Proof

"Prove it", is the ultimatum we hurled toward those on the playground who had made some boast that we doubted was true. We carried this penchant for proof into more mature years as we exercised our right to doubt political promises, statements of age, heroics offered as commentary and not fact, accusations of bad behavior, etc., and as adults, living in an imperfect world, our journey into the land of proof has proffered the opportunity to...

If I want to institute legal proceedings against my neighbor for violating my property rights because he erected a fence five feet inside my property line, I can't just go to a sympathetic judge and get a judgment and expect the judgment to stand. I must go to court and prove my damages. I can't even begin to count the number of times over the past several years that some judge has decreed a reference to God or some other action that is construed to be religious in nature to be a violation of someone's rights.

The Salvation Army's Winter Warm-up '05 coat giveaway will be 9 a.m. through noon Thursday at the Danville office off Fourth Street. Anyone in need of a winter coat may bring proof of identification and proof of their children's identification to the office for free coats. The coats were donated by local businesses in Boyle and surrounding counties. All have been professionally cleaned. Boots also were donated by Timberland and will be available Thursday, said Salvation Army Capt.

The following cases were resolved in Clark District Court Dec. 9 with Judge Brandy Oliver Brown presiding. - Billy R. Brinegar, failure to wear seat belt (two counts), pleaded guilty, fined. - Nathan E. Brookshire Jr., failure to wear seat belt, pleaded guilty, fined; failure to maintain insurance, dismissed with proof shown. - Alfred Dale Bullock, one headlight, dismissed with proof shown; failure to wear seat belt, pleaded guilty, fined. - Ashleigh D. Catterson, failure to maintain insurance, pleaded guilty, fined; no or expired registration plate, dismissed; no or expired registration receipt, dismissed.

Crocuses blooming in a yard near South Burns Avenue Wednesday offered proof that spring is soon to arrive. The short, bright flowers are the first to bloom to announce the coming of spring. The first day of spring is March 21.

To the editor, I am not one to point out too many mistakes, because I know mistakes do happen. But I really think you need to use spell check before you print headlines. The headline in Thursday's paper read, "East High recieves grant for security cameras. " I have been taught that it is "i" before "e" except after "c. " Please proof read what you write. Amy Littrell, Nicholasville

As you are organizing your receipts and records, here are some guidelines for what to keep and what to discard. Generally, keep records as long as you need them to prove a purchase or other activity. For credit card transactions, keep the individual receipts until the monthly bill comes. Once you have checked them against your bill, you can discard them. Keep the monthly credit card statements for 7 years as proof of transactions and proof of income tax deductions. Tax returns should be kept for 7 years also.

Thomas Hager Jr. was arraigned Tuesday in Boyle Circuit Court, where he was assigned two public defenders and pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder in the May shooting deaths of two men inside a Danville home. Judge Darren Peckler ordered Hager to continue to be held without bond and scheduled a status hearing in the case for Aug. 7.  Assigned to defend Hager in what could be a death-penalty case were Aaron Currin with the Capital Trials Branch of the Lexington Public Defender's Office and Ernie Lewis, former executive director of the state Department of Public Advocacy.

This morning, as I was going over my daily emails, there was one from Eddie and Maxine. It was the story of a young Navy man during World War ll who, while serving in the South Pacific, was bombarded by the Japanese. An explosion threw him overboard and into the shark-infested ocean waters. He managed to climb back onto his ship, only to be hit again. His ship was so badly damaged that it fell onto its side before sinking. There was no choice but to jump back into those waters.

Eligible families can pick up food at the Jessamine County Food Pantry on Feb. 16 at the Nicholasville Christian Church from 4-6 p.m. Food is supplied free of charge to the recipients and comes from God's Pantry. Food is purchased by the JCFP with funds provided by generous people and organizations with connections to Jessamine County.  Some commodities are also provided by theU.S. Department of Agricultureat no cost. The local pantry must keep strict records. “It hurts when we have to send someone home without food,” said Ramona Lee, director of the pantry, “but people come without proper identification.” Recipients must present a picture identification card and proof that they are residents of Jessamine County.  “Some of our clients have just moved to the county and haven't had time to get their drivers' license updated,” Lee said.

Lincoln County has nothing to show for its efforts, but those efforts have not gone unnoticed. Coach Mike Settles said he's certain the Patriots are getting better even though they haven't gotten close to either of their first two opponents, and he's hoping that will be more evident Friday when they travel to Washington County. He said a win would also do wonders for the confidence of a team that has been outscored 84-7 in its first two games. “We feel like we're improving. We just need to show that on Friday night,” Settles said.

When Erica first moved to Hawaii and we had to talk around the six-hour time difference, I thought nothing could ever have such a negative impact on my cell phone bill. I was wrong. It turns out, my mom's retirement seems to be what's sucking up all my daytime minutes of late. You don't know the excitement I experienced when I realized that I knew someone who wasn't hindered by a work schedule, who could talk at any time of the day or night. I can be a bit needy at times, and I love, love, love having someone to talk to at any given moment, which is not necessarily a bad thing, particularly for the employees of AT&T.

According to a statewide poll of Kentucky householders, 93 percent expressed concern over finding insects inside their home. More than half indicated that a single cockroach, cricket, or spider would prompt them to use a can of bug spray or call an exterminator. What many people do not realize, is that most pests discovered indoors have crawled or flown in from outdoors. One of the best ways to limit unwanted intrusions by insects, mice, squirrels, raccoons and other pests is to deny them entry — a procedure known as pest proofing.

To the editor, I am not one to point out too many mistakes, because I know mistakes do happen. But I really think you need to use spell check before you print headlines. The headline in Thursday's paper read, "East High recieves grant for security cameras. " I have been taught that it is "i" before "e" except after "c. " Please proof read what you write. Amy Littrell, Nicholasville

Brad "The Prince of Pork" Simmons started out cooking Texas-style barbecue a couple of years ago. He'd been playing around with the barbecue when he got "smoker envy" and decided he had to have a big grill ? a big smoker machine. They don't come cheap. He was trying to figure out how to pay for it when he landed on the idea of a customer appreciation day once a year. He and wife Cindy own commercial property in a handful of states. "And every time I do cook, I get a job or two out of it," Simmons said.

Last week I wrote about being afraid your life would never begin. It has stirred a lot of e-mails and conversations. I was surprised at how many people actually do feel their life (at least the life they always wanted) has yet to begin. Between this and the column asking "Are you kind to yourself?" I think I have opened a door of reflection as we all honestly address these issues. And, as I thought further about it all and discussed it with Gene, he told me some pretty interesting stuff.

The following cases were resolved in Clark District Court April 6 with Judge Brandy Oliver Brown presiding. - Pamela J. Adams, alcohol intoxication, pleaded guilty, seven days, credit for time served; drinking an alcoholic beverage in public place, pleaded guilty, concurrent sentence. - Jamie Lee Ballard, flagrant non-support, amended to misdemeanor, dismissed. - Jonathan R. Price, violation of EPO/DVO, pleaded guilty, sentencing, April 8. - James C. Robinson, one headlight, dismissed; possession of marijuana, pleaded guilty, fined, 60 days conditionally discharged; possession of drug paraphernalia, pleaded guilty, fined.