Opinion Pieces

Letters to the Editor

Danville schools appreciate teachers

As we celebrate National Teacher Appreciation Week, I would like for you to reflect for a moment back to your days in school and recall that teacher who gave you some extra time, encouraged you along the way, expected the best you could give and made...

Jackson Park being ignored

Why is it that Millennium Park is always well taken care of but other parks are not?

Mayor, commission serving the majority

In response to the Rogers letter of May 10, I agree that "now is the time to stand up and be counted," but I must object to the remainder of their tired argument.

Will Red Cross help?

Now that there is no local Red Cross chapter, who will set up a disaster shelter when needed?

Credits Obama for moving to the right

I want to write this short note to give some credit. I didn’t vote for him, and I don’t intend to vote for him, but I’ve got to give it to our President Obama. He is the president of the United States of America. He is the...

Bicyclers should follow the rules

I am writing in reference to rules of the road as applicable to bicycles in the state of Kentucky. 

Thanks for helping with infant car seat

As a new grandmother, I recently purchased a car seat so that I could transport my granddaughter without needing to move her car seat from her mother’s vehicle.

Volunteers make Community Arts Center successful

From dinosaurs to the wide expanse of outer space, the Community Arts Center’s continued success stems from our volunteers who generously give the gift of time, energy and enthusiastic support throughout the year. It takes a village to run...

City hiring process abused by three

Commissioners Hunstad, Lewis and Montgomery failed Danville by firing Paul Stansbury more than a year ago. Now, after wasting more than $300,000 in a sham search for a replacement, they are poised to fail us again.

Coverage of Martin slaying disgusting

Just what is the source and sick psychology of the apparent anglo fratricide recently force-fed upon the public by the media and our darling “It’s about the economy, stupid!” socio-political “leaders?”

Thanks for raising abuse awareness

It is with great appreciation that I say thank you to the members of our community who either worked on the Lincoln County Child Abuse Prevention Month Committee directly, or who supported the efforts countywide to raise awareness.

Local agencies are the doers

I was happy to see that Harvesting Hope is establishing transitional housing for homeless families. Many of us who worked in the non-profit sector knew this was sorely needed.  

Danville schools more aware of autism

I have a 21-year-old son with autism. When he started school at Toliver in 1997, he was one of two in the Danville system with the official diagnosis of autism. How things have changed!

Danville politics is comic material

As I read the headlines about our city government, it reminds me of how we must be perceived from outside the county lines. I’m proud to call Danville home, but once again following the antics of our city government gives playwrites and stand-...

Veterans appreciate continued support

On behalf of the Veterans Committee, the veterans and myself, I would like to thank the Danville mayor and the City Commission for their continued support of the Veterans Day Dinner held each November at the Danville National Guard Armory. We...

Don't resort to lynching Sgt. Bales

A recent writer to this paper said that Sgt. Bales, alleged perpetrator of a horrendous crime in Afghanistan, should have been turned over to the Afghans. 

May is Foster Care Awareness month

Many people know of foster care, but few really understand how the system works, the role of the foster parents and most importantly, the experience of the children and youth in care.

Make your health care decisions known

Who knows your health care wishes better than you do? Don’t keep it a secret. Make your wishes known with a living will.

Mercer school board chairman responds

Last year, when Mr. Hamilton turned in his resignation, we as a school board voted to hire an interim superintendent. After several interviews, we as a board selected Dennis Davis as that interim superintendent. 

Sgt. Bales should be held by Afghans

It is clear that the Obama administration and the U.S. military have a monumental problem in Afghanistan. The recent murder spree, by Army Sgt. Robert Bales, of innocent civilians compounds the problem.

Usury invades our economy

Usury! Sounds as somber as its meaning. Biblically, lending and borrowing though acceptable practices demand accountability. That said, why is our nation nearly $5 trillion more in debt than just a few years ago?

Hunters beware: selective environmentalism

Newsflash: The Center for Biological Diversity is at odds with its soulmate, the EPA. It’s suing, even though THAT federal anti-fossil fuel behemoth can’t find jurisdiction in “Bio-D’s” leftist cause: litigating lead...

Errors in editorial pointed out

Thank you for your insightful editorial of April 15 about the lack of accomplishments of the current Danville City Commission. As you say, they have had a “multitude” of meetings (61 in 2011, compared to 40 in 2010, and eight either...

Outraged at 'slime' in beef

Where are America’s scruples — when it comes to its American people?

Republicans hate poor people

Republicans in Congress literally turn my stomach. Now they want to cut $33 million from the food stamp program. These people, if you can call them people, are absolutely heartless and void of any compassion.

Toughen human trafficking laws

Our Kentucky State Legislature has just two weeks left to meet this year.

Mercer County school board refusing to listen to constituents

Dear Editor:

Crossing the street is hazardous

I think it is wonderful the way Danville officials hope to get funding for new lighting and streetscape work on Main Street. 

Honoring volunteers everywhere, and thanking those here

National Volunteer Week is April 15-21, a time to recognize and celebrate the thousands of men, women and young people who volunteer in communities across the country and locally. 

Appreciates donations for tornado victims

Helton, Erwin and Associates would like to take a moment and give thanks to our community for the donations we received on March 10 for the tornado victims in West Liberty. We were able to fill one of the PODS with clothing, water, toothbrushes,...

More Opinion Pieces

The Conversation: Thanks for the Bone

Tell me quickly and in just a few words, what was the crime that eventually brought down the Nixon administration connected to an incident we call “Watergate?”

The Conversation: A critical thinker surely has a past

I’m no fan of Newt Gingrich. He is a buffoon and a blowhard, and I should know because I share some of these very traits. But I’m not running for president. Like most Americans, I couldn’t even afford the bumper stickers required to...

We could just outlaw fire

The Kentucky House has passed legislation that limits the quantity of popular over-the-counter cold and allergy medications — again, only more so.

Fighting meth doesn't have to limit freedom

There’s been a lot of buzz lately about a bill in the state legislature to make Sudafed a prescription drug. Well, more specifically, any drug that contains the ingredient pseudoephedrine. In addition to being an incredibly effective drug in...

To know me is to love me -- or not

One of the very things that makes fictional characters a bunch of fun may also be one of the worst characteristics of actual people.

Payphone regulations remain in the wireless age

“Rethink Possible” is AT&T’s current marketing motto. Government’s dictum, on the other hand, is “Regulate Possible until rethinking possible becomes impossible.”

Who's really selling the 'snake oil?'

David Axelrod, an Obama spokesperson, claims anyone who advocates increased drilling is peddling “snake oil.” At the same time he, his colleagues, and the administration call for both energy independence and increased oil output from...

The curtain falls on the tragedy of Joe Paterno

For most of my life, Joe Paterno has been a constant: I was one of his first recruits, so when he recruited me, I could always expect a call or visit from him, telling me: “Good game, Charlie.” Or, “How's the family Charlie?”...

The Conversation: Stealing the Truth

Everything I know, I stole.

Beshear explains funding for expanded preschool

To understand why my proposed budget expands access to preschool to 4,000 more Kentucky 4-year-olds, it helps to imagine two kindergarten classes arriving for the first day of school.

UK making slam-dunk moves off the court

“We’re moving in the right direction” is a phrase oft-repeated in Frankfort.

Garfield? Really?

Garfield is not dead. I repeat: Garfield is not dead.

The Conversation: Babies on spikes? I'm against it!

It was the comic Eddie Izzard who coined the phrase “babies on spikes”: “In America,” he said, “I felt there was a spirit of ‘can be done.’ What do you want to do? I want to put babies on spikes. Go, then!...

Pigs at the tax trough in hiding

Did you know that your legislator doesn’t have to be “on the record” when he or she votes for a spending bill?  That’s right, there’s no way to track how your representative voted on raising or spending your taxes.

State failing to make children its top priority

Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa said, "There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children." On Feb. 16, the Kentucky House of Representatives’ Health and Welfare committee...

Twisted logic leads to loony meth legislation, false claims

Some politicians prefer the sledgehammer-to-an-ant approach that requires law-abiding citizens to get a prescription from a doctor before being allowed to purchase medicine containing the decongestant pseudoephedrine.

The Conversation: They're brats, but they're my brats!

What brats! I am tired and hungry and the restaurant is crowded and loud. The kids sitting closest to me are loud and rude, flipping straws at each other and whining about getting hit by straws. They bug the waitress for a refill every time she...

The Conversation: Zombies keep coming, we keep letting them

Who doesn’t love zombies? From Romero to Harrelson (by way of the The Winchester, of course!) zombies are great!

Facing the 'Crisis of Global Power'

One of America’s most influential foreign policy advisors over the past several decades has been Zbigniew Brzezinski, national security advisor under President Jimmy Carter. His new book “Strategic Vision: America and the Crisis of Global...

An argument for local newspapers

Once upon a time... There was a lad among a crowd of impassioned onlookers, all caught up in a fervor over the beauty of the Emperor’s other-worldly garments.

Expanded gaming should go to voters

The right to vote. It is fundamental to us as Americans and as Kentuckians. Most often, we exercise it by electing our representatives, who then pass laws that govern our commonwealth and our country.

Peace on Earth in 2012? Doubtful

Nearly every national or international beauty contest features a question period when some aspiring beauty queen voices her desire for “world peace” in answer to an innocuous puffball question. However, this year, as in the past, world...

The Conversation: Valentine's Day? Humbug

I have a theory about the life-cycle of the average human.

Pension gravy may threaten other vital services

It doesn’t take more than a cursory glance at Kentucky’s benefit policies for public workers to understand why 4,000 people apply for state jobs each month. After all, where else can you: 

We Kentuckians are proud of our boundaries

In what can only be described as the height of wishful thinking, state Rep. Adam Koenig of Erlanger is floating a bill that would facilitate the consolidation of counties.

Useless Congress should apologize

This argument over a 2 percent payroll tax cut is stupid. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for a tax cut. I believe the economy works best when we regular folks get to keep more of our hard-earned money. But that doesn’t change how...

The Conversation: Just, no

One of the many lessons I’ve learned — the hard way — is to live what I think of as a “Yes-Centric” life. Not so long ago, I realized I had a very well-established knee-jerk “No” built in that immediately not...

Embrace your community in a `family of families'

There would be little argument, I suspect, to the conclusion that this hasn’t been a particularly good year. We could say that about the last few, really, from an economic perspective at least.

Addressing the 'State of the Union' speech

Every year since George Washington gave an address in 1790 in New York City (then the provisional capital of the U.S.), America’s presidents have given an annual message to Congress about the “State of the Union.”

Making a list and fact-checking it twice

While Santa’s busy checking his list, I’m inspecting claims that spending sleigh-fuls of money on government preschool programs would result in long-term improvement for Kentucky’s children.