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Opinion

  • We congratulate: Two ideas fit for...

    When we think of public giving, we like creative concepts that benefit in a variety of ways, and we have two great examples that have come together to form a truly great addition to our community.

    First there was the generous, end-of-year contribution to Shelby County by business owner Jamie Latona, which was followed by a stroke of genius by those who received the gift.

  • So just how sweet was winning the...

    A lot of you of both the red and blue heritage have been trying lately to put the University of Louisville’s stunning victory over Florida into some sort of perspective, to make sense of the sensational, to find order in a moment of chaos. I’m talking about the recent football game, not the Elite 8 encounter in basketball last spring.

  • MY WORD: An ode to Ol’ Sandy Hook

    And the Angel of Death stood there weeping

    Early in the morning of December 14,

    When the little village of Newtown, was sleeping

    He thought his trip would be for one, and not any others

    He was sent, because a disturbed son,

     Had murdered his own mother

     

    Walking around on grass and the clover

    He heard the One On High say,” You’re job is not over”

    He had arrived there early; the morning was crisp and cool

  •
    MY WORD: Leadershp Shelby gets an...

    On Dec. 12, the Leadership Shelby Class of 2012-2013 spent the day discussing government in Shelby County.

    With the recent elections and contentious talks of a “fiscal cliff,” the word "government" tends to conjure images of division within our society. Many of us are ready to turn the page, change the channel or scroll down the news feed to avoid another heated political discussion or debate.

  •
    A perfect first snowfall day to play

    Wasn’t that a lovely gift for Mother Nature to deliver our first real snowfall on a Saturday during a holiday break? No work for many, no school for any and no planned hootenanny.

    The snow wasn’t too deep, the temp wasn’t too cold and the landscape The Artist painted was one of great elegance, Christmas card-quality and pure whiteness. We can even forgive its arriving four days too late to give Santa safe landings.

    Ultimate beauty, moderate temperatures and mild disruption equal the perfect snowfall.

  • What we think: These are our goals...

    This is the time of year for goal-setting, for establishing a blueprint and a roadmap to develop us as better individuals and, together, guide us into forming a stronger community. We commit those concepts into ink on paper, giving them weight and value and creating a contract that binds us to them.

  • A rhyme for the season 2012

    With apologies to Clement Moore, we adapt our rhyme for the season and wish you a very Merry Christmas.

     

    ‘Twas the night before Christmas,

    And up and down the street,

    Joy and happiness ruled,

    Not a frown did anyone greet.

     

    The residents were nestled

    All snug in their beds,

    Only post-holiday bills

    Put dread in their heads.

     

    And me with my laptop

    And the Mrs. with her iPad

    Were checking the late news,

  • What we think: We have made good...

    Here is our annual report card for the community, when we evaluate our performance against the goals and objectives we listed last January.

    We have undertaken this process since 2009, and we believe that it is the newspaper’s goal to establish goals and lead the focus and discussion on issues that are of primary importance to all of us.

    As we look back at 2012, at an agenda that was modest by most standards, we can grade our county with an A in several important categories, but we are more unsettled by how many Incompletes we must hand out.

  •
    MY WORD: Collins student keen on...

    Gov. Steve Beshear joined entrepreneurs and educators across Kentucky to announce the creation of the Governor's School for Entrepreneurs. Speaking alongside him, on behalf of high school students across Kentucky, was Taylor Nash, a sophomore at Collins High School.

    When Taylor first heard about the program through a meeting at school, he said he was excited, “This is definitely a path to careers that would work for me because I want to start my own business and make a difference in the community.”

  • MY WORD: Here's some ammo to...

    Unlike the rest of the world, Americans believe that everybody needs to be armed for self protection. How is that working?

    The mass murderer in Connecticut killed his mother, who logically wanted a gun for protection. Most people who carry concealed weapons are paranoid, feeling that they could be shot, robbed or beaten up.

    The problem is not gun control, but People Control.

  • What we think: We must ensure our...

    As we have sat and watched our worst nightmare emerge as reality in Newtown, Conn., we are left with only one question that truly matters now:

    Are our students safe?

    When we put on their coats to protect them from the weather, when we place them in vehicles built for safety, when they are delivered into the buildings where they will spend their days, are they truly protected?
    Before Friday, isn’t that a part of life we took for granted? The safest place for a child would be his or her home. Next on that list would be their schools. Right?

  • We congratulate: New grant to help...

    Thanks to some smart work by Leon Mooneyhan and the folks at the Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative, Shelby County students are about to have a chance to be a bit smarter themselves.

    Mr. Mooneyhan and OVEC partnered with the Green river Regional Educational Cooperative to earn $40 million in federal Race to the Top grants for 23 school districts.

    That’s a wonderful accomplishment in a state that had missed out entirely on earning a piece of one of those grants in 2011. The cooperatives’ cooperation worked well.

  •
    Life’s dark moments enlighten...

  • Negotiating a Christmas list

    There was a quiet negotiation going on in the back seat. I caught the words slowly but the meaning very quickly.

     “So,” said the 5-year-old to her 11-year-old brother, “why don’t you ask for a basketball goal, and I’ll ask for crafts?”

    Me to the 5-year-old: “You mean you want your brother to ask Santa for a basketball goal so you can have something else on your list?”

    Her: “Yes, crafts.”

    Me: “Crafts like material to create stuff, like at school?”

  • What we think: Outlet mall critics...

    We as a community are down to the last Christmas seals of approval for the proposed outlet malls for Simpsonville.

    Next Wednesday the Simpsonville City Commission will consider on second reading of an ordinance that signs off on zone changes and site plans submitted by Trio Property and Paragon Outlet Properties, which have partnered on the 64-acre parcel south of Interstate 64 and east of Buck Creek Road.

  • We congratulate: A Christmas gift...

    We only can be ashamed that this took so long, but the inclusion in the Shelbyville Christmas parade of a group of former Vietnam War veterans was a wonderful holiday gift for these men and for our community.

    The concept of the parade ride, coordinated by Janie James at Shelbyville VFW Post 1179, means that these veterans finally received a public thank you for the sacrifices they endured to serve in the jungles of Vietnam.

  •
    MY WORD: Leadership Shelby sees a...

    Leadership Shelby is an organization sponsoring an annual group of individuals from the county who have demonstrated leadership qualities and a deep commitment to the community and who are likely to assume greater responsibility in the future.

    On Nov. 14, the class of 2012-2013 completed a full-day overview of the industry in our county. We toured the operation of four businesses, and reviewed a wealth of data on the trends in population and employment opportunity, as well as the economics behind the numbers.

  •
    MY WORD: Some Shelby County...

    While the United States is obviously becoming more secular and less religious, Christian church life is very much alive and well in Shelby County.

    That’s the conclusion that Mae Peniston, Greg Biagi and I reached after conducting a series of book signings at more than 20 churches spread all over the county…from Graefenburg to Simpsonville and from Elmburg to Waddy.

    The book is Shelby County, Kentucky 2011 – A Living History, which debuted in June.

    We also visited with Ruritans at all five of their clubs in the county.

  • The season arrives when the lights...

    The other night, as I was tucking my 5-year-old into bed, I felt a cool draft of air and, being a dutifully protective father, started feeling around to see if her window had been left open or a seal was letting in a breeze. But then the draft hit me (literally) on the head, and I realized what I was feeling was the air conditioner kicking on. In December.

    We interrupt this holiday season for – what – golf season?

  •
    What we think: We are shocked by...

    The absurd incongruity of the state’s application of shock probation has added a new twist of the sword of inequity, a new and ugly demonstration of why the law must be rewritten, redefined or – best of option of all – repealed.

    Exhibit 1: Tonya Nicole Brown delivers a baby in a restroom of a restaurant in Shelby County, puts that living baby into plastic bags and shoves them into a trash receptacle, gets back into her vehicle and drives home to Lexington.