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Today's Opinions

  • Don't let child abuse ruin your life

    Dear Editor,

    Since this is Child Abuse Prevention Month, I wondered if you might like to hear from a victim.

    I’m a resident of Springfield. My family is well known. One of my parents is still living, and so to protect my innocent siblings, I wish to remain anonymous.

    By the age of 5, I was called a whore. I didn’t know what one was, but I knew it must be bad.

    From the beatings I received, I learned to run really fast, and I have never let myself get caught in a corner of a room.

    I learned never to trust anyone.

    Click here to read more...
  • Make a difference in child abuse prevention

    In 2008, more than 88,292 children across the Commonwealth were reported as abused or neglected to the Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

    In Washington County their were 734 reports involving 864 children - 48 reports substantiated and 67 children substantiated. Last year in Kentucky there were 25 children whose death was the result of abuse or neglect.

    Click here to read more...
  • How to get college scholarships

    “An ounce of sweat will save a gallon of blood.”

    General George Patton

    The same quote can be used for college scholarships.  Work hard in high school and prevent paying off college student loans for decades to come.

    Let me stop you right here.

    If you’re a high school senior, or the parents of a high school senior, and are just now thinking about college scholarships, then you are going to be sorely disappointed in the rest of this column.  

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  • Local schools continue to improve

    Before the education reform act of 1990, Kentucky was ranked near the bottom of the list when compared to other states.  Now our state has become a model for reform and has made significant jumps in almost all rankings related to education and student achievement. All Washington County schools have made significant academic progress during the past several years.  This progress has been documented and measured by increasing scores on both state and national assessments.

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  • Teach your children well

    It’s comforting to live in a small town, where there’s little crime and few problems in the community when compared to larger cities. There are certain things you don’t have to worry about when it comes to your day-to-day life, simply because certain things just happen in big cities, while they typically aren’t a problem in smaller towns.

    That’s how I feel, and it’s what I have thought for most of my life. But recently, the problems in our community that are rearing their heads are simply amazing to me.

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  • Preacher man and four suitcases

    “Then I turned and saw two little boys there with their mom and dad.  It was so sad it almost made me cry.”

    Heather Parrott. after visiting a homeless shelter in 2007

     

    My favorite article of all time was not written by me.  I put it together two years ago when some then 13- and 14-year-old St. Dominic kids spent a day at the Salvation Army’s Center of Hope in Louisville.  This facility feeds and has sleeping facilities for the homeless.  It was a trip to the hopeless, hungry, desperate side of life.

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  • Goodbye CATS, hello progress!

    CATS has breathed its last breath.

    After several attempts in recent years, Kentucky lawmakers have finally agreed on a plan to hammer the final nail in the CATS coffin.

    So, after 10 years of working toward the 2014 proficiency goal, we’re changing course. Sounds kinda discouraging, doesn’t it?

    But the fact is that stuffing CATS back in the bag could be the boost that education in Kentucky needs.

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  • Semper Fidelis

    Semper Fidelis - Marine Corp motto in Latin meaning “Always Faithful.”

     

    A young Washington County man named Derek Bartley died last week in a tragic accident at home.  He was 23.

    You know death is so unnatural when it comes to a young person full of life.  Nobody wants to die, but there are no parents that want to bury their children.  I can only imagine the anguish of broken hearts for David and Laura.  It must be what hell is like.  

    I never met Derek, but I know he was a remarkable young man.  

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