Opinion

Some newspaper industry wonks say the measure of a paper’s success lies almost exclusively with its bottom line.

Perhaps, but nothing offers a more accurate measure of a newspaper’s health than the letters and correspondence it receives from readers.

Over the past year, this page has gone from one letter a week (if that) to at least several or more in nearly every edition.

When I decided to join the Lawrenceburg Skate Park committee with my mother in honor of my brother’s memory, I knew I was doing something good for my community and the youth that live here.

However, I did not know where this journey was going to lead me.

I have been amazed at the wonderful people that I have met, the encouragement I have received from friends, family and even people in this community that I did not know before getting involved.

President Obama wants to push part of his $1 trillion so-called stimulus package into infrastructure and I have a terrific place for him to start.

Forget roads and bridges and the rest. Though important, they’re mostly usable.

What isn’t particularly usable (or sensible, for that matter) is the goofy way we all hook up to the electric grid.

If the recent ice storm didn’t convince you of that, I don’t know what will.

Most cattle producers happily waved good-bye to 2008, while crossing their fingers that 2009 will be much better. Many are wrestling with challenging management decisions as a result of the profitability challenges they are facing.

Production costs were extremely high in 2008 and feeder cattle prices fell dramatically from summer to winter.  However, it is difficult to make clear recommendations about strategies without good knowledge of the cost structure of the farm.

We drink potentially contaminated water during boil water advisories.

We’re at the mercy of a handful of tornado sirens to warn us when a twister is on its way.

Rail cars loaded with God-knows-what rumble each day through the heart of our city mere yards from schools and homes, not to mention police and fire departments.

The common thread with each of these risks is that when or if they occur, our city and county governments have no effective means with which to warn us.

Isn’t that special?

Are you getting the itch? Join the crowd.

February is almost here and seeds will soon hit the dirt. It doesn’t matter that the dirt is in pots.

Whether you want to be the first on the block to harvest or you just want to lower your grocery bill ASAP, you can get a head start by starting from seeds or cuttings.

If you brought some plants inside to overwinter then you can start some cuttings now in pots. Good potting soil and sharp scissors are a good start. A rooting compound is helpful but not essential.

One of the questions people — everyone from third-graders to those holding doctorate degrees — most often ask me is “How did you get into this? How did you end up in journalism?”

I always answer them honestly, but it occurred to me as I was placing subscriptions to Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire and Glamour that I might never have answered that question for you, my wonderful, faithful readers. (You’ll see why that magazine part was important in just a second.)

I’m so glad we live in Kentucky — it’s a whole lot colder in other places.

I can’t even imagine 42 degrees below zero, like it was in Minnesota. On the bright side, kids up there have a great time throwing water up into the air and watching it freeze and come down like little diamonds. Give me my wood stove, hot chocolate and a book and I can get along just fine, all day, inside.

Exercise and video games are two things I’ve never really been able to get in to.

I know that exercising for the sake of exercising is something that everyone should do, but I’ve never been able to continuously, on some sort of schedule make myself exercise just because it’s good for me. Back in high school, I did plenty of exercise disguised in the form of cheerleading practice, but that was because it was exercise in disguise. I had to do it or be a bad cheerleader, and the latter just wasn’t going to happen.