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Columns

  • Big Sister finds many rewards in spending time with her ‘Little’

    By JUDY CHOWNING

    Special to the News-Democrat

    Why did I want to be a Big Sister when I had four grandchildren under the age of four?

    I thought I could give an hour a week to make a child feel as special as I tried to make my own grandchildren feel.

    Tara was in kindergarten when we started meeting at school in 2010. I was babysitting three days a week for two of my grandchildren and had visits from my others regularly I visited with Tara on days that I had off from my Grammy duties.

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  • State acts to address cancer stats

    Each year, 25,000 Kentuckians – nearly 70 a day – are given the one diagnosis nobody ever wants to hear from their doctor: Cancer.

    If there is a silver lining surrounding this sizeable cloud, it is that we are seeing true progress in making sure this word is said much less often. Nationally, deaths are down a fifth from their peak in 1991, and most types of cancers – but not all – are in decline.

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  • Look for ‘organic’ when buying these fruits, vegetables

     With summer here, we all begin to try to eat more fruits and vegetables for their benefits and light-meal preparation adaptability.

    With that, we have to be aware of the fruits and vegetables we purchase. The Environ-mental Working Group recently published its annual guide to the top 12 fruits and vegetables with pesticides.

    How this
    helps you

    Choose organic produce when buying anything on the dirty dozen list.

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  • State makes progress on educating children

    As we put another school year behind us – and as parents wait for the inevitable cries of “I’m bored” in the not-too-distant future – now is a good time to take a closer look at all of the good things going on academically.

    Over the long term, perhaps the best news came out of a 2012 Harvard study, which showed Kentucky tying for fifth among the states when measuring the gains our students have made over the last 20 years in math, reading and science.

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  • Champions needs community support to battle substance abuse

     I would like to take this opportunity to announce that Kimberly Fain is the new assistant coordinator, hired through the Carroll County School Board and Champions for a Drug Free Carroll County. The application and interview process was held in April.

    We are proud to have Fain aboard with Champions for a Drug Free Carroll County. She is rather familiar with the community and eager to learn. Hopefully within the near future, those of you reading this will be able to meet both of us and we can make strides to diminish substance abuse in Carroll County.

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  • ‘Impact’ is a must-see, fair depiction of tragic I-71 bus crash in 1988

    I have to admit, it wasn’t until I moved here just over 11 years ago that I learned anything about the church bus crash on May 14, 1988.

    At the time, I was a very young reporter in Fairfield County, Conn. I didn’t even own a TV, which wasn’t an issue because most nights I had to cover meetings or events. I didn’t watch the national news very often, and of course this was long before the Internet. If something happened someplace other than the towns where I worked, I didn’t know about it.

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  • Summer Reading Program enriches children’s lives

    I enjoyed Carroll County Public Library Director Hillary Arney remembering her Summer Reading Pro-gram experiences at the library when she was a child. The reference in her column last week  to the large banana split brought a smile to my face.

    It was my first year as director of the public library; in fact, I had only been working there since the first of June and jumped right in with our reading program. 

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  • Summer reading opens new world to local children

    As the end of school approaches this week, I know everyone is very excited for summer break. There just seems to be a little extra charge in the air on that first day of no school, even for those of us who still have to work every day during the summer. It is ingrained in us after 13 of our early years of counting down to the first day of summer.

    It represents a time of freedom and excitement. There are usually vacations and an opportunity to catch up on your favorite soap opera (at least that is what we did in the stone ages). 

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  • Safety is legacy of bus tragedy

    From The News-Enterprise

    Signs standing on the shoulders of Interstate 71 in rural Carroll County mark the site of one of our country’s most deadly bus disasters. Flowers, crosses, messages and other items can be seen around this sign, left as tokens to honor the lives lost on this stretch of highway.

    Late on that May 14, 1988, night, a fiery collision involving a pickup truck in the wrong lane operated by a drunken driver and a church bus packed with children forever changed the lives of so many more.

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  • Soap Box Derby new to this year’s Race Fest event June 26

    Good luck Chamber Golf Scramble participants! The Carroll County Chamber of Commerce’s 10th annual golf scramble is currently under way today, May 15, at the Fairway Golf Course in Wheatley, Ky.

    The proceeds from the event provide funding for scholarships for our local students and for chamber events.

    Check out next month’s chamber article for a recap of the event.

    The Carroll County Chamber of Commerce’s Race Fest Day is Wednesday, June 26 on Main Street in downtown Carrollton.  The event will begin at 5 p.m.

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