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Opinion

  • What's your idea of decent?

    Everyone should have a decent place to sleep at night. But, apparently, some individuals' definition of "decent" leaves a lot to be desired.

    At Monday's Campbellsville City Council meeting, City Building Official Kenny Phillips reported that several people have complained to the City recently about the condition of their rental home.

    A story on today's front page gives a few more details about some specific problems.

  • Drugged driving should be a crime...

    One beautiful June morning in 2006, four community leaders from Bowling Green set out for a scenic drive on their motorcycles. For two of them, the ride would be their last.

    As they were driving through Logan County, a truck driver crossed a double-yellow line, killing two of the men and seriously injuring another. The truck driver had in her possession marijuana and drug supplies. In fact, she admitted to driving with drugs in her system, and tests verified that she had smoked marijuana before driving the vehicle.

  • What gets your news hackles up?

    Ever since Satan took the form of a snake and tempted Adam and Eve, there has been a mystery associated with reptiles.

    Not since we published a story last week about a man charged with transporting "poisonous" snakes without a permit did we realize how some of what we do so affects our readers.

    Write a story about a child being abused (and this is Child Abuse Awareness Month) and you might never hear a peep. Write a story about someone transporting snakes and you're getting advice all day.

    That's what makes the news business so interesting and frustrating at times.

  • Child abuse even more prevalent

    It's getting worse. That's a fact. A story in the works for Monday's issue will tell it like it is.

    The number of reported child abuse cases in Taylor County is on the increase.

    The story focuses on statistics from Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky. Last year, according to the organization, there were 269 cases of child abuse involving 369 children reported in Taylor County. Of those, 58 were substantiated, involving 105 children.

    In 2006, there were 202 cases reported, involving 228 children. About 50 of those cases were substantiated, involving 74 children.

  • A helping hand from North Carolina

    "If I had a hammer

    "I'd hammer in the morning

    "I'd hammer in the evening

    "All over this land ..."

    -From a song by Lee Hays and Pete Seeger

    It really is true. What goes around comes around. Do good things for others and it'll come back to you.

    Last week, there were about 100 people from North Carolina in Campbellsville doing good things. Perhaps it was a touch of payback for all the good things our community has done for others.

  • Tigers take us on a fun ride

    Winding up an improbable run at a national title on Monday, the Campbellsville University Tigers left Kansas City with their heads held high.

    After all, the Tigers went farther than any other Campbellsville University basketball team in history - to the semifinals of the national championship tournament.

    Coach Keith Adkins said there will still be smiles on their faces.

  • It's time for a good spring...

    Spring is in the air. March lilies are beginning to appear, birds are chirping and children are playing outside. Spring is a time for fresh beginnings.

    It's also a time that many of us to do a thorough spring cleaning of our homes. And we should do that for our community as well.

    This week is Commonwealth Cleanup Week, an annual weeklong event geared toward cleaning up Kentucky's communities. All across the state, groups are cleaning up roadsides and parks in their communities.

    But here in Taylor County, it seems we're off to a slow start.

  • Open government is good government

    The early leaders of our country held widely divergent views on many topics, but their writings reflect a common appreciation of the importance of the right to know. These leaders recognized that in order for the new democracy to survive, public access was essential. As James Madison wrote: "[A] people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives."

  • City made only parking decision it...

    Campbellsville City Council's decision to change the parking on Main Street to include parallel spaces along the south side was a necessary one - for a number of reasons.

    There were no established standards for roads back when Main Street was built, so it's too narrow for many of today's larger vehicles. And that makes for close quarters on busy days.

    In addition, Main Street is a choice for many who are hoping to bypass the congestion that sometimes occurs on Broadway. That only adds to the traffic and the potential that the crowded parking creates.

  • Our important obligation

    "Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence."

    - Bernard Montgomery

    While it may often be unfair, elected officials are held to a higher accountability than the average person. Their character, their pasts, their integrity - all are intensely scrutinized.

    Look, for example, at the current presidential campaign. If what's going on in newspapers and on television stations across the country isn't intense scrutiny we don't know what is.

  • Don't blame others when it...

    Sometimes, we just don't know what's good for us. But when things go wrong, it's sure easy to blame someone other than ourselves.

    A story on today's front page details a problem local officials are facing with residents and their house numbers.

    Logically, one would think that posting a house number on one's home would be a no-brainer. But apparently not everyone is thinking logically.

  • Miss Frances

    "His role was as the gentle teacher, the logical, compassionate, caring and articulate teacher, who inspired you so that you wanted to please him more than life itself."

    -Singer Carol Lawrence, in speaking about composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein

    While Carol Lawrence was speaking about West Side Story composer Leonard Bernstein when she made the statement above, we can't help but wonder if she'd ever met someone named "Miss Frances."

  • Luster leaving tobacco farming

    What used to be the backbone of Taylor County farmers' livelihoods is quickly becoming an overwhelming burden.

    Over the past few years, it has become glaringly obvious that tobacco has gotten further and further away from being the viable cash crop it once was for many present and former burley growers.

    While farmers have been preparing for this inevitability for several years now, it continues to be a difficult adjustment for some.

  • Save that tax rebate

    This spring, 130 million Americans will receive a tax rebate thanks to the economic stimulus package just signed by President Bush. Single earners who take home less than $75,000 will find a $600 check in their mailbox. Married couples with a combined income of under $150,000 will get $1,200, plus $300 for each of their children.

    For those who are single, that's enough for a top-of-the-line iPhone. Couples could go out and buy a 50-inch plasma television. If you have kids, there'll even be money left over for a Nintendo Wii.

  • Skinheads send message about child...

    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 would have killed us 50, 20 or even just five 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.

  • Tax relief heading to Kentucky...

    The American economy has enjoyed six straight years of uninterrupted growth. But recently, that growth appears to be slowing. In my travels across Kentucky, I've met many families who are uncertain about their economic future, and I felt Congress had to act.

    I'm glad to report that we did by passing a bipartisan economic-growth package that will act as a "booster shot" for our economy by providing fast tax relief to American taxpayers.

  • Save your life, be more heart...

    We all want to live a good long life. But let's be honest. We don't always take the care we should with our bodies. We don't eat right. We don't get enough exercise. We smoke.

    And that takes its toll on our bodies ... specifically, our hearts.

    Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer in the U.S.

    And since 1963, each February has been declared as "American Heart Month" to help raise awareness of cardiovascular diseases.

    A story in last week's News-Journal told the story of two men who have had heart attacks - and successful recoveries.

  • Drug Court offers hope for those...

    No one likes to think of the community in which they live as facing a drug problem. But with the number of crimes committed in Taylor County that are reported in the News-Journal, the problem is a little difficult to ignore.

    And, after a few years, one begins to recognize the names that appear more frequently than others in court records.

    Defendants are traditionally given several chances to get their lives back on track. Judges typically try diversion and probation before prison time.

    But some people apparently won't learn without some additional prompting or help.

  • City Schools vote to make travel...

    It's funny how far two dollars will go.

    For sports teams and other extracurricular groups at City Schools, it may not be how far $2 will take them but the psychological boost knowing they may not have to raise that much more just to participate for their school.

    In January, a Campbellsville Board of Education proposal was floated that traveling groups from City Schools would have to pay $3.86 a mile for bus travel.

  • Any savings is a good savings when...

    For some reason, it always seems more difficult to fork over the money for necessities than it does for luxuries. It's much more pleasant to spend money going to the movies than paying the electric bill.

    But the electric bill is a necessity for all of us. And so is medicine.

    A story in Monday's News-Journal gave the details on local pharmacies' generic drug programs, programs that are going to save us all some money.

    Generic drugs, according to the FDA, are exactly the same as brand-name drugs. They just cost less.