What would you like to see happen in Shelby County in 2008

Tina Ethington,

Emergency room director, Jewish Hospital Shelbyville

"I would like people to recognize the services they have here {at JHS}. They used to see this as a Bandaid station -- that was the mentality when I grew up.

"But you get better care here than at the large hospitals. Our doctors and nurses stay more current on everything. There's no comparison to the personal attention you get here. This is where they live and they come here wanting to take care of the people in the community."

Jessica Penix

Second grade teacher and Student Technology Coordinator at Wright Elementary

"This year I would like to see more technology being used in the classrooms. Using technology with students helps create higher levels of interest and learning," she said.

"And I also would like to see a (means of) outreach between the students and the community so that the students could use those skills in real-life situations."

Ray Tucker, tobacco farmer

"What I'd like to see happen, and it isn't going to happen, is that prices would keep up with input costs. We have increased fuel costs, increased costs for nitrogen and H2A labor costs keep going up and we are going to get the same price we got last year. The only room I have is to be more efficient to make any money...so, in short, I'd like to see lower costs and higher prices."

"We want to work on getting the moral support of the local government to work with us and provide social services to the disadvantaged in general."

Carolina Palero, Centro Latino programs director

"I'm very excited about what's happened with more businesses opening on Main Street. I would like to see more retail businesses open to support the community. I'd like to see downtown become the place where people come to shop and eat and be seen."

Teresa McKinley, co-owner of McKinley's Bread Shop & Deli

Nei-newyear-hardesty

Mayor of Shelbyville, Tom Hardesty, said he hoped in the new year that his office would "continue to provide the best services ... we can" to the community.

Nei-newyear-EFoster

Elizabeth Foster, Shelby County High School senior, said she was "not looking forward to saying goodbye to friends," after graduation. However, she looks forward to "starting a new life and meeting new friends" when she goes to college in the fall.

Shelbyville Police Community Resource Officer Ish Kovacs:

"I'd like to see is for things to continue as they're going here. I'd like to see the police department continue to grow. And, I'd like to see people get more involved in their neighborhoods to help their community."

Shelby County Deputy Judge-Executive Rusty Newton:

"The first thing I would like to see would be more job opportunities through increased industrial development. The second would be I would like to see the new judicial center construction well under way by the end of 2008, and the last thing is simply a safer and healthier Shelby County."