Don Estep

Some people have told me that they missed my columns during January. I appreciate that. However, due to my illness I wasn’t up to writing any. My wife and I are into preventive health. We have taken all covid shots that are available, flu shots, shingles, you name it, we try to stay ahead. However, were going to get the RSV shots, but RSV got us first. Everybody at this office but iron man Trevor has been sick with RSV and colds. Mark White coughed so hard that he passed out and his wife had to take him to the ER at the hospital. But warrior Mark, like all the rest...

What can I say except, “They are the best!” I’m talking about the staff of the News Journal. Once again, this newspaper has won the General Excellence Award in the annual Kentucky Press Association’s contest for large weekly newspapers presented at its banquet last Friday night in Bowling Green. Winning this award is a team effort. Every staff member at the News Journal has a part in it. Of course, my congratulations goes to Mark White, news editor, Trevor Sherman, sports editor, and Timothy Wyatt, reporter, who won the individual awards. Awards are given in several categories. Ours is in the large newspaper division, which is based on circulation. In our division, we have...

The News Journal is one of 6,000 newspapers remaining in the U.S. Since 2005, the U.S. has lost nearly 2,900 newspapers. What does this say about the News Journal? It says that you have been good to us and we are good for this community. Our newspaper increased in circulation last year. For the fifth time in the last six years we won the Kentucky Press Association’s “General Excellence Award” in the large weekly newspaper division. In other words we were judged the “Best” in the state. I am proud of our accomplishments, but we can’t do this without your support. You have done this both by advertising with us and subscribing...

Here’s hoping you had a good Christmas. I had a total surprise from my daughter, Ashley, who lives in Connecticut. My wife Judy and Ashley wanted to surprise me, and they did. Friday afternoon I wanted to get out of the house. It was such a beautiful day. We were going to deliver some Christmas gifts to neighbors and Judy kept delaying us leaving the house. After a while I said I was going out. I didn’t know I was about to upset a big surprise. So, I go across the street to deliver a gift and at the same time my wife was quickly using her cell phone. A change of...

Joy to the World, the Lord is come! Christmas brings Joy and Happiness, but the older you get it is more Joy than Happiness. Here’s why; Happiness can be caused by luck, good fortune, or other personal pleasures. For example, about 80 years ago as a four year old who was then believing in Santa Claus, the gifts I got made me happy. But now as I look back at over eight decades of memories of Christmases, I feel the Joy they have brought. Joy is caused by a moment in time, as in the time we celebrate now, the birth of Jesus! My best memory was when I was...

Coach Billy Hicks, who passed away this week at age 71, led the Corbin Redhounds to the mountain top. It had been 39 years since a Redhound team had made it to the state tournament, but Hicks broke the losing spell in 1991 when Corbin beat Bell County winning the 13th Regional championship. Prior to that win I had been a frustrated play-by-play broadcaster for Redhound basketball for 25 years thinking Corbin would never make it to the Sweet Sixteen again. As a sophomore on the “B’ team at Corbin High I knew I would never make the traveling squad so I teamed up with the coaches’ son, Phil Taylor, and...

A few years ago as our staff got together for our Christmas party, in my mind I was thinking it would be the last time I would enjoy the occasion with them. As one gets older these kind of thoughts run through your mind. Fortunately I’m still here at this newspaper at age 84 enjoying the companionship of our staff. Year after year I’ve said to myself, “This is the last year I’m going to do the outside decorating of our home.” Again this year I’ve almost killed myself hanging from a ladder and stringing up lights and decorations. The other day I told my neighbor, “This is my last year for...

Almost everybody reading this newspaper has plenty to be thankful for. Most of us have plenty to eat, a house to live in, clothes to wear and many other things that people in other parts of the world do not have. I am thankful we have freedom of the press and freedom of religion among other things. Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks for all the good things that we have. One of those is family. Although my family is smaller than when I was young, I am still thankful that we can get together and enjoy Thanksgiving Day. I come from a big family. I was the youngest of eight...

It never gets old. The anxiety of an upcoming sports game that has a lot on the line. In this case it is the Corbin-Boyle Co. football game coming up this Friday. Both schools have excellent teams and the winner of this game will move on toward a 4A run for a state championship. The loser goes home. Last year Boyle Co. edged out Corbin in the state championship game. The teams were so evenly matched that it could have gone the other way. I have been around long enough to see this scenario play out several times. It is always exciting. Corbin fans will be at Danville to cheer the Redhounds...

If I had it my way, we would move our clocks forward one hour in the fall and back one hour in the spring. Presently it is opposite of this and Sunday we will move our time pieces back one hour. I think my suggestion is better and here’s why: Soon it will be getting dark just after 5 p.m. For our mental health we need more light, especially in the gray days of winter. On the other hand, during the summer, we now need more darkness because of the blistering heat during the daylight hours. To back up my suggestion here is a recent bit of information I read in...