by Richard Nelson | Nov 5, 2018 | Opinion Pieces
The robo-call I received the other day from Pres. Trump endorsing incumbent state House member Walker Thomas (R-Hopkinsville) confirmed that Kentucky's state House races have been nationalized. Similar calls went out in 29 state House districts last Wednesday and...
by Staff | Sep 26, 2018 | Opinion Pieces
The battle over U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh gives us a snapshot of the political left's rage and the energy they'll take into the November election. They're on the outside of Washington's political power and they're doing all they...
by Staff | Sep 21, 2018 | Opinion Pieces
More often than not there are enterprises within our communities that we know nothing about. But when little-known organizations have an outsized impact on improving lives, it becomes obligatory for everyone to know. Such is the story of Kentucky's pregnancy care...
by Staff | Aug 29, 2018 | Opinion Pieces
Does the National Motto belong in public school? State Rep. Brandon Reed (R-Hodgenville) thinks so. He's introducing a bill that would require every Kentucky public elementary and secondary school to display the motto "In God We Trust" in a prominent...
by Richard Nelson | Aug 6, 2018 | Opinion Pieces
I just learned a new term the other day: "theyby." Instead of saying boy or girl baby and referring to them as he or she, a few newly minted parents are calling their offspring "theybies" which is a gender-neutral term employed to shield the child...
by Richard Nelson | Jul 24, 2018 | Opinion Pieces
Our trust in the established news media continues to decline. A major culprit? "Fake news." According to a Monmouth University poll conducted in March, 77 percent of Americans believe that traditional news media outlets report "fake news."...
by Richard Nelson | Jul 2, 2018 | Opinion Pieces
It was 242 years ago when America's colonial leaders declared their independence from a tyrant who trampled their rights and usurped their self-rule. They outlined 27 specific violations citing a "long train of abuses" reaching back a decade to the Stamp...
by Brandon Porter | Jun 11, 2018 | Opinion Pieces
We tend to compartmentalize our lives. Our heads ache, yet we don’t consider the small amount of sleep we’ve had this week. We feel sluggish, but have forgotten about the donuts we finished off a few hours ago. A spouse or friend seems...
by Richard Nelson | Jun 6, 2018 | Opinion Pieces
The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a religious freedom victory to a Colorado baker who's been through the legal wringer ever since he declined to bake a cake for a gay wedding in 2012. SCOTUS deftly sifted through the narrative that Jack Phillip's bigotry...
by Richard Nelson | May 21, 2018 | Opinion Pieces
Do employees have a right to wear clothes that promote political messages? Even if those messages violate the beliefs of the business owner? Those questions are making state news. An Elizabethtown specialty food market owner asked one of her employees to not wear...
by Richard Nelson | Apr 27, 2018 | Opinion Pieces
The 2018 General Assembly was incredibly productive and even took positive steps to shore up the state pension system, but incessant negative news reports by major media outlets implying Republicans were sticking it to protesting teachers and unfortunate comments by...
by Richard Nelson | Apr 24, 2018 | Opinion Pieces
Kentucky's latest pro-life law banned abortion after 11 weeks, but it’s being challenged in court by the ACLU. They argue the law takes away women’s rights, impose an onerous burden at one of the most difficult times in their lives and that Frankfort...
by Richard Nelson | Apr 20, 2018 | Opinion Pieces
The 2018 General Assembly took a positive step to shoring up the state pension system but based on regular news reports of angry protestors opposed to pension reform, you'd never have guessed it. Some media outlets have unfortunately fanned the flames by...
by Richard Nelson | Mar 27, 2018 | Opinion Pieces
Mark Twain famously said that "A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes." Turns out Twain was more right than he ever could have imagined. Researchers at MIT found that fake news travels...
by Brandon Porter | Mar 16, 2018 | Opinion Pieces
Thousands of students walked out of schools across Kentucky and around the United States on Wednesday, March 14, 2018. Some of the students walked out to promote stricter laws related to guns, others want increased security in schools, while others are calling...
by Richard Nelson | Mar 8, 2018 | Opinion Pieces
Gabe Parker was described as cold, callous and “shockingly calm” in an interview with Kentucky State Police. The 16-year old is being tried as an adult for killing two of his fellow students and severely wounding 14 others at Marshall County High School...
by Richard Nelson | Feb 26, 2018 | Opinion Pieces
I've been working on a column where weaving thoughts into the right words that clearly convey what's on my heart is proving elusive. I started writing about the school shooting in Parkland, Florida but raw emotions coupled with uncertain thoughts caused me to...
by Richard Nelson | Feb 23, 2018 | Opinion Pieces
The top grossing movie prior to Valentine’s was 50 Shades Freed. It was the final installment in the sex trilogy titillating audiences by the abuse of a young woman at the hands of a handsome billionaire. Movie reviews were harsh (because of poor plot, poor acting and...
by Richard Nelson | Feb 12, 2018 | Opinion Pieces
If enticement is inherent to gambling, then the lure of easy fixes to complex state problems is the curse of legislators. Such is the case with the latest proposal to amend the Kentucky Constitution to legalize casinos. The question posed by HB 229 is straightforward:...
by Richard Nelson | Feb 5, 2018 | Opinion Pieces
Discussion of sexuality is fraught with tension largely because human will and desire meet moral and ethical boundaries. When such discussions become public, they often end up in contentious debate. So when a Kentucky Senator proposed a bill mandating abstinence until...
