Safe Place

In an average year, some six dozen school-aged children in Jessamine County have been kicked out of their homes or simply run away, according to Jessica Dodgen, district homeless liaison with Jessamine County Schools. And because there is no shelter in Jessamine County, many times, those children find themselves out on the street or bouncing from place to place. But through the efforts of the 2011-2012 class of Leadership Jessamine County, those children now have another place to go - a Safe Place.

From April 4 to April 8, Jessamine County recognizes National Public Health Week by encouraging everyone to work together to make our community safer. This year’s theme, “Safety is No Accident: Live Injury Free,” lends inspiration to the new Jessamine County Health and Safety Coalition. Injuries at play, at work and on our roads are the leading cause of death among Americans ages 1 to 41 and the fifth-leading cause of death overall. During 2009 in Kentucky, the total charges for injury-related hospitalizations and emergency-department visits were over $1.2 billion.

Dear Editor: I would have to agree with Mr. Leggin's letter about the flowers being planted in the middle of Danville's busiest instersection, yet the skatepark is still an issue. I have a 16-year-old son whom I travel with most weekends to Somerset so he can enjoy skateboarding in a safe environment. Its obvious Danville has a public swimming pool, and in my opinion more children are put in more danger there than they would be at a skatepark. The Danville City Commision should be aware that these kids (and adults)

To the editor: We would like to thank all the people responsible for the wonderful bike/walk/run trail that was made during the U.S. 68 project. Our family is using it and will continue to enjoy it every season of the year. It is so great to have a safe place to ride bicycles and not have to worry about being hit by a motor vehicle. The Faris family, Wilmore

The Jessamine County Public Library is no longer a safe place for our children to go. As a 12-year veteran at home educating mother of eight, I use to be glad that my children could go to the library for their school reading and research projects. I use to be happy when my older adolescent children wanted to go to hang out at the library. I thought it was a great safe place for them to be. I no longer think that way. Sadly, the JCPL board seems to think that "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier" is not a book of pornography yet the author himself refers to himself as a pornographer.

HARRODSBURG Mercer County Crime Stoppers have chosen a burglary as the crime of the month for August. Someone broke into a vehicle parked in the South Magnolia Street Apartments parking lot at about 3 a.m. July 28. The vehicle's window was broken to gain entry to the vehicle, causing about $500 damage. They took 100 children's compact discs valued at $1,000 and a radar detector with a value of $50. Mercer County Crime Stoppers pays cash for information leading to the arrest and conviction for any major crime or the prevention of a crime.

Dear Editor: The recent activation of the Danville Ethics Board and the resulting investigation into alleged illegal or unethical activities concerning our elected officials should serve as a benchmark for other communities. The group performed in a professional and honest way and should be commended for their work. I think the Ethics Board and the citizens of Danville agree that there is nothing wrong with any individual or business wanting to prosper and expand. This is the American way. I recently had the opportunity to talk with Mayor Bowling and gained an insight concerning the events that were investigated by the Danville Ethics Board.

To the editor, Are the values of respect, compassion and courtesy not being taught to children anymore? Have adults forgotten what those words mean? I am writing to express my opinion on parking in residential areas. We moved to Nicholasville almost seven years ago because we felt this was a community that represented hospitality, values and a place where we would feel safe. My feelings haven't changed. I feel that Nicholasville has the finest police, fire and emergency services that make it a safe place to live.

Local charity All God's Children, Inc. will present "The Living Christmas Card" and Holiday Open House on Dec. 5 and 7, from 6-9 p.m. nightly on their campus located at 2575 Danville Road, just south of Nicholasville on U.S. 27. This family-friendly event is free and open to the public and will feature many familiar holiday scenes. Guests will have the opportunity to have a family photograph made with a one-horse open sleigh, tour a Christmas village with old-fashioned street cenes, listen to music by roving carolers and witness a nativity complete with live animals.

A candlelight ceremony and awareness event will be 7:30 p.m. Tuesday on the steps of the Lincoln County Courthouse in recognition of April as Child Abuse Awareness Month. The speaker will be Cynthia Fields, a social worker for Lincoln County Child Protective Services. "The goal of the event is to bring awareness to the fact that not every child has the safe place to live that he or she deserves and that more involvement from the community is the only way to help prevent child abuse," said Jerry Bailey, executive director of CASA.

It is likely that every community in this country deals with the issue of dilapidated and abandoned buildings. Those communities have various ways of doing so. The city of Midway has enacted an ordinance which directly addresses “deteriorated and blighted” properties and is designed to see that such properties are either cleaned up or made livable. That ordinance provides for numerous safeguards to assure that no property owner is deprived of his or her rights or to having property declared “deteriorated” without due process.

Each week as I finish my article I often wonder what will catch my attention for the next week's article. I have to say it was the youth at First United Methodist Church that I feel the urge to write about this week. They are blessed to have a great teen leader in Derek Hickman who one can see loves the youth and has a burning desire to lead them in the right direction. Before the youth spoke, Derek told a little bit about the youth program. Since I am still rather new to the church, I got a better insight into their program.

Dear editor, I am writing as a concerned citizen with a mission to improve the quality of life for dog-owners, their families and our community as a whole. We live in a time when dogs have become for most, more than just a pet, but a member of the family. There are many caring owners who strive to give the dogs they share their lives with the absolute best possible care, life and time they can offer. Winchester is home to dog owners such as this, and they are being neglected. There are “No Dogs” signs clearly marking Winchester's main parks, forcing owners to choose between breaking the rules and leaving their dogs at home.

The lack of local resources for homeless young men is giving their bills to the Jessamine County government and costing the students their futures, according to a new group aiming to start a transitional-housing program for 18- to 24-year-old males. InnVision hosted an informational meeting at Jessamine Career and Technology Center on Tuesday, when half a dozen citizens spent about an hour and a half talking with board members about implementing the program and garnering community support.

In an average year, some six dozen school-aged children in Jessamine County have been kicked out of their homes or simply run away, according to Jessica Dodgen, district homeless liaison with Jessamine County Schools. And because there is no shelter in Jessamine County, many times, those children find themselves out on the street or bouncing from place to place. But through the efforts of the 2011-2012 class of Leadership Jessamine County, those children now have another place to go - a Safe Place.

Last month's outbreak of tornadoes proved to be deadly in many parts of Kentucky. Tornadoes can appear suddenly and without warning, causing destruction and death. During tornado season, it is important for your family to be prepared by taking the following steps: Be familiar with what a tornado funnel cloud looks like. Prepare a family disaster plan and choose a location where you will seek shelter if a tornado is approaching. The best areas are basements or central rooms on the lowest level with no windows.

Every year, an estimated 1,200 to 1,400 children in the U.S. are injured or killed by shaken baby syndrome. Violent shaking causes the brain to bump against the interior of the skull, which causes bleeding and bruising. This type of injury may lead to permanent brain damage, blindness and even death. Being the parent of an infant or small child can be stressful at times, especially for first-time parents. It is easy for parents to get frustrated when they think they have done everything to comfort their babies - feed them, diaper them, rock them - and the child continues to cry. Some parents get so concerned with their baby's crying, they will shake the baby hoping it will be startled enough to stop crying.

From April 4 to April 8, Jessamine County recognizes National Public Health Week by encouraging everyone to work together to make our community safer. This year’s theme, “Safety is No Accident: Live Injury Free,” lends inspiration to the new Jessamine County Health and Safety Coalition. Injuries at play, at work and on our roads are the leading cause of death among Americans ages 1 to 41 and the fifth-leading cause of death overall. During 2009 in Kentucky, the total charges for injury-related hospitalizations and emergency-department visits were over $1.2 billion.

There are no homeless shelters in Danville and surrounding communities, so there is no obvious place to go if you are on the streets and in need of a place to spend the night. That same situation makes it difficult to locate homeless people and count them accurately. They are out there, part of our communities, but they are mostly unseen and difficult to track down. “Urban areas like Lexington and Louisville have shelters; the homeless are more visible there,” said Ebony Smith, a housing field representative for Safe Connections.

When I pine away for the “good old days,” I let memories wash over me in a welcome wave. Though I’m still securely in the phase of life most would call middle age, I’m still prone to reminisce about simpler, less complicated times. I loved Wilmore in the ’70s. I knew just about everyone in town. Of course, the downside as a teenager was that everyone knew me ... and my parents. Nights were quiet, mostly uninterrupted by loud voices, skateboards or car alarms.