May, 2008
By Jeff Noble
Voice Editor
Katherine Sasser had been keeping an eye on the mailbox for the last couple of weeks.
She wasn’t the only one, because at about the same time in other places, Hannah Yount, Michelle White and Tyler Barnes were watching to see what the mail carrier would bring to them.
When they got the news, it was all very good.
The four high school Juniors are this year’s Governor’s Scholars for Breathitt County. And in addition to the four being honored with the academic enhancement, a fifth high school Junior - Codey Morton - will be going to the Governor’s School of the Arts in Lexington this Summer. 
By Jeff Noble
Voice Editor
A state project to improve sidewalks near schools now appears to be on the right route again for the City of Jackson. A state project to improve sidewalks near schools now appears to be on the right route again for the City of Jackson.After appearing all but detoured almost two months ago thanks to the state’s new budget, the plans to build new sidewalks on streets near schools in the city have been put back in the spotlight, and to the tune of $208,000.
Jackson Mayor Mike Miller announced the restoring of that project during last Thursday’s regular meeting of the Jackson City Council. The meeting also revealed public hearings will be held on three topics on Thursday, May 15th at 4:30 p.m. at City Hall. Those three topics are: (1) The amendment to the city’s Occupational License Tax Ordinance, (2) The hiring of a Recreation Superintendent, and (3) The amending to the Police Policy to let retiring officers keep their weapon given to them by the city upon their hiring.
Special to the Voice
The good things from the Good Earth and the good love of God brought together some 90 persons to the table Tuesday night, as the Breathitt County Ministerial Association held their annual banquet at the Old Country Inn. Members of the Breathitt County Conservation District (BCCD) came along for the event, which celebrated “Soil Stewardship Week” in Kentucky. Several ministers, community leaders, and their families were seated as well.
By Jeff Noble
Voice Editor
The fever that is Spring has gone full-tilt in Breathitt County these days. The fever that is Spring has gone full-tilt in Breathitt County these days.And what better way for folks to find out about the fantastic flowers and plants they can grow than to listen to the woman who goes all-out to get down and dirty in the Good Earth. “It’s an annual rite of renewal. Everybody wants to get out and enjoy the outdoors,” said Mary Andrews, who’s Assistant Manager and Certified Nursery Woman for the Lawn and Garden Section of Jackson True Value Hardware.
By Jeff Noble
Voice Editor
You could say it was a glorious start to a fine Spring day a couple of Fridays ago.
There was nary a cloud in the sky as the sun beamed down brightly in the background. Despite the chill at that early hour of the morning, neither Jeff nor Shannon Howell cared about the nip in the air.
Neither did their dogs, Ginger and Bella. Both canines were hot on the scent of a stranger as they hung around a nearby shed. “Must have been a mouse go through there last night,” noted Shannon, who was ready to take in the folks who would take a little of their time to visit the greenhouses she and Jeff own and operate.
Hung jury declared in murder trial
A hung jury was declared Tuesday in the trial of two Breathitt County parents accused of the death of their toddler son. That means Robert and Karen Miller will face a new trial, with a new pre-trial conference set for next Friday, May 9th. The jury could not decide if the Millers’ actions were criminal. The couple were on trial for the death of their eleven-month-old son, Braxton Jamayne Miller, after he died of a Methadone overdose last June.
By James David Fugate
Voice Sports
brvoice@yahoo.com
Lenae Shouse, Breathitt County LadyCats’ colorful senior, has chosen The University of the Cumberlands to further her athletic and academic careers.
One of the LadyCats’ most memorable players made it official at the BHS Library Wednesday afternoon at 2:15 p.m. after turning down numerous other offers.
Barbara and I frequently drive up to Natural Bridge State Park at Slade and dine at the huge buffet dinner at Hemlock Lodge. The food is usually sumptuous and the atmosphere is good. Often the dining hall is packed on the weekends.
Over the past several years Natural Bridge State Park and the Red River Gorge area has begun to attract increasing numbers of people to their campgrounds and to their rental cabins. Many of these cabins are privately owned.
Apparently, everyone in the country is “going green”. You probably know what I mean by this. “Going Green” has become the slogan for everything environmentally safe and attached to the growing popularity of stopping global warming. Companies big and small, individuals, and sometimes whole states have sacrificed a certain aspect of their lives in lieu of global warming. At the end of the day, after all of the ads, at the end of all the programs, will it really matter or is it too late?
This is a column on public education in general and is not meant as a reflection on any particular school or system. My wife, Janice, who is my editor-in-house, said this column was okay but not many would be interested in this topic. I think she is right, as usual.
I have a friend, slightly older than I, who told me that when he was a boy that he never told his parents when he got a spanking in school, for his father promised him another one when he got home, and he was as certain as the sun rises that his Father would deliver.
