Trent Knuckles

Thoughts after a long Memorial Day weekend: • I want to lead off by encouraging anyone and everyone who is interested in the least in “events, trends, issues, ideas and journalism about health care and health in Kentucky” to check out the Kentucky Health News online blog at kyhealthnews.blogspot.com. Al Cross, Director of Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, and an Associate Professor at the University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media, is responsible for the blog and he has many, professional contributors. These are real reporters working under the guidance of a true master of his profession. They work hard to provide accurate, and highly useful news about...

There is little reasonable or rational talk when it comes to annexation. There is only insanity. Rumors. Innuendo. Conspiracies. Hidden agendas. And a whole lot of misinformation. That’s what I’ve learned in 20 years at the News Journal. About 10 years ago, I covered a meeting in southern Laurel County where some homeowners there were FURIOUS over plans by the city of Corbin to annex them. It was nuts! There was no such plan. Nobody at that meeting cared. They fumed and yelled. It was a pitchfork and torch type of gathering. I had several guys come up to me with tattered scraps of paper with Kentucky laws printed on them that had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with...

Sometimes, you have to eat a little crow. I actually don’t mind to do so when I’m wrong. So here it is. Several weeks I blasted the addition of what is often called “The Stivers Amendment” to the Kentucky state budget. It’s the one that has a big impact on the outcome of the fight between Corbin and Knox County over occupational taxes that we dedicated gallons of ink to over the years. I’ve altered my view a bit. It still bothers me that the city of Corbin played by the rules, won in court, and was set to collect those taxes just like every other city in Kentucky in the same...

One of the sillier things in life, I think, is when something is common knowledge, but everyone goes around acting as though they are oblivious. That’s the situation that came up this past week regarding an “investigation” by police into illegal alcohol sales at the Williamsburg VFW post. It all started when a driver killed a pedestrian walking on the sidewalk. Allegedly, the driver had been drinking at the post before he got behind the wheel. Police went out to the VFW, in part, to unearth the truth behind this talk that alcohol was being sold there. After all, it is in a “dry territory.” It is not licensed to serve...

Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers was slated to be one of the keynote speakers at the Lincoln Day Banquet in Corbin over the weekend. He was a no-show. No reason was given at the time. But now we know why. Language magically appeared in the state budget, at the 11th hour, that has direct impact on the long-standing fight over occupational tax collections between Corbin and Knox County. For the third time now, what is referred to as the infamous “Stivers Amendment” is going to prevent Corbin from collecting any occupational taxes from its Knox County portion. About 23 percent of the city is in Knox County. It was attached, this time, to...

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...

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...

Until last year, I’d never heard of Bainbridge, Georgia. The town, located in the extreme southern part of the state, is now forever linked to Corbin. Bainbridge donated the old steam engine and coal tender you now see parked along Depot Street … part of the static displays that tie into the planned railroad museum that will be located in the old L&N Depot building. Their act of generosity, to me, is amazing. I imagine myself as a member of the Bainbridge city council. In walk total strangers from a town in Kentucky who want given to them an iconic part of one of our popular local parks. Brazen, to say the least. My immediate...

When I became Publisher of the News Journal in 2015, one of the first things I wanted to get accomplished was to modernize the newspaper’s website. It’s been a LONG process getting there, but two weeks ago we did sort of a silent rollout of the new site (thenewsjournal.net/). For those of you who have been using it, thank you for being our lab rats, so to speak. You’ve helped us sort out a bunch of problems and issues that we’ve been able to fix. I’m proud of the work that has been done so far. Don’t get me wrong; we plan to keep adding features and functionality as the weeks go...

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...