Commentary
Real-life nightmares the new normal under extreme abortion laws like Kentucky’s
Think of a 12- or 13-year-old little girl you know. Picture her in your mind. Think about what she likes to do, what her favorite color is, what subjects she likes at school, and what she struggles with.? Now imagine her with a baby in her arms. Her baby, fathered by the man who raped […]
Kentucky courts navigating open meetings questions raised by pandemic mask mandate
“The purpose of open meetings laws is to provide a window, not a weapon for political sparring.” — Kentucky Court of Appeals ruling by Chief Judge Larry E. Thompson, Judges Kelly Mark Easton and Annette Karem in Campbell County Board of Education v. Ken Moellman Sr. and Noam Heim? An open meetings challenge to policies […]
Kentuckians invited to speak up on hemp regulation, including CBD and Delta 8
Over the last few years, hemp’s CBD and Delta 8, a less-potent marijuana alternative, have been sold online and in wellness shops as relief for pain, anxiety and insomnia. But that could change. A Kentucky agency and a congressional committee are separately seeking comment on how to regulate these products. This is an opportunity for […]
Kansas newspaper raid draws plenty of attention, but journalists defy threats across U.S.
After Kansas Reflector reported on the ignominious and unconstitutional raid of the Marion County Record on Aug. 11, news outlets and commentators from across Kansas and the nation followed suit throughout the weekend. The voices of those who value a free press and free expression were overwhelming in their force and intensity. Eight days later, […]
The rewards of culture shock
My wife and I and our 14-month-old daughter moved from New York’s Upper West Side to Hazard, Kentucky, in August 1980. Culture shock is what people gasp when they first hear that. I’ve written a couple of Appalachian novels where I play with the outsider/insider theme — showing how different expectations, stereotypes and ways of […]
In my small town, our librarian now carries a gun
LAWRENCEBURG, KY — The library director swiveled her chair to the right, reached into a desk drawer, and showed me her gun. “Have you always carried a gun?” I said. “No,” she said, demonstrating how she tucks it up underneath her arm when she walks to and from the library parking lot. “I started carrying […]
Beshear, Cameron both claim the moral high ground
This article is published with permission from the Northern?Kentucky?Tribune, a nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism. FANCY FARM, Kentucky – The first faceoff of the candidates for governor, at last Saturday’s Fancy Farm Picnic, brought the race into clearer focus. Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron is betting that culture will trump […]
Trump indictment is a chance for the GOP to reclaim itself
Donald Trump’s indictment for various schemes to overturn his 2020 election loss will get distorted by allegations that Democrats, President Joe Biden and “the deep state” are unfairly trying to prevent his return to the presidency. Yet in reality, Republicans provided the details of Trump actions to the House Committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection […]
The internet is not real?life. Ask a Swiftie.
In the weeks leading up to June 16, 2023, when I attended the Pittsburgh leg of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, the online chatter about the 33-year-old singer had become draining. The internet was ablaze with rumors about Swift dating Matty Healy, the lead singer of the English pop-rock band The 1975. Some Swifties — the […]
Democracy on trial
Once in a lifetime traumatic events have been occurring so often lately we’re all starting to get disaster fatigue.? In the space of three years we’ve had a global pandemic; the Russian invasion of Ukraine; record setting floods, heat waves and tornadoes, and Jan. 6, 2021.? The United States managed a peaceful transition of power […]
Calling all toadies: Kentucky needs a new education commissioner
Jason Glass became a target in the culture wars, but the real casualty is Kentucky’s public schools. Republicans ran off an education commissioner who openly challenged their anti-LGBTQ agenda. Under the circumstances, Glass’s announcement that he will step down in late September was not surprising. It does raise a troubling question:? What self-respecting educator will […]
A library board appointment speaks volumes
On Friday, July 28, after learning that a man named Bobby Proctor had been appointed by Anderson County Fiscal Court to our public library’s board of directors, I stopped by the library and asked to see a copy of Proctor’s application.? His application does not exist.? He did not apply.? Library director Demaris Hill told […]