Opinion

September is quickly approaching, with schools back in session and fall in the air. September is also Recovery Month. Recovery Month actually starts a day earlier each year, with International Overdose Awareness Day on August 31. The goal of both the Awareness Day and Recovery Month is to raise awareness of the number of people affected by overdoses, as well as substance use in general, and allows the communities to support those beginning their recovery journey, along with those who have years in recovery. Substance use is a major issue in Kentucky, as well as elsewhere. The rate of overdose deaths have decreased for the last three years, however,...

At the end of each week, we typically receive regular e-mails from Kentucky Press Association Executive Director David Thompson. These e-mails contain information on all kinds of things pertaining to newspapers across the Commonwealth, and are always interesting to look through. Last week, Thompson’s weekly e-mail message contained a link to the Appalachia Funders Network’s recent “News Business in Appalachia” report. Trust me when I say there is A LOT of information in this report. It would take me a very long time to comb through the entire thing, which I plan to do eventually, but for now I’d like to highlight just a few points of interest. In a section...

Impressed! All fans who attend the Pigskin Classic football contests this weekend at Campbell Field and Denes Stadium in Corbin will be totally impressed with the completed Redhound Complex. For over 65 years I have attended high school football games at stadiums throughout the state. The completed facility at the Redhound Complex is the most impressive high school football facility I have ever seen. It wasn’t always this way, as I remember starting my broadcasting career in 1961 inside the small press box at Denes Stadium. After 30 years, of broadcasting Corbin Redhound football games, and being a fan another 35 years, I’ve seen many improvements. In my first year of doing...

On Aug. 26-29, the Annual Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) Summit will once again be taking place right here in Whitley County at the Corbin Arena. Corbin has played host to this mega-conference twice in the past, in 2021 and 2023, and based on those previous events, it is safe to say that unique opportunities will abound for folks throughout the local area during the last week of this month. My hope is to provide a more in-depth preview inside next week’s edition, and we will, of course, be on the scene to provide coverage over the course of the four-day event, but for now I’d like to highlight some...

Another Nibroc celebration is in the books, and it was a good one as usual. While temperatures were warm this year, it wasn’t scorching hot. Overall, the weather cooperated to help make for a great festival again this year. Whether it was musical acts, good food, carnival rides or various sporting events, such as the volleyball and pickleball tournaments, this year’s festival truly had a little something for everyone. Kudos to the Southern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, its Executive Director Bruce Carpenter, tourism, the downtown program, police, fire, public works, sanitation, the street department and numerous departments and people too numerous to name for a job well done. Most people don’t realize all...

When I posted the news about Corbin High School’s new cell phone policy, I didn’t expect 200+ comments, dozens of shares, and a public debate to follow; however, that is exactly what happened, and I am not entirely surprised. The comments were filled with passionate individuals, as this is an essential topic in our community. I saw comments of frustration, sarcasm, even a meme at one point, but it was all wrapped into one underlying theme: people care. In case you missed it, Corbin High School has implemented a new cell phone policy in response to Kentucky law KRS 158.165, which restricts phone use during instructional time. To enforce this, they...

Written by Bella Morin The Partners for Rural Impact (PRI) organization has been an amazing positive influence not only on me, but on the community-at-large. The organization has provided learning and financial advancement opportunities for high schoolers throughout Whitley County. It served as a platform to allow passionate high schoolers like myself to act in our community and gain valuable work experience that will help us as we seek jobs both in and out of high school. I have truly struggled to find the proper words to portray my gratitude to the program while staying brief and professional. The “Learn and Earn” program through PRI has been one of the best...

I grew up in London, and every time that I have to be doing something in the area located just off of I-75 Exit 41 I can’t help but think just how much things have changed up there since I was young. Now, after living in south Corbin for the past 16 years, I find myself having that same thought about the area located just off of Exit 25. In last week’s paper, we had a story about the recent groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion to the Corbin Center (I was married in that building in the fall of 2009, by the way). As I watched the shovels hit the...

If you could resurrect tabloid talk show host Jerry Springer and have him script a government meeting, then it would probably look and sound an awful lot like the London City Council meeting Monday night. The London City Council members introduced a measure wanting to remove Mayor Randall Weddle from office over a slew of accusations. Weddle fired back with accusations of his own. There was yelling and shouting from the audience. Believe I heard a few boos in there too. Lawyers have been hired. The only thing it needed to be an episode of the Jerry Springer Show was somebody being accused of impregnating someone else’s girlfriend or wife and a couple of...

As July comes to an end, I would like to take a few moments to discuss the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This hotline was funded in July 2022 making it three years since its inception. The development of the 988 Lifeline was a milestone in mental health care nationwide, giving people an easy three digit number to call if they are having a rough day or night and just need someone to talk with. This third anniversary of the 988 Lifeline gives a great opportunity to reflect on its origins and its profound impact. Before 988, those in crisis often dialed 1-800-273-TALK (8255), a toll-free number established in...