Tragedy

Dear Editor: I, like many Americans, have followed the tragedy developing in Mississippi, Alabama, and New Orleans as a result of Hurricane Katrina. This catastrophe should prompt our local officials to review our own emergency plans and make sure they are up to date and all the "what ifs" addressed. My thoughts and prayers are certainly with those folk who not only have lost so much, but are still trying to flee those affected areas. Mary A. Sleet Perryville

WASHINGTON - John McCain's 2000 campaign for president failed, but it was an unruly and joyous romp. His campaign this time feels quite different: carefully planned, meticulously calculated - and a tragedy. Tragedy, not a word to be invoked lightly, typically involves a morally admirable person who struggles toward a goal and experiences suffering as his own choices collide with forces unleashed by the gods or by circumstance. The distinguished theater critic Walter Kerr once wrote that the tragic man "is free to free himself of obeisance to any power.

Reporters and editors are not heartless. We, too, have experienced tragedies - not only involving our friends and relatives, but also those we must write about. Nearly all of us in journalism have covered tragic deaths in our years in this profession, involving people from infants to grandparents. If anything, witnessing tragedy firsthand makes us more compassionate toward the survivors. How can anyone be human and not feel something for a family when someone has died? Like a soldier who has been in a war, every veteran journalist bears scars from what he or she has seen, heard and felt.

The death of a child is always met with immense sadness. The loss of Devan Hicks, a 7-year-old Mercer County boy who died Dec. 6 after an extended illness, is certainly no different. However, his passing has also inspired an extraordinary outpouring of support from students and staff of Mercer County schools. Classmates of Devan's brother Nathan, a Mercer County Elementary fourth-grader, came to the family's assistance in a big way as soon as they learned the news on Tuesday.

Dear Editor, Jim Trachsel deserves to be remembered for his wit, smile and compassion - not for the tragedy of having his life taken. Jim was vice principal at Danville High School and had a constant stream of troubled students sent to his office when all other efforts failed. Over and over, I saw Jim use humor to defuse incidents. I saw him separate combatants, saying something like, "So you wanted to clobber your best friend because you thought he flirted with your girl?

Chrisman Mill Road has seen its share of tragedy in years past — even this year. Some residents have responded that drivers just need to slow down on the winding, up-and-down highway; the state transportation cabinet even declared the road lacked 40 signs in June. One landowner along the state highway is taking a unique approach to improving the road: He’s adding a bear named Bob. C.J. Curtsinger, who lives at 2756 Chrisman Mill Road, commissioned tree-carver Joe King from Pennsylvania to carve a stump from a 250-year-old oak tree into a bear playing a bass fiddle.

I was at home cleaning the house and decided to turn on the TV, and that's when I saw that there was such a tragedy. I thought to myself, God this had to happen right on my birthday which is 9-11. It sure was no good feeling, I can tell you all that much. Mary Keith Kings Mountain

Dear Editor, I am writing in response to Tammy Benedict's letter to the editor. I am so sorry for this tragedy, and I pray for all the family and friends. My friend Karen was involved in this wreck. I called her to check on her as soon as I heard about it. When I asked how she was, her response was, "Don't worry about me. Worry about that other family. I'm alive, he isn't. Pray for them. " I was not there to witness this tragedy either, but I know Karen is one of the kindest, most caring people you will ever meet, and she would never intentionally harm anyone.

Dear Editor: During a time when our community celebrates many wonderful things such as Christmas and football championships, we are reminded that the world is a dangerous place. Someone provided a tip to the Kentucky State Police late Wednesday night that saved three lives, one of whom is a very dear friend of mine of more than 25 years. To whoever contacted KSP, and to those officers who followed that tip, thank you. While we live in a community that is beautiful and relatively peaceful, it is time that we evaluate our security with the understanding that we just came within a few hours of a huge tragedy.

Often times, firefighters deal with tragedy and heartbreak while doing their jobs. Many times the tragedy they witness requires spiritual counseling to deal with. "As the nature of the job, you witness things from time to time that are tragic, and we have to find ways to help cope with those situations," Nicholasville Fire Chief Charles Brumfield said. "The swing of those emotions that can be felt at any given scene, which can range from heartbreak to a great reward, depending on the situation, takes its toll on firefighters.

To runners, crossing the finish line at the Boston Marathon does not just confirm the completion of 26 miles, but rather a journey - one that follows years of preparation, training and determination. But Monday, a tradition of more than 100 years was struck by an unforseen and senseless tragedy. David Anderson of Danville was in the Boston airport as the news came in. Being a new runner, he said he was feeling down on himself for not making it out to see the race. “I just couldn't fit it in with my schedule,” he said, adding family members have told him God must have kept him from going.

There was much to celebrate in Clark County in 2012, with the opening of a new hospital and a prestigious award granted to a local elementary school. But the year also had plenty of sadness, with a double homicide, the passing of one of the county's most prominent citizens and a fatal fire. Community Services received an unexpected boost from a generous businessman, and a Winchester native took a turn in the spotlight thanks to a stint on a popular reality TV¿show. The Winchester Sun staff has collected some of the most memorable moments from throughout the year, and we will continue to provide extensive local coverage of all the events impacting our community in 2013.

I used to work with someone who would on rare occasions step into my office and ask, “Can we talk?” I immediately knew something was seriously amiss and therefore needed to be addressed in order to avoid potentially disastrous consequences. One of those moments has come for our nation. We seemed to have avoided the discussion after the 13 were killed at Columbine in 1999, and the 32 at Virginia Tech in 2007, and the 13 at Fort Hood in 2009, and the six in Tucson in 2011, and in 2012 the 12 in Aurora, Colo., the six at the Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisc., and the two at the shopping mall in Oregon.

While the tragedy of Sandy Hook Elementary is far away in Connecticut, the fear of danger is never far away. Helping young students and children come to terms with the aftermath of a mass shooting can be difficult. “The most important thing would be to let the child talk and not lead them or tell them how to feel,” Joe Dickhaus, a mental health professional living in Winchester, said. “Let them process what they need to process.” Dickhaus also said children will process the tragedy through their own point of views and not the same way as an adult might.

Danville lost a key Class AA district football game to Somerset on Friday 24-7. However, the Admirals certainly made a fan in Somerset High School principal Wesley Cornett for the way they responded after two Somerset starters were seriously injured in a car accident Thursday night.  “I had heard while I was at the hospital (in Lexington) that night and then at school on Friday that many of the (Danville) football players had called, texted or tweeted their concerns and care about what had happened and talked just as two human beings instead of intense rivals,” said Cornett.

“When all is said and done, the weather and love are the two elements about which one can never be sure.” Writer Alice Hoffman certainly had the right idea about last Friday's Kentucky weather. I fully intended to be tucked in safely at home when the storm hit. I diligently watched on my workstation the radar of the approaching storm, and since I only live five minutes from home, I felt sure I could get the timing right. Then the bottom dropped out. I couldn't shut my computer down fast enough.

For most of my life, Joe Paterno has been a constant: I was one of his first recruits, so when he recruited me, I could always expect a call or visit from him, telling me: “Good game, Charlie.” Or, “How's the family Charlie?” Or, “Don't go to the University of Maryland, Charlie.” And, he has always made me feel special - from my teens and into my adulthood. And, with each passing birthday, I saw that this was a man creating a historic legacy.  He loved my mom and dad and always recalled how he remembers them from my recruiting visit to Penn State.

G.L. Wainscott was very successful in his business ventures, especially with the Roxa Kola brand of soda pop. He was not always so fortunate in his personal life, however. He married Sarah “Sallie” Bell Miller in about 1890, probably during his sojourn in Texas. There is some confusion about her name, as it was reported that Wainscott named the soft drink after his wife Roxanne. Although she signed her name “Sarah Bell” she is listed as “Ann” in the census of 1900. Thus, Ann or Roxanne may have been a nickname.

Last week there was an awful situation near Zanesville, Ohio. There was a lot of media coverage, but in case you haven't heard about it yet, I'll recap. Muskingum County Animal Farm owner Terry Thompson, who kept a large number of exotic animals on his property, including lions, tigers, bears, leopards, and monkeys, let more than 50 of the animals out of their cages Wednesday before killing himself. The sheriffs office responded and ended up shooting and killing 48 of the animals, including 18 Bengal tigers (which are endangered)

This column, written by Winchester Sun sports editor Keith Taylor, originally appeared in the Richmond Register on Sept. 15, 2001. It has been a week of tragedy and triumph. It all began a week ago today when Eastern Kentucky football coach Roy Kidd won his 300th career collegiate contest. Kentucky coach Guy Morriss and his staff eliminated any thoughts of a winless season by edging Ball State. Normal Saturday. The football world - national and local - centered around Kidd's remarkable feat and feasted on the uprising of a surprising team - Fresno State - which pulled off two weeks of upsets that (placed)