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Columns

  • Five ways to cut down on your healthcare costs

    The recession has hit our country hard. According to a recent survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation, it has motivated more than half of us to cut back on needed health care expenditures. The desire to rein in spending at a time like this is understandable. But skimping on medical care is a dangerous way to do it. Thankfully, there are some simple - and safe - strategies to save money on health care without sacrificing your health.

    Here are my Top 5.

     

    Know your health plan's fine print.

    Click here to read more...
  • Kentucky Office of Highway Safety issues tough reminder to public: Click it or ticket!

    For anyone who complains about getting a ticket for not buckling up when driving or riding in a motor vehicle, here's a crash course in reality:

    - 826 people were killed on Kentucky's roadways in 2008.

    - 55 percent of those killed were not wearing a seat belt.

    When worn correctly, seat belts are proven to reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat occupants by 45 percent and by 60 percent in pickup trucks, SUVs and minivans.

    Click here to read more...
  • Be careful what you wish for

    I stood in the driveway Monday morning in my PJs, waving and smiling through my tears.

    My husband stood beside me and whispered, "Just think, we have to do this two more times."

    I nearly smacked him.

    My baby was driving himself to school for the first time ever.

    Yes, I know a 16-year-old isn't technically a "baby," but as I've told each of our three kids many times before, they'll always be Momma's babies no matter how old they get.

    Click here to read more...
  • Attorney General cracks down on auto warranty calls

    If my home phone rings, 99 percent of the time it's a telemarketer. This has been going on for years. I'll tell ya, pay off a couple of credit cards and the wolves start pounding at your door.

    It's gotten so bad, I won't even answer the phone anymore. For a while, I was getting calls every day.

    Imagine my surprise when I started getting telemarketing calls via my cell phone.

    All of the calls - I've received seven of them this month - are a pre-recorded message warning me that my auto warranty is about to expire.

    Click here to read more...
  • If you read it, it must be true

    A couple of weeks ago my brother Phil invited me to go with him to a program in Louisville where Terry Anderson, who was held prisoner by terrorists in Beirut, Lebanon for almost seven years, was going to speak. I had assumed his presentation would be concerning his being held prisoner for such a lengthy period of time, but since this was really old news, he was actually speaking about the difficulty of interpreting the world news as it is received by the viewers - or readers - as the case may be.

    Click here to read more...
  • More of what you want to read

    We want to bring you more of what you want to read. So that's exactly what we're going do.

    Starting with today's issue, we are eliminating some of the features in the News-Journal that we believe aren't as well read as or as necessary to our readers as others.

    We're doing this in order to have more space on our printed pages for the items you want to read.

    Click here to read more...
  • Less aggravation, more action please

    "A little less conversation, a little more action please,

    All this aggravation ain't satisfactioning me,

    A little more bite and a little less bark,

    A little less fight and a little more spark."

    —Elvis Presley "A Little Less Conversation"

    Here's my two cents.

    I just finished teaching two introduction to communication classes last week at Campbellsville University.

    Click here to read more...
  • Mothers worth more than you thought

    According to NBC News producer Jay Blackman, I'm worth a lot of money.

    His Monday night story, "What is a mom's work worth?" laid it all out on the line.

    "They say it's the small things, but when it comes to mothers, the small things really do add up. Whether it's driving to karate, making doctor appointments, or paying the bills, Mom's job is never done - and she does it all for free."

    Click here to read more...
  • Sometimes separate is best

    "I'm just gonna let you pass,

    Yes, and I'll go last.

    Then time will tell who fell

    And who's been left behind,

    When you go your way and I go mine."

    —Bob Dylan "Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)"

    Though hopefully no one falls, I agree with Bob Dylan. Sometimes you just have to go your separate ways.

    Click here to read more...
  • Domestic violence epidemic continues

    It is much too easy to write a column about domestic violence these days. Sadly, there are abundant examples all over the news. I wish these stories never happened.

    In Middletown, Md., an accountant for a railroad company killed his wife, his three children and then himself. The bodies were discovered by the children's grandfather on April 18. The 33-year-old mother and three children received "traumatic cuts" and were also shot. The father left five notes and apologized to family members in one of the notes. He apparently faced psychological and financial problems.

    Click here to read more...