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Opinion

  • Comer thinks hemp has bright future...

    Hemp has come a long way, increasing from 33 acres in 2014 — the first legal crop in Kentucky — to more than 922 acres planted this year.

    “Welcome to Kentucky, the leading industrial hemp-producing state in the country. It feels good to say that,” Agriculture Commissioner James Comer told a sold-out crowd Monday at the annual Hemp Industries Association Conference in Lexington.

  • Protecting the unborn

    In my travels I often hear about the many ways that Washington fails to stand up and fight for worthy causes. Among the most notable is the fight to protect innocent life. That’s why last summer I said that a new Republican majority would prioritize legislation that aims to protect unborn children after 20 weeks in the womb, and that’s why I will be proud to vote for it this coming week.

  • Clock bomb story a ‘dud’

    The most exercise many Americans today get is sitting in front of their computer screens or televisions and rushing to judgment or jumping to conclusions. While these exercises don’t help us burn calories, they do help agenda-driven journalists in their quest to fan flames.

    Last year we saw it in Ferguson, Missouri, and last week we saw it in Irving, Texas, where a 14-year-old boy was punished by school authorities for bringing a ‘clock’ to school that resembled a homemade bomb.

  • Ready for work

    Several years ago, this newspaper ran a photograph taken at the county line on Highway 155 going into Louisville. The purpose of the picture was to illustrate the seemingly never-ending string of cars that crossed the border each day, taking their occupants to jobs elsewhere.

    Of course, that was prior to the recession of 2008, when Spencer County was repeatedly listed as the fastest growing county in the state of Kentucky, and one of the fastest growing in the entire U.S.

  • High-Speed internet coming to every...

    Kentucky is embarking on one of the biggest infrastructure projects in more than 50 years – developing a robust, reliable, fiber “backbone” infrastructure that will bring high-speed Internet connectivity to every county of the Commonwealth.

    The network, called KentuckyWired or the I-Way in eastern Kentucky, will break down geographic and financial barriers to education and economic development by providing affordable, high-quality Internet service to connect Kentuckians to the world.

  • Conscience is protected by...

    After spending several days abroad and purposely disconnected from any news, I was startled upon returning to learn of the jailing of Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis. I was aware of the possibility, but jail? Really? Perhaps my return flight landed me in the wrong country—one foreign to its founding ideals, namely the one promising religious liberty.

  • Another officer slain on duty

    Kentucky lost another law enforcement officer late Sunday evening when State Police Trooper Joseph Cameron Ponder, 31, was shot and killed by a suspect who opened fire on his cruiser following a high speed chase.

    Sadly, reports are now surfacing that Ponder, a Navy veteran who graduated from the KSP academy in January, was initially going to give the 25-year-old suspect a break.

  • From our readers: Help middle...
  • From our readers: Other sports...

    While I love our little hometown paper, I often get frustrated with the coverage. The amount of coverage that certain sports are always receiving is upsetting. This week, I opened the sports page and immediately saw a picture and a nice article about the win this past Friday over East Jessamine that’s continued on page 9. That is approximately one and a half page coverage on football alone. Volleyball and Soccer had a couple pictures and little coverage and Cross Country had a little snippet.

  • Fighting Obama’s anti-coal agenda

    The Obama Administration recently unleashed its latest attack on Kentucky coal jobs, miners, and their families by unveiling the final version of its so-called Clean Power Plan, which seeks to limit greenhouse gas emissions from existing coal-fired power plants. This move demands and deserves a forceful response from those of us who seek to protect Kentucky coal.

  • Trump lacks the character to lead

    Political Correctness—the emphasis of sensitivity over truth, and the sometimes watering down of straight talk to preserve people’s feeling, is in the news again thanks to the pugnacious and attention-grabbing GOP frontrunner who told a crowd in Cleveland earlier this month “the big problem this country has is being politically correct.”

  • Kim Davis saga brings Kentucky to...

    While Americans put a cap on the summer and enjoyed a three day weekend, Kim Davis sat in a Kentucky jail cell for refusing to act in a way she said would violate her first amendment freedom of religion.

    Much has been said and written about the plight of Davis. There are plenty who detest the Rowan County clerk, and yet there are an equal number of folks who admire her. Count me among the latter.

  • From our readers: Kentucky’s ethics...

    GOP gubernatorial candidate Matt Bevin has been criticized by the Attorney General Jack Conway and his supporters for actions they consider shady. By doing so, the Conway campaign has opened the door to the daylight on the corruption in Kentucky.

  • Montell bill would keep funds for...
  • Stumbo proposes new casino amendment

    With Kentucky’s instant-racing machines crossing the billion-dollar threshold earlier this spring, and as Kentuckians spend billions of dollars more each year at casinos along the Ohio River, House Speaker Greg Stumbo said “that the time has come for voters to decide the expanded-gaming issue once and for all.”

  • Iran nuclear deal is bad for U.S.

    Earlier this summer, President Obama announced a deal had been struck between Iran and the United States and other countries that purports to curtail, but not end Iran’s nuclear program. Kentuckians have the right to know whether this deal will actually make America and her allies safer. I want to assure those in the Commonwealth that America’s safety will be my foremost concern when the U.S. Senate takes up this issue and gives the proposed deal a thorough and fair review in the coming weeks.

  • Pension woes still a priority for...

    One of this interim period’s hot button issues is finding a way to stabilize the Kentucky Teachers Retirement System (KTRS) and the Kentucky Employee Retirement System (KRS). KTRS was debated in the waning days of the last General Assembly, and the momentum continues. As a member of the Public Pension Oversight Board, I have had a seat at the table on these issues, continuing to deliberate with the various stakeholders and legislators who want to find a solution.

  • From our readers: Kudos to Road...

    Wanted to give a shout and thank you to the road maintenance department. We live off Hochstrauser near Plum Ridge. They paved the road, bridge, and several areas. It’s nice and smooth now and a pleasure.  Thank you very much. 

    Randal Mattocks
    Taylorsville
     

  • Tolerating true diversity

    The Spencer County High School Site-Based Decision Making Council really had little choice last week when they approved a new club at the school. The club, Spectrum Advocacy for Equality, was initially proposed to give a voice to LGBT students. However, after some concern about focusing solely on sexual orientation, the club was renamed and repurposed as an organization that will oppose bullying of all types and promote tolerance for all students.

  • From our readers: Taxpayers need...

    Two weeks ago, I wrote an opinion letter published in the Magnet about a proposed tax increase being discussed by the Fiscal Court. My letter was critical of the justification and process (drip spend, drip raise taxes, drip repeat).

    An email on this subject was received, essentially informing me that I was wrong (all inclusive). Also the email indicated that all could have been explained if I had availed myself to scheduling a meeting with the sender.