But it's more than a bit ironic that in a $23-$24 billion budget, the way legislators have chosen to "save" money is to make it more difficult for taxpayers to see how they are spending all that money in the first place.
The General Assembly is currently in session, and that means every resident of the Commonwealth needs to be paying attention to what is going on in Frankfort. House Bill 195 proposes a public notice solution that is inefficient at best, and a train wreck for transparency.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Rick Boling has lost the trust of the community and his legal reputation is stained. It is the consensus opinion of this newspaper’s editorial board that he should resign and vacate his elected office immediately.
"Hendricks for South Western Kentucky" doesn't have quite the same ring to it as "Hendricks for Hoptown," but it is evident that naming Hopkinsville's mayor the new executive director of the regional economic development council could benefit all three counties the organization serves.
No one could have foreseen the abrupt shuttering of the city's prized bowling ball manufacturer Ebonite International last week. However, we are fortunate to see the Christian County community rally with grace and gumption around those affected.
Historically, newspaper editorial boards across the country have offered recommendations to their readership as to who they believe is best fit to represent and serve their communities. The Kentucky New Era has participated in this practice for some time.
Young talent matters and more communities are doing what it takes to attract and retain young professionals to work, live and play.
Last weekend, over 29,000 people swarmed downtown Hopkinsville for the fourth annual Summer Salute Festival. The food and music were great, but the festival made one thing very clear.
Hopkinsville Community College is shining bright like a diamond after a series of recent big announcements.
Last week, Hopkinsville Chief Administrative Officer Troy Body announced that the city is planning to form a mass foreclosure committee in order to shave down the stack of code enforcement liens on abandoned properties around town.
Church. It's a place for the brokenhearted and the redeemed; a place for the newest babes and the oldest saints; it's a place where people go to feel safe, a place they trust won't abuse its power or take advantage of them when they're weak. The story of churches doing the latter isn't new, …
Every time Christian County Public Schools releases its annual discipline report, eyebrows raise and conclusions are drawn. From the students to the administrators to the parents, everyone looks for someone to blame for the number of suspensions, but let's look a little closer to determine w…
This week, the Kentucky New Era began publishing salary data in regard to public officials in Christian County, Hopkinsville, Oak Grove and in the public school system.
Last week, the New Era reported that former Hopkinsville High School band director Jordan Seth Peveler had been arrested on three felony charges -- one count of unlawful transaction with a minor (second degree), sodomy (third degree) and rape (third degree) -- and booked into Christian County Jail.
Is it possible to not realize your own happiness? Or, when looking back, do you see it only because of nostalgia, wrapped up in the lie of “the good old days”?
One of my favorite Facebook reposts is about how young people are just so fickle. "Back in my day," it may begin. "If something was broke, we'd fix it."
One of my favorite Facebook re-posts is about how young people are just so fickle. “Back in my day,” it may begin. “If something was broke, we’d fix it.”
It’s a cold Friday morning in November. I’m bundled up, belly full of turkey, waiting in the front of a line outside of a department store.
Elkton rep’s proposed open records overhaul not in the best interest of Kentuckians
In honor of Hopkinsville’s finest, our community showed strong support for a hometown hero this week. The event served a reminder that those who put their lives on the line for the well-being of others deserve our appreciation each and every day.
I’m sitting at my desk squeezing a stress ball that looks like a baseball. It’s early and no one has made it into the office yet.
Through our lives, we make our own choices, but our experiences shape how we react to the world. They shape us into who we will eventually become.
With all of the crazy in the news today, some of it the news’ own doing and self-inflicted wounds, I wanted to use this opportunity to thank you for reading your community newspaper. Your support has never been more important.
I have to write. It's how I express myself and what I’m feeling. Words and characters, strung together in deliberate order, are the means by which I decompress and bring myself to fully understand the world around me.
Star rating: 3/5
Friends and colleagues, in the proud tradition of newspapering, I do not wish to be accused of burying the lead of a big story.
It was a day in my newspaper career that will live in infamy.
Success breeds imitation. Imitation makes convention. Convention is the sire of tradition. Unfortunately, tradition spawns purists.
Nothing should surprise me anymore.
A Hopkinsville High School student was arrested Aug. 23 after an altercation with the school resource officer.
If President Donald Trump has declared war on the free press of this great nation, don’t bother picking sides. Save your popcorn and put away the DVR.
Everybody knows somebody somewhere who doesn’t worry about worrying too much.
There’s no place like home.
Lately, the same crazy dream is keeping me up at night.
Nobody in this great big world is a bigger Elvis fan than Walker McCutcheon.
Forty-four years have passed in just the blink of an eye.
Through his life’s work as a celebrated artist and sculptor, the late Steve Shields is going to live forever.
Don’t read this alone in the dark. That thing under your bed might get anxious. The monsters that come to life when the lights go out would know. The dead-eyed woman on the ceiling above you might get angry.
Jimmy Carter might not be my favorite president, but it’s near to impossible not to like somebody who saw a UFO and doesn’t lie about it.
It was one of the greatest moments of my life, even if it did kind of fizzle out and end with the hero — ME — playing second fiddle to an Army bugle call and Old Glory.
Give “Forrest Gump” some credit for teaching me to appreciate an important life lesson.
The words of Ralph Waldo Emerson always inspire me in times of loss and sympathy.
Everybody who’s gotten behind the wheel of a car is guilty of it.
If disappointment were a currency, the people who have believed in me along the way would be driving European sports cars on the way to their waterfront villas.
Not many people know it, but the FBI put me in my place a long time ago.
Former U.S. Attorney and liberal activist Preet Bharara caught my eye with a tweet last week: “What if Jeff Bezos bought Twitter with the change in his pocket and shut Trump’s account?”
The road to becoming president of Hopkinsville Community College has been long for Dr. Alissa Young, but it was a journey of inspiration, compassion and growth.
Every April, after spring has actually sprung, a cheerful little flower pops up all over town and reminds me of a cherished heritage that never fails to put a lump in my throat.
George Carlin made a career out of poking fun at those polite and sometimes ridiculous expressions that help people deal with the harshness and ugliness of real life.
“Our country lost an officer, but you lost YOUR police officer.” — Katie Ellis, widow of Daniel Ellis, fallen Richmond police officer
10 years ago
Videos of rioters pulling down statues and occupying American cities are bewildering. Why are these people allowed to do this?
Psalm 34:7-8 “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”
Why was I not taught Black history?
If not for COVID-19 and President Donald Trump’s truly disastrous handling of it, Trump — unstable, erratic, self-centered and all — might still win the November election on the strength of the economy.
As a direct result of Gov. Andy Beshear’s shutdown orders, nearly half of Kentucky’s workforce has filed for unemployment insurance since March.
The U.S. Army is preparing to undertake a nationwide enlistment incentive to hire 10,000 new Soldiers during Army National Hiring Days from June 30 to July 2.
Regina Fargis didn’t know what to do.
The period between sessions of the General Assembly is called the interim and during that time committee meetings are held to discuss issues that may come up in the next session and to review action that took place during the previous session. These interim committee meetings consist of memb…
Community Farm Alliance is advocating for local communities to redirect funds from police department budgets toward food security efforts and other preventative programs that make our communities more safe. We join those across Kentucky that are demanding these changes because CFA knows firs…
6-25 cartoon
Across the nation, the coronavirus has highlighted issues in our food supply chain, our reliance on foreign countries for medical supplies, and the difference between strong, data-driven leaders and weak ones. But for Kentucky families and workers, perhaps the largest problem is one we’ve at…
Revelation 20:10“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”
Confederate soldier monument’s history must be preserved
GoFundMe pages, idled workers and “good-bye and thank you” signs popping up on one long-standing storefront after another. America’s Main Street businesses are on the ropes and many of our moms and pops are facing early retirement. Sadly, an overwhelming eight in 10 small business owners say…
Breonna Taylor, David McAtee, Rayshard Brooks and George Floyd. These are just a few whose deaths have sparked national outrage. They are gone because of unthinkable racial violence and disregard for life representing the antithesis of nursing. Nurses do not stand for, support or tolerate su…
Sometimes I think that maybe the Civil War is over. But then something comes along to remind me how, in many minds, the war never really ended. Once it was fought with swords, now it’s with symbols.
“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity,” Albert Einstein said.
Since the coronavirus pandemic came to Kentucky in early March, our state has been hit hard — more than most others.
Emergency medical services across the country, already burdened by the high demands of COVID-19, have faced added pressure in the past week as they responded to protests ignited by the death of George Floyd in the custody of Minneapolis police.
JACKSON, Tenn.
As President Donald Trump described himself in the White House Rose Garden as “an ally of all peaceful protesters,” reporters could hear the awful sound of peaceful protesters being cleared from Lafayette Park with tear gas, flash-bangs and rubber bullets.
Here we are again, sadly, for current events in our nation are pushing me to address where we are as a people.
“If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging,” Will Rogers advised.
When I was a journalist in Montana, I wrote stories about endangered species — grizzly bears, wolves, eagles. Now my concern is about another endangered species — journalists.
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