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Columns

  • Same old party, same 'older' Mom

    When a group of 10-year-old little girls can get the best of me, I'm getting old.

    This past weekend was my daughter's 10th birthday. That also means that it was her sixth sleepover.

    For some unknown reason when Madison turned 5, I agreed to her suggestion that she should be able to invite that many girls. And when she turned 6, that's how many friends she invited. When she turned 8, thank goodness, we put a cap on the invitation list.

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  • A few of my not so favorite things

    In my last column, I wrote about some of my favorite things. This week, I'll tell you a few of my not so favorite things.

    First on the list refers to a call I received recently from someone who said she reads my columns (thanks for that).

    She told me that some animals were being dropped off near the walking track behind Miller Park. She, like me, has a soft spot in her heart for innocent animals, and said she hated to see this.

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  • Make a resolution to be safer

    I drove there very carefully, stopping gently and not going very fast. The drivers behind me must have been frustrated.

    Two weeks ago, I wrote a story about the number of fatalities and crashes in our county last year.

    To go along with the story, I took a photo of a cross on the side of KY 55 marking the place where a local man lost his life, just one of the 1,000 crashes local law enforcement investigated last year.

    Whenever I write these types of stories, I begin thinking.

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  • Asking for help from readers

    "It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope."

    —Robert F. Kennedy

    A tiny ripple of hope ... Like most communities, ours has moments in its history of which its residents aren't proud.

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  • What happened to common sense?

    A winter wonderland? Not quite, but Taylor County's first significant snowfall of the season dumped a nice 3 inches of powder on our laps.

    Best of all, it gave me an excuse to stay home Saturday and Sunday. Any opportunity for slothfulness is never wasted on my part.

    With little else to do, I found myself mired in news reports on the state budget. I must have experienced déjà vu at least a dozen times on Saturday alone. All of the fears and worries were the same as before.

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  • The public's right to know

    Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, we just can't write a story the way it should be written.

    Not being able to do one's job is hard for anyone to admit, but it seems especially hard for journalists. Our job is to keep readers informed about what's going on in the community. And it's a job we take seriously.

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  • Eagle Scouts soar the highest

    The Boy Scouts of America organization turns 100 years old this year, having been incorporated in 1910 by William Boyce of Chicago, after his observation of scouting in England the previous year. Since that time, the Scouts have been directed by a 12-person executive committee and have evolved over the century in guiding the youth of America through their adolescent years.

    The 12th edition of the Boy Scout Handbook still teaches such things as how to read a compass, tie knots and neckties, survive in the woods and render first aid.

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  • Choose your heroes wisely

    "I am not a role model."

    -Charles Barkley, former NBA star in a 1990s Nike campaign

    "Hero" is a word that gets tossed around these days like a ball being thrown during a game. In fact, it is more often than not used in reference to someone who does throw or hit a ball, and in my opinion, it's misused more often than most of us realize.

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  • Stroke symptoms should be treated quickly

    I was at my grandmother's recently for my weekly visit when something strange happened. We were talking about how silly one of my dogs was acting, and I noticed Mamaw was having trouble saying the dog's name. It's Bree - not very difficult - so I knew something was wrong. I looked up at Mamaw and saw that the right side of her face was drooping. Her mouth formed a half frown and didn't move on that side when she tried to speak.

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  • Getting early start on wishes for 2010

    At this time of year, I am beginning to think about the possibilities of all the exciting things that can happen in 2010.

    By the way, is that pronounced "twenty-ten" or "two thousand and ten?" A question for the ages.

    I know that anything is possible and I hope that many good things begin to take shape, especially with the economy and job situation.

    Here's some things that I would like to see come to pass in 2010:

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