.....Advertisement.....
.....Advertisement.....

Opinion

  • Breaking up is hard to do

    "9-1-1 ... Where is your emergency?"

    "My husband is having a heart attack, please send an ambulance immediately."

    "Oh, I'm sorry, apparently you live outside the City limits. We can't help you."

    Are the City and County in a mess, or what? And the worse part of all is that we can't say we weren't warned.

  • On Earth Day, don't buy into...

    What would Earth Day be without hand wringing over the supposedly dire state of the planet?

    Concern over climate change seems to have reached a fever pitch. And the American economy has been fingered as the culprit.

    President Obama's recent budget proposal pours a whopping $150 billion into clean energy technologies and another $75 billion into tax incentives for "alternative" energy research. It also includes a national "cap-and-trade" program for greenhouse-gas emissions that would demand an estimated $79 billion from American industry.

  • Teaching our youth well

    Apparently we're teaching our youth well.

    We're pretty impressed with some activities that local youth and college students have planned lately. With the apathy so often prevalent in our society today, it's nice to see that not all of the new generation is following in our footsteps.

    How many of us adults participated in a fundraiser for a homeless shelter in our youth? How many of us volunteered to go without food for a 30-hour period to help children in a Third World country? Not too many, we predict.

    But that's exactly what today's youth are doing.

  • Boards have important decisions

    There's good news at local schools all the way around.

    Between the impending announcements of new superintendents at both school districts and the increases in this year's ACT scores, it appears local educators are doing their best.

    Watch for a story about the increase in local students' ACT scores in an upcoming issue.

  • The public's right to know

    When the News-Journal Editorial Board disagrees with a particular decision made by public officials, we don’t hesitate to say so. So, to be fair, when public officials make a good decision, we need to do the same.

    We took issue with a recent private meeting between some City Council and Fiscal Court members. We believe the public’s business should be discussed in public.

    The public has a right to be informed, especially when it comes to how our tax dollars are being spent and the possibility that we might have to pay more.

  • Working after retirement often a...

    For many senior citizens, the word "retirement" doesn't mean what it used to.

    In today's economy, all too often one "retires" from a life-long job only to immediately seek out another job - just to pay the bills.

    A story on today's front page, however, offers hope for many seniors.

  • Do you know a special woman?

    Each year in May, the Central Kentucky News-Journal honors Taylor County women with a special section. The newspaper also asks for help from the community in choosing one special woman who has particularly excelled in her career, community and church during the past year.

    Residents send in their nominations for Taylor County Woman of the Year and then a committee of News-Journal staff members and others chooses a winner based on those nominations.

    Anne Fraim was named the 2008 Taylor County Woman of the Year.

    Well, it's that time once again.

  • This is no time for secrets

    It seems as if secrecy is becoming the norm rather than the exception in our community's governmental affairs.

    Campbellsville City Councilman David Nunery asked last week for a private meeting with Councilmembers and Fiscal Court magistrates to discuss the City and County's budget problems.

    And, apparently, he got what he asked for.

  • Spring Fling is a success

    The Hiestand House's Spring Fling fundraiser on Saturday was a success, with nearly 100 people attending and about $1,000 raised.

    Those who attended danced to classic rock, country and old-time favorite songs.

    The money raised will go to Hiestand House's building projects and help our community preserve history. Kudos to those who planned the successful event.  

     

  • Some clouds have silver linings

    The current economic recession is like a dark cloud hanging over us all. But inside some dark clouds are silver linings. And we have one.

    A story on today's front page details the financial impact that Taylor Regional Hospital has on our local economy. And it's a significant impact, indeed.

  • Child abuse all too real

    The numbers are pretty telling. The number of reported child abuse cases in Taylor County is on the increase.

    A story on today's front page focuses on statistics from the statewide, nonprofit Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky agency in Lexington.

    Last year, according to the organization, there were 379 cases of child abuse reported in Taylor County, involving 437 children. Of those, 58 cases were substantiated, involving 85 children.

  • Take your pick

    So many times, we hear complaints that there's nothing to do. Well, we don't want to hear that for at least the next few weeks, because judging from our Calendar of Events page, there's no possible way anyone couldn't find something fun to do.

    This past Tuesday night alone was a treat - with a performance by the renowned Vienna Boys' Choir and then a public meeting to discuss proposals for the Heartland Parkway.

  • Could it be time to quit?

    We're looking at the possibility of a local ban on smoking. And now smokers are facing a sizable increase in price to support their habit.

    Could it be time to evaluate our priorities?

    We all know by now that smoking is bad for our health as well as the health of others around us.

    According to the Centers for Disease Control, Kentucky ranks No. 1 in the instance of lung cancer in both men and women and ranks highly in the instance of other types of cancer brought on by smoking.

  • Kudo: St. Baldrick's

    To live in a nation in recession, Taylor County residents have certainly stepped up to the plate in the name of children.

    Saturday's St. Baldrick's event, which raises money to support cancer research for children, raised $30,000, which is $10,000 more than the goal.

    Take a glance at the photos on today's Front and Accent pages and those in a slideshow on our Web site at cknj.com. And then thank those who shaved their heads - in honor of our children.

     

  • Kudo: Lady Tigers

    Ginger Colvin has been to the NAIA Division 1 Women's Basketball Championship in Jackson, Tenn. as a Campbellsville University player and as an assistant coach.

    Today, she will be guiding her first squad as head coach when the Lady Tigers battle Columbia (Mo.) at 10 a.m. ET.

    This will be the 17th national appearance for the Lady Tigers in basketball, the first 16 coming under the direction of NAIA Hall of Fame coach Donna Wise.

    Good luck. We'll be watching.

     

  • Have you plans to help?

    Commonwealth Cleanup Week starts Sunday. Have you made your plans to help?

    Commonwealth Cleanup Week is an annual weeklong event geared toward cleaning up Kentucky's communities. And all across the state, groups are gearing up to clean roadsides and parks in their communities.

    Last year, more than 5,151 people participated in the statewide event, picking up 14,860 bags of trash along 1,846 miles of roadway and cleaning up 26 dumps statewide. Participants also collected and recycled 337 appliances and 3,956 tires.

  • Whose problem is it?

    Taylor County Fiscal Court's Budget, Audits and Personnel Committee recently concluded that the 2009-2010 jail budget funding will fall about $600,000 short of needed revenue. There are a lot of factors that have led to this situation and are, at this point in time, really not relevant.

    What is important is how the shortfall is addressed.

    Suggestions that have arisen include: raising the occupational tax rate, adding an insurance premium tax, adding a sunset tax and even breaking the occupational tax agreement with the City.

  • Help find a cure for cancer

    Whether it's through a parent, a spouse, a child, a grandparent, a friend, or even ourselves, cancer will reach out its deadly hand and touch us all. And that's why we should all be concerned with research into its cure.

    What may have killed us 50, 20 or even just a few years ago, is now treatable - thanks to research.

    And that's what gives us hope.

    As the second leading cause of the death in the U.S., cancer will affect all too many of us. We each have a risk - experts say half of all men and a third of all women will be diagnosed with some form of the disease.

  • Too good to be true? Probably

    There’s an old saying, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” That’s sound advice for almost any situation and should become the official motto for modern times.

    Local police say that with the economy on the downward slide, scams are on the upswing. And they’re hitting home.

  • Change can be a good thing ......

    Change can be a good thing. At least sometimes.

    Changing the look of downtown Campbellsville is definitely a good thing. We can’t help but wonder if a few of the changes planned for streetscape and beautification don’t necessarily fall into the “sometimes” category.

    New, handicapped-accessible sidewalks and walking paths are definitely a plus. Closing the main entrance to the library parking lot, though, we’re not as sure about.