Opinion

Suicide rates are rising dramatically across the Commonwealth, as well as the United States. This is a troubling trend, and one that must be stopped in its tracks. A study recently released by the Centers for Disease Control shows that the epidemic of suicide has been sharply on the rise in the 21st century. Now the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, suicide rates have increased by more than 25 percent nationwide since 1999. Sadly, Kentucky is among the states that have seen the most alarming increase. Our suicide rates have risen nearly 37 percent in this time period, way above the national average. This is a serious problem...

Victims of human trafficking are often the most vulnerable in our communities – victims of abuse and violence, runaways, refugees, immigrants or those who are homeless. Human trafficking is the second-largest criminal enterprise in the world and sadly, our Kentucky communities are not immune. In Kentucky, both adults and children are coerced into illegal sex trafficking, domestic servitude and forced labor – they are being bought, sold and smuggled like modern-day slaves and they need our help. That is why as attorney general my office is doing all we can to stop this dark and horrendous crime. This year, working jointly with other law enforcement agencies throughout the state, my office was involved...

Attorney General Andy Beshear is getting plenty of practice for his next campaign as he travels across the Commonwealth to spread fear and misinformation about the new pension reform bill (SB 151), designed to save Kentucky’s public pension system. His most dangerous lies are those of omission. AG Beshear doesn’t want Kentuckians to know about the positive things SB 151 does to help ensure public pensions remain viable. For example: • SB 151 stops the practice of underfunding Kentucky Teachers Retirement System (TRS) by requiring future governors and legislators to make the full actuarially required payments to TRS. This is in stark contrast to the old TRS funding formula that allowed...

To the Editor: April is Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Awareness Month and this year s theme is "Your Voice Has Power." How we talk about interpersonal violence matters. When we reflect on and change how we think and talk about the issue, we can create a culture of respect, equality and safety. There are many ways to embrace one s voice, from voicing your support for survivors to speaking out against victim blaming. We all have a role to play in preventing interpersonal violence in our community. Our actions, big and small, have a ripple effect on those we teach, guide and influence. From modeling healthy behavior to addressing inappropriate...

To the Editor: The Corbin Lions Club will hold our annual auction in support of sight conservation on Saturday, April 14 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. We will broadcast live on Redhound Television channel 18 (Spectrum cable), Redhound Radio 95.3 FM, www.redhoundproductions.com. Local businesses have donated items to auction. Auction items can be viewed on the Corbin Lions Club Facebook page; we hope to also broadcast on Facebook Live. Proceeds from our auction will be used to provide eye exams and/or eyeglasses to Corbin residents. Our motto, “We Serve,” is only doable with the support of those who donate items and those who purchase items during our auction. The club can...

President Abraham Lincoln was an expert at negotiating and winning. He was also a brilliant orator, known for putting the most complex matters in the simplest of terms. So when it came time for him to give advice about success, the 16th President’s response was brief but decisive. “Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm,” Lincoln is quoted as saying. Those are words we lawmakers would be wise to follow in these final days of the 2018 Regular Session as the House and Senate work to reach middle ground on House Bill 200, the House budget bill that was amended by the Senate by a vote...

As House members struggle to unite on serious issues involving public-pension reform and budget cuts, they’ve had no problem coming together with shutter-speed agreement to pass legislation protecting the powerful optometric industry from online innovators. One reason – and it’s not the first time we’ve seen this – is lots of cold hard cash. Optometrists’ political action committees in 2010 alone gave $141,700; individually, they gave a whopping $253,323 to get controversial legislation passed the following year letting optometrists perform surgeries previously – and strictly – limited to ophthalmologists, including injections and laser procedures. Ophthalmologists claimed the legislation put patient safety at risk. After all, they noted, ophthalmologists must have 17,000 hours...

On Tuesday, to mark the official kick-off of crafting Kentucky’s two year budget, Governor Matt Bevin presented his budget proposal to the Commonwealth and the General Assembly in a Joint Session. Kentuckians, along with members of the House and Senate, Cabinet Secretaries, and Supreme Court Justices, listened intently for what many feared would be one of the trimmest, most austere budgets in recent Kentucky history. As has been widely reported, Kentucky’s public pensions are facing insolvency and posing a threat to funding for other areas of the budget. In a historic move, Governor Bevin’s key budget proposal is to fully fund the public pension system, setting aside more money than...

Considering Frankfort will soon be forced to pass a painful budget, it might be helpful for legislators to apply the Yellow Pages test, an analogy that, for the older set, hearkens back to giant paper phone books landing on your front porch containing listings for businesses by categories. The digital version has picked up where the printed version left off in helping connect customers with businesses. Plus, it still serves as an effective analogy to press the point: if you can find a service offered by the private sector, why should government step in and attempt to offer such services which, in most cases, compete with private providers? An area that repeatedly...

Don’t score Houston, don’t score! That is what I was saying to myself at1:30 in the morning during the 5th game of the World Series. I wanted this game, which I had been watching for over five hours, to continue. It was baseball at its best. Like Gary West in his column below, I grew up loving the Brooklyn Dodgers. I started being a fan at a very young age, when Louisville’s Pee Wee Reese played for the Dodgers. Reese played from 1940 to 1958. He was a 10-time all-star and is in the Hall of Fame. From my Little League playing days through high school I was a huge fan...