Views Archives

Opinion: Will our communities remove symbols of oppression in 2021?

by Constance Alexander
December 30, 2020

A debate continues in Murray about a Confederate memorial on the grounds of the Calloway County Courthouse. Columnist Constance Alexander questions whether it will still stand when the county celebrates it bicentennial in 2022.

Living history has been depicted for decades at LBL’s The Homeplace, but cost could spell its end

by Constance Alexander
December 9, 2020

Fiscal constraints are nothing new to LBL, which was managed by the Tennessee Valley Authority before it was transferred to the U.S. Forest Service in 1999. No matter which agency has been in charge, the national recreation area has been clobbered by budget cuts over the years.

Opinion: Beshear needs help with messaging on pandemic prevention

by Al Cross
December 4, 2020

Early in the pandemic, Beshear made up for his steep learning curve and his shortage of smooth articulation with an earnestness that seemed to reassure the public. But pandemic fatigue set in, the issues got tougher, and Republicans staked out positions at odds with the Democratic governor.

UK public health dean: Coronavirus vaccinations are safe and effective

by Donna Arnett
December 4, 2020

Traditionally, vaccines can take years to develop, test, and market. But through projects like Operation Warp Speed in the U.S., and global efforts by the World Health Organization, the COVID-19 vaccine development process has been “supercharged” by plentiful funding and guaranteed purchase orders for effective vaccines.

The season of canned cranberry sauce and family stories

by Constance Alexander
November 29, 2020

No one would have missed the cranberry sauce but Mother. She always remembered. At the last minute, still quivering from the rush to get it out of the can, a plate of glistening ruby circlets appeared at the table, thus completing the feast.

Opinion: Ron Howard’s film seems to tell Appalachia, ‘Get a job’

by Graham Marema
November 25, 2020

Eastern Tennessee resident believes J.D. Vance’s version of success shouldn’t define an entire region and its people.

What artifact would you leave at a coronavirus museum?

by Constance Alexander
November 17, 2020

Constance Alexander asked the students in her Murray State University humanities class what they would donate to their imagined Coronavirus Museum. One student offered her great-grandma’s recipe for zucchini bread.

Opinion: Mitch McConnell has the switch to stop Trump, but will he use it?

by Al Cross
November 13, 2020

A public break with an unpredictable president could split the Republican Party into Trump and anti-Trump factions, alienating Trump’s base from party leaders.

Personal COVID-19 stories help explain why health department needs community’s support, cooperation

by Kayla Bebout
November 6, 2020

Behind every coronavirus number and statistic, there is a real person affected by the pandemic.

Scourges, miracle drugs and a ‘vaccine for society’

by Dee Davis
November 5, 2020

For people who did not live through the polio era, it was a time of explicit fear. Everyone knew FDR had been a victim, and everyone knew victims.

Opinion: Kentucky crime victims deserve equal rights provided in Marsy’s Law

by Whitney Westerfield
October 12, 2020

We need Marsy’s Law in Kentucky because it would finally give victims of crime a constitutionally protected right to be notified, be heard, and be present at key court proceedings without infringing upon the rights of the accused and convicted.

Opinion: Constitutional Amendment 1 designed to make us believe it fixes a problem that doesn’t exist

by Angela M. Rea
October 12, 2020

Anyone wondering how Marsy’s Law will affect the local court system should speak to trusted prosecutors, judges, and lawyers. What they will likely hear is that Marsy’s Law will not make anything better and will in fact make the system less efficient and less reliable.