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A Valentine’s Day Love Story
BY VICKI LOVERN (Editor’s Note: This week’s Kyle’s Korner is a guest column written by his wife Vicki Lovern.) I met Kyle when my daughter, Tina, was a senior in high school, or I should say, we met again. We had known each other since childhood and had grown up in the same small town…
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Compliance is where you find the ‘light’
Public trust is the foundation of good governance. When agencies handle taxpayer money, they owe the public full transparency and accountability. That is precisely what lawmakers intended when they enacted KRS 65A in 2013. With the recent suspension of state funding for three Martin County entities—the Tourism Commission, Housing Authority, and Big Sandy Regional Airport…
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Even Biden could have done a little better: Start saving earlier
The plight of the average American is about the same. We would have more if we had saved more. In 2022 the average median retirement savings for American households was $87,000. As of 2024, 25% of all American non-retirees have no retirement savings. (Guardian Life Insurance) We seldom see the big picture when we are…
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United States safer without violent criminals and gang members
President Donald Trump and his staff have hit the ground running. Especially when it comes to arresting violent criminals who are illegal immigrants and sending them back to their country of origin. I.C.E. (Immigration Customs Enforcement) started their roundup on day No. 1. Since then, thousands have been arrested and many have already been loaded…
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Prescription for Kentucky: EKU’s proposed College of Osteopathic Medicine
BY DAVID MCFADDIN EKU PRESIDENT For many Kentuckians including myself, the mission to improve access to quality healthcare across our state—especially in rural areas—is deeply personal. As an Eastern Kentuckian and the president of a university serving the state’s most underserved communities, I feel a profound responsibility to help our friends and neighbors get the…
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Proud of Cardinals, Panthers on these cold winter days
The recent extremely cold winter weather has been tough on everyone. But some good things have happened over the last week or so. Big congratulations go out to both of Martin County’s high school basketball teams. The Lady Cards, led and coached by local legend Robin Harmon Newsome, won the 15th Region All “A” Classic…
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The Panama Canal and ice water in hell
The United States spent almost $500 million (roughly equivalent to $15.2 billion in 2023) to finish the Panama Canal project. This was by far the largest American engineering project to date. The canal was formally opened on Aug. 15, 1914, with the passage of the cargo ship SS Ancon. The French diplomat and entrepreneur Ferdinand…
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Message from Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher
Following a detailed review of preliminary data, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) currently estimates there will be a funding shortfall for the Supporting Education Excellence in Kentucky (SEEK) fund for the 2024-2025 school year. The SEEK funding program is a formula-driven allocation of state-provided funds to Kentucky’s 171 public school districts. The formula includes…
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Funny messages on church signs
You may have noticed that many churches have a sign or bulletin board outside of their place of worship. Some of these messages can be funny and enlightening at the same time. I have noticed a few good ones throughout the years. I thought I would do a little research and share a few of…
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I forgot to write my column
I just realized I forgot my column this morning. For the first time in 15 years, I forgot to write my column. So, here I am playing catch-up. It’s not fun when we forget because then it puts us under pressure. If we forget our wife’s birthday or our anniversary then it makes for a…