Columns

I personally cannot remember a worse back-to-back gut punch situation in our local community than what we saw recently with the downtown Williamsburg fire that was followed just days later by one of the worst winter storms in years. There has been plenty to be miserable about recently between those two events alone, which is why I want to focus on a few positives this week. First, after missing some days of school and competition due to the snow, ice, and extreme cold, it is good to see our student-athletes back out on the court again. We had several days in a row there where things felt anything but normal,...

At this point, much has been said about proposed efforts to lengthen Penny Lane in Williamsburg and particularly how it might impact the Zehr property. During a recent Williamsburg City Council meeting Mayor Roddy Harrison said that the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet wants to extend Penny Lane past the health department, have it turn left and eventually come out onto KY-92W. The new road would go through some of the Zehr property. Eventually, Penny Lane would become a one-way road. This is currently an eminent domain lawsuit pending in Whitley Circuit Court over efforts by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to obtain the needed property for the road. The Zehr family, who I understand...

By Cecelia White with Cumberland River Behavioral Health My grandmother recently passed away at the age of 101. I attended her funeral earlier this month and it got me thinking about life and death. There are two dates that are important to most people, their date of birth and their date of death. Between those dates there is a dash consisting of many years, hopefully. We spend a lot of time planning for the dates in between the beginning and the end of our lives. We celebrate birthdays, graduations, marriages, retirements, anniversaries and other events that are worthy of celebration. We plan funerals, choosing the words that will be spoken after...

Many people assume they understand what it means to be a teacher simply because everyone has had a teacher in their lives. The reality is, one can only grasp the challenges and responsibilities of teaching by experiencing the job firsthand. When I taught second grade, I experienced students with various learning needs. A teacher’s role is to meet students where they are, and it can be difficult when every single student is different. I had students who were reading chapter books and others who were still learning to read. I had students who were struggling with addition and subtraction, while others were speeding through multiplication and division. Learning is not a one-size-fits-all system....

As the town motto goes, “Williamsburg Feels Like Home.” However, that home feels a bit sadder following last week’s devastating blaze that left a significant swath of businesses along Main Street between Second and Third streets destroyed. It also left several people without housing, who lived in upstairs apartments over those businesses. For those that don’t know, the fire broke on Jan. 20 about 10 p.m. apparently at or above the Law Offices of Croley and Foley. It quickly spread to other incredibly old, but beautiful buildings along Main Street utterly destroying several. Accountant Donna Guilkey and attorney Kim Frost lost their office along with Associates in Eyecare, Shale Oak Wine Tasting...

Ever since Terry Forcht and Don Estep partnered together to launch this publication nearly 40 years ago, the goal has always been for coverage to remain hyper-local. Many talented individuals have helped carry that vision on over the years, all of them from right here in our local community. This past week, our paper was recognized with a first place finish at the 2025 Kentucky Press Association Excellence in Newspapers Awards banquet. It was the ninth time in the past decade that we have received the recognition, which is a testament to the hard work of everyone who has been on staff in that amount of time. Whether it be news...

Many people assume they understand what it means to be a teacher simply because everyone has had a teacher in their lives. The reality is, one can only grasp the challenges and responsibilities of teaching by experiencing the job firsthand. When I taught second grade, I experienced students with various learning needs. A teacher’s role is to meet students where they are, and it can be difficult when every single student is different. I had students who were reading chapter books and others who were still learning to read. I had students who were struggling with addition and subtraction, while others were speeding through multiplication and division. Learning is not a one-size-fits-all system....

Ever since Terry Forcht and Don Estep partnered together to launch this publication nearly 40 years ago, the goal has always been for coverage to remain hyper-local. Many talented individuals have helped carry that vision on over the years, all of them from right here in our local community. This past week, our paper was recognized with a first place finish at the 2025 Kentucky Press Association Excellence in Newspapers Awards banquet. It was the ninth time in the past decade that we have received the recognition, which is a testament to the hard work of everyone who has been on staff in that amount of time. Whether it be news...

By Cecelia White with Cumberland River Behavioral Health My grandmother recently passed away at the age of 101. I attended her funeral earlier this month and it got me thinking about life and death. There are two dates that are important to most people, their date of birth and their date of death. Between those dates there is a dash consisting of many years, hopefully. We spend a lot of time planning for the dates in between the beginning and the end of our lives. We celebrate birthdays, graduations, marriages, retirements, anniversaries and other events that are worthy of celebration. We plan funerals, choosing the words that will be spoken after...

As the town motto goes, “Williamsburg Feels Like Home.” However, that home feels a bit sadder following last week’s devastating blaze that left a significant swath of businesses along Main Street between Second and Third streets destroyed. It also left several people without housing, who lived in upstairs apartments over those businesses. For those that don’t know, the fire broke on Jan. 20 about 10 p.m. apparently at or above the Law Offices of Croley and Foley. It quickly spread to other incredibly old, but beautiful buildings along Main Street utterly destroying several. Accountant Donna Guilkey and attorney Kim Frost lost their office along with Associates in Eyecare, Shale Oak Wine Tasting...