Income

Dear Editor, There is little or no benefit to drinking alcohol, and its use creates serious problems for society. However, the same "Danger: Hazardous to your health" warnings could be made of smoking, gambling, drugs, sky diving, bungy jumping, auto racing and a host of other forms of recreation that people enjoy. My point is simple. Who am I to dictate how other people must chose to live their lives? Freedom is part of the American dream. Imagine for a moment if society had the ability to limit your choices even further.

It's a crisp day in December - not too cold, not too warm. And if you're lucky, there's a sudden flurry of lacy snowflakes dusting the branches of the evergreens all around you. It's a scene right out of Currier and Ives and it still exists today as families choose their Christmas trees at farms all around Kentucky. As an alternative crop, Christmas trees are a good use of land and offer a solid return on the initial investment. However, while the environmental benefits from planting trees may be felt relatively quickly, the scene described above, with its accompanying financial return to the farmer, can be five to seven years down the line.

LIBERTY - Commodities will be distributed to income-eligible Casey County residents 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday at Casey County Recycling Center, 1175 Campbellsville St. Recipients are asked to bring their own containers.

Commodities will be distributed to income-eligible Casey County residents 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday at the Casey County Recycling Center, 1175 Campbellsville St. Recipients are asked to bring their own containers. The next date for commodities will be Aug. 23.

LIBERTY - Commodities will be distributed to income-eligible Casey County residents from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday at the Casey County Recycling Center, 1175 Campbellsville St. Recipients are asked to bring their own containers.

Dear Editor, Thanks to The Advocate-Messenger for the opportunity to respond to the Old Bridge proposal. We moved eight months ago to Old Bridge and found it to be a great neighborhood with a true "family" environment and a quiet, comfortable place to live. It is difficult to understand how this is improved with additional alcohol sales. From the paper, the main argument proposed for this change was additional income. If this is the case anything can be justified, e.g. opening a gambling casino.

I just don't think it's fair for senior citizens who live on budgeted incomes to have to pay these property taxes. Their income is meager, and thanks to Medicare and the Prescription D drug programs they are able to pay for their medications.  These people are our grandpas and grandmas, and why should they have to suffer for lack of income in their old age? There are other circumstances only they know about that are everyday struggles to them in their daily lives. Someday you and others will be old and elderly, and you will more fully understand the tribulations of old people.

Junction employee receives grant Jennifer Fowler of Junction City Elementary School has been named a 2010 Dream Grant recipient by the Kentucky Association of School Councils. The grant will fund a project Fowler designed that focuses on improving assessment through student reflection and goal-setting. The project was inspired by a presentation by Dr. Carmen Coleman, superintendent of Danville Independent Schools, shared at the KASC annual conference. The Kentucky Association of School Councils supports the councils of parents, teachers and principals who make curriculum, instruction and budget decisions at each school.

CHICAGO - Kentucky signee Marcus Lee of California was one of six future Wildcats that played in the McDonald's All-American Game here Wednesday. He had two points and two rebounds in only 12 minutes as he was hampered here by a sore back. During media day Tuesday, he talked about a number of things from a potential unbeaten season at Kentucky to his volleyball career to his teammates: Question: What is goal for the team next year? Lee: “Our main goal is just to mesh as quickly as possible and hopefully not lose a game.” Question: Is 40-0 a goal?

The results from a pilot kindergarten screener in Kentucky say that 72 percent of students begin kindergarten needing additional support to get them ready for school. That figure was 75 percent in Jessamine County. The Brigance Kindergarten Screen was piloted in 120 Kentucky school districts, including Jessamine County, this year. It assesses 12 items related to school readiness, including personal data, body-part identification, gross motor skills, color recognition, visual motor skills, rote counting and reading upper-case letters.

STANFORD - Lincoln County's school district is picking up the tab for low-income students' advanced placement exams now that federal funding has been taken away. Angela Cain told Board of Education members Tuesday night that as many as 94 students who had been anticipating federal funding to cover the cost of their AP exams would be on the hook for $53 per exam if nothing was changed. When students take an AP class, they have the option of taking a special exam at the end and if they pass, they receive college credit for their work, she explained.

Palmer speaking to Democrats Feb. 25 The Clark County Democratic Executive Committee will host an open meeting on Monday, Feb. 25 at 6:30 p.m. at the Clark County Public Library. Senator R.J. Palmer will speak and a special presentation will be made. All Democrats are invited to attend.   AARP offers free tax preparation Tax preparation, counseling and electronic filing are now available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays through April 1 at the Annex of Central Baptist Church at 101 West Lexington Avenue.

I just don't think it's fair for senior citizens who live on budgeted incomes to have to pay these property taxes. Their income is meager, and thanks to Medicare and the Prescription D drug programs they are able to pay for their medications.  These people are our grandpas and grandmas, and why should they have to suffer for lack of income in their old age? There are other circumstances only they know about that are everyday struggles to them in their daily lives. Someday you and others will be old and elderly, and you will more fully understand the tribulations of old people.

LEXINGTON - It's not hard for freshman linebacker Khalid Henderson to describe his playing style that has Kentucky coach Joker Phillips and defensive coordinator Rick Minter so excited. “Lights out. Always on go. I like to use the term, 'Straight gas. No brakes.' Like pedal to the  metal. We are always going fast and hard every play,” said the 6-1, 220-pound player from Georgia. He made 74 tackles and had two interceptions at Pebblebrook High School in Mableton, Ga., last season and was ranked as the nation's No. 19 outside linebacker by ESPN.

When Jean Combs started as a 911 dispatcher 19 years ago, she worked with a single panel in front of her and kept all records on paper. "I was trained on paper and I still use paper," Combs said. But paper is now just a backup, an unassuming sidekick to the bright battery of computer screens that surround Combs and hold her attention while she works at Bluegrass 911, the call center that serves Lincoln and Garrard counties. Four screens sit at Combs' L-shaped dispatcher station, while four more line the wall above her and four more sit in front of her co-worker and fellow Waynesburg resident, Vicki Dowell.

The Kentucky Department of Revenue (DOR) reminds taxpayers that they will have a few additional days to file their taxes this year. The 2012 deadline is Tuesday, April 17, due to Emancipation Day, a holiday observed in the District of Columbia, which falls on Monday, April 16. By law, District of Columbia holidays affect tax deadlines in the same way that federal holidays do; therefore, all taxpayers will have two extra days to file or pay any...

Changes being made by the Federal Communications Commission mean an end to a program that subsidizes the cost of telephone service for low-income consumers. The end of the Link-Up program, which has provided subsidies of as much as $30 for the initial cost of telephone service, is part of an FCC effort to overhaul low-income assistance programs. The FCC is shifting the focus away from voice telephone service and toward broadband (high-speed) Internet service. In order to help qualifying Kentuckians obtain assistance, the PSC has updated its brochure, “A Guide to Telephone Service Programs for Low-Income Consumers.” The brochure is available at psc.ky.gov/agencies/psc/consumer/lifeline.pdf.

A program begun in 2011 by Caretenders Home Health Agency is continuing this year. The program, which recognizes February as Love a Senior Month, collects necessities for senior citizens who frequently are on fixed incomes. Julie Shewmaker, account executive for Caretenders and a certified medical assistant, said seniors have to make difficult choices about how to spend their money. Sometimes they must choose between purchasing medications and buying necessities such as soap or toothpaste.