Letters

To the Editor: On behalf of the members of The Rotary Club of Corbin, and our President Seth Reeves, I want to thank all the contributors and those community volunteers who participated in putting on the Southeast Kentucky Empty Stocking Fund Christmas party for the children in 2017. From the time Corbin’s two local newspapers, and partners, The Times Tribune, The News Journal, started the announcements for sign-up’s in early November, until the clean-up and return of extra gifts and borrowed equipment, there were many people involved in making the 30th consecutive SEKESF party a special one for the 474 children who were from all three of the Tri-County areas...

To the Editor: Across most of the US, states are struggling to quell a worsening opiate epidemic. While this is happening, one problem continues to rage on in states across the country. NBC News reported on meth with some shocking results. Not only is meth, also known as ice, crank, speed, chalk and gak, the highly addictive and damaging drug is still a huge problem throughout the US According to the U.S. Sentencing Commission, in 2015 meth offenders made up the highest proportion of federal drug offenders in 27 states. Meth has some of the most serious physical ramifications out of any drug. The damage can be lasting as well with the...

To the Editor: The JC Paul Detachment 1448, Marine Corps League was honored to be the hosting Detachment, for The United States Marine Corps TOYS FOR TOTS, which is servicing Whitley, Knox and Laurel Counties. Toys For Tots is celebrating its 70th year giving needy children a Little Christmas. We want to let the community know that we are thankful to the generosity of the citizens and businesses within the Tri County area, who helped us make this year’s Campaign a success, by donating toys, money and support. We had over 90 collection boxes available at local businesses and had Toy Drives at several of our larger employers. I want to...

To the Editor: The Corbin City Commission levied a four percent tax increase on real and personal property recently. The increase will generate approximately $68,000.00 in revenue. The commission did not specify what it is to be used for. It’s just a tax levy because they can. It’s done, or going to be done, but let’s not waste it. Budget it at the next meeting to refurbish the city park on Barton Mill Road, that is a disgraceful shambles and add necessary playground equipment to the newly refurbished Rotary Park (that already has broken equipment). The city spent a fortune on Rotary Park and failed to provide swings and playground equipment for...

To the Editor, On behalf of the Moonbow Eggfest Inc. Planning Committee, we would like to acknowledge both the sponsors and participants of the 2017 Moonbow Eggfest. On September 16, 2015 over 40 Eggheads from all over the Commonwealth and surrounding states gathered to light their Eggs and serve delicious recipes for the public. It was a beautiful day, and over 600 hundred individuals joined us for a fantastic, family friendly time that included tasting everything from macaroni and cheese, to Cajun style shrimp, hot off the Egg. There were five states represented at this year’s event. None of this would have been possible without the support of our sponsors, volunteers...

To the Editor, Phantom Fireworks hopes everyone enjoys a wonderful family Independence Day holiday, and, if you use consumer fireworks, please use them safely. There is no good consumer fireworks experience if it does not emphasize safety first. Phantom advises everyone to follow the safety rules, obey the fireworks laws where you are using them and have the products used by a sober adult who conforms to the rules. Phantom asks anyone using consumer fireworks to familiarize themselves with the fireworks use rules posted in the Fireworks University section of www.fireworks.com. The primary rule is that a designated adult should handle, control and set off the fireworks. The designated shooter must refrain from using...

To the editor: The Kentucky Chamber applauds Senate President Robert Stivers on his leadership to make right-to-work legislation a reality during the first week of the 2017 General Assembly, ensuring Kentucky is a state where businesses want to locate. The Chamber has long advocated for the passage of right-to-work legislation which simply prohibits requiring a worker to join a union as a condition of employment. We see right-to-work as an economic development issue. Over the years, we have noticed that major companies have not been considering Kentucky because we were not a right-to-work state. Kentucky businessman Steve Branscum, a former member of our Board of Directors, recently told us that his construction company...

To the Editor: Trent Knuckle’s recent article, “Opioid overdose drug will soon be available without a prescription,” was a breath of fresh air. The state of Kentucky owes a debt of gratitude to Dr. Shawn Ryan of the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for providing access to this overdose-prevention medication, naloxone. This type of article reminds us that common sense solutions can still prevail during a crisis. Indeed, there is a crisis. As mentioned in Knuckle’s column, there were 885 opioid-related deaths in Kentucky in 2015. For those who are unfamiliar, naloxone will reverse an opioid overdose roughly 99% of the time as long as the drug is administered in time. Hence,...

To the Editor: The Corbin Lions Club continues to accept donations toward our annual Christmas Basket Program. This is our 67th consecutive year of providing food baskets to local families during the Christmas season. Beginning with five baskets in 1949, we have delivered hundreds of baskets each year. Both Lions Club members and volunteers deliver these baskets on Christmas Eve morning. Each basket consists of enough food for a wonderful Christmas meal with plenty of leftovers. There are canned vegetables, fresh produce, flour, milk, Pepsi, bread, canned ham, and breakfast foods. To purchase 228 baskets, we have set a monetary goal of $15,000. This goal can only be met with the generosity of community...

To the Editor: Signups for the children who will participate in the 2016 Christmas Party have now closed. The 2015 Christmas party of the Southeast Kentucky Empty Stocking Fund was a great success as we were able to accept more than 500 children from 205 families into the program. Each family received a blanket, books, candies, and board games; and, each child received a wrapped gift, a pair of athletic shoes, and five (5) pairs of socks. There were some bicycles donated by Waste Connections for about 10 % of our children. As usual, Forest Lanes provided free bowling, and soft drinks. Pizza and Company (locally owned restaurant) provided all the children...