Opinion

You have probably heard of the Backpack Club. Whether you were a backpack kid yourself or knew someone who was, odds are you are familiar with the positive impact it has on children in need. I witnessed this impact firsthand when I visited the Corbin Community Backpack Program on Monday, Sept. 15. I saw around 12 volunteers from the University of the Cumberlands (UC) show up to help the program fill bags of food for children in need. Crates quickly filled up with food that would go directly to kids who need it in Whitley and Knox counties. Each UC volunteer took turns adding different food items to a bag, which...

Opinions! Everybody has opinions. This column I’m writing is my opinion, which is placed on the opinion page, in this newspaper. This is the only page where staff writers’ and submitted guests’ opinions are permitted. In over 38 years, I have written hundreds of opinion columns. All other pages in the newspaper are based on facts obtained from events and proper sources. This differs from social media, in which apps like Facebook are mostly opinions of writers based on very few facts and false articles are often included. This causes problems, because many believe what they have seen to be the truth. Prior to becoming publisher of this newspaper in 1987,...

A couple of interesting press releases have hit my email inbox recently concerning economic development opportunities. I thought I’d use my column space this week to help get the word out, and hopefully inspire some of our local entrepreneurs to follow up and see if these initiatives can help them bring their business plans to life. First, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) has announced that it is seeking applicants for its Appalachian Regional Initiative for Strong Economies (ARISE) program. This program presents potential funding opportunities that “aim to drive large-scale, regional economic transformation through collaborative projects.” Specifically, ARISE seeks to empower projects that involve at least two Appalachian states. Since we...

This doesn’t have to keep happening! If you are having a baby or if you have a newborn infant at home that you just can’t take care of, then please know you have options, which would allow you to legally and anonymously surrender the newborn with no questions asked. One of these options is as close as the Corbin Fire Department. I bring this up following a recent incident in Fayette County where Lexington Police arrested a University of Kentucky student-athlete for concealing the birth of her infant child. Officers found the child dead in a trash bag inside the closet of her home. The mother allegedly admitted to officers that she...

We are smack-dab in the middle of the fall sports season, and this week promises to be full of excitement as three local teams will have the opportunity to compete for state championship titles. Inside last week’s edition, we had a preview story for this year’s Kentucky 2A State Championship soccer tournaments. Both the Corbin Lady Hounds and the Whitley County Colonels had qualified for this year’s tournaments, which got underway over the weekend in Rowan County. Both teams played Johnson Central in round one, and while Corbin was unfortunately not able to advance, the Colonels managed to pull out a 3-2 victory over the Golden Eagles to keep their...

Naturally, working for the local newspaper means you get asked questions all the time about various happenings around town. Sometimes I have knowledge of a particular situation, and am therefore able to share information with whoever happens to be asking me the question. Sometimes, on the other hand, I have no clue and am no help at all. This week, I wanted to use my column space to address a few of the questions that I have been asked recently. There are a few other topics that I’d like to touch on as well, so let’s dive in. I have been asked on more than one occasion lately, “What is the...

Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My mom used to sing to me when I was little. I’d sit in our living room messing around with her big Yamaha keyboard, fascinated by how her fingers made these beautiful chords while mine just… didn’t. I wanted to learn. I was in elementary school when she started teaching me chords, and before long, I was playing and singing in church. That spark grew into something bigger as I got older. In seventh grade, I joined the high school marching band and picked the flute as my instrument. At the time, it was the cheapest...

Old Fashioned Trading Days is almost upon us so get ready to eat a ribeye steak sandwich from the Whitley County Cattlemen’s Association, check out some local craft vendors and enjoy three days of gospel, bluegrass, country or rock music in downtown Williamsburg. The 42nd Annual Williamsburg Old Fashioned Trading Days festival will take place Thursday – Saturday. The festival has grown significantly since it first started. Former WEZJ radio station co-owner Theresa Estes first founded the festival along with members of the Downtown Merchants Association in part to bring more people to downtown to shop. The festival initially got its name in part because of the old time, long dresses that the...

Written by Diane Roberts Some people are just legendary. No matter where you are, no matter where you go, there are some people who are identified by a single name. Some individuals need no introduction. Take the example of Elvis, Madonna, Cher, Oprah or Dolly. No matter where you go, everyone knows exactly who you are talking about, and last names are truly not needed. Williamsburg, like many small towns, is built on the shoulders of individuals whose lives, while seemingly ordinary, have left an indelible mark on the fabric of our community. In a place where everyone knows everyone, some residents transcend the boundaries of mere acquaintance, becoming known by...

There is a recent Facebook meme that I love. An employee goes to Human Resources (HR) and asks if a new policy applies to him. The head of HR responds that given this employee is the reason for the policy and a few others, the answer to that question is most definitely yes. I can’t help thinking about this meme in regard to the 100 plus social media comments on a News Journal story last Wednesday about the Corbin City Commission’s plan to require a permit for people holding yard sales inside the city limits. I can’t help wondering if any of the commenters are the reason for the proposal. One part...