Columns

I hate emotional, knee-jerk reactions. I think opposition to amendments proposed to legislation in the current session of General Assembly, which would allow cities like Corbin to annex into another county, is just that. Emotional. Irrational. Selfish. These amendments were proposed by Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers and they appear, to me, to be a common sense solution that would allow for more economic development in places like the north Corbin area. I was dismayed to read that Sen. Albert Robinson opposed such a measure. It would be good for the county he represents. Actually reading the law and not just blasting it would be helpful. No annexation could take place without an interlocal agreement, ratified by...

As those of you, who have read our front page this week know already, Williamsburg Mayor Roddy Harrison is headed back to the drawing board in his effort to place a measure on the ballot that would allow for packaged alcohol sales in stores and by the drink sales at smaller restaurants. The measure is identical to what Corbin has had for several years and what Barbourville and London voters recently approved. Harrison's alcohol petition came up six valid signatures shy Monday of the total he needed to get the petition certified and on the ballot, so he went back to work Tuesday on a new petition that he hopes to...

How much fertilizer do you really need to use on your lawn and garden? If you are just making a guess, you could be using too much. But how can you know for sure? A simple and inexpensive soil test can tell you all you need to know to make your lawn and garden look great and to protect the environment from runoff of excess nutrients. Soil fertility testing is a program designed to provide homeowners, landscape contractors, turfgrass managers, greenhouse managers as well as others with a soil management tool to determine fertilizer requirements of their lawn, garden, trees and shrubs. The University of Kentucky Division of Regulatory Services...

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. Let us use this time to reflect on this problem and to recognize the importance of good parenting. The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act is a federal law that broadly defines child abuse and neglect as any recent act or failure to act by a parent or caretaker that results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, exploitation or presents an imminent risk of serious harm. Commonly recognized forms of maltreatment include physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse and neglect. It is also important to note, in the majority of cases, the abuse is committed by someone the child knows. With the...

Phone Scam! Many of you have had telephone calls from telemarketers and local scam artists trying to lure you into providing credit card or other information. These crooks prey on the elderly and the uneducated. According to Consumers Union, consumers lose $350 million a year to such scams. Locally there is a scam happening right now to customers of Jackson energy. According to Laurel County Sheriff John Root the scam caller is identifying themselves falsely as Jackson Energy and stating that money is owed to Jackson Energy and the caller is seeking credit card information. These phone scams are attempting to steal money from you. Jackson Energy advises they do...

I was reminiscing this past week with a friend about the wonders of the good old video game arcade. I know there are still some around. Some quite good ones, in fact, if you know where to look. But they aren’t as ubiquitous as they once were. In-home video game consoles, the rise of gaming on mobile devices and the overall decline of coin-op gaming systems in general saw to that. I miss those days. I remember vividly going to Aladdin’s Castle in the mall where I lived and playing games for hours on Friday nights. People used to gather around the game cabinets to watch particularly good players. It was fun. It...

Following record breaking years, the Kentucky agricultural economy, like the overall U.S. agricultural economy, slumped in 2015, with concern looming for 2016. On the national front, USDA is projecting 2015 net farm income to plummet to $56 billion, down 28 percent from 2014 levels and 55 percent off the record high established in 2013. In response to mounting supplies and depressed demand, prices for most crops and livestock are falling from their record high levels of recent years. U.S. agricultural exports declined from its peak in response to a strengthening U.S. dollar, sluggish economic growth overseas, and abundant supplies. Land values and crop rents appear to be slowly adjusting to...

Laughter encourages many individual health benefits such as reduced stressed levels, lowered blood pressure, enhanced memory, stronger immune system and enriched creativity and alertness. Families who laugh together are also often healthier and happier. Happy families are often close; they enjoy spending time together and supporting one another. While the typical day may be busy with school and work routines, it can be easy to add the goof-factor. For example, you can sing in the car or tell jokes or funny stories while you cook dinner or wait at a restaurant. Other ways that a family can laugh more includes: • Be silly. Say silly things, use crazy voices, make funny...

“This year’s first observed eastern tent caterpillar egg hatch is seven days earlier that 2015, reflecting the warm spring temperatures,” said Lee Townsend, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment Extension Entomologist. “The hatch is not synchronized; tiny larvae will continue to emerge over the next two weeks from eggs laid last summer on wild cherry, flowering cherry, apple and related trees. This is a hardy insect so low temperatures in the 30-degree Fahrenheit range should not affect their survival.” Eastern tent caterpillars spend the winter as tiny, fully developed insects in distinctive egg masses that encircle twigs of wild cherry and related trees. It is one of...

If you are a gardener or are thinking about gardening, spring is definitely a welcome season. Gardening can save you a significant amount of money at the grocery store. If you are planting a produce garden, it can also add curb appeal to your home increasing your home’s value. However, did you know that there are some considerations that you should keep in mind to save money when planning your spring garden? Be patient. While it may be tempting to start your garden at the first sign of spring, hold off a bit. You will want to make sure that frost season is over before planting. Think about your yard’s sunlight. Before...