It’s not news anymore to report that Kentucky has more cancer deaths than any other state in the nation. Our state has been at or near the top of this terrible list for so long now that it’s just regarded as a depressing state of being. According to the American Cancer Society, nearly 10,000…

This is the story of a Kentucky woman and her family I know well. The woman was born in 1953 to a mother who had no option for birth control as it wasn’t yet available or sanctioned by the religious org to which she belonged.

The big news this week is the Supreme Court ruling on the Dobbs case, which most people know as the decision overruling Roe v. Wade. It is longer than possibly any opinion I have ever read, but luckily, staff has created an amazing summary syllabus at the very beginning which I HIGHLY ENCOUR…

This May, I visited Kyiv to meet with Ukraine’s leaders as they defend their country against Russia’s brutal invasion. It was painful to hear about the impacts of Putin’s aggression directly from Ukrainian officials: mass atrocities, millions of displaced civilians, young soldiers resisting …

Each day Kentucky families wake up facing uncertainty about whether or not they can afford to fill up their cars or place food on the table. Now, the leftist policies of the Biden Administration have led to the long-term closing of a major manufacturer and putting more than 600 Kentuckians o…

On the last day of spring, the last day of celebrating Juneteenth in Frankfort, an enormous crowd gathered at Harrod Brothers Funeral Home to honor and say thank you to Sally Everman, 78, our dear friend whose religion was loving kindness. She practiced it every day, every precious moment. S…

As I picked up my two elementary school children from their last day of school, I wasn’t feeling lighthearted. As I attended my son’s fifth grade graduation, I wasn’t feeling the joy that I should have. Yes, I was happy, but I was also flooded with moments of guilt and sobriety. Over 1,000 m…

After the massive mail slowdowns and postage hikes of 2021, Congress took action to financially stabilize the U.S. Postal Service by passing a historic, bipartisan postal reform bill. The bill freed the Postal Service from an unreasonable 2006 law demanding that it pre-fund retiree health be…

This is in regards to the three Kentucky Republican senators who wrote “Guest columnists: Ky. school safety model a blueprint for nation,” June 13 in The State Journal.

I am trying to determine whether I am frightened or angry about recent decisions of “community leaders” concerning proposed development projects. It is hard to say whether our local “leadership” is dishonest or just incompetent.

Things are quiet in Peaks Mill, for now. Buffalo Trace has had some roadblocks recently in their quest to invade the Elkhorn Creek valley thanks to the hundreds of concerned citizens throughout the county. Many Franklin Countians that do not live in Peaks Mill are voicing their opposition to…

If you’ve gone grocery shopping in Kentucky lately, you saw prices in every aisle that were likely the highest you’ve ever seen. For those of us raising kids, summer is compounding that as we’re buying food for meals that our kids had been getting in school.

Summer is right around the corner, and now is a perfect time to pencil in your plans for the season. Saturday offers an exciting opportunity to attend the opening night of The Stephen Foster Story in historic Bardstown, which I am proud to call a part of the district I am blessed to represen…

There are no shortages of songs articulating the complexities of father and child relationships. Bob Dylan offered “Forever Young” as an ode to his son, a healthy heaping of well wishes and pleasantries. Harry Chapin’s “Cats in the Cradle” gives warning of the vicious cycles that sometimes o…

The public has heard most of the arguments for Buffalo Trace’s expansion, pro and con. 

Father’s Day is coming one more time and you still have a chance at having a great family. 

Kentuckians are feeling the squeeze of inflation. From food to fuel to housing, many of our citizens are facing more financial difficulties than ever before. Thankfully, our elected officials are searching for solutions to help Kentuckians get through these tough times. While we applaud broa…

Companion Place is the road to the new animal shelter from Flynn Avenue. Although it is owned by the city, used extensively by city vehicles, and will be used by citizens of Frankfort to visit the animal shelter located on property also city owned, The City of Frankfort is refusing to pay an…

Leadership provided by the chairmen of the General Assembly’s Appropriations and Revenue committees — Rep. Jason Petrie, R-Elkton, and Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Ryland Heights — over the past couple of years resulted in building arguably the strongest Budget Reserve Trust Fund, otherwise known …

Following the tragic events in Uvalde, Texas, state and federal lawmakers are considering policy initiatives to better secure public schools. Among ideas being hotly debated is the addition of armed school resource officers (SRO), strengthening security infrastructure on campuses, better add…

We are coming off Memorial Day, the federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have died serving in our Armed Forces. Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day ... a day of remembrance which originated during the American Civil War, when citizen…

My problem with Buffalo Trace expanding along the Peaks Mill Road is that Buffalo Trace will not take responsibility for any health problems or property devaluation caused by whiskey fungus. 

The United Nations, The World Health Organization, The World Economic Forum, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, The World Bank, The International Money Fund, The Federal Reserve, the government leaders of myriad countries, and the list of powerful elites goes …

I appreciate all the recent reports concerning Kentucky gun laws, school safety and gun violence prevention coming in the wake of the murders in Uvalde. As terrible as that shooting was history suggests to me that it will take many more such killings before things change very much. I'd also …

I was worn out from a long day of catering when Terry Johnson phoned the Thursday night of Kentucky Derby week.

Do parents in America want to spend every school day hoping and praying their children will not be heinously murdered? Do children want to spend their days constantly looking up to see who might be entering their room with an assault weapon? Do you want to walk the grocery store aisles wonde…

Urban and rural cities alike are reeling from trauma and tragedy in more ways than one. From anxiety following loss of property and life in the aftermath of historic storms and extreme flooding, to the assasination attempt during the Louisville mayoral primary, to the violent shooting at the…

My best guess is that most State Journal readers look back fondly on the days of their childhood. For many baby boomers those years primarily took place in that era often broadly referred to as the 50s. 

As the German Lutheran pastor, Martin Niemoller, once put it after World War II: “First they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the socialists and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade un…

Fact: In America, more children are killed by gun violence that police are killed by gun violence.

Inflation is straining Americans’ budgets. While the immediate cause is the COVID-19 pandemic, the preexisting condition of corporate-driven policy choices over recent decades has made the problem much worse. A solution will tackle those underlying challenges and avoid creating more pain for…

The perils of climate change are both well known and easily seen in the weather extremes that have become all too common. Walking hand-in-hand with it, however, is another crisis that is devastating in its own right: the rapid decline of our biodiversity.

As Kentucky State University rounds the corner to what all hope is a brighter and more accountable future, one major problem remains.

This request initiated by Buffalo Trace (BT), a Sazerac Company, is likely the most important planning and zoning consideration any of us will ever see in our lifetime. The local history books will record the actions of every board member, commissioner and member of the Fiscal Court. Which s…

Addiction is one of the most difficult and destructive things a family can experience. It can tear people apart, and in worst case scenarios, leave loved ones grieving and wondering if there’s anything they could have done differently. 

Nurses are the backbone of healthcare, supporting and protecting their patients. During the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses have soldiered through an increased workload, short staffing, fear of becoming sick or worse exposing their families to sickness and very ill patients many of whom died with …

Decoration Day was observed on May 30th from 1868 to 1970 to decorate the graves and honor those dying in military service for our country. In 1971 Congress officially made the last Monday in May Memorial Day. 

Four days before the primary election, Rep. Adam Koenig, an Erlanger Republican, tweeted about Fayette County Constable Wade McNabb — with whom he’s sparred regarding legislation restricting constables’ police powers — hoping his nemesis would lose a reelection bid while apparently entertain…

On Memorial Day, 1945, the war in Europe had ended but the fighting in the Pacific continued, Lt. Gen. Lucian Truscott voiced remarks at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery at Nettuno, Italy. Turning his back on the assembled VIP’s he faced the rows upon rows of headstones and apologized to th…

Hopping from one couch to another with just a handful of clothes on his back, John longed for somewhere to call "home." Until one call changed his life forever.

The May 17 primary elections in Kentucky reflected increasing polarization of the two political parties.

While there is no Kentucky Attorney General who is — or was — deserving of consistently high grades for dispassionately interpreting the Commonwealth’s open government laws, the current Attorney General, Daniel Cameron, has dishonored himself with consistently failing grades. 

Between record-high inflation and increased gas prices, American families are feeling the financial strain at every turn. And sadly, it’s happening at the pharmacy counter, too. While the price of prescription drugs has been straining our wallets for years, one of the leading reasons why mig…

Editor's note: This is the second in a two-part series about the proposed bourbon warehouses Buffalo Trace is trying to build in Peaks Mill. To read the first part, visit https://www.state-journal.com/opinion/guest-columnist-frankfort-growth-and-quality-of-life/article_79b2edca-d11a-11ec-858…

Frankfort-Franklin County serves as the literal and figurative heart of the Commonwealth, embodying the essence of all that makes Kentucky special. From our distinctive natural beauty and award-winning hospitality to our world-renowned bourbon industry, this community is truly “Kentucky Dist…

Since the time that Buffalo Trace Distillery has expressed their interest in increasing their bourbon warehousing in Franklin County, there have been several opinion pieces written against their proposed expansion. One of the common themes in the articles is the attitude that the distillery …

Every once in a while a comedy film is released that is highly quotable. It typically isn’t very profound, but there is a certain genius to it that is difficult to pinpoint. The references can cause an instant bond and differentiate ages quickly.

We’ve all heard of people who have taken their lives by suicide. We typically wonder why? We wonder what was so bad about their lives that they could not cope another day? 

President Joe Biden’s recent statements that he will cancel some student loan debt is hopeful news for the 616,000 Kentuckians who owe it, our communities and economy. It will also be a chance to begin fixing a broken and unsustainable system and recommit to education as a public good that b…

Leaked opinions from the Supreme Court regarding Roe vs. Wade have made conversations very volatile; strong feelings are expressed no matter which side of the issue you support. Strong opinions are good. Rhetoric that disrespects and demeans is not.