Recent Articles

I Felt the Bern Tuesday, but I don't share my candidate's disdain for closed primaries...

...This left-leaning, union card-packing Democrat and lifelong Kentuckian is delighted Sanders, a Vermont independent, switched to my party to run for president. I've been a Sanders fan for years. I hope he stays a Democrat...

Again this summer, the Hickman County Arts Council is proud to display the artwork of Mr. Rick Harrison's students in the display case located in the hallway of our local Hickman County courthouse. The talents of Mr. Harrison's students can be viewed and appreciated over the coming summer.

Feeling depressed and let down after Tuesday's primary? Need to hear more politics talk?

Here's your chance.

The Paducah Lions Club will hear from two self described political junkies a week to the day after the primary at a luncheon meeting on May 24th...

A program honoring Robert Penn Warren also honored local writers in a program at the Hickman County Library.

Writers often draw inspiration from the works of their imagination, devoting their lives to creating a parallel world from their imaginations. Author Micah Gardner, one of the writers recognized during the event, draws her inspiration and ideas from landscape. "By day I am a biology teacher and at night, on weekends and whenever I can find the time, I write."

Gardner first began with poetry and short stories, taking two years to write her first novel. She has written two novels of a trilogy. "The Triskel Devices" series is a time travel series.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (May 16, 2016) -The Kentucky Office of Homeland Security (KOHS) is accepting applications for the FY 2016 Homeland Security Grant Program May 16, 2016 through July 8, 2016.

The grants, funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, can be used by city and county governments, fire protection districts, area development districts, and public universities to purchase first-responder equipment, communications, cybersecurity and critical infrastructure protection.

The Kentucky Department of Insurance is ready, willing and able to assist victims of the Graves County tornado of May 10th.

The tornado that touched down near the county seat of Mayfield, was described as an EF-3. There were no fatalities, though there were multiple injuries. The storm destroyed multiple homes and businesses.

Those affected can get information on what to do after a storm and the rest of us can get info on what to do before a storm. Follow the jump to the link on "More" in the story

Ronda Sloan, Manager, Communications and Public Outreach suggested that consumers can use a toll free number to contact the state agency if they have a problem or a question. 1- 800-595-6053.

Presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton had a large crowd both inside and out at the Little Castle in Lone Oak for an early Monday morning appearance. Estimate was there were about 110 supporters inside.

On the day before the Kentucky Democratic primary, she spent about one hour meeting the crowd and taking pictures.

There was a large media contingency. My wife, Brenda, got interviewed by the Wall Street Journal. I got interviewed by KFVS-TV.

Time is always the enemy in coverage of any major political event in modern America. So it was with the Bernie Sanders Rally in Paducah, KY. on Sunday, May 15, 2016. Some 50 media reporters were screened for entrance into the rally. Twenty or so large television cameras were set up to fully record the rally.

However, there were invisible media rules at work.

Normally, the quiet of the Julian Carroll Convention center is reserved for the likes of the Chamber of Commerce luncheons or the meetings of the regional business groups. Grown men and women sit quietly for lunch or power point sessions.

Starting at 11:00 am on Sunday, the 15^th of May, a storm of sound shook the Convention Center when several thousand supporters of Bernie Sanders for President, came to party.

For many in attendance, waiting for five hours and listening for another almost two hours was worth the price of being a part of history in American presidential politics. There were many in the crowd that was first timers for any national politics. Well over half of those in attendance were between the ages of 18 to 35 years of age. This group made up probably 50 % of the room.

But by far, the most heart warming were the scenes of little boys and girls, looking wide eyed at what was happening.

Sanders came to Paducah Kentucky to lay a foundation of support in one of the largest Democratic strongholds in Kentucky. The strength of his speech made people wonder where this man of 74 years of age found the energy to day after day, campaign for leading America into the next new age of American futurism.

Four Hickman County Middle School students set out to convince local officials that the sidewalks in Clinton, the county seat, were awful and needed to be fixed. Kate Hogancamp, Riley Barber, Gracie Lusk and Emma Whitlock traveled the sidewalks and took photos of the worst ones then they turned the photos into a powerpoint presentation....

They beat 9 other regional middle schools to win the Young Leaders in Action Competition sponsored by MSU. Their project on sidewalk improvements for the City of Clinton impressed a huge panel of judges to take Grand Showcase Champions. Their project will be sent to the National Legislative Conference in Dallas, Tx to compete against other Young Leaders in Actions

Graves County High School juniors Ethan Murphey (left) and Mattison Sullivan have performed in some of the same music and drama circles over the years. They attended Graves County Central Elementary, Middle School, and High School at the same time. Both recently qualified to participate in the prestigious Governor's School for the Arts program this summer at Centre College in Danville.

A natural gas pipeline is being refitted to carry light sweet crude oil from the North Dakota's Bakken oil fields to Texas. The pipeline will go through McCracken, Ballard, Carlisle, Hickman and Fulton Counties.

Pipelines carrying this kind of oil have exploded several times in the past few years. Emergency management officials in McCracken are getting the word out about how to deal with potential problems.

Trying to make sense out of Frankfort politics is like watching three people fighting each other to seize control of the surf board they are standing on - as it races toward the beach during a hurricane.

This image is fine if you are watching a rerun of The Three Stooges. However, this scenario is deadly if you want elected leaders to provide leadership during this era of wave after wave of political, social, military, and economic storms.

During my career with Kentucky state government, I served as non-merit employee for four Governors and two Presidents.

What follows is my personal assessment and professional ranking of the overall impact to moving the state of Kentucky forward.

Two groups of local students decorated eggs to celebrate Spring Chicken Festival in Clinton this weekend.

The Festival begins with music on the square of Clinton on Friday evening and continues all day Saturday with a 5K run/walk, music, vendors, children's events and of course - lots of food. The Spring Chicken Festival is a reflection of Hickman County's being the site of the most chicken barns in the state of Kentucky.

Hickman County Middle School students all turned out in late April to work around Clinton and Columbus on public works projects. The work day was the culmination of a year long program called "Leader in Me".

The Leader in Me initiative is based on author Stephen Covey's "7 Habits of Highly Effective People".

MARTIN, Tenn. - A highly sought-after Science and Engineering Building is closer to reality at the University of Tennessee at Martin, thanks to a change in the university's required match to fund the project. The match reduction from 25 percent to 10 percent was led by State Sen. John Stevens (R-Huntingdon) and is the first of its kind in Tennessee government.

Editor's Note: This is interesting for two reasons: (1) Students from our area enjoy reciprocity with TN students and (2) A TN legislator went to bat for a university and got results.

FRANKFORT -- The Kentucky General Assembly's 2016 regular session ended on Friday, April 15, shortly before midnight, capping off a session in which lawmakers approved the state's next two-year budget and numerous other measures that will impact people throughout the state.

Most new laws - those that come from legislation that don't contain emergency clauses or different specified effective dates - will go into effect in mid-July.

A partial list of bills approved this year by the General Assembly follows

The Hickman County Library and the Hickman County Arts Council will sponsor a program on April 26th from 3-5 honoring local writers in the Library located just off Mayfield Road in Clinton. Local writers, among them students, teachers and media, are encouraged to bring work to share.

Writers' Day in Kentucky was created to honor Western Kentucky native Robert Penn Warren.

Short readings of Warren's work and others will be followed by a reception. The public is encouraged to attend.

Sen. Rand Paul filed an amendment to H. R. 2028 the Energy Policy Modernization Act.

The amendment would create "economic freedom zones" from some government regulations and taxes. The effort, needing 60 votes to pass, failed on a vote of 35-62.

While budget negotiations go forward in fits and starts, AG Beshear made good on his threat to take the Governor to court.

Attorney General Andy Beshear filed suit against Gov. Matt Bevin for decreasing university funding without legislative approval.

In response, Communications Director Jessica Ditto snarked:

"As best we can make sense of his rambling press conference, we strongly disagree with the Attorney General and will respond as necessary in court. Given the amount of alleged corruption and personnel problems in the Office of Attorney General and his father's administration it is clear that he is attempting to deflect attention away from his own challenges."

More on the budget talks, dueling press releases and general jocularity..

(Murray, KY April 7, 2016) - Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes told a crowd of ninety students, faculty, staff and supporters that Kentucky joined thirty other states that offer online voter registration a few weeks ago. Grimes and her staff pitched www.GoVoteKY.com to Murray State University as part of her tour of state universities to urge voter registration.

The inarguably most highly sought out endorsement of the Kentucky First District Congressional campaign, that of the National Rifle Association (NRA), went to candidate James Comer.