Columns

My perspective on a few events of the past week. DONALD TRUMP The soul searching and hand wringing going on surrounding the candidacy of Donald Trump is a little disingenuous. All the hyperventilating, breathless disapproval, and sanctimony being uttered about how this presidential election is the worst EVER lacks authenticity. Historically speaking, there have been much nastier political campaigns and much nastier candidates. Also, I think some of the people most frothed up about Trump should look in the mirror. He’s just a product of the society in which he dwells. Just look at your Facebook or Twitter news feed, or take a gander at the comments section of just about any political news story...

Managing finances as a single parent can be difficult. Single parents are faced all at once with the tasks of adjusting to one income, creating and maintaining a budget and planning for their financial future. As a result, single parents may often feel overwhelmed when it comes to managing their finances. There are several tips that you can follow to create a financial plan to help you and your family be financially successful. Tips for Financial Success: • Create a budget that works for you. Developing a monthly plan for your money is important. Make a list of all sources of income as well as your monthly expenses. Be certain to...

The Kentucky Division of Water may contact you for a variety of reasons. The division’s mission is “to manage, protect and enhance the quality and quantity of the commonwealth’s water resources for present and future generations through voluntary, regulatory and educational programs.” With oversight from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Kentucky Division of Water carries out its objectives through permitting and educational outreach. The division’s oversight in the following areas may impact water quality: wastewater treatment, construction, oil and gas, drinking water treatment, groundwater, agriculture, coal extraction, streams and floodplains, etc. One of the duties of the division is to regulate agricultural entities. If you are a livestock producer, you...

Should Kentucky pass a law that bans school districts from starting classes in early August? This is currently a question that the Kentucky General Assembly is pondering after Sen. Chris Girdler, R-Somerset, introduced Senate Bill 50, which would prohibit schools from opening any sooner than the Monday closest to Aug. 26. The idea is certainly a proposal with some merit. A recent study for the Kentucky Marina Association and Kentucky Travel Industry Association estimates that the drop in tourism from July to August 2014 cost the state more than $432 million in lost business. The study also found that about 6,000 tourism jobs ended in August and more than $45 million in local...

Recently I saw an article on Facebook written by Patty Cantrell of a Missouri-based consulting firm, Regional Food Solutions, for Good Food on Every Table, about the local restaurants in downtown Corbin. She wrote that Corbin “has revitalized its downtown through a local-food renaissance.” I know nothing about the writer except what she wrote is true. Corbin’s downtown has become a favorite place for restaurant goers. A lot of the restaurant attention downtown started when the late Rick Curry and wife Holly opened “The Depot” in the old Daniel’s Department Store building. It was hard to believe that such a fine establishment had made its way downtown. It has great atmosphere...

Should our local school calendars be influenced by Kentucky’s tourism industry? There’s a bill circulating right now in Frankfort to do just that. Essentially, it forbids the state’s school districts from starting the school year any earlier than the Monday closest to Aug. 26. Waivers could be obtained for districts traditionally impacted by weather or other factors. Sponsors and supporters of the bill say Kentucky loses out on hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue from tourism between July and August each year because school is starting too early. They estimate it amounts to about $45 million in revenue to state and local governments, and equates to the shedding of around...

Have you ever heard of a Fitbit or a Jawbone? Perhaps you have an iPhone and have looked at the App that has a heart on it and seen that it has a bunch of health signs open. If you are or want to be physically active on a regular basis, a fitness tracker can give you great information about how many steps you are taking on a daily basis. There are activity trackers that also offer different information beyond just steps if you are looking for something more. What are activity trackers? • Activity trackers are the modern version of pedometers. One of the great things is that they do more...

The Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) lessened restrictions on poultry February 22 - the same day Indiana officials gave the all clear. After some devastating bird flu incidents in the United States since December 2014, KDA put into place several restrictions regarding poultry and associated sales and fairs. Kentucky is home to about 850 large-scale poultry farms and more than 3,000 poultry houses in 42 counties. The restrictions were meant to protect the state’s Number 1 agricultural and food commodity industry valued at $1.2 billion in 2014. “KDA briefly lifted restrictions in early January; but then bird flu resurfaced in Indiana, and the restrictions were put back into place,” said Dr....

Recently, national media have reported that freezing your credit could be one way to proactively protect yourself against identity theft. Unless you have had your identity stolen, it is best to consider other methods first. These methods will allow you to reduce your risk of identity theft but still allow you flexibility to obtain credit. Freezing your credit restricts access to your credit report. It will make it more difficult for thieves to open new accounts in your name, but it can also make it harder for you to open new credit accounts, too. Even if your credit is frozen, identity thieves can still access your current credit lines. Kentucky charges a...

Raising small poultry flocks on the farm or in the backyard has become very popular. The most important things to remember when choosing the type of housing are provisions for adequate shelter from weather, adequate ventilation and also protection from predators. You should choose housing that is easy to build from readily available materials. Housing should also have a low maintenance cost and support the changing needs of your flock. Over the years, a variety of designs for backyard flocks have hit the market - each with its own pros and cons. The best design for you depends on the number and types of birds you have and on how much...