Columns

Sometimes it is difficult to talk about the problems that face our community, especially when kids are involved.
I was recently at the schools taking pictures for the first day back to school.
The kids, I must admit, were really cute. As they swarmed off the buses with their Sponge Bob Square Pants and Hello Kitty backpacks and confused-looking faces, something caught my attention very quickly.

As Kentucky kids return to school, I want to encourage parents to take a few minutes to talk with their children about the dangers that exist on the Internet and how to stay safe online. With the proliferation of smart phones, webcams and the Internet, kids today are at a greater risk of being sexually exploited or even targeted by online predators.
According to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, one in seven kids is solicited for sex online and one in 33 kids receive aggressive online solicitations to meet in person.

July may be over, but if you’re like me, you are still trying to get over June being gone.
The summer has absolutely flown by. I never thought I would see the day where you blink an eye and the day is over.
I often refer to my Pappaw in many of my columns, probably because he talked a lot and said witty things.
I can remember telling him that I wished the end of the week was here.

There’s no doubt that last winter was difficult.
It was tough for families and businesses, but it also wrecked havoc on the school system’s calendar.
The end of the school year was a scramble to get all the days of instruction in that are required by the state.
Many years ago, possibly in the late 70s when there were snow storms of epic proportions, Harrison County students not only had extended days, they also had to go on Saturdays.