Although it seems like it’s been much longer, it was only a few short weeks back that I debuted a new column here in the News Journal called “What’s Happening.”

I especially like the cover photo of our 2020 edition of the Community Guide magazine. It features Constable Ron “Bubba” Bowling and Judge Executive Pat White dressed in their garb for the Kayaking for Kids. The cover is comical, but inside the magazine is valuable information....

(Letter to the Editor by David O. Smith) Mitch McConnell has been Kentucky’s U.S. Senator since 1984, 36 years. Clearly, he is the most politically powerful senator in the last 100 years.  He is so powerful he had Trump acquitted, he stalled bi-partisan legislation for years, and...

I have just finished reading a recently published book written by Eric Moyen about Jim Host called, “Changing the Game.” Many of you know who Jim Host is and some of the things he has done. I know Jim from our college days at the University of Kentucky back in the late 1950s....

In case the COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t real enough for everyone, it really hit home for residents of Whitley and Knox counties Monday, as each county had its first confirmed case of COVID-19. Sadly, we all know that these probably won’t be the last cases of the coronavirus that we...

(Dean Manning is a reporter at the News Journal.) While COVID–19 has numerous people, including school children, stuck at home, it has provided the perfect opportunity for those considering adopting a pet. Yes, the Knox-Whitley Humane Association has closed to walk-in adoption....

(Op-Ed: By Dr. James Finck is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma and Chair of the Oklahoma Civil War Symposium. Follow Historically Speaking at http://www.Historicallyspeaking.blog or on Facebook.) There has been a lot of criticism...

(Op-Ed by Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron) In a matter of weeks, the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) has changed the way that we live our lives in the Commonwealth and throughout our country. Days spent at school and work have been replaced with online classroom sessions...

(OP-ED by U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell) Every Kentuckian is feeling the effects of the coronavirus. It’s a national health and economic emergency that demands action. The Republican-led Senate answered with the biggest rescue package in history, and Kentucky will see at least...

(Op-Ed by Tom Underwood, who is the Kentucky Director of the National Federation of Independent Business.) Congress on Friday passed a $2 trillion economic stimulus package to help small business owners and employees and others affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, but this federal...

(Op-Ed by U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers) When 2020 began just three months ago, many of us hoped it would be a year of clarity – a year of new vision. The Big Blue Nation, of course, was counting on another year when the Cats would but cutting down the nets after winning a ninth...

(Editor’s note; This legislative update was submitted by 82nd Rep. Regina Huff on March 30) Frankfort, like most of the world, is not the same place it was two weeks ago when the governor announced the state’s first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus.  However, we have...

The News Journal, in both digital and print, is here to keep you informed on everything affecting our local communities about COVID-19. First of all we want you to know that the World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed that the receipt of newspapers carries no real risk of...

As you might have guessed, how to cover a worldwide pandemic is not a topic they cover in journalism school, although I suspect it might be added to the curriculum this fall…LOL. Truth be told, I don’t think this is a topic that gets covered by trainers for almost any profession...

(OP-ED by Dr. Emily Bonistall Postel – Director of Outreach, Marsy’s Law for Kentucky) In this time of significant uncertainty, we commend the Kentucky General Assembly for moving forward on an effort to once again allow voters to decide what rights should be afforded to victims...

Tomorrow, a song from the musical Annie, has these lyrics; The sun’ll come out Tomorow, Bet your bottom dollar that Tomorrow There’ll be sun! For a lot of us that is hard to believe right now, especially businesses. Many are shut down because of the Coronavirus. But we have to...

While I want to share information about what we are doing in Frankfort to address the COVID-19 spread, I would like to start this week’s update by sharing a little bit about my thoughts on what we are facing. Our state, nation, and world are facing an unprecedented challenge in...

(Commentary by Mt. Ash Baptist Church Pastor Billy Carpenter) I suppose many of you like myself is a little anxious or worried about this Coronavirus. The fact we are seeing all sports stopped, colleges and schools have shutdown. Businesses are closing their doors; people are out...

The following guest editorial was written by Dr. John Garen, BB&T Professor of Economics at the University of Kentucky and chairman of the Bluegrass Institute Board of Scholars.

With the outbreak of the coronavirus, let’s face it things have gotten to be just a little bit, well, nuts for lack of a better description. One person at the health department Friday compared a recent trip to Walmart to a scene from the television show, “The Walking Dead” where...