Gift Cards

Apparently, gift cards from Goody's are still good after all. Mickey Marsee, store manager for the Goody's in Danville, contacted The Advocate-Messenger Friday afternoon to say his store is still honoring gift cards and will do so until it closed its doors for good. The Advocate published a story Friday detailing a Thursday incident in which Goody's customer Felicia Salyers was declined when she attempted to purchase items with a gift card. A Goody's manager confirmed the incident and said a corporate e-mail sent Thursday directed employees not to accept the cards.

A not-so-funny thing happened to Felicia Salyers as she went shopping Thursday afternoon. Salyers said she went through Danville's soon-to-be-closed Goody's, picking out items like she'd normally done on shopping trips before. But when she got to the cash register, Salyers was hit with something unexpected. As she attempted to pay for her purchases with a $100 gift card given to her by her fianc for Christmas, Salyers said a manager came forward and informed her the store was no longer accepting gift cards.

It is very small and rectangular. It shows no pictures, makes no sounds and it can't talk to you and you can't talk to it. Unless someone puts it in a big box with a huge bow on it, it will barely be noticed among the large boxes containing new computers, video game systems, dolls and sweaters. But local retailers say they expect it to be one of the hottest items to be sold this Christmas. It is the gift card. "Gift cards are now one of the most popular Christmas gifts going at Wal-Mart, and they are popular with both customers and retailers," said Kenny Walton, who was interviewed just prior to leaving his position as manager of Danville's Wal-Mart SuperCenter.

Stolen gift cards found in suspects' possession Gifts cards belonging to two Boyle County neighbors recently were found in the possession of two people who had been arrested Monday night on various drug and stolen property charges, the Boyle County Sheriff's Department said. A Wal-Mart gift card belonging to Tiffany Teague of 312 Hays-Mays Road and a Nobel gift card belonging to Chris Mason of 313 Hays-Mays Road were found in the possession of Bobby Lee Johnson, 26, and Nancy Sparks, 34, both of Stanford, the sheriff's department said.

LEXINGTON - The gift that doesn't cost a dime will bring smiles to both the giver and the receiver. The Kentucky Blood Center has launched its call for holiday heroes to help prevent blood shortages in Kentucky. Individuals who give blood or platelets to the Kentucky Blood Center through Jan. 2 will receive $10 gift cards for a variety of merchants. "We hope there is no shortage of heroes, so that there is no shortage of blood," said Jim Tinker, Kentucky Blood Center spokesman.

The joy of the holiday season can sometimes be overshadowed by the stress caused by out-of-control holiday spending. At U.S. Bank, we often speak with customers who have put themselves in a difficult financial position once New Year comes and the bills start to arrive. This year may be particularly difficult as energy costs are digging into discretionary income. But as we all know, the spirit of the holidays can make us temporarily forget the financial discipline we were committed to in November.

Wal-Mart presented 10 Hannah McClure Elementary School teachers with $100 gift cards during an event honoring educators Monday. In a show of gratitude, Hannah McClure teachers led the Wal-Mart cheer with Gary Williams, Winchester Wal-Mart store manager, during the school's teacher celebration. "On average, teachers pay $512 a year out of their own pockets for classroom materials and supplies. " Williams said. "This September, in recognition of all the work teachers do to support students, the Wal-Mart Foundation is sponsoring the Teacher Rewards Program.

Local retailers were ready, willing and able today to handle the long lines of early morning shoppers with returns, but it seemed as f most of Danville spent the morning sleeping in. "The only thing I can imagine is that most of the factories, I've heard, are closed Monday and Tuesday," said Dara McCamon with Goody's. "Maybe they're sleeping in and will be in a better mood for their returns!" McCamon said in her three years working for the clothing store, she doesn't recall it being this slow.

Plans for the 2012 Project Graduation at George Rogers Clark High School are under way, and organizers are seeking help from the community. “The big thing now is trying to get enough (money) to set up all the activities for them,” senior adviser Nancy Wills said. The Project Graduation committee has approximately $3,800 but an additional $11,000 still is needed to stage the event on the same scale as in years past. “We wanted to start early this year to try to plan more for them to do. ... But we can't really do the planning unless we know how much we're going to have,” said Gordon Parido, father of senior Kelsie Parido and former GRC principal.

The Clark County Health Department and the Kentucky Department of Education are partnering to present Family Nights, for 40 young men and women and their parents/designees.  The youth must be in grades 5-8 in any Clark County school. The objectives of Family Nights are: - to provide parents, families and youth health information to increase knowledge of HIV prevention, STD prevention, and teen pregnancy prevention - to encourage families to become involved in development and/or implementation of related programs and policies - to improve parent-child communication The Family Night program for boys and dads/designees is Monday, March 5, at 6 p.m. at the Clark County Extension Office, 1400 Fortune Drive.  Supper will be provided.

Spring cleaning is always a good thing. You find a lot of dirt when you're scrubbing the corners of your house. You find a better mood when everything's clean and tidy. And you find things you thought you'd lost and things you never remembered you even had. Like gift certificates left over from December. Uh oh. So you got a bookstore gift certificate and you don't know how to use it. Why not check out these great books…. FICTION If a good romping romance with a dose of drama sounds good to you today, then look for “Close Quarters” by Shamara Ray. This is a book about two roommates - she's engaged and he's a jerk - and what happens when they realize  they really can't live without one another.  The Underground Railroad is the setting for “The Last Runaway” by Tracy Chevalier.

Two West Jessamine Middle School FCCLA students are raising awareness for the Ronald McDonald House as part of a community leadership event. The STAR - Students Taking Action with Recognition - event is sponsored by seventh-grader Jacob Williams and sixth-grader Makayla Gilbert. The two met last week with Jessamine County Judge-Executive Neal Cassity, who declared Feb. 7-14 Jessamine County Ronald McDonald House Awareness Week. The Ronald McDonald House provides available and affordable housing for parents and family members of patients at the UK Children's Hospital.

LEXINGTON - The Better Business Bureau of Central & Eastern Kentucky is warning about a text message promising a free gift card that is hitting cell phones throughout the area.  Calls have flooded BBB phone lines today from people who got the texts, which say they can “claim” their “Free Target Gift Card” worth $500- $1,000. This message is not from Target stores. The message in one of these texts received by your BBB reads: “Your entry last month has WON!

First-time moms and dads have a handy resource to help them adjust to life with a child. The Health Access Nurturing Development Services (HANDS) program is a voluntary home-visitation program offered by the Jessamine County Health Department. “We do home visits; we teach about safety, the development of your child from prenatal to until the child is 2 years old,” said Jennifer Suddarth, JCHD senior family support worker. “It is a curriculum-based program that I use, and there are some activities that I do.” Suddarth said there are 34 families in Jessamine County enrolled in the program, and on Wednesday evening, June 27, the health department sponsored a HANDS summer event at Lake Mingo Park.

Plans for the 2012 Project Graduation at George Rogers Clark High School are under way, and organizers are seeking help from the community. “The big thing now is trying to get enough (money) to set up all the activities for them,” senior adviser Nancy Wills said. The Project Graduation committee has approximately $3,800 but an additional $11,000 still is needed to stage the event on the same scale as in years past. “We wanted to start early this year to try to plan more for them to do. ... But we can't really do the planning unless we know how much we're going to have,” said Gordon Parido, father of senior Kelsie Parido and former GRC principal.

The Clark County Health Department and the Kentucky Department of Education are partnering to present Family Nights, for 40 young men and women and their parents/designees.  The youth must be in grades 5-8 in any Clark County school. The objectives of Family Nights are: - to provide parents, families and youth health information to increase knowledge of HIV prevention, STD prevention, and teen pregnancy prevention - to encourage families to become involved in development and/or implementation of related programs and policies - to improve parent-child communication The Family Night program for boys and dads/designees is Monday, March 5, at 6 p.m. at the Clark County Extension Office, 1400 Fortune Drive.  Supper will be provided.

Many companies want you to try their product for free. They hope if you use the product the first time for free, then you will fall in love with that product and buy it full price next time when you don't have a coupon.  Tips : ** Immediately print off the rebate form, because these forms have been known to disappear from the websites before the expiration. ** Look to see if there are any coupons that can be used to make the purchase price lower. ** Because most offers require the original receipt, if you plan to do more than one rebate offer, buy the items in individual transactions.

A man has filed a lawsuit against a Danville company alleging he was wrongfully fired because he came to work with a pistol in his vehicle. Troy Abbot of Gravel Switch filed the complaint against Berry Plastics Corp. last week in Boyle Circuit Court demanding injunctive relief allowing him to immediately return to his old job. A hearing date has not yet been set. According to the lawsuit, Abbot was fired July 25 after he violated a policy prohibiting “handguns on company premises” when a pistol was discovered in plain view inside his locked vehicle on the Berry Plastics property on Lebanon Road.

Three days after twins Catie and Zakk Newsome were born, parents Jessica and Ryan Newsome learned their daughter would need a heart transplant to survive. Jessica Newsome described it as the most terrifying experience of her life. The thought of leaving the hospital with only one of her children was something the first-time mother didn't even want to consider. “We weren't sure she would even survive long enough to be listed,” Newsome said. Thirteen months later, Catie and Zakk are both healthy and hitting normal childhood milestones.

Chiro One Wellness Centers' “Giving Tree Gift Drive” benefiting The Lighthouse Ministries began Nov. 21. Area residents are invited to donate new, unwrapped gifts for children and teens between the ages of birth to 18 years at a Chiro One Center. Gift cards for teenagers are especially appreciated. Chiro One Wellness Centers' Giving Tree Gift Drive has brightened the holidays for thousands of kids since 2006 and has raised more $150,000 worth of gift donations since its inception.