Commentary
Cultivating a culture of transparency and accountability
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg is making good on his campaign promise to improve Louisville Metro open records compliance in his first budget. He has allocated $475,100 to create a new Department of Records Compliance, including six new positions to handle open records requests. “Greenberg has expressed the hope that this proposal will make Metro government […]
Teachers’ impact ‘is forever.’ Kentucky lawmakers must do what it takes to support them.
“I am firm in my belief that a teacher lives on and on through his students. Good teaching is forever and the teacher is immortal.” — Jesse Stuart. Thirty-six years ago, I began my beloved teaching career at the now-torn-down Greenup Elementary, with my classroom being in Jesse Stuart’s old office.? During my two years […]
The school year will soon end, but a new strategy to dismantle public education is just beginning
Public schools are at the heart of our communities, yet powerful interests have led a decades-long national effort to undermine them. Their strategy is morphing, but the ultimate goal remains the same: replace the grand American tradition of “common schools” with private education. The corporate lobbyists and free-market ideologues working to dismantle public education have […]
‘Rise up. And build!’ rings out in Lexington at annual Nehemiah Action Assembly
LEXINGTON — It had nothing to do with horses or basketball, but Kentucky’s second-largest city had what I consider to be one of its best nights of the year as 1,500 people came together Monday to make some demands. The demands had been researched and discussed and were issued only after negotiations and the laying […]
80 is different in 2023 than in 1787
President Joe Biden’s announcement that he’s running for another term raises concerns for many Americans. At his potential second inauguration, he would be 82, beating himself in becoming the oldest among American presidents. Aging has changed dramatically over the centuries. Medicine and better lifestyles have significantly diminished the effects of time. In the past, things […]
Why do mass shooters kill? It’s about more than having a grievance
An acutely troubling aspect of life in contemporary America is the growing proliferation of mass shootings that claim thousands of innocent lives year after painful year and make everyone feel unsafe. The year 2023 is still young, and already there have been at least 146 mass shooting events in the U.S. on record, including the […]
Weakening child labor laws is no way to build an economy
Consider this an early intervention for Kentucky lawmakers and business leaders: Don’t follow other states in weakening child-labor laws. In the frantic scramble to find more workers to rebuild the economy, businesses are violating federal laws and states are allowing children to work longer, in more dangerous jobs and with less liability on employers. The […]
When did the American gun become untouchable?
In January 2020, a standing-room-only crowd gathered in Anderson County Fiscal Court to debate our becoming a Second Amendment Sanctuary. The comment I most recall from that morning was made by the brother of a man who had died by suicide with a firearm. He argued on the side of guns. His brother, he said, […]
Can the fabulously funded, falsehood-flaunting Craft campaign buy a nomination for governor?
This article is published with permission of the Northern?Kentucky?Tribune, a nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism. Ever since the Republican primary for governor shaped up, the big question has been: Can personal wealth buy a GOP nomination for the state’s highest office? Now we ask, can money and misinformation win the […]
Gender-affirming care has a long history in the U.S. and not just for transgender people
In 1976, a woman from Roanoke, Virginia, named Rhoda received a prescription for two drugs: estrogen and progestin. Twelve months later, a local reporter noted Rhoda’s surprisingly soft skin and visible breasts. He wrote that the drugs had made her “so completely female.” Indeed, that was the point. The University of Virginia Medical Center in […]
University of Kentucky should pay student workers what they’re worth: $15 an hour
In 2020 with pressure from the wall-to-wall union United Campus Workers of Kentucky, the University of Kentucky raised its minimum wage for all regular employees to $15 an hour. Notably left out of that pay increase were undergraduate workers, who UK relies on for critical jobs across campus: operating desks at residence halls, assisting with […]
Time could be right for a special session to enact ‘red flag’ law in Kentucky
On a CNN interview about last week’s mass shooting in Louisville, Gov. Andy Beshear talked about his support for a “red flag” law to remove guns from those who are a danger to themselves or others. “It ensures that everybody’s rights are protected, that evidence is heard. It has every check on it that we […]