the cattle business. Presently, the quality of beef is estimated to a large degree by the amount of marbling (intramuscular fat) that it contains. Tenderness is also important but is generally a...

The new dietary guidelines were released in January and encourage all of us to make healthy eating choices throughout our lives to minimize our risks of becoming overweight or obese or developing a chronic disease like heart disease or diabetes. These conditions are often linked to poor diets and physical inactivity. These guidelines serve as a tool for public health professionals and food service program managers to help individuals two years old and older to get on a path to healthier living. They also serve to guide policy makers. The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services work together to update and revise them every five years. The latest...

Why do so many people seem to think it’s the funniest thing in the world to witness another person fall? First, allow me to fill you in a on a little personal history. There are moments in your life that, while they may seem inconsequential to some, shape your attitude about things forever. I remember vividly my first day of seventh grade. I was going to a new school and full of the nerves and concerns that sort of change in life entails for a young person. All students would congregate in the gymnasium if they arrived before the first bell. On this day, the gym was packed. I got to school via...

Did you know we are having a presidential caucus in March? What is a presidential caucus? For some odd reason, I got these questions multiple times from multiple people Thursday. So, for those that don't know, there is a presidential caucus next month and there are a few very notable differences between a caucus and a primary election for president, which I will try to explain below. • Why are we having a Republican Presidential Caucus on March 5 but a Democratic Primary Election on May 17? - In a nutshell, the answer to this question is U.S. Senator Rand Paul, one of Kentucky's two senators. Paul is one of several people...

Blister beetles belong to a family of plant-feeding insects (Meloidae) that produce cantharidin, a toxic defensive chemical. Contact with it in the blood of live or dead beetles causes blistering of the skin or mucous membranes of sensitive mammals, especially horses. Cantharidin is stable and remains toxic in dead beetles for a long time, so animals can be poisoned by eating crushed beetles in cured hay. The severity of the reaction depends upon the amount of cantharidin ingested and the size and health of the animal. The lethal dose for livestock is estimated to be 0.45 to 1.0 mg of the chemical per kilogram of body weight. Clinical signs associated with...