Commission On Presidential Debates

In just a few weeks, Centre College will find out if its bid to be a site for a presidential debate in 2004 has been successful. But the folks at Old Centre aren't the only people wondering how the Commission on Presidential Debates will make that decision. There are some people on Old Vine in Lexington who also are very interested. When Centre hosted the 2002 vice-presidential debate, Centre's communications office was action central during the months leading up to the event, trying to keep media around the nation and the world, Centre's alumni and the general public informed of every aspect of the debate.

Even a political junkie like me can admit there's something counterintuitive about going to a place called “spin alley” to get the straight story on a serious political debate. Without a seat for a vice-presidential debate promoted like a boxing match Thursday at Centre College, it became my main event. For the uninitiated - count myself among them until Thursday - spin alley is the room you see all of the networks and cable stations broadcasting from immediately after a debate.

FRANKFORT - The state Senate passed all five bills on Gov. Ernie Fletcher's special session agenda Monday, including the $1 million that Fletcher had requested to help Centre College pay for a possible presidential debate in 2008. The five bills contain all 67 items that Fletcher had placed on the agenda, including more than $400 million worth of construction projects, a ban on state employees obtaining health insurance coverage for domestic partners, a state income tax break for military personnel and a substance abuse treatment program for offenders.

The Advocate-Messenger's news staff combed over the calendar month by month looking for the headlines that mattered most in 2011. Choosing among hundreds of possibilities, each staffer selected 10 stories that he or she ranked as the most important of the year, with the 10 stories receiving the most mentions earning a spot on the list published here. While tragedy and controversy show up, as usual, in the 2011 retrospective, bad news didn't dominate the past 12 months.

Centre College president John Roush announced earlier today at a rally on campus that the college will make a bid to host a national debate in 2008. Among others, the Centre College student presidents of both the Young Democrats and the Young Republicans spoke in support of the decision. Centre hosted a vice-presidential debate in 2000 but failed in its attempt to become a site for a presidential debate in 2004. The rejection of Centre's 2004 debate application reportedly was a close call, and college officials have indicated since then that the school had a strong interest in applying for a debate site in 2008.

Some Centre College students are putting their fall break plans on hold after being chosen to attend tonight's vice-presidential debate. One hundred students heard their names called for tickets Wednesday, while 30 others were drawn as alternates in case any of the group can't attend. College officials found a sure way to get the attention of hundreds of college students when they announced a ticket lottery last week. A large crowd gathered in front of Young Hall as names were drawn from a hopper and read by President John Roush.

When Martha Raddatz was told last month by her bosses at ABC to expect a call on her cell phone, a lot of possibilities for who the mystery caller might be crossed her mind. The Commission on Presidential Debates ringing to ask if she would moderate the Oct. 11 meeting at Centre College between Vice President Joe Biden and Republican Paul Ryan didn't. Raddatz compared the euphoric fog immediately following the call to what it must be like finding out you've won the lottery, with a hint of an unexpected diagnosis from your doctor.

To most people, this time of the year is known as the "dog days of summer. " But to Centre College people, the next several weeks have been dubbed the "calm before the swarm. " The "swarm" would be the mass of people that would descend on Centre if selected as a site for a 2004 presidential debate. But there actually is very little calm and a lot of people and things already are in motion to win the selection and get the campus ready. "Calm is a relative term," said Centre Communications Director Mike Norris.

Dear Editor: As a member of the Education Committee of the Community Arts Center, I read with interest the Oct. 26 feature on the role of the center, and as superintendent, I wish to clarify the state of arts education in Boyle County schools. In designing the role of the Arts Center, planners acknowledge the strengths of this community and endeavor to identify new arts services to ensure a distinctive identity for the new center and meet remaining community needs. For instance, of the 3,000 citizens served by Community Education last year, 2,370 engaged in a wide range of arts classes, so the new center will collaborate with this successful program.

Centre College will once again apply to host one of four debates in the runup to the 2012 presidential election. The process is a familiar one for Centre, which was named one of the 19 finalists to host a debate in 2008 and was the site of the 2000 vice-presidential debate between Joe Lieberman and Dick Cheney. Richard Trollinger, Centre’s vice president for college relations, said Centre will submit a letter to the Commission on Presidential Debates ahead of the Thursday application deadline.