jj_features

jj-doctoral-student-in-nicholasville-teaches-ancient-greek-all-around-the-world-from-home-office-20130515 Doctoral student in Nicholasville teaches ancient Greek all around the world from home office May 15, 2013 Michael Halcomb enters the classroom all by himself. All his students are at home, but none are absent; class is ready to begin. He begins the period by turning to his laptop and speaking ancient Greek — the language his students are learning from afar in the online classroom. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://www.trbimg.com/img-5193d7cd/turbine/jj-doctoral-student-in-nicholasville-teaches-ancient-greek-all-around-the-world-from-home-office-20130515/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-5193d7cd/turbine/jj-doctoral-student-in-nicholasville-teaches-ancient-greek-all-around-the-world-from-home-office-20130515/400/16x9 Michael Halcomb enters the classroom all by himself. All his students are at home, but none are absent; class is ready to begin. He begins the period by turning to his laptop and speaking ancient Greek — the language his students are learning from afar in the online classroom. Halcomb, a Ph.D. student at Asbury Theological Seminary, teaches students across the globe via his own personal venture, the Conversational Koine Institute. Koine is the Greek that was spoken in New Testament times. With a master-of-divinity degree and a master of biblical studies already under his belt, Halcomb has plenty of experience with Greek. He is preparing to defend his dissertation and could receive his doctorate in biblical studies as soon as December. In his own personal studies, Halcomb found that the Greek he tried to learn would go in one ear and out the other. “When I was first learning Greek and as I continued to study Greek, it was a constant wrestling match, constantly trying to find a way to make the learning more enjoyable and to keep it,” he said. “That’s one of the things with seminary students; they take Greek, and then five years later, they don’t remember any of it. That’s a common thing.” Halcomb discovered that speaking the language conversationally ingrains Greek in the learners and helps them “internalize” it. The result is CKI, in which Halcomb conducts class via video chat one hour a week, with all the conversation in Greek. “The entire class is taught in Greek, so it’s an immersion-style class,” he said. “We use little to no English, and anybody —&ensp;even if you’ve never had Greek — can jump right into this and start picking it up right away.” CKI students range geographically from the United States and Canada as far as Egypt, Brazil and India, and they range in experience from Greek teachers to laity who have never spoken a word of Greek. Halcomb said laity composes about half of his students, with the other half split between college and seminary students and professors. “It’s a pretty interesting demographic,” he said. “You have exactly a 50-percent split between academy and just the average church-goer.” A few of Halcomb’s students are learning Greek to study classic Greek literature, but most are seeking to deepen their approach to studying the Bible. “The majority are wanting to do this to approach the Bible more responsibly and faithfully,” Halcomb said. A portion of the proceeds from CKI classes goes to child and family sponsorship in Ethiopia, which Halcomb called “social entrepreneurship.” “It’s a way to leverage education for people in third-world settings,” he said. To learn more, visit www.conversationalkoine.com. 2013-05-15 11:44:24.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-doctoral-student-in-nicholasville-teaches-ancient-greek-all-around-the-world-from-home-office-20130515,0,2475321.story

jj-elevated-work-retired-firefighters-build-wheelchair-ramp-in-jessamine-county-20130508 Elevated work: Retired firefighters build wheelchair ramp in Jessamine County May 8, 2013 A tranquil Friday morning near the corner of Chestnut Street and South Central Avenue gave way to sounds of country music playing in the background and nails being driven into lumber as four retired Lexington firefighters built a wheelchair-friendly ramp for a resident at 110 S. Central Ave. By Mike Moore http://www.trbimg.com/img-518a7a2b/turbine/jj-elevated-work-retired-firefighters-build-wheelchair-ramp-in-jessamine-county-20130508/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-518a7a2b/turbine/jj-elevated-work-retired-firefighters-build-wheelchair-ramp-in-jessamine-county-20130508/400/16x9 A tranquil Friday morning near the corner of Chestnut Street and South Central Avenue gave way to sounds of country music playing in the background and nails being driven into lumber as four retired Lexington firefighters built a wheelchair-friendly ramp for a resident at 110 S. Central Ave. The project was part of a program run through the Realtor Community Housing Foundation in Lexington, which serves several counties, including Jessamine. The foundation supplies materials; volunteers supply the work. Volunteer Jeff Garris said the program began six years ago, and since that time, the firefighters average about one ramp built per month. “Another firefighter and I started this in Lexington back in 2007, and we did it through the Lexington Fire Department at that time,” Garris said. “We retired, and we continued the project to help give back to the community. This is the second or third time we’ve done a ramp in Jessamine County.” Garris said Realtor Community Housing Foundation gathers applications and selects work sites. After the team has been notified, the firefighters get to work. “We’ll usually do a scouting trip to see what we’re getting into first,” Garris said. “The plans come from an engineer or an architect. They do the drawing, and we follow the plan.” Once built, the ramps meet standards set forth by the Americans with Disabilities Act. “According to the standards, we have to have a certain pitch and fall, and we have to meet the standards,” Garris said. “It will be heavy enough to where they can run a motorized scooter up and down it, and it’s got handrails on both sides.” Friday’s project had four retired firefighters working, but Garris said there are projects that call for more manpower. “It depends on the size of the project,” he said. “We have the beauty of calling other firefighters in if it’s a big ramp. But we usually have three to four people working.” The volunteer effort is not about getting any personal recognition but helping make lives easier for those who need the assistance, Garris said. “It’s amazing how it changes their lives,” Garris said. “We do them in the rain, snow (and) heat. But the biggest thing we get out of it is when they walk down that ramp, and they say, ‘This is the first time that I’ve been out of my house in you don’t know how long.’ That is what makes it worth it.” 2013-05-08 09:14:17.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-elevated-work-retired-firefighters-build-wheelchair-ramp-in-jessamine-county-20130508,0,1837164.story

jj-17-racers-navigate-creative-course-in-first-mudder-earth-challenge-during-earth-day-event-20130424 17 racers navigate creative course in first Mudder Earth Challenge during Earth Day event April 24, 2013 Nearly two-thirds of the way through the Nicholasville-Jessamine County Parks and Recreation’s 3K Mudder Earth Challenge, the mud-soaked team of Jordan Andersen and Ashley Kennerly had to suck it up as they ventured into the portion of the course known as the Animal Kingdom. By Mike Moore http://www.trbimg.com/img-51781527/turbine/jj-17-racers-navigate-creative-course-in-first-mudder-earth-challenge-during-earth-day-event-20130424/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-51781527/turbine/jj-17-racers-navigate-creative-course-in-first-mudder-earth-challenge-during-earth-day-event-20130424/400/16x9 Nearly two-thirds of the way through the Nicholasville-Jessamine County Parks and Recreation’s 3K Mudder Earth Challenge, the mud-soaked team of Jordan Andersen and Ashley Kennerly had to suck it up as they ventured into the portion of the course known as the Animal Kingdom. “The Bear Crawl and the Leap Frog was tough because you were already out of breath (running a mile),” Kennerly, of Berea, said. Her teammate agreed. “It was really muddy, so you had to fight the weight of the mud and everything else,” Andersen, of Lexington, said. That is what NJCPR associate director John Howard was aiming for with this year’s format switch from a traditional 5K to the 3K challenge. Andersen and Kennerly were two of 17 competitors in the NJCPR’s fifth annual Earth Day event held Sunday afternoon at Riney B Park “We’ve run a 5K cross country the last four Earth Days, and this year, we wanted to mix it up a little bit and get more families involved,” Howard said. “We’ve got 12 stations or challenges; some of them are physical, and some are mental.” Some of the mental challenges included digging through sand trying to find a nut and bolt combination that would allow a team to advance to the next station. Another mental station forced competitors to know their geography as they were quizzed on locations across the globe. The physical stations included the spider web, a 1-mile run and “Crawl or Nothing” challenge. “We’ve got a station that is called the Crawl or Nothing where they’re going to be crawling underneath plastic draped across hay bales ... and the spider’s web, which is a series of 12 ropes through several hundred yards that tunnel between trees,” Howard said. “An interesting element to this Mudder Earth race is people are going to get muddy and they’re going to get wet.” Team Fazoli’s Rodney Robinson and Kateline Zullich, both of Lexington, said the muddy, wet conditions made for a tough competition. “There was a lot of mud, water and grass; it was difficult because there was a lot of sliding,” Robinson said. “I like the different challenges; you had to use your brain on a few of them.” Like the team of Andersen and Kennerly, Zullich, whose team placed first overall, found the Animal Kingdom to be among the toughest challenges. “(The toughest) was the Leap Frog,” Zullich said. “We were a little out of practice on that.” “You Leap Frog a long distance, and that’s after running,” Robinson said. At the end of the day, Howard was pleased with the parks and recreation department’s decision to change the format, and he said he plans to make the 3K Mudder Earth Challenge a staple to Jessamine County’s Earth Day event. “We’ve tried to expand Earth Day each year,” Howard said. “The family factor is what we really wanted to go with, so that's why we are going away from the 5K.” The event drew rave reviews from those who participated in it, and a promise to return to next year’s 3K challenge. “This has been the most creative one I’ve been to where there’s a race involved,” Robinson said. 2013-04-24 10:22:31.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-17-racers-navigate-creative-course-in-first-mudder-earth-challenge-during-earth-day-event-20130424,0,2035674.story

jj-wwwii-diary-found-in-rubble-belonged-to-nicholasville-womans-father-20130424 WWII diary found in rubble belonged to Nicholasville woman's father April 24, 2013 About two weeks ago, Catherine Cole of Nicholasville was given a piece of her father that she never knew existed, and that has given her a glimpse into a part of his life he never talked about. By Kelly McKinney http://www.trbimg.com/img-51782567/turbine/jj-wwwii-diary-found-in-rubble-belonged-to-nicholasville-womans-father-20130424/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-51782567/turbine/jj-wwwii-diary-found-in-rubble-belonged-to-nicholasville-womans-father-20130424/400/16x9 About two weeks ago, Catherine Cole of Nicholasville was given a piece of her father that she never knew existed, and that has given her a glimpse into a part of his life he never talked about. A diary he kept while in the Navy during World War II more than 60 years ago found its way to her. It was found in a pile of rubble at a demolition site, plucked from among the debris by John Banks, a recycling-center employee, Cole said. Banks thought it was a book and started to read it, she said. Realizing it was in fact a diary, he set out to make sure it found its way home, contacting a Lexington news station. “My cousin saw a piece on Channel 18 about it,” Cole said. “She called them and gave them my name. Then she called me. I didn’t even see it (on the news). But that’s kind of how he found me.” When Cole’s father, George Colvin Egnew, died in 2005 at the age of 85, Egnew had never really told his family about the two years he spent as a sailor. “Very little did he ever talk about when he was in the war,” she said. “It’s a real insight to use into what his life was like and what he did.” Egnew enlisted in 1944 and served two years. In his daily chronicles, Egnew talks about the places the Navy took him. “He didn’t like Chicago,” she said. “He talks about that. Of course, he talks about going to Japan.” Many of her father’s entries show that life wasn’t always exhilarating. The entries also are reminiscent of her father’s personality. “Some days he says ‘same old thing,’” Cole said, laughing. Cole said the readable handwriting her father used in the diary is surprising. “I never knew him to have very good penmanship,” she said. The diary includes an inscription  written by Cole’s mother. “To my Daddy from Linda Ray, Cynthiana, Ky,” it reads. Linda Ray is Cole’s older sister, who was about 18 months old when her father enlisted, Cole said. Linda died of leukemia in 2000. Cole is from Cynthiana, which is where the family lived when her father enlisted. Cole also has an older brother, Ron Agnew, who lives in Denver and has yet to see the diary. He’s planning a trip to Kentucky this summer. “I keep telling him it’s here waiting for him when he gets here,” Cole said. Cole said she intends to make several copies of the diary, one for her brother and another for her cousin, and more for other family members. But the original she plans to eventually pass down to her granddaughter, now 6 months old. “This is going to be a way for her to know a little bit about her great-grandfather,” she said. “It will be a good way for her to learn more.” But until then, Cole is keeping a tight hold on the journal that her father wrote so long ago. “It’s staying here,” she said. “It’s not getting lost again.” 2013-04-24 11:31:32.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-wwwii-diary-found-in-rubble-belonged-to-nicholasville-womans-father-20130424,0,2768303.story

jj-asbury-universitys-tumbling-team-ends-season-with-jym-jamboree-20130417 Asbury University's tumbling team ends season with 'Jym Jamboree' April 17, 2013 Each year, a group of Asbury University students jump, flip� and dance as a way to help others. By Kelly McKinney http://www.trbimg.com/img-516ee9de/turbine/jj-asbury-universitys-tumbling-team-ends-season-with-jym-jamboree-20130417/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-516ee9de/turbine/jj-asbury-universitys-tumbling-team-ends-season-with-jym-jamboree-20130417/400/16x9 Each year, a group of Asbury University students jump, flip  and dance as a way to help others. They are the school’s tumbling team, which, in addition to performing at schools and other organizations across the country free of charge, performs two shows each April at the university. The team performed this year’s shows, called “Jym Jamboree,” last Friday and Saturday. The stands at the university’s Luce Center were packed Saturday to watch the team’s performance, a combination of gymnastics, cheerleading, and even modern dance. During one part of the show, several of the team members climbed the walls and then flipped off them, landing on mats. Another highlight of the show happened when the lights were turned off and gymnasts hurled themselves through a ring lit with fire. Many children at the show were able to participate, sitting in a huddle while gymnasts jumped over them. The performance was the last for the team this year, coming after its return from tour. Each spring break, the team takes its act to public schools, community groups, neighborhoods and other organizations for no charge. “Most of our schools can’t afford to have any assemblies or anything like that, so we do it for free,” said Holland Michael, the team’s head coach. “And we’re able to bring love and joy to the kids.” This year, the team traveled to Louisville, Georgie, North Carolina and Florida,performing 18 or 19 shows in a 10-day period over the university’s spring break, Michael said. Jym Jamboree has been performed yearly since 1935, Michael said. The school’s tumbling team was officially founded in 1965 and has been traveling each year since then. Twenty-three students make up this year’s team, which usually consists of 18 to 25 students, Michael said. There is a two-week try-out period each year. Any student can try out, and no experience is necessary, she said. “About 75 percent of the team had zero experience when we started (this year),” she said. 2013-04-17 11:27:29.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-asbury-universitys-tumbling-team-ends-season-with-jym-jamboree-20130417,0,3393073.story

jj-star-wars-fans-become-their-favorite-characters-at-jessamine-county-public-library-event-20130410 Star Wars fans become their favorite characters at Jessamine County Public Library event April 10, 2013 The Jessamine County Public Library was transformed into a galaxy far, far away Saturday as more than 500 people attended Star Wars Fan Day, which capped off Star Wars Week. By Mike Moore http://www.trbimg.com/img-5165b763/turbine/jj-star-wars-fans-become-their-favorite-characters-at-jessamine-county-public-library-event-20130410/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-5165b763/turbine/jj-star-wars-fans-become-their-favorite-characters-at-jessamine-county-public-library-event-20130410/400/16x9 The Jessamine County Public Library was transformed into a galaxy far, far away Saturday as more than 500 people attended Star Wars Fan Day, which capped off Star Wars Week. Star Wars Week was the brain-child of the library’s children’s department, according to Heather Reynolds, community relations librarian. “They thought it would be a great theme to use for programming during spring-break week for the families that don't travel,” Reynolds said. “We were looking for a theme that attracted kids, teens and adults.” Saturday’s event also featured members of the 501st Star Wars Legion, whose volunteers dressed up as Darth Vader, storm troopers, a sandtrooper and an imperial gunner. The group also assisted library staff members with their Star Wars-themed outfits. Library director Ron Critchfield said JCPL strives to bring top-quality programming to its patrons and that the Star Wars week, which drew about 5,400 visitors to the library, was a no-brainer. “I discovered many JCPL employees are intense Star Wars aficionados, and they reassured me that we would find a community of Star Wars fans in Jessamine County,” he said.  “And from there the staff excitement grew around the Star Wars theme and a week full of activities based on the theme.” During the week, the library showed each Star Wars movie and held other Star Wars-themed events. Going forward, the library plans to use spring break as a theme week for its patrons. “It was such a successful week, we will definitely do themes going forward,” Reynolds said. “We may even bring Star Wars back next year.” For more information on JCPL programs, visit www.jesspublib.org. 2013-04-10 12:01:19.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-star-wars-fans-become-their-favorite-characters-at-jessamine-county-public-library-event-20130410,0,4713561.story

jj-nicholasville-teen-uses-fame-from-chronic-illness-to-help-others-20130403 Nicholasville teen Reese Kemp uses fame from chronic illness to help others REESE'S REACH April 3, 2013 The terrible disease Reese Kemp has battled his entire life has left him smaller than average. He isn’t quite 5 feet tall and weighs barely more than 80 pounds. By Kelly McKinney http://www.trbimg.com/img-515c6a6d/turbine/jj-nicholasville-teen-uses-fame-from-chronic-illness-to-help-others-20130403/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-515c6a6d/turbine/jj-nicholasville-teen-uses-fame-from-chronic-illness-to-help-others-20130403/400/16x9 The terrible disease Reese Kemp has battled his entire life has left him smaller than average. He isn’t quite 5 feet tall and weighs barely more than 80 pounds. But the 16-year-old has become larger than life. The West Jessamine High School freshman was given a key to the city by Nicholasville Mayor Russ Meyer, was honored by the Jessamine County Fiscal Court, and has been featured in stories by the Lexington Herald-Leader, WKYT, and Kentucky Sports Radio, among others. When a piece by the Louisville Courier-Journal was picked up by USA Today, the story of the Nicholasville boy who rubs elbows with several well-known University of Kentucky basketball and baseball players went national. It might have been the fact that Reese has been visited by Eric Bledsoe, DeMarcus Cousins and Terrence Jones, and flown by John Wall to  Washington, D.C. to see a Wizards game that brought Reese’s plight to a national audience, but there’s a lot more to the avid UK fan’s story. Despite fighting a chronic, incurable disease and losing his father when was 5, Reese has spent much of his free time the last few years figuring out how to help others — and making it happen. Just before he turned 2, Reese was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, a disease that has wreaked havoc on his lungs, pancreas and other organs, and, by the time he was 8, his will to live. Cystic fibrosis causes the body to produce thick mucus that clogs lungs and blocks the pancreas, making it difficult to absorb nutrients. The life expectancy of those with the disease is mid-30s. Reese’s treatment has included breathing treatments and steroids, and lengthy hospital stays that require Reese to stay hooked up 24 hours a day to a PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter) line. The treatments and coping with the disease are difficult, Reese’s mother, Shantelle Reese, said. “It’s a hard battle,” she said. But it was after his father’s death that Reese started saying he didn’t want to live, Shantelle said. That was four years ago. Then, when UK players helped turn things around, dragging Reese out of the depression that had overtaken him, it wasn’t long before Reese decided that not only did he want to continue to live; he wanted to do something meaningful with his life, he said. It all began when he had some extra Big Blue Madness tickets that he gave away, Reese said. “I really enjoyed giving those away,” he said. “I just wanted to keep helping out in the community.” Reese’s Resources and Reese’s Bucket List were born. Reese’s Bucket List, which consists of five goals Reese wishes to accomplish, has become a way to help the community, Reese said. Reese’s goals on the list are to change the world in a positive way in his limited time here, to help make other terminally-ill children’s dreams come true, to raise awareness and money to fund research to find a cure for cystic fibrosis, to help inspire others to reach their full potential in life, and to complete his own personal bucket list.  Reese’s Resources is a foundation whose goal is to raise awareness of cystic fibrosis. Reese’s work with the two foundations began by just giving out tickets to the basketball event but soon expanded to providing Thanksgiving dinners and helping families with Christmas presents, he said. Last year, Reese’s Resources provided 18 Thanksgiving dinners to families, Reese said. But there is one family in particular Reese remembers. It was a single mother and her 2- or 3-year-old son. She had recently lost her job, Reese said. “She was really smiling when we gave her dinner,” he said. “I remember that. That was cool.” To raise money for the foundations, Reese asks for donations on Facebook pages and sends out tweets, he said. Sometimes he will hold a  party for teenagers in Lexington and charge a $10 admission, all of which goes to his charitable efforts. Reese and his family still struggle. His condition requires a two-week hospital stay, usually twice a year, when Reese has to stay hooked up to the PICC line that feeds him antibiotics.  This is the hardest part of the disease, Reese says. “I can’t do anything during that time,” he said. Also, just knowing that he could get sick enough to have to go into the hospital at any time is hard, he said. That also is difficult for his mother. “I think about it often,” Shantelle said. “It’s become our way of life, and I can’t imagine it being any other way.” But Reese hasn’t again let the disease stop him from living like it did before. Though it makes him tire easily and he can’t be as physical as he’d like, he loves to play basketball. He now plays guard on West Jessamine’s basketball team. Before starting high school, he played for Jessamine County Parks and Recreation, where his heart and ambition inspired his coach, Gerald Wheeler, assistant chief of the Jessamine County Fire Department, to write a letter to the Nicholasville City Commission. “(We) would joke and say that if everyone on the team had the drive like Reese ... we would have an undefeated season,” Wheeler wrote. Seeing how far Reese has come in the last few years, many would say he has brought that same heart to his fight with cystic fibrosis, overcoming many of the effects. The teen’s latest posts on Reese’s Bucket List’s Facebook page include wishing everyone a happy Easter and getting the word out about his latest effort to raise funds for his foundation, a golf scramble to be held June 11 that will feature some yet-to-be-named UK players. As for his personal bucket list? The number-one thing on it is to go to the 2015 Major League Baseball all-star game in Cincinnati. The 16-year-old everybody is talking about is still very much in the game. 2013-04-03 10:46:31.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-nicholasville-teen-uses-fame-from-chronic-illness-to-help-others-20130403,0,2395986.story

jj-west-jessamine-high-school-show-choir-dually-noted-is-about-more-than-singing-and-dancing-20130320 West Jessamine High School show choir Dually Noted is about more than singing and dancing A noteworthy purpose March 20, 2013 If you’ve owned a TV in the last four years, it’s hard not to think of the hit Fox show “Glee” when you watch the stage. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://www.trbimg.com/img-514a0954/turbine/jj-west-jessamine-high-school-show-choir-dually-noted-is-about-more-than-singing-and-dancing-20130320/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-514a0954/turbine/jj-west-jessamine-high-school-show-choir-dually-noted-is-about-more-than-singing-and-dancing-20130320/400/16x9 If you’ve owned a TV in the last four years, it’s hard not to think of the hit Fox show “Glee” when you watch the stage. The 22 high-schoolers from West Jessamine sing in harmony and dance in rhythm, taking turns on solos as pop songs blend into Broadway show tunes and classic anthems. From watching the performance, you wouldn’t know the difference between this show choir and the popular portrayals of real competitive show choirs: The trophies of this choir don’t sit in glass cases; they sing and dance and act in their own schools and their own community productions. You see, in addition to performance, this show choir — aptly named Dually Noted — was formed with a second purpose of giving back to local arts programs. Dually Noted was the brain child of then-senior Julia Seales three years ago as she wrote about a theoretical leadership project in an essay and then realized the show-choir-giving-back project didn’t have to just be theoretical. “It was around the time where there were arts communities around the county getting cut, and so we decided that we wanted to give some money back to that,” said senior Andy Burns, now the student director in his third year in Dually Noted. The after-school show choir has become a place of acceptance for many at West High, said Delaney Carlstedt, co-president of Dually Noted. “I’ve seen people come in who I had never heard speak before, and now we know each other so well and they’re so fun, and it brings them to life to much in ways that you don’t see if they don’t get this outlet to just shine,” she said. Senior Daniel Gallutia, who plays drums with three other musicians for Dually Noted, said he could sense the fellowship of the group immediately when he began rehearsing with them. A longtime member of the marching band’s drumline, Gallutia said he has learned how important band and choir can be to each other. “It’s shown me how important it is for band and choir to be together — that’s what I’ve really seen from this,” he said. “Just the fact that we’re so similar in what we want to do and what we plan on doing.” Teacher Jessica Slaton coordinates the group, though she readily admits her student leaders do a lot of the heavy lifting. Slaton was in a competitive show choir in her Nashville high school, but she said she was glad to see Dually Noted continue to focus on giving to others rather than glorifying themselves. “I understood what it would take to be a competition choir, so I remember last year we sat down and said, ‘Do you want to be a show choir that competes, or do you want to be the group that you were designed to be, which is that giving back and really enjoying the arts?’” Slaton said. “They decided that’s what they wanted to be, and I couldn’t have been happier.” The dry-erase board in Slaton’s classroom still displays the words this year’s leaders scrawled on it at the beginning of the school year, redefining and clarifying their purpose: “Dually Noted exists to produce and promote creativity, and its members promise to actively search for new ways to give, rehearse with 100 percent of their bodies, voices and imaginations, foster the growth of art in themselves to encourage the group and inspire the community, remember their greatest accomplishments come from creating art and sharing with those in need.” Looking back on that statement in Slaton’s classroom Tuesday, co-president James Lewis said the final words never felt like a “cop-out.” “It wasn’t saying, ‘It’s all OK if we just have fun,’” Lewis said. “I feel like at the time, there were a few people who were semi-skeptical of that and thought, ‘No — winning is winning; that’s how you win.’ But definitely toward the end of the year, we definitely evolved as a group to be more about the creating art and sharing with those in need.” Burns arranged all the music for the choir’s show this year, which focused on a weather theme, featuring the Beatles’ “Dear Prudence,” the ballad “Light” from “Next to Normal,” and the classic “Walking on Sunshine.” Then a junior, Burns began arranging music the same day he and his counterparts came up with the concept last May. “I started that day,” he said. “I picked out some music, and the set itself change a couple times. By the end of the school year last year, we knew what songs we were doing, and as I was babysitting over the summer, I actually wrote the whole show.” When Dually Noted traveled to Lebanon, Ohio, for a large competition with 14 other show choirs last weekend, the West students didn’t make the finals of their division, but they did make an impact. Many of those affiliated with competitive Ohio show choirs made a point of coming up to Dually Noted students and telling them their mission was appreciated in a state where competitive show choirs are losing funding. “They moved people to tears before they even got on stage just with the fact that they give back,” Slaton said. “That’s so unusual for high-school students unless you’re in a club that is purposefully for giving back to the community, but to take something that’s supposed to be so glorified —&ensp;the hair, the makeup, the performance, the spotlight — and be like, ‘OK — that was great, now how much money did we make, and who can we give it to?’” Gallutia said he was used to the competitiveness of Kentucky marching-band contests and was preparing to offer consolation to his fellow students after they didn’t make the finals. “If they didn’t get in (the finals), I was going to talk to Slaton and see if I could give them some words so they don’t feel so bad — but they were fine,” he said. “They were not upset at all. Carlstedt said that while she appreciated seeing what a show choir can become with additional resources, Dually Noted had the same enthusiasm as every other group she saw. “We were definitely underdogs, but this year it was more in size and resources than in talent and passion,” she said. “We all came together so much this year, and you could tell that we just loved doing it.” Burns said those who look at the West show choir as a stereotype are missing out on a lot of layers of Dually Noted. “I think the more people would get to know our group, they would have a new respect for us,” he said “I think if you look at us with the mind-set of ‘Glee’ the television show, I think you are really closing off your mind to a lot of what our group actually is.” And what their group is turns out to be a group that values elementary-school musicals over perfectly coordinated motions and giving back over glitz and glamour. “Their heart is not in it for a trophy, and it’s not in it for a competition,” Slaton said. “This is the icing on the cake — giving back to the other schools in the community and keeping the arts alive.” 2013-03-20 12:12:41.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-west-jessamine-high-school-show-choir-dually-noted-is-about-more-than-singing-and-dancing-20130320,0,7754435.story

jj-psychology-major-at-uk-found-her-niche-10-years-ago-at-the-primate-rescue-center-20130313 Psychology major at UK found her niche 10 years ago at the Primate Rescue Center March 13, 2013 If you ask Eileen Dunnington about her career choice, she is quick to smile as her eyes light up. By Mike Moore http://www.trbimg.com/img-5140a79e/turbine/jj-psychology-major-at-uk-found-her-niche-10-years-ago-at-the-primate-rescue-center-20130313/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-5140a79e/turbine/jj-psychology-major-at-uk-found-her-niche-10-years-ago-at-the-primate-rescue-center-20130313/400/16x9 If you ask Eileen Dunnington about her career choice, she is quick to smile as her eyes light up. “I just got lucky — the right place and right time,” Dunnington said of her nearly 10 years working at the Jessamine County-based Primate Rescue Center. Dunnington said her career odyssey began simply enough as a college student looking for an internship in 2003. “As a psychology major (at the University of Kentucky), they require an internship or for you to work with a professor,” she said. “I ended up wanting to do both, and as a part of my internship, I knew I wanted to work with animals, somehow. I ended up calling the humane society, thinking that I could do an internship up there, but at the time, they didn’t have internships.” So the humane society suggested Dunnington call the Primate Rescue Center — a place Dunnington — though she grew up in Lexington and attended Lexington Catholic High School — didn’t even know existed. “At that time, their internship program really wasn’t up and running, so (director April Truitt) wasn’t quite sure exactly what they could offer me,” Dunnington said. But the ambitious college student took what was available — an opportunity to volunteer at the yearly member event held in May. And that’s all it took for Dunnington. “I jumped on that opportunity and immediately fell in love with it,” she said. “It’s an amazing and magical place, once you experience the animals and see what the mission is down here and see how important the work is down here. “You can even really picture it until you actually drive down and you make that drive down the driveway with the canopy of trees and it just sort of seems surreal as you’re making your way down here.” Dunnington said making the drive down the driveway leading to the PRC was like going into a different world. “But the minute I set foot down here, I knew that I didn’t want to leave,” she said. Truitt said Dunnington’s enthusiasm and professionalism have rubbed off on other employees and her dedication to the animals at PRC is remarkable. “She has been a tremendous asset to us in her approach to what can be at times an overwhelming diversity of workload,” Truitt said. Following her volunteer experience in spring 2003, Dunnington interned with PRC during the fall, and soon had herself a full-time career lined up after college. She started off as a caretaker and quickly climbed up the ladder to her current position as  animal-care and staff supervisor. “I make sure that their nutrition guidelines and diets are at the appropriate health level (because) diabetes is a large problem in captivity,” Dunnington said. Many of the chimps and other primates PRC houses have been confiscated from people who owned them illegally, and Dunnington said their health conditions are usually deplorable. “I work closely with the veterinarian, and I do my own research to sort of coordinate not only their medical needs are met, but also their nutritional health, and their enrichment — make sure that their mental health is up to par as well,” she said. Dunnington said her psychology degree plays a key role in her daily duties. “As funny as it sounds, their behavior and their interaction with each other is very psychology based,” she said. “They’re political in their social interactions with each other and how they relate to each other. They’re very human-like in their interactions with each other. Although I’m not necessarily sitting down with them and asking them how they feel, I think in terms in analyzing group dynamics and understanding how the group dynamics are changing as the younger males are growing up and sort of beginning to challenge our alpha males, I think that my psychology background helps me understand the group dynamics.” During her nearly 10 years working with PRC, Dunnington said there have been many rewarding stories for each primate, and each day, she said the 11 chimps who call PRC home manage to put a smile on her face. “Gosh, every day, the chimps will make you laugh with some of the things they do,” she said. “They’re so much like us.” On the flip side, the tales of primates abused by those who keep them as pets never cease to amaze her, and she has hopes that other states will follow Kentucky’s lead when it comes to making exotic animals illegal as pets. “All the surrounding states hardly have any laws prohibiting ownership of all kinds of exotic animals,” she said. “There’s lots of other states in the U.S. that do not have any laws. So we’re hoping to influence other states in following that lead, because you find these animals just living in the worse conditions possible.” Looking back on her experience at PRC, Dunnington said she was simply one of the lucky ones who discovered her calling. “Growing up, I thought that maybe I wanted to become a veterinarian, but I don’t really have the stomach for that, and I thought maybe it was going to be one of those things where I loved animals but I never really could find that niche where I wanted to be around animals. It was like, ‘Yes, this looks nice, but — ” or, ‘Hey, this looks nice, but — ” she said. “Then finally, I was able to find that perfect hole that I fit right into.” “How fortunate for us,” Truitt interjected. “And now, they can’t kick me out of that hole,” Dunnington quipped. 2013-03-13 09:25:49.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-psychology-major-at-uk-found-her-niche-10-years-ago-at-the-primate-rescue-center-20130313,0,215503.story

jj-wilmore-elementary-school-passes-150000-in-fundraising-for-heart-association-20130306 Wilmore Elementary School passes $150,000 in fundraising for heart association Hearts jumping March 6, 2013 The things they do would be hard enough without the rope. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://www.trbimg.com/img-51377bdd/turbine/jj-wilmore-elementary-school-passes-150000-in-fundraising-for-heart-association-20130306/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-51377bdd/turbine/jj-wilmore-elementary-school-passes-150000-in-fundraising-for-heart-association-20130306/400/16x9 The things they do would be hard enough without the rope. Wilmore Elementary students have been jumping, skipping and bouncing to dodge rapidly moving ropes for 22 years — and they have something to show for it. The school unveiled a banner last week celebrating that Wilmore has raised more than $150,000 for the American Heart Association through the Jump Rope for Heart fundraiser since 1991. But even more than just a fundraiser, jump-roping has become a part of Wilmore Elementary’s natural rhythm in the past two decades. Physical-education teacher Steve Sandberg has always had a jump-rope unit, but he took it a step further in 1996 and started a jump-rope club, then formed a team to do public performances just a few years later. “I just had some extra time, and I saw that the kids really enjoyed it,” he said. The team performed at two separate assemblies Thursday, Feb. 28, for the first through third grades and then for the fourth and fifth grades. The event served as the kickoff for the school’s annual Jump Rope for Heart fundraiser that is part of Wilmore’s physical-education curriculum. The jump-roping these students do is not just forward and backward and crossing hands. They’re using two parallel ropes or two perpendicular ropes; they’re jumping with their own rope in one hand and a partner’s rope in the other; they’re bouncing on their bottoms over the rope as it swings around the ground. Sandberg said his students’ talents far surpass any that he ever had. “I jump-roped a little bit, but I can’t do the skills that they do,” he said. “I verbally tell them how to do it, and once they’ve seen if I have to show them a skill on video, they work at it, and they can get it once they see it.” This year’s club included about 120 students who met Mondays and Thursdays from October through the second week of January. From that club, Sandberg picked a team of 54 third- through fifth-graders who have performed at halftime of an Asbury University basketball game and have several more performances this spring, including one at Thomson-Hood Veterans Center in Wilmore. 2013-03-06 09:27:40.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-wilmore-elementary-school-passes-150000-in-fundraising-for-heart-association-20130306,0,7570914.story

jj-dr-phyllis-corbitt-retires-after-42-years-practicing-medicine-in-wilmore-20130228 Dr. Phyllis Corbitt retires after 42 years practicing medicine in Wilmore February 28, 2013 For more than 40 years, many in Wilmore who felt a little sick, needed to have their blood pressure or sugar checked, or maybe just needed an understanding ear have known just where to go. By Kelly McKinney http://www.trbimg.com/img-512f8f59/turbine/jj-dr-phyllis-corbitt-retires-after-42-years-practicing-medicine-in-wilmore-20130228/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-512f8f59/turbine/jj-dr-phyllis-corbitt-retires-after-42-years-practicing-medicine-in-wilmore-20130228/400/16x9 For more than 40 years, many in Wilmore who felt a little sick, needed to have their blood pressure or sugar checked, or maybe just needed an understanding ear have known just where to go. Right on Main Street, just a few doors down from City Hall, they could walk in Phyllis Corbitt’s office and take a step back in time. There, a single receptionist greets patients. They wait in a room with a dozen or so chairs, where a few books are laid out. There is no TV to watch, and, though there may be one or even two in the office, there isn’t a computer in sight. From there, patients are taken back to where Corbitt greets them, maybe taking their hands or giving them hugs. When they’re done, they might hear  “God bless you,” or  “Good to see you again.” The experience will be missed by many. Corbitt, who has practiced in Wilmore since 1971, is retiring today. “To think that you’re going to walk by that door and not see that car there,” said Hal Snowden, Wilmore resident and patient of Corbitt’s since 1984. “It’s going to be a vacancy that’s very hard to fill.” Wilmore isn’t just losing a good doctor but part of the city’s fabric, according to many. “She’s a legend in our town,” said Harold Rainwater, mayor of Wilmore. “It’s unbelievable what’s she’s done.” Corbitt, 89, said the requirement to switch to electronic records prompted her decision. All physicians’ offices are required to switch by Jan. 14 of next year, she said. “I’m not a modern clinic at all,” she said. “I’m not computer savvy.” Though her office might seem like it’s from a bygone era, Corbitt has blazed many trails in her life. She was the only woman in her class in medical school. But she said being the sole female wasn’t difficult. Most of the men in her class had recently returned from the war. “They were wonderful to me,” she said. She married before going to medical school together with her husband, Duvon Corbitt, who became a general surgeon. Afterward, she and her husband traveled to Africa while working for a missionary. Corbitt loved it there. “In Africa, if they (patients) had come to you, they had maybe walked a hundred miles,” she said. After returning to the United States for a time and having children, Corbitt was set on returning to Africa. But it wasn’t to be. Women and children weren’t allowed in at that time. Corbitt was devastated. “I had wanted so bad to spend my life there,” she said. “Then Jessamine County became my Africa.” She realized people in the county needed her, she said. And took care of them she did. When she first opened her practice, she saw up to 70 patients a day, she said. Now, after more than four decades of serving the people of Jessamine County, Corbitt has many stories. There was the woman who was bitten by a snake and stuffed the snake into a sack and brought it to Corbitt’s office with her. The snake happened to be pregnant and gave birth on the way. The result was chaos, Corbitt said. “There were dozens of little snakes in that bag,” she said. “Patients in the waiting room were screaming. That was a funny one.” A woman collapsed from anaphylactic shock in the bathroom of the neighboring pharmacy. Luckily, the bathroom is next to Corbitt’s examining room. “We heard it and went and got her,” Corbitt said. Then there was the man who was in such pain he couldn’t sit, and alternated between lying flat on the floor of the waiting room and hanging from the door jamb. And there was the woman with a tubal pregnancy who collapsed in the waiting room. Another patient was in Lexington when she broke out in a rash from a severe allergic reaction and drove back to Wilmore to Corbitt’s office, hitting two cars on the way and then jumping out of her car to scratch her back on the corner of the building. “Why she didn’t go to the ER in Lexington, I don’t know,” Corbitt said. Many of her patients have seen her for years, Corbitt said. “I have grandmothers who come in here who I took care of as babies with their grandbabies,” she said. Though she now couldn’t imagine having done anything else, Corbitt didn’t always want to be a doctor. In fact, the thought had never crossed her mind until she was a freshman in college. “That’s when I got my calling to be a doctor,” she said. “I struggled with the decision for two weeks.” But she said she wouldn’t have had it any other way. And she’s going to miss it.  “I can’t think about not being in it,” she said. “It’s always a joy and  a light to see who’s waiting in that waiting room.” But it’s time to move on, she said. “I can’t do electronic records,” she said. “So, I said ‘Hey, I’m just going to hang it up.’” But Corbitt already has some plans for the next chapter in her life. Her husband died about 15 years ago, but she has plenty to keep her busy. She’s on the board of a women’s ministry and plans to have a couple of Bible studies. Also, she’s made a list of patients of hers who are shut-ins to visit. Mostly, she plans to socialize now that she’ll have time. Her patients will still see her out and about, but there’s no doubt they will miss seeing her in her office, having her look over them. “She almost made you feel like you were talking to your mother or grandmother,” Snowden said. “I’ve never met a more caring, understanding, kind physician.” Rainwater agreed. “Just to hear her say, ‘God bless you, honey’ was worth (getting) a shot,” he said. -------------------------------------- So what's changed since 1971? Though the stethoscope, which Phyllis Corbitt, 89, says “will never lost its power,” hasn’t changed since she began her Wilmore practice in 1971, most things in medicine in Jessamine County have. Here are just a few examples of what medicine was like when she started: • Fractures were set without having x-rays done, resulting in many crooked sets, Corbitt said. • People stayed in the hospital for up to 10 days for simple surgeries and after childbirth. • Schedules didn’t mean much, Corbitt said. She saw 69-70 patients a day when she began her Wilmore practice. • There were no clinics — just solo practices. • There was no ambulance service and no emergency medical technicians.  • Doctors visited patients in their homes. Corbitt does still make some home visits today. • Wilmore police officers often accompanied Corbitt on her home visits when it was storming, or late at night. • There were no defibrillators. During the time Corbitt was a medical student, the only way to revive a patient in cardiac arrest was to open the chest, reach between the ribs, and massage the heart. Corbitt once massaged the heart of a woman who went into cardiac arrest during a simple operation. The woman survived. 2013-02-28 11:48:15.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-dr-phyllis-corbitt-retires-after-42-years-practicing-medicine-in-wilmore-20130228,0,6528581.story

jj-nicholasville-couple-recreate-old-furniture-donate-profits-to-haitian-mission-through-repurposed-sou-20130220 Nicholasville couple recreate old furniture, donate profits to Haitian mission through Repurposed Soul ministry February 20, 2013 Steve and Andrea Kohlman are magicians. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://www.trbimg.com/img-51252d1c/turbine/jj-nicholasville-couple-recreate-old-furniture-donate-profits-to-haitian-mission-through-repurposed-sou-20130220/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-51252d1c/turbine/jj-nicholasville-couple-recreate-old-furniture-donate-profits-to-haitian-mission-through-repurposed-sou-20130220/400/16x9 Steve and Andrea Kohlman are magicians. Look in their garage now and you’ll see old dressers, chairs and signs as neatly kept as they can be in a two-car space. But they will soon transform that used furniture into food in the bellies of Haitian children — just as they have been doing for the past year. Andrea began making regular trips to Haiti in November 2009 to work with the Christian mission Waves of Mercy. The ministry feeds 165 children daily and houses street boys, but Andrea has done a lot of work with medicine; she graduated from the University of Kentucky with her nursing bachelor’s degree in December 2012. Waves of Mercy founders Larry and Diana Owen started the mission a few years ago after three decades running Northwest Haiti Christian Mission. Andrea said she was moved to find additional ways to support the mission when she came home a year ago and several of the project’s main donors had passed away. “The thought of coming home back to normal life and then realizing some of those babies might not be able to be fed was just too much for me to handle, so I told Steve, ‘We’ve got to do something,’” she said. Steve said he has always had hobbies of art and interior design and jumped at the idea of using it for ministry and giving the proceeds away. “I enjoy doing this stuff anyway — that’s why it’s great for me to give 100 percent of it away, because I love to redo stuff and find stuff,” he said. “It’s even more rewarding to know that whatever is purchased is going to help people.” The Kohlmans began looking everywhere for unique used furniture of all kinds — garage sales, estate sales, Goodwills, flea markets, Craigslist —&ensp;“any and every way imaginable” to find affordable pieces, Steve said. They named their ministry Repurposed Soul, utilizing a common term in furniture restoration but adding a Christian meaning specific to Waves of Mercy. “In a lot of ways, because of what the mission is doing, they’re providing somebody that may be lost and doesn’t know God an opportunity to be made new, to be created again,” Steve said. “It’s repurposing a life in the same way.” As the Kohlmans worked and got the word out, people started to buy the furniture; Repurposed Soul raised $7,300 for Waves of Mercy last year. “I think people get excited that they can get a unique piece of furniture, knowing that the money they spend on it is going to help folks — all of it,” Steve said. “I think that has helped us, and I think some people prefer to look and see what we have first before they go to the store and purchase it.” The Kohlmans’ garage is packed and arranged right now for their spring sale March 1-3, when they invite the community to buy all manner of items right from their driveway and learn more about Waves of Mercy. The spring sale is open 6-8 p.m. Friday, March 1; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 2; and 1-5 p.m. Sunday, March 3. It features furniture as well as decorative items donated from Lancaster Home and Holiday in Nicholasville, which also donated to Repurposed Soul’s Christmas sale. The Kohlmans also advertise items on their Repurposed Soul Facebook page and their blog at repurposedsoul.tumblr.com. They said they are always looking for donations. In all the details of sales, paints, tables and crowded garages, the point of Repurposed Soul is not lost for the Kohlmans. “We repurpose furniture, but we do it all for Jesus, really, with that in mind,” Andrea said. 2013-02-20 12:10:11.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-nicholasville-couple-recreate-old-furniture-donate-profits-to-haitian-mission-through-repurposed-sou-20130220,0,1286633.story

jj-warner-elementary-bands-together-with-wheels-for-braden-to-help-student-get-wheelchair-van-20130213 Warner Elementary bands together with 'Wheels for Braden' to help student get wheelchair van READY TO ROLL February 13, 2013 Tenia Johnson turns the car off and pops the trunk. It must be reflex after all these years. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://www.trbimg.com/img-511bddbb/turbine/jj-warner-elementary-bands-together-with-wheels-for-braden-to-help-student-get-wheelchair-van-20130213/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-511bddbb/turbine/jj-warner-elementary-bands-together-with-wheels-for-braden-to-help-student-get-wheelchair-van-20130213/400/16x9 Tenia Johnson turns the car off and pops the trunk. It must be reflex after all these years. Johnson’s routine to transport her son is more complicated than most parents could imagine; the Rubik’s Cube look of it makes tedious complaints about car seats seem like tic-tac-toe. After breaking it down and taking the wheels off, the wheelchair barely fits in the trunk of the Corolla — and it’s just as much work getting it back out again when she reaches her destination. It’s this mother’s daily struggle that has the community of Warner Elementary School in Nicholasville set on raising the funds to buy her a wheelchair van. Braden Petrucci celebrated his seventh birthday Feb. 4; he’s faced a challenging seven years that started 13 weeks early in 2006. “I had no idea what to expect,” Johnson said of giving birth to Braden at 27 weeks. “I thought he was just going to be a premie — it didn’t turn out that way.” Braden spent 51 days in the neonatal intensive-care unit; while there, he had his first seizure at 14 days old, contracted bacterial meningitis and had a grade-three brain bleed in his head. Afflicted by cerebral palsy, he has spent his life in a wheelchair with minimal verbal-communication skills. A shunt to drain fluid away from his brain needed four revisions last year, and he’s scheduled for hip-replacement surgery in April. But there’s more to this first-grader than a medical history. Braden’s special-education teacher calls his laugh “contagious.” “He laughs all the time — I’ve never seen a child as happy as him all the time,” Angela McKenzie said. “He brightens up the classroom when he comes in with a smile and laughter, and he gets along with everybody. But he’s a typical 7-year-old; he also has his moments when he balks and he doesn’t want to do something and is stubborn, but that comes along with the age.” Braden’s capacity for expressive communication may be lacking, but Johnson said he’s very responsive and knows his surroundings. “I talk to him like a normal kid, and you can tell that he understands a lot of stuff that I’m saying and doing, and he’s aware of a lot of things,” Johnson said. He loves basketball, loves wrestling, loves NASCAR.” Johnson said it was the arrival of Braden’s little brother three years ago that forced her to face the reality that she needed better equipment than she had. “When (Darius) came along, that’s when I first realized I was going to have to get a van of some sort in order to help me transport (Braden),” she said. “The breaking down of a wheelchair, putting it together —&ensp;I did that while I was pregnant with him. People said, ‘I can’t believe you’re doing all that,’ and I said, ‘Well, I really don’t have a choice; that’s the only thing that I know; that’s my reality.’” McKenzie developed a relationship with Johnson and watched her wheelchair-folding routine, seeing the struggle Johnson said was only going to get worse as Braden and Darius got older. “As I’m getting older and as he’s getting bigger, it’s becoming more of an obstacle in order for me to let him have normal daily-function activities like a typical kid,” Johnson said. “I want him to feel as normal as possible and be able to enjoy festivities and things that his brother might be getting into as he gets older. It’s just a very bad hardship to try to get the wheelchair together and do everything and break it down and put it in my car — I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to do that.” McKenzie took the idea of fundraising for a wheelchair van — “Wheels for Braden” — to Warner’s school-improvement committee in the fall. It didn’t hurt that Braden had asked for a wheelchair van in his letter to Santa Claus. The committee voted and agreed to take the project on. Johnson said she was in tears when McKenzie called and told her the news. “She said, ‘We have a Christmas gift that we’re going to give to you. You probably won’t get it for Christmas, but we’re working toward something,’” Johnson said. The fundraising began with cheerleaders from East Jessamine and West Jessamine passing around buckets at the rivalry basketball games between the schools Feb. 1. That event raised $516. Johnson was floored by the support for the project at the basketball games. “I didn’t realize they were going to have T-shirts for him; I didn’t realize that they had a whole booth set up for him, and to see all that support and love that these people were showing for him, it’s amazing,” she said. The funds raised at the games were a drop in the bucket, but Warner has a long way to go to get to the goal of $30,000. McKenzie said the school will have several small fundraisers, including teacher selling soup for lunch, selling T-shirts and having a penny war between students. But Warner will also need help in the form of large donations from companies and organizations, she said. “We’re hoping to get some big donations plus all the little things with the kids involved,” she said. The committee has scheduled four days with local restaurants when some proceeds will go to Wheels for Braden: Firehouse Subs on Tuesday, Feb. 26; Sonny’s BBQ on Tuesday, March 19, from 5-8 p.m.; Zaxby’s on Monday, April 8, from 5-8 p.m.; and CiCi’s Pizza on Tuesday, April 23, from 5-8 p.m. Tax-deductible donations can also be made to Walk in the Park with Wheels for Braden in the memo line and sent to Walk in the Park, PO Box 93, Keene, KY 40339. Johnson said she was floored by the support for her “very, very special” son. “He’ll brighten up anybody’s day with his laugh, with his smile,” she said. “He’s a great kid, and he just wants to be able to enjoy things in the way that other normal, typical kids can.” 2013-02-13 10:41:45.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-warner-elementary-bands-together-with-wheels-for-braden-to-help-student-get-wheelchair-van-20130213,0,3108083.story

jj-12-highschool-juniors-mesh-at-retreat-to-kick-off-youth-leadership-jessamine-20130130 12 high-school juniors mesh at retreat to kick off Youth Leadership Jessamine Learning to lead January 30, 2013 Participants in the inaugural year of Youth Leadership Jessamine went into a leadership retreat as 12 individuals and came out as one group. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://www.trbimg.com/img-510949d1/turbine/jj-12-highschool-juniors-mesh-at-retreat-to-kick-off-youth-leadership-jessamine-20130130/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-510949d1/turbine/jj-12-highschool-juniors-mesh-at-retreat-to-kick-off-youth-leadership-jessamine-20130130/400/16x9 Participants in the inaugural year of Youth Leadership Jessamine went into a leadership retreat as 12 individuals and came out as one group. The retreat was one of the first events in the year-long leadership program; it was held at Camp Shawano in southeastern Jessamine County from Jan. 18-19. The 12 high-school juniors were guided through some leadership and bonding experiences by students and staff from Asbury University’s adventure-programs department. West Jessamine High School’s Sarah Warren said games with playing cards, jump ropes and marbles helped students learn about each other. “We were able to really understand how each other work and whose strengths and whose weaknesses work the best,” she said. “It was a really good bonding opportunity.” Each of the county’s three high schools is represented in the program. Participants also spent some time planning for service projects throughout the year that will fulfill a requirement to get full credit for the program. “I think it went wonderfully; I think they came out a different group than they came into the retreat, for sure,” said Cathy Weaver, a Youth Leadership Jessamine board member. “I think there were a lot of positive comments about what they got to do and how they worked together.” Students in the program will spend one Thursday each month learning about a different facet of Jessamine County while also learning about professional development and leadership. “There are some that I really think this could be a real game-changer for them; this will truly catapult them into being solid citizens in Jessamine County,” Weaver said. The youth leadership program, in its inaugural year, is modeled after the adult program, Leadership Jessamine County. For more information, check out the Youth Leadership Jessamine Facebook page. “(The retreat) was a great experience,” Warren said. “I’m really excited for the rest of the year, and I think everyone else is, and I hope they continue this program in coming years.” 2013-01-30 08:29:13.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-12-highschool-juniors-mesh-at-retreat-to-kick-off-youth-leadership-jessamine-20130130,0,3015698.story

jj-owning-a-house-in-italy-transforms-a-nicholasville-lawyer-as-she-learns-a-simpler-way-of-life-from-a-20130123 Owning a house in Italy transforms a Nicholasville lawyer as she learns a 'simpler' way of life from a village community Part of the famiglia January 23, 2013 When Constance Grayson and her husband purchased a house in Italy in 2001, they were insistent that they would embrace the culture and “live like the Italians live” when they were there. A dozen years and 55 trips later, the rural village in Umbria has embraced them as family and is waving tearful goodbyes as the Graysons try to sell the house. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://www.trbimg.com/img-510021ba/turbine/jj-owning-a-house-in-italy-transforms-a-nicholasville-lawyer-as-she-learns-a-simpler-way-of-life-from-a-20130123/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-510021ba/turbine/jj-owning-a-house-in-italy-transforms-a-nicholasville-lawyer-as-she-learns-a-simpler-way-of-life-from-a-20130123/400/16x9 When Constance Grayson and her husband purchased a house in Italy in 2001, they were insistent that they would embrace the culture and “live like the Italians live” when they were there. A dozen years and 55 trips later, the rural village in Umbria has embraced them as family and is waving tearful goodbyes as the Graysons try to sell the house. Constance — a Jessamine County native now back in Nicholasville practicing law — and her husband, Bert, were pondering the future as they sipped an Italian sparkling wine on New Year’s Eve in 2000. Their children were grown up and moved out, and they were ready to do something “totally extravagant.” “I wanted a Porsche Boxster, and we talked about buying expensive cars and then a boat, and then finally, we said a second home,” Constance said. “I didn’t want Florida; he didn’t want Montana.” The couple had visited Italy earlier in the year, and Bert’s mother’s family was Italian, so they turned their attention to the boot-shaped peninsula, Googling “houses for sale Italy” the next day. The few parameters they had set — either the region of Tuscany or Umbria; a completely renovated house; and a minimal budget “as those things go” — led them to a few options, and they were in Italy the second week of February 2011 to go house-hunting. “We said, ‘We’re going to make one trip to house-hunt. If we fall in love, we’ll buy; if not, we’ll have had the fun of house-hunting in Italy, and we’ll come home and that will give us something to talk about at cocktail parties,’” Constance said. The Graysons “fell in love” with the last house they looked at — a 200-year-old stone home named Caifiordi built on three stories with a terra-cotta tile roof and big brown shutters. “I hadn’t walked through the front door before I knew that was the house; it was just exactly what I envisioned it should be,” Constance said. Four months later, they were back in Italy to furnish their new residence. Constance said the lifestyle of her second home was simpler and not as glamorous as some might have thought. “When people learn we have a house in Italy, they’re thinking some villa on the Adriatic with a yacht bobbing,” she said. “No — it’s 1,600 square feet; the kitchen is two-thirds the size of my office; it’s small. I have to think about everything I take in it because there’s not much space, so everything that’s there is something that I really love that’s important to me in a way. It’s a real lesson in how you can live with less stuff.” There was a definite language barrier; Bert heard some Italian in his family growing up but wasn’t encouraged to speak it, and Constance’s knowledge was largely culinary. “I’m from Nicholasville, Kentucky; you don’t hear a lot of Italian here beyond pizza and lasagna,” she said. “I have had to study the language, and that’s not something that comes to me really easily, because I don’t have a good ear for it.” The Graysons made it their mission to immerse themselves in authentic Italian culture, though they certainly had the opportunity to stay in their comfort zone even in the rural Umbrian countryside. “Within a 30-minute radius of our house, there are probably 50 or 100 Brits or Scots or Americans who we could have become friends with — and we’ve met a lot of them through the years — but that was not our purpose,” Constance said. “Our purpose was to live like the Italians and to get to know our Italian neighbors, which has led to some fun and interesting experiences, especially since neither one of us spoke any real Italian when we bought the house.” One of their first adventures was with an Italian farming couple who met them in the market and invited them to Sunday lunch — the most important meal of the week and also one usually reserved for family and close friends. After turning down the invitation twice because of the language barrier, Constance accepted it the third time but was baffled when the couple said they would see her at Caifiordi on Friday. Having just enough at her house to throw together a dinner Friday, Constance was relieved when the couple arrived with no appetite but just questions about the upcoming Sunday lunch —&ensp;if she and her husband preferred red or white wine, what meat she would like and if anyone else would be coming with the Graysons. Constance said she was impressed with the care the Italians took in catering to their guests. “I have been invited to many people’s homes for dinner in the U.S., and I have had no one ever be that solicitous about inquiring about that,” she said. With a mission of living like the Italians, the Graysons ironically developed a very American tradition at Caifiordi — welcoming the community to the house on the Sunday closest to the Fourth of July for a party with music, dancing and a lot of food. The annual gatherings have typically attracted 50 or 60 people, with one Italian woman embracing the American theme by each year bringing a tray of star-spangled beignets decorated red, white and blue. Constance has to begin frying chicken on her one large oven burner at 4 a.m. the day of the party. The festivities start around lunchtime and often go into the evening. “We may be still dancing at five or six o’clock, and then we pass the food back around again, and people may or may not eat again, and then they go home, and I’m exhausted,” she said. “But it’s a fun time.” Constance said she had no good explanation for how she had assimilated so cleanly into a culture that accepted her as she embraced it, but she said journalist and friend Anna Maria Polidori had put it best. “Anna Maria told me once that I had entered the front door of the people’s hearts —&ensp;I’ve never been paid such a compliment,” she said. “I don’t know how it happened except that I love their culture and their tradition and have remained open.” For most of the years she has owned Caifiordi, Constance has taken artists and groups overseas to attend retreats and cooking courses and to sight-see. Italy has inspired her own art; last year, Constance helped found the Creative Art League of Jessamine County, which aims to host workshops and group exhibits and focus on children’s education in arts. The tree-lighting in downtown Nicholasville in December reminded Constance of the village of Pietralunga near Caifiordi. She said she hopes Nicholasville can have more events like that, even suggesting a vacant lot downtown could be made into a piazza. “I can see where on a Saturday or Sunday, pick-up musicians would come and play a little music or where artists would paint or where people would just hang out and just walk up and down Main Street and just spend some time as a community,” she said. “It’s that sense of community that we do not have here because we’re spread and we don’t have a central place.” The Graysons lived in Arkansas when they first bought Caifiordi, and Constance’s prosecutor post there allowed her to schedule a month off each quarter to travel to Italy. Four years ago, Constance was successful in her bid to convince Bert to move back to Jessamine County. But having her own private practice and being so close to her extended family has lessened the time available for Constance to visit Caifiordi, forcing her to try to sell her home of 11 years after spending only a month and a half there in 2012. “To have a house sitting there is not a luxury if you’re using it four and a half months a year — it is a luxury if you’re using it six weeks,” she said. Constance said she could feasibly retire and move to Italy but that she has learned how important family is to her since coming back to Kentucky. “The lifestyle is so simple (in Italy) that we’d have a perfectly lovely lifestyle, and I wouldn’t be practicing law,” she said. “But on the other hand, I have learned about myself that, while some people can do that and say, ‘I’ll see my family every two or three years,’ and that’s good if it works for them, that’s not how I’m built.” The news that she was selling the house highlighted the position she held in the Italian countryside community as some begged her to change her mind; her journalist friend Anna Maria now writes every note to Constance in Italian so she won’t lose her grasp on the language. “It is very endearing, because I know that like Thomas Wolfe said, ‘You can’t go home again,’ and if we sell that house, if we go back, it’s not the same, and we won’t tend to go back,” Constance said. “But life changes, and all of these changes I’m talking about have been changes for the better in many, many ways; it’s just made having the house in Italy a chapter that maybe it’s time to close.” ---------------------- Words from Pietralunga about Constance Grayson “I have heard the news (that Constance is selling Caifiordi), and I would be so unhappy because everyone loves her here and she is highly accepted by everyone. She is a wonderful person.” Vice-mayor Riccardo Cecil “Connie is a beautiful person in every sense — very available and open; she is caring, so kind and always close to us. She does really care for other people and she is also a very cultured, learned person ... It’s the first time that a person of a foreign place is so much involved and integrated in our territory like Connie is.” Irene Brunelli “I can just wish to her to win at the lottery so that she won’t sell Caifiordi. Let’s hope of course that she will obtain what she wants.” Giovanni Pravato “I can say I have found my American family, and although I have never been in the USA, thanks to Connie, a special corner of the USA has arrived in our locality, and this thing has been incredibly amazing.” Anna Maria Polidori ----------------------- Editor’s note: Freelance journalist Anna Maria Polidori of Pietralunga contributed to this story. 2013-01-23 09:48:28.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-owning-a-house-in-italy-transforms-a-nicholasville-lawyer-as-she-learns-a-simpler-way-of-life-from-a-20130123,0,2392582.story

jj-jessamine-soldiers-return-home-after-afghanistan-tour-of-duty-20130116 Jessamine soldiers return home after Afghanistan tour of duty MISSION: ACCOMPLISHED January 16, 2013 Serving in the Kentucky Army National Guard , Nicholasville's Chris Campbell, a master sergeant, and Catherine Corson, a sergeant first class, understand what it means to sacrifice. By Mike Moore http://www.trbimg.com/img-50f6f570/turbine/jj-jessamine-soldiers-return-home-after-afghanistan-tour-of-duty-20130116/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-50f6f570/turbine/jj-jessamine-soldiers-return-home-after-afghanistan-tour-of-duty-20130116/400/16x9 Serving in the Kentucky Army National Guard, Nicholasville's Chris Campbell, a master sergeant, and Catherine Corson, a sergeant first class, understand what it means to sacrifice. “You see the posts on Facebook that say, “Thank you for your service” or “Thank you for your sacrifice,” but members of the military generally have a pretty good idea of what they are getting into,” Campbell said. “I think the biggest service and sacrifice is on the part of families. That’s the part that really gets to me more than anything else, (and) that’s to see my son not want to talk to me on (Skype) because he’s missing me. That was difficult.” With his voice quivering, Campbell, 42, who returned stateside from a year long tour in Afghanistan, spoke from the heart. A single mother of three, Corson, 35, echoed Campbell’s thoughts on the sacrifice on family. “On one hand, it’s very rewarding — we actually do a lot of good things there — it does take a toll on your family,” she said. “Your kids grow up virtually overnight, it feels like. There are so many changes. When I left, I had a 4-year-old, a 7-year-old and a 13-year-old. And when I come back, all of the sudden I have a high-schooler, a third-grader and a kindergartner.” Corson’s former husband is a military member, which makes the adjustment for her three children — two boys and a daughter — that much harder. “So it’s very hard to have dual military parents for a child,” Corson said. “Fortunately for us, they put us on separate deployment schedules and they worked with us very well, and we’re in the same unit, and it happens to be that we’re great friends.” Campbell and Corson are members of the Kentucky National Guard ADT IV unit based out of Frankfort, and once deployed to Afghanistan, the mission was to help that nation solidify its economy. “We were an agribusiness development team,” Campbell said. “The people in Afghanistan know how to grow things; that’s not an issue. What they need is they need help getting that agricultural knowledge translated into an economy — in other words, something that they can use to produce money, sustain themselves and not be reliant on the Taliban.” Corson said one of the most difficult aspects of the deployment was simply helping Afghanistan’s people with their irrigation issues. “That’s the shortfall that they have — their irrigation,” Corson said. Another shortcoming the Afghan people have is knowledge passed down from generation to generation, Corson said. “It’s a war-torn area,” she said. “We learn from our grandfathers who learned from their grandfathers. Well, their grandfathers were killed at such a young age, they don’t have that.” While their mission was secondary to active battle fronts, the danger was always there, Campbell said. “I didn’t get fired at directly. I kid everybody and tell them it was because of my awesome mustache, but quite honestly, I had people praying for me here, and that was why I didn’t get shot at,” he said. Campbell recalled once when he and another person went to help an Afghan man with his watermelon crop that was suffering disease. After helping the man, Campbell learned a stark truth about the area he was in. “Come to find out later, we had taken soil samples in an IED belt; it was a place they had found IEDs (improvised explosive devices) laying around,” he said. “The risk is always there.” Campbell said the chilling reality of working in a combat zone was many times a glance upward at his base. “It was tough and there are trials that you go through, but honestly, I was lucky. There were more than 26 people in the 82nd Airborne that were there for six months during the summer — during the fighting season. There were over 26 people that lost their lives there,” he said. “Every day we watched the choppers come in and out, and 42 people lost limbs out of that group.” Corson said intelligence-gathering also helped curb the potential dangers. “We did a really good job at trying to be safe, and we had a really good intel sergeant, so we were able to know when we could move and things like that,” Corson said. “Being there, there’s always dangers; there is always a chance of (getting attacked), and there’s always a chance of getting shot at when you’re outside the wire (off the base).” Presently, both Campbell — a lieutenant with the Nicholasville Fire Department — and Corson — a full-time active guard reserve — are now adjusting to life stateside. Campbell said his time in the war-torn country helped him look at things much differently and it has been an adjustment now that he’s back in the states. “There’s people over there that have little kids in these villages that are running around about half naked in this (30-degree) weather, and they’ll eat a little smidgen of something every day and they’re happy; that’s their way of life,” Campbell said. “We’re over here, and because our wireless Internet goes down, or the cable TV won’t pick up the game you want to watch, we’re having a fit and the blood pressure is going out the roof. “My favorite adjustment is simply being able to sit in my own bathroom and not have to go to a port-a-potty. Most soldiers over there on these FOBs (Forward Operating Bases) are having to use campground-type facilities, something you’d only use by necessity in a remote situation here.” Being in the military, there is always a chance the two will be called once again to serve their country overseas. But Campbell, a 23-year veteran, says his “touring” days are over. “Unless there’s some unforeseen issue that comes up — it would have to be a pretty drastic issue,” Campbell said. “That was a kind of a mandate from (his wife) Dixie. We came to this agreement in the midst of our deployment that we’re not doing this again.” Corson, a 17-year veteran, agreed. “I volunteered for both deployments, so my hope is that I won’t have to go back before I retire,” she said. “I am very proud to serve my country, and not everyone gets the chance to do that.” Corson said while the sacrifice of serving is great, it’s also worth it. “Even though the sacrifice of leaving our children and our families is very great, the time we’ve given to them is invaluable,” she said. 2013-01-16 10:50:03.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-jessamine-soldiers-return-home-after-afghanistan-tour-of-duty-20130116,0,2550385.story

jj-2012-the-jessamine-journals-year-in-photos-20130102 2012: The Jessamine Journal's year in photos January 2, 2013 The best images from issues of The Jessamine Journal in 2012. http://www.trbimg.com/img-50e46b3e/turbine/jj-2012-the-jessamine-journals-year-in-photos-20130102/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-50e46b3e/turbine/jj-2012-the-jessamine-journals-year-in-photos-20130102/400/16x9 The best images from issues of The Jessamine Journal in 2012. 2013-01-02 09:24:40.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-2012-the-jessamine-journals-year-in-photos-20130102,0,4816737.photogallery

cky-social-media-can-be-a-dangerous-place-this-holiday-season-20121217 Christmas Season is a time to be extra cautious online Holiday Safety Tips: December 17, 2012 For many of us, social media is our main form of communication.� Coupling this new trend of communicating with the holiday season could be a dangerous combination.� Here are a few tips when posting via social media during the holiday season and every day.�� By Tiffany Sokolowski http://www.trbimg.com/img-50cf6dba/turbine/cky-social-media-can-be-a-dangerous-place-this-holiday-season-20121217/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-50cf6dba/turbine/cky-social-media-can-be-a-dangerous-place-this-holiday-season-20121217/400/16x9 For many of us, social media is our main form of communication.  Coupling this new trend of communicating with the holiday season could be a dangerous combination.  Here are a few tips when posting via social media during the holiday season and every day.     Who, What, When, Where and Why? It's often good to think about who your audience is when posting via social media.  Do all of your 500 friends on Facebook need to know you're getting together with your entire family for a holiday gathering?  Probably not, but if you want to share, do so after the fact.    It's safer to say, “I had a lovely time with my extended family this past weekend at Grandma's house” than to say “I look forward to spending time with my extended family this weekend at Grandma's house.”  Why?   If you pinpoint your location, the wrong person may deduce that if you and your family are at Grandma's house, then you've left an empty home.  Keep this “when” in mind with all of your posts, tweets, check-ins, etc.  Some retailers offer coupons or deals based on check-ins or other social media posts; before doing so, carefully consider if it's worth letting your friends know where you are (or more importantly, where you are not).    Privacy Settings: Be aware of what you share Double and triple-check that your privacy settings are unseen to the public.  If a long-lost friend wants to find you, they don't need to see your public profile to do so.  There are a lot more harmful people out there than long-lost friends who click on your profile.  Also, consider what someone with bad intentions could do with your full birthday, maiden name, hometown and other personal details that are divulged through our social media pages.    The Unknown Friend We all hope that the friends that we have made through social media have good intentions and the majority probably do, but it's not your friends who necessarily pose a concern.  If you post, “Thanks, Santa... I love my new big screen TV” your friends will likely enjoy the post, may comment, may re-tweet, etc.  But what about all those who see this post who don't have good intentions?  What about the friend of yours who has left their account logged in on a public computer and the next person who sits down sees your post?  What about the person who has lost their phone or tablet and was signed into all of their accounts?  It's the unknown friends that we need to keep on our radar.    “I sort of remember you” friends For Facebook especially, you should only friend people that you actually know (unless of course you're a celebrity and have an agent handling your account).  For those people that you sort of remember, if you must friend them, only allow them to see a limited profile.  And it's always good to go through and hone down your friend's list.  You only want people you actually know seeing your posts.    Logout when you're done We are all human, which means none of us are perfect.  We lose things, it's just part of our nature.  But if you log out of social media sites when you are done, if you do lose your device, the wrong hands will not be able to get into your social media accounts.  Yes, this is annoying to do every time, but the end result of being protected will be worth the irritation.    The best advice for social media communicating especially during the holiday season is to think before you post.  Is it really worth posting something that could cause harm down the road?  Probably not.  Keep your posts light and entertaining; don't pinpoint your location; and certainly don't let the world know about all the wonderful gifts you have received.    Have a safe and happy holiday season! 2012-12-17 11:10:57.0 2013-01-16 21:00:00.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/cky-social-media-can-be-a-dangerous-place-this-holiday-season-20121217,0,883430.story

jj-photo-gallery-ichthus-through-the-years-20121212 Photo gallery: Ichthus through the years December 12, 2012 In this gallery is a sampling of images from The Jessamine Journal's coverage of the Ichthus Christian-music festival in Wilmore over its 43-year run. The ministry announced Saturday it was closing. http://www.trbimg.com/img-50c8975a/turbine/jj-photo-gallery-ichthus-through-the-years-20121212/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-50c8975a/turbine/jj-photo-gallery-ichthus-through-the-years-20121212/400/16x9 In this gallery is a sampling of images from The Jessamine Journal's coverage of the Ichthus Christian-music festival in Wilmore over its 43-year run. The ministry announced Saturday it was closing. 2012-12-12 06:55:31.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-photo-gallery-ichthus-through-the-years-20121212,0,7238305.photogallery

jj-days-divide-band-from-jessamine-county-returns-from-european-tour-releases-ep-20121128 Days Divide band from Jessamine County returns from European tour, releases EP November 28, 2012 If there is one thing Days Divide does not want to be, it's labeled — not by the music industry and not by their audience. By Benjamin S. Rossi http://www.trbimg.com/img-50b638b3/turbine/jj-days-divide-band-from-jessamine-county-returns-from-european-tour-releases-ep-20121128/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-50b638b3/turbine/jj-days-divide-band-from-jessamine-county-returns-from-european-tour-releases-ep-20121128/400/16x9 If there is one thing Days Divide does not want to be, it's labeled — not by the music industry and not by their audience. They aren't backed by a mainstream production label, nor do they fall under the stereotypical label of a "Christian band." They are Christians in a band, but they do not want to be put in a box. God shines through their music but the message is universal. After a summer tour in Europe, the boys have returned home to Jessamine County. In an acoustic performance, their sound can be likened to Edwin McCain with the resounding vocals of Kye Keefe. But on their newest EP, “One World Apart: Chapter 1,” a five-song studio set with an added prologue, is a taste of the ’90s edge that can be heard ringing from guitarists Aaron Collins and Sam Jones, complemented by bassist Christopher Thornberry. The band has been making waves for a few years and rode the tides of changing members and strife with music labels as they toured North America and Europe. Keefe’s passion for music started for him when he first heard the band Creed, who he called “the band everyone loves to hate.” At 10 years old, Creed’s music and the vocal styling of lead singer Scott Stapp inspired Keefe to pick up a guitar and start playing. “Originally, I was only a guitar player, but in 2010 we were in Europe and our singer ended up having to go home right in the middle of that tour, so I was kind of thrown into it,” Keefe said. “We didn’t really have a choice, and when we got back I started taking vocal lessons, and here we are now.” Now in his mid-20s, Keefe has taken over as lead vocalist and lyricist, composing the single off the band’s new EP, “Hold on to Me,” with Collins.  “The whole EP is a story, the way that we’ve told it, and the lyrics are from my personal experiences,” he said. “The song itself is about very insecure dating relationships and how people tend to hang on to each other when they need to be looking for security in themselves.” Collins was a part of the writing process in  “Hold on to Me” and said that he’s a ‘90s kid. He’s been playing since he was 12 years old. “The first band that I really loved was Bush, with Gavin Rossdale — it connected with me,” Collins said. “Most of the bands that I’ve liked have come from that era.” With Days Divide, Collins said that they do not consider themselves a philosophical band and have no intention to force their beliefs on anyone through their music. They’re as willing to tour through churches as they are bars and let their music speak for itself. Collins’ guitar style is complemented by a recent addition and the youngest member of the band, 19-year-old Sam Jones. “As cheesy as it sounds, Jimi Hendricks, that’s the cliché guitar god to look up to,” Jones said. “A more modern band though is the Red Hot Chili Peppers — (John) Frusciante, definitely Frusciante — Californiacation and Stadium Arcadium.” From that band’s influence, Jones said he learned a guitarist does not have to do too much technically to create a presence and make a brilliant song. In Days Divide, Jones said that the message behind the music is the integral part of why he loves playing with the other guys. Rounding out the crew is a former guitarist turned bassist, Christopher Thornberry. The most boisterous and humorous of the group, he’s easily identifiable by his 8-inch-long beard. “I decided to be a man and not a boy; that’s a problem in America these days,” Thornberry said jokingly, stroking his beard. “I took one step forward and said I’d never shave again, I’ll never buy razors again — this economy has been too rough, can’t afford them — and I’ve never looked back since.” On a serious note, Thornberry said the band never really began and has never really stopped in the traditional sense but that they’ve been playing together in one form or another for several years. “Every week, every Sunday and Wednesday, for nine or 10 years now; it just became kind of a serious thing with shows sprinkled in between,” he said. “Tours became trips overseas, and it just snowballed into what it is today.” Days Divide just returned from Germany, where they said they had an amazing experience. “The music scene over there is not that same as it is here,” Thornberry said. “Here the music industry is just oversaturated, a lot with bad music, but it’s just oversaturated.” The band is now back in the states promoting its new $5 EP, though they are struggling for funds and all the members have to maintain side jobs. “We don’t want to be with a label; that’s why we created our own,” he said. “We produced and created our own CD with complete creative control, and “One World Apart” is called Chapter 1 because it’s just the beginning of the story we are telling.” The band’s newest EP is available on their website, www.daysdividemusic.com. 2012-11-28 08:20:32.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-days-divide-band-from-jessamine-county-returns-from-european-tour-releases-ep-20121128,0,611440.story

jj-filmmaker-creates-documentary-on-jessamine-sisters-return-home-to-india-20121130 Filmmaker creates documentary on Jessamine sisters' return home to India Planes, trains and a trip back home November 30, 2012 A good story is more about the journey than the destination. By Benjamin S. Rossi http://www.trbimg.com/img-50b8f1b6/turbine/jj-filmmaker-creates-documentary-on-jessamine-sisters-return-home-to-india-20121130/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-50b8f1b6/turbine/jj-filmmaker-creates-documentary-on-jessamine-sisters-return-home-to-india-20121130/400/16x9 A good story is more about the journey than the destination. For documentary filmmaker and editor Scott Sheppard, he knew he had the perfect story to tell when his mother and two of his aunts decided to return to the place they grew up — India.   For the three American sisters — Sylvia Seamands, Sheila Lovell and Sandy Sheppard — it was a return home 50 years after saying goodbye, and during their visit, they rediscovered their childhood. Their parents were J.T. and Ruth Seamands, American missionaries in South India for nearly 20 years. They moved back to the United States in 1960; Sylvia Seamands and Sheila Lovell currently live in Jessamine County. Scott Sheppard, who is based in Los Angeles, said a lot of his family lives in Wilmore, Nicholasville and the Bluegrass area. He grew up hearing fascinating stories of India, so when the trip became real, he knew he had to film it. The four sisters had been talking about going back for decades, but it was not until December 2010 that three of them decided to return to Bangalore, where they lived briefly and where their grandfather Tata Seamands is buried. They also visited Kodaikanal, a remote area 6,700 feet up in the Palani Hills where they attended boarding school; and their hometown of Belgaum. “I’ve never forgotten how beautiful it was,” Sheila Lovell said. “But it was stunning to see again, and Scott captured that.” For two weeks, Scott Sheppard followed his mother and aunts in tight quarters on trains, through marketplaces and vast, seemingly endless, valleys. What Scott Sheppard said he ended up with was a “truly amazing story about family, faith and going home.” He recorded more than 50 hours of footage from their trip and has spent the last two years putting their story together in the editing room, perfecting it to a roughly 90-minute documentary called “Planes, Trains & Autorickshaws.” There are religious themes  in the film but it does not intend to push a religious or political agenda, Scott Sheppard said. “I don’t want it to be labeled,” he said. “I think it can be enjoyed by anyone — Christian or a secular audiences.” He works as an editor, but this was a passion project into which he put all his spare time in preparation for film festivals such as the Sundance and Slamdance. “It got to the point where we didn’t even notice him or that the camera was there,” Sheila Lovell said. “He was with us on the whole trip and was able to get very candid and emotional moments.” Scott has had to do it all himself — from shooting to editing to financing. Because of that, the budget has remained small for a feature documentary. He has almost completed the film out of his own pocket, but there are some costs to help present that movie, and anyone can help. He also partially shot in and around Wilmore, including Asbury and Wesley Village, and the film even features an interview with the president of Asbury Theological Seminary, Timothy Tennent. However, the project could use some help getting to the festivals.   The website that features the movie trailer and the opportunity to donate is  <a href="http://www.indiegogo.com/PlanesTrainsAutorickshaws">www.indiegogo.com/PlanesTrainsAutorickshaws</a>. It is similar to a Kickstarter campaign, but when the fundraising is over, whether or not the goal is reached, the money still goes to benefit the production. Details such as perfecting the color correction are a top priority. “I’ve seen it; the film is beautiful,” Sheila Lovell said. “But he needs help; Scott wants to make it perfect.” He also wants to work on the sound because “the soundtrack needs to be as dynamic and clear as possible.” As for the music, there is the cost of an original scoring and licensing of existing music. Additional fees include the film-festival submissions. Festival submissions average $50 to $100 per festival, Scott Sheppard said. He estimates that $8,000 will barely cover these costs, but he is determined to make it work. In addition to submitting to film festivals, he said he’ll be seeking distribution for the film so that a wide audience can see it through TV, home video and Netflix. In the meantime, the clock is ticking on finishing the film by mid-December in case it’s accepted by Sundance or Slamdance. 2012-11-30 09:51:56.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-filmmaker-creates-documentary-on-jessamine-sisters-return-home-to-india-20121130,0,7763516.story

jj-east-jessamine-high-school-custodian-from-kosovo-becomes-us-citizen-20121114 East Jessamine High School custodian from Kosovo becomes US citizen Vesel Alija, American November 14, 2012 Fourteen years ago, a 17-year-old left a war-torn Kosovo with his parents and six siblings, finding refuge in a Macedonian camp with 7,000 others. Three years after that, he would find refuge in the United States, specifically in Nicholasville and eventually at East Jessamine High School. Two months ago, he made his country of refuge his home when he was naturalized as an American citizen. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://www.trbimg.com/img-50a3d413/turbine/jj-east-jessamine-high-school-custodian-from-kosovo-becomes-us-citizen-20121114/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-50a3d413/turbine/jj-east-jessamine-high-school-custodian-from-kosovo-becomes-us-citizen-20121114/400/16x9 Fourteen years ago, a 17-year-old left a war-torn Kosovo with his parents and six siblings, finding refuge in a Macedonian camp with 7,000 others. Three years after that, he would find refuge in the United States, specifically in Nicholasville and eventually at East Jessamine High School. Two months ago, he made his country of refuge his home when he was naturalized as an American citizen.Vesel Alija, now 31, has worked as a custodian at East High for more than two years. He fled Kosovo with his family in 1999, when the southeastern-European nation was in turmoil from violent conflict between Serbians and Albanians. Alija, whose first language is Albanian, is still improving his English skills each year. He recalled witnessing violent deaths during the war.“I saw a lot of things,” he said. “I saw people die. I saw women, kids — I saw special kids, too.”After fleeing to Macedonia, Alija lived in a tent with his parents, his three brothers and his three sisters for about three years. It was at that camp that he met his future wife, then-15-year-old Zejnpe, whom he would marry five years later at the Jessamine County courthouse.The aid of the United States stood out in Alija’s mind as he recalled his time at the camp, which included harsh, icy winters. Fifty-foot American trucks brought in food, clothes, water — “everything,” Alija said.Eight years after coming to the United States with his family and settling in Nicholasville, Alija began working at East Jessamine High School in 2010. It was at that school that he found coworkers who became a community of friends supporting him in his quest for citizenship.Alija began studying for the naturalization civics test in the first few months of 2012, often gaining the help of fellow custodians during breaks at night. He said the whole crew of Greg Reliford, Mitch Kemnitz, Tonya Wade, Chuck Nelton, Craig Wilson and the late Scott Bailey was helpful as he studied the history of the United States and prepared for the test, which he passed.“If you’re lucky, you pass; if you’re not lucky, you drop down,” Alija said. “I guess I’m lucky; I passed the first time.”Head custodian Gerald Cobb started working at the school just a month before Alija began and also became a crucial support as the Kosovo native worked toward citizenship —&ensp;so much so that Alija asked Cobb to accompany him to the naturalization ceremony at the federal courthouse in London, Ky., on Sept. 28.“He asked me to go with him; his comfort level is a little higher if he’s got some support,” Cobb said. “But I also had some personal, selfish interest in that I had not observed or witnessed anything like that — I was keenly interested in it that way, as well.”Alija and his wife have three children. The oldest, 8-year-old Sadija, is a second-grader at Rosenwald-Dunbar Elementary School. Their eldest son, Jetmir, is 5; their youngest, daughter Medina, is 2.Alija said his entire family shared in the joy when he returned to Nicholasville as a United States citizen in September and that he has found a home in Jessamine County and at East Jessamine High School.“I’m happy I’m here,” he said. 2012-11-14 09:27:54.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-east-jessamine-high-school-custodian-from-kosovo-becomes-us-citizen-20121114,0,1814004.story

jj-assistant-superintendent-for-jessamine-county-schools-moonlights-as-mandolinist-20121031 Assistant superintendent for Jessamine County schools moonlights as mandolinist PICKIN' A HOBBY October 31, 2012 A school-district administrator revived an old musical hobby in recent years and now escapes the worries of his day job with something completely different — playing the mandolin. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://www.trbimg.com/img-50913a3f/turbine/jj-assistant-superintendent-for-jessamine-county-schools-moonlights-as-mandolinist-20121031/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-50913a3f/turbine/jj-assistant-superintendent-for-jessamine-county-schools-moonlights-as-mandolinist-20121031/400/16x9 A school-district administrator revived an old musical hobby in recent years and now escapes the worries of his day job with something completely different — playing the mandolin.Jimmy Adams is in his first year as an assistant superintendent with Jessamine County Schools after three years as the district’s director of secondary schools. His musical pursuits began in college while hanging out at the University of Kentucky’s Wesley Foundation.“It turns out all these guys that I was around all the time were all singers and songwriters and guitar players,” he said. “At some point, just sitting around with them all, I ended up picking one up and they started showing me some stuff.”Adams picked up on the guitar and played it some in his youth ministry after graduating before he changed course and headed toward teaching. His interest in the mandolin came around the time of his wedding when he asked his roommate to learn the instrument and play a song in the ceremony.“That was when I first wanted to play mandolin, but then 15, 16 years went by before I ended up with one when my wife bought it as a Christmas gift one year,” he said.About five years ago, Adams started really “fooling around” with the mandolin, taking lessons for three months. He found a regular time to play it on Sunday mornings during worship at Calvary Baptist Church in Lexington.“I was playing guitar in our church praise band a little bit, and I walked in one Sunday morning and surprised everybody with a mandolin and just played it that day,” he said. “From that point on, I started playing mandolin with that group.”Adams switched back to guitar when needed but never became a singer.“Nobody ever wants me to sing, and there’s good reason for that,” he said. “The first time I was going to play with the praise band, I told my wife, ‘I’m going to play on Sunday,’ and she said, ‘They’re not going to mic you, are they?’ I said, ‘Thanks a lot, honey.’ But she was justified in what she was saying.”It was the connections at the church that led to Adams’ current involvement with two groups — Aaron Austin and the Bootleg Preachers, and Rahab’s Rope — both of which are made up of current and former members of the praise team at Calvary Baptist.The Aaron Austin group — “the guys” from the praise band — has a Tom Petty or Bob Dylan sound, Adams said, and plays a few covers but mostly original songs that Austin has written.“It’s a lot of fun, because the stuff we would play in a bar is the same stuff we’ll play on a Sunday morning in a church, and he writes most of that music,” Adams said.The females from the praise band make up Rahab’s Rope, whose name comes from the story in the book of Joshua of the prostitute in Jericho aiding Israelite spies by lowering them out of the city through a window. Rahab’s Rope plays a lot of original songs with an old gospel sound.Adams said the women’s group rehearses once a week and plays gigs pretty regularly. Some of the shows are put on for free when the group travels to nursing homes or rehabilitation facilities — what Adams says they see as “opportunities to do ministry.” Ten percent of the income from paid gigs goes to a Georgia organization with the same name as the band that aids women and girls forced into the commercial sex trade in India.Adams’ two daughters are both musicians, the 13-year-old playing violin while the 9-year-old plays piano, flute and cello. He said he tries to encourage them and show them that “music is something you can always do.”“For me, the real enjoyment is just the completely different activity than what I do with the rest of my life,” he said. “It’s something that gives me a chance to relax and enjoy it.” 2012-10-31 07:50:43.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-assistant-superintendent-for-jessamine-county-schools-moonlights-as-mandolinist-20121031,0,6034538.story

jj-city-haunt-20121024 Harrises have scariest setup for Halloween in Nicholasville City Haunt October 24, 2012 One of the highlights of the fall-turn-winter holidays in Nicholasville is the house on corner of West Brown and 3rd Street —�the Harris home. By Benjamin S. Rossi http://www.trbimg.com/img-508824e1/turbine/jj-city-haunt-20121024/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-508824e1/turbine/jj-city-haunt-20121024/400/16x9 One of the highlights of the fall-turn-winter holidays in Nicholasville is the house on corner of West Brown and 3rd Street — the Harris home.It is most notable for a stunning Christmas display each year, but there is also a darker side to the Harris’ family love of decor.Starting in early October with lights and displays for Halloween, the two-story home lights up the night and ignites the holiday spirit for the macabre. Islands of black stone with bloody children’s footprints guild visitors on a haunted tour past a witch’s grave, the twitching torso of a zombie and clawing skeleton hands reaching up from the earth.“It truly is a family affair,” Kris Harris said. “And Halloween is my favorite of all the holidays.”This year there are also some new treats for those wanting a surprise and a few dangers for any tricksters lurking about.“The kids help out a lot — I have three — plus my nieces and nephews help out, so seven kids in all that contribute to setting this up,” Harris said. “Usually it would take two to three weeks because of work, but I took off this year and was able to get it done in about a week.”Harris said most of the elaborate decorations that turn his humble home in to an outdoor haunted scene he makes himself but he gets a lot of help.This year there is the guillotine table, which was made by his wife, where the grim reaper sits with a few ghouls and skeletons.“She also makes sure all the lights work,” he said.Another feature Harris is extremely proud of is the grave stone of Lizzy Borden, 1908-1920.“She’s a real-life story I read,” Harris said.On Borden’s stone is written:“Little Lizzy took an ax gave her mother 40 whacks. When she seen what she had done, she gave her father 41.”Harris’ haunted yard is open to visitors in the evenings from 6-9 p.m., and he said he’s happy to share his joy for Halloween with his neighbors who have all been very accepting of his elaborate displays each year. 2012-10-25 07:27:37.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-city-haunt-20121024,0,6981456.story

jj-a-life-directed-20121024 A life directed 22-year Hollywood veteran has found teaching niche at Asbury October 24, 2012 Doug Smart’s life has had two major directions, with one path that led straight to Hollywood and the next twisting and turning until it found central Kentucky. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://www.trbimg.com/img-508810f2/turbine/jj-a-life-directed-20121024/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-508810f2/turbine/jj-a-life-directed-20121024/400/16x9 Doug Smart’s life has had two major directions, with one path that led straight to Hollywood and the next twisting and turning until it found central Kentucky.The 62-year-old is in his sixth year teaching at Asbury University, where he brings 22 years of TV directing experience to the classroom.A young Smart grew up watching “I Love Lucy” and “Leave it to¿Beaver.” He quickly developed a passion and a dream for Hollywood that his parents worried was a childhood fantasy that wouldn’t go away. At 15, a transfer for his father moved the family from the east coast to southern California and moved Smart 3,000 miles closer to his dream.“It was a magic-carpet ride to California,” Smart said. “He came home from a business trip in November 1964 and said, ‘We’re moving to Los Angeles.’ Now, I¿know he said Los Angeles, but I¿heard Hollywood.”In his senior year in college, Smart had the opportunity to apprentice with Desi Arnaz, the Cuban male lead of “I Love Lucy” who invented the multi-camera sitcom genre that is still in use today. There was never any doubt in Smart’s mind where this path was leading.“I¿just knew, and I¿was like a laser-guided missile all the way through school,” Smart said. “I¿never went through high school or college drifting around going, ‘What am I going to do with my life? What am I going to do after graduation?’ I always knew, and the minute before the ink was dry on my diploma, I¿jumped on my little Honda motorcycle and made a beeline for Hollywood and didn’t look back.”Smart began his work in show business on The Lawrence Welk Show in 1973 and helped direct other specials and variety shows as well as three broadcasts of the Academy Awards before moving into the arena he had always loved —&ensp;sitcoms.He worked on “Benson,” a spinoff of “Soap,” before helping direct the first season of “Newhart.” His work on the short-lived series “Condo” connected him to the production company that was developing “Golden Girls,” which Smart worked on for the first season. After moving to “It’s a Living” and “She’s the Sheriff,” Smart found a home with “Golden Girls” spinoff “Empty Nest,” where he worked for all 175 episodes over seven years.Working mainly as an associate director, Smart was usually in charge of a lot of details that helped get the right people and the right things in place for the director on the set.“The associate director is taking care of all the technical details of the program that would distract a director from what the actors are doing — that frees the director up just to concentrate on the actors,” Smart said. “Once the actor steps into the set, he or she becomes the property of the director, but getting the actor into the set ... getting him to the door and getting him through the door, making sure he’s properly dressed and properly propped and everything — that’s my job.”Smart said Hollywood isn’t the image of “Satan’s throne”¿that many think it to be.“There are a lot of people walking around Hollywood who have had the best that this world has to offer and have somehow come to the realization that that doesn’t fulfill them, so they might turn to drugs or alcohol or women or men or whatever,” he said. “There’s a hole in their heart somewhere that they haven’t managed to fill, and they realize that wealth and fame and riches and stuff isn’t filling that hole.“I think people would be surprised to know that there are people in Hollywood who are just regular folks trying to earn a living who worry about their children’s futures, who worry about making the world better off for their own offspring and their grandkids. It isn’t the den of iniquity that it’s often made out to be.”After seven years of “Empty Nest” and 22 years in Hollywood, Smart knew the direction his life was changing.“During that time,¿I felt God calling me to teaching, so when ‘Empty Nest’ ended, I¿had been in the business over 20 years at that point, and I¿had gotten my postgraduate degree by then going weekends and nights to school,” he said. “I¿started looking for a teaching job and went into teaching after that.”Smart wrote colleges cold in 1995, giving them his credentials and experience while acknowledging he knew they didn’t have any open positions. One of the schools he wrote to was Asbury College.“I¿got a very nice letter back — I’ve still got it in a file — saying, ‘Thank you, yes, you’re absolutely right; we’re not looking for anybody, but we’ll keep your letter on file for a year,’” Smart said.Smart kept looking and ended up at Southern Illinois University before moving northeast to work at the State University of New York. It was the spring of 2006 —&ensp;more than a decade after he sent his first letter to Asbury — that he received a surprise in his email inbox.“Out of the blue, I¿get an email from Dr. (Jim) Owens here at Asbury: ‘Hey, you want to come work at Asbury?’” Smart said. “It was 11 years later; I¿had moved twice since then, but he Googled me and found where I¿was.”Smart learned that Owens had solicited him because of the letter from 1995.“I¿said, ‘You still have that letter from 11 years ago?’” Smart said. “He said, ‘Yeah, we never threw it away.’”After a visit to Wilmore, Smart was convinced it was the right move but wasn’t sure the finances would work out.“We came down and loved it,”¿he said. “I¿said, ‘OK, maybe the money won’t be right.’ We did our finances to figure out what it would take —&ensp;what is the bare minimum that we could pay our bills and not go into debt?¿We came up with a figure, and they came back and said, ‘We’d like you to come work for us; here’s what we can offer you.’ And it was the exact figure that we had come up with; their maximum was our minimum, but it was the same number.”But there were even further complications, as Smart had signed on to extend his contract at SUNY.Asbury kept the position open for him for a year, and Smart and his wife sold their house after two days on the market.“Not only did the miracle of miracles happen when they contacted me 11 years after I¿had written them and the finances were the exact same amount — they kept the job open for me for a year until I could get free and come,” Smart said.Now, living in pastoral Garrard County and teaching at a small, private university, Smart said he has found his niche.“We felt like it fit like an old shoe; it just felt comfortable,” he said. “After a year of looking, we found a house that we just fell in love with. We always knew in New York, we called it our ‘for-now house,’ because we were going to move south and retire, and now we’ve kind of found our forever house.” 2012-10-24 09:06:54.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-a-life-directed-20121024,0,6077712.story

jj-lockridge-day-have-budding-movie-career-20121017 Tom Lockridge, Jeff Day share a budding movie career October 17, 2012 By day, Tom Lockridge often stands in the Jessamine County courtroom as the state’s prosecuting attorney. By night, he teams with Asbury University’s Jeff Day to make movies. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://www.trbimg.com/img-507f1267/turbine/jj-lockridge-day-have-budding-movie-career-20121017/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-507f1267/turbine/jj-lockridge-day-have-budding-movie-career-20121017/400/16x9 By day, Tom Lockridge often stands in the Jessamine County courtroom as the state’s prosecuting attorney. By night, he teams with Asbury University’s Jeff Day to make movies.The two formed Lucky Day Studios in 2008 and filmed their first movie, “Unrequited,” in 2009. They are currently working on their second feature film, “Joy Cart,” which tells the story of a Nicholasville boy who started a program to bring new toys to children in hospitals.Day, who has been at Asbury for 10 years and is the director of theatre and cinema performance, has a background in Hollywood. Lockridge, who has served as Commonwealth Attorney for Kentucky’s 13th Judicial Circuit since 1990, is the partner in the company that you might not expect.Lockridge began getting into filmmaking as a hobby with his son, Sam, who was “one of the local theater kids,” he said.“He sort of got the bug going with me,” Lockridge said. “We did some short films with just him and some of his friends, and then one of them actually got picked up in a film festival or two.”Lockridge also made a training video for prosecutors that he now uses when traveling to conferences across the nation to give ethics presentations. He said he was largely a “one-man show” for the short films he made before partnering with Day and venturing into feature-film production.“Unrequited” was filmed entirely in central Kentucky in 2009, with one scene shot in Jessamine County at the Yee Haw Grocery Store on Sulphur Well Road. The stars were Michael Welch, best known for his role in the “Twilight” movies; and Sarah Habel, who appeared in the 2009 roller-derby flick “Whip It.” Winchester’s Jason Epperson directed the film, and Day and Lockridge wrote and produced it.Day said “Unrequited” was the story of what can happen in the absence of love.“There are so many broken people, and in the story, we just wanted to explore a kid who just wanted to be loved, and everywhere he turned, from his mother to his girlfriend, it all turned on him, and he just snapped and reacts,” Day said. “What could happen if somebody along the way, somebody close to him, had loved him? It could have changed things, perhaps.”Filming during the summer in 2009 was not as easy for Lockridge as it was for Day, who was not teaching class. Lockridge said he had to get to the set when he could on evenings and weekends but that he didn’t miss too much.“When they were shooting at night, I would go after work and then stay until about 1 in the morning and then I’d drive back and work the next day,” he said. “It was tough to stay involved, but how many times are you going to do that?”The film debuted at AmStar 14 in Nicholasville in July 2010. The rights to the film were sold in more than a dozen other countries. Lionsgate has purchased the rights in the United States, and Lockridge and Day are waiting for a release date when it might be available in Redbox locations and on cable television; Day said they don’t anticipate it being shown in American theaters.Meanwhile, the pair is already working on their next project, “Joy Cart.” They acquired the rights for the true story about Nicholasville boy Jarrett Mynear, who began the toy program that grew to be nationwide, and have been writing the script for about a year.Day said he hopes Lucky Day Studios can eventually put out a new inspirational movie each year while creating a market for film production in central Kentucky.“Our goal is to make these movies like Joy Cart that have such a strong message to them that inspires people to go out and help other people and to just help create this film industry here,” he said. “My students all leave, because there’s no industry here. One of our goals is to try to create a studio that we can have students stay here and give them work to do and inspire other people like us to come to Kentucky and do the same thing.”For Day, the production work helps give him real-life experience and real-life examples to use in class; for Lockridge, screenwriting and movie production provide him a creative outlet not found too often in his day job.“My real job is more of a black-and-white, nuts-and-bolts kind of thing, but this allows me to exercise the other half of my brain a little bit,” he said. 2012-10-19 11:23:47.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-lockridge-day-have-budding-movie-career-20121017,0,1927533.story

jj-34-years-of-airtime-20121010 Radio, announcing took Doug Fain from shy kid to vibrant personality 34 Years of Airtime October 10, 2012 The shy and quiet 14-year-old had been reading newspaper stories into a tape recorder in the basement since he was a child. Now it was the real thing — true, it was just reading fundraising pledges on the air for a few minutes, but it was radio. And he was hooked. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://www.trbimg.com/img-5075a7db/turbine/jj-34-years-of-airtime-20121010/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-5075a7db/turbine/jj-34-years-of-airtime-20121010/400/16x9 The shy and quiet 14-year-old had been reading newspaper stories into a tape recorder in the basement since he was a child. Now it was the real thing — true, it was just reading fundraising pledges on the air for a few minutes, but it was radio. And he was hooked.Doug Fain went back to WNVL-AM general manager Bill Laney to ask for a job, even if it was just emptying trash cans. Laney had Fain sit in for an hour on a Sunday with DJ Darrell Mullins, with the teenager watching how Mullins did things and even pulling a record himself in the last few minutes. That was the only training Fain would receive.“I went into the station the next week, and Bill said, ‘Did you come in and watch him?’ I said, ‘Yeah,’ and he said, ‘Good, because this Sunday, you’re doing it by yourself,’” Fain said. “It was baptism by fire, and that’s how I started.”The rest, as they say, is history for the 49-year-old circuit clerk whose career in local radio made him a public personality and spring-boarded him into local politics.In 1977 as just a sophomore in high school, Fain began working full-time at the Nicholasville station, signing WNVL on the air at 6 a.m. and doing a two-hour show before driving to Jessamine County High School to attend his first class with teacher Terry Leitch, who could tell he had been up for a while.“She said her class was interesting because I was the only one that was awake — I’d been awake and I’d been on the air,” Fain said. “I was kind of bouncing off the walls; everybody else was asleep.”After his three classes, he would return to the station at 11 a.m. and work the rest of the day, producing radio ads and doing other off-air jobs. When he was on the air, he was DJing, though he did fill in once at age 18 for talk-show host Dale Wright, whose large audience was a bit intimidating.“I don’t remember a lot about that show, because I was so struck with nerves I got sick sitting there in the chair and basically just let everybody talk,” Fain said. “I didn’t say much, because I thought I was just going to pass out; I was that scared, because I knew what kind of audience he had.”But when he was behind the mic to DJ, he was able to come out of his shell.“I think what it is was that I was behind the mic at that age — nobody was looking at me,” Fain said. “I could just express myself; I didn’t think about people that were listening. That helped me get into the public speaking; I kind of slid into that. If it hadn’t been for radio, I’d probably still be not out in front of the public.”Fain started announcing the football games as a junior in high school in another baptism by fire. Laney, who was the announcer at the time, couldn’t be at the game one week and asked Fain to fill in for him.“Well, yeah — I want to announce my teammates, my buddies right here,” Fain said. “So I did, and when I saw him that following week, he said, ‘How’d you like it?’ And I’m like, ‘Oh, that was great.’ I wasn’t any good at it, but it was great. And he said, ‘Good; you can have it.’ And I’ve had it ever since.”The football announcing — which Fain is doing for the 36th year this year — led into other announcing, like the Miss Jessamine County Fair pageant, of which he was the voice for 31 years from 1980 to 2010.“If you have a fly-eating contest, I’ll announce it,” he said. “I may not like what you’re doing, but I like the announcing; I like that part of it ... That’s what I do. I don’t hunt; I don’t fish — I talk. That’s my hobby.”Upon graduating from Jessamine County High School in 1980, Fain was accepted into Sullivan Business College in Louisville to attend computer-programming classes at a time when personal computers were a rarity. But Fain stayed home to pursue radio.“I would have had a degree in computer programming in the early ’80s, and I’ve often wondered, ‘Where would I be now?’” Fain said. “And the reason I didn’t go was because I wanted to be in radio. Was that a good thing? I don’t know whether I made a mistake or not, because I’ve often thought, ‘Man, I might be in Silicon Valley or something; who knows?’ because I would have been on the ground floor of that, but that’s what kept me — radio.”Fain stayed at the radio station, coming on as a co-owner with Laney and sales manager Al Snyder in 1988. The three also started a new FM station in Nicholasville, WCKU 102.5.“That was unusual, because down here in Nicholasville, we had our old-time country music in one room playing, and right through a glass wall, you had the modern rap and hip-hop playing on the FM station, which none of us knew anything about,” Fain said.The radio job was “monotonous” and was not the glamorous position some made it out to be, Fain said.“There’s only so many ways creatively that you can say the weather and the time,” he said. “And the music, while you turn your radio on in your car and hear a certain song once a day, we heard it every day two or three times a day, over and over and over. It got old quick. When we had a new song come out, within about the first week and a half, we were sick of it because we’d heard it so much; people out in the community didn’t hear it like that.”Yet the DJ learned tricks to get through the repetitiveness, including one specific method of visiting the old Ward’s Bakery while he was on the air.“I learned that there was a certain song by an artist named David Allen Coe that was about 12 minutes long, so I could put that on and let it play, and I¿could walk over to the bakery and get doughnuts real quick and come back —&ensp;nobody would know the difference,” he said with a laugh.Fain, Laney and Snyder sold both stations to a Lancaster, Pa., group in 1989, and Fain began attending a funeral college in Indiana, commuting back and forth for a year and a half. He obtained his license as a funeral director and embalmer, but radio did not go away.“It called my name; it kept coming back in my head — ‘You’re not done with this,” he said.Laney had a chance to buy the station back in 1991 and offered Fain the chance to co-own it again, but the timing was not right for Fain. Laney died in 1996, his wife sold the station, and the studios moved out of the county.“If it had not been for the turn of events keeping me from buying it, I probably could still own it today,” Fain said. “... I hate it, because we need a local radio station; it was enjoyable. It wasn’t a really profitable thing because you’re so close to Lexington, trying to compete with the market, but it was local.”Fain remained on the air until January 1993, when he announced he was running for city commission.That was the same month his brother, county firefighter Cecil Fain, died in a tanker rollover. Doug Fain was filling in at the station the morning of Saturday, Jan. 2, 1993.“After my shift was over, we kind of put it on autopilot and let a satellite run the station for the rest of the day,” he said. “I did my show, and I stayed around the station for a little while because my brother had given me a computer program — that was back when you had the floppy disk — some game. And I didn’t have a computer, so I stayed at the station to use theirs just to see what this was about. I left the station at about 2 o’clock, drove to my house, walked in the door and got the phone call that he had just been killed.“When I went back to do my next show, it was tough. I didn’t say a whole lot; we had a lot of music that day. And people understood that.”Fain admitted that some of his “fire” for radio left as he had a hard time dealing with his brother’s death, but his announcing helped bring him back.“My world was ended — in my mind, my world had ended,” he said. “The commissioner’s race kind of brought some things back to me, and the announcing of all this stuff helped me get back in a regular mode that I was used to. If I had not had that race to keep my mind occupied, and if I had not had these things to announce, I would probably have lost my mind — those things were normal; a sense of normalcy came back and helped me through it.”Fain won the election and served as a commissioner until 1998, when he was elected as Jessamine County circuit clerk, a position he has held since. He said being the only radio-station owner who had grown up in Jessamine County — and being the son of renowned Kentucky artist Howard Fain — gave him a leg up in becoming a public figure.“I was the only local one — I was the one from here,” he said. “I was little Doug Fain; everybody saw me grow up. That’s why I had the success that I did — people did see me grow up; they identified with me; they identified with my mom, my dad, and that was a big help.”When the high school split into East Jessamine and West Jessamine in 1997, Fain had his choice of which team to stay with as an announcer. He did both team’s games the first year since East did not have a field yet, but he stuck with West — on the old Jessamine County High School field — in the following years.“East had a brand-new field, but I thought, ‘I’ve been here at Jessamine County High all this time; this is the building where I graduated; this is kind of home,’” he said.While Fain continues announcing games at West High, he has since moved into the East district, where his children attend school.“At that time, never in my wildest dreams did I¿know that I would have three children in the East district,” he said. “So my daughter’s at East High, but I’m still announcing West High ball games.”What may be surprising is that Fain doesn’t really care for football — he said University of Kentucky basketball is the only sport he watches on television and that he has never sat through an entire Super Bowl. But he said he has no plans of quitting the football announcing soon.“I’ve often joked that I'was going to go 40 years, which would give me one more than (former University of Kentucky basketball announcer) Cawood Ledford, and I’d have bragging rights, but who knows?” he said. “I’ll go as long as they’ll have me, I guess.”Fain admits he has slowed down a bit since he’s had kids, but he credits his wife, Amy, and his children for allowing him to continue his announcing hobby — at the same time recognizing he’s had help all along the way.“I realize that I didn’t do this on my own,” he said. “If it had not been for Bill Laney nurturing me and stepping in for me when I probably shouldn’t have even been there, and people like mom and dad pushing me — even today, my family, my wife and my kids, they do without me sometimes. When I’m at a football game, they’re sitting home doing nothing.”Fain said the two men he has to credit for most of his success in life are Bill Laney — for whom Fain was “the son he never had” — and his father, who beamed with pride one day when he said, “For all these years, Doug has been known as Howard Fain’s son; now I’m known as Doug Fain’s dad.”While he doesn’t know if he could ever do a radio show again, Fain knows he’s going to keep talking.“I hope my voice never leaves me, because if it does, I’ll have to learn how to do something,” he said. “I’ll have to learn how to hunt or fish.” 2012-10-11 04:57:02.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-34-years-of-airtime-20121010,0,4879518.story

jj-local-asbury-student-on-first-journalism-team-sent-to-olympics-20121003 Local Asbury student on first journalism team sent to Olympics THE LOCAL MEDIA: VIDEO GAMES October 3, 2012 It’s no big news that Asbury University sent students to help broadcast the London Olympic Games this summer — the institution has had students working in broadcasting for every Games since 1984. What was big news was the eight journalism students who went across the Atlantic in July — one of them from right across the river in Garrard County with a lot of Jessamine County connections. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://www.trbimg.com/img-506c5a98/turbine/jj-local-asbury-student-on-first-journalism-team-sent-to-olympics-20121003/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-506c5a98/turbine/jj-local-asbury-student-on-first-journalism-team-sent-to-olympics-20121003/400/16x9 It’s no big news that Asbury University sent students to help broadcast the London Olympic Games this summer — the institution has had students working in broadcasting for every Games since 1984. What was big news was the eight journalism students who went across the Atlantic in July — one of them from right across the river in Garrard County with a lot of Jessamine County connections.Courtney LeMay is now in her senior year at Asbury, and she has strong ties to the county through her mother, Alesia Sallee, who has taught in Jessamine County schools for 28 years; as well as her stepfather, Ralph Sallee, who coached the girls’ basketball team at East Jessamine High School before he died from cancer in 2009.LeMay is majoring in media communications as well as journalism and thought her chances of going to London were gone when she didn’t hear back about going with the media-communications department. But her hopes were revived when she found out that Jim Owens, the dean of the school of communication arts who has coordinated Asbury’s Olympics invovlement for decades, had asked journalism professor David Wheeler to pick some of his top students to send to the Games. LeMay was one of them.Several months later, work began while the contingent was still in the United States. They would be working with Lexington TV station LEX 18, and LeMay spent a week working with fellow student Amy Patterson and professor David Wheeler to put together a news package on a Lexington sportscaster who has been broadcasting the Olympics since 1988.“Our first interview was before we left, and we went and talked to Tom Hammond in Lexington, so we interviewed him at his house and then we spent the rest of the week putting together that news package and making sure we knew what we were doing with LEX 18,” she said.LeMay flew out of Lexington on July 24 after a delayed flight caused some tense moments but ended up giving the students’ their second bags that contained most of their equipment&ensp;free. Upon arriving in London, they settled into the house that would hold the seven female students and one male student — who got the couch — for the duration of the Games.“I think that was a better experience than what I would have had with media because I would have had to be in my own room, and I might not have known people, because they were spread all over London,” LeMay said. “So I really enjoyed being in the house.”The media students from Asbury were assigned to work at specific Olympic venues, but the journalism students were seeking out stories for LEX 18, Kentucky Monthly magazine and other media outlets.Working with a TV station was a shift for journalism students. Several got to write articles for the magazine, but LeMay stuck to the camera work, as she was the only student who had taken the digital-film-production class at Asbury.“I was one of the two people who knew how to use our editing software to make news packages, so I made news packages the whole time,” she said.Sending students to the Olympics was an excellent opportunity for Asbury’s revamped journalism program to implement its new strategy that includes “digital storytelling” and focuses on “convergent journalism,” professor David Wheeler said. Journalism students now take classes in camera technique, video editing, blogging, print media, graphic design and photography.“They really are exposed to a wide variety of storytelling techniques, and that’s what the new journalism landscape demands to be competitive and get a job in the industry,” Wheeler said.LeMay sought out stories about people with Kentucky connections, many of whom Wheeler already had on a list of prospective interviews.“When we got there, there was a big long list of people we wanted to try to talk to, and we got to talk to most of them, but a few of them just didn’t work out,” LeMay said. “Some of them we had intended to video and we ended up just making short stories about them. It was a lot of prep and then wait and see when we got there what would actually come through.”The packages put together by Asbury’s journalism students were posted online and are still available for viewing at www.lex18.com/pages/asbury-at-the-olympics. Among LeMay’s favorites were a feature about a University of Kentucky graduate now at the University of Nottingham who got to carry the torch and a piece on what foreigners thought about Kentucky soft drink Ale-8-One.“We took it around to different London landmarks and had people try it and tell us what they thought about it,” she said. “Most people liked it; some people didn’t, and some people wouldn’t be honest about it.”While she wasn’t writing stories, LeMay did get to write some scripts for the video voiceovers.“I still think I like writing better than making news packages —&ensp;I really enjoyed writing the script,” she said. “I like editing, too, though; it was good to get lots of different experience. It was good experience, and it helped me be more confident in my ability to produce news packages.”When she wasn’t working all day and staying up into the wee hours editing video, LeMay had some time for sight-seeing as well as watching some of the Games. She and fellow journalism student Hillary Fisher swim for Asbury and were elated to find out they had a chance to see Olympic swimming events.“We ran all over London trying to get tickets, and it turned out you had to get them online from a specific website and you couldn’t buy them from the park, so we ended up running to the Apple store in the mall next to the park and buying our tickets there,” LeMay said. “We got tickets to see (U.S. swimmer Michael) Phelps win a few more medals, and we got to see a world record in women’s breaststroke, so that was really cool, too, because Hillary is a breaststroker, so she was absolutely psyched.”Wheeler said he has continued to be impressed by LeMay from the first class that she took through her work at the Olympics.“She was an excellent writer, and then I discovered that she was also a great videographer, and then I discovered she was also a great video editor; her talents are wide-ranging,” Wheeler said. “The success of our project for channel 18 depended in large part on Courtney, and she hit a home run every time.” 2012-10-03 08:34:51.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-local-asbury-student-on-first-journalism-team-sent-to-olympics-20121003,0,1348842.story

jj-high-bridge-7yearold-has-promising-bluegrass-career-20120926 High Bridge 7-year-old has promising bluegrass career THE BALLAD OF JONATHAN September 26, 2012 There is a budding star in Jessamine County shining out like the blue moon of Kentucky but not yet big enough to fill out a pair of size-6 cowboy boots. By Benjamin S. Rossi http://www.trbimg.com/img-50633063/turbine/jj-high-bridge-7yearold-has-promising-bluegrass-career-20120926/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-50633063/turbine/jj-high-bridge-7yearold-has-promising-bluegrass-career-20120926/400/16x9 There is a budding star in Jessamine County shining out like the blue moon of Kentucky but not yet big enough to fill out a pair of size-6 cowboy boots.The peewee performer's name is Jonathan Scott Rader Wilson of High Brdige, and at only 7 years old he has traveled the commonwealth, played with several well-known bluegrass musicians and just completed his first album.While most of the boys his age were playing in the grass this summer, Jonathan was touring the bluegrass music scene with the comedy duo The Moron Brothers.Given the name “Crisco” by the Moron Brothers, Lardo and Burely, he’s been the third man on stage exchanging quips and singing songs including his favorite, “The Ballad of Jed Clampett.”Jonathan opened with them at the inaugural Moron Brothers Comedy Fest along with other headlining gigs in Williamsburg, Meadow Green Park Fall and at the Jessamine Jamboree.After all the performances and CD recording Jonathan has done this summer, he said he is not exhausted — as Lardo put it, “Crisco is tougher than frozen rope.” The work and touring has only encouraged him to continue his dream of becoming a bluegrass country star.Though he’s young, Jonathan is no stranger to the lime light and has been making newspaper headlines and headlining performances for the past four years.Falling in love with bluegrass music at the age of 2 while watching Driving Rain perform at High Bridge Park, he was asked on stage by the lead singer, Jim Willoughby.Together they performed “Hello City Limits,” and since that moment, Jonathan knew his calling was a life dedicated to music.“He’s just always loved to perform since that day,” said Nathan Rader, Jonathan’s father and manager. “I’ve never had to push him into it; he’s always just done it on his own and I’ve supported that.”By the age of 3, Jonathan had already attended several bluegrass festivals, including the Southland Jamboree and the J.D. Crowe Festival in Wilmore. After that, he was the feature of events at Keeneland and Boyd’s Orchard, when made the centerpiece on the front page of the Lexington newspaper.The news article caught the attention of comedian and TV show host Ellen DeGeneres, who invited him to come out to Burbank, Calif., and perform on her show. But his parents decided he was too young and needed more time to be a kid; they say the fame and career will come in due time and he will do the DeGeneres show when he’s ready.“Jonathan’s love for music have really grown over the past several years,” Rader said. “This year alone he’s traveled to Bean Blossom, Ind., to perform at the world-famous Bill Monroe Bluegrass Festival, where he performed two nights with Melvin Goins and Windy Mountain.”The second-grader had a busy summer to say the least and has more cities under his belt than frets on his guitar. In his travels, he has crossed paths with many well-known bluegrass and country stars such as The Oak Ridge Boys, Billy Ray Cyrus and too many more to count. Not only is he traveling to performances, but he’s said he’s learning how to become a better guitar player and about the history and roots of bluegrass music. And roots are the most important thing to remember about Jonathan, said his mother, Terri Wilson.“Music is in his blood,” Wilson said. “He gets it from my father, his grandfather, Eddie Wilson. He was a country musician and loved Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard. Jonathan loves Johnny Cash, too, but right now his passion is for bluegrass music.”Wilson said Jonathan’s likeness to her father is startling — not only in looks but in talent.“I just know if he were here he’d be so proud to see his grandson play on stage,” she said. “I’m very proud of both my children, Jonathan and his sister Morgan. I’m extremely blessed.”For Jonathan, he said the music is all about having fun — what you’d expect from a young boy whose favorite class at  Wilmore Elementary is lunch followed by recess. “I really like music — it’s my favorite thing to do besides have fun — but that’s kind of what you do when you play music; you have fun,” Jonathan said. “I just love singing.”After several years and dozens of performances, Jonathan said he still gets butterflies before climbing up the stairs of a stage and greeting the crowd.“When I get out on the stage I’m kind of nervous, but when I start singing I don’t really feel that nervous anymore,” Jonathan said. “I just feel that I’m going to be okay, and I say to myself, ‘This is so perfect, I can so do this.’”The debut album is called “Jonathan Rader: The Early Years,” which is a set of covers of bluegrass music that he recorded with Charlie Hill at WCYO FM The Coyote in Richmond. The CD is available at his performances, where T-shirts are also for sale.Though Jonathan’s career is taking off, he said not letting the fame go to his head. His current popularity is enough for now; he said he already has six girlfriends in his second-grade class at school.“And six is plenty,” Jonathan said. 2012-09-26 09:44:42.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-high-bridge-7yearold-has-promising-bluegrass-career-20120926,0,3967648.story

jj-dozens-of-artists-gather-at-courthouse-for-creative-paint-out-20120919 Dozens of artists gather at Jessamine County courthouse for Creative Paint Out September 19, 2012 Eight-year-old Dorian Welch was so focused on his sidewalk rendition of northern California’s Golden Gate Bridge that he failed to notice he was nearly out of blue sidewalk chalk. By Mike Moore http://www.trbimg.com/img-5059db01/turbine/jj-dozens-of-artists-gather-at-courthouse-for-creative-paint-out-20120919/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-5059db01/turbine/jj-dozens-of-artists-gather-at-courthouse-for-creative-paint-out-20120919/400/16x9 Eight-year-old Dorian Welch was so focused on his sidewalk rendition of northern California’s Golden Gate Bridge that he failed to notice he was nearly out of blue sidewalk chalk.“Man, I’m almost out of blue,” Welch said with his brow wrinkled with concern.Welch was among the more than 70 people who turned out for the inaugural Creative Art League (CAL) of Jessamine County’s Creative Paint Out on the courthouse lawn Saturday.Event organizer Constance Grayson said the turnout was overwhelming.“It has been so exciting,” she said. “We’ve had lots of people here; some people have stayed, and some have painted and left.”The goal of Saturday’s event was simple, Grayson said.“The purpose of today’s event is to kick off our new organization, the Creative Art League of Jessamine County, and also to focus on all the visual arts in all their forms in the county,” Grayson said.For Wilmore painter Kimberly Riggs, Saturday’s event was refreshing.“I think it’s a great idea,” she said. “I think art needs to be (prevalent) in the community, and people need to know that we are out here.”Fellow artist Wendy Tucker, who had her easel set up on the sidewalk at the corner of Main and Maple streets, agreed.“I’ve been wanting to do this ever since I moved to Kentucky 14 years ago,” she said as she painted a courthouse scene. “I just wanted to have like-minded artists who wanted to get together and do their art and grow, improve and stretch out their ability, and this is what we’re doing.”Grayson said CAL is gaining momentum.“It’s really going to take off and be exciting,” she said. “We’ve got our first exhibit scheduled in February at Farmer’s Bank; we don’t have the dates nailed down yet, but Farmer’s Bank is donating some space in their Farmer’s Square office building, and we expect to have quarterly art exhibits, and we expect to have a yearly children’s art exhibit.”Grayson said CAL is also planning art workshops for the public, with the first being Jan. 5, 2013 at the Blue Building at City-County Park.“We just want to ramp up the knowledge of these creative folks and also give these artists an opportunity to get to know one another,” she said.For more information on CAL, email Constance@Gullettelaw.com or call 859-885-5536. 2012-09-19 07:51:04.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-dozens-of-artists-gather-at-courthouse-for-creative-paint-out-20120919,0,2380245.story

jj-wilmore-fire-department-training-9-new-recruits-20120905 Wilmore Fire Department training 9 new recruits FRESHMAN LINEUP September 5, 2012 There’s a new class of dedicated civil servants willing to put it all on the line, and Wilmore should be proud of its newest set of potential volunteer firefighters, city fire chief Jimmy Powers said. By Benjamin S. Rossi http://www.trbimg.com/img-50477688/turbine/jj-wilmore-fire-department-training-9-new-recruits-20120905/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-50477688/turbine/jj-wilmore-fire-department-training-9-new-recruits-20120905/400/16x9 There’s a new class of dedicated civil servants willing to put it all on the line, and Wilmore should be proud of its newest set of potential volunteer firefighters, city fire chief Jimmy Powers said.Currently, there are eight men and one woman going through the rigorous fire training regimen being spearheaded by the Wilmore Fire Department and led by Powers, assistant chief Jeremy Wheatley and Lt. Wiley Adams with some guest help from Lexington’s Rescue Unit No. 1 Capt. Chris Fontz.“It’s the biggest class we’ve ever had by far,” Powers said, “and they have the potential to be the best we’ve ever had — that’s up to them.“I’m very proud of all of them and will see them through to the end.”The determined group is made up of mostly younger members of the community between 18 and 30 years old but with a few seasoned citizens who have also taken up the fireman’s cadence.“You’re never too old to be an asset to your community,” volunteer fireman recruit George Woki, 37, said. “I would encourage anyone with the will to do this.”Originally from Kenya, Woki is currently a student at Asbury Theological Seminary working on a Ph.D. and said when he first learned of the opportunity to be a volunteer firefighter, he jumped at the chance knowing he would learn the skills to help his neighbors and protect his family.Recent West Jessamine High School graduate Boyd Doerting, 18, also signed up for the volunteer program for the same reasons but said he plans to take it further and make it a lifelong career. “A lot of guys have gone through this on to full-time positions,” Doerting said, “And I want to be one of those that do, maybe working in Lexington or another big city — it’s important work, and (this) training will get me there.”Woki and Doerting are about halfway through the training and remarked that the weekly regimen is very mentally and physically challenging but that it has taught them life lessons to implement daily as well as when they go on a call.“I’ve learned a lot about responsibility, how to follow direction and how to be a part of a team,” Doerting said. “That trust is the most important thing.”Woki agreed that the building of his confidence as a person came from trust in someone else and that learning to work together as a unit has inspired him to be a better firefighter. The firefighting training has also turned them into friends.“Without teamwork and trust, you have nothing,” assistant chief Wheatley said. “Sometimes you’re in a smoke-filled room and you can’t see anything — you’re blind. That’s when you have to trust in the guy in front of you and behind you.” It’s not just the guys who are touting all the weight for the Wilmore department.Melissa Middleton, 21, may soon be the Wilmore Fire Department’s second female volunteer, and like her fellow recruit Doerting, she plans to make fighting fire a lifestyle.“I was inspired by my grandfather; I want to make him proud,” Middleton said. “At first, I feared my size would be an issue, but it’s not and I’m determined to carry this out.”So far, the nine recruits, who have been carved down from over 20 applicants just a few months ago, are on the path to becoming a part of Wilmore’s finest firefighting crew, chief Powers said. “Out of this class will be something the city can be proud of,” he said. 2012-09-05 09:00:07.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-wilmore-fire-department-training-9-new-recruits-20120905,0,5514350.story

jj-wilmore-10yearold-hikes-280mile-trail-with-his-father-20120830 Wilmore 10-year-old hikes 280-mile trail with his father August 30, 2012 The idea for the trip began last year when the family was doing day hiking at Natural Bridge State Resort Park. On a back trail, they came across the symbol of a turtle on a white diamond — the insignia of Sheltowee Trace. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://www.trbimg.com/img-503f817a/turbine/jj-wilmore-10yearold-hikes-280mile-trail-with-his-father-20120830/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-503f817a/turbine/jj-wilmore-10yearold-hikes-280mile-trail-with-his-father-20120830/400/16x9 The idea for the trip began last year when the family was doing day hiking at Natural Bridge State Resort Park. On a back trail, they came across the symbol of a turtle on a white diamond — the insignia of Sheltowee Trace.“I started looking at backpacking equipment online and wanted to go ahead and buy it, so I¿bought it,” Johnny said. “My original thought was to hike it over a span of a couple years, and then with (Johnathan’s) wanting to join me, I¿just said we’ll do it this summer.”The duo took the journey in 30-mile segments over periods of one to three days, starting the trail at Pickett State Park in Tennessee during spring break in April. Johnny said his son had a tough time at first. “After the first outing that we went, he had such a hard time on it, I¿didn’t think he would ever come back with me; I thought I’d be doing the rest of it by myself,” Johnny said. “But he came willingly — it was up to him whether he wanted to come or not every time I¿went out.”Once summer came and school ended for Johnathan at Wilmore Elementary, weekdays were freed up for trips. Johnny’s wife, Nicholasville Elementary teacher Jodi, was free to take care of the couple’s 1-year-old son, Jason, after dropping Johnny and Johnathan off along the trail. They would usually start on a Sunday or Monday and have Jodi pick them up on a Tuesday or Wednesday, keeping Johnny home for his restaurant work on weekends.The pair went out eight times, staying out for two or three nights until they got used to the trail and did some overnight trips late in the summer. “In the beginning, we weren’t as conditioned as we were at the end, so our time out would be like 8 miles in a day, and toward the end, we were doing 12 to 15; there was even one stretch we did 20 in one day,” Johnny said.The trail crosses the state line into Kentucky and passes Cumberland Falls and Laurel Lake before crossing Interstate 75 — on a bridge — north of London. It goes through Natural Bridge State Resort Park and then past Cave Run Lake near Morehead before ending north of Interstate 64. The hikers navigated with a manual from the Sheltowee Trace Association as well as a GPS and a hard-copy map “just in case,” Johnny said. They had a cell phone that had service about a third of the time; they usually kept the phone off until the last day in case they needed to change pick-up plans with Jodi. Johnathan and his father settled into a routine, eating a dehydrated stew for most every meal and sleeping in a small two-person tent at night. “We’d usually get up about 5 or 6 in the morning, eat breakfast and start walking by about 8 and usually hiked till about 4 or 5, pitch camp and then sit around the campfire — before the fire ban,” Johnny said. “Then it was just sitting around in darkness until we went to sleep.”The Cartys encountered other complications along the way, including triple-digit heat, a drought and even some tornado warnings and some strong storms near the end at Cave Run Lake. “We went through two storms that day,” Johnathan said. “One storm we had to hide in a little rock shelter, and the second storm, we didn’t have any rock shelter so we just had to hike right through it; we got soaked.”Johnathan said the hardest part for him was not the inclines or the terrain but open fields with tall grass. “With his size, a lot of the weeds were above his head; he couldn’t see anything,” Johnny said. “He took a few spills; we did a lot of climbing — ups and downs, ups and downs.”There were plenty of animals to see along the way, from copperhead snakes, turtles and a bobcat all the way down to salamanders, centipedes and spiders. Johnny said he bonded a lot with his oldest son during the trips; the pair only passed two or three other hikers on the entire trail.“It was just us and the wildlife,” Johnny said. “It was fun watching him grow from the beginning when he had his pack on — his pack weighed about 10 to 15 pounds in the beginning, and it was 5 miles and he would break down and start saying, ‘I¿can’t do this; I can’t do this,’ and toward the end, he was carrying almost 20 pounds and doing 15 miles, so it was great watching his progress that way.”The pair will turn their journals in to the trace association to prove they completed the trail; Johnny said he spoke with an association director and found out Johnathan may be the youngest to ever complete the whole trail.The father and son have plans to keep hiking over the summers, with a trip to Alaska next summer and the possibility of doing the entire Sheltowee in one three-week span the year after that. Johnathan had been no stranger to camping before this summer’s treks but admitted it was a new experience. “The 280 miles was different,” he said. 2012-08-31 08:21:07.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-wilmore-10yearold-hikes-280mile-trail-with-his-father-20120830,0,1518431.story

jj-a-burning-passion-20120801 A burning passion Wilmore's Dave Shadwich rediscovers blacksmithing August 1, 2012 Thrusting a pair of tongs into a hot forge, Wilmore’s Dave Shadwick, 62, pulled a red-hot strip of metal from the coal fire. Quickly he turned to his anvil, placed the metal down, and began to hammer as white-hot scale flew from the metal. By Mike Moore http://www.trbimg.com/img-50194487/turbine/jj-a-burning-passion-20120801/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-50194487/turbine/jj-a-burning-passion-20120801/400/16x9 Thrusting a pair of tongs into a hot forge, Wilmore’s Dave Shadwick, 62, pulled a red-hot strip of metal from the coal fire. Quickly he turned to his anvil, placed the metal down, and began to hammer as white-hot scale flew from the metal.After a few seconds of hammering, Shadwick returned the metal to the fiery forge, and the process started all over again.“Depending on the mass (of the piece), I’ve probably got 10 to 15 seconds of work time,” Shadwick said. “Then I’ve got to throw it back into the fire.”Shadwick is a blacksmith, and his passion for his art burns hotter than the white-hot metal he removes from his forge.A retired engineer with Lexmark, Shadwick first picked up the blacksmithing skill in the early 1960s.“An agricultural teacher gave me a forge,” Shadwick said. “I dabbled around with it, but back then, blacksmithing was essentially dead.”That was until a few years ago, when Shadwick discovered a place that would serve as his fountain of youth in a blacksmithing sense — the John C. Campbell Folk School in Murphy, N.C.“I’ll go there once a year, and I will pick up a tip or technique from an instructor or from a fellow student,” he said. “I learn something just about every time I go.”Armed with a new fervor for the art, Shadwick has quickly made a name for himself and become a member of the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen and Kentucky Crafted.As he moves around his soot-filled workshop behind his home on McCauley Road, Shadwick busily creates special-order door handles, all the while talking about the craft he enjoys so much.“Blacksmithing is an ancient craft, so people have developed techniques and forgotten them, and they’ve gotten lost, so somewhere along the way, somebody figured out how to do a technique,” he said. “There’s not a right or wrong way; there’s a harder and easier way to do it, and somebody just figured out an easier way to do a technique.”Retired since 2009, Shadwick has produced items such as door hardware, napkin holders, mirrors, toilet-paper holders, lambs, bookends and the like.He has no preconceived blueprint; many of his wrought-iron creations come from his creativity.“This mirror, we had one fall off the wall in the house because the string broke,” he said. “So my wife said, ‘Would you make a mirror to go back up there?’”As he began the process, he began to visualize a basic mirror design; then his minds-eye saw acorn ornamentation around the mirror. From there, it was off to his forge.Shadwick designs his own casts for the many different ornamentations he uses in his work.And like many craftsmen, Shadwick sells his creations at different events, but he is picky when it comes to selecting what event to attend.“I am selective ... (some events) have a flea-market mentality,” he said. “I do the one in Wilmore because it’s a juried event. There are some events that the jury process is if your check clears, you’re in. They don’t look at your stuff; they just want your money.”Shadwick said he feels the reason blacksmithing isn’t real popular today is because of the effort and time it takes to be successful.“It’s very labor intensive; it’s hot, so a lot of peopel shy away from it because of the work and heat involved with it,” Shadwick said. He added that during late June and early July’s heat wave, when temperatures soared to greater than 100 degrees for seven of 15 days his workshop easily reached 106 degrees.“You get used to it,” he said, adding that he drank lots of fluids. But event with the hot temperatures, Shadwick said he was out in his workshop working, and he added that summertime heat was much more palatable than winter.“I do it year round, but I’d rather do it in the summer than the winter,” he said. “A lot of people are confused by that. But when I’m at the forge, from here (lower waist) down, I’m cold, and from here (lower waist) to about here (neck area) I’m kind of warm, but my ears are cold.”Over Labor Day weekend, Shadwick will attend an invitation-only event in Frankfort — Art in the Gardens at Liberty Hall.“This is the first year they are having that,” he said. “So they went down the list of people who are in Kentucky Crafted and the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen, and invited select people. It’s an art fair, so I’m going to take many things there to sell.”Shadwick didn’t start selling his work until 2005, about four years before his retirement.“As I�was getting close to retirement, I had to figure out what I was going to do,” he quipped. “If I sit in the house and ask (his wife) Norma, ‘What are you doing cooking that?’ I’d get in trouble.”While selling his creations gives him satisfaction, Shadwick said it’s not a second career.“I love it, but I will make a little money off it, but I can’t make a living at it because people cannot pay what I would need to live on,” he said. “If I make some money to pay my booth fees, buy the matierals and pay for my gas, I’ll live with that.”For more information on Shadwick and his work, visit www.podsforge.com. 2012-08-01 08:02:33.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-a-burning-passion-20120801,0,7533353.story

jj-wilmorian-documents-people-places-of-community-in-town-exhibit-20120725 Wilmorian documents people, places of community in "TOWN" exhibit July 25, 2012 Twenty-three black-and-white photos line the walls of the art gallery at Asbury University, each depicting a person or place in Wilmore — and each evoking different memories from those who have known the town for decades. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://www.trbimg.com/img-501012ff/turbine/jj-wilmorian-documents-people-places-of-community-in-town-exhibit-20120725/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-501012ff/turbine/jj-wilmorian-documents-people-places-of-community-in-town-exhibit-20120725/400/16x9 Twenty-three black-and-white photos line the walls of the art gallery at Asbury University, each depicting a person or place in Wilmore — and each evoking different memories from those who have known the town for decades.The exhibit, titled “TOWN: a portrait,” is the work of Asbury photography teacher Keith Barker, who first moved to Wilmore in 1982, attended the Jessamine County junior-high and high schools and has worked at the university for the last 12 years. The photos are on display on the second-floor of the Z.T. Johnson Cafeteria.Barker, 43, has taken most of the photos in the last six months, aiming to create a portrait of the “invisible connections” Wilmorians have.“I thought it would be interesting to have a series of images that brought that to light and emphasized the connections that we have,” Barker said. “Some of them are real strong connections; others we hadn’t thought of before.”When he embarked on the project, there was a lot Barker didn’t know — but one picture he knew he wanted was the face of the exhibit: Wilmore icon Leonard Fitch in the parking lot of his grocery store.“That picture of Leonard was something that I had thought about and envisioned in my mind ahead of time, and so when it came out the way I wanted it to, I really thought this should be a part of the example or the front publicity of the whole show,” Barker said. “A lot of people know Leonard and interact with him, and he’s such a saint in this community, to use that term loosely. He’s very well known, but he’s also incredibly humble.”Other faces in the exhibit include the older — 36-year mayor Harold Rainwater, 100-year-old Minnie Olson, retired potter Rudy Medlock — as well as a face of Barker’s newer generation — Confrontation Point Ministries’ Andy Bathje. Each image has just a title, letting those who are familiar with the scene retrieve their own memories and causing those who aren’t to ask questions.“That’s Rudy Medlock, and if they know Rudy Medlock, they know where that picture was taken and what that house means to him and all of that,” Barker said. “And if they don’t know that, they’re going to wonder, and it will kind of cause them to engage the image a little bit.”Some photographs don’t include people as subjects, merely leaving the scene of a snowy playground or a downtown back door for the viewer to take in. A few point to drastic change in the city, with one showing the recent road closure for the streetscape project and another panorama of the pastoral landscape interrupted by new housing for the seminary.Barker used a film camera and gelatin-silver printing for the photographs, going back to his “old-school” training.“The black and white just takes all the colors out, so you see it from a different perspective, and the film kind of gives a different feel to it,” he said. “All the images have the black border around them, which kind of indicates that that was the way I saw it in the camera; that’s the actual place. I didn’t do any manipulation or cropping of any of these images. I was hoping that would lend a little bit more authenticity or honesty or believability, even on a subconscious level, to the images.”The exhibit will be on display through Aug. 10, open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and the photos are also available for viewing online at Barker’s website, www.kbarkerphoto.com.  The project has just started for Barker, who is taking suggestions on other photos that should be included in a larger production.“I want to keep collecting images of people and turn it into a book so that it’s in a format that people can spend time with looking at the individual images,” he said. “There are only 23 images here, but there could be more than that. It would be a pretty substantial project if I were to really carry it out.”The goal of “TOWN” is to involve the city of Wilmore, Barker said — to get those with different perspectives of the same scenes to talk to each other.“I’m asking more questions than anything. Everybody’s going to get something different based on their own histories and their own past, their own experience,” Barker said. “I’m hoping that people who do know the places and the people of these images will start to talk about that, and then we’ll all kind of learn a little bit from each other based on what we learn and see from these images.” 2012-07-25 08:41:16.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-wilmorian-documents-people-places-of-community-in-town-exhibit-20120725,0,6167452.story

jj-17yearold-nicholasville-girls-gets-pilots-license-20120718 17-year-old Nicholasville girl gets pilot's license July 18, 2012 When Amy Fenster wants to get in the cockpit of a single-engine airplane and traverse the skies, she only has one barrier — finding someone to drive her to the airport. By Jonathan Kleppiner http://www.trbimg.com/img-5006d143/turbine/jj-17yearold-nicholasville-girls-gets-pilots-license-20120718/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-5006d143/turbine/jj-17yearold-nicholasville-girls-gets-pilots-license-20120718/400/16x9 When Amy Fenster wants to get in the cockpit of a single-engine airplane and traverse the skies, she only has one barrier — finding someone to drive her to the airport.The 17-year-old from Nicholasville completed a year-long learning process June 6 when she passed her check ride and received her pilot’s license; she had not obtained her driver’s permit yet.Amy marveled at airplanes in the aviation museum as a child but didn’t get serious about learning how to fly until she rode in a Huey helicopter at an air show last year. She joined the Lexington Flying Club, got an instructor and began taking lessons.“The first time was kind of funny — you can fly it either straight or level; you couldn’t turn and try to keep your altitude,” she said.Learning how to fly was a see-saw for Amy between bewilderment and confidence as she mastered new tasks and saw how much more there was to learn.“Whenever I’d learn something new the first time, it’d be like, ‘How does anybody ever do this?’” she said. “And then the next day, I’d go out there and it’d just be no problem, but then the instructor would throw something else at me and it’d be, ‘How does anybody do this?’ again.”She took a solo flight for the first time in December and worked on fulfilling her other requirements for a license, mainly flying to Frankfort and Georgetown. She had to wait until her finals at Trinity Christian Academy were over before taking her check ride — one more lesson in patience for Amy.“It’s really taught me not to give up, even when something seems to be taking a long time,” she said. “I had to wait to do some of the stuff until I turned 17 and then had to kind of wait for school to be over to be able to take my check ride. I was getting a little tired of only being able to do anything at three different airports — Lexington, Frankfort and Georgetown. But I’m glad I stuck with it; it’s really paid off.”The people Amy has met communicating through her radio and landing at small Kentucky airports have been one of the biggest benefits, she said.“It’s a whole other world; you don’t realize how many airports there are in all these little towns,” she said. “You meet the nicest people at them; it’s been a lot of fun.”Amy’s mother, Tammy, said watching her daughter pilot a Cessna 172 was surreal.“I called my mom and asked her one day, ‘Did I take the car when I was in 11th grade and go to another town and take your checkbook?’” Tammy said. “She said, ‘No, why?’ I said, ‘My daughter just flew off to another city with my credit card.’”The next step as Amy pursues a flying career is getting an instrument rating to fly in bad weather; she also has aspirations of obtaining a commercial license and a rating as an airline transport pilot. Amy is undaunted by the profession dominated by men; her mother, Tammy, has the utmost confidence in her daughter’s abilities.“Her check-ride examiner told me that her flying is phenomenal; that’s what his message was to me about her flying,” Tammy said.Amy’s father, Brad, is also a student pilot and has contributed to her affinity for flying, but the dream she has fulfilled is all her own.“He’s always kind of liked airplanes, but I’ve always liked them more,” she said. 2012-07-18 08:24:29.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-17yearold-nicholasville-girls-gets-pilots-license-20120718,0,5300429.story

jj-pdf-paul-hamann-retires-from-schools-after-12-years-as-student-36-years-as-employee-20120703 Timeline: Paul Hamann retires from schools after 12 years as student, 36 years as employee July 3, 2012 Design and compilation by Jonathan Kleppinger/jkleppinger@jessaminejournal.com http://www.trbimg.com/img-4ff3515a/turbine/jj-pdf-paul-hamann-retires-from-schools-after-12-years-as-student-36-years-as-employee-20120703/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-4ff3515a/turbine/jj-pdf-paul-hamann-retires-from-schools-after-12-years-as-student-36-years-as-employee-20120703/400/16x9 http://media.trb.com/media/acrobat/2012-07/70862604-03131102.pdf 2012-07-03 13:11:41.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-pdf-paul-hamann-retires-from-schools-after-12-years-as-student-36-years-as-employee-20120703,0,5420029.acrobat

jj-jessamine-historical-society-remembers-war-of-1812-20120627 Jessamine Historical Society remembers War of 1812 June 27, 2012 For Kathy Hall, the specter of a war fought 200 years ago stays close to her heart. Her ancestor, Capt. James C. Price, lost his life while commanding a group of Jessamine County soldiers at the Battle of Frenchtown, the deadliest conflict of the War of 1812. By Jeff McDanald http://www.trbimg.com/img-4feb5207/turbine/jj-jessamine-historical-society-remembers-war-of-1812-20120627/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-4feb5207/turbine/jj-jessamine-historical-society-remembers-war-of-1812-20120627/400/16x9 For Kathy Hall, the specter of a war fought 200 years ago stays close to her heart. Her ancestor, Capt. James C. Price, lost his life while commanding a group of Jessamine County soldiers at the Battle of Frenchtown, the deadliest conflict of the War of 1812.“My mother was a Price,” Hall said. “James Price was my grandfather times four. His militia group was known as the Jessamine Blues. Their uniforms were distinctive, blue with light facings.”Hall said the Jessamine Blues were sent up to Michigan, near the Raisin River, where they fought the British and Indians.“Some call it The Battle of Frenchtown and some say The Battle at River Raisin,” Hall said. “There’s a letter he wrote to his wife, Susan, on the night before the battle that’s printed in Young’s History of Jessamine County. He knew his chances of survival were slim.”Like most of the men from Kentucky, Price was left in an unmarked grave in Michigan.Duty and patriotism ran deep in the Price family. James had been born while his father, Col. William Price, was away from home fighting in the Revolutionary War.Some of that same sense of duty and patriotism was evident Saturday, June 16, at the Jessamine County Historical Society War of 1812 anniversary luncheon, held at the Ludwig House.Event organizer Ernestine Hamm feels that the significance of the War of 1812 issomewhat overlooked. “It’s often referred to as ‘The Second War for Independence,’” Hamm said. “It doesn’t get as much attention as the Revolutionary War or the Civil War, but our national anthem was inspired by one of the battles.”Hamm’s research has found evidence of approximately 600 soldiers from Jessamine County who served in the War of 1812.“Most of them were killed in battle,” Hamm said. “But some made it back and are buried here.”With a small grant from the Jessamine County Fiscal Court, the historical society has plans to place six markers for War of 1812 soldiers on unmarked graves scattered throughout the county that are for the most part in small overgrown and forgotten family cemeteries.Stones for veterans James Lusk and George Chrisman have already been delivered, but there is much manual labor still to be done in clearing the old cemeteries of trees, briars and brambles.“When we get a new member in the historical society, one of the first questions we ask is ‘Can you run a chainsaw,’” Hamm said.Hamm said anyone interested in learning more about the Jessamine County Historical Society can come to one of the weekly meetings held from 1-3 p.m. on Thursdays in Farmers Square at 216 N. Main St., Nicholasville. 2012-06-27 11:35:51.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-jessamine-historical-society-remembers-war-of-1812-20120627,0,1156433.story

jj-jessamine-county-band-absalom-absalom-takes-ichthus-stage-in-wilmore-for-second-time-20120619 Jessamine County band Absalom Absalom takes Ichthus stage in Wilmore for second time June 19, 2012 At noon Thursday, a 3-year-old band with strong ties to Jessamine County will take the stage for a second year at the Christian festival in their own backyard. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://www.trbimg.com/img-4fe0fc25/turbine/jj-jessamine-county-band-absalom-absalom-takes-ichthus-stage-in-wilmore-for-second-time-20120619/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-4fe0fc25/turbine/jj-jessamine-county-band-absalom-absalom-takes-ichthus-stage-in-wilmore-for-second-time-20120619/400/16x9 At noon Thursday, a 3-year-old band with strong ties to Jessamine County will take the stage for a second year at the Christian festival in their own backyard.Absalom Absalom began in March 2009 when Stephen Gallutia, Andrew Foster and Gideon Maki teamed up with Ben Rogers. The four met up in Rogers’ living room with three acoustic guitars and an acoustic bass.“Ben was like, ‘Somebody’s gotta sing,’” Gallutia said, “and my mom sang a lot and my dad sang a lot in college, so I was like, ‘I’ll try.’”Gallutia, now 20 and a graduate of West Jessamine High School, has fronted the indie/post-rock band since. Rogers left to attend college at Western Kentucky University, and Foster and Maki remain as the band’s guitarists. Stephen Gallutia’s younger brother, 17-year-old Daniel, drums and will be a senior at West High next year; Wilmore’s 18-year-old Colin Cook mans the bass.The band has matured a lot from a time when it included trumpet, trombone and accordion and what Gallutia termed “a lot of artistic theatrics without in-tune dynamics.”“We used to be very experimental and do a lot of group shouting and be a little bit more theatrical,” said Maki, a 19-year-old originally from Wisconsin who was home-schooled in Wilmore for six years. “We’ve grown up a lot in the sound.”The band’s name comes from a William Faulkner novel but also draws frequent questions about ties to David’s son in the Bible. They don’t label themselves a Christian band but said the influence of their faith inspires a lot of their music.“The Christian element most definitely comes in through the music,” Maki said. “We try to display it in a very creative way, not so contemporary ... we display our belief system through different stories that have happened to us, especially this upcoming album.”Absalom Absalom spent eight days in northern Kentucky last week recording their first full-length album, “Movers & Shakers,” which they hope to release in August on CD and cassette tapes with download codes inside.“(Recording) gave us insight into where we wanted to take it and what we like about our music and what we respect about our own music, but a lot of us looked at it subjectively with good analytical criticism about our own music,” Stephen Gallutia said. “It was really healthy for us.”This week’s performance on the Edge stage at Ichthus will be the second for all the band’s members except Cook, who attended Absalom’s concert last year at Ichthus but didn’t join the band until this year.“I think I’ve gone to Ichthus basically every year since I moved here,” Cook said. “It’ll be interesting to be the one on stage instead of the one in the crowd.”“A lot of bands that I still listen to played on that stage way back in the day,” Maki said, “so just thinking, ‘Oh, we get to play on that stage where I saw some of my favorite bands,’ it was a really encouraging feeling, for sure.”Foster, a 22-year-old who lives in Jessamine County, said he prefers small, intimate shows but appreciates the chance to reach a new crowd at Ichthus.“At the end of the day, a stage is still a stage. I’m not as sentimental about it, I suppose,” he said. “... If we can be used in some way to inspire people or encourage people, then so be it.”Touring is difficult as with all the members in school, but they hope to coordinate some weekend tours in July.“We’re just a band, and anybody can do what we’re doing,” Maki said. “We’re nothing extremely special; we just really love playing music and presenting who we are in Christ through the music and just our creative attitudes. That’s kind of the motivation.”For more on the band, visit Absalom Absalom’s Facebook page and www.absalomabsalom.bandcamp.com, where you can purchase their merchandise. 2012-06-19 15:27:05.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-jessamine-county-band-absalom-absalom-takes-ichthus-stage-in-wilmore-for-second-time-20120619,0,7718333.story

jj-cancer-survivors-celebrate-remember-at-jessamine-county-relay-for-life-2012-20120613 Cancer survivors celebrate, remember at Jessamine County Relay for Life 2012 June 13, 2012 Friday night at Jessamine County’s 2012 Relay for Life, new friends became family members as they united against a common foe — cancer. By Benjamin S. Rossi http://www.trbimg.com/img-4fd8dcbc/turbine/jj-cancer-survivors-celebrate-remember-at-jessamine-county-relay-for-life-2012-20120613/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-4fd8dcbc/turbine/jj-cancer-survivors-celebrate-remember-at-jessamine-county-relay-for-life-2012-20120613/400/16x9 Friday night at Jessamine County’s 2012 Relay for Life, new friends became family members as they united against a common foe — cancer.At West Jessamine Middle School, it was a celebration of those who had survived but also a somber bereavement for those who had lost their battle with the disease. “My mom died of cancer in 2007,” former Nicholasville resident Kevin Davis said. “But this is my first time out here at Relay for Life, it wasn’t until a friend told me that I found out I wasn’t alone.”The middle school’s parking lot could barely hold the cars, most of which were also packed with people ready to take part in the annual 12-hour-long walk and cancer-survivor celebration.Nicholasville Mayor Russ Meyer said he was proud to see the event was the biggest it has ever been. More than 40 teams were there to take shifts during the walk and were made up of local businesses, churches, families and friends. Along with those teams came a swarm of children who just wanted to enjoy old-fashioned ice cream and games, but underlining the celebration was the gravity of cancer and its effect on hundreds of people’s lives.“Isn’t it amazing to think we’re a part of an international movement to end this disease?” Jessamine County’s Relay for Life event chair Elisa Smith said. “And it all started with just one volunteer.”Smith said that everyone who came out Friday night was united with cancer survivors and fighters across the world.“We want to make a difference in the fight against cancer, gathered as a community, determined for those who are facing cancer, they will be supported,” she said. “Those who have lost the battle will not be forgotten, and together we will fight back so that one day no one in Jessamine County will hear those dreadful words, ‘You have cancer.’”Not everyone there was directly affected by cancer but were there to support those in the community whose lives had been altered by the disease.“We came out because we knew this was for a good cause,” said Tim Stombaugh, Boy Scouts leader of Pack No. 45. “We’re just glad to be out here, be able to help a little bit and do what he can.”Stombaugh is not only a scout leader but the father of 5-year-old Andy, whom he brought out to help label the luminaries that circled the track.The Boy Scouts were not the only ones to pitch in as Jessamine County Girl Scouts troops 906 and 1090 made the presentation of the flag to mark the beginning of the cancer-survivor celebration. There were several events throughout the night, but it all centered around honoring survivors and remembering the lost.The grand marshal of the relay was 6-year-old Lily Ann Foster, who was surrounded by friends and family in blue T-shirts with her name on it.Foster, who beat cancer just six months ago, was the first to be called by state Sen. Tom Buford and walk through the survivor’s archway and be given a purple flower and balloon.Supporters from the different teams walked all throughout the night while event coordinators set up a cornhole tournament, Zumba class, line dancing and Jazzercise to keep the crowd lively.“I’m here to support all the cancer patients and those who survived and those who’ve passed away like my grandmother,” first-time Relay for Life attendee Gina Villanuena said. “Being here ... It’s just heartwarming. It makes you feel good.” 2012-06-13 11:34:59.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-cancer-survivors-celebrate-remember-at-jessamine-county-relay-for-life-2012-20120613,0,7163821.story

jj-the-gentle-shepherd-20120530 The gentle shepherd May 30, 2012 Father William C. Bush is a gentle soul who wears an easy smile above his clerical collar and carries a half century of spiritual experience under his belt. By Benjamin S. Rossi http://www.trbimg.com/img-4fc6510e/turbine/jj-the-gentle-shepherd-20120530/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-4fc6510e/turbine/jj-the-gentle-shepherd-20120530/400/16x9 Father William C. Bush is a gentle soul who wears an easy smile above his clerical collar and carries a half century of spiritual experience under his belt.He is known to many in the community for his approachable demeanor, perpetually kindness and love of Notre Dame football.But most importantly, he is respected for his devotion to Jesus Christ and his demonstration of that love to others.In June, the accumulation of his 50 years of Holy service will be celebrated in a Golden Jubilee at St. Luke Catholic Church on South Main Street. “I’ve known Father Bush for over 20 years — when he first came to St. Luke,” parish secretary Terry Leitch said. “He is a very Holy priest and he knows his sheep.”Leitch said it was a “privileged to work at St. Luke” for the past 10 years with Father Bush.“He’s a great man,” she said. “He’s also great at finding just the right person to get involved and take on a project.”Born in Lexington, Bush said he felt called to the ministry when he was in high school.Though his chosen lifestyle could have moved him anywhere is the county the Lord chose to call the Father back to his old Kentucky home.After teaching at Lexington Catholic High School for several years and other assignments, he was ready to become the senior preist of St. Luke Catholic Church in 1989.“People at St. Luke were very welcoming, very down to earth,” he said, “and they are very active in their faith.”Over the years, because of that faith and dedication to God, Bush has seen the expansion of St. Luke’s property and growth of the congregation to nearly 1,000 parishioners.Father Bush said his greatest joy comes from the start of the Eucharistic chapel of perpetual adoration, which is the building neighboring St. Luke’s rectory.For the past 17 years, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, there has always been at least one person at the Eucharist, where the Blessed Sacrament is exposed, who stays there in prayer.The concept of perpetual adoration is nothing new to the Catholic church, but Bush said he was inspired by other congregations which were much smaller than St. Luke when he decided to start their own chapel. There was even some reservation in the church in the beginning but “if the Lord wants it, it will be successful,” he said.And the proof of the chapel's success is “self evident.”The father said that at least three women have heard their calling into a convent, and two men, who are currently seeking priesthood, have gone to seminary after their time of mediation at the Eucharist."It's all come from prayer at that chapel," Bush said. "That's the accomplishment that stands out the most in my mind after my time here."However, the life of a priest, the road less travelled, is not an easy one and with all the joy there is hardship.“It’s a life a prayer I lead,” Bush said. “If you don’t have any faith, that’s a dead-end street. Priests have to have a strong prayer life (and) try to instill that confidence in others.”Yet, with every hardship comes awe-inspiring faith reaffirming his beliefs, Bush said.  There have been with many families, individuals and friends going through what seemed liked impossible situations, even death, but Bush said he was amazed and inspired by the perseverance of his “flock.”That inspiration is what keeps him going, he said — that, and God’s word will keep him going. 2012-05-30 09:57:48.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-the-gentle-shepherd-20120530,0,861222.story

jj-chimpanzees-monkeys-of-primate-rescue-center-welcome-donors-for-annual-openhouse-event-20120523 Chimpanzees, monkeys of Primate Rescue Center welcome donors for annual open-house event May 23, 2012 Hundreds of supporters came out to celebrate the 10th annual “Members Only Spring Gala” with Jessamine County’s Primate Rescue Center during its 25th anniversary on Saturday. By Benjamin S. Rossi http://www.trbimg.com/img-4fbd31c7/turbine/jj-chimpanzees-monkeys-of-primate-rescue-center-welcome-donors-for-annual-openhouse-event-20120523/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-4fbd31c7/turbine/jj-chimpanzees-monkeys-of-primate-rescue-center-welcome-donors-for-annual-openhouse-event-20120523/400/16x9 Hundreds of supporters came out to celebrate the 10th annual “Members Only Spring Gala” with Jessamine County’s Primate Rescue Center during its 25th anniversary on Saturday.“It really the best-kept secret in Kentucky,” Jessamine County Clerk Eva McDaniel said, “one of those gems in Jessamine County that few people know about but more people should and contribute.”The gala was also a celebration of Gizmo, the center’s macaque and inspiration in 1987 when the center was created. During the year, the PRC is closed to the public and rarely opens its doors in order to provide the animals with a safe and comfortable lifestyle.The 35-acre reserve sits in a little reclusive area off Bethel Road.There are nearly 50 primates, including 11 chimpanzees, at the center, which costs approximately $1,100 days to maintain, which is why volunteers and contributors are so important to the PRC’s and its residents’ survival.Twin sisters Maggie and Lesley Strong have volunteered for the past five years. “It’s our love for animals,” Maggie said. “We’ve just alway had a love for animals, which is why we come out here.”To find out how to donate or volunteer, visit www.primaterescue.org or call 859-858-4866. 2012-05-23 11:53:51.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-chimpanzees-monkeys-of-primate-rescue-center-welcome-donors-for-annual-openhouse-event-20120523,0,5361068.story

jj-wilmore-missionary-takes-gospel-to-ecuadors-children-20120516 Wilmore missionary takes gospel to Ecuador's children A passion for the ni�os May 16, 2012 Wilmore’s Jennifer Riggs has many passions. First and foremost is her passion for Jesus Christ; a love for children is not far down on the list. By Mike Moore http://www.trbimg.com/img-4fb3eafb/turbine/jj-wilmore-missionary-takes-gospel-to-ecuadors-children-20120516/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-4fb3eafb/turbine/jj-wilmore-missionary-takes-gospel-to-ecuadors-children-20120516/400/16x9 Wilmore’s Jennifer Riggs has many passions. First and foremost is her passion for Jesus Christ; a love for children is not far down on the list.In May 2011, Riggs, 29, a 2005 graduate of Asbury University, took a leap of faith to help satisfy her passions by moving to Ecuador to become a missionary with OMS (One Mission Society) International. Since arriving in Loja, Ecuador, Riggs established Ricon de Aventuras, Adventure Corner in English. That ministry also developed an in-home church in August 2011.“Shortly after I arrived in Loja, Mark and Nube Vogan (Other OMS missionaries) and I felt God leading us to start a house church in our neighborhood,” Riggs said in an e-mail interview. “As a way to get it started, we had VBS (Vacation Bible School) last summer. We invited many kids and had about 40 kids show up.”From that, Adventure Corner was born.“In the fall, I had about 12 kids coming on a regular basis,” Riggs said. “Since December, we have had about 25-30 kids coming.”And the message of Christ — through Adventure Corner — is going forth, Riggs said.“I had a mom of one of the girls tell me that she has heard the kids on the street talking about what they have been learning at Adventure Corner,” she said.In a year’s time, Riggs said at least 10 children have given their lives to Christ.“I have seen lives of others change a lot; it could be that they have too (accepted Christ) and just haven’t let me know,” Riggs said.Investing in othersRiggs told of a family whose father was an alcoholic and routinely beat his children and a mother who was emotionally absent, and how Christ is working in their lives.“The kids would pray for three things every week: that Dad would stop getting drunk, Mom would get better, and that they would have their own house (which they now live in).”The biggest news, Riggs said, made her cry.“One day, I got a phone call from the other missionaries, and she said, ‘Christian (the oldest brother) came to ask me how to accept Jesus as his Savior,’” Riggs said. “I had been investing so much with those kids, twice a week, that hearing that good news, all I could do was cry.”Riggs said one of the many requirements of being a missionary is simply spending time with children and their families.She told another story about 7-year-old Karen who came to Adventure Corner.“When she got home she told her parents about the things she learned that day,” Riggs said. “The dad didn’t like it too much because it didn’t agree with what he and his wife believed. The mom said that it was good for Karen to go because it gave her a chance to get out of the house, play with other kids and it wouldn’t matter too much that they believed differently. So, Karen kept coming. As a result mom started reading the Bible to see for herself what it said. As she found interesting things, she would read sections to her husband. They started reading the Bible together every night. The Vogans now go and visit them once a week to teach them about the Bible; sometimes they come to church, and the mom comes to the women’s Bible study group on a regular basis. The whole family is turning around just because their daughter came to Adventure Corner.”Support systemMoving to Ecuador meant giving up many things most people in U.S. take for granted.“Since moving into my apartment in August, I have to heat water on the stove and take a bucket shower — otherwise, it is a freezing-cold shower,” Riggs said. “I often don’t have water certain times of the day (or sometimes no water for a couple of days), and so I have some containers that I fill up for emergencies — and learning when the water will be on to wash clothes and dishes. Sometimes other things get canceled just because all of a sudden I have water and I have to use it when it is available.”Unrealiable Internet has also been somewhat of an adjustment.“I miss the convenience of having the simple things like hot water and Internet,” Riggs said. “Internet connections and trying to get a phone line to my apartment have given me lots of trouble.”But her family, friends, OMS sponsors and locals in Loja have helped in big ways to make the transition easier.“But it has also taught me to first seek out God for what I need emotionally, physically and financially, rather than turning to people first,” Riggs said.“One lady in town bought about 45 plastic chairs for the children’s ministry, or the owner of the store where I buy prizes and decorations for Adventure Corner is also a believer and gives me some things for free and other things at a huge discount,” she said. “Not everything has been for ministry either. For example, one lady gave me a little table when she found out I was trying to set up my apartment.”But mostly, it’s been a complete reliance on God, Riggs said, that has made the biggest difference.“God’s also sending people along to cry with, pray with, and laugh with,” she said. “Even the kids from Adventure Corner come and visit me — sometimes to sell me something like humitas — a tamale-like food with cheese in it — other times just to tell me something or just to see where it is that I live.”Going forwardWhen she first left Wilmore, Riggs was eyeing a two-year mission, but now it appears it may be longer term.“I have been rotating between different churches training their Sunday-school teachers on a monthly or bi-monthly basis,” she said. “More churches are asking me for help that I have time for. So I am changing strategies; I am going to start doing monthly trainings where all those who are the leaders of the Sunday-school teachers will be invited to come. I will train them, have them help me put together materials and resources that all the churches can have access to, pray with them. It will be a team work, so that they can encourage and uplift one another, trade ideas and resources. I will be part of that team to get things going."With a new strategey comes a new direction.“Also, I came with the idea of staying for two years, but that has changed,” Riggs said. “I am changing my status to full time with OMS.”Anyone wishing to support Riggs’ ministry can do so on the OMS website at www.onemissionsociety.org by clicking the “give” button. 2012-05-16 11:01:42.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-wilmore-missionary-takes-gospel-to-ecuadors-children-20120516,0,7822721.story

jj-providence-school-store-closes-out-year-with-sidewalk-sale-20120503 Providence School store closes out year with sidewalk sale May 3, 2012 Out to run an errand Thursday morning, the female driver noticed a collection of plants, baskets, handbags and trinkets sitting by the curb at The Providence School in Wilmore. Interested but not wanting to stop and get out, she pulled up and had students show her items, load her car, take her payment and bring her change, all while staying in the driver’s seat. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://www.trbimg.com/img-4fa2fa87/turbine/jj-providence-school-store-closes-out-year-with-sidewalk-sale-20120503/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-4fa2fa87/turbine/jj-providence-school-store-closes-out-year-with-sidewalk-sale-20120503/400/16x9 Out to run an errand Thursday morning, the female driver noticed a collection of plants, baskets, handbags and trinkets sitting by the curb at The Providence School in Wilmore. Interested but not wanting to stop and get out, she pulled up and had students show her items, load her car, take her payment and bring her change, all while staying in the driver’s seat.“It was a drive-through sidewalk sale,” Merrelyn Carmichael said. “It made us happy; it made her real happy.”Carmichael coordinates Providence’s Pathways to Careers program and helped start Jessamine Proud Products, the store run by students that features products from Jessamine County vendors, in the fall. Thursday’s sidewalk sale was the last big event for the business that will close at the end of school and reopen in August.“I wanted the students to get the idea of how we could reach out to more customers,” Carmichael said. “We want to get rid of as much as the inventory as we can; we don’t want to have to pack it up for the summer months.”Proceeds from the store are invested back into the business or the school system in some way. The first big project with the money this year was some landscaping on Providence’s campus, and some funds will be used to help greenhouses in the district, potentially yielding some vegetables to sell at the store in the fall.“We want all of the money that we have to go back into the store or the schools that, in turn, will benefit each of the students that we have in our district,” Carmichael said.Other purchases for the store could include an iPad to help keep track of inventory and a printer to be more self-sufficient and keep students in the store doing hands-on work.Part of the final project for students running the store is speaking to a committee about how Jessamine Proud Products has impacted them and what they have learned. Carmichael said she was proud of the maturation she saw in students who had worked in the store in the fall and spring.“It’s been great to see that when they’re outside of here, there’s problems and all that typical teenage stuff, but when they come to the store, they have really straightened up and they’ve got their act together,” she said.The store currently has 31 vendors and several more who are signed up to start next school year. Another improvement planned for next year is finding a way to have the store open Saturdays or late afternoons; this year hours were 9-11:30 a.m. Monday through Thursday.“I know it’s not convenient for the 9-11:30, but I have just those blocks with those students and then I have other responsibilities at East and West high schools,” Carmichael said. “So we’re going to try to work it out to be a little bit more convenient for everybody. Some people were a little upset about that; we just asked them to be patient until we figured out what we could do.”For those who can’t make it during regular hours, the store delivers and maintains a website accessible from the school district’s main page, www.jessamine.kyschools.us. Carmichael said she hopes to offer online ordering in the future. 2012-05-09 12:21:37.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-providence-school-store-closes-out-year-with-sidewalk-sale-20120503,0,4996112.story

jj-west-jessamine-high-school-junior-shines-in-wide-range-of-academic-competitions-20120502 West Jessamine High School junior shines in wide range of academic competitions A perfect spring for Kareem May 2, 2012 Like most 16-year-olds, Kareem Omar is anxious to get his driver’s license. But he’ll be handling the controls of an airplane by himself before ever driving a car solo. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://www.trbimg.com/img-4fa15ce8/turbine/jj-west-jessamine-high-school-junior-shines-in-wide-range-of-academic-competitions-20120502/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-4fa15ce8/turbine/jj-west-jessamine-high-school-junior-shines-in-wide-range-of-academic-competitions-20120502/400/16x9 Like most 16-year-olds, Kareem Omar is anxious to get his driver’s license. But he’ll be handling the controls of an airplane by himself before ever driving a car solo.Aerospace engineering is just one of many academic pursuits for the West Jessamine High School junior who has had a high-flying couple months, winning first-place honors statewide in a broad range of disciplines and achieving a perfect score on a college-entrance exam.Omar had already taken the ACT three times voluntarily when juniors acrosss Kentucky had the mandatory test March 6. He had scored 34 twice and 35 once but came out with a perfect 36 this year in English, math, reading and science.“I was confident about it; I knew I had done really well, and I didn’t have to guess on anything,” he said. “If I did this again, I doubt I’d get the same results; it just kind of depends on the questions. Colleges don’t really care past 35 or 34; they know it’s the same.”Only a week later, Omar was surprised to come out with first place in the Kentucky Association for Academic Competition’s Governor’s Cup math assessment.“That one I did not expect at all,” he said. “I thought I did pretty well on the test; I studied a little bit for it, put in two days of studying. I thought I did OK, so I expected maybe a rank, a place somewhere, and then apparently the test was a lot harder, so I was about four points above the next competitor. I didn’t see that coming at all.”On March 27, Omar and his three teammates from West took first place in the Kentucky Council on Economics Education’s 2012 competition. Three days later, he placed first in Western Kentucky University’s annual U.S. history contest for high-schoolers; he had been slightly disappointed in his finish in the world-history portion of that statewide competition last year.“I didn’t do as well; I got second place, which was OK,” Omar said. “I didn’t expect that either, because I thought I failed the multiple choice.”Competing and succeeding in such a wide array of subject matter has been a recent development for the kid who had been focused on computers and video games.“I felt like it was all just math or science or computers that was really my stuff,” Omar said. “But I’ve been trying intentionally to broaden my horizons. The one area I think I’m lacking in is music. I used to play piano, but I had a bad teacher, and instead of switching teachers, I quit, and I regret that now very much.”A first-generation American, Omar has a Bulgarian mother and a father from Palestine who met each other in school. He credited his parents with encouraging him to pursue his interests.“My parents have always said, ‘Do whatever; as long as you do your best, you’re fine,’ which is good,” he said. “They’ve always been supportive, and they’ve not really forced me to do anything.”Omar credits West High social-studies teacher Wayne Stevens for pushing him down new avenues, including the WKU history and state economics competitions. Stevens will have taught Omar in five AP classes by the time the 16-year-old graduates next year.“I help make sure he’s got some opportunities, but he does all the work,” Stevens said. “He’s got a great foundation. Really coming up through middle school, everybody just knew that there was potential.“Rarely do you find a student who can excel in a very wide variety of things. To do well in world history and U.S. history is one thing, but then to be best in the state in math and economics — and everything comes together; a lot of times in those essays in competitions, he brings everything from every field into one essay, one analysis.”Stevens sometimes calls on Omar to become a teacher in class when addressing math concepts in economics.“I know the principles of economics, but I don’t understand the math of economics as well as he does,” Stevens said. “So when myself or students need greater explanation about the reasons or rationale behind especially graphing, he’s the go-to guy. And he gets things across in an easy way to understand; he would be a great teacher — is a great teacher.”Somewhere in the middle of his load of high-level classes, Omar finds time for his hobbies of piloting, video games and his newest venture — endurance biking. He said his less-structured classes this year have helped him learn at his own pace and not focus on repetitive problem-solving after he has the concept down.“I guess the key is a lot of my classes are independent this year, which means I don’t really have any homework, per se,” Omar said. “I have only homework that I assign myself to make sure I understand the content.”Omar will participate in the Governor’s Scholars Program this year as well as a summer trip to Washington, D.C., with the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour. Looking past his graduation in spring 2013, he hopes to study aerospace engineering and physics. He said he has narrowed his college options to eight, including Auburn University, where his cousin who also studies aerospace engineering is currently a freshman.With such a broad range of interests and a spring full of first-place awards in various studies, Omar makes the reasons for his success sound simple.“I don’t waste time; I do the minimum that’s required to gain a competent understanding of what I need to do,” he said. “I try not to get too stressed about things; I don’t worry a lot.” 2013-05-06 08:57:09.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-west-jessamine-high-school-junior-shines-in-wide-range-of-academic-competitions-20120502,0,2765841.story

jj-hundreds-enjoy-local-delicacies-at-15th-annual-taste-of-jessamine-20120425 Hundreds enjoy local delicacies at 15th annual Taste of Jessamine April 25, 2012 Sampling flavors from around Jessamine County never felt or tasted so good for Sam Lee as it did last Friday night. By Benjamin S. Rossi http://www.trbimg.com/img-4f9822fc/turbine/jj-hundreds-enjoy-local-delicacies-at-15th-annual-taste-of-jessamine-20120425/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-4f9822fc/turbine/jj-hundreds-enjoy-local-delicacies-at-15th-annual-taste-of-jessamine-20120425/400/16x9 Sampling flavors from around Jessamine County never felt or tasted so good for Sam Lee as it did last Friday night.As one of the coordinators and community president from First Southern National Bank, Lee said the annual Taste of Jessamine County has always been the toast of the town when it comes to giving back to the community.The $10-per-person benefit dinner had roughly 50 cooks who put their best food forward with samples ranging from the very sweet Magical Magistrates chocolate-covered strawberries dipped by Jessamine County magistrate Tim Vaughan to the very spicy “man-card-earning” buffalo chicken dip brewed by county attorney Brian Goettl.“We’re here to support First Southern and the two organizations that they’re donating all the proceeds to,” said Ronda May of Hospice of the Bluegrass. “It’s a great way to be out in the community and give back.”For the past decade and a half, officials at the bank have convened to select two nonprofit organizations to receive the proceeds.This year, First Southern chose to donate an estimated $7,500 from the evening to the Community Service Center of Wilmore-High Bridge and the Jessamine Christian Church backpack ministry. Lee said members get together each year to vote on the most deserving nonprofit.The community center, which is a partner with God’s Pantry Food Bank and the United Way, is a family-focused nonprofit.The backpack ministry is an outreach from the Jessamine Christian Church that focuses on helping school children by sending them home each Friday with a backpack full of enough food for the weekend.“This is my fourth year,” said Suzanne Short, event coordinator from First Southern. “(My favorite) is being with all the people and the nonprofits, and realizing that First Southern’s doing their best to make a difference in the community.”There was more than just food to sample as both a silent auction and a live auction added a little more spice to the evening.There was a basketball signed by University of Kentucky coach John Calipari, two UK men’s basketball tickets,  UK leather cowboy boots, a nostalgic popcorn machine and the chance at a $1,500 bathroom remolding — all up for grabs to the highest bidder.But there was one item that caught nearly everyone’s eye displayed by the door — a 2011 green Epiphone special guitar signed by a majority of the bands who played at Ichthus last year.“This event is all about giving away to good organizations,” Dan Lewis said. “Another event we’re going to be sponsoring this year is Ichthus, June 20-23, with the theme ‘live love.’ We encourage everyone locally to come out that Saturday night, because it will be a community night like this.” 2012-04-25 09:17:04.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-hundreds-enjoy-local-delicacies-at-15th-annual-taste-of-jessamine-20120425,0,6452190.story

jj-racers-compete-in-eclectic-confrontation-point-adventure-race-20120418 Racers compete in eclectic Confrontation Point adventure race There and back again April 18, 2012 Twenty-eight racers traversed Wilmore and southwestern Jessamine County on Saturday in a race that combined service and adventure — the signature of the ministry that sponsored it. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://www.trbimg.com/img-4f8ee53a/turbine/jj-racers-compete-in-eclectic-confrontation-point-adventure-race-20120418/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-4f8ee53a/turbine/jj-racers-compete-in-eclectic-confrontation-point-adventure-race-20120418/400/16x9 Twenty-eight racers traversed Wilmore and southwestern Jessamine County on Saturday in a race that combined service and adventure — the signature of the ministry that sponsored it.Confrontation Point Ministries started the adventure race at its property off Campground Lane in Wilmore —&ensp;the same land that had hosted the Wilmore Camp Meeting for 120 years until Confrontation Point bought it in October 2010. Saturday’s race included 11 teams of two and six individual competitors.Racers began just after 9 a.m., running about 3 miles through downtown Wilmore and out High Bridge Road before turning right on Shanty Hill Road and following a gravel road all the way down to the bank of the Kentucky River.On the river, individuals in kayaks and teams in canoes paddled downriver to a shanty-boat checkpoint where the Moron Brothers serenaded them with Bluegrass music. Once returning to the launch point, racers took a steep half-mile trail run up to the Asbury University challenge course, where they quickly made their way through obstacles before hopping on their bicycles.Back out Shanty Hill Road, the bikers hung a right on High Bridge Road and followed it all the way to High Bridge Park, where a surprise building challenge with several wood blocks awaited them.“That’s pretty CPish,” said racer and CP volunteer Roger Brock. “I work here, and we do a lot of going on the fly, figuring out what we have to do, and I think this race incorporated some of that.”Once the small structure was properly assembled, they biked back up High Bridge Road all the way into Wilmore and finished the last long leg of their journey back at Confrontation Point — but the race was not over.At the campground, racers took part in a tree-planting checkpoint made possible by donations from UBS bank and nonprofit organization Blessed Earth. CP executive director Andy Bathje said the tree-planting was especially appropriate as they maintained the property that had deep spiritual meaning for many. The Ichthus music festival was held on the campground for decades.“You can just imagine how many people felt the Lord speak to them out here, from camp meeting and Ichthus, Great Commission Fellowship Church meeting out here, and a lot of them just walking their dogs out here and just reflecting upon the Lord in the shade of a good tree,” Bathje said.Confrontation Point is seeking donations to plant another 25 trees in the coming months.Racers completed a disc-golf hole before finally ending in the “finishers’ cage,” a tall cylinder that Confrontation Point also uses to collect recycling at Ichthus each year.Georgetown’s Sharlyn Golding won the race, stepping into the finishers’ cage around 10:30 a.m. She is a member of a central Kentucky McDonald’s cycling team but said she enjoyed all the different elements of Saturday’s race, though the construction challenge slowed her down the most.“I didn’t quite get the flag where it needed to be,” she said. “I was there building for about eight minutes. He finally said, ‘The flag is OK.’”Confrontation Point hosts more than 50 groups each year for service projects including home repair, tornado relief, environmental conservation, recycling and urban work.“All of our trips, the goal is to give these groups, teams of often young people, chances to live out their faith by serving others and doing it in a way where they have to take control and figure out how to build a handicapped ramp or whatever it might be,” Bathje said.“The purpose of this race with that combo of adventure and service is the signature of who Confrontation Point is as a mission organization, and the purpose was to raise funds for the good works that we do throughout the year.”This was the inaugural year of the race; Bathje said it will become an annual event.“A lot of the racers have already said they’re coming back,” he said as the last racers finished. “I’m hearing great things; people are having a great time.” 2012-04-18 09:03:26.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-racers-compete-in-eclectic-confrontation-point-adventure-race-20120418,0,4791296.story

jj-52year-jessamine-co-educator-robin-fain-to-turn-100-saturday-20120410 52-year Jessamine County educator Robin Fain to turn 100 Saturday Titan of education April 10, 2012 A hundred years ago this Saturday night, the Titanic ocean liner hit an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean on its maiden voyage. That same night, the life of a titanic figure in Jessamine County education began in a country farmhouse. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://www.trbimg.com/img-4f84558d/turbine/jj-52year-jessamine-co-educator-robin-fain-to--002/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-4f84558d/turbine/jj-52year-jessamine-co-educator-robin-fain-to--002/400/16x9 A hundred years ago this Saturday night, the Titanic ocean liner hit an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean on its maiden voyage. That same night, the life of a titanic figure in Jessamine County education began in a country farmhouse.Robin Fain celebrates her 100th birthday April 14. Friends and family gathered at Royal Manor nursing home last Monday to see Jessamine County Judge-Executive Neal Cassity present her with a proclamation that Saturday, April 14, would be “Miss Robin Fain Day.”“I just read the Readers Digest large print on the sinking of the Titanic, and it tried its best to get to New York, but it had to sink in the Atlantic, and there I was in a little four-room house,” Fain said.As an 18-year-old at Elmwood School, Fain began a teaching career that would span 52 years in Jessamine County. She had attended the same one-room school, completing eight grades in six years, before graduating from Nicholasville High School and spending a year at the University of Kentucky.Fain recalled memories of her early years teaching as she reminisced — women walking to Elmwood from Sulphur Well for a Christmas production, driving a Model A Ford, bringing home a salary of $75 a month, taking all her students to a funeral of a friend, and even telling the stories of the only two students she ever had to whip.After six years at Elmwood, the school was discontinued and Fain moved with her students to the two-room Sulphur Well School, where she taught grades one through four. Three years later, then-superintendent Roland Roberts asked Fain to assume the head-teacher post at Little Hickman School, teaching grades five through eight.By 1956, Fain was teaching English at Wilmore High School, also taking on world-history and library duties. When Nicholasville and Wilmore high schools merged two years later to create Jessamine County High School, Fain became the full-time librarian. When she retired 25 years later, the board of education named the library after her.Current superintendent Lu Young, a Jessamine County High School graduate, was on hand last Monday and looked through her 1977 yearbook with Fain.“We all adored her,” Young said. “She loved books and always wanted to talk to us about book. If we were reading something, she had 100 questions for us about what we read.”Young said her fondest memories were from Beta Club, which Fain sponsored for 32 years. Young said she still remembers lectures about behavior and making memories at Beta Club conventions in Louisville each December.“Every year, she and her co-sponsor, Mrs. Wilder, would call us all into their room, and they would give us a speech about good comportment and that we needed to know that we were about to make a memory,” Young said. “So every year we would think about the memories we were going to make, and I still think about that now when I take kids around, because I look back fondly on those things so much.”Cassity recalled trips Fain had taken with the Jessamine County Beef-Cattle Association 15 years or more ago and told stories of the retired librarian making sure she saved her ice-cream cone when she fell and skinned her knee as well as a time she got separated from the group.“It was in this great big parking lot in one of the shopping centers, and we were all over the place, and everybody was hunting for Ms. Fain,” Cassity said. “The bus driver started loading everybody up; we went around, and right in the corner of the parking lot stood this lady. Ms. Fain was out there on the corner — she said she had decided that we couldn’t find her in all that mess, so she got to where the entrance was; you had to go out there.”Fain will celebrate her birthday Saturday (Miss Robin Fay Day) with family and friends and then be honored at a Jessamine County Retired Teachers Association reception on Wednesday, April 18, from 2:30-4:30 p.m. at Central Bank. The public is invited to that event.Editor’s note: Some information was taken from Fain’s personal history in the 1993 book “A History of Jessamine County.” 2012-04-10 08:50:46.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-52year-jessamine-co-educator-robin-fain-to-turn-100-saturday-20120410,0,795813.story

jj-west-jessamine-high-students-come-out-on-top-against-staff-in-fundraiser-game-20120402 West Jessamine High students come out on top against staff in fundraiser game Students school teachers April 2, 2012 Teachers and staff at West Jessamine High School suited up and took the floor against students Friday, but both teams had the same game plan — raising money for tornado relief in West Liberty. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://www.trbimg.com/img-4f79d769/turbine/jj-west-jessamine-high-students-come-out-on-top-against-staff-in-fundraiser-game-20120402/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-4f79d769/turbine/jj-west-jessamine-high-students-come-out-on-top-against-staff-in-fundraiser-game-20120402/400/16x9 Teachers and staff at West Jessamine High School suited up and took the floor against students Friday, but both teams had the same game plan — raising money for tornado relief in West Liberty.The game was coordinated by the school’s Beta Club with tickets sold ahead of time at $3 a piece. At halftime, nearly $1,000 had already been raised to go to West Liberty High School’s youth-services center.Beta Club president Amy Gatliff said there had been some healthy trash-talking between students and staff throughout the week.“My English teacher is playing, and he’s been on the boys all week, just excited and getting people to buy tickets, so (the enthusiasm) has definitely been helpful,” Gatliff said.The student team consisted of six players from the boys’ varsity team and four from the girls’ varsity team, with two students coaching. The staff team included two assistant principals, six teachers, an instructional assistant, a former teacher and the school receptionist, with another teacher coaching.The students got off to a quick start behind junior Carson Daniel, who scored 10 of their first 12 points. The staff team recovered and dug out of a double-digit deficit with the help of back-to-back threes from math teacher and boys’ coach Damon Kelley and former special-education teacher Mark Butler. The students led 29-24 at the half.Daniel would lead the students in scoring with 13. Junior Chase Fain had 12 points and two blocks on agriculture teacher Mary Jennings and assistant principal Jimmy Brehm.“I just played with a little finesse; those old guys aren’t just use to it. I just gave them a couple juke moves,” Fain said. “It felt good (to block Brehm). He’s been talking trash all week.”Official Kevin Wright, a special-education teacher and soccer coach, called an intentional foul on Kelley three minutes before the break that was questioned by the staff team. Students Sean Donaldson and Craig Moberley were the other referees.“I thought we did a solid job,” Wright said after the game. “We may have missed one or two, but you know how fast it is — most people get four or five looks at it on replays, but not us; we just call it like we see it.”The staff team hung close for the first few minutes in the second 20-minute period, but the students began to pull away late. Butler, who scored a team-high 17 for the staff, led a late charge, but the final on the scoreboard read 58-45 in favor of the students.“It’s a disappointing loss,” Kelley said. “We had watched a lot of film on them, and we knew what their weaknesses were coming into the game; we just didn’t execute ... We felt like we gave one away tonight. We felt like if we played like we were capable of, we would have come out of here with a win today.”Senior Heath Jackson scored nine for the students.“I just tried to run a lot because they’re all old and out of shape,” Jackson said.Kelley acknowledged that the fast pace was not in favor of his team, hinting that the students could have done better.“They beat us in transition — they’re half our age, and they should be able to,” he said. “If I was them and didn’t win by 30, I’d be embarrassed, to be honest with you.”Gatliff said the event was a success and she hoped it would become a regular occurrence as a friendly fundraiser.“Actually, a lot of people have already said, ‘Are you going to this next year?’” she said. “So we’re hoping to do it yearly from now on and donate the money to different organizations, whatever the need is.” 2012-04-02 10:07:29.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-west-jessamine-high-students-come-out-on-top-against-staff-in-fundraiser-game-20120402,0,7847915.story

jj-east-jessamine-high-students-will-get-100k-kitchen-upgrade-this-summer-20120328 East Jessamine High students will get $100K kitchen upgrade this summer March 28, 2012 New commercial-kitchen equipment at East Jessamine High School will help students feel the heat of the culinary careers for which they’re preparing. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://www.trbimg.com/img-4f73415a/turbine/jj-east-jessamine-high-students-will-get-100k--001/187/16x9 http://www.trbimg.com/img-4f73415a/turbine/jj-east-jessamine-high-students-will-get-100k--001/400/16x9 New commercial-kitchen equipment at East Jessamine High School will help students feel the heat of the culinary careers for which they’re preparing.East High teacher Cary York obtained the equipment, which is set to be installed over the summer, through a $100,000 grant. It includes a three-part sink, six-burner gas range, fryer, griddle, hood range, refrigerator, freezer and double-stack convection oven.“It’s pretty much the basic equipment you would need if you were running a kitchen,” York said. York said her current facilities — which have basic residential appliances — are excellent for teaching simple food skills.“We don’t want to give up this type of food prep, because some kids just take it for the basic knowledge,” she said. “If they’re just doing foods and nutrition, this is perfect; once you get into the upper-level food courses, they need more.”York and Melanie Stamper, who teaches advanced-placement chemistry in the district, have developed curriculum for a culinary career pathway that combines family and consumer sciences and chemistry. The program includes lessons on organic foods, food additives, leavening agents and the reduction of fat in snack food.A lot of students don’t know the chemical reactions in simple cooking, York said.“They’re surprised to learn that chemistry occurs when you add baking soda or baking powder to flour and add it to a liquid and put it in the oven,” she said.In addition to learning cooking skills, those who aspire to have culinary careers get a taste in York’s classes of how they would fit into the field — including troubles they could face.“A child who’s a vegetarian or a vegan is going to have trouble in the culinary field,” she said. “I don’t necessarily have a problem with that choice or that lifestyle, but if you’re going to prepare food for crowds, you have to be able to taste it; you can’t just put it out.”With textbooks growing obsolete and ever-changing nutrition guidelines, York is working toward an entirely online curriculum for the culinary-pathway classes. With the new commercial equipment, she hopes students will be able to leave her classes with a postsecondary credit and possibly have a “jump start” toward a culinary degree.“Then our kids have some postsecondary credit or ability to jump into a program, and they also have some idea of what they’re getting into,” York said.The career pathway is currently only available at East High; York said she hopes that moving much of the program online will open up the possibility of West High students also participating.The Jessamine County Board of Education has given approval for the new equipment to be installed in the current art room at East High, with plans to move the art program to a larger area not currently occupied. York expects it to be ready to go for the 2012-2013 school year. 2012-03-28 09:53:09.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-east-jessamine-high-students-will-get-100k-kitchen-upgrade-this-summer-20120328,0,7110510.story

jj-former-state-beekeeper-in-jessamine-county-stays-busy-helping-others-with-craft-20120321 Former state beekeeper in Jessamine County stays busy helping others with craft Keeping abuzz March 21, 2012 While the warm weather brings out Phil Craft’s honeybees to collect nectar and spread pollen, the Jessamine County beekeeper is making his own rounds — statewide and even internationally — to help his counterparts keep their bees flying. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2012-03/317927840-21085547.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2012-03/317927840-21085548.jpg While the warm weather brings out Phil Craft’s honeybees to collect nectar and spread pollen, the Jessamine County beekeeper is making his own rounds — statewide and even internationally — to help his counterparts keep their bees flying.Craft had spent nearly 13 years as the Kentucky state apiarist before the new agriculture commissioner released him from the position in January. He finished a series of already scheduled beekeeping schools and is currently on a three-week aid mission to Bangladesh, but he has started his own website and intends to continue offering support to Kentucky’s beekeeping community.“I’m still doing a lot — doing too much — because there’s a void and they haven’t hired anybody,” Craft said.Most beekeeping operations in Kentucky are small, Craft said —&ensp;his own dozen hives along High Bridge Road being fairly typical — and they don’t require much land, meaning it’s easy to look over a lot of the estimated 3,000 to 5,000 beekeepers.“People often don’t realize how many beekeepers there are because (the bees) aren’t like cows when you drive down the road and see them in the field,” Craft said. “Mine happen to be by the road, but if they were behind my house, nobody would ever know they were here. There are more beekeepers around than people realize.”The colonies of honeybees live in man-made hive boxes, where they build wax combs the same way they would naturally in a hollow tree.“Beekeepers basically just provide them a different place to live — I call them managed colonies versus a feral or wild colony,” Craft said.The bees go out to collect nectar — the chief material in honey — from plants. In making those rounds, the bees help the crops propagate by dispersing pollen.“The pollen gets caught in the hair of the bee, and then when they go to another flower, it’s transferred sort of accidently,” Craft said.It’s pollination that make the bees so valuable in agriculture, with many beekeepers selling the use of their hives to pollinate during blooming. Locally, honeybees are helpful in pollinating plants in the cucurbit family as well as some fruits.“Those are the major things here in Kentucky,” Craft said. “When people come looking for something to pollinate, they’re typically looking at apples or they’re growing pumpkins or cantaloupes.”The other benefit to beekeepers is especially sweet. Bees have been selected to be better honey producers, so they can produce much more honey than they will need. When the production gets very high in April, Craft will add “honey supers” — additional boxes where the bees will put surplus honey.“It’s sort of their nature to put the honey up higher, so that way we can add boxes and they end up being all honey, and then we can remove those later in the summer and remove the honey from them,” he said.Craft bottles his own honey and sells it exclusively at Fitch’s IGA in Wilmore, where the supply will be greater as spring goes on.Both Craft’s grandfathers were beekeepers, and his curiosity and interest in the practice peaked about 20 years ago when he and his wife moved to the countryside near Wilmore and he got his first hives.Craft wears a mask veil and carries a smoker to calm the bees when he checks on them, but he eschews gloves, saying they get in the way too much. He gets stung on a regular basis — “they still hurt” — but he doesn’t swell. He said everyone is allergic to bee stings and will get local swelling when they’re stung for the first time.“If you’re going to keep bees, you’re going to get stung. However, you can cover yourself up enough to where you can almost totally protect yourself if you want,” he said. “... Most beekeepers that gain a lot of experience just learn to tolerate the stings, and our bodies become adapted to the venom.”Craft became the state apiarist nearly 13 years ago, with his job mainly to assist beekeepers in the state, hosting question-and-answer sessions and doing hands-on work. He said the best maintenance beekeepers can do on their colonies is to make sure the hives are operating normally.“They worry about diseases and things like that. I tell them the main thing is to just look and see if things are normal,” he said. “This time of year, bringing pollen in and things like that is normal. All of a sudden, if I saw a hive and they weren’t bringing in pollen, from the outside of the hive, I’d say, ‘Hey, what’s going on?’”In February and March, Craft hosted more than 1,200 beekeepers at five beekeeping schools across the state, including 425 participants at his last school March 10 in Frankfort. His work on the current United States Agency for International Development trip to Bangladesh involves helping beekeepers in the Asian country in much the same way he helps beekeepers in Kentucky. The project is coordinated by nonprofit organization Winrock International.To learn more about Craft or beekeeping, visit philcrafthivecraft.com. 2012-03-21 09:04:15.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-former-state-beekeeper-in-jessamine-county-stays-busy-helping-others-with-craft-20120321,0,100723.story

jj-cub-scouts-race-to-the-finish-in-annual-pinewood-derby-20120314 Cub Scouts race to the finish in annual pinewood derby The need for speed March 14, 2012 The Blue Building at City-County Park has been used for many events from family reunions to wrestling. But on Saturday, it was transformed into the “Blue Building Speedway” as 47 Cub Scouts from Pack 45 hit the track for their annual pinewood-derby event. By Mike Moore http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2012-03/94643860-14114206.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2012-03/94643860-14114207.jpg The Blue Building at City-County Park has been used for many events from family reunions to wrestling. But on Saturday, it was transformed into the “Blue Building Speedway” as 47 Cub Scouts from Pack 45 hit the track for their annual pinewood-derby event.In a pinewood derby, “drivers” cannot offer excuses about tire pressures, blown engines or another driver wrecking in front of them; it all comes down to each car’s preparation, and, of course, gravity. But more importantly for the members of Pack 45, it was a chance to have fun.Pinewood committee co-chair and Tiger den leader Darrell Jordan said because the cars have to be put together from a kit, it turns out to be a family event.“The biggest part of the work on the car is the cutting,” Jordan said. “The kids can’t really do most of that, so the parents get involved.”Jordan added that the event teaches scouts good sportsmanship and gives them a sense of personal achievement.The derby takes place on a 30-foot downhill track, Jordan said. Once each car is lined up at the starting line, a scout master pulls a lever that releases the cars, and gravity takes control from there.Besides the scouts’ competition and having fun together, Saturday’s event also offered a siblings class, where brothers and sisters of scouts participated in their own event; and an outlaw class, where the parents were able to compete.The kits are paid for as part of the yearly pack fees, and they are handed out about a month before the event at the pack’s build night.“We take an evening and set up at the Blue Building and have power tools that are not available to most scouts and allow them with their parents to get started on building their car,” Jordan said.The five speed winners will travel to White Hall Elementary School in Richmond to participate in the district derby Saturday, March 17.The first pinewood derby was held May 15, 1953. By 1955, the pinewood derby was part of the official Cub Scouting program and, while always optional, has become a key part of many Cub Scout packs’ annual programs.For more information on pinewood derbies or Boy Scouts, visit www.scouting.org. 2012-03-14 11:43:19.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-cub-scouts-race-to-the-finish-in-annual-pinewood-derby-20120314,0,489419.story

jj-jessamine-doghandler-enjoying-success-on-national-stage-with-gracious-attitude-20120307 Jessamine dog-handler enjoying success on national stage with gracious attitude A howling success March 7, 2012 A Jessamine County teenage dog-handler has gained a national spotlight this year, and the way she handles herself is a big reason for it. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2012-03/193837960-07095131.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2012-03/193837960-07095132.jpg A Jessamine County teenage dog-handler has gained a national spotlight this year, and the way she handles herself is a big reason for it.Kristin Lawless, 16, was one of eight finalists in the junior-showmanship category at the 2012 Westminster Kennel Club dog show in New York with her 4-year-old Nova Scotia duck-tolling retriever, Cruiser.“It’s basically like the Super Bowl of dog shows, so getting anything there is exciting, but making the finals was amazing,” Kristin said.The home-schooler has always loved dogs but got into handling when she was 6 and watching her older brother train his dog in 4-H.“She was too young to be in 4-H, but she would sit on the sidelines and watch with her little sheltie, and before you knew it, she was working circles around her brother on the sidelines,” said her mother, Judy. “So the 4-H leader said, ‘Kristin, you can come in and train with us, and you can be a Cloverbud.’”Kristin’s first dog, Buddy, is now 11 years old.“All the other 4-H moms had to beg their kids to work their dogs; I had to beg Kristin to give Buddy a break, because she was just so focused; she wanted to work with him all the time,” Judy said.Sally Arias, Kristin’s leader in 4-H, said it was the way the Lawless girl carried herself that stood out — always cheering others on and congratulating her competitors even when she was on the losing end.“What goes around comes around,” Arias said. “If you’re good and you care and you’re nice to other people, you will get the reward back —&ensp;you don’t ask for them; you just get them. And Kristin has just carried herself absolutely beautifully.”Kristin was doing shows with the American Kennel Club by the time she was 10. She said preparation and grooming is key in the competitions.“A lot of it is before you go in the ring — you have to train them, groom them and get their coat conditioned and trimmed,” she said. “It’s a lot of work beforehand.”Once you get in the ring, it’s all about creating the best pose and having a good relationship with the animal.“Basically, you’re trying to make your dog look as good as they can to their breed standard — each breed has a standard. So you’ll stack them and place their feet to make the best they can look,” she said. “You have to have a good relationship with your dog, and you have to be focused when you’re in the ring.”Kristin was featured on national television in February after she made the junior-showmanship finals of AKC’s Eukanuba National Championship in Florida in December. She had been to the Westminster show before but had not made the finals until this year’s show in February.Home-schooling helps Kristin be able to travel with Cruiser, as many weekend shows last up to five days and events can be as far as California; the Lawlesses have counted 39 states they’ve traveled through on show trips.Judy said her daughter’s skill with dogs is a “gifting” and that she sets an example not just for other teen competitors but for adults.“She’s an incredible sport; she’s probably one of the best sports I’ve ever seen in my life,” Judy said. “All our dog-show friends say they want to be like Kristin when they grow up, because she loves her dog, and she just wants her dog to get out there and do well and have fun. She’s always the first to go congratulate the winner; she really sets an example. People have told me a lot that she sets an example for a lot of adults.”Kristin said that while she has plans to study business and dog-handling won’t be a career for her, she will always do shows “on the side.”“This is her passion,” Arias said, “and it’s really focused her whole personality on being something good in whatever she does, and dogs will always be a part of that.”The Lawless household has six members, Judy said — three humans, one sheltie and two duck-tolling retrievers.“They’re members of the family,” Judy said. “When Kristin comes in, they’re over the moon, just so excited to see her ... she loves her dogs.” 2012-03-07 09:52:19.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-jessamine-doghandler-enjoying-success-on-national-stage-with-gracious-attitude-20120307,0,6755616.story

jj-nicholasville-woman-hopes-to-share-fitness-mentalhealth-benefits-of-hooping-20120229 Nicholasville woman hopes to share fitness, mental-health benefits of hooping What's all the hoopla about? February 29, 2012 For years, Shannon Herrington jumped through the hoops of different fitness programs without finding any for which she felt real passion. She weighed 300 pounds in 2006 and felt socially awkward. Four years later, some of the weight was gone but she had still not found the purpose she was looking for. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2012-02/193961860-29083952.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2012-02/193961860-29083952.jpg For years, Shannon Herrington jumped through the hoops of different fitness programs without finding any for which she felt real passion. She weighed 300 pounds in 2006 and felt socially awkward. Four years later, some of the weight was gone but she had still not found the purpose she was looking for. Then she found the big hoops.Hooping has changed Herrington’s life since January 2011, and now she is hoping to spread the movement in the community, widening the art’s circle of influence.The journeyHerrington decided last January that she would “hoop or die.” She had tried hooping before but struggled with small hoops and floppy hoops. (While hooping may draw Hula-Hoops to mind, the simpler phrase is intentionally used since Wham-O owns the trademarked name.)She spent the start of 2011 pulling old hoops out, using a hoop a friend made for her, and even buying her own kit and making hoops — none of it worked.“I’m amazed, looking back, that I kept going,” she said. “There were times I was on the floor screaming, ‘My body is horrible; I can’t do this.’”But then she found a class at the YMCA in Lexington and the teacher gave her something new — a big, thick hoop.“I used her huge hoop — it was about as tall as me and 1 inch thick — and I could do it; I was doing the right movement,” Herrington said. “At this point, I had been trying for a month and still couldn’t do it. I had been doing the right thing — my hoop had just been too small.”It took her weeks of practice to be able to keep the hoop off the ground for a minute as it spun around her body. Then she worked her way up to 16 minutes and stopped timing herself. When typical “waist hooping” bored her, she taught herself other tricks she saw in online videos. Three months later, she couldn’t stop.“I was addicted; I craved hooping,” Herrington said. “I basically stopped the diet, but I exercised. I’ve never been one of those people that exercised just to exercise; I had to be on a diet to exercise. But I was exercising just because it was fun.”The movement became less of a choreographed way to spin the hoop and more of a dance — something Herrington dreamed of doing when she was a child but had given up on.“I wanted to be a prima ballerina, but I was overweight, and I was 9 by that point — that’s too old to start a ballerina career,” she said with a laugh. “But now, with hoop dance, I feel like I’m a dancer ... and now, I can tell my 9-year-old self that I’m a dancer; I’m not a prima ballerina, but I’m a dancer.”Herrington found that the dance was not only good for her body; it lifted her spirits.“The hoop is there to help me,” she said. “It’s like this perfect dance partner, because this dance partner won’t step on your toes; it won’t tell you you’re fat; it won’t say, ‘Oh, not right now, honey.’ This is a dance partner that’s always going to be there, ready for you to go.”Getting others in the loopHerrington has not kept it to herself. She knew that while there was a large online hooping community, there were not a lot of “big girls” who hooped.“There are a lot of bigger bodies inside the hoop, but there are not a lot of famous bigger bodies inside the hoop,” she said. “I’m one of the very few who actually post videos online — which is something I would never do before hooping.”She started her own blog — hooplove.org — and writes for hooping.org. She was even nominated for the 2012 “Newbie Hooper of the Year” award from the national website.But Herrington, an instructor certified through BodyHoops, also has goals of getting local people in Jessamine County inside the hoop. She takes hoops to both her jobs; she hosted “hoop jams” last summer in public parks; she’s helped heavier people make their own hoops. She plans to have a hoop-building workshop at the Jessamine County Public Library this summer and will be involved in the Central Kentucky Health, Beauty and Fitness Expo at Main Event Martial Arts Academy on March 31.She’s currently in the middle of an effort to bring a screening of the documentary film “The Hooping Life” to Nicholasville on May 19 to coincide with a teacher training for those who want to bring hooping into gym or dance programs May 19-20. She’s hoping that would be possible at City/County Park’s blue building.“It will just be a few hours of watching a cool movie with some awesome people,” she said. “This isn’t just a girl activity; this is everyone: children, teenagers, boys, girls — that’s what this movie represents. Afterwards, we’ll have the hoop jam, and everybody can try to hoop; there will be hoops to try.”Most people who see Herrington hooping in a park or at work or in front of Walmart will tell her they used to play with hoops as children. Herrington did not, and she had to learn as an adult that getting the hoop to spin around without hitting the ground is all about muscle memory.“When a baby is trying to walk, they don’t walk 5 miles the first day — no, they have to build their muscle to remember that they’re walking and this is what walking is,” she said. “It’s the same thing with the hoop; you’ve got to build the muscles — and sometimes you can feel them working and sometimes you can’t; you’ve got to work them out to be able to do this trick, this move.”Herrington’s desire to spread hooping comes from the change it has had in her life on physical, emotional and even mental levels.“I don’t want anyone else to be where I was last January, crying to myself, thinking, ‘I can’t hoop; this isn’t possible,’” she said. “I want to help find others find joy in the hoop.“I feel like I have a group, that I belong somewhere. I’ve gotten better self-esteem; I assume my fitness has been helped. I’m not drifting through life; I feel like I have a purpose, and my purpose is to hoop.” 2012-02-29 08:40:49.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-nicholasville-woman-hopes-to-share-fitness-mentalhealth-benefits-of-hooping-20120229,0,7358362.story

jj-photo-gallery-military-honors-at-light-house-baptist-20120224 Photo gallery: Military honored at Light House Baptist Veterans and POW of all branches were honored and remembered Thursday night at Light House Baptist in Nicholasville. http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/photogallery/2012-02/238430640-24082004.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/photogallery/2012-02/238430640-24082005.jpg Veterans and POW of all branches were honored and remembered Thursday night at Light House Baptist in Nicholasville. 2012-02-24 14:49:05.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-photo-gallery-military-honors-at-light-house-baptist-20120224,0,490735.photogallery

jj-local-authors-impress-children-at-brookside-elementary-school-20120222 Local authors impress children at Brookside Elementary School The faces behind the books February 22, 2012 After a week celebrating their love of reading, students at Brookside Elementary put down the books and got a chance to meet the people behind the words. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2012-02/153640960-22121705.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2012-02/153640960-22121706.jpg After a week celebrating their love of reading, students at Brookside Elementary put down the books and got a chance to meet the people behind the words.Lee Ann Hager, a 20-year writing teacher who has recently published a children’s story, and Mark Comley, a magician who has written an instructional book for magic tricks, visited students Friday. Both live in Nicholasville.Many of the fourth- and fifth-graders who sat with Hager in the school’s library had a very close connection to her work. Three classes of this year’s fourth-graders have read her book, “The Ragged Suitcase: A Cricket Kelly Mystery,” and last year’s fourth-graders in Tracy Gatliff’s class had a chance to give feedback before the pages were bound.“When the first book was just a draft, Tracy, my sister, read the book to the kids,” Hager said. “So I got their feedback on it before I put it in any kind of final form. They helped along the way.”Hager began writing the book, which she describes as a modern-day spin on the Nancy Drew mysteries, in summer 2006 and finished it last year. Brookside fourth-grade teacher Jamie Huzl said Hager’s book had fit well with the curriculum and that students had been “counting the days” until her visit.“It’s a fabulous book; it hits a lot of the elements that we teach as part of our core content, and then knowing that she’s coming just made it all the more exciting,” Huzl said.While the older students listened to Hager read and asked her questions, younger ones were wowed in the gym by Comley’s magic tricks and illusions. Comley is author of “Magic Tricks You Can Perform” and spoke to the first-, second- and third-grade students about being an author of a nonfiction book after his performance.Friday’s visits were the culmination of the school’s “I Love to Read Week,” which Huzl coordinated as a leadership project. Students and classes were rewarded for reading minutes accumulated throughout the week; the school’s parent-teacher organization provided the prizes.The week included days to wear T-shirts that had to be read, red clothing for Valentine’s Day, book-character costumes, hats and pajamas.Hager said she was glad to have the chance to get feedback firsthand from those for whom she wrote the book.“They’re the intended audience, so they’re the best critics that there are,” she said. “If they don’t like it, it’s not worth anything.” 2012-02-22 12:17:39.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-local-authors-impress-children-at-brookside-elementary-school-20120222,0,6322771.story

jj-chief-bids-his-final-farewell-to-friends-family-20120215 Wilmore chief bids his final farewell to friends, 'family' Saying goodbye to Boven February 15, 2012 The community room at Wesley Village was bursting at the seams last week with police officers, educators, politicians, military servicemen and friends of Wilmore police chief Steve Boven — all of whom had grown to adore him over his two decades of service and came out to wish him the best in his retirement.� By Benjamin S. Rossi http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2012-02/68123797-15110852.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2012-02/68123797-15110853.jpg The community room at Wesley Village was bursting at the seams last week with police officers, educators, politicians, military servicemen and friends of Wilmore police chief Steve Boven — all of whom had grown to adore him over his two decades of service and came out to wish him the best in his retirement. The farewell reception was hosted by the city of Wilmore, and droves of people came from all over the county to share their stories and honor the lawman. Hailing from Michigan, Boven joined the Wilmore Police Department in October 1990 and became chief in ’95. During his time in the Bluegrass, he served the Kentucky D.A.R.E. association as an instructor, president and chaplain, and also earned a master-of-divinity degree. But most importantly, he became a pillar of the community.“Role model,” “spiritual leader” and “brother” were only a few, but the most often-used, of the seemingly endless barrage of kind words describing the former police chief.The room was filled with laughter last Thursday, Feb. 9, as one by one people came forward with well wishes for the future and anecdotes from the past 21 years. But there was also a hint of somberness for “the hole that will be left in the heart of Wilmore” when Boven departs.“It won’t be the same without him,” said Daryl Diddle, pastor of Wilmore Free Methodist Church. “He’s meant a lot to this community and me.”Boven and Diddle attended Asbury Theological Seminary in the late ’90s together, where they fast became friends, he said.To some, Boven was more than a friend; he was family.“I’m here to represent the Headley family and Cobham family,” Adina Cobham-Headley said. “Steve and I met in the early ’90s when I was a counselor at  Wilmore Elementary School, and from then until now, we have been very good friends. In fact, my mother adopted him, so he’s more than a friend to us; he’s a brother.”Boven had proven to be “an extraordinary, all around, multidimensional, multicultural and multigenerational police officer,” she said.But more than anything, Cobham-Headley said, he was a role model for her sons and their friends. “I did not want my sons to grow up being afraid of policemen or the law,” she said. “I wanted them to have a real appreciation for the law, the community and community service. And that’s why I appreciate and love Steve.”Long-time resident of Wilmore Rodger Woolum also stood up and told a story of a time when his mother’s health condition was failing. She needed help and dialed 911.Boven responded to the call not sure of what to expect, Woolum said. He met with the elderly widow Woolum and talked with her and helped her around the house.Just as he was getting ready to leave, he asked, “Mrs. Woolum, is there anything else I can do for you?” “Well, I’d like a bowl of oats,” she said.“It’s been a long time since I’ve fixed oats,” Boven responded. “But if you talk me through it, I’m sure I can do it.”At this point in the storytelling, the room and Woolum broke into laughter.“I just want everyone to know that the chief of police fixed my mom a bowl of oats,” Woolum said. “It just goes to show his caring and generosity. And it meant so much to me and my family.”At the end of his story, Woolum presented Boven with a can of oats.There were also several other gifts given during the reception, each one with a story and special meaning for him to take to Michigan.Three members of the 138th Field Artillery Brigade of the Kentucky National Guard presented him with a coin from their command staff, an honor usually reserved for those only in the service.But the final gifts were presented by Wilmore Mayor Harold Rainwater and the new police chief, Bill Craig, including “the last thing a retired man needs, — a clock,” a recognition from the state Rep. Bob Damron and a certificate of appreciation from the city.The final parting gift of the day needed some explanation, however.“Steve and I have been friends for close to 20 years,” Craig said. “The only thing he and I have ever disagreed on was some days he’d come to work wearing this god-awful scarf with a big gold ‘M’ on it, just to rub me the wrong way — I’m a Kentucky man.”Craig then presented Boven with an AR-15 rifle.“We didn’t know what was appropriate for 21 years of service, but when he announced he was going to Michigan, it was an easy choice,” Craig said. “There’s a lot of ‘Wolverines’ in Michigan ... this is in order for him to defend himself.”Boven took the rifle and hugged his long-time friend, coworker and replacement.“Over 40 years ago, I said I’d move back to the family farm one day,” Boven said. “But every move put me farther and farther away. Now I going back.”Boven and his wife, Pauline, will be moving to Michigan, where it all began for him as an officer for the state police. Now he’s going back to retire. “I may substitute teach, but I don’t have any definite plans as far as working,” he said. “Because we’re retired,” his wife interjected.With a large smile at his wife, Boven said the couple plans on spending time on the lakeshore, documenting lighthouses and enjoying life on the farm.“I’m looking forward to that,” Boven said. “It’s time to retire.” 2012-02-15 11:09:17.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-chief-bids-his-final-farewell-to-friends-family-20120215,0,4419764.story

jj-think-pink-classic-raises-breastcancer-awareness-at-weekend-games-20120206 Think Pink Classic raises breast-cancer awareness at weekend games Jessamine County celebrated the first Think Pink Classic over the weekend, as the color of breast-cancer awareness was scattered across gymnasiums during high-school and college basketball games. Friday night at West Jessamine High School, all the players for East High and West High warmed up in pink T-shirts and wore pink shoelaces while the girls' teams used a pink ball. The West student section was decked out in a variety of pink attire. Saturday at Asbury University there were similar sights for men's and women's games against St. Louis College of Pharmacy, with pink T-shirts and a pink ball for the women's game. Officials at all the games used pink whistles. Saint Joseph-Jessamine RJ Corman Ambulatory Care Center sponsored the event, during which various items were sold to benefit the Susan G. Komen foundation. http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/photogallery/2012-02/67885712-06073151.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/photogallery/2012-02/67885712-06073152.jpg Jessamine County celebrated the first Think Pink Classic over the weekend, as the color of breast-cancer awareness was scattered across gymnasiums during high-school and college basketball games. Friday night at West Jessamine High School, all the players for East High and West High warmed up in pink T-shirts and wore pink shoelaces while the girls' teams used a pink ball. The West student section was decked out in a variety of pink attire. Saturday at Asbury University there were similar sights for men's and women's games against St. Louis College of Pharmacy, with pink T-shirts and a pink ball for the women's game. Officials at all the games used pink whistles. Saint Joseph-Jessamine RJ Corman Ambulatory Care Center sponsored the event, during which various items were sold to benefit the Susan G. Komen foundation. 2012-02-06 07:39:15.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-think-pink-classic-raises-breastcancer-awareness-at-weekend-games-20120206,0,5155326.photogallery

jj-local-bands-face-off-in-first-jessamine-county-battle-of-the-bands-20120201 Local bands face off in first Jessamine County Battle of the Bands February 1, 2012 The walls of West Jessamine High School nearly came tumbling down as six local bands engaged in the inaugural Battle of the Bands on Friday night in a bid for glory, a $100 grand prize — and a bag of M&M chocolates. By Benjamin S. Rossi http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2012-02/182219340-01091415.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2012-02/67776878-01092147.jpg The walls of West Jessamine High School nearly came tumbling down as six local bands engaged in the inaugural Battle of the Bands on Friday night in a bid for glory, a $100 grand prize — and a bag of M&M chocolates.“Delicious,” said Nick Noel, bassist of Every Color, of his band’s second-place prize bag of candy. “We didn’t win, but it was a lot of fun.”In all, there were six bands with the evening hosted by West High assistant principal Jimmy Brehm, who surprised students and parents alike with his youthful attire.In the end, though, it was the enigmatic indie band Absalom, Absalom that came out victorious and stole the show.Beyond Every Color and Absalom, Absalom, the crowd of more than 100 paying patrons enjoyed the sounds of Blackened Blue, That Band, Mistaken Identity and Alstat, which took third overall.It was less of a battle and more of a night to showcase tireless commitment to music,  according to Absalom, Absalom guitarist Gideon Maki. “I feel we did all right,” he said, “There was lot of talent out here tonight. It’s not a stage we’re used to… we play like the inside of houses and basements.“We played Ichthus last year; it was really awesome, and yet, even that stage wasn’t as big as (the high school’s auditorium).”Absalom, Absalom was definitely the veteran group of the six competing bands, having formed nearly three years prior, Maki said.According to him, the band has recored two EPs and has set a summer date to record their first album in Cincinnati under the producer of one of their influences — Pomegranate.“We have several influences,” drummer Daniel Gallutia said. “Pomegranate, Colour Revolt and a band called Explosions in the Sky ... they’re an instrumental band, and we’ve developed our sound from them.“My drumming is, in some sense, from ideas while listening to their music.”The band has also been compared to the likes of the British alternative band The Smith, Gallutia said with pride, and at times been compared to the New York-based indie band The Strokes. However, unlike those bands, they have roots seeded in their religious beliefs.The members do not label their group as a “Christian band”; however, Maki said they are all “believers” and it can be heard in their music.“We’re all believers, but we don’t buy into the Christian music market at all,” Maki said. “We try to be as experimental as possible, and it shows through our music. We can be a ‘Christian band’ without playing the traditional, formulated praise and worship music ... We can show Christ through our music in other ways; that’s how we started, and will continue ... but if you listen, you can see where it comes from.”The band’s name itself derives from the Bible, where King David’s eldest son, Absalom, is seen as a rebel who sought revenge but was done in by his own hubris when his famously long hair was caught in a tree and he was struck down by one of his father’s men. His death brought David much sorrow, according to the Bible. The band dons the name, Absalom, to denote the way adults see the youth that the band plays for, Maki said.Two members of the band attend West — keyboardist Darian Fisher and Gallutia. The rest of the band are college-age musicians — Maki; Joel Hunter on bass; Andrew Foster on guitar; and Stephen Gallutia, Daniel’s brother, as lead vocalists.In all, the evening was a success and is expected to be an annual event, coordinator and Wilmore Elementary principal Andrea McNeal said.“It was so much fun,” McNeal said. “And, the money raised from the $3 tickets will all go to the West Jessamine band program.”The elementary school principal also said the night was a collaboration of more than 20 parents who volunteered their time to make it a success but that one woman in particular was a driving force — Jenna Bernard.“Well, it really was a lot of my son’s ideas and effort,” Bernard said. “Jake Bernard — he was the drummer of Alstat (the third-place band). He got the idea after a Foo Fighters concert ... He started jotting down ideas and was really adamant about no pre-recorded music and put this all together. Next year, we’d really like to get in more bands.”There was only one sour note the whole night, Bernard and McNeal agreed.“We definitely need to make sure we get more pop to sell,” Bernard said. 2012-02-01 09:21:45.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-local-bands-face-off-in-first-jessamine-county-battle-of-the-bands-20120201,0,1814021.story

jj-steven-curtis-chapman-and-friends-bring-songs-stories-tour-to-jessamine-county-20120125 Steven Curtis Chapman and friends bring Songs & Stories tour to Jessamine County January 25, 2012 Being in the Christian music business for more than 25 years, Paducah native Steven Curtis Chapman is known for his high-energy performances. But on his first trip to Jessamine County on Feb. 7 as part of the Songs & Stories Tour, Chapman said the setting will be more intimate. By Mike Moore http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2012-01/248824600-25103517.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2012-01/248824600-25103518.jpg Being in the Christian music business for more than 25 years, Paducah native Steven Curtis Chapman is known for his high-energy performances. But on his first trip to Jessamine County on Feb. 7 as part of the Songs & Stories Tour, Chapman said the setting will be more intimate.“It’s kind of a tour idea I’ve had for a while and was waiting on sort of the right time,” Chapman said during a Jan. 10 telephone interview. “With Nashville being the songwriter-intensive town that it is, a lot of songwriters will gather usually for a charity or benefit concert — sometimes they call it writers in a round or song writers’ night — and guys will sit on stools with guitars in hand and go down the line and tell a story and sing a song.” The singer/songwriter said the setting allows fans a unique experience as they “get an inside look at the songs.”The concert will feature Chapman along with songwriters Andrew Peterson and Josh Wilson.“It’s creating a sense of family just sitting on stage together with 47 instruments between six guys,” Chapman said. “There’s a whole lot of strings being strummed and a whole lot of music being made.” The night will feature songs from Chapman’s new release, “Re:creation,” his 17th album, which features eight new mixes of Chapman’s songs as well as six new songs.“So many of my songs have taken on deeper meaning to me as I’ve walked through the last three or four years with my family and I with the tragedy of losing our daughter (Maria Sue),” he said. “All of that has made the songs I’ve written through the years mean more to me.”Chapman’s daughter died in May 2008 after being hit by an SUV driven by her older brother in the family’s driveway.As he approached the new album in the wake of the family tragedy, Chapman said he sensed his fans and others in the industry were waiting to see how he and his family were doing and what was the next step he would take with his music.“I felt like this was an opportunity for me to tell people that my family and I really do feel like God is recreating some things in us,” he said. “Even the title of the album was very personal for me with my journey with my family and what they’ve been through to say to my friends and to the people who have listened to my music and prayed so much for my family, was to say here’s where we are. By the grace of God, we have some new life beginning to spring up out of this really difficult, painful, hard place that we’ve been.”Chapman said by no means is the family “over” their daughter’s death, adding that it will always be with them.He said when he first sat down and came up with the concept to “recreate” some of his songs from albums past, it proved to be more of a challenge than he realized.“The ‘Re:creation’ album was sort of me going back and revisiting some of the musical mile markers on my journey,” he said. “They’re kind of a raw, stripping down on some of the production and saying this is the heart and soul of these songs.”That prospect, too, made him nervous.“When I got into it, I thought, ‘Gosh, “The Great Adventure,” it feels different to me now that what it was originally recorded as, which was kind of an arena rock kind of song,’” he said. “What the song means to me now, it’s not the same sort of musical memory of my past. The message of the song is as real to me now, in fact, more than ever, because I’ve been on higher mountains than I have when I first wrote the song and much deeper valleys than I ever imagined I would go to.”Then there was the case of many of his fans being used to their favorite song being sung a certain way. “I was a little nervous with some of them, like ‘Dive,’ which is probably the most different than what the original was. The original was very much a jump-up-and-down song, and I think it sort of became the camp theme song for a lot of church youth groups,” he said. “How could I do this in a way that people won’t say, ‘Man, you’ve wrecked our favorite song?’ I got a little nervous about whether or not people would really get it and understand what I was trying to do. But thankfully, when it was all said and done, I felt like people would really get it and know and connect with it.”The Songs & Stories Tour will be at Southland Christian Church, Tuesday, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m. Call 1-800-965-9324 or 859-224-1600 or visit www.itickets.com for ticket information. 2012-01-25 10:35:40.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-steven-curtis-chapman-and-friends-bring-songs-stories-tour-to-jessamine-county-20120125,0,4586044.story

jj-former-uk-forward-perry-leads-west-middles-basketball-team-20120118 Former UK forward Perry leads West Middle's basketball team January 18, 2012 When they were in elementary school, they saw him in uniform on national television breaking Tubby Smith’s huddles. Now they’re in middle school, and they’re the ones in uniform breaking his huddle. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2012-01/291337640-18110749.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2012-01/291337640-18110749.jpg When they were in elementary school, they saw him in uniform on national television breaking Tubby Smith’s huddles. Now they’re in middle school, and they’re the ones in uniform breaking his huddle.The man in charge of West Jessamine Middle School basketball already stands out with his 6-foot, 8-inch frame, but Bobby Perry is easily recognizable for basketball fans of the University of Kentucky, where he played for four years in college.Perry, 27, graduated from UK in spring 2007 and came to West Middle as a paraprofessional in fall 2009 after Charlie Temple, then district athletic director, let him know about the position. Temple is now AD at Lexington Christian Academy, where Perry was helping fellow UK grad J.P. Blevins at the time.“(Temple) asked me if I wanted the job. I couldn’t think of any reason to turn him down,” Perry said. “I kind of wanted to apply, not knowing what to expect. I’ve really enjoyed it the past few years.”Perry lives in Nicholasville and has coached the eighth-grade boys’ team at West Middle for the last three years while overseeing the sixth- and seventh-grade programs. He said he doesn’t have any plans to move up in the coaching ranks and enjoys coaching middle-schoolers.“They’re ripe for learning the fundamentals of basketball,” he said. “I’m not saying that I wouldn’t enjoy high school or any level above that — I have no experience there —&ensp;but this level right here, the key is that they want to learn, and I’m willing to teach them ... they improve so much over the course of the year or over the course of three years when they’re in middle school. To see them improve, that’s a very rewarding feeling.”Playing in 120 games and starting in 53 over his four years at UK, Perry scored 665 points — including 77 three-pointers — and grabbed 350 rebounds. He scored a season-high 22 points and had a then-career-best four three-pointers on his senior night Feb. 28, 2007, against Georgia in Rupp Arena. He bested that with five made threes and scored 21 points in his final game as a Wildcat, an 88-76 loss to Kansas in the second round of the 2007 NCAA tournament.Perry works in the area as an orthopedic sales representative. He said it’s not too hard to keep a low profile as more time passes since his playing days.“Five years removed from school, it’s started to dwindle away, which I like, but you still have the die-hard fans out there that will recognize you until the day you die,” he said. “It’s good to be out of the limelight just in the backstage area.”Perry said coaching makes him more nervous than playing did. He called it “a different beast.”“All you can do is get those kids prepared, and during the game, you pretty much have no control,” Perry said. “You can put them in situations to help them win the basketball game, but you can’t get out there and shoot baskets for them; you can’t get out there and get stops on defense; that’s their job. So it’s a little nerve-racking when you see something out there that you just can’t help any other way than helping them put themselves in a situation to win the game by drawing up plays, getting them in different defensive sets.”The Durham, N.C., native doesn’t get to many UK games because of his work and coaching duties, but he said he keeps up with the Wildcats and watches games on TV when he can. He has spent his last eight and a half years in central Kentucky and said he doesn’t plan on leaving the area soon.“A lot of guys who play or go to school at UK, they stick around, whether they come from different parts of the state or different parts of the country,” he said. “You build relationships, and you like the area, and you feel comfortable here. It’s tough to leave when you get here; I’ve enjoyed every year that I’ve been here. I plan on sticking around for a while.” 2012-01-18 11:08:58.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-former-uk-forward-perry-leads-west-middles-basketball-team-20120118,0,2363181.story

jj-saint-athanasius-church-gives-out-free-bread-every-week-rain-or-shine-20120112 Saint Athanasius church gives out free bread every week, rain or shine A rising tradition January 12, 2012 A bread ministry started three years ago at Saint Athanasius Orthodox Church in Nicholasville has risen to meet the needs of the surrounding community. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2012-01/217034420-12100353.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2012-01/217034420-12100353.jpg A bread ministry started three years ago at Saint Athanasius Orthodox Church in Nicholasville has risen to meet the needs of the surrounding community.The Panera Bread store in Nicholasville donates its extra food to Saint Athanasius each Saturday night, and the church gives it away free every Sunday from 1-2 p.m. at its location at 926 S. Main St.Father Justin Patterson said the ministry began when a parishioner learned of Panera’s “Day-End Dough-Nation” program that donates all unsold bread and baked goods to local charities.“Beginning about three years ago, we decided the best way to do it for us was just to collect it Saturday night and then to put it out on a table and see who comes, and over the years, it’s really grown,” Patterson said.A member of the church who lives in Lexington picks up the food from the Brannon Crossing store on her way home from the Saturday night service and brings it back to the next morning. Parishioners have a chance to eat and mingle after the Sunday morning service before the bread is given away.“Church ends at about 12, so we timed it so people would still have a chance to visit and fellowship in the hall,” Patterson said. “We initially thought it would be at 12, but we realized if we did that, people would be denied the chance to visit with their friends.”Teams of volunteers rotate to cover the schedule so it’s not an every-week obligation for one or two members.“We had to do something that was going to work and not burn people out; that’s one of the challenges of these kinds of things is burnout,” Patterson said. “I’m excited that we’ve been doing this for three years now; that’s pretty cool, because so many things you just get tired of doing after a while.”The ministry sees different results each week, with varying amounts of food to give away and varied need. Some weeks very few people may come to get bread; some weeks 15 or more may come, said volunteer Trevor Logan.“Sometimes within five minutes, 10 minutes, it’s all gone,” he said.Those responsible are committed to providing the ministry each week without fail, Patterson said as he stood outside with volunteers on a windy New Year’s Day and saw no bread picked up.“They are insistent that there always be a presence here,” he said. “We don’t take any (breaks), as evidenced by today.”Any food left after 2 p.m. Sunday is usually donated to the Rose Terrace nursing home on 3rd Street in Nicholasville.“Even if nothing gets taken (at the church), the nursing home always needs it,” volunteer Sarah Holiday said.Occasionally Panera doesn’t have any leftover bread and the church has purchased bread, which Patterson said is a way the ministry could grow if the need dictated. The church is in the process of buying property farther outside the city, which could change the face of the ministry.“The downside of that is we’re not in this area, which has a lot of need, so we’re going to miss that,” Patterson said. “We’re still figuring out how to negotiate all that — will we have a bread ministry up here every Sunday? Or will we try to do that out of our new church? Will it be convenient for people who won’t have a lot of money? We have a lot to figure out.”While those who come to the doorstep of Saint Athanasius each Sunday get bread and baked goods from willing volunteers, Patterson said the partnership with the local restaurant is key to the ministry.“Panera provides the bread — they provide the actual thing we use,” he said. “We just provide the labor and the space.” 2012-01-12 10:04:56.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-saint-athanasius-church-gives-out-free-bread-every-week-rain-or-shine-20120112,0,7341762.story

jj-director-of-jessamine-show-has-antiquetractor-collection-20120104 Director of Jessamine show has antique-tractor collection January 4, 2012 Jim Mahan grew up on a farm just north of Jessamine County using equipment that has since been antiquated. Now the 67-year-old has a barn full of the now-antique tractors that he says help keep people in touch with the past. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2012-01/122688560-04123939.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2012-01/122688560-04123938.jpg Jim Mahan grew up on a farm just north of Jessamine County using equipment that has since been antiquated. Now the 67-year-old has a barn full of the now-antique tractors that he says help keep people in touch with the past.Mahan has more than 30 restored tractors on his farm that sits in Fayette, Scott and Bourbon counties. Some tractors date back to 1939, and he has many different makes — Farmall, John Deere, Allis Chalmers and Ford.Mahan moved to the farm north of Lexington from his property near the corner of Nicholasville Road and Man O’ War Road about 20 years ago.It was about that same time that Mahan began taking his tractors to antique-farm-equipment shows. “Everybody asks, ‘What do you do at a tractor show?’ I say, ‘Well, mainly, you sit around and eat and tell lies,’” Mahan said with a laugh. “That’s almost the truth. When everybody has a common interest of restoring or keeping or painting or taking care of old antique equipment and tractors, you kind of have a camaraderie that’s fun.”Mahan first attended the annual Jessamine County Antique Farm Equipment Show in 1991 when it was in its fifth year. He was a director of the show in 2011.The love of old equipment was slow to develop for Mahan, as for much of his life he was using tools that would be superseded and outdated by new technology.“In those days, I wasn’t really collecting — I was actually using some old tractors just because of necessity,” he said. “I kept a couple of those old things I never did trade in or get rid of.“I don’t really know what started that (collecting) bug. I’ve just always appreciated the things of the past. I don’t think any of us realize how hard our forefathers had it in everything they did, and that’s what got me interested.”Mahan was the third generation to cultivate the farm off Man O’ War; now he watches his two sons as they run the family’s farm in a new location.Antique farm equipment involves more than just tractors; Mahan has other tools and machines like corn choppers and wheat thrashers scattered throughout barns on the farm. And he typically goes to a show each weekend during the warm months, even attaching a small camper with a king-size bed to the top of his trailer so he can stay at the shows all weekend.The grandfather of six said appreciation for antique equipment — and time to restore it — comes with age.“I think it’s only natural that any of us as young people aren’t as appreciative of the old and the antiques as you become when you get older,” he said. “I didn’t care that much about old antique junk when I was much younger, so I think that just kind of goes with the territory, that you like it more the older you get.” The Jessamine County Antique Farm Equipment Show is hosted each September at the Jessamine County fairgrounds in Nicholasville. 2012-01-04 12:42:44.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-director-of-jessamine-show-has-antiquetractor-collection-20120104,0,3452299.story

jj-2011-the-year-in-photos-20111228 2011: The Year in Photos http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/photogallery/2011-12/228202520-28091347.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/photogallery/2011-12/228202520-28091346.jpg 2011-12-28 09:19:34.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-2011-the-year-in-photos-20111228,0,1346236.photogallery

jj-photo-gallery-firefighters-toy-drive-20111221 Kids get Christmas gifts thanks to Nicholasville firefighters' toy drive The Nicholasville Firefighter Toy Drive helped brighten the Christmas season for 824 children over the weekend. "That (participation) was pretty much what we projected," Lt. Craig Cox said. For the last several weeks, firefighters have been taking donations in anticipation for the Dec. 17 distribution day at East Jessamine Middle School. Beginning at 8 a.m., firefighters and volunteers helped people shop for toys for children in the school's gym. Each child received $40 worth of toys during the day's event. Cox said businesses such as Walmart, McLane Cumberland, Shakey Ground and the Hayden Company helped make the toy drive a success by partnering with financial assistance or donating several toys. The Short Arm Gang Motorcycle group helped collect, and Bethany Christian Church offered a big donation. Cox said the people of Nicholasville and Jessamine County were the primary keys to why the event was successful. "The corporations, those are obvious people that we need to recognize," Cox said. "But the support of the people in this community is a big reason why this program is such a success. A $5 bill here and a $1 bill there may not mean a lot to individuals, but it all adds up." http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/photogallery/2011-12/66915336-21094457.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/photogallery/2011-12/66915336-21094456.jpg The Nicholasville Firefighter Toy Drive helped brighten the Christmas season for 824 children over the weekend. "That (participation) was pretty much what we projected," Lt. Craig Cox said. For the last several weeks, firefighters have been taking donations in anticipation for the Dec. 17 distribution day at East Jessamine Middle School. Beginning at 8 a.m., firefighters and volunteers helped people shop for toys for children in the school's gym. Each child received $40 worth of toys during the day's event. Cox said businesses such as Walmart, McLane Cumberland, Shakey Ground and the Hayden Company helped make the toy drive a success by partnering with financial assistance or donating several toys. The Short Arm Gang Motorcycle group helped collect, and Bethany Christian Church offered a big donation. Cox said the people of Nicholasville and Jessamine County were the primary keys to why the event was successful. "The corporations, those are obvious people that we need to recognize," Cox said. "But the support of the people in this community is a big reason why this program is such a success. A $5 bill here and a $1 bill there may not mean a lot to individuals, but it all adds up." 2011-12-21 09:46:22.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-photo-gallery-firefighters-toy-drive-20111221,0,4628487.photogallery

jj-nicholasville-couple-put-big-effort-into-tiny-christmas-town-20111214 Nicholasville couple put big effort into tiny Christmas town Winter wonderland December 14, 2011 When retail stores put their Christmas displays up the first of November, one Nicholasville couple is already ahead of them. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-12/208703500-14092615.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-12/208703500-14092614.jpg When retail stores put their Christmas displays up the first of November, one Nicholasville couple is already ahead of them. For 20 years, Les Centers has erected a Christmas village in his home. He started with one small church; his current collection of more than 100 buildings takes two weeks to set up, and his work usually starts in the middle of September. This December, the back half of his family room downstairs is blanketed in snow as dozens of inches-high people wander around glowing restaurants, shops and ice-skating rinks. The warm yellow of the light from the buildings is balanced by the blue starlight reflecting off the snow. Three trains make their way around the town, including a Norfolk Southern GP50; Les is retired from the railroad company. The display is a hit with grandchildren and great-grandchildren, some of whom will sit for hours watching the movement of the seven animated scenes, listening to the music and guessing where the next train will appear. Les’ wife, Sue, said she loves to watch children experience the village. “They are so excited; their words just run together, and their eyes are just big, and that really brings me a lot of joy,” she said. Les said children get especially excited because they’re not expecting what they see. “I ask them, ‘Do you want to go down and look at my village?’” he said. “And they’re thinking in their mind probably three, four, five houses or something like that, and they come around that corner, and their eyes just pop out and their mouths drop open.” It’s not just the young ones who are awed by the display. Each Christmas, Les and Sue bring dozens of friends and family in to see the village. Two years ago during a Sunday open house, 75 people were crowded in the glow of the town. “We have our waiting list; we have to make sure that we’re home,” Sue said. Guests at the Centers’ house are welcomed with Christmas before they cross the threshold, as a light and music display graces the front yard and porch. Every room in the home is decorated from 35 large plastic storage boxes that Les packs the holiday in. “We’re all Christmas,” Sue said. “But Les, it’s his favorite time of the year; everybody knows he loves Christmas. I love it too, but he really enjoys it. I wouldn’t do all this; that’s a lot of work.” The process begins each year in August, when Les and Sue start looking for new items that could be gone quickly and not return to store’s shelves. They especially search for village buildings with names of friends and family. “When (stores) put things out, a lot of things are first-time things, and they never do replace them. Once they’re gone, they’re gone,” Les said. “... When we see something, if we like it, we’ll go ahead and buy it; it doesn’t have to be on sale.” The display sits on top of 2-inch-thick Styrofoam, which sits on top of sheets of plywood, which are held up by sawhorses. The black felt on the walls has holes cut for each blue light, with painted stars surrounding each hole. Sue said the village feels new each year and “takes you back to the good old days.” “Each year when he takes it down and puts it back up, it’s always like it’s new,” she said. “Lots of our friends say, ‘Why do you do that? Why don’t you just leave it up yearround and let people come and see it?’ No, that would get old after a while.” A manger scene sits across the room from the large village, reminding the Centers of the true meaning of the holiday, Sue said. Les said all his work each year is worth it. “It gets you excited about Christmas,” he said. 2011-12-14 09:26:47.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-nicholasville-couple-put-big-effort-into-tiny-christmas-town-20111214,0,6966692.story

jj-photo-gallery-wilmores-old-fashioned-musical-christmas-20111205 Photo Gallery: Wilmore's Old Fashioned Musical Christmas Hundreds of people strolled along Main Street Saturday in to partake in the 23rd annual Wilmore Old Fashioned Musical Christmas. The event lasted all day and featured a pancake breakfast, craft festivals, horse-drawn carriage rides, a model train display, a ballet performance, an elf costume contest, seasonal live music by local performers, open houses for local businesses and a grand finale with group singing and entertainment by a community-choir and Salvation Army Student Fellowship band. http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/photogallery/2011-12/203500120-05093409.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/photogallery/2011-12/203500120-05093408.jpg Hundreds of people strolled along Main Street Saturday in to partake in the 23rd annual Wilmore Old Fashioned Musical Christmas. The event lasted all day and featured a pancake breakfast, craft festivals, horse-drawn carriage rides, a model train display, a ballet performance, an elf costume contest, seasonal live music by local performers, open houses for local businesses and a grand finale with group singing and entertainment by a community-choir and Salvation Army Student Fellowship band. 2011-12-07 12:53:51.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-photo-gallery-wilmores-old-fashioned-musical-christmas-20111205,0,312420.photogallery

jj-jessamine-residents-have-staggering-number-of-ancient-fossils-other-artifacts-20111201 Jessamine residents have staggering number of ancient fossils, other artifacts Collecting the record December 1, 2011 You might not know that Kentucky is one of the best states for finding fossils. You also might not know that Jessamine County is home to one of the largest collections of shells, fossils and minerals in the state. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-12/365218720-01064449.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-12/365218720-01064449.jpg You might not know that Kentucky is one of the best states for finding fossils. You also might not know that Jessamine County is home to one of the largest collections of shells, fossils and minerals in the state. Treasured finds are scattered around Rick Schrantz and Susan Miller’s living room, on coffee tables and in small cabinets, and the husband and wife could tell you stories for hours of each artifact visible here. But it’s down the hall in a spare bedroom where the bulk of the collectors’ work lies. Glass display cases line the walls and house thousands of items. One holds 440-million-year-old crinoid fossils; another features elaborate murex shells. The inside of the bedroom’s closet is completely dark with blacklights over the shelves that hold fluorescent minerals. Both began collecting as children. Schrantz is from the Buffalo, N.Y., area and had a grandmother who lived on the shore of Lake Erie. “When we would go to visit her, we would find fossils washing up on the beaches,” he said. “I would collect them there, and I guess that’s how I started getting interested in that back when I was a kid.” Miller lived in Connecticut and spent her entire fourth-grade summer on Cape Cod. “I didn’t really like to swim, so I would walk the beaches and pick shells up, but it’s kind of escalated,” she said. Miller moved to Kentucky to attend Western Kentucky University and stayed in the area, working as a naturalist at the Barren River Lake state park in western Kentucky. “I started fossil-collecting much like I would collecting shells on a beach, because I would walk Barren River Lake and pick up all kinds of fossils,” she said. “I started to read about them and study them and found, when I moved to Lexington, I found the fossil club and could expand.” The lifelong hobbies of collecting shells and fossils brought Schrantz and Miller together years ago when they met in the Kentucky Paleontological Society. Now they venture out together to quarries and road cuts on weekends to seek ancient artifacts. “The fact that I don’t have any kids, that helps; you have more time for hobbies,” Schrantz said. “And Susan’s kids are grown and out of the house, so that gives us time to do that kind of stuff.” Fossils include preserved ancient life forms — body fossils — as well as evidence of activity of ancient life forms —&ensp;trace fossils such as footprints, tracks or burrows. “The fossil record is biased toward things with hard parts,” Schrantz said. “You can imagine something like a coral or a clam, something with a hard part would preserve better as a fossil than something gushy and squishy like a worm or a jellyfish or something like that; in fact, that’s true. “Very, very rare are fossils of worms because they just don’t preserve well, but we have lots of fossils of worm burrows, trace fossils, so we know they were there. Even though you don’t have the fossil of the worm itself, you have the fossil of the tunnel or the burrow it dug.” Schrantz said Kentucky has good rocks near the surface that contain fossils, many of which are exposed by road cuts in the hilly terrain. He characterized Kentucky as “probably the best state in the country” for fossils, especially those from invertebrate sea creatures. “This area used to be at the bottom of a shallow ocean, so all of the fossils you find in rocks around here are, of course, all sea-creature fossils,” he said. The draw of collecting for Schrantz is getting to see pictures of ancient life that aren’t available anywhere else. “It’s finding things that don’t exist in the world today. It’s a snapshot of what life was like many, many millions of years ago, and it’s one of the only snapshots we have of what life was like,” he said. “It’s neat that you can find things in the fossils where you look at them and go, ‘Wow, there’s nothing at all like that alive today; that’s pretty cool.’” The couple share their collections, taking displays to fossil festivals and science fairs. They’re also involved with the Blue Grass Gem and Mineral Club. “It’s really fun to share a collection and a hobby with people, and I think that’s why we go to the science fairs, to talk to people,” Miller said. “They’re amazed that we can find these minerals and fossils in Kentucky, and we try to get them to join the club and try to get the younger generation interested.” While the hobby can fill a lot of time and a lot of a house, Schrantz said it does not empty the pocketbook. “It doesn’t have to cost anything,” he said. “If you get addicted to golf, boy, you’re spending a lot of money. But driving to a road cut and looking for fossils and finding one and cleaning it up with a toothbrush when you find one — it doesn’t cost you anything.” Miller quickly reminded her husband of a rather expensive amethyst-hunting trip in Georgia, saying the money spent for that venture could have bought some really nice pieces of the purple quartz. But Schrantz promtply pointed out a principle that is likely responsible for much of the couple’s collection: “Finding it is always neater than buying it.” 2011-12-01 06:57:26.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-jessamine-residents-have-staggering-number-of-ancient-fossils-other-artifacts-20111201,0,4355016.story

jj-decorated-martialarts-veteran-passes-on-crafts-in-nicholasville-20111123 Decorated martial-arts veteran passes on crafts in Nicholasville Becoming the master November 23, 2011 After being inducted into an international hall of fame last year, Nicholasville’s Len Kirschbaum has received several more martial-arts honors this fall as he spreads the crafts he has practiced for 50 years. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-11/66276698-23062621.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-11/66276698-23062620.jpg After being inducted into an international hall of fame last year, Nicholasville’s Len Kirschbaum has received several more martial-arts honors this fall as he spreads the crafts he has practiced for 50 years. Kirschbaum, a grand master in Original Taekwon-Do and the owner of Main Event Martial Arts Academy, was inducted to a hall of honors for the Black Dragon Fighting Society in October. He received a lifetime achievement award and was promoted to a 10th-degree black belt in November. Kirschbaum said he was hesitant at first to accept the promotion from the International Black Belt Association because the Taekwon-Do system only goes to a ninth degree, but he was convinced recently by the board of directors, some of whom have been in martial arts for more than 70 years. “They convene a couple of times a year, and they said that they humbly understood; however, with all the involvements with all the different martial arts that I do — it’s not just one; there are several different martial arts that I do — that is sort of an accumulative type of degree, an honorary thing, so I thought, ‘Well, OK,’” Kirschbaum said. He has been teaching martial arts, specifically original Taekwon-Do, to those in the central Kentucky area for more than 25 years. He created a program through the Jessamine County adult-education system in 1988 and enrolled more than 125 students by his second term. Kirschbaum organized other masters from Taekwon-Do around the world and formed an association called the International Original Taekwon-Do Federation (IOTF). The IOTF conferred and granted the title of grand master to Kirschbaum. The recognitions now coming to Kirschbaum after a lifetime of work are especially meaningful after all the years he has waited. “All of the years that you struggle, you want to get the recognition and you don’t; it comes to you in the later years when you least expect it,” he said. And now, since opening his school in April, Kirschbaum is focused on spreading the art of Original Taekwon-Do that he learned from its founder, Choi Hong Hi. A famous quote from Choi says that his dream had been realized — “the ultimate fantasy of spreading and teaching Taekwon-Do with no regard to considerations of religion, ideology, national boundaries or race.” Kirschbaum said his work is to continue that dream, including developing curriculum to teach young children as well as elderly students. While visiting a martial-arts school in Prestonsburg last year, Kirschbaum was inspired to make training available for handicapped students when he saw a boy in a wheelchair sitting on the sidelines watching his siblings learn. “I said, ‘Why aren’t you out there?’” Kirschbaum said. “He looked at me and said, ‘I’m in a wheelchair.’ And I said, ‘So?’ And I grabbed him by the shirt, took him out of his wheelchair and threw him down on the floor, and started rolling around with him — ‘Come on; hit me; do this; do that.’ We rolled around for an hour and a half; he had a blast.” Kirschbaum said teaching and sharing his art is the culmination of his years of work. “What my life has been about is sharing what I have,” he said. “You don’t get where I am today by doing this for yourself; as a matter of fact, you are denied master level because you don’t want to share it ... you have to be able to want and share with not only just a small group but large groups, and that’s what my life has been about over all these years, being able to share it with people all over the world.” 2011-11-23 06:26:26.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-decorated-martialarts-veteran-passes-on-crafts-in-nicholasville-20111123,0,5849969.story

jj-photo-gallery-wilmore-celebrates-veterans-day-20111116 Photo Gallery: Wilmore celebrates Veterans Day The city of Wilmore set aside most of the morning to celebrate and honor the veterans in its community on Saturday. The festivities began with a parade at 10 a.m., which flowed from Main Street all the way to the Thomson-Hood Veterans Center. After the parade, more than 100 people gathered outside the veterans center to participate in a ceremony honoring veterans from all branches of military service. The ceremony included music, prayers, spe http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/photogallery/2011-11/231265300-16094903.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/photogallery/2011-11/231265300-16094902.jpg The city of Wilmore set aside most of the morning to celebrate and honor the veterans in its community on Saturday. The festivities began with a parade at 10 a.m., which flowed from Main Street all the way to the Thomson-Hood Veterans Center. After the parade, more than 100 people gathered outside the veterans center to participate in a ceremony honoring veterans from all branches of military service. The ceremony included music, prayers, spe 2011-11-16 10:01:52.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-photo-gallery-wilmore-celebrates-veterans-day-20111116,0,7109192.photogallery

jj-photo-gallery-veterans-day-celebration-in-wilmore-20111116 Photo gallery: Veterans Day celebration in Wilmore The city of Wilmore set aside most of the morning to celebrate and honor the veterans in its community Saturday. The festivities began with a parade at 10 a.m. that flowed from Main Street to Thomson-Hood Veterans Center. After the parade, more than 100 people gathered outside the veterans center to participate in a ceremony honoring veterans from all branches of military service. The ceremony included music, prayers, speeches, postings of the colors and finally a 21-gun salute. Jessamine Countians of all ages and even some animals participated in the Veterans Day events. http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/photogallery/2011-11/66129310-16093806.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/photogallery/2011-11/66129310-16093806.jpg The city of Wilmore set aside most of the morning to celebrate and honor the veterans in its community Saturday. The festivities began with a parade at 10 a.m. that flowed from Main Street to Thomson-Hood Veterans Center. After the parade, more than 100 people gathered outside the veterans center to participate in a ceremony honoring veterans from all branches of military service. The ceremony included music, prayers, speeches, postings of the colors and finally a 21-gun salute. Jessamine Countians of all ages and even some animals participated in the Veterans Day events. 2011-11-16 09:38:05.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-photo-gallery-veterans-day-celebration-in-wilmore-20111116,0,3781586.photogallery

jj-brother-sister-from-wilmore-work-together-to-bring-tales-to-life-on-stage-on-camera-20111109 Brother, sister from Wilmore work together to bring tales to life on stage, on camera Telling the story November 9, 2011 A couple of kids from Wilmore who love story-telling have written and directed seven musicals, helping hundreds of kids tell Bible stories in a creative way to thousands. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-11/65967395-09090415.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-11/65967395-09090415.jpg A couple of kids from Wilmore who love story-telling have written and directed seven musicals, helping hundreds of kids tell Bible stories in a creative way to thousands. Siblings Jeremy and Kendra White were home-schooled in a family that loved story-telling. “We just grew up telling each other stories,” Kendra, 24, said. “We’d play games at the family table and say, ‘OK, finish the story —&ensp;there was a man ...’ I always loved the art of story-telling.” They both stayed in Wilmore after high school, attending Asbury College and studying media communications. “I went to Asbury and really started learning about the nuts and bolts about how to put a story together; it just felt right,” Kendra said. “I love the impact that a story has on a person’s life. It’s just a motivator more than a sermon or a lecture to tell people a story that sticks with them.” From college they diverged, with Kendra moving to Mississippi for a job and Jeremy going to work at a Lexington church. And while the two have separate job duties, they depend on each other for guidance, help and even criticism. When Jeremy, now 27, the director of children and media at First Assembly of God in Lexington, started looking for a musical in 2007, he didn’t like the options he found; he said he didn’t want to throw his energy into a “cheesy musical.” So Jeremy and Kendra decided they could write their own. “Growing up, we always said, ‘You know, we could write better stuff than this,’ and finally, I was like, ‘You know what? If we’re going to do this, let’s put our money where our mouth is; let’s make this thing happen,’” Jeremy said. The first musical, “David,” involved about 60 students and saw a crowd of 500 at its one performance. The productions only grew as time went on as the Whites wrote a new script each year, with pop-culture references and pop-song parodies galore in each. “The parents love it, because the songs are all parodies, so they’re all songs they grew up singing, whether it’s Journey or Queen or Abba or Michael Jackson or whoever it is,” Jeremy said. “Justin Bieber, Backstreet Boys — we’ve done a little bit of everybody.” Kendra said the goal is a high entertainment value as well as memorable Bible stories. “We’ve got kids swinging from the rafters, harnessed in over the audience, and we’re shooting out confetti guns; they’re fun songs, and they’re stories that stick with the kids, and that’s what’s encouraging to me,” she said. After productions about Esther and Moses involving about 100 students each, this year’s musical about Elijah and Elisha was the work of 225 students. Last year the Whites added a second production, separating the high-schoolers from the other students. Jeremy said they try to give each student a memorable part. “Our goal is to give every kid a chance to shine, so you’re not just a choir member singing with everybody else; you’ve got a part that’s special for you,” he said. “You are singing with the choir, but then maybe you’re part of a group of soldiers, a guard, or one of the street people that has a line — everybody has a place that they can feel special.” Jeremy and Kendra are working on their eighth and ninth musicals for next year; their “launch party” to announce the production is scheduled for Jan. 6 and they expect at least 500 people to attend. “We like to build up the hype and keep it a secret until we know what direction we’re going,” Kendra said, adding that people who want to be involved on any level are invited. “They’re not all from our church; they come from all over, people that aren’t church people, people that are from other churches that just want to be involved in these musicals.” The Whites keep three main goals in mind for the musicals, Jeremy said: teaching the students the stories, seeing students and parents work together as the body of Christ, and developing gifts in the students. “We want them to be better performers, singers, dancers; we want to develop those artistic abilities,” he said. “And then also the students help with the set, so they’re able to help build sets and work on costumes, so it’s neat to be able to develop some of these gifts in students.” The hundreds of miles between central Kentucky and Mississippi don’t stop Jeremy and Kendra from working together on the productions; they spend many an evening on Skype throwing out ideas and developing the stories. “There’s no one I’d rather spend the day with or hang out with than Kendra,” Jeremy said. “We have the same background and similar experiences and similar giftings, but even within those giftings, we’re slightly different.” Kendra called working with her brother “the best part” of doing the musicals. “He is energy on steroids,” she said. “He is incredibly passionate.” Film work Both Whites have ventured into film apart from the musical productions in Lexington, and they plan to work on a feature film that could be shot in the area next year. Kendra works with American Family Association in Tupelo, Miss. She brought some Jessamine Countians down to work on a short film, “Paper Dream,” for which she was the director and Jeremy was the assistant director. That project is currently in post-production. Kendra brought American Family producers to the area last week as she and Jeremy are working on a feature film that could film in central Kentucky. Jeremy said he hopes to have a script for that project by the end of the year. “Our goal is to create family-friendly productions that have a redemptive message but don’t beat you over the head with a Bible,” Kendra said. “We don’t want to, by any means, be ashamed of the Gospel — we speak it boldly, but I think there are a lot of Christian films that cross over into what we call Christian cheese. Our goal is to keep a high level of production value and not suffer because we’re Christians but be able to do something better because we are Christians.” Generally when the siblings are working together, Kendra has big-picture ideas and Jeremy works on the details, the brother said, and while they sometimes might have different ideas on the path to take, they always agree on the destination. “We have creative differences, but we both know that we’re working toward the same goal,” Jeremy said. “And I think that’s good that we fight for our creative thoughts that we have, because we want it to be good stuff, and we really think, ‘This is the best way to do this.’” Whether the Whites work is in front of an audience or a camera, Kendra said telling the story is what encourages her and drives her. “I love the impact that a story has on people. There’s nothing like going to a musical and watching the audience’s response to something you wrote, and to see people crying or gasping or laughing over something you created is very rewarding,” she said. “With film, the same — to see people whose ideologies have started to shift or change over something you’ve created is inspiring to know that there are areas in the world that need to change and you can be a part and join with others in changing the hearts of people.” 2011-11-09 09:04:35.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-brother-sister-from-wilmore-work-together-to-bring-tales-to-life-on-stage-on-camera-20111109,0,7687318.story

jj-spooky-time-on-main-in-nicholasville-20111102 'Spooky Time on Main' in Nicholasville Thousands of kids and parents flocked to downtown Nicholasville on Halloween, many masquerading as superheroes or cartoon characters, to trick-or-treat and get candy from community organizations. http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/photogallery/2011-11/130288340-02082711.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/photogallery/2011-11/130288340-02082710.jpg Thousands of kids and parents flocked to downtown Nicholasville on Halloween, many masquerading as superheroes or cartoon characters, to trick-or-treat and get candy from community organizations. 2011-11-02 08:34:22.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-spooky-time-on-main-in-nicholasville-20111102,0,2164526.photogallery

jj-jessamine-proud-products-opens-at-the-providence-school-20111021 Jessamine Proud Products opens at The Providence School October 21, 2011 A new business focused on local products aims to build job skills in high-school students as well as profits for education. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-10/344440520-21130634.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-10/344440520-21130633.jpg A new business focused on local products aims to build job skills in high-school students as well as profits for education. Jessamine Proud Products hosted an open house Friday at The Providence School at 210 S. Lexington Ave. in Wilmore. The store is run by Providence students in the school’s Pathways to Careers program, coordinated by Merrelyn Carmichael. “The students that we’re working with are learning money skills, profit and loss with the business, working on inventory, on ordering what we need ... setting the store up — they are the driving force of everything we do; we’re just here to support them along the way,” Carmichael said. The store came out of a pilot program last fall in which students in school-to-work vocational programs helped West High senior Alex Tingle complete an FFA project selling produce. “We had great success with our community and our students that worked the program; we saw some appropriate behaviors emerging out of their activities that we did every day through that business,” Carmichael said. “That was just sort of a pilot — we only did that for five weeks, but after that, we talked about what was our next step, what we wanted to do after that.” This year, Jessamine Proud Products is here to stay, selling exclusively products from Jessamine County vendors. Carmichael said she has heard from teachers already that the students helping with the store have had notable improvement in their attitudes in classes and with peers. “We’re excited about the store and what the store is going to bring back to us, but we want the students to leave here with those appropriate work skills that are going to help them be successful one they graduate,” she said. The money that comes back to the store will keep it running and go toward future projects to benefit the students. “We have not decided yet on what our first project might be with the money, but whatever we do, it is inventoried back into the store, or it would be a project that would benefit the students from Jessamine County Schools,” Carmichael said. Providence student Branden Birchum hopes to start his own lawn-care or tree-service business in the future and said the experience he has gained helping start Jessamine Proud Products has been invaluable. “I’ve been learning how to run my own business,” Birchum said. “It’s been kind of easy, and it’s frustrating a little bit, but it’s all good.” Fellow student Nick McQueen had similar thoughts and appreciation for what he had learned working with the project. “After I got out of what I was doing in the future, I wouldn’t mind opening up my own store,” McQueen said. “Knowing what I know now and what I will know after this is through and everything, I think I could handle it.” All kinds of locally made products are available at the store, from candles and birdhouses to custom children’s clothing and walking sticks. Some jewelry and bowls are made even more locally by Providence students themselves. The store got a jump start in September when students started selling mums; they’ve sold 260 since, Carmichael said. Vendors are continually coming aboard, as two new businesses joined the morning of the open house. “As the word gets out, I think the community is very receiving of what we’re doing here and everything that they give to us is going to help the students and ultimately help the community because the students are going to learn the things that they’re going to need to be successful,” Carmichael said. The store is currently in one large room at The Providence School, but expansion may be in the works soon. “We want to keep the store open. This is not just a pilot; it’s going to work,” Carmichael said. “We’ve grown; we’re about to outgrow the room; we may go to the room across the hall. And the students are doing unbelievable jobs here, jobs they didn’t know they could do themselves; that’s what’s been so exciting.” The store is open from 9-11:30 a.m. Monday through Thursday. For more information, call 859-887-4600, ext. 2638, or visit www.jessamine.kyschools.us and click on the link to Jessamine Proud Products’ site. 2011-10-24 06:06:19.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-jessamine-proud-products-opens-at-the-providence-school-20111021,0,1180386.story

jj-photo-gallery-the-atmosphere-of-eastwest-20111019 Photo gallery: The atmosphere of East-West Off-the-field sights at the East Jessamine-West Jessamine football game Friday, Oct. 14, as West celebrated its senior night with an 18-13 victory. http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/photogallery/2011-10/152848720-19094910.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/photogallery/2011-10/152848720-19094909.jpg Off-the-field sights at the East Jessamine-West Jessamine football game Friday, Oct. 14, as West celebrated its senior night with an 18-13 victory. 2011-10-19 09:58:41.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-photo-gallery-the-atmosphere-of-eastwest-20111019,0,4256965.photogallery

jj-burning-bright-jessamine-bus-drivers-moonlight-as-candlemakers-20111012 Burning Bright: Jessamine bus drivers moonlight as candlemakers Burning Bright October 12, 2011 Lisa Blunk and Karen “Cricket” Phillips spend most of their days behind the steering wheels of school buses in Jessamine County. But when the day is done and all of the students have been dropped off, it’s time for the friends to trade in their buses for their kitchen as they take to driving production for their candle-making business, CHL�Scented Creations. By Laura Butler http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-10/169306200-12135124.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-10/169306200-12135124.jpg Lisa Blunk and Karen “Cricket” Phillips spend most of their days behind the steering wheels of school buses in Jessamine County. But when the day is done and all of the students have been dropped off, it’s time for the friends to trade in their buses for their kitchen as they take to driving production for their candle-making business, CHL¿Scented Creations.Blunk and Phillips live together in a house just outside Wilmore, so going from co-workers to business partners is an easy transition. And they do it all right out of their kitchen while they watch the wildlife out the back window. Blunk’s daughter Hannah lives with her and helps out with planning the scents, and since starting the business was a group effort, they made the name a group effort, too, combining their initials.It was just about this time last year that Blunk and Phillips decided to try their hands at something new and started making candles and wax tarts out of their kitchen while they were on fall break.The inspiration came after several trips to stores in Lexington to buy candles and tarts and being frustrated with what Blunk and Phillips felt were overpriced items they could make themselves.“It seemed like we were spending a fortune on candles,” Blunk said. “If we bought a $30 candle, it was a real treat.”Blunk kept thinking about the idea of making her own tarts for wax warmers and candles and started tossing the idea around with Phillips. It was a health scare for Blunk that actually pushed the plans into motion after realizing life is too short to not follow your dreams, she said.“I had a health scare when a doctor thought I might have ovarian cancer, and I just decided this was the time to do it — I want to start a business,” Blunk said.“So we decided to make (the candles and tarts) that we could afford to buy and our friends could afford to buy.”The business started small and the two actually didn’t even make candles at first, just 1-ounce scented soy tarts to put into electric and candle-powered warmers.“We had this bag of tarts that just went with us everywhere,” Phillips said, gesturing to a reusable shopping bag in their booth at the Wilmore Arts and Crafts Festival at the beginning of October. “Now, we’ve got all this, and we’re really starting to do a lot more.” Growing their business A large part of the growth they’ve seen in their business comes from their friends and fellow school-bus drivers and their willingness to try new scents. And utilizing their test market was mostly what they’ve done in the past year to try to find the scents people enjoy the most.“Our friends have been the best test market,” Phillips said. “You’ll seldom ever see Lisa go to work where she’s not chasing people down before or after work trying to get them to smell something new.”“Well, every time I make a new batch and people tell me what they think it smells like and if they like it or not, we learn something,” Blunk said. “We listen to everybody’s advice.”At one point, the women were selling nearly 80 different scents, but now they’ve reined it back in to about half that, and some of the tarts are only produced seasonally.They’ve also expanded their line to include car fresheners in the past month or so, and they’ve started making tarts in 2-ounce containers and selling three different sizes of candles.   Flourishing at festivals Since they already spend much of their time driving school buses, the candle-makers try to squeeze in candle-making time whenever they can, especially on weekends and school breaks. But now that they’ve really started marketing their products, the two are starting to spend more of their weekend time setting up tents at area festivals to sell their products.Blunk and Phillips had boxes of soy and dozens of bottles of scented oil and dye stacked in the kitchen as they were busy pouring the hot wax into jars and tart cups last week.“I pulled an all-nighter last night to make all these candles and tarts,” Blunk said at the Wilmore craft festival. “My supplies came in late, so we just had to work really hard. It’s pretty busy right now.” What’s next? In addition to selling their candles and tarts at festivals, Blunk and Phillips have also agreed to let the new student-run store at The Providence School, Jessamine Proud Products, sell their products. They’re also looking into creating a fundraiser program for student groups or local organizations to participate in to help them raise money.But what’s the ultimate goal for CHL¿Scented Creations?“I want the candles to pay for themselves so I can keep doing it,” Blunk said. “My goal is not to become wealthy, but I’d like to go to more festivals and maybe open up a little shop someday. I’d love to drive my bus for about half the day and sell candles for the rest of the day. It’s a lot of fun.” 2011-10-12 13:56:27.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-burning-bright-jessamine-bus-drivers-moonlight-as-candlemakers-20111012,0,1120039.story

jj-community-surprises-longtime-library-employee-with-retirement-celebration-20111005 Community surprises long-time library employee with retirement celebration October 5, 2011 About 40 people gathered Friday to honor Sheri Brewer —&ensp;people she had worked with, people she had gone to church with, people she calls friends and family, and a husband who credited her with supporting his 20 years of ministry in the county. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-10/325053500-05114034.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-10/325053500-05114033.jpg About 40 people gathered Friday to honor Sheri Brewer —&ensp;people she had worked with, people she had gone to church with, people she calls friends and family, and a husband who credited her with supporting his 20 years of ministry in the county.Sheri Brewer worked at the Jessamine County Public Library for 19 years before retiring last week. The turnout at the courthouse for the surprise party was evidence of the impact Sheri had in her work.“She motivated, she invigorated and inspired many people at the library, including me,” library director Ron Critchfield told those gathered Friday. “I told her earlier, I don’t know what I’m going to do every morning when I come to work ... it’s going to be different.”Sheri worked as an administrative assistant and as a circulation associate at the library, serving as the “point person” for the community over the telephone, Critchfield said.“She never had anything less than a smile, and she always treated everyone as if they were her son or daughter; she’s a very special lady in that way,” Critchfield said.It was Brewer’s consistent job that provided steadiness for her husband, the Rev. Dewayne Brewer, as he was called up to serve as an Army chaplain three different times between 2003 and 2006. Dewayne choked back tears as he stood in front of the crowd Friday and tried to summon words to describe his appreciation.“I’m so grateful to be able to minister here in this county for 20 years, and she has been a big reason,” he said. “I’m very proud of her, because she faithfully worked year after year at the library, and she enabled me to do what God had laid on my heart to do and to minister to you, to many soldiers and their families, and I couldn’t have done it without (her).”The crowd Friday included members of Brookside Baptist Church and Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church; Dewayne was ordained at Brookside before serving 12 years at Mt. Pleasant. He then returned to Brookside after his deployments and has pastored there for nearly five years.Sheri had worked at several libraries in Europe, and it was Dewayne who actually picked up the application to work in Jessamine County in 1992 and filled it out for her.“I picked up the application for her, filled it out and just said, ‘You sign it; you’ve got a place you can go to work,’ because she used to work in the library system for the military over in Germany,” Dewayne said. “She had a whole lot of changes going on in her life at that point, but she went ahead.”One of the biggest obstacles Sheri faced was being legally blind; she said the library staff was “family” as she struggled and was willing to do anything to accommodate her needs.“Even the bad days were good; the hard days were good, and it kept me from crawling in a hole and having a pity party; they wouldn’t let me,” she said.Sheri’s days at the library were filled with humor in addition to the constant support. She has spent the last eight  years under the supervision of David Powell; she told Powell her first day working with him that he had to make fun of her on a daily basis.“He kept his word,” Sheri said.And Powell kept Sheri with him when he changed departments.“I moved her over with me from technical services to circulation so I could torment her every day,” he said.While the sadness about her retirement was evident on both sides, the Brewers will now have a lot more time for family activities — which were very tough for a pastor and a full-time library employee.“In all the time we’ve been here, she works Monday through Friday and I work every weekend plus days during the week, so we can never have any time other than maybe grabbing a couple of days or something like that,” Dewayne said. “So I said it’d be nice to be able to have some flexibility, to go visit family or do something a little bit longer than two days.”Friday at the courthouse, Sheri received honors and recognitions from Gov. Steve Beshear, state Sen. Tom Buford, state Rep. Bob Damron, Nicholasville Mayor Russ Meyer, Jessamine County clerk Eva McDaniel, and Doug Day with Freedom Fund Fest. Her friends at the library presented her with a clock after giving her several small gag gifts at a library reception Thursday.Sheri said walking out of the library Friday was the hardest thing she ever did.“There is no other place to work that is like that place,” she said. “Work gets done, but it is a pleasure ... I’ve worked in libraries in Europe; I’ve worked lots of places. Never, ever have I worked in a place like that. It’s family; it really is.” 2011-10-05 11:41:36.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-community-surprises-longtime-library-employee-with-retirement-celebration-20111005,0,6998800.story

jj-asbury-draft-horse-day-celebrates-draft-horses-in-america-20110928 Asbury Draft Horse Day celebrates draft horses in America NOT ALL HORSES ARE CREATED EQUAL September 28, 2011 Since the founding of early America, draft horses have been the backbone of the farmer. Not forgetting that was one of the goals of the Asbury Draft Horse Day, held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. last Saturday at the school’s equine center. By Mike Moore http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-09/65084605-28114347.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-09/65084605-28114347.jpg Since the founding of early America, draft horses have been the backbone of the farmer. Not forgetting that was one of the goals of the Asbury Draft Horse Day, held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. last Saturday at the school’s equine center.“At first, it was just to demonstrate draft horses and what they do,” Asbury equine director Harold Rainwater said.And what began as an Asbury student initiative soon became a partnership with the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture.“He (Ray Smith, Ph.D.) brought in his other faculty to work with this and to expand it beyond just draft horses for demonstration, but more of an educational and teaching opportunity,” Rainwater said.A draft horse is a breed bred for hard, heavy jobs, such as plowing farmland.The day featured draft-horse demonstrations along with five education stations: “What’s in My Pasture,” “Choosing a Horse Feed,” “What’s Bugging My Horse,” “Horse and Human Bones,” and “The Mission Farm Project.”The day also featured events for the entire family, including free horse rides for children, which appealed to spectators like Adam Chisholm of Nicholasville.“My kids really, really love it,” he said. “They’ve got a lot of fun activities, and it seems to be real educational ... Anything where you can have a free family Saturday with family together, I think that’s good.”Mission FarmSmith, an Asbury alum, said the Mission Farm will bring together Asbury and UK like never before.“There’s a strong missions program here at Asbury University; there’s a lot of students interested in missions,” he said. “But what we realized in talking with Harold and Marty Bilderback was the agricultural component of the program doesn’t exist at Asbury University.”Because of that, a decision was made to collaborate with the agricultural expertise at UK and the missions department at Asbury.“This is the first formal event we’re having with that, but we’ve already got a plot of land for what we are calling our mission farm so students can get hands-on training at growing crops that will help them overseas or maybe for gardens they’re growing for themselves,” Smith said.The plot of land at Asbury is a 2-acre tract that Smith said is similar to what students will see overseas where farmland is scarce.“The unique thing we’re doing today is we’re actually going to be using these teams of horses to prepare the land that is going to be a part of the mission farm,” Smith said.The idea behind the farm is to teach students the needed skills to grow produce and manage livestock, according to Asbury’s website.“Basic knowledge on growing food opens many doors to conversation,” Bilderback, Asbury associate professor of equine management, said in an online article. “Gardeners and farmers love to share information and produce. This can present opportunities that would otherwise go unnoticed and also provides a foundation of trust and respect.”More than 300 people attended the Draft Horse Day Saturday. 2011-09-28 11:43:46.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-asbury-draft-horse-day-celebrates-draft-horses-in-america-20110928,0,6994446.story

jj-little-girls-family-battles-with-her-cancer-and-finds-their-faith-in-god-strengthened-20110921 Little girl's family battles with her cancer and finds their faith in God strengthened THROUGH THE FIRE September 21, 2011 At first glance, 4-year-old Kaitlyn Woodard appears to be a typical child of her age. By Mike Moore http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-09/304703080-21101903.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-09/304703080-21101902.jpg At first glance, 4-year-old Kaitlyn Woodard appears to be a typical child of her age.Playing with her older brother Caleb, 7, Kaitlyn bounds around the downstairs living room of her family’s Nicholasville home with all the energy associated with little girls her age.But the precocious Kaitlyn isn’t a typical 4-year-old. She has spent most of her life fighting for her life after being diagnosed with leukemia at just 20 months old.Her mother, Jessica Woodard, said the disease appeared out of the blue.“It was in November 2008, right before Thanksgiving,” Jessica said. “She had a common ear infection, (but) we ended up taking her to the ER the weekend after Thanksgiving because she just didn’t look right to me; she looked pale.”John Woodard, Jessica’s husband and Kaitlyn’s father, took their daughter to the emergency room in Mount Sterling, and thus began the nearly three-year journey that has been marred with ups and downs. Once at the emergency room, doctors quickly transferred Kaitlyn to the University of Kentucky Children’s Hospital, where a diagnosis was determined.Kaitlyn was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common type of leukemia in young children; and acute myelogenous leukemia, which occurs more commonly in adults than in children.“They said it was a very rare diagnosis, and they didn’t have a protocol,” Jessica said. “At that point, they didn’t think she’d live six months.”Jessica said doctors at UK consulted with doctors from Texas, Philadelphia, Boston and Europe to determine the best course of treatment.“They gave her chemo and watched how she did with it,” Jessica said. “And she did well; she responded very quickly ... undoubtedly, God has had his hand on her from Day One.”Jessica said her daughter amazed the doctors with how well she handled the treatments.“They said she was going to be sick, and she was playing the whole time,” she said. “She would run around the hospital on the floor up there singing and dancing. We had one doctor come in and he’d never seen her before. When he walked in, she was playing a game. He backed up and looked at the door number and name, and looked at his chart and said, ‘Kaitlyn Woodard, right?’”John said his daughter’s trial has taught the family to cherish every moment.“I’ve always been kind of a patient man, but if anything, it’s given me a lot more patience,” he said. “It’s taught us how to take life one day at a time and sometimes one moment at a time and be OK with that. There’s going to be good days and there’s going to be bad days; at least that’s how it’s been the last couple of years.”Kaitlyn remained in the hospital from late November 2008 until late January 2009. She then went home for five days before returning for six weeks of treatments. By summer 2009, she was officially in remission.Round twoBut the Woodards weren’t out of the woods yet. In February 2010, Kaitlyn suffered a relapse. “The same diagnosis, which is pretty rare,” Jessica said.But the downs didn’t end with the relapse.In November 2010, Kaitlyn was rushed to the hospital by her mother and was diagnosed with septic shock.“When I put her in the van, I knew she wasn’t feeling well, and we were talking, and when I took her out of the van, she was gray,” Jessica said. “I got her over to the (pediatric) ER, and they took her right away and they said she was in shock.”Once doctors stabilized Kaitlyn, they told Jessica to call the family because “she’s not going to make it through the night,” her mother said.She did make it through the night and the next morning, doctors couldn’t find a pulse in her legs, and they spoke about amputation with the family.“We said, ‘If you’re going to amputate them, could you just wait and give them some more time to see?’” Jessica said. “And six hours later, we had pulses in both feet.”Presently, Kaitlyn is undergoing physical therapy three times a week to help motor control of her legs. After more treatments, Kaitlyn is once again in remission, her mom said.“They got her in remission and she will continue therapy until June 28, 2012,” Jessica said. “They won’t consider her cured until she’s been off chemotherapy for five years, and that will be 2017.”IsolationThe biggest and oftentimes overlooked aspect of having a family member battling leukemia is the isolation.“She cannot go out because of immune-system issues,” Jessica said. “We have that (cabin fever) a lot, especially where there’s six of us. That makes it difficult to even get her fast food because you don’t know who has touched what.”Kaitlyn is the youngest of four children, and Jessica said the nearly three-year long fight has been difficult on everyone.“They’re doing well,” Jessica said of her children. “There’s been times where the oldest, Bailee (age 16), thinks that she should have protected her and that she shouldn’t have let her get sick, so we’ve had to work through that.”Mostly, Kaitlyn’s older siblings have fought the left-out feeling.“Molly (age 13) said, ‘This is happening to me, too, and I don’t understand why I’m not important,’” Jessica said. “But they handle things really well.”Strengthened faithBefore their daughter got sick, the Woodards relied on their Christian faith. Now they do to an even greater extent.“Trust in God,” Jessica said. “When she was first diagnosed and when she had a relapse, and when she went into shock; you just become very aware that there’s nothing else that you can do except to trust God.”Her husband agreed.“The most important thing I think we’ve learned through all of this is to trust God no matter what the circumstances,” John said.During their first stay at the hospital, the Woodards prayed a very difficult prayer.“We were sitting in this cubbyhole area, and we had a great deal of peace, and (John) said, ‘I just want to pray,’” Jessica said. “He just said, ‘Father, if you’re going to take her, take her now, and if you’re not, I just ask you not to let her suffer.’ We just laid it at his (God’s) feet, and God gave her back to us.” 2011-09-21 10:21:33.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-little-girls-family-battles-with-her-cancer-and-finds-their-faith-in-god-strengthened-20110921,0,4524.story

jj-photo-gallery-2011-jessamine-jamboree-20110912 Photo Gallery: 2011 Jessamine Jamboree Thousands of people flocked to downtown Nicholasville over the weekend to celebrate the 2011 Jessamine Jamboree. Festival activities included pageants, a parade, games, a pet show, contests, karaoke, live entertainment and of course a large assortment of festival food. The activities were spread out across town. http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/photogallery/2011-09/306986360-12131455.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/photogallery/2011-09/306986360-12131454.jpg Thousands of people flocked to downtown Nicholasville over the weekend to celebrate the 2011 Jessamine Jamboree. Festival activities included pageants, a parade, games, a pet show, contests, karaoke, live entertainment and of course a large assortment of festival food. The activities were spread out across town. 2011-09-12 13:34:26.0 2011-10-11 21:00:00.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-photo-gallery-2011-jessamine-jamboree-20110912,0,5414749.photogallery

jj-nicholasville-neighbors-on-team-usa-for-worldchampionship-triathlon-in-beijing-20110907 Nicholasville neighbors on Team USA for world-championship triathlon in Beijing September 7, 2011 Two friends and neighbors from Nicholasville will represent the state and the nation when they travel to Beijing this weekend for an international triathlon competition. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-09/328905420-07095019.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-09/328905420-07095019.jpg Two friends and neighbors from Nicholasville will represent the state and the nation when they travel to Beijing this weekend for an international triathlon competition. Mike Elder and Melinda Drake will compete in the 2011 International Triathlon Union’s world championships after qualifying for the event in the United States. Elder said the two started running together in recent years to get into shape but that it got old. “That was a little boring, so I said, ‘You know what? We ought to do a triathlon,’” Elder said. “Neither of us knew what that was, so we had to look it up on the Internet to see exactly what it was.” Drake and Elder trained for an Olympic-distance triathlon — a 1.5-kilometer swim, a 40-kilometer bike ride and a 10-kilometer run. Their first triathlon was in Miami in April 2010. The two have since moved to specialize in sprint-length triathlons — half the Olympic distance of each leg. Drake qualified for the world championships at the U.S. championship in Tuscaloosa, Ala., last September; Elder qualified at a Cincinnati event. Drake said she appreciated the triathlon because it was more than just running —&ensp;an activity that has given her back trouble recently. “I like running; I just don’t like what it does to my body,” she said. “But the swimming and the biking I really enjoy.” Elder also said the variety of the event helps keep him focused. He currently works as a detective for the Nicholasville Police Department and said his duties there often tie in with fitness training. “I’m over the SWAT team, so fitness is always a thing that we instill with the SWAT team,” Elder said. “That kind of went hand-in-hand, but I didn’t have any experience biking or swimming.” The trips for triathlons have become family events for both Elder and Drake, whose daughter and son, respectively, participated in a Chicago triathlon with them. “It was much more exciting watching them than me actually doing it,” Drake said. “I loved it.” The work of staying in shape and doing strength training in addition to running, swimming and biking can take its toll, but Elder said the effort of two or three hours a day five or six days a week is worth the price. “It’s really time-consuming trying to do that and get that all in before I get to work in the morning, but you get used to it,” he said. “It’s just part of your day, and you don’t even think about it. I still look forward to it that first day.” Drake, who has her real-estate license and three boys, said training fits well into her schedule. “This is nice,” she said. “I can do this while they’re at school.” Both families leave Saturday for Beijing. Drake said her family has been key in supporting her new activity. “The support from my family has helped me and is why I can do this,” she said. Elder said he was looking forward to the trip with his family as he trained for the competition. “The goal is not to be last,” he said. 2011-09-07 09:51:18.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-nicholasville-neighbors-on-team-usa-for-worldchampionship-triathlon-in-beijing-20110907,0,239945.story

jj-wesley-village-95yearold-knits-for-needy-children-20110831 Wesley Village 95-year-old knits for needy children September 1, 2011 An unassuming pillow sits in a chair facing an unassuming 95-year-old, the stitching on the cushion reflecting the work and the life of the elderly woman facing it: “If I’m sitting, I’m knitting.” By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-08/274066600-31102915.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-08/274066600-31102914.jpg An unassuming pillow sits in a chair facing an unassuming 95-year-old, the stitching on the cushion reflecting the work and the life of the elderly woman facing it: “If I’m sitting, I’m knitting.”The edges of the room are fairly dark, with a warm sunshine highlighting Eleanor Stone as she sits by the window working on a light blue piece of yarn. She has knitted and sewed for all but the first 11 years of her life, with many garments divvied out among her six children. But this tiny cap won’t fit any of them now —&ensp;this one, like hundreds before it, is headed to needy children at Louisville’s Home of the Innocents.Eleanor is termed “a pioneer” at Wesley Village in Wilmore, where she has spent the last 15 years of her life. Born in Yonkers, N.Y., in October 1915, she came to Kentucky in 1956 with her husband, Garry Stone, who helped bring IBM to Lexington. Garry died just four years later, leaving Eleanor to raise six children by herself — a task she modestly says was not difficult.“I don’t think it was hard,” Eleanor said. “IBM gave me a job and said one of the nicest things: ‘Where have you been? We’ve been waiting for you.’”Margy Cantrell, Eleanor’s youngest child and only daughter, called her mother “the poster child” for self-discipline and a positive attitude.“My mom worked very hard her whole life,” Margy said. “Daddy died 51 years ago this month, and she was left with six children ... She would come home from work and can and freeze and sew clothes for me.”After working in accounting and the technical library for 22 years, Eleanor retired and turned her attention to volunteering. She helped at God’s Pantry in Lexington for about 20 years until she stopped driving. Then she picked up the needles and began making clothes for children, determined to help in whatever way her situation allowed.“I like to knit, and I like to help poor kids,” she said.Eleanor stopped counting hats years ago, but Margy gives an indication of the volume of her mother’s material production when she pulls out a 2004 journal and reads that year’s totals: 86 hats, 72 pairs of mittens, 72 bibs, 25 coverlets, 53 stuffed blocks and three pillows.Eleanor’s handiwork went to The Nest—Center for Women, Children and Families in Lexington for years before she started sending it to the Louisville nonprofit for needy children of all kinds about a decade ago.A life of serviceFinding ways to help poor children started early for Eleanor — earlier than she can remember now. Margy reminded her mother of “penny boxes” she made while at Horace Mann School in New York City; the project was noted in a yearbook Eleanor sent back to the school.“Even in high school, basically during depression times, you were collecting pennies to help needy people,” Margy said.Eleanor donated her time in other ways, too, throughout her life, teaching literacy to adults, leading a Sunday School class, and bringing flowers from her own home to spruce up her workplace. And her donations will even endure past her life, as she has given her brain and her body to the University of Kentucky, where she has participated in an Alzheimer’s study for 20 years.It was at UK’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging where Eleanor first met Alan Beuscher, who now works as vice president for community relations and new initiatives at Wesley Village, while Alan was a graduate student and Eleanor was volunteering.Alan said Eleanor has been one of the community’s liveliest residents for the past decade and a half.“She was among the first people to reserve a home and move in and helped us get off to a great start in the early years,” he said. “She’s lived in our independent patio homes, and she’s lived in our licensed health care, and regardless of her health, she’s always been one of our most active residents in all the special things that we offer.”Eleanor said she has been happy to spend her later years at the Wilmore facility.“It’s a wonderful place to live — boy,” she said. “I’m spoiled, and I love it.”A live mind at 95The pace of the needles has slowed recently, and many questions draw “I can’t remember” from Eleanor, but don’t think for a second that this 95-year-old has lost her edge. She’s quick with a comment on why her door is closed for an interview with a 23-year-old newspaper reporter.“The door is shut so they don’t see me having a boyfriend,” Eleanor said.And her children often hear grand stories set to song when they call and ask what their mother what she has been doing.“Drunk last night, drunk the night before, going to be drunk tonight like I never was drunk before,” Eleanor demonstrates, resolving the melody perfectly. “And the only line that is true is ‘I never was drunk.’”Retirement didn’t slow Eleanor, as she took the opportunity to travel to Europe, Australia, Egypt and Turkey — many of those trips with her older sister, Margaret, who is now 99 years old. Even injuries couldn’t stop the resilient Yonkers native, as she broke both hips within five months and was traveling to Spain within the year.“In the good times and the bad, she always looks for the best in every person and in every situation,” Alan said. “She’s a wonderful example of what it means to grow old gracefully.”Stacks of journals documenting Eleanor’s travels fill shelves in her room, a compilation of notes from 60-plus years of life at the request of her late husband.“My dad asked mom when they got married to keep journals,” Margy said. “So she has journals with daily entries since she got married in June of 1941 and just stopped doing this in the last year or so; she said there’s nothing to write down anymore.”Going back through those journals has supplemented Eleanor’s active daily reading schedule of the Bible, the newspaper and Time Magazine.Asked what lessons she had learned through nearly a century, Eleanor said she gained from her travels that “living (in the U.S.) was best.” And she hopes others see the value and need to continue to make their own nation better.“I think it’s grand to try to help other countries, but there’s a lot of work that can be done in the U.S,” she said, her 95-year-old hands still plowing away at the hat that will warm the head of a needy child in Louisville. “It would be nice if we spent a little more effort in this country to make our country better.” 2011-08-31 11:46:07.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-wesley-village-95yearold-knits-for-needy-children-20110831,0,2823794.story

jj-photo-gallery-2011-high-bridge-homecoming-festival-20110822 Photo Gallery: 2011 High Bridge Homecoming Festival Hundreds of people flocked to High Bridge for this year's High Bridge Homecoming Festival. The event spanned the entire weekend and featured lots of food, music, crafts, raffles, and activities for festival-goers of all ages. http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/photogallery/2011-08/275613640-22082810.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/photogallery/2011-08/275613640-22082809.jpg Hundreds of people flocked to High Bridge for this year's High Bridge Homecoming Festival. The event spanned the entire weekend and featured lots of food, music, crafts, raffles, and activities for festival-goers of all ages. 2011-08-25 08:14:56.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-photo-gallery-2011-high-bridge-homecoming-festival-20110822,0,6054526.photogallery

jj-9yearold-donates-her-lengthy-locks-for-kids-going-without-20110817 9-year-old donates her lengthy locks for kids going without August 17, 2011 While the old adage “bald is beautiful” might appeal to some, for 9-year-old Julieta Mae Garcia, if you were to say that to her, she might give you the stink eye. By Mike Moore http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-08/344762820-17132619.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-08/344762820-17132619.jpg While the old adage “bald is beautiful” might appeal to some, for 9-year-old Julieta Mae Garcia, if you were to say that to her, she might give you the stink eye.Garcia, a fourth-grade student at Brookside Elementary School, suffers from alopecia, a condition of patchy hair loss on a person’s head or other parts of the body.For Garcia, the hair loss was from her head. Jane Lucas, Garcia’s grandmother and guardian, said Garcia began to suffer from alopecia about four years ago.“We started noticing some little bald spots in her head, and I took her to the doctor and they diagnosed her with alopecia,” Lucas said. “It’s supposed to take a year to run its course, but hers took almost four years.”Despite being teased in school, Garcia kept her chin up and did well in her classes, and as her condition began to subside, she spoke to her grandmother about donating her hair, once it grew long enough, to Locks of Love. Locks of Love is a nonprofit organization that gives hairpieces to needy children in North America who suffer from long-term hair loss.“We started talking about cancer patients and how they lose their hair, and she decided that she was going to let her hair grow long enough and donate her hair,” Lucas said.So in about a year, Garcia’s hair grew long enough to be cut, and last Saturday, she, her grandmother and brothers and sisters went to Barrett and Company School of Hair Design to get it cut.“It makes me feel happy,” Garcia said sheepishly. “Because the other little girls don’t have their hair because of cancer.”Shortly after 10:30 a.m., Garcia sat in a booster seat as hair student Allison Adams took scissors and cut off her 13-inch ponytail.“She knows what it feels like to be teased for having bald spots on her head,” Lucas said. 2011-08-17 13:27:03.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-9yearold-donates-her-lengthy-locks-for-kids-going-without-20110817,0,7069311.story

jj-west-jessamine-presents-dysfunctional-family-in-neil-simons-yonkers-20110810 West Jessamine presents dysfunctional family in Neil Simon's 'Yonkers' August 10, 2011 While most high-school students spent the summer away from school, a contingent of West Jessamine students found time to get “Lost in Yonkers.” By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-08/148175060-10104226.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-08/148175060-10104225.jpg While most high-school students spent the summer away from school, a contingent of West Jessamine students found time to get “Lost in Yonkers.” The Neil Simon play about two teenage boys sent to live with their grandmother during World War II will be presented at the school this weekend and next weekend. “Yonkers” is the first summer production West has done — and it came about because of student interest and has been produced largely by students. Lindsey Carlstedt, who graduated from West in 2010 and is currently a sophomore theater major at Northern Kentucky University, is helping direct the play and said junior Andy Burns and other West students came up with the idea in the spring. “They decided that it might be something interesting to try to put students in leadership roles,” Carlstedt said. “(Burns) came together with another one of his friends and then pulled me in for assistance, and we just made it work with the resources that we had.” The cast consists of seven students, and several more are involved in stage management, lighting, sound, makeup and hair. It was difficult at first to coordinate schedules for rehearsals in the summer, Carlstedt said. “For the first two months, it was day-to-day; it was, ‘What can you do tomorrow? Can you be here? What time can we all gather?’” she said. “It was very difficult, but the past couple weeks, we’ve just had to say, ‘Be here then,’ and they’ve all made it work because they realize how important it is.” The play focuses on the plight of the two brothers, Jay and Arty, but the audience also learns about the siblings of the boys’ father and how they have been shaped by the home of “Grandma Kurnitz.” “The most important aspect is the struggle of a dysfunctional family but how, through all the trouble and all the hard times and all the sacrifices, they still pull together and help each other,” Carlstedt said. “You see love through the protection and the strictness and the hard times of being at war and leaving a loved one.” Carlstedt said she has enjoyed stepping back into the auditorium at West in a different role. “It’s been an awesome opportunity as a theater major to get to work with so many talented students and to get to expand my knowledge of the theater aspect from performing to director, and I’m excited to open,” she said. 2011-08-10 10:43:25.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-west-jessamine-presents-dysfunctional-family-in-neil-simons-yonkers-20110810,0,1088525.story

jj-jessamine-teens-participate-in-exchange-program-with-ireland-20110803 Jessamine teens participate in exchange program with Ireland LEARNING A NEW PERSPECTIVE August 3, 2011 Four teenage girls flew across the Atlantic Ocean from Ireland to America on July 25 — two leaving home and two going home. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-08/319659380-03100113.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-08/319659380-03100112.jpg Four teenage girls flew across the Atlantic Ocean from Ireland to America on July 25 — two leaving home and two going home.The two going home were Abby Wiggins and Toria Howard, West Jessamine students who had just spent two weeks finding out that the nation on an island west of Great Britain wasn’t all that different from their own country.Wiggins and Howard, both 16, participated in the Lexington Sister Cities exchange program and brought Kelly Mallon, 17, and Mallon’s cousin Carrie Lidierth, 15, back to the states with them for a two-week visit in Kentucky.Both sets of girls said that the landscape scenery was similar and that the most noticeable difference between the countries was the traffic flow — Irish drivers stay to the left.“This morning, I drove on the wrong side of the road out in front of everyone,” Howard said last Thursday.Gates were noticeably absent from houses in the United States for Mallon and Lidierth, both from County Kildare — fences around livestock were noticeably absent in Ireland for Howard and Wiggins.“They just let the sheep walk around, and we went and ran after them,” Wiggins said.While in Ireland, the four girls had a packed agenda, visiting St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin and Kilkenny Castle, going surfing in the cold Irish Sea and seeing Gaelic football, which is ”like every American sport put together, except there’s no baseball,” Howard said.Neither Howard nor Wiggins had left the continent of North America before. The biggest difference Howard noticed was not in the atmosphere but in the demeanor of the Irish people.“We speak the same, but it’s completely different how they do things there,” Howard said. “They’re really laid back and chill, and we’re rushed.”“(Lidierth’s) mom was always late for everything,” Wiggins said, with the 15-year-old Irish girl laughing and nodding in agreement.Asked about the Irish cuisine, one food stood out in the minds of Howard and Wiggins.“Lots of potatoes,” Howard said.Upon arriving in America last week, all the girls felt a significant change in temperature — and Mallon saw a bright side to the heat.“It’s hot enough to go swim outside in a pool,” she said. “We don’t have any outdoor pools; I’ve never seen an outdoor pool in Ireland before.”The four girls stayed just as busy for their two weeks in the United States, as Mallon and Lidierth visited the Asbury University Equine Center and met Wilmore mayor Harold Rainwater, saw a Lexington Legends baseball game, and visited the state capitol in Frankfort and the Hummel Planetarium at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond.They also visited Herrington Lake, where Lidierth and Mallon learned a new activity.“We don’t really do stuff like (going out on lakes),” Lidierth said. “We did something called tubing on the boat.”Lidierth saw a Walmart for the first time during her visit.“In our supermarkets, we just have food,” she said.Howard and Wiggins both spoke highly of the experience, saying they would be happy to consider other opportunities to visit other countries or even study abroad.“We walked through Trinity College in Dublin, the campus,” Wiggins said. “It was good architecture and different from what we have here, so I think it’d be cool to do something somewhere else.”County Kildare and Lexington became sister cities in 1984. For more information on the Lexington Sister Cities Commission, visit its Web page at www.lexingtonky.gov under the “Visitors” tab. 2011-08-03 10:03:31.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-jessamine-teens-participate-in-exchange-program-with-ireland-20110803,0,365925.story

jj-seminary-teacher-helps-others-discover-natural-beauty-in-palisades-on-dix-river-20110727 Seminary teacher helps others discover natural beauty in palisades on Dix River HIDDEN TREASURE July 27, 2011 What does a seminary professor do when he needs to cut loose? For Brad Johnson of Wilmore, he cuts loose from the bank and heads upriver to show central Kentuckians beautiful treasures right in their backyards. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-07/177383740-27072525.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-07/177383740-27072524.jpg What does a seminary professor do when he needs to cut loose? For Brad Johnson of Wilmore, he cuts loose from the bank and heads upriver to show central Kentuckians beautiful treasures right in their backyards.Johnson, 46, runs Dix River Adventures and takes passengers to fish and see the natural wonders of the palisades in the tailwaters of Herrington Lake.Indiana was home for Johnson until he and his family came to Wilmore in 2004 for him to finish his master’s degrees at Asbury Theological Seminary with a plan to return to Indiana upon graduation. But the offer of a teaching fellowship at the seminary kept the family in Jessamine County —&ensp;and the scenery didn’t hurt, either.While Johnson had always loved boats, he found natural beauty on rivers in Kentucky that he had never seen before.“I fell in love with this the first time I took a little boat out on it,” he said.At a staff retreat out on a lake years ago, Johnson realized he wanted to make boating more than a hobby.“They were fishing, and I got hooked, so to speak,” he said. “For years, I would just use borrowed boats or little basic boats, older boats, oftentimes that had a lot of mechanical problems ... Finally, I thought, ‘I could put together a boating package and, for a modest fee, I think, take people out for tours and fishing and sort of support my hobby that way, and it’s worked out really well so far.”The tour starts in Pool 7 of the Kentucky River, just upriver from Lock and Dam 7 and just downriver from High Bridge. Johnson takes his occupants under the historic bridge and past the Dixie Belle, Shaker Village’s 115-passenger boat docked in Mercer County.The water cools after Johnson makes the turn onto the Dix River, traveling against the current toward the palisade cliffs and the Dix Dam, which causes the cooling when discharging into the river.The 2-mile stretch of the Dix below the dam is the destination for Johnson — the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife has designated these tailwaters as a “trophy” brown-trout fishing area, where the minimum size limit is 15 inches instead of the 12-inch restriction in the rest of the state.Johnson, a KDFW licensed guide, said many people in central Kentucky don’t realize that excellent fishing areas and beautiful scenery on the river are available so close.“We’re 10 minutes from Wilmore; we’re 30 minutes from Lexington. I’ve had folks fly into Bluegrass Airport to fish, and from the airport, they can be here in 40 minutes,” he said. “It’s a terrific fishery; it’s not a big one, and it’s hard to get to, but with the right boat and the right equipment, you can get there easily, and you can have a great day of fishing — and if the fishing’s not that great, the scenery is terrific.”For more information on Dix River Adventures, visit www.dixriveradventures.com. 2011-07-28 10:23:44.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-seminary-teacher-helps-others-discover-natural-beauty-in-palisades-on-dix-river-20110727,0,7600533.story

jj-photo-gallery-colleen-brandenburgs-retirement-party-20110715 Photo Gallery: Colleen Brandenburg's retirement party The city of Wilmore celebrated the retirement of its city clerk-treasurer, Colleen Brandenburg, Friday afternoon. Brandenburg has worked for the city for 33 years. http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/photogallery/2011-07/353371700-15140303.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/photogallery/2011-07/353371700-15140303.jpg The city of Wilmore celebrated the retirement of its city clerk-treasurer, Colleen Brandenburg, Friday afternoon. Brandenburg has worked for the city for 33 years. 2011-07-15 14:07:23.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-photo-gallery-colleen-brandenburgs-retirement-party-20110715,0,1266936.photogallery

jj-wilmore-city-clerktreasurer-retires-after-33-years-20110713 Wilmore city clerk-treasurer retires after 33 years Treasured civil servant played a dual role for the community July 13, 2011 Colleen Brandenburg can tell you just about anything you want to know about the inner workings of Wilmore. She knows the budgets, the calendars, the buildings, the people, and, of course, she knows the town’s history. By Laura Butler http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-07/347894220-13074937.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-07/347894220-13074936.jpg Colleen Brandenburg can tell you just about anything you want to know about the inner workings of Wilmore. She knows the budgets, the calendars, the buildings, the people, and, of course, she knows the town’s history. That’s because for the past 33 years Brandenburg has been in the heart of it all, keeping an eye on things from her post of city clerk-treasurer in city hall. She first applied for the job because she’s always had an interest in government, even just from sitting in civics classes in school. It’s been her passion, not just a job. But now, she’s decided to let someone else take the reins and she’s ready to take a break. For the past three decades, Brandenburg has been the “face of the city” and the “go-to-gal” for all things Wilmore. “If I have a question ... it’s best just to go ahead and call Colleen,” councilman Leonard Fitch said. “She’s always got the right answer.” When Brandenburg started in the position in 1978 she was in charge of the city’s finances, record-keeping, taking minutes at the city council meetings, managing the city’s utilities and even serving as police dispatch before central communications existed. She also managed large grant projects for the city, and in the 1980s and 90s, those projects included millions of dollars in water, sewer and electrical expansion plans. “We only had one person at city hall, and she did it all,” Wilmore mayor Harold Rainwater said. “She kind of became the face of city hall. If you had an issue with the city — whether it was police, or fire, or utilities, or taxes — Colleen was who you dealt with.” But Brandenburg didn’t just worry about the big projects and “official” business, she took the time to make sure the little things got done, too. Whether it was passing out cookies and punch at the holiday festivals or putting together recognition ceremonies for people in the city who were being honored for a job well done, Brandenburg was the one to make sure things fell into place, Rainwater said. “You don’t have to worry if someone’s going to take care of things,” he said. “When we had a retirement or somebody to honor, I could say, ‘Colleen, could you take care of getting a plaque?’ and I never even had to say the words to put on them, she’d just do it.” Rainwater and Brandenburg have worked together during her entire tenure at city hall. And Brandenburg said that’s one of the reasons she stayed on as long as she did. “Harold, of course, has been the mayor since I’ve been here. We’ve just helped each other,” she said. “I’ve enjoyed working with him. “I’ve always heard that if you make your boss look good, then you look good. I hope I’ve done that for him.” Rainwater shares the same sentiment. “She’s always, I felt, had my back, and always had the city’s interest first,” Rainwater said. “When you have somebody who loves their town, loves the people of the town, and you feel is loyal to you ... that’s really all you can ask for. “I don’t even have to open my mail at city hall. She opens it for me and lays it out on the desk and prioritizes it for me. She’ll say, ‘You really need to respond to this one, but this one’s just going to aggravate you and if you want me to tear it up, I will.’ She doesn’t, but I know she would,” Rainwater said laughing. Brandenburg has been more than just a city official, she’s been like family to some and a friend to all. She’s earned the community’s trust through her loyalty and dedication to the financial records of the city and her concern for the citizens’ well-being. “I had three sisters, and she’s just like the fourth sister,” Fitch said. “She’s always watched out for me, and she’s always watched out for the city ... she’s always been keeping me in line.” Utilities Clerk Phyllis Sallee has worked with Brandenburg for 32 of the 33 years she’s been at city hall, and Sallee said they’ve had a great working relationship the entire time. “We’re really close, we even think alike most of the time,” Sallee said. “She’s a good person all around, and she’s been very influential in my life — almost like a mother.” The city has received a solid audit and ended each year “in the black” while Brandenburg has been clerk-treasurer, Rainwater said. And many agree that Brandenburg’s dependability and reliability is invaluable. “I’ve heard people say that if they had money, they’d like Colleen to take care of it for them,” Wilmore Police Chief Steve Boven said. “That’s the kind of trust the community has in her. The mayor, the council and the city as a whole has not had to worry with Colleen as clerk and treasurer because she has taken care of things. It’s a great comfort for all of us here ... to know that she takes care of things and takes care of them well.” Brandenburg’s loyalty has transcended the boundaries of her desk and the typical 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. work day. She often arrives before the office opens and stays well past when the doors get locked in the evening. She’s been known to take work home with her and come in on the weekends to make sure things got done, Rainwater said. “I remember when she first became clerk, and from day one, she was responsible ... she wants to save the city’s money and she wants everything to be accurate,” Fitch said. “I think that comes from her deep love for the city, her deep concern for the people.” And Brandenburg says her passion for the people of Wilmore was a driving force in her work for the city. She used to know everyone, she said, but as the city grew it became harder to keep track of all of the names. “You have to like people, but that’s easy because we’ve got good people here — it’s a friendly town,” Brandenburg said of the secret to being a good clerk-treasurer. “I would not want to live any other place, I know that. I really like everything about my job. Sometimes it gets stressful, but that’s any job. I just like Wilmore, I guess.” Rainwater said the city is currently sifting through applicants to take over Brandenburg’s responsibilities, and Sallee will take over many of the clerk tasks. The city will soon interview candidates for a financial manager role, and that person will be in charge of financial operations for the city and working on some long term planning. The position will be different to match the city’s evolving needs, Rainwater said. But, in the mean time, they’re going to send Brandenburg into retirement with a fond farewell. Rainwater and the city will host a party for Brandenburg in the community room at Wesley Village Friday, on July 15 from 2 to 4 p.m. and the entire community is invited to attend. Brandenburg said leaving her post at city hall is a bittersweet occasion in her life. She’s got plans to vacation more often with her sisters and enjoy her free time by working in the yard and chiseling away at her list of books she wants to read. But she’ll miss the hustle and bustle, too, she said. “It certainly doesn’t feel like 33 years,” Brandenburg said. “Thirty-three years is a long time, but it seems like it kind of went by in a blur. I guess that’s what happens when you’re having so much fun.” 2011-07-19 06:18:30.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-wilmore-city-clerktreasurer-retires-after-33-years-20110713,0,5791137.story

jj-wilmores-lawnmower-brigade-marches-in-festival-of-the-fourth-parade-for-20th-year-20110706 Wilmore's Lawn-Mower Brigade marches in Festival of the Fourth parade for 20th year A Cut Above the Rest July 6, 2011 For the past 20 years, a group of men from Wilmore has donned their John Deere hats, khaki shorts, sneakers, button-up shirts and neckties each Fourth of July. Each year, they pull their lawn mowers from their gardening sheds and garages and decorate them with flags. And each year for the past two decades, with their practiced choreography and light-hearted marching and spirits, they’ve stepped onto Main Street in Wilmore and embraced their role as the “highlight” of the Festival of the Fourth parade. They are the few, the proud, the Lawn-Mower Brigade. By Laura Butler http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-07/347220180-06105401.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-07/347220180-06105401.jpg For the past 20 years, a group of men from Wilmore has donned their John Deere hats, khaki shorts, sneakers, button-up shirts and neckties each Fourth of July. Each year, they pull their lawn mowers from their gardening sheds and garages and decorate them with flags. And each year for the past two decades, with their practiced choreography and light-hearted marching and spirits, they’ve stepped onto Main Street in Wilmore and embraced their role as the “highlight” of the Festival of the Fourth parade. They are the few, the proud, the Lawn-Mower Brigade.When the John Phillips Sousa-style marches start ringing from the speaker strapped to the back of a green tractor and director Lynn Cooper blows his whistle, the nearly two-dozen brigadiers become one and start tapping their toes and marking time. And many of the men agree practicing and marching in the parade is one of their favorite activities of the summer.Cooper, who is a retired professor from Asbury University, former band director and active city councilman, has directed the brigade each of the 20 years of its existence. He earned the director title simply because he “had the whistle.”“This is the most fun I have all year,” he said with a large grin before he used the whistle around his neck to tweet the group to attention at last Thursday evening’s practice at Kinlaw Park.Cooper isn’t the only seasoned veteran in the group, though. In fact, each member of the brigade at Thursday’s practice had marched before, but a few of the other “founding fathers” are still participating today and say they have no intentions of stopping any time soon. Doug Butler and Ken Rietz are the line leaders of the group and proudly march to their positions next to Cooper when the whistle blows.“I’ve been doing it since the beginning,” Butler said. “I do it because people love it. It’s enjoyable to just be able to bring a little bit of pleasure to people.”Butler’s wife, Janet, clapped as the brigade marched past her during practice Thursday evening. Twenty years ago when her husband came home and told her he was joining a lawn-mower brigade, she could only chuckle.“I just laughed and said, ‘Oh well. Why not?’” Janet said. “I want them to keep with it, and I enjoy being there for support. I’ll be cheering as they go by.”Now it’s a tradition she and her husband look forward to each year.Between 16 and 24 men participate in the brigade each year and view it as a time-honored tradition. It’s not uncommon to see father-son teams in the brigade, either. Cooper’s grandsons and son-in-law usually participate, he said.“All you need is a lawn mower and a good sense of humor, although a little coordination does help,” Cooper tells anyone who wants to join.Some of the guys even have dedicated “parade mowers” that they’ve painted red, white and blue, and some have taken the motors out to make it easier to maneuver the machines during the drills.The idea started when Jim and Lynn Watson, former Asburians, pitched the idea to a couple of the faculty after seeing it in another town, Cooper said. Several professors still participate in the group today, and many jokingly call it a “way to take the edge off.”Daryl Diddle, the pastor at the Free Methodist Church in Wilmore, is marking his 15th year with the group after getting his start during his undergraduate years at Asbury.“I started when I was at Asbury Seminary in 1996,” Diddle said. “I had to borrow a lawn mower, too. I had everything but the lawn mower.”The brigade begins the march in two single-file lines, but they don’t stay that way for long. The group has about a dozen different drills they do, including criss-crosses with high fives, rotating pinwheel formations and a new move they developed Thursday evening, dubbed “The Chevron.” Cooper came up with many of the drills, but making up new movements is a group effort and everyone pitches in.Veteran brigadier Rietz said it’s difficult to choose a favorite move, but the pinwheel is his overall top pick, and the single line to diagonals move can be a tricky one to count.“I taught mathematics, so I should be able to count,” Rietz said with a smile. “But it’s OK. I’m in front, so I’m always right.”The guys may have been producing a decent amount of sweat while they were pushing their lawn mowers all across the Talbott neighborhood on Kinlaw Drive and the surrounding streets Thursday evening, but they were producing even more smiles and laughs.“Keep smiling!” Cooper shouted to the group over the music. “Remember, you’re having fun here!”The men have a variety of funny stories they like to share about their time together, but one they all laugh about happened a few years ago when Cooper was marching backward, leading the group, and tripped over the wagon neighborhood kids used to pull the music in. And after a broken arm, they all decided it would be a good idea to incorporate the tractor for the traveling sound system, as it’s a lot harder to trip over. Now the kids ride in a wagon attached to the back of the tractor and wave and toss out candy.The Lawn-Mower Brigade has attracted quite a bit of attention — they were featured in this April’s edition of Southern Living, and they’ve made it into John Deere’s corporate magazine. John Deere is jokingly referred to as the unofficial corporate sponsor for the group, Cooper said. Several of the guys are very proud they’ve even made a debut on YouTube.Being in the Lawn-Mower Brigade is all about fun. The group marches, rain or shine, whether they “melt from the heat” or “get soggy and drenched” in the rain, the members say.“This is a really fun activity that brings enjoyment to our wonderful town and to our members,” Cooper said.“This is our 20th year, and we hope to go 20 more.” 2011-07-07 06:10:32.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-wilmores-lawnmower-brigade-marches-in-festival-of-the-fourth-parade-for-20th-year-20110706,0,4346297.story

jj-thousands-gather-for-freedom-fund-fest-in-nicholasville-20110629 Thousands gather for Freedom Fund Festival in Nicholasville June 29, 2011 Families, friends and supporters of the military gathered together Saturday on North Main Street to participate in the eighth annual Freedom Fund Festival. The festival serves as a major fundraiser for the military recognition ceremonies Freedom Fund Fest organizer Doug Day puts on throughout the year to honor local veterans and those actively serving in the military. By Laura Butler http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-06/254793080-29083108.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-06/254793080-29083107.jpg Families, friends and supporters of the military gathered together Saturday on North Main Street to participate in the eighth annual Freedom Fund Festival. The festival serves as a major fundraiser for the military recognition ceremonies Freedom Fund Fest organizer Doug Day puts on throughout the year to honor local veterans and those actively serving in the military.The event’s opening ceremony started just before noon with a presentation of the colors, singing of the national anthem and a 21-gun salute. The activities didn’t end until almost eight hours later, Day said. Several bands and singers entertained the crowd, some easily filling up the nearly 200 seats Day put in front of the stage, he said.Festival-goers were also able to visit the booths set up around the parking lot in front of the Tractor Supply store and Office Depot. The vendors were part of the fundraising efforts as they each purchased their location at the festival, making a donation to the military, Day said. Some of the vendors were giving a portion of their proceeds to the festival, too.“We had a really good, super day,” he said. “The numbers were definitely up — I’d say the attendance was up probably about 80 percent better than what it’s been in the past. It was a pretty steady crowd all day long.”In all, Day said he estimates between 3,000 and 4,000 people probably attended the event.“I think we definitely raised enough to cover our expenses and put on four really nice ceremonies in the coming year,” he said.One of the reasons Day thinks the festival continues to grow in success is the bond it reinforces within the community, he said.“The community works together, the county, city, fire, police, they all work together hand-in-hand,” Day said. “It’s all about the military so there’s no bad vibes. Everybody works together to do something good for our veterans ... when it comes to them, everybody steps up and donates.”Lindsay Owsley brought her son Christian, 4, to the festival to have fun, but to also just be around other military families, she said.“His dad’s deployed to Afghanistan right now,” Owsley said. “There aren’t a whole lot of military functions around here, so whenever there is one, we try to get to them. It’s nice to see everyone supporting it.”The organizers also took the opportunity to honor several veterans and active military personnel at the festival. Nicholasville resident Robert White, who is a Vietnam War veteran, accepted an armful of plaques and certificates for his entire family at the event. White, as well as his father’s brother, his father and his cousin all served in the military at one point or another.White was called to the stage early in the afternoon to share some of his family’s history and accept the awards in their honor. The experience was an emotional one for White.“To be recognized like this, it honors me, but it honors the family,” White said. “It’s more of a strong emotion. I just don’t really have the words to describe the feeling I have right now.” 2011-06-29 08:31:13.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-thousands-gather-for-freedom-fund-fest-in-nicholasville-20110629,0,7568429.story

jj-local-group-abe-parker-band-to-play-twice-at-ichthus-in-wilmore-20110613 Local group Abe Parker Band to play twice at Ichthus in Wilmore June 13, 2011 While dozens of Christian bands converge on Wilmore from all over the nation for Ichthus each year, one band this June has a very short drive. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-06/353916440-13145256.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-06/353916440-13145255.jpg While dozens of Christian bands converge on Wilmore from all over the nation for Ichthus each year, one band this June has a very short drive.The Abe Parker Band is fronted by its namesake, a recent Asbury University grad who sings and plays guitar. Completing a core trio are bassist and fellow Asbury grad Tyler Young and drummer Robbie Goins or Nicholasville. Seventeen-year-old guitarist Sam Jones of Lexington also plays with the band, and Asbury student Amaris Blevins will sing with the guys for the first time at Ichthus.The Abe Parker Band is scheduled to play on the Galleria Stage on Wednesday at 6 p.m. and on the same stage Saturday at noon.Parker has played at Ichthus in Wilmore twice before with the band Rookie. His current band has come together within the past year as his musical taste evolved.“I was playing with some other guys for a while, and I decided that instead of playing punk rock and classic rock, I wanted to play ‘girl songs,’” Parker, 22, said. “I knew Tyler from the Vineyard (Vineyard Community Church in Lexington), and we’d met some other places too. Tyler recommended Robbie, and we jammed together, and the first time, they were like, ‘Yeah, let’s do this; this sounds great.’ I was pumped; they sounded really good.”For the members of the band, original songs are what sets the Abe Parker Band apart from other outfits they have played with.“We’ve done everything from country to funk, and this is whatever genre they’re calling it —&ensp;it’s a really different, creative blend experience where you don’t get bored with one type of music,” Young, 24, said. “Even every song is different; you can go from an R&B song to a little bit of a punk rock, pop rock, chick rock, that kind of stuff.”Parker described the sound of his band as “rock-a-booty.”“Like rock and booty-shaking music, rock-a-booty music,” he said.The band has not played at Ichthus in Wilmore, but Young, Goins and Parker played together at the Ichthus Fort Wayne festival in Fort Wayne, Ind., in September 2010.“We got to go up there and play on one of the small stages, and it was a ton of fun,” Young said. “It was a way different feel —&ensp;all parking lot, not a camp.”Goins, 25, has played on an Ichthus stage before and said he looks forward to another opportunity to perform at a festival he has attended regularly since he was 12.“I usually went to see all the big names that would come in and check it out; I think the first time I went was in middle school,” he said. “That was 13 years ago, that first one, and I’ve pretty much been going here and there ever since.”The band recently shot an eight-song DVD at Asbury University’s Miller Center for Communication Arts. The show raised nearly $1,000 for the Salvation Army, and DVDs should be available at Ichthus.“It was a really great production,” Parker said. “It was all student workers; we had 60-plus workers in the brand-new Asbury media-comm building, which is incredible.”The group is also working on a CD that Parker hopes to have ready in the fall. The frontman said he is encouraged by the success the band has had in its short existence.“Less than a year together, and we still don’t hate each other,” he said.For more information about The Abe Parker Band, go to www.purevolume.com/abeparker. 2011-06-17 09:24:02.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-local-group-abe-parker-band-to-play-twice-at-ichthus-in-wilmore-20110613,0,71335.story

jj-photo-gallery-east-and-west-jessamine-high-school-graduations-20110608 Photo Gallery: East and West Jessamine High School graduations Jessamine County gathered last week to celebrate as hundreds of its students graduated from East and West Jessamine high schools. East's graduation ceremony was at 4 p.m. at Southland Christian Church and West's commencement exercises were at 7:30 p.m. Both schools celebrated banner years, with West students earning nearly $3 million in college scholarships and one of the largest classes of East students earning $1.86 million. http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/photogallery/2011-06/62215553-08131443.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/photogallery/2011-06/62215553-08131442.jpg Jessamine County gathered last week to celebrate as hundreds of its students graduated from East and West Jessamine high schools. East's graduation ceremony was at 4 p.m. at Southland Christian Church and West's commencement exercises were at 7:30 p.m. Both schools celebrated banner years, with West students earning nearly $3 million in college scholarships and one of the largest classes of East students earning $1.86 million. 2011-06-08 13:26:06.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-photo-gallery-east-and-west-jessamine-high-school-graduations-20110608,0,2182500.photogallery

jj-specialed-teacher-retires-after-22-years-in-jessamine-county-20110601 Special-ed teacher retires after 22 years in Jessamine County May 31, 2011 David Underwood-Sweet has had a teaching career almost as long as his last name. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-06/243693180-01115920.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-06/243693180-01115919.jpg David Underwood-Sweet has had a teaching career almost as long as his last name.The 58-year-old — known to many as Mr. U-S — started teaching in 1975 in Dayton, Ohio, and spent his last 22 years as a special-education teacher in the Jessamine County school district teaching kids of all ages. He is retiring at the end of this year“People always say, ‘Oh, you’re a teacher; what grade do you teach?’” Underwood-Sweet said. “I say, ‘K-12.’ My youngest is 3; my oldest is 18.”Hearing-impaired students are the main focus of his job, although he also works to try to help high-schoolers who have dropped out get back in the system.After teaching for three years in Ohio in the 1970s, Underwood-Sweet thought he would be moving west but ended up in Kentucky.“I thought I had a job in Missouri, moved out there and there wasn’t one,” he said. “I kind of had a lost year, but that was the year my daughter was born, so that was OK; it worked out.”He found Jessamine County in 1988 after five years at the Kentucky School for the Deaf and four years with Head Start in Lexington.“The job I had with Head Start was partly administrative, and it’s like, ‘God bless the principals,’ because I don’t want their jobs,” Underwood-Sweet said with a laugh. “I didn’t like it because I just didn’t have enough contact with kids.”Underwood-Sweet said he was one of the first special-education teachers to go into the classroom to work with students instead of pulling them out of the classroom. He said legislation for students with disabilities — now the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act but first called the Education for all Handicapped Children Act of 1975 — has helped even the playing field.“The original idea of that law was that the kids with handicapping conditions be included to the greatest extent possible,” he said. “Now, it’s taken us 35 years to get to that point, and I think this system has done an excellent job of doing that.”Underwood-Sweet said he found a good home in Jessamine County Schools.“I think this system has been an excellent system. I could have left; I could have gone other places through the time I’ve been here,” he said. “But I’ve been some not-so-good places, and I recognize good when I see it, so I’m staying here.”After retirement, Underwood-Sweet still plans to work part time — he’ll still need his “kid fix” — but he will have more time for hobbies like stained glass and photography.“Looking back, I can say I was a lucky man, because I knew in high school I wanted to be a teacher, and here I am,” he said. “I’ve managed to spend my whole life doing what I wanted to do. It hasn’t all been happiness and roses, but I’m lucky enough to do what I wanted to do all my life; not a lot of people can say that.”Asked what the most important lesson he taught students was, the 58-year-old paused for a minute and contemplated the many different subjects, age levels and children he had interacted with.“I’ve always felt like I was able to deal with each person as an individual and take them at face value and move on with that,” he said. “I suppose life-lesson-wise, that it’s to treat each person as an individual with respect — and it really, to some extent, doesn’t matter how dumb or smart you are; each of us has something to contribute ... each of us has some value, no matter who we are.” 2011-06-01 12:01:11.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-specialed-teacher-retires-after-22-years-in-jessamine-county-20110601,0,1568529.story

jj-nicholasville-man-wrestles-to-raise-money-for-relay-for-life-20110524 Nicholasville man wrestles to raise money for Relay for Life May 24, 2011 Leaning on the ropes for support, Nicholasville’s Chad Hammond, aka Big Bad Chad, was exhausted Saturday night around 9:30 p.m. By Mike Moore http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-05/247654840-24145144.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-05/247654840-24145143.jpg Leaning on the ropes for support, Nicholasville’s Chad Hammond, aka Big Bad Chad, was exhausted Saturday night around 9:30 p.m.After a few moments to collect his breath, Hammond was mobbed by his teammates, “Larry D” and “Jay Donaldson,” as Big Bad Chad thanked the crowd of nearly 200 people for turning out for the Relay for Life benefit Mountain Wrestling Association matches last Saturday.The event raised more than $2,700 for the Jessamine County Relay for Life event, which will be held June 10-11 at West Jessamine Middle School. And Relay for Life has special meaning for Hammond and his famliy.“It starts with my child, (8-year-old) Lucas,” Chad, 34, said. “When he was a year old, he was diagnosed with retinoblastoma eye cancer in his left eye.”When Lucas was diagnosed, the family had a tough decision to make — have their son undergo chemotherapy or have the eye removed. The family chose the latter, and they haven’t looked back since. “It keeps us grounded and reminded of Lucas’ miracle,” Chad said. “Now he’s out playing ball and he’s growing up and being a normal kid. If you didn’t know it, you wouldn’t realize that he ever had cancer or that he only has one eye.”So when Relay for Life rolls around, the Hammond family pitches in, or in “Big Bad Chad’s” case, he is ready to climb in the squared circle to fight for a cure.Wrestling is something that Chad grew up with, watching Memphis wrestling with Jerry “The King” Lawler, Lance Russell and David Brown, never dreaming that he would one day enter a ring himself. “It was a childhood dream that I was wanting to do,” he said.So earlier this year when Chad met MWA owner Chris Hayes, the opportunity presented itself to fulfill a childhood dream while making money for a cause that is dear to his heart.So Chad prepared to enter the ring, had his first match in March and four subsequent matches, including Saturday’s six-man “War Games” match.A series of matches, including an MWA World Championship match featuring champion “Chuck E. Smooth” defeating challenger Maxx Sledd, set the stage for the grand finale.Chad and his partners squared off in the main event against Jack Black, Jordan Kage and Kyron at the Blue Building at City-County Park with his sons, Lucas and Levi, sitting at ringside rooting their favorite wrestler on. The partisan crowd waited in anticipation and soon after the match began, the chants of “B.B.C., B.B.C.” echoed throughout the building, and soon thereafter, Big Bad Chad emerged from behind the curtain.The action swayed back in forth, but in the end, “Big Bad Chad” landed the belly flop on Kage as the referee applied the three count, declaring Chad’s team the victors.But the real victor was Relay for Life, he said.“The wrestling is the entertainment, but our main goal is to get as many people (here) as possible to show the people who have cancer that they’re supported,” Chad said. 2011-05-24 14:52:39.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-nicholasville-man-wrestles-to-raise-money-for-relay-for-life-20110524,0,7200014.story

jj-brooksides-music-teacher-retires-after-nearly-30-years-20110518 Brookside's music teacher retires after nearly 30 years May 18, 2011 The brightly colored tubes hung just above the ground, suspended by the arms of first-graders waiting on direction from their teacher. As each note of “Do Re Mi” played, so did the corresponding Boomwhackers as the students banged them against the carpet. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-05/245512120-18111927.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-05/245512120-18111926.jpg The brightly colored tubes hung just above the ground, suspended by the arms of first-graders waiting on direction from their teacher. As each note of “Do Re Mi” played, so did the corresponding Boomwhackers as the students banged them against the carpet.These young children may not grasp the major scale or acquire perfect rhythm during the one-hour class, but they learn to appreciate music — or at least that’s the goal of Roger Garrison, who has taught music at Brookside Elementary in Nicholasville for the past 27 years and will be retiring in June.“I do my best to cover all the concepts and elements of music, but if my students walk out with a love of music and they say, ‘Music — yeah, that’s OK,’ that’s what makes me happy,” Garrison said.The 52-year-old came to Nicholasville with his family when he was 3 years old. He spent all his school years in the Jessamine County system until going to Georgetown College for a degree in music education. When he came back to the Nicholasville area, he was just waiting for an opportunity to get back into the school system he already knew so well.“Music teaching jobs are hard to find; there are very few of them,” he said. “I worked up here at what was then Gulf States (Paper Company) for two years, and then decided that I’d better do something to get me closer into the system, so I subbed for two years, and then I’ve been here at this job ever since.”Garrison started a guitar program at Brookside as well as the Brookside Mustang Chorale. He took students to choral festivals, the Jessamine County Senior Center and to the lighting of the county’s Christmas tree. In what he says is one of the most important things he can do, he offers students chances to perform each year.“I love what I do,” Garrison said. “I come down that street every day not like I’m coming to work; I’m coming to a place that I enjoy being. I love it here; I love the kids. If it weren’t for other aspects of teaching, I’d teach forever.”Brookside’s principal, JonAnn Horn, taught at the school before assuming the post three years ago. She called Garrison a “pillar” of the school.“It’s a huge loss for us; he is a master teacher, and I mean that in every sense of the word,” she said. “He loves music, and he loves kids, and he’s just an outstanding teacher. He’s one of those that will be really, really hard to replace ... we’re going to miss him tremendously.”While his weekday life kept him in the school, Garrison kept an active role in music ministry for as long as he could, serving as a part-time minister of music first at Silas Baptist in Bourbon County and then at Mt. Freedom Baptist in Wilmore.“I’ve been active in music ministry most of my life, and I’m going to be open to wherever that leads me after retirement,” he said. “I retired from music ministry in ‘97 because two jobs were just too much.”Garrison will still be around students even after this school year; he plans to substitute and volunteer. He considers teaching to be a divine calling and said he had not even considered retirement until last year.“I believe I was called by God to be a teacher, so I prayed about it a lot,” he said. “I never even thought about retiring, period — I didn’t even have a plan for my retirement until last school year, and all of a sudden, it hit me that I have 27 years this year, and I could retire if I wanted to.”He made the final decision between Christmas and spring break this year, and he said he doesn’t have any doubts about it.“Retired teachers tell me that you know when it’s time,” he said. “I don’t know how to explain it, but I knew it was time.”One of the proofs of Garrison’s longevity are what he calls “grand-students” — students who are children of former students.“There aren’t very many people left here who have been here that long,” Horn said. “It’s generational; he has a lot of kids’ kids that he’s had over the years. He’s so well known and so active in everything we do.”While Garrison has been teaching the love of music to his students, his students have been teaching him about love.“I’ve become a more patient person and a more loving person,” he said. “I’m single — never been married — and I think the kids have done a lot in teaching me how to love ... I’ve grown a lot as a person being a teacher.” 2011-05-20 07:02:32.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-brooksides-music-teacher-retires-after-nearly-30-years-20110518,0,741145.story

jj-show-must-go-on-local-dyslexia-fundraiser-will-continue-without-star-laura-kirkpatrick-20110518 Show Must Go On: Central Kentucky dyslexia fundraiser will continue without star Laura Kirkpatrick Star called back for another America's Next Top Model run May 18, 2011 In showbiz, the old adage says the show must go on no matter what obstacles and disappointments get in the way. By TODD KLEFFMAN http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-05/246433000-18093951.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-05/246433000-18093940.jpg In showbiz, the old adage says the show must go on no matter what obstacles and disappointments get in the way.That’s proving true for Lincoln County modeling star Laura Kirkpatrick. Friday’s fashion show and after-party fundraiser at the Boyle County Fairgrounds will go on as planned, even though Kirkpatrick herself won’t be there, having been called back to Hollywood for some pretty important business.“She’s so disappointed,” said Hannah Kirkpatrick, who is filling in for her older sister at Friday’s event. Laura is unable to speak for herself. She’s off limits while filming an upcoming season of “America’s¿Top Model,” the TV show that launched her career two years ago. Laura was among the previous contestants on the show to be invited back for an all-star type competition that is currently shooting at an undisclosed location in the Los Angeles area and could air this fall, though details are being kept hush-hush, even from family members.“We have no clue,” Hannah said. “They like to keep everything locked-down secret.”Laura left California and returned to Lincoln County on April 28 to spend a month visiting with family and friends while gearing up for Friday’s show, which will benefit the Kirkpatrick & Burton Bluegrass Dyslexia Foundation she founded last year to raise awareness for the learning disability that afflicted her as a child.She was in town less than a week when a “Top Model” producer called and told her they wanted her back for the upcoming season. They flew her back to California on May 8 to begin filming, Hannah said.It was decided that Friday’s show should continue in Laura’s absence, even though her missing star power might diminish attendance.“I’m afraid that’s a possibility, but I’m hoping people will see her heart is still in it and it’s still her cause and they’ll come out and support the foundation,” Hannah explained.The fashion show will feature swim suits, summer wear and vintage lingerie created by four Kentucky designers, including the Kirkpatricks’ grandmother, Wanda Sue Kirkpatrick, who designed some of the clothes Laura wore on the TV show two years ago. The swimsuits designed by the elder Kirkpatrick will be auctioned off with proceeds going to the foundation.While some of the models will be industry professionals and Laura’s friends, the majority will be from Kentucky — including half a dozen from central Kentucky — with various levels of runway experience.“We have three girls who have never been on a runway before,” Hannah said. “We wanted to give people who wanted to do this a chance.”Following the fashion show, an after-party will give the night a glowing ending. Attendees are encouraged to wear white to better be seen under the black lights. Glow-in-the-dark paints and other accessories will add to the dance’s atmosphere.“We’re calling it a glow party,” Hannah explained. 2011-05-18 09:40:28.0 2011-06-17 21:00:00.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-show-must-go-on-local-dyslexia-fundraiser-will-continue-without-star-laura-kirkpatrick-20110518,0,597703.story

jj-wilmore-group-fitchs-neighbors-turns-out-to-help-longtime-grocer-20110511 Wilmore group Fitch's Neighbors turns out to help longtime grocer May 11, 2011 For more than 50 years, Leonard Fitch has been a neighbor to the Wilmore community. On Saturday, the community turned out to be neighbors to Fitch. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-05/306603380-11085447.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-05/306603380-11085446.jpg For more than 50 years, Leonard Fitch has been a neighbor to the Wilmore community. On Saturday, the community turned out to be neighbors to Fitch. Fitch’s family has run the Wilmore IGA since 1956. In recent years as the store competed with bigger out-of-town business and struggled to stay afloat, Asbury Theological Seminary student Jay Leeson was gaining an affinity for Fitch and growing concerned for the grocery. “Just like everyone else, I began to understand that there’s a special quality to this man that you seldom come across,” Leeson said. “But I began to see that there was an inconsistency between how we felt about Fitch and where we did our shopping.” The 32-year-old had majored in journalism in college and planned to write a story highlighting the struggles of Fitch’s IGA and submit it to national magazines. But as Leeson conducted research, he found that the desmise of local grocery stores was not unique to Wilmore and that the only rarity about Fitch’s store was that it was still open. “That time of research provided the principles and the methods for the way forward,” he said. “I came to a decision where I said I’m no longer going to try to write and tailor this story — I know what I know; I can stand before community boards, the city council, anybody, and argue this case: We’ve got to become Fitch’s neighbors.” Thus began the group of the same name. Since then, Fitch’s Neighbors have been working to update the store, from aesthetics like indoor painting and new signs to pricing, introducing “Fitch’s Hot Deals,” specials that look to offer better prices than any area stores. More than 40 people of all ages — including 14 Boy Scouts from Troop 707 — came from Nicholasville and Wilmore to the store Saturday to paint the exterior. “It’s unbelieveable for so many people to volunteer their time and do this,” Fitch said. “And I’m so excited about the store’s changes and the new look, and I appreciate it so much; it’s wonderful.” The outside of the store, previously green with white trim, now boasts a new coat of pewter paint with bright red trim. Inside, an aqua color previously only on a freezer case now spreads through the whole store. Wilmore resident Charley Harold, who has a background in interior design, took the reins for the style of the store. “This whole project is about community and neighbors working together, and so with that, we let that lead us in our concept, which is community and neighborliness,” she said. “It’s kind of a throwback to the ‘50s, when that was commonplace and everyone helped out everyone; it wasn’t just someone looking out for themselves.” The outside painting was a source of concern for Leeson, who had little painting experience, until a phone call in the middle of the week from Wilmore resident Rusty Zoph, who has been a painter for 17 years. Zoph had noticed the updates inside Fitch’s IGA and had just found out about Saturday’s painting project. Like many of Fitch’s Neighbors, Zoph offered his help because Fitch had served him first, helping his mother with groceries when he was away. “Mr. Fitch and his family had helped my family a lot several years back when I was out of the country,” Zoph said. “I thought this might be an opportunity to pay back a little bit, because they’re been absolutely wonderful citizens here in the community in helping a lot of people over the years.” Even after Saturday’s efforts, the work of Fitch’s Neighbors is not finished. Having already taken steps to improve atmosphere and pricing, the next big project is re-setting and updating the inventory of items in the store. “We see clearly from our records that on the shelves, there are things that do not sell, things that have gotten older,” Leeson said. “We need to change our approach of inventory within the store ... (The outdoor painting) is lipstick on the hog; we want to put new guts in the hog.” The turnout Saturday was evidence of Fitch’s legacy, Leeson said, and the effect he has had on the community, from officiating four to six funerals in a month to handing out groceries to families in need. “When we see somebody go down, we can gather around them,” he said. “It just so happens that in this instance, the most critical component of the town’s life is in trouble, and it just so happens that he’s the man who’s helped us bury our relatives, our loved ones, who’s walked us through very difficult times — vulnerable times when we didn’t have any money, hard times when we lost loved ones. The people out here say, ‘What else would I do today besides come down and help Leonard Fitch?’” Leeson was quick to point out that he was merely a coordinator and that the dozens of volunteers were the reason the project was a success. “All I’ve done is organize and made people aware; they’ve done all this work,” he said. “I walk around and look at what’s going on, but by the end of today, we’ll have close to 600 man-hours of work in this store over the past couple of months. That’s people deciding, ‘This is in my best interest to make my interests somebody elses.’ I really applaud them and their efforts in doing that.” Leeson said the long-term fix for the store will be the community supporting it. He hopes 6,000 Wilmore residents who buy at least three meals a week at the store will keep it strong. As for Fitch, he only had appreciation for the city and its residents. “I love Wilmore, and Wilmore has been so good to me over the years,” he said. “I’m sure glad to be part of the community.” 2011-05-13 08:51:33.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-wilmore-group-fitchs-neighbors-turns-out-to-help-longtime-grocer-20110511,0,3853895.story

jj-nicholasville-boy-diagnosed-with-cancer-at-age-12-now-lives-full-life-at-21-20110504 Nicholasville boy diagnosed with cancer at age 12 now lives full life at 21 May 4, 2011 Nicholasville native Josh Bryant has some interesting connections to NBA star Kobe Bryant. Josh has cheered for Kobe since he first saw the Laker who had his last name and wore his favorite number — 8. A puppy in the Nicholasville Bryant household even received the first name of the 13-time all-star. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-05/276509500-04081838.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-05/276509500-04081838.jpg Nicholasville native Josh Bryant has some interesting connections to NBA star Kobe Bryant. Josh has cheered for Kobe since he first saw the Laker who had his last name and wore his favorite number — 8. A puppy in the Nicholasville Bryant household even received the first name of the 13-time all-star. And while Kobe is 11 years older and stands 3 inches taller, Josh has conquered cancer one more time. The 21-year-old celebrates his ninth Relay for Life in remission this summer after getting to write about the event as a school project at the University of Kentucky in the spring. Diagnosis Josh’s medical troubles started in the summer of 2002 when the 12-year-old East Jessamine Middle student got sick and couldn’t shake it. “We went to and from doctor’s offices all summer long not knowing what was wrong with Josh except that he had a lump on the side of his neck,” said Karen Bryant, Josh’s mother. “And they thought he had mononucleosis.” After several rounds of antibiotics and a referral to an ear, nose and throat specialist, Josh received a diagnosis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma — cancer. Karen and Josh made the trip to the University of Kentucky hospital in Lexington with Josh’s father, Gary, and his sister, 27-year-old Alina. Karen said she and her husband were devastated and in shock and depended on the guidance of Alina. “She kicked into some kind of a different gear and took over,” Karen said. “We got to UK, and she led us around. She said, ‘We need to go here to get chest X-rays, and we need to go here to get blood work.’ She just took over.” The boy preparing for his seventh-grade year was getting lots of tests but wasn’t sure exactly what was going on until his parents told him at home he had cancer. “I remember them telling me one night, and I remember sitting up in my bed the rest of the night trying to cry myself to sleep, thinking I was going to die,” Josh said. “I was 12, and that’s what I thought happened; I didn’t understand it. “I don’t even recall what I thought of when I went through the treatments or what the doctors said; I don’t think I paid much attention to it. After that night, I tried to let it go, but I’m sure in the back of my mind, that stayed with me most of the time; I didn’t really think you live from cancer at age 12.” Treatment Josh began chemotherapy, and he and his mother said the care at UK was excellent. But a big part of his treatment away from the hospital was a new addition to the household; he had wanted a puppy for a long time. “When he got sick and couldn’t seem to quite snap out of it, I said, ‘Let’s go get a puppy,’” Karen said. “So we went and got a puppy dog that was a distraction, something different in our house, something new that would put our attention in a different direction and we could focus on something else besides sitting around thinking about treatments and everything Josh was going to have to go through.” The Jack Russell puppy was named Kobe and kept the family’s attention. “He stayed like a puppy, so he stayed a distraction the entire course of the year that he was with us; we really loved him,” Josh said. After six months of chemo and three weeks of radiation treatment, the most intense part of the battle was over. “He went into remission, and he has been ever since,” Karen said. “He’s actually considered past remission after five years, but he still goes back for wellness visits at UK.” Remission While the medical treatments were over, Josh’s struggles were not. “That’s one thing most people don’t realize; it really sets you back, not just physically but mentally,” Josh said. “You literally have to relearn life up to a point, I think. Most people don’t realize it; they think you beat it, you get done with it, and then you go right back to normal. It took me probably a year just to regain my strength and learn to get up and do life every day.” The disease and subsequent treatment changed Josh’s body, bulking him up to around 270 pounds in his senior year of high school. It was then that fellow East High student Aaron Milling stepped in and offered more than just encouragement to lose the weight. “We had become good friends by the end of the year, and he said, ‘I can help you get rid of that,’” Josh said. “No one had ever actually said that; they always said, ‘You should lose weight.’ He said, ‘I’ll help you get rid of it; I’ll be there to help you and guide you.’” True to his word, Milling called Josh and started working out with him on a regular basis — though the first few outings left the cancer survivor too sore to go to work or drive to his own graduation rehearsal. “That whole day for rehearsal, I was just stumbling around; my legs were sore, as well,” Josh said.“Luckily, nobody saw me stumble too bad, but it was all the time. Even when the day came to graduate, I was still sore because I was continuing to work out, and it was the first week. I really didn’t want to fall going up those stairs or going down them or walking to grab the diploma, and luckily, I never did.” Josh lost a total of 90 pounds at one point, although he put a few back on when his family was worried he had lost too much. Milling is now the roommate of the 6-foot-3, 210-pound 21-year-old who continues to play basketball and work out. After high-school graduation, Josh went to Bluegrass Community and Technical College and received a two-year degree; he moved on to the University of Kentucky in 2010 and is currently working toward a degree in sports broadcasting. “He beat cancer, and he beat weight loss,” Karen said. “It wasn’t always the encouraging news that we got from the doctors or the nurses, that you can go on to college and you can be successful in life.” The cancer community Two annual events have kept Josh connected with other cancer survivors and helped him give hope to others struggling with the disease — Relay for Life and Indian Summer Camp. He has participated in Jessamine County’s Relay for Life each year since 2003 — when finding a community was especially important, Karen said. “He was in remission at that time, and we didn’t know what the future was going to hold,” she said. “So (it helped) just being together with other people that have the same thing in common with you and that have been through the same thing, and everybody’s out there walking and fighting for a cause and trying to beat this and trying to find the cure and to raise money for that; it’s just a really good feeling.” Josh served as grand marshal for the 2006 relay and was presented with a $1,000 college scholarship from the American Cancer Society at the 2009 event. He said he finds inspiration in the spirits of those at the relays who kept going around the track even when rain poured down the first few years he went. “It’s just like cancer; just ‘cause it rains, it doesn’t stop,” Josh said. Karen didn’t find out how much the relays meant to her son until 2008, when he insisted his family participate amid the ruckus of a milestone event. “The year he graduated from high school, we had so much going on — I was planning a big graduation party for him; we had graduation; it was just overwhelming,” Karen said. “I said, ‘I can’t do a team this year; we can’t do this,’ and he’s like, ‘We always have to do this.’ Josh was adamant about it, and I was like, ‘OK, now I know I always have to do this.’ He was right.” A class assignment this spring at UK led Josh to use his experience with Relay for Life and learn even more about the event as he wrote about an upcoming relay in Lexington for The Kentucky Kernel, the university’s student newspaper. “It was cool to talk to those people who look forward to that time of year all year round and work to help raise money,” he said. “And they go beyond what I do, because they help run it.” The summer staple in Josh’s calendar is Indian Summer Camp, a camp for kids with cancer that is held at Camp Cedarmore in Baghdad, Ky. Learning to love the camp came slowly for Josh, who was weary of leaving his parents and of the atmosphere. “At first, I was kind of skeptical — I don’t want to do camp with a bunch of cancer patients; how much fun can that really be?” he said. “Everybody’s all tired, I was imagining, and there were so many school days that I would miss during that time I was going through treatment.” But it didn’t take long to fall in love with the  summer program that’s “just like a normal camp, except you get nap time.” Josh now serves as a counselor at the camp, and he wears two bracelets around his right wrist — a yellow one from Livestrong and a blue one from Indian Summer Camp. A big basketball fan, Josh follows Kobe and his Lakers closely, and he found inspiration in a slogan the NBA used one year. “It was ‘Impossible is Nothing,’” he said. “Ever since that, I’ve kept it in the back of my mind. I feel like I and the kids at that camp are living proof.” Looking back Josh admitted he wonders sometimes what could have been if cancer had not struck his life. “Unfortunately, I always wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t gotten sick — if I would have played high-school ball, if I would have played middle-school ball and what I could have done with it,” he said. “I was pretty good; at least I think I was.” But the UK student still dreams — now of being a sports broadcaster on ESPN — and holds down two part-time jobs. He said his experience with others afflicted by cancer has given him perspective and let him know he has been fortunate to triumph over the disease so far. “It makes me feel like I’ve been through a lot, but every time I hear a story, I’m reminded how lucky I was,” he said. “... The doctors told me the chance of my cancer coming back was 5 percent, and that was when I first went into remission; a lot of these people I’ve met have it relapse, so I’ve been very blessed.” When asked the impact of Josh’s cancer on her family, Karen was glad to call it “an experience you never forget.” “You learn from it, so you don’t want to forget,” she said. “You think, ‘Maybe I can help someone else; maybe I can pass something else along that will help someone else and give them hope.’” 2011-05-04 08:34:03.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-nicholasville-boy-diagnosed-with-cancer-at-age-12-now-lives-full-life-at-21-20110504,0,4184834.story

jj-riekerts-committed-to-farmings-past-present-and-future-at-serenity-hill-20110425 Riekerts committed to farming's past, present and future at Serenity Hill April 25, 2011 A gaggle of geese meandering on the dirt driving path, a mob of sheep, and several dogs are among the first to greet visitors to Serenity Hill Fiber and Living History Farm in southeastern Jessamine County. By Mike Moore http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-04/302201980-25141505.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-04/302201980-25141504.jpg A gaggle of geese meandering on the dirt driving path, a mob of sheep, and several dogs are among the first to greet visitors to Serenity Hill Fiber and Living History Farm in southeastern Jessamine County. Animals are an important part of farm life, and it’s no different for Henry and Nan Riekert’s farm on Beverly Lane. “When some people think of a farm, they think of a pristine, gorgeous place,” Nan Riekert said. “(But) we’re a working farm; you’re going to find poop here and animals. (But) we’re here to educate people about farm life today and in the past.” In fact, the Riekerts’ 94-acre farm was recently accepted into the 2011 Kentucky Farm Bureau Certified Roadside Farm Market Program. “The Certified Roadside Market program was established to help our farmers generate local interest in the wide array of products they produce on the family farm,” said Mark Haney, president of Kentucky Farm Bureau. “Along with promotional efforts designed to attract consumers, the program also partners with farm-market owners to educate the public about the importance of locally grown and produced products.” Education is a main goal of the Riekerts’ farm, Nan said. The method in which the Riekerts educate includes themed activities, such as Native American Day, Pioneer Day and several others. “We’re trying to tell people about family farms and educate people about where their food comes from and that sort of thing,” Nan Riekert said. “We’re also trying to tell them a little bit about the history, tell them how people lived in Jessamine County back in the 1800s.” One of the products the Riekerts' farm produces is wool from sheep they raise. “Our crafts include wool items, including items made on a spinning wheel,” Nan Riekert said. Nan Riekert’s eyes lit up when she switched her attention to a log cabin that sits near the front of the property. The cabin doubles as a gift shop, but Nan Riekert said the cabin itself is living history and a testament of the can-do attitudes of farmers in the early days. “We have a gift shop in an 1820s cabin that we restored,” she said. “I’ve done some research, and I’m hoping we’ve got the right person it belonged to, but it belonged to a Jessamine County family, the Overstreets, who lived over off Brumfield Lane. We moved it about a mile log-by-log.” The process began in 2005 and was completed in 2009. Much of the cabin is original, including the doors. Inside the gift shop, the Riekerts sell wool items, plus items from other Kentucky farms. “Everything in the gift shop is made by a Kentucky producer,” she said. “The only exceptions are some sheep milk fudge and some sheep soap that were made by somebody in Missouri because nobody in Kentucky makes it.” The shop has items ranging from Native American crafts to honey and jams and jelly. “We’re getting some maple syrup from a place in Kentucky,” Nan Riekert said. “We’re trying to promote other farms and other kinds of things, too.” Nan Riekert said more and more people are becoming aware of the importance of knowing where their food is coming from. “I think people are becoming interested in the natural, healthy choices that we have,” she said. “I try to tell people, ‘Wouldn’t you rather want to buy it from a Kentucky person and know how it’s been raised than buy it from some foreign country or even a faraway state?’” She said recent produce scares like the lettuce scare from a few years ago did not involve Kentucky products. “Our lettuce was fine in Kentucky; it was the California lettuce that was the problem,” Nan Riekert said. “We know how (Kentucky animals and produce) was raised. We know exactly what they’ve been fed; we’re not feeding them antibiotics, and we’re not feeding them hormones. It’s fresher, and it tastes better, and it’s better for you, in general.” For more information on Serenity Hill Fiber and Living History Farm, visit www.historynfiberforewe.com or call 859-536-5056. 2011-04-26 08:15:50.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-riekerts-committed-to-farmings-past-present-and-future-at-serenity-hill-20110425,0,7032279.story

jj-highbridge-film-festival-showcases-asbury-talent-in-sixth-year-20110419 Highbridge Film Festival showcases Asbury talent in sixth year April 19, 2011 The cold spring rain blew through Kentucky Saturday night, but it did nothing to dampen the spirits of the people attending the 2011 Highbridge Film Festival at Asbury University in Wilmore. Hughes Auditorium was filled to the brim with students, adults and children dressed in their best dresses and suits and ties to participate in Asbury’s version of The Oscars. By Laura Butler http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-04/430691340-19125219.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-04/430691340-19125219.jpg The cold spring rain blew through Kentucky Saturday night, but it did nothing to dampen the spirits of the people attending the 2011 Highbridge Film Festival at Asbury University in Wilmore. Hughes Auditorium was filled to the brim with students, adults and children dressed in their best dresses and suits and ties to participate in Asbury’s version of The Oscars. Currently in its sixth year, the Highbridge Film Festival has quickly become one of the most popular events in Wilmore. The night offers students at Asbury, and a few lucky high school students, the chance to showcase their film-making talents to a large audience. The films were judged by four film-industry professionals who often work in Hollywood, so they judge the films with a critical eye. “I’ve come (to the film fest) for the past two years, and I just love it,” Asbury junior Tiffany Beverly said. “I love the air of it all; it’s just so glamorous. It’s fun to see what everyone has been working on, too.” First-time festival-goer and Asbury freshman Amy Blystone agreed. “I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this is way better than I thought it was going to be,” she said. “A lot of my friends are media-communications majors, and pretty soon, I’ll be coming here to watch their films.” For those who had produced the films, the night was filled with a different kind of excitement — one that came with a little bit of pressure. For the filmmakers, the festival was the first time many had really shown their work to a large audience. Molly Hoy, a media communications junior at Asbury, admitted she was nervous during intermission — her film “Fair Trade,” which she made with co-producer Elisa Platillero, was scheduled for the second half of the show. “I feel like I’m going to vomit, but I’m excited too,” Hoy said. “I’ve seen (my film) so many times in editing I’m not sure if it’s even good anymore. “Of course it’s fun, too, to see my friends and hobnob with people in the industry ... and you get to dress up and wear these cute, uncomfortable shoes. It’s a great night.” Hoy said during the intermission she, of course, would love to walk away with an award, and her wish came true when winners were announced later in the evening. “Fair Trade” won for Best Screenplay. The student-produced films came from a variety of different platforms, such as drama, comedy, stop-action animation and silent films. While the professional judges decided many of the awards given at the end of the show, members of the audience got to voice their opinions with a vote at the end of the festival through texting in their favorite film or submitting a paper ballot. The overwhelming audience favorite was the stop-action film “Mr. Duffy Finds a Friend” by Christian Loftus and Brenna Howard. The colorful cardboard cutout characters — an elderly man named Mr. Duffy and a cat — got the audience to laugh consistently throughout the film and prompted exuberant applause at the film’s conclusion. Loftus  won Best Original Music for the film. The film was also named Best Super Short and Elisa Platillero won Best Editing for her work on the short. Professor and festival director Greg Bandy said he didn’t have exact numbers from the audience vote, but the stop-action film was the “overwhelming winner.” For Asbury sophomore Isaac Blade, the night was one he wouldn’t soon forget. Blade’s film, “Little Barfly,” won the award for Best Drama. Blade said the screening offered a good dose of perspective after working on it for nine months. “I was really looking forward to people’s reactions. I could tell the level of engagement based on how quiet it was,” he said while talking with friends at the red-carpet reception following the award ceremony. “I had kind of lost the film. I didn’t know how good it was, but people like it, and that feels good.” The production of the film was a family affair, Blade said. His mother wrote the original script, which he edited and rewrote parts of, and both his sister and two brothers acted in the film. The film was also based on a real event, he said. The little girl in the film, played by a young girl from Blade’s church near Detroit, was playing the role of his mother as a young girl, who took on a caretaker type of role in the family. For his next project, Blade said he’s “exploring the idea of a documentary,” if he can find a good subject. Overall, the film festival offered an opportunity for Blade to test his potential. “I’m really glad I got (the film) finished,” he said. “I kind of always knew I had the potential to create something that affects people’s feelings and looks good. Now I know I’ve got the discipline and follow-through. I know I’m able to follow through on my vision.” Each year the festival seems to grow both in quality of the films produced and size of the event itself, Bandy said. He estimates more than 1,400 people attended the film festival and red-carpet reception, which was held in the Andrew S. Miller Center for Communication Arts this year. And each year, Bandy grows more proud of the students, who produce everything related to the film festival, including marketing, planning for the show and reception, and producing the films. “We had a really strong group of films this year,” Bandy said. “I felt like we had a stronger field this year than before, and I’m just excited to see what comes up in 2012." 2011 Highbridge Film Festival Winners HIGH SCHOOL WINNERS "Chasing Colors" by Matthew Ippolito "The Intervention"  by Kyle Thiele COLLEGE WINNERS Best Screenplay: Molly Hoy for "Fair Trade"   Best Documentary: Meg Barker for "Matter Matters" Best Cinematography: Zach Wilson for "Fair Trade" Best Audio: Zach Meiners for "Good Guys" Best Original Music: Christian Loftus for "Mr. Duffy Finds a Friend" Best Editing: Elisa Platillero for "Mr. Duffy Finds a Friend" Best Special Effects: Jackson Ludwig and Nathan Crum for "Asbury Momentarily" Best Actress: Olivia Wardwell for "Perfect" SPECIAL AWARD—Evangelina Klein for "Little Barfly"   Best Actor: Andrew Hunter for "Bereft"   Best Super Short: Christian Loftus and Brenna Howard for "Mr. Duffy Finds A Friend"   Best Comedy: Olivia Wardwell for "Bench Pressed"   Best Drama: Isaac Blade for "Little Barfly"   Audience Favorite: Christian Loftus and Brenna Howard for "Mr. Duffy Finds A Friend" 2011-04-19 13:05:58.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-highbridge-film-festival-showcases-asbury-talent-in-sixth-year-20110419,0,3782860.story

jj-state-forester-plants-new-trees-at-camp-nelson-20110411 State forester plants new trees at Camp Nelson April 11, 2011 Camp Nelson Heritage Park saw new life Monday morning as state forester Kent Slusher paid a visit, bringing 11 young trees to spruce up the grounds. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-04/349233680-11104153.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-04/349233680-11104152.jpg Camp Nelson Heritage Park saw new life Monday morning as state forester Kent Slusher paid a visit, bringing 11 young trees to spruce up the grounds. With the help of Heritage Park staff, Slusher planted blue ash, sugar maple and pawpaw trees on the property in southern Jessamine County off U.S. 27. He said that although many may hesitate to plant ash trees for fear of the invasive emerald ash borer beetle, the blue ash trees withstand challenges very well and he encourages people to plant them. “Blue ash is supposed to have a real good resistance, and I don’t want to see people stop fooling with ash because of a potential threat,” Slusher said.  “... If I plant a blue ash and after 70 years, an emerald ash borer gets it, so what? I’ve had 70 years of that tree.” Slusher plans to visit several Jessamine County schools later in the month of April to plant trees with students. For more information about reforestation in central Kentucky, call the Kentucky Division of Forestry’s Bluegrass District at 502-573-1085. 2011-04-11 10:41:57.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-state-forester-plants-new-trees-at-camp-nelson-20110411,0,5072875.story

jj-women-enjoy-roller-derby-amidst-kids-work-living-life-20110405 Women enjoy roller derby amidst kids, work, living life April 5, 2011 Clad in shorts, a black tank top, knee-high socks and a helmet reading “Bitty Bast’rd,” 45-year-old Diane Crossfield used her gloved hand to touch up her lipstick during a break in the action. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-04/137654920-05090302.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-04/137654920-05090301.jpg Clad in shorts, a black tank top, knee-high socks and a helmet reading “Bitty Bast’rd,” 45-year-old Diane Crossfield used her gloved hand to touch up her lipstick during a break in the action. Moments later, Crossfield was dodging elbows and shoulders as she skated around the track, jumping first to the inside, then to the outside to try to get past opposing skaters. The mother of four was playing the “jammer” position during a Rollergirls Of Central Kentucky (ROCK) practice in Richmond on Sunday night. The team, whose season starts this month and runs through October, consists of about 30 women, three of whom have strong ties to Jessamine County. Crossfield lives in Nicholasville; Anne Boven, 27, is the daughter of Wilmore police chief Steve Boven; and Pamela Shipsky, 27, is working at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore while she pursues a degree at the school. Boven got involved in the team last year through her sister, who was friends with one of the skaters. Crossfield wanted to join when the team started in 2008, but her schedule didn’t allow it until the end of 2009, when she first suited up as “Bitty.” Shipsky, who skates under the name “Pamm Demic,” got involved after meeting the team at a sneak preview of “Whip It,” a 2009 movie about banked-track roller derby, although she’s not skating in this year’s bouts for family reasons. “I’m getting married and my sister’s getting married, and I’m trying to save all my limbs for both of those events,” she said. “They warned me that if I came to my sister’s wedding in a cast, my mom and sister wouldn’t talk to me.” In roller derby, teams of five skate around an oval track as each team’s jammer — wearing a star on her helmet — tries to pass as many opposing players as possible. These two-minute “jams” make up each “bout.” ROCK has about 10 bouts scheduled this season, including six home bouts at the Lexington Convention Center. The outfits and nicknames add a showy element to the activity, but Crossfield said rollergirls take themselves and the sport very seriously. “The show part of it is fun; it’s fun to put on the fishnets; it’s fun to pick out the dirty names, but we’re athletes,” she said. “Anybody that thinks that what we do is not serious — they need to get out there and do it, and they wouldn’t last half of a practice. They would be exhausted; their lungs would be burning, and they would be bruised from getting knocked down.” While skating skills come with practice, some skaters have started out with the team when they could barely stand up on skates. Boven — known as “Amsterjam” on the track — said learning to skate well in a roller derby is very rewarding. “It gives you a sense of accomplishment when you started out and you can’t even move and then all of a sudden, you’re hitting girls and not falling down,” she said. During the practices, ROCK skaters who are injured or unable to skate still show up and help with setting up and taking down the track and record-keeping. Shipsky, who said she had never been on an organized team before, feels a new energy from her skating mates and sees her health benefit from her involvement with the team. “It’s a whole different dynamic to be on a team than just any other type of relationship, so it’s a lot of support, and I’ve gained a great deal of confidence,” she said. “It’s also been very good for me physically; I’ve lost a lot of weight and gotten a lot healthier.” ROCK practices at least twice a week at the Richmond Skate Center and occasionally holds a practice in Lexington. Crossfield has changed priorities in her life and rejected job offers to stay on the team. “I’ve turned down a couple of jobs that I really would not mind having and would have taken the money — I’ve turned them down, though, because they get in the way of my roller-derby schedule,” she said. “Honestly, I work a couple nights a week at a restaurant in Lexington as a server so I can fit roller derby into my life.” The effort is worth it for Crossfield to have a part of her busy life that she can “call her own.” “I am a wife and a mother in addition to being an employee and a daughter and a sister,” she said. “The benefit is that when I do this, I do this for me. I am no one else except for a rollergirl. I am no one’s wife, mother or anything. I’m a teammate; I’m a rollergirl, and that’s it.” Rollergirls Of Central Kentucky have home bouts at Lexington Convention Center on the following dates: April 23, June 4, July 2, July 30, Sept. 3 and Oc. 1. For more information, visit www.rockandrollergirls.com 2011-04-25 10:07:25.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-women-enjoy-roller-derby-amidst-kids-work-living-life-20110405,0,4334258.story

jj-champion-trapshooting-husband-and-wife-20110329 Champion trapshooting husband and wife come to sportsmen's league in Jessamine County March 29, 2011 “Pull!” Randy Ross yelled. By Mike Moore http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-03/304136320-29065653.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-03/304136320-29065652.jpg “Pull!” Randy Ross yelled. With that, an orange clay target, commonly referred to as a “bird,” rocketed across the overcast sky at the Bluegrass Sportsmen’s League in Wilmore as Ross zeroed in before blasting it with his 12-gauge shotgun. Seconds later, his wife, Nora Ross, took aim at her bird, and like her husband, she too blasted it with her shotgun. But that’s not an uncommon feat for the Rosses. After all, they’re champion trapshooters, garnering several national awards. Nora is a 31-time all-American trap shooter, while Randy has been named a five-time all-American. Randy said when a person climbs the mountain in whatever sport or occupation, they continue to want to strive to keep stay among the elite. “For her, it was always to be the best for a long time,” Randy said. Nora has been dubbed the best female shot since Annie Oakley, BGSL past president Bill Blackburn said. With that kind of reputation, Randy said it makes his wife continue to strive to maintain her high skill set. “After a period of years, it was to remain the best, and I think that’s pretty universal with anybody who has climbed to the top of the ladder in their given sport,” he said. “I think making all the all-American teams were a very big deal to us. There’s only a handful of people who make those teams every year.” Nora became the first woman to break 100 straight doubles at the Grand American Trap Shoot in 1990; she was also the youngest person to be inducted into the ATA Hall of Fame in 1999. The Rosses — Nora, a Paris, Ky. native, and Randy, a Batavia, Ohio, native — have brought their skills to Jessamine County as Randy works as the resident shotgun venues manager. Nora began shooting trap when she was 13. “I was at a dove shoot with my dad, and they had (a string) that you pulled back on, and it threw the target out,” she said. “That’s the first time I’d ever seen a trap.” For Randy, he grew up near a gun club in Ohio. “My dad was a shooter also,” he said. “When we (Randy and his brother) both got out of high school, we started going down there every once and a while, now that there wasn’t ball games to do and stuff like that. We saw it; we liked it; and we liked the people, and the rest is history.” Trapshooting versus skeet shooting The Rosses chuckled when comparing trapshooting to skeet shooting. “(In trapshooting), it (clay bird) always pretty much goes away from you, whereas skeet (targets) cross in front of you,” Nora said. Randy agreed. “It’s a little like skeet, and for most people, for whatever reason, they understand skeet,” he quipped. “And we’ve been confused with skeet shooters, and not trap.” Randy said the key to trapshooting is speed and accuracy. “Speed is a part of it,” Randy said. “Very few times do you see an accomplished shooter that really takes a long time shooting the target. It’s usually someone who sees the bird quickly and makes an accurate move to it.” And just like skeet shooting, trapshooters use some variation of the word “Pull!” to release the bird. “I still say that. I don’t know what she says ... she utters some kind of a word,” Randy joked. “I just make a noise ... it works,” Nora quipped. BGSL instructors Now the Rosses are taking their love for trapshooting to the Bluegrass Sportsmen’s League. They were hired Feb. 1, and since that time, they’ve ratcheted up the hours of operation for the shotgun venues. “They’ve always had some registered trap dates, which may have accumulated to about eight a year,” Randy said. “This is something that I looked at that really wasn’t being used enough. Sporting clays is a game that you can do in the winter; it’s like hunting a target, which is how the birds present themselves in sporting.” Randy said the BGSL’s shotgun venues are now open more often to accommodate people’s busy schedules. “Now we’re open Wednesday through Sunday,” he said. “There’s a much more broader time to come out and actually shoot, rather than just one day a week.” The hours are from 2-7 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays, 2-10 p.m. Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. And the cost is nominal: $4 for 25 birds for members and $5 for 25 birds for nonmembers. For people who do not have access to a shotgun, the sportsmen’s league can provide one to use at the range. Randy said people needing to use a club shotgun must call in advance to set up a reservation so he can be on site when they arrive and use the shotgun. “I think we’re very, very cheap,” Randy said. “And we’re very competitive with a lot of clubs from across the country, and we actually have a better price.” For more information about the BGSL’s shotgun venues, call Randy Ross at 859-473-1621 or visit www.bgslinc.com. The BGSL is located at 2500 Handys Bend Road in Wilmore. 2011-03-29 07:01:37.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-champion-trapshooting-husband-and-wife-20110329,0,7991415.story

jj-nicholasville-united-methodist-church-manna-meals-20110323 Nicholasville United Methodist Church serving food, friendship weekly through Manna Meals March 23, 2011 When the Nicholasville United Methodist Church expanded its facility to include a new community center and commercial kitchen in March 2008, the intent was to create a space that would facilitate more community outreach opportunities. And that fall, the church started a ministry that would soon take off to become a community-wide outreach opportunity — the Manna Meal Ministry. By Laura Butler http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-03/300700400-23095229.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-03/300700400-23095229.jpg When the Nicholasville United Methodist Church expanded its facility to include a new community center and commercial kitchen in March 2008, the intent was to create a space that would facilitate more community outreach opportunities. And that fall, the church started a ministry that would soon take off to become a community-wide outreach opportunity — the Manna Meal Ministry. When Manna Meals first began, the group was serving about 50-65 people and had about 40 people volunteering to feed the diners, according to information on the ministry’s blog posted by the ministry’s coordinator, Adele McKinney. Starting the ministry was a perfect way to combine McKinney’s love for people and passion for cooking, other volunteers said. The program started small with hot meals served to those in need on the third Saturday of every month. But the church set a goal to expand the service by early 2009. During 2009, the meals increased to twice a month, and by early 2010, the ministry started serving a meal each week. The Manna Meal Ministry has doubled in size since it began in 2008. The program served its 10,000th meal at the end of 2010, according to the blog. An average of more than 100 people partake in the program each week, and four or five alternating crews of about 20 volunteers come in to work throughout the month, volunteer Maxine Brewer said. The lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. each Saturday, and takeout boxes are available starting at 12:30 because the kitchen always seems to have leftover food. In fact, none of the volunteers working Saturday could remember a time when the program ever came close to running out of food. “We always make plenty,” Brewer said, gesturing to Saturday’s spread of large hot trays of soup beans, sauerkraut, cornbread and desserts. “We’d like to see more come in. We’re ready to take on more.” Brewer, like many of the other volunteers, said she has been working with the program since its inception. “Most of the people who come are regulars, but we get some new people each week, too,” Brewer said. “We’ve got about 20 volunteers each week, and each group is very faithful about showing up.” The volunteers don’t come just from the church, though. Because the program was started with the idea of serving the entire community, the church sought the help of entire community. Several of the volunteers come from the church, but many also come from places such as First Southern Bank, Asbury University and Southland Christian Church. “It’s truly a community thing all around,” said long-time volunteer and Saturday’s cook, Mary Jean Blackford. “The community helps finance it, and they come work, too. It’s not just coming from this church.” And it takes the help of so many volunteers each week because Manna Meals caters to each person who comes into the building as if he or she were walking into a restaurant. Some of the volunteers greet the diners at the door; others seat them and take drink orders; others serve the meal to the tables. Other volunteer jobs include busing tables and washing dishes, boxing up to-go orders and making sure the diners leave with smiles on their faces and loaves of bread before they walk out the door. Sometimes the meal is served through a buffet line, but most of the time diners, or “guests,” don’t even have to lift a finger once they’re seated. “Everyone who comes in here is treated the same,” Blackford said. “We want everyone to feel special. Most of the time we serve restaurant-style, and we wait on them. We can’t know for sure, but this might be the only hot meal some of the people here will get all week.” The program now operates solely off donations from the community. The initial start-up money came in the form of a $1,000 grant from the Kentucky United Methodist Conference, which McKinney applied for shortly after she developed the idea. And now the ministry receives money from weekly donations and large annual donations from the Taste of Jessamine and fundraisers from the Beef Cattle Association. Panera Bread also donates a large assortment of leftover breads and desserts for the ministry to use each week. “Our night to pick it up is on Thursday,” Brewer said. “We send someone over to pick it up and then come back with an SUV-full usually. It’s great.” But the diners who eat the Manna Meals aren’t the only ones who benefit from the ministry. The volunteers who work the feeding sessions say they’re fed spiritually through the fellowship with one another and the guests who eat. Jane Wilmot, NUMC member and long time volunteer, said the camaraderie that comes through the meal keeps her coming back to work each third Saturday of the month. “It’s very rewarding, and you make a lot of friends out of it,” Wilmot said. “I love meeting the people. They keep coming back, and you make relationships with them. They’re very sweet.” Kayleigh Carper, 11, worked the drink station at the lunch on Saturday, her eighth time working with Manna Meal Ministry. Carper and her mother found out about the program on the Internet, simply looking for a way to get more involved with the community. “My mom just said, ‘How about we do something to give back to the community?’ and we found this place,” Carper said. “I like that I get to meet all the people and make new friends.” For more information about the Manna Meal Ministry and other service programs, visit the church’s website at www.numcky.org or call 859-885-4481. The church is located at 303 W. Maple St. in Nicholasville. 2011-03-23 09:52:35.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-nicholasville-united-methodist-church-manna-meals-20110323,0,3563116.story

jj-photo-gallery-wilmore-elementary-school-warms-up-with-spring-fling-20110316 Photo gallery: Wilmore Elementary school warms up with Spring Fling Wilmore Elementary School held its annual Spring Fling fundraiser from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. last Saturday. The event included inflatables, carnival games for kids, a silent auction and concessions. Auction items included Keeneland passes, Jif peanut butter, a Mark Landis photography package and a premier jewelry design gift certificate and more. All proceeds went toward the school's SMART boards. http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/photogallery/2011-03/330110160-16084049.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/photogallery/2011-03/330110160-16084049.jpg Wilmore Elementary School held its annual Spring Fling fundraiser from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. last Saturday. The event included inflatables, carnival games for kids, a silent auction and concessions. Auction items included Keeneland passes, Jif peanut butter, a Mark Landis photography package and a premier jewelry design gift certificate and more. All proceeds went toward the school's SMART boards. 2011-03-16 08:41:12.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-photo-gallery-wilmore-elementary-school-warms-up-with-spring-fling-20110316,0,6785611.photogallery

jj-lawman-left-a-multitude-of-memories-in-wilmore-20110309 Lawman left a multitude of memories in Wilmore THE ROGER WAY OF LIFE March 9, 2011 Newcomers to Wilmore might drive by Roger Swallows Way and think of it simply as a visual aid for their directions to the new Andrew S. Miller Center for Communication Arts at Asbury University. Drive down West Main Street until it pretty much dead-ends and on the left is Roger Swallows Way. Straight ahead is the new building at the university. By Laura Butler http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-03/447232220-09104145.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-03/447232220-09104145.jpg Newcomers to Wilmore might drive by Roger Swallows Way and think of it simply as a visual aid for their directions to the new Andrew S. Miller Center for Communication Arts at Asbury University. Drive down West Main Street until it pretty much dead-ends and on the left is Roger Swallows Way. Straight ahead is the new building at the university. To someone who hasn’t lived in Wilmore all his or her life, Roger Swallows Way might seem like just another street. But to those who knew him, the street serves as a gateway to a trip down memory lane with each passing. The Wilmore City Council decided to change the name of Elm Street to Roger Swallows Way in January. The late Roger Swallows, who died 16 years ago, is remembered as one of the town’s youngest police chiefs and one of the strongest role models and friends much of the community has seen. Wilmore Mayor Harold Rainwater said Swallows is the longest-serving chief and longest-serving policeman in Wilmore’s history. Swallows became a police officer at the age of 21, police chief for the city of Nicholasville in 1971 by the time he reached 27, and then moved over to spend 21 years on the police department for Wilmore. Swallows served as assistant chief in Wilmore from 1973 to 1977, then worked as chief from 1977 until just a few weeks before he died in December 1994. Rainwater appointed Swallows as chief and 33 years later recognized Swallows and his family with the street dedication at a council meeting Jan. 10. “Roger was a great friend and a great public servant who had the trust of this city, the community and me,” Rainwater wrote in a letter to Swallows’ wife, Joan, that he read aloud at the ceremony. The trip down memory lane continues the further you look down Main Street. Fitch’s IGA serves as a primary landmark to visit to learn more about Swallows. Not only did Swallows break up a memorable fight in the parking lot, but the store is also where you’ll find one of his good friends — Leonard Fitch. Swallows’ wife Joan, and Joan’s daughters worked at Fitch’s store, so between working with the Swallows family and serving as a city councilman and mayor pro temper, he got to be close friends with the whole family. Whether talking about horses or ways to improve the city, conversation was easy. One of the ideas Swallows pushed toward the city council was the installation of most of the street lights on Main Street, because he knew it would keep Wilmore a safe place to live for the citizens. Swallows didn’t just bring physical positive things to Wilmore, though; he also brought a positive attitude, Fitch said. “He was well respected and easy to get to know,” Fitch said. “I never heard anything negative about Roger. They (people in Wilmore) had full confidence that he could handle any situation. He wanted to make sure people of the community were always taken care of.” Few things could rattle the brave police chief, Fitch said. Whenever there was trouble, Swallows was the first one to “grab the bull by the horns.” “We had somebody come break into the store, and Roger didn’t know if they’d left, but he just came up to the store and said ‘Let’s go in and check it out,’ Fitch said. “It was the same thing when we had some big guys causing a scene in the parking lot after Ichthus one year; he shut it down. He was not afraid.” Except when it came to snakes. And that’s something nearly everyone who knew Roger agrees on. He was terrified of snakes, and nearly everyone loved to tease him about it. “One time someone just threw a belt on the ground and yelled, ‘Snake!’ and he jumped so high,” Fitch said with a chuckle. At the other end of Main Street, current Wilmore Police Chief Steve Boven and former Assistant Chief Scot Eccleston agreed teasing Swallows about snakes was a highlight of the time they worked together. “I never knew him to be afraid of anything else,” Eccleston said. “But a little 6-inch snake would put him in his wastebasket. I could sit here and tell stories about Roger Swallows from now until midnight.” Swallows and the other officers liked to have fun, but he was really a professional guy when it came to interacting with the community, Boven said. Boven and Swallows only got to work together four years before Swallows died, but in those four years, Boven said Swallows shaped him as an officer. Swallows taught the police officers to work more as “peace officers.” “He was a very gracious individual, not only with the people he worked with, but the people he served in the community. And he knew he was serving them,” Boven said. “Roger’s legacy is that he had the citizens of Wilmore in mind, heart and service.” Eccleston served as Swallows’ assistant chief for several years. He started working with him when Swallows was assistant chief and worked with him until the day he died. It was a “quality, lifelong relationship,” Eccleston said. “He cared about his men, and he lost a lot of sleep worrying about his men,” he said. “Roger had professional and personal integrity. He always said, ‘A policeman that is not honest is not a policeman. ‘I’ll never forget that.” When Swallows was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus around Thanksgiving in 1994, everyone was surprised. Joan said she was told the day after Thanksgiving that Roger only had about a month to live, but he was gone just about two weeks later. And when word got out in the community, that’s when the citizens of Wilmore banded together to show their support for the Swallows family. Joan has a scrapbook of notes and letters from members of the community. And Boven and Eccleston both shared stories about sitting by Roger’s side in his final days. “It threw everyone into a tailspin,” Boven said. But Boven said he knows it wasn’t the last time he’ll see his friend. “Someone came to the house and led Roger to the Lord in the time he was sick, so I know I’ll get a chance to serve with him again in Heaven,” Boven said. Roger Swallows’ funeral, which packed the Wilmore United Methodist Church three days after he died, might have been the last time he was physically present in Wilmore, but many of his friends and family say they can feel his presence throughout the community still today. Wilmore doesn’t just have Roger Swallows Way on the map now; Wilmore has “the Roger Swallows Way” of living and treating others woven throughout the community. “We that come after Roger (in the police department) can stand on his shoulders,” Boven said. “We can learn from the way he lived and showed his attitude, demeanor and professionalism — that attitude of service to people. He laid the groundwork for that to continue. And it is.” 2011-03-09 10:41:52.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-lawman-left-a-multitude-of-memories-in-wilmore-20110309,0,3858756.story

jj-former-wilmore-native-wins-big-on-wheel-of-fortune-20110302 Former Wilmore native wins big on Wheel of Fortune THE 'WHEEL' DEAL March 2, 2011 T--t-ng tr--ts. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-03/335746520-02085317.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-03/335746520-02085317.jpg T--t-ng tr--ts. The seconds passing in the Wheel of Fortune studio must have felt like minutes to Lori Jones. She just figured out the final-round puzzle but had to hope her fellow contestant Jared ran out of his time. The buzzer rang out on Jared, and Jones guessed an “M” and blurted out the answer: “Tempting treats!” The 29-year-old went on to the bonus round and won more than $60,000 in cash and prizes in the show that aired last Thursday, Feb. 24. Jones currently lives in Illinois, but she has spent significant time in Jessamine County. Jones and her family moved to Wilmore more than a decade ago when her father started going to seminary and she began studying at Asbury College. She graduated in 2003 and married an Air Force pilot, Mark, but remains connected to the Jessamine County community, including volunteering heavily for Ichthus. She and Mark have a 20-month-old girl, Claire. Watching Wheel is a religious habit Jones keeps, and it was while watching a show last year she saw that St. Louis TV station KSDK was doing a drawing for auditions. She put her name in and was invited to a final audition in St. Louis. Six days later, she received the call that she had won and would be going to Sony Pictures Studios in California for a taping on Dec. 10. Jones said last Friday that she was happy just to have made the show and would have been content to walk away with the $1,000 minimum prize — only a little less than the $1,200 price tag of the trip for her and her husband, during which they got to visit some old friends. “Even if I hadn’t won anything, I would have been glad that my husband and I got a little getaway,” she said. “ ... In my opinion, $200 for a vacation with my husband on a weekend to see friends we hadn’t seen for two years in Los Angeles is pretty good.” Once Jones and her husband and friends got to the studio, she was nervous — until the taping began and she had to remember everything her contestant coach had taught her that morning. “It’s a lot harder being on the game show than it is watching it at home,” she said. “They don’t really want you to actually look at the wheel. What I had done in practice that morning was look at the wheel, and they said, ‘Lori, don’t look at the wheel; Pat will tell you what you landed on. Just focus on that puzzle board and make sure you’re concentrating and getting the answer.’” The start was not good for Jones. Halfway through the show, after two toss-up puzzles and two spinning-round puzzles, she had no money and had only taken one turn. It was then, as the third puzzle — a “prize puzzle” with a bonus at the end — came up, that she altered her ambitions.   “At the beginning, my goal was, ‘I want to win $5,000,’ and then after I hadn’t won all that time, I just said, ‘One puzzle,’” she said. “So I was comeback girl, and the funny thing was after I said that, the next puzzle was the prize puzzle, and I thought to myself, ‘This would be the puzzle to win, for sure,’ and of course, I did.” Jones swept through the third puzzle — “A soothing experience at the spa” — without even giving a chance to the other two contestants, whom she had become friends with as they prepared. “They’re all doing the same kind of practicing and getting the same kind of coaching, so you kind of develop a little bond with all the contestants; you’re all excited and nervous,” she said. “After the two toss-ups and the two spinning rounds, they looked at me and said, ‘OK Lori — it’s your turn.’ I bet they regret saying that now.” After she solved the puzzle with $4,750 in cash, she found out the prize for the winner: a trip to Belize valued at nearly $8,000. She won $2,150 more in the fitting fourth puzzle — “The undisputed champion” — before taking $18,000 in the final spinning-round puzzle. In the bonus round, she assumed that the puzzle — “--st ----r-t-” — started with the word “just” and guessed a “J” along with “C,” “D” and “A.” When the “J” popped up later in the puzzle where she didn’t expect it, she started going through the alphabet as her time ticked down, trying to figure out the first word. “I started at the beginning of the alphabet — cast and then fast,” she said. “I almost stopped right when I got down to the ‘RST’, and I almost did not go to ‘V.’ If you see my eyes, I looked left at the letter board they had coached us to look at, and I decided to try any of the letters going down to ‘Z,’ and I saw vast, and I was like, ‘I didn’t even think about vast.’ It came to me with 2.5 seconds left on the time clock.” She answered correctly with “vast majority” and embraced her husband as Pat Sajak revealed she had won $30,000 more in the bonus round for a total of $62,620 in cash and prizes. Jones watched the taped show with about 50 family and friends last Thursday. She and husband Mark, an alumnus of the University of Kentucky, plan on using leftover winnings to see UK’s basketball team in a postseason tournament after buying a new car and saving a down payment for a new house. “Hopefully, if Kentucky starts to do well enough, we’re going to try to make the SEC championship or maybe an SEC game, and those tickets get kind of pricey,” she said. “That’s our fun thing that we’re going to try to do with it.” The Joneses plan to take the trip to Belize in April before big changes happen when Mark goes off for Air Force training, they move to North Carolina and their second child arrives. Lori said she had a great trip and the slow start on the show had not gotten her down. “I actually look back, and I wasn’t discouraged,” she said. “I just kept saying to myself, ‘I just want to win one puzzle, and it’s possible if I can just get the wheel at the right time.’ I was confident then that I was still going to get one puzzle, and that would be my goal.” 2011-03-02 08:53:22.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-former-wilmore-native-wins-big-on-wheel-of-fortune-20110302,0,4160892.story

jj-griffitt-giving-imperfect-pets-a-second-chance-at-life-20110223 Griffitt giving imperfect pets a second chance at life 'Meow'racle worker February 23, 2011 Mike Griffitt is no different from any other veterinarian —�or so he will tell you. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-02/105461740-23115856.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-02/105461740-23115855.jpg Mike Griffitt is no different from any other veterinarian — or so he will tell you. His compassion for animals has made his practice a virtual Island of Misfit Toys where the supposedly defective pets who live in the building usually outnumber the clients bringing animals from their homes. *** It was the day before Thanksgiving five years ago when Jan Teater found a 6-week-old kitten nearly lifeless on West Maple Street in Nicholasville. Sara Brown, a customer of Griffitt’s, looked out the front window of her house and saw Teater moving the cat out of the road. “She thought the cat was dead, so she avoided hitting it, but as she went by, it looked at her,” Brown said. The women took the kitten to Griffitt at Bluegrass Veterinary Clinic off Harrodsburg Road. “Being a compassionate animal-lover, she stopped and picked him up and called me and brought him out here,” Griffitt said. “You could tell he had pelvic damage just by the way he moved, and I took an X-ray of the pelvis, and it was fractured.” Fractured pelvises typically heal with bed rest, so Brown got some medicine and took the kitten home. She cared for the feline despite her cat allergy, but it soon became apparent that the kitten was not getting better. “Several days later, [Brown] brought him in and said, ‘Mike, something’s not right about this kitten,’” Griffitt said. “I got him in here and got to looking, and he wasn’t able to defecate on his own; it was just kind of running out, and it had gotten all nasty back there.” After determining the kitten’s tail was limp due to nerve damage, Griffitt amputated the tail and kept the kitten, which was named TK, short for Turkey Kat. The staff used enemas and manually expressed Turkey’s bladder until another option was suggested. “Somebody came up with the idea of putting diapers on him, and he took to it right away,” Griffitt said. “Of course, he’s graduated from one size to the next.” Clinic staff members take his diapers off at night and clip the hair the diapers cover every week. “He can’t exist anywhere else, unless there was somebody that was willing to clean him up and put a diaper on him every day,” Griffitt said. While the diaper on the cat’s rear end sets him apart at first glance, Turkey has personality characteristics that define him even more than the size-four Pampers. “I’ve never been real wild about the cat, and the reason is he’s a troublemaker,” Griffitt said. “There could be a 120-pound rottweiler in there, and he’ll try to pick a fight with the rottweiler. He has no fear — has no fear of anything.” Brown still offers her aid to the cat she helped rescue, occassionally dropping off a load of diapers at the clinic. “I don’t buy all of them,” she said with a laugh, “but sometimes we like to contribute to his support.” *** Turkey Kat is not the only animal with an extraordinary story who lives at Bluegrass Veterinary Clinic — and most certainly not the most famous. Griffitt gained notoriety past the county, state and even national boundaries nearly 20 years ago when he took in a two-legged dog. The dog, named Roadie, came to Griffitt in 1992 after his legs were run over by a freight train. The vet took the dog in and amputated two of his legs. Roadie then came to fame through exposure in local and national media outlets, causing a firestorm of calls and donations to the Nicholasville clinic. “One lady called and wanted to know if Dr. Griffitt was single,” said Pam Boggs, a veterinary technician at the clinic. “I said, ‘No,’ and she was like, ‘Well, does he have any brothers?’” The money that came in — around $3,000 — went to an account to pay for surgeries when owners did not have sufficient funds. Roadie lived for nearly 15 years in Griffitt’s office and accompanied the vet to conferences and events. “My main message to people and kids who had disabilities was no matter what cards are dealt you in life, you don’t quit, and Roadie did not quit,” Griffitt said. “He didn’t feel sorry for himself.” The characteristic of Roadie that stuck out in Griffitt’s mind was his computer-like memory. “In the 14 years that he was here, if somebody were to give him a treat, he never forgot it,” the vet said. “They could go years and not come in this clinic, but when they walked in and he whiffed the odor of them or heard their voice and recognized it, he would not shut up until they gave him a treat.” In the late months of 2006, as Roadie ceased to be able to function on his own as he used to, it was apparent to Griffitt the dog was ready to die. “We laid him down there to put him to sleep, and he was ready,” Griffitt said. “He looked at you, and he said, ‘I’ve been there; I’ve done it; I’m ready to go.’” *** Many other pets have bridged the gap from Roadie to Turkey Kat, including current resident Sal, a cat who was found motionless on Jack’s Creek Pike in Fayette County eight years ago. Sal, whose full name is Salvage, was paralyzed and couldn’t use any of his legs. Griffitt prepared for the worst, assuming the kitten could have no quality of life. “I was going to euthanize him, and I said, ‘Let’s put some food in there for him and let him go on a full stomach,’” Griffitt said. “We put food in there, and he just inhaled it like he’d never seen food before. I said, ‘Well, he wants to live,’ so we started giving him medication.” Within a week, Sal was pulling himself around by his front paws; soon he was walking around on all four legs, and today, he roams the office with feeling in all of his body except his tail. “He doesn’t know where his tail’s at, so sometimes you’ll find it with soap suds on it,” Boggs said. “One time they found him and he had candle was on it; it had dipped down in the candle wax.” Just like Roadie, Sal came with a special ability. “He can read dogs, reads them like a book,” Griffitt said. “He will never approach a dog unless he knows that dog will not show any aggression toward him. He has got a sense about him; I have never seen him walk up to a dog and that dog try to bite him.” *** The longer you talk to veterinarian, the more stories you hear about animals who were on the brink of death and got a second chance because of Griffitt. And while he admits it is “rewarding” to give life back to the cats and dogs, he insists his compassion is not unique. “I’m no different from most vets,” Griffitt said. “If you’re a veterinarian and your heart’s in the right place, you’d do it, too.” Even when the vet goes home at night, he is greeted by more dogs and cats — Griffitt can’t get away from the pets, but he says he wouldn’t want to. “I like animals 10 times more than people,” he said. “I just can’t imagine going home at night and there not being a dog there to greet me and love me, and they don’t care if you’ve got a pocket full of money or anything; it’s just unconditional love.” Boggs, who started working weekends at the clinic 21 years ago, said taking in outcast animals comes naturally when working with Griffitt. “It’s just what we do,” she said. 2011-02-23 12:02:58.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-griffitt-giving-imperfect-pets-a-second-chance-at-life-20110223,0,1517225.story

jj-nicholasville-road-crew-tackles-20110216 Nicholasville road crew tackles city streets through ice, snow and slush THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE PLOW February 16, 2011 It’s 4 a.m. on a cold winter morning and snow is falling silently on the yards and streets in front of your house. As you lie in your bed snuggled up under the quilts and flannel sheets, dreaming of snow days or maybe a nightmare of how you’re going to dig out your car and drive to work, the men of the Nicholasville city streets crew are already up and at ‘em. By Laura Butler http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-02/127436860-16120732.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-02/127436860-16120731.jpg It’s 4 a.m. on a cold winter morning and snow is falling silently on the yards and streets in front of your house. As you lie in your bed snuggled up under the quilts and flannel sheets, dreaming of snow days or maybe a nightmare of how you’re going to dig out your car and drive to work, the men of the Nicholasville city streets crew are already up and at ‘em. It doesn’t matter if the snow falls at 4 p.m. or 4 a.m.; when it comes, the guys who man the salt trucks and snowplows are out and about, working to clear your streets — even if they just worked a full 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. shift earlier that day. That’s why there’s always a big pot of coffee going at the streets office, Public Works Superintendent Gary Goldey said. Goldey has been in his position for 10 years, but he worked for the county for 11 years before that, five of which were in the roads department. Every snow is different, so you’ve got to be ready whenever the call comes in, he said. One person from the nine-person street crew takes home the “on call” cell phone and waits for a call from Central Communications, then calls the rest of the group, sounding the alarm to hop in the four-wheel-drive trucks and come in to work to jump into a salt truck or a plow truck. “This job requires you to be available for call back at any time,” Goldey said. “When you work with weather, it can be a little unpredictable and come with a lot of challenges.” One of the biggest challenges Goldey can remember was the ice storm of 2009. He thinks of it as the “worst storm he’s ever seen” in the 10 years he’s worked as the streets superintendent, he said. “It was awful. We did everything we could to make sure we were prepared, but we had to work around the clock for several days,” he said. “A lot of people forget that after it quit snowing we still had to go out and use the chainsaws and clear the roads.” But while he remembers the severity of the storm with a shudder, Goldey had a smile on his face when he recalled the way his team worked together. “We had no choice but to work together, every department,” he said. “It was definitely a joint effort, and that was great. Any time we need help, the crews (city and county) work together, especially during the longer events. We all try to help each other whenever we’re asked.” The family part of the crew is one of the reasons Goldey has so many employees who have made their jobs on the street crew into their careers, he said. David Brown, the crew foreman, has worked for the city driving salt trucks and plows for 17 years, and James Burge, another equipment operator, is right there with him with 19 years of experience on his record. “It started out that I needed a job, and this one was open,” Brown said of his beginnings on the crew. “But it really is a good job. We’re all just working together to try and make it as safe as we can.” Burge said he sees his coworkers as his brothers. Goldey said Burge is one of his go-to guys to help train new employees with ride-alongs and helps them work to get their commercial driver’s licenses (CDL). But Burge said he just thinks he’s doing his job as one of the “brothers” in the street crew family. He said he thinks of them as family because sometimes it seems like he’s around them more than his own family. “I don’t think I do more than anybody else... I’ve just done it so much I’m pretty much at home,” Burge said with a humble shrug. “Everyone’s good to work with and we all work together. They’re just a bunch of good ol’ boys.” Safety is a No. 1 priority for the crew, Goldey said. He expects his drivers to be confident in their abilities and alert at all times. They do months of ride-alongs before they get to have a vehicle of their own, because his drivers have to be comfortable on the machines, he said. “We do take pride in our safety record,” Goldey said. “In the 10 years I’ve been here, we haven’t had an accident of any kind. We’re out at the worst times to be on the roads, but we haven’t had a single traffic accident. We’ve been very lucky, and that comes with having a professional crew.” Burge agrees. “I take my job seriously, very seriously,” he said. “When I’m in that salt truck, I’m all business because it can be dangerous. When you’re in one of those vehicles and it’s snowing, you’ve got to watch everything and be alert at all times. It doesn’t take but a split second and you can hit black ice.” The men of the streets crew don’t always get recognized for the work they do when they’re cruising down the road with their plows, but the guys say it’s not all that important. “Sometimes we get the occasional call of encouragement, but you get the complaints too. We just remind everyone we’ve got to be slow and careful,” Goldey said. “For the most part, though, I think people really do appreciate what we do for the city. And we do it because we want to keep everyone safe.” 2011-02-16 12:07:42.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-nicholasville-road-crew-tackles-20110216,0,7869855.story

jj-county-fire-saves-taxpayers-20110202 County fire saves taxpayers nearly $100,000 by building its own brush truck February 2, 2011 When one of the two brush trucks owned by the Jessamine County Fire District broke down four months ago, a high quote for a new truck prompted firefighters to build another truck themselves, saving the fire district — and taxpayers — nearly $100,000, Fire Chief Mike Rupard said. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-02/270180900-02131654.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-02/270180900-02131653.jpg When one of the two brush trucks owned by the Jessamine County Fire District broke down four months ago, a high quote for a new truck prompted firefighters to build another truck themselves, saving the fire district — and taxpayers — nearly $100,000, Fire Chief Mike Rupard said. The new Brush Truck 1 is not the first assembled by county firefighters. The old Brush Truck 1, a 1999 Chevrolet, was purchased as just a truck and chassis for $22,000, and firefighters attached the skid unit — the pump, tank and hose that sit on the back of the truck. Rupard said the district would have paid $90,000 for a brush truck from a manufacturer in 1999 and that it would have been $140,000 or more to buy one last year. “When the ‘99 truck that we built broke down on us and I was going to have to replace it, I just went back to the board and said, ‘Hey, let me buy a chassis, and we can utilize the skid unit from the ‘99 — it’s still good — we’ll utilize the equipment off that truck and just replace the truck,’” Rupard said. The district purchased a diesel 2011 Dodge 4500 series cab and chassis for around $40,000 and attached the old 250-gallon skid unit in about four days after some welding work was done. “It’s simple — it’s nothing more than taking something off, putting it back on and bolting it down,” Rupard said. “It’s nothing that we have to fabricate at all, because it’s already built; it’s just slide on, bolt on, and there you go.” Brush trucks are used to extinguish grass fires and woodland fires, but firefighters have had to use the versatile vehicle for structure fires in tricky places, including one last Super Bowl Sunday. “We’ve actually gotten to the point where we’ve had to use a brush truck on a structure fire, when we couldn’t get the (larger) trucks close enough to the house,” Rupard said. “We pulled it up and actually had a house on fire one time — it was in the floor joists and the walls, and we used the brush truck and got up there. Because of weather conditions and road conditions and a bridge that we had to go across was just not sturdy enough for our big trucks, we took the brush truck across there and put it out.” Rupard said that while the old brush truck was adequately functional, the experience of building it and then using it for 11 years had given the county firefighters knowledge that was helpful in building a better one now. “We learned from our mistakes what we should have done,” he said. “The ones we’re building now fit the situations better.” One of those changes was buying trucks that are stronger and better prepared to carry the weight of all the equipment. The old truck was maxed out on its weight capacity; the new one is only at half of its capacity. “Now, we’re building them and beefing them up twice what we need, and we’re finding that it’s so much better on the truck, and it drives better,” Rupard said. While the fire district was able to do a fairly simple construction job on a brush truck, Rupard said he still leaves bigger jobs to the professionals. “There are certain things we can build here to save money, but when it comes to the bigger trucks, we can’t do that,” he said. “But brush trucks — they’re not really that hard.” Rupard said he was glad to been able to create a functional brush truck while saving money. “It works out great. It saved us $100,000 of taxpayers’ money, and actually, it’s as good if not better than what we could buy from a manufacturer for our needs,” he said. “You can go to a manufacturer and get all the bells and whistles — they’ll sell you all the little stuff, but we’re not into the bells and whistles; we’re in here getting what we need.” 2011-02-02 13:16:58.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-county-fire-saves-taxpayers-20110202,0,275854.story

jj-liberty-tax-sign-holders-01262011 Liberty Tax sign holders keeping motorists gawking SIGN OF THE TIMES January 26, 2011 In the base of the Statue of Liberty in New York City is a plaque bearing the Emma Lazarus poem “The New Colossus” with the famous words, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” At the start of the new year, Nicholasville residents saw their own statues of liberty along North Main Street, with the huddled masses inside the costumes yearning to stay warm. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-01/275010020-26125611.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-01/275010020-26125611.jpg In the base of the Statue of Liberty in New York City is a plaque bearing the Emma Lazarus poem “The New Colossus” with the famous words, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” At the start of the new year, Nicholasville residents saw their own statues of liberty along North Main Street, with the huddled masses inside the costumes yearning to stay warm. The men and women who stand along the road clothed in the long green dress and topped by the pointy foam crown have become a landmark in Nicholasville as they hold, wave, and sometimes even dance with signs promoting Liberty Tax Service as drivers-by honk and wave back. The crew consists of five or six part-time workers who take four-hour shifts, usually keeping someone out by the road from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. While the costume — which occasionally includes a large foam mask — attracts enough attention on its own, those who wear it have been especially noticed recently as they’ve stood by the road in several inches of snow braving single-digit temperatures. Jason Turner, who had the morning shift last Thursday, said his military training helped but that it could still be a tough job. “It just depends on how long you stay out there,” he said. “At first, it’s not really cold, but standing out there and waiting for a while, it’ll get to you.” April Bingham, 37, worked the afternoon shift last Thursday as the snow that would eventually total several inches began to fall. She said that although she had never had a position that exposed her to harsh elements, she withstood the cold well and appreciated the job. “When you’ve got to find work and you’ve got to feed a family, you got to do what you got to do,” she said. Chuck Beighle of Liberty Tax Service said he has no problem every year finding enough people willing to don the costume and hold the sign. “I’ve got two back from last year,” Beighle said. Turner said he enjoys the interactions — however brief they may be — that he gets with drivers and the community. “It’s actually kind of fun, because people just sit there and wave,” he said. “You can see them moving their mouths and talking about you; it gets around town a lot.” The 25-year-old only moved to Nicholasville last September, so the exposure gives him a leg up in meeting new people. “Since I just moved to town, it’s basically just seeing new faces everywhere I go,” Turner said. “It’s kind of interesting just to meet people. Sometimes, people will recognize my face in the store, and they’ll say, ‘Hey, you’re that Statue of Liberty person!’” While Bingham takes a slow, steady approach to her shifts, just holding the sign and waving, Turner takes advantage of the ability the job gives to “goof off” a little. “Every now and then, I’ll spin it. Sometimes I’ll shake it and throw it up in the air,” he said. “Sometimes I’ll set it down and just start dancing; it’ll get their attention, and I like to goof off a lot, too, so it’s actually kind of a fun job, really.” 2011-01-26 12:56:19.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-liberty-tax-sign-holders-01262011,0,5008345.story

jj-kidstuf-adding-fodder-01192011 KidStuf adding faith-based fodder to family dinner-table conversations January 19, 2011 While many churches are adopting more contemporary Sunday morning services to try to appeal to young adults, the 11 a.m. service at one Nicholasville church is aimed at an even younger audience. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-01/104500020-19092953.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-01/104500020-19092953.jpg While many churches are adopting more contemporary Sunday morning services to try to appeal to young adults, the 11 a.m. service at one Nicholasville church is aimed at an even younger audience. The KidStuf program started at Generations Community Church, which meets at Rosenwald-Dunbar Elementary School on Wilmore Road, in 2004. It is a vibrant, engaging activity intended to attract not just children but their parents as well, according to Generations pastor Max Vanderpool. “We felt like families were busy and always on the go, driving between soccer practice and school and mom and dad working and shuttling here and there,” Vanderpool said. “We felt like church had become something where it was just another point in the week where families would come and scatter.” The KidStuf performances, which include singing, dancing, acting and biblical story-telling components, are done at other churches, but Generations customizes the curriculum specifically for its audience. Vanderpool said he was glad that Nicholasville could be the home for the first regular KidStuf performance in Kentucky. “We were actually central Kentucky’s first weekly KidStuf performance right here in Nicholasville,” he said. “It wasn’t in Lexington; it wasn’t in Louisville; it was right here in Nicholasville.” The program starts at 11:15 a.m. on Sundays from September through May and lasts about 40 minutes. Each month, KidStuf emphasizes a particular virtue — this January’s is honesty. “They’re the kinds of things that most parents want their kids to embrace and become when they become men and women on their own,” Vanderpool said. “Most moms and dads say, ‘You know what? When my son’s 35 and running a business, I want him to be honest; I want him to have determination.’” In addition to the program’s regular time on Sunday mornings, Generations has taken the show to schools to perform for preschoolers, kindergarteners and elementary-schoolers in the Jessamine County school district. Vanderpool said he is aware of the dire financial position school districts are in and that he is proud to be able to offer an assembly that teaches common values and doesn’t bankrupt a school.   “I love our ability, becuase it’s not like we have to roll in and go, ‘Jesus, Jesus, he’s our man’; we don’t have to do that,” he said. “I think what we do is a high-impact assembly, and a principal might normally spend $1,000 or $2,000 on something like that; we come in and do it for free, so it frees them up then to use that money for other stuff.” Vanderpool said the most important part of the KidStuf program may not be the way it is presented on Sunday mornings but the way it gives parents and children common ground in their faith journeys. “It’s simply a tool in the church’s tool box to help parents take a more active role in integrating faith into their home life,” he said. “It’s meant to be a jump start for conversations at the dinner table or a talk with your daughter as you’re putting her to bed at night, simply because it’s something you experience together.” 2011-01-19 09:30:00.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-kidstuf-adding-fodder-01192011,0,1792499.story

jj-engine-no-2-01052011 Nicholasville firefighters bringing old engine No. 2 back to life January 5, 2011 From 1951 until 1988, the Nicholasville Fire Department’s old engine No. 2 roamed the streets of the city with wooden ladders in the back and a bell and siren on the hood. From 1988 until 2000, it made appearances in parades as a classic fire engine. Now, after an 11-year hiatus, firefighters are restoring the truck so it can drive Main Street once more in September. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-01/111022120-05081456.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2011-01/111022120-05081455.jpg From 1951 until 1988, the Nicholasville Fire Department’s old engine No. 2 roamed the streets of the city with wooden ladders in the back and a bell and siren on the hood. From 1988 until 2000, it made appearances in parades as a classic fire engine. Now, after an 11-year hiatus, firefighters are restoring the truck so it can drive Main Street once more in September. The red 1951 Ford Big Job 7 arrived in Nicholasville by rail in November 1950 before being sent to Chicago to have the pump and bed attached. The total cost of the truck — which was the first new engine purchased for the Nicholasville Fire Department — was $12,500. Firefighter Jeff Juett remembers making runs in the truck and when the rear brakes went out on the engine in 2000. “They drove it in the parade, and they went out just above Station No. 1, and they coasted it into the bay,” Juett said. Battalion Chief David Cartwright said the truck sat in various places around the city after the brakes, which were affected by asbestos, were fixed. “We had it towed in here, and we took it apart,” Cartwright said. “We sent the brakes off to three or four different places and finally got them redone; they don’t make them anymore.” The charge to restore the engine was led by Cartwright, who made many runs on the truck himself. “I’ve drove it and pumped many a gallon of water on it; I’ve been here 33 years,” he said. The truck still has all but one original tire, Cartwright said, and has not had any significant motor work during the restoration. The steel frame was mostly rust-free. “It’s unusual to see one that old where the floorboards and stuff are still good in it,” Cartwright said. The fire department has been working for nearly a year to raise the funds to restore the engine. Lt. Rick Shropshire said several strategies had been employed to gather money. “We’ve had a fish fry, rib-eye steaks, sold T-shirts, car show, sold a rifle,” he said. “We’re going to have another car show next year and probably a couple fish fries.” Cartwright said the restored engine, which the fire department hopes to have complete in time for the Jessamine Jamboree parade in the fall, would fulfill educational purposes in addition to its participation in city events. “It’s going to be used for parades and fire prevention,” Cartwright said. “Any city function or the community that wants to bring it in can maybe let kids look at it to see how trucks were back then compared to how they’re made today.” For more information on the efforts to restore the engine, call 859-885-5505. 2011-01-05 08:15:44.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-engine-no-2-01052011,0,3740188.story

jj-2010-the-year-in-photographs-122910 2010: The Year in Photos A look at some of The Jessamine Journal's most intriguing photos from 2010 http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/photogallery/2010-12/104908760-29084018.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/photogallery/2010-12/104908760-29084018.jpg A look at some of The Jessamine Journal's most intriguing photos from 2010 2010-12-29 09:34:34.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-2010-the-year-in-photographs-122910,0,5980980.photogallery

jj-nicholasville-organ-donor-122210 Nicholasville organ donor to be honored in Rose Bowl parade December 22, 2010 This Christmas, as most families tear ribbons on presents and open gifts, one Nicholasville family is hoping to lighten their Christmas for the first time in seven years as they celebrate their daughter, who gave a gift of life. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2010-12/108097860-22135440.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2010-12/108097860-22135439.jpg This Christmas, as most families tear ribbons on presents and open gifts, one Nicholasville family is hoping to lighten their Christmas for the first time in seven years as they celebrate their daughter, who gave a gift of life. It was Mother’s Day 2004 when 22-year-old Melissa “Missy” Dawn Fields died in a tragic car accident on Union Mill Road. But this year, her memory will ride on the Donate Life float in the Rose Bowl parade in Pasadena, Calif., highlighting her decision at age 16 to be an organ donor. The former EKU student is one of 60 who will be honored on the float as it rides in the parade on New Year’s Day. UK HealthCare and Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA) celebrated the lives of Missy and eight other organ donors at a gathering at the Biomedical/Biological Sciences Research Building on the University of Kentucky’s campus last Wednesday, Dec. 15. The day Missy died David Fields remembers it as a beautiful Sunday morning six and a half years ago on Mother’s Day 2004. He prepared for a family cookout and finished fixing up an old El Camino in his garage. His three adult children were all coming for dinner, and he was especially looking forward to his youngest, Missy, seeing and hearing the car he had worked to restore for months. Missy joined her mother, Janie, at church that morning. Janie made it home in the middle of the afternoon and told her husband that Missy had to stop at the store before she came to the house. When David found he needed a spark plug, he jumped in the car and headed for town. His heart fell when he stopped and saw his daughter’s car upside down in the road. The accident had just happened. A helicopter lifted Missy to the University of Kentucky Hospital, but she didn’t make it there alive. Moments after hearing his daughter had passed away, David had to deal with the decision Missy had made at 16 and give permission for doctors to take organs and tissue from the body. Last Wednesday as he stood at the ceremony to honor Missy, David said it was difficult to allow his daughter to be an organ donor. “She had always talked about it, but it’s one of those things that, as parents, you never want to talk about or even think about,” he said. “The day came, and we had to honor her wishes.” At the gathering, the Fields family finished decorating Missy’s “floragraph” — a portrait made with floral materials — that will ride on the Rose Bowl parade float. Her mother said that Missy’s decision to be an organ donor and the family’s subsequent involvement with KODA had turned a “terrible, terrible tragedy” into a little bit better life for her family. “We knew it was the right decision, so we made it, and it has made our grief journey so much better, if there can be such a thing, because we knew that others have a fuller life now because of her decision,” Janie said. Janie said the holidays had not been joyful since Missy died but that knowing Missy is remembered will help lighten Christmas this year. “It has really made our lives a lot better, especially coming through the Christmas season,” Janie said. “We’ve not really been much on Christmas since we’ve lost Missy, but I have made a goal to have a better Christmas this year for our sons and our grandsons, simply because my heart is lighter this year, knowing that Missy is going to be honored and she won’t be forgotten.” Missy is remembered locally at South Elkhorn Christian Church in Lexington, where a “faith, hope and love” garden honors her. More than 28,000 lives are saved each year in the United States through the gift of organ donation; more than 108,000 people in the country are awaiting a life-saving organ transplant. Both David and Janie Fields said they hoped to challenge others — specifically those in Nicholasville — to sign up to be organ donors. “If we can help one other family not have to be parents in this club that we’re in of grieving parents — if we can convince one person to find that registry, it will be worth it,” Janie said. Registration to be an organ donor in Kentucky is online at www.donatelifeky.org. For more information, visit KODA’s website at www.kyorgandonor.org. 2010-12-22 14:49:35.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-nicholasville-organ-donor-122210,0,4733675.story

jj-shop-with-a-cop-121510 Shop With a Cop brightens Christmas for 135 children FULL CARTS, FULLER HEARTS December 15, 2010 Christmas came early for about 135 kids Saturday morning when they dug through the aisles at Walmart picking out merchandise during the annual Shop with a Cop event. By Amanda Baumfeld http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2010-12/274074920-15085340.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2010-12/274074920-15085340.jpg Christmas came early for about 135 kids Saturday morning when they dug through the aisles at Walmart picking out merchandise during the annual Shop with a Cop event. Sponsored by the Fraternal Order of Police, the event involved officers from the Nicholasville Police Department, the Jessamine County Sheriff’s Office and the Wilmore Police Department who took children shopping through the store. Each child got to spend $125. “You know, it’s fun,” said Nicholasville police Sgt. Scott Harvey. “It’s a chance for the community to help us, and it shows these kids we’re not just a uniform. We actually are somebody who cares.” The kids, who are typically school-aged from kindergarten to about 14, are referred to the police by schools in the Jessamine County school district. “We go and we meet with the family resource people, because those are the folks that know the biggest need in their school, and it could be financial, it could be medical, and it could be this kid just had a really hard year,” Harvey said. That was the case with Cleda Hafley’s grandchildren, who lost their father this year. She said they needed a day like this. “I think it’s done really great with them and they loved coming to shop,” Hafley said. “With what they’ve been through its really brightened their day. They got what they’ve been wanting that I couldn’t afford.” While most kids on Saturday headed straight to the toy section, some kids focused on basic necessities that they were lacking such as a winter coat or underwear. “We try to get them to get something like that first before we get all toys,” Harvey said. Whether it was a thank-you or extra donations the gratitude and support from Walmart shoppers Saturday was a constant with the police officers. “The first kid I had this morning he needed a winter coat, he didn’t have one, so that’s the first thing we got,” Harvey said. “While we were shopping for that one of the shoppers came up and gave me a $20 bill and said make sure he gets something nice too.” The event began with six kids in 2001 and continues to grow. Once the kids finished shopping they were invited to the back of the store to meet Santa Claus and have breakfast or lunch.    “We want to make sure these kids get a meal before they leave and have a chance to just hang out,” Harvey said. 2010-12-15 08:56:35.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-shop-with-a-cop-121510,0,6988387.story

jj-old-fashioned-photo-gallery-120810 A photographic look at Wilmore's Old Fashioned Christmas celebration http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/photogallery/2010-12/184550220-08124957.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/photogallery/2010-12/184550220-08124956.jpg 2010-12-08 12:50:12.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-old-fashioned-photo-gallery-120810,0,2902069.photogallery

jj-allender-runs-horseandcarriage-120110 Allender runs horse-and-carriage business around Wilmore ROLLING 'ROUND WILMORE December 1, 2010 Jerry Allender drives a lot of places. He routinely leaves his Wilmore home to come to Nicholasville; he makes an annual 100-mile trip north; and this year, he drove to the reenactment of the Battle of Perryville. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2010-12/301919780-01083417.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2010-12/301919780-01083416.jpg Jerry Allender drives a lot of places. He routinely leaves his Wilmore home to come to Nicholasville; he makes an annual 100-mile trip north; and this year, he drove to the reenactment of the Battle of Perryville. But Allender doesn’t sit behind the wheel of a car; he holds the reins as he sits in the carriage being pulled by his horse. The horse and carriage started as a hobby and turned into a business for Allender, and now he hopes to have others join him next year for a scenic trip back to Perryville. Allender first started driving horses in his great-grandfather’s wagon when he was in third grade. But when he reached his teenage years, he put Otis Allender’s buggy away. “When I went to high school, I was interested in girls and what I was going to work out as a living, and it wasn’t too cool to be driving a horse and buggy,” he said. “I just put it away, and then after being married for a while, particularly when the children started coming along, I really wanted to do that again.” Allender got his great-grandfather’s wagon out of a barn and tied his horse to it, pulling his children along for rides on a regular basis. He only realized his hobby could be a business when a friend asked him if he could drive a horse at a wedding. “I said, ‘Well, I’ll be glad to, but the only thing I have is this little black wagon,’” Allender said. “They said, ‘That would be fine,’ and then you do this wedding and you do that wedding, and people start saying, ‘Would you do a birthday party?’ ‘Would you come to our family reunion?’” As Allender’s business has grown, he remembers the tragedy that has struck his family multiple times. He and his wife lost a daughter the day before she was born in 1981; his daughter Amy died at age 16 in 1993; and his only son, Andrew, passed away in 2007. Andrew Allender was taken to the cemetery in his great-great-grandfather’s black buggy. But the father and grandfather said life is a joy for him and that he is inspired by his children. “The thing that keeps me from becoming an alcoholic because my kids are in the cemetery or becoming a drug addict or a woman chaser or whatever goofy things people do are those three kids that are up there — I don’t want to disappoint them,” Allender said. The trip to Perryville Allender made the trip to Perryville this October since he was unable to attend the World Equestrian Games, but he said he was glad to have made it to the battle reenactment. The best moment for Allender came when he arrived in Perryville, and that moment is what he hopes to help others experience. “I would like to get a wagon train going from Jessamine County to Perryville, because when I came around the corner in Perryville, it was just like driving into “Little House on the Prarie” or “Gunsmoke,” with everybody in their old clothes waving and carrying on,” he said. Allender’s ideal trip would take a week next fall and would go from Wilmore to Perryville with stops in Nicholasville, Richmond, Berea, Danville and Harrodsburg. Allender said his goal with his business and his life is to be friendly to people. “I’m going to love on people, whether it’s taking a buggy ride or a carriage ride or whatever,” he said. For more information, call Allender at 333-9893. 2010-12-01 08:37:40.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-allender-runs-horseandcarriage-120110,0,4882985.story

jj-sweet-ms-112310 Schroeder giving families the chance to enjoy 'a fair-sized chunk of God's heart' SWEET BEGINNINGS November 23, 2010 When John and Tara McKibben decided to adopt a 2-year-old from Ethiopia, they faced a financial obstacle nearly as great as the 7,500-mile distance between Kentucky and the African nation. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2010-11/87766020-23094106.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2010-11/87766020-23094105.jpg When John and Tara McKibben decided to adopt a 2-year-old from Ethiopia, they faced a financial obstacle nearly as great as the 7,500-mile distance between Kentucky and the African nation. It was in a bible study at Southland Christian Church earlier this year that Tara shared their discouragement at the cost, and it was there that Maggie Schroeder of Wilmore decided to offer her abilities to help. Maggie, who has been sewing since she was 8 years old, decided to put her machines to work, sell her products and donate all the proceeds to the McKibbens’ adoption costs. “During Bible study in prayer requests, I had shared about prayer requests for the finances, because obviously, we didn’t have $25,000 cash to pay for this,” Tara said. “She had made some bibs and burp cloths as presents for people, and she just had the idea to start a website. Of course, I was thrilled; once a month, she gives us 100 percent of her profits.” Maggie calls the project Sweet M’s and makes custom apparel, mainly for babies, along with other products she sells at craft fairs. She and her husband, Kyle, have a 7-year-old son, Kirby, and a 5-year-old daughter, Luci, who they adopted from Guatemala. “A lot of families are discouraged from even pursuing adopting because of the great expense of it, and a lot of people are hesitant to do that,” Maggie said. “I feel like when our daughter, Luci, came into our lives, that we received a fair-sized chunk of God’s heart along with her and that no expense is too great for that.” Kami McKibben made the journey from Ethiopia to the United States in June. Schroeder said she is still donating to the McKibbens to help with their continued expenses but that she plans to continue Sweet M’s in the hopes of helping more families. “I’ve decided that I’ll choose a family, one family per year, going forward and have the proceeds benefit one family,” she said. “It seems more wise to me not to spread myself too thing but to just choose one family and really concentrate on blessing them.” The Sweet M’s project has brought several hundred dollars to help with Kami’s expenses, but Tara McKibben said the biggest blessing has been knowing that people care. “It’s an encouragement as much as anything else, because the whole lump sum obviously didn’t come in, but there are people out there that are willing to help and give, so that’s been really cool,” she said. The Schroeders decided to adopt after working in several different countries with the Christian mission organization Word Made Flesh for 15 years. “We have traveled, and we have spent time with children living on the streets and children that are HIV positive, and just out of our experiences of traveling and seeing such great need in the world came our desire to adopt,” Maggie said. The struggles of adoption are only truly understood by those who have experienced it, Maggie said. “Our hearts and our family have been changed by her life in ours, and obviously, I’m in an adoption community as a result,” she said. “I like to call it God’s secret club, because unless you’ve experienced what it’s like to go through that process, it’s hard to really grasp what it’s all about.” Maggie posts updates on the Sweet M’s project on her blog, sweetms.wordpress.com. Her wares will also be for sale in the store The Charmed Life, which will open soon in Brannon Crossing. “I thought I could take what my God-given talents are and match them with my passion for adoption and make a difference in someone else’s life,” Maggie said. 2010-11-23 11:26:54.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-sweet-ms-112310,0,6583669.story

jj-photo-gallery-veterans-day-parade-111610 A photographic look at Wilmore's Veterans Day parade http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/photogallery/2010-11/86720740-16110038.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/photogallery/2010-11/86720740-16110038.jpg 2010-11-16 11:07:40.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-photo-gallery-veterans-day-parade-111610,0,5431296.photogallery

jj-rockin-grandma-110910 Rockin' Grandma happy with her age, weight and success SWEET SIREN November 9, 2010 Denise Beaty is not your average rocker. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2010-11/146857320-09092248.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2010-11/57485060-17091519.jpg Denise Beaty is not your average rocker. She plays guitar; she sings; she does radio shows; and she sells CDs. But she has spent 23 years as a nurse and has five grandchildren. Beaty, 52, who dubbed herself “The Rockin’ Grandma of Kentucky,” retired nine years ago and began a successful musical career that has led to numerous radio appearances and her first CD. “I had just developed some back problems from being a nurse, and I was at home and thought, ‘What can I do now?’ because I was young, 43 years old at the time,” Beaty said. “I had always wanted to be a country-music artist, but I thought, ‘Well, I’m too old.’” Beaty said it was in prayer she felt assurance she should pursue her dream. “I thought, ‘I’ve got grandchildren; I’m married; I’ve got the house; my husband’s got his own little business, and we’re busy.’ And I thought, ‘How could I do something like that?’” she said. “And I prayed about it, and it just felt right.” The title did not come from rock ‘n’ roll; it has a more grandmotherly origin. “I was rockin’ my little grandson on my knee, and I wrote ‘NASCAR Star,’” Beaty said. “It was right after Dale Earnhardt had died; that’s my husband’s favorite NASCAR person.” Beaty continued writing songs and began going to Nashville, Tenn., to pitch her songs to producers. She met music producer George Clinton of Bayou Recording Studio in 2004, and after years more of work, she launched her own label — Rockin’ Grandma Records — in October 2009. Her first CD, “Livin’ and Lovin,’” came out in the spring of 2010. It can be purchased at several online retailers, including iTunes, CDBaby, Amazon.com, eMusic, Rhapsody and ReverbNation. Being older than most other country artists has not been a hindrance in her songwriting, Beaty said. “I couldn’t have seen myself younger being who I am today and who I am now, because I hadn’t lived,” she said. “You’ve got to live your life in order to sing your life.” Beaty said she’s not ashamed that she looks different from her peers. “I’m proud to be a grandma, and I’m proud of my age — that doesn’t bother me. And my weight, yeah, I could lose a little, but it’s OK if I don’t. Being a granny, you don’t worry about 50 pounds,” she said with a laugh. Beaty said she was very appreciative of the people who had helped her along the way, including the many radio stations she has visited throughout Kentucky and the south. She has been at the top of the local country charts on ReverbNation for more than 60 weeks in a row. Faith has been central to Beaty’s career so far, and she said it will continue to guide her as her influence expands. “I have faith that the Lord is carrying me through,” she said. “He’s opening doors for me.” 2010-11-17 09:16:13.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-rockin-grandma-110910,0,548673.story

jj-karaoke-queen-110910 Karaoke queen has sights set on Nashville SWEET SIREN November 9, 2010 After taking a trip to Nevada last year to compete for a national singing title only to fall short, Cheryl Roberts of Nicholasville got a second chance this year and made the most of it, winning first place in the country division of Talent Quest National Karaoke Singing Contest in September. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2010-11/211708600-09091500.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2010-11/57484821-17091353.jpg After taking a trip to Nevada last year to compete for a national singing title only to fall short, Cheryl Roberts of Nicholasville got a second chance this year and made the most of it, winning first place in the country division of Talent Quest National Karaoke Singing Contest in September. Cheryl, 23, won a regional competition at J.D. Legends in Nicholasville to qualify for the national competition in Laughlin, Nev., last year; this year, her qualification was more of an accident. “We were just vacationing in Myrtle Beach, and they just happened to have a qualifying place down there,” she said. “I ended up doing it, won qualifying, and then we got to go back for semis and finals, which I won.” Cheryl said having been to the 2009 competition helped her prepare for the 2010 contest. “I learned out there that it’s a literally a production; they want you to dress like your song, to really get into your song,” she said. “People take props, and girls wear ballgowns — everything from ballgowns to chaps; it just depends on what your song is.” While she sings with a band locally, Cheryl aspires to record in Nashville and network with people in the music industry. “Honestly, from here, it just goes from networking to recording to distribution; unfortunately, it really is in all who you know, so I’m working on that right now,” she said. Cheryl’s mother, Jodi, said she first knew her daughter would be a performer in a steakhouse when Cheryl was very young. “She got up on the mantle — she was 3 — and started singing and dancing for the restaurant people,” Jodi said. “I knew then.” Cheryl first got a microphone in her hands when she was 4 and sang Away in a Manger with her dad in church. “From there, it was over,” she said. “I got a mic in my hand, and it was done.” The Robertses have been going to Bedford Acres Christian Church in Paris, where Cheryl still sings when she gets the chance. Her mother said she hopes her daughter can merge her music and faith. “I would like to see her further her Christian music career and sing in contemporary Christian music, but it’s not in either one of our hands,” Jodi said. “From the mom, that’s what I’d like to see.” Cheryl cited country artist Carrie Underwood as an example of how country-music artists often infuse faith in their music. “I love country music, because as cheesy and cliché as it sounds, country music, in every single song, tells a story, and 98 percent of the time, it’s stuff that everybody goes through or that someone has gone through,” Cheryl said. While winning the national competition was a big step for Cheryl, she said she has much bigger dreams in front of her. “I’ve had really great opportunities, but I’m always wanting more and wanting to do more, so I’m just keeping on going with what I’m doing,” she said. “Hopefully, it’ll pay off.” 2010-11-17 09:13:59.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-karaoke-queen-110910,0,1293709.story

jj-jessamine-county-halloween-201-110210 Jessamine County Halloween 2010 slideshow Photos from Nicholasville's Spooky Time on Main Friday, Oct. 29, and Wilmore's Treats on Main Saturday, Oct. 30. http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/photogallery/2010-11/136704280-02130139.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/photogallery/2010-11/136704280-02130138.jpg Photos from Nicholasville's Spooky Time on Main Friday, Oct. 29, and Wilmore's Treats on Main Saturday, Oct. 30. 2010-11-03 06:53:39.0 2011-05-03 17:00:00.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-jessamine-county-halloween-201-110210,0,7292699.photogallery

jj-nei.208174-20101027-1 Halloween brings out DeTienne's inner child October 27, 2010 If you happen to drive past 124 Bernie Trail in October, you’ll likely get an eerie feeling. Tombstones surround the trees, a butler offers you a skull on a plate, and a ghoulish effigy hangs next to the driveway. But inside, you’ll find the man who sets up the deathly scene and in the process gets a chance to relive his childhood. By Jonathan Kleppinger http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2010-11/57143517-02093146.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2010-11/57143517-02093146.jpg If you happen to drive past 124 Bernie Trail in October, you’ll likely get an eerie feeling. Tombstones surround the trees, a butler offers you a skull on a plate, and a ghoulish effigy hangs next to the driveway. But inside, you’ll find the man who sets up the deathly scene and in the process gets a chance to relive his childhood. Daniel DeTienne, 28, has had medical difficulties most of his life. But in the past few years, he’s been able to experience some childhood events for the first time in good health — specifically decorating for Halloween. “He’s had a lot of operations, a lot of surgeries and health problems, and it was hard for him to celebrate a lot of the holidays when he was younger,” said his mother, Linn. “He’s been in really good health here lately, so he’s kind of reliving his childhood by starting with Halloween.” The DeTiennes moved from California to Nicholasville in 2004 and then to a condominium in Wilmore. “We had lived in condos there, and you can’t do a heck of a lot of decorating in a condominium; it’s really controlled,” Linn said. “When we moved here, he really went elaborate.” Now, the Halloween display at the DeTiennes grows larger each year. Although the witches, skulls and tombstones cast a frightening pall over the front yard, Daniel said he tries to keep it entertaining. “There are different times I go back and forth between a little creepy and kind of the silly,” he said. Many parts of the display require daily attention, as Daniel spends up to 30 minutes moving delicate objects inside for the night before putting them back up again the next afternoon. Linn said children in the neighborhood eagerly anticipate the full display with all its moving parts. “Even during the week, they’ll start knocking on the door at 4:30 and say, ‘When are you going to put the stuff up? When is it going to all turn on?’” she said. Even a week before the big day in 2010, Daniel is already planning additions for next year’s display, drawing designs for grave markers. “We just saw online how to create Styrofoam tombstones and paint them to where they’re durable and won’t break down if it rains,” he said. 2010-11-02 09:31:47.0 2011-02-14 16:00:00.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-nei.208174-20101027-1,0,6722415.story

jj-revving-up-the-memories-102110 Revving up the memories Rogers organizing reunion for Bluegraass Dragway workers, racers October 21, 2010 It’s been nearly 30 years since tires burnt rubber in unison in a race at Bluegrass Dragway in Nicholasville. While the track, now Industry Parkway off U.S. 27, remains closed, many of those who raced there, worked there and watched there will gather next week to reminisce about the track’s 17-year run. by JONATHAN KLEPPINGER http://media.trb.com/media/thumbnails/story/2010-10/56952244-21110616.jpg http://media.trb.com/media/alternatethumbnails/story/2010-11/56952244-02093655.jpg It’s been nearly 30 years since tires burnt rubber in unison in a race at Bluegrass Dragway in Nicholasville. While the track, now Industry Parkway off U.S. 27, remains closed, many of those who raced there, worked there and watched there will gather next week to reminisce about the track’s 17-year run. The quarter-mile Bluegrass Dragway — which first opened as Bluegrass Raceway in 1964 — hosted drag-race points series events in the National Hot Rod Association until 1970 and then hosted International Hot Rod Association Winston points series events until it closed in 1981. Bobby Rogers, a former racer and a board member for the Kentucky Motorsports Hall of Fame, is organizing the track’s first reunion, which will be held at City-County Park Saturday, Oct. 30. “The reunion was an idea of mine and several of the old racers,” Rogers said. “A lot of the people that were on the world championship teams, when I went back and looked through some old photos, there were several that have passed on, and it will be 30 years next year that the track’s been closed. What we want to do is just get as many old racers, fans and staff that worked at the track for a first-time-ever reunion.” Nicholasville resident Johnny Burge was the 1980 world champion in bracket racing, which allows handicaps based on anticipated times. The track was home to two world-championship bracket-racing teams — one that won the world finals in Darlington, S.C., in 1979 and one that won in Bristol, Tenn., in 1980. “In 1979 and 1980, their racers went further in the eliminations to give them the overall points win, which made them the world-championship track for those two seasons, which is pretty special to do that two years in a row,” Rogers said. The track closed in November 1981 after the city of Nicholasville underwent a zoning change, Rogers said. Rogers said he was receiving excellent response to the idea of the reunion. “I’ve had calls from former racers that are 80 years old calling and saying they want to come because they want to see old friends and do what we refer to as old ‘bench racing,’ where old racers sit around and talk about old times and races they’ve been in,” he said. The reunion is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 30, from noon to 5:30 p.m. at the fairgrounds and the Blue Building at City-County Park. Events will include a photo show, videos of old races at the dragway and old drag cars and memorabilia on display. Those who raced and worked at the track are invited, and there is a $10 entry fee. “It’s just a passion of mine,” Rogers said. “I thought 30 years was long enough to wait to have an gathering of old friends." 2010-11-02 09:36:55.0 2011-01-19 16:00:00.0 http://www.centralkynews.com/jessaminejournal/features/jj-revving-up-the-memories-102110,0,4307112.story

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May 11, 2005 |Story| Chicago Tribune

United wins approval to dump pension plans

Tribune staff reporter
A bankruptcy judge in Chicago ruled Tuesday that a federal agency can take over United Airlines' pension plans, allowing the carrier to walk away from nearly $10 billion in unfunded liabilities, the largest pension default in U.S. history. It helps...

Tags: Retirement, Pension and Welfare, Finance, Financially Distressed Companies, Interior Policy

May 15, 2005 |Story| Los Angeles Times

Corporate America Pulling Back Pension Safety Net

Times Staff Writer
WASHINGTON — Last week's court decision permitting United Airlines' parent to dump its pensions on the federal government is part of a sweeping trend that could make the nation's employers more competitive, but at the cost of leaving workers and...

Tags: Social Security, Retirement, FBI, Layoffs and Downsizing, Personal Investing

Nov 17, 2002 |Story| Allentown Morning Call

Steel retiree watches and worries

Of The Morning Call
Bill Latishaw never thought he'd see the fall of the giant Bethlehem Steel. Now a proposed takeover by International Steel Group of Cleveland might revive the working parts of the Bethlehem company, and alter some of his retirement plans. "It's tragic...

Tags: Retirement, Mergers, Acquisitions and Takeovers, Bethlehem Steel, Pension and Welfare, Health

Sep 23, 2004 |Story| Chicago Tribune

United expects to decide fate of pensions within 2 months

Tribune staff reporter
United Airlines hopes to complete a new business plan within two months, including a decision on whether to terminate its pension plans, the company told employees Wednesday. The statement came as part of a "pension primer" letting employees know what...

Tags: Retirement, Pension and Welfare, University of Chicago, Finance, Financially Distressed Companies

Nov 6, 2004 |Story| Chicago Tribune

Pension plan would put strain on system

Tribune staff reporter
United Airlines' plan to walk away from its pension obligations stirred a new round of concern on Friday about the nation's troubled pension guarantee system. Officials with the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp., the federal agency that pays the pensions of...

Tags: Retirement, Bethlehem Steel, Pension and Welfare, Financially Distressed Companies, Interior Policy

Aug 18, 2004 |Story| Chicago Tribune

United removed pension execs

Tribune staff reporter
A month before United Airlines said it would stop funding its pension plans, it quietly removed three top executives charged with protecting employees' retirement interests and named itself the fiduciary for the plans, creating what a government...

Tags: Retirement, Pension and Welfare, Medina (Saudi Arabia), Finance, Financially Distressed Companies

Jul 24, 2004 |Story| Chicago Tribune

United stalls pension fund contributions

Tribune staff reporters
United Airlines fired a major shot Friday in the battle with its workers over cost cuts, announcing that it would cease making payments to employee pension funds as long as it remains in bankruptcy. The airline signaled the move last week when it...

Tags: Retirement, Pension and Welfare, Finance, Financially Distressed Companies, Interior Policy

Jul 28, 2004 |Story| Chicago Tribune

United softens pension threat

Tribune staff reporter
Reaching out to workers on Tuesday, United Airlines Chief Executive Glenn Tilton acknowledged that the carrier's decision to stop funding its pension plans has created "significant anxiety." Tilton reiterated that the move does not affect pension...

Tags: Retirement, Pension and Welfare, Finance, Financially Distressed Companies, Interior Policy

Nov 5, 2004 |Story| Chicago Tribune

Pensions must go, United tells its unions

United Airlines has told its pilots, flight attendants and other union workers it must terminate their pensions, cut pay and eliminate jobs to enable the struggling airline to emerge from bankruptcy. The Elk Grove Township-based carrier hopes to have the...

Tags: Retirement, Pension and Welfare, Financially Distressed Companies, Interior Policy, Politics

Jul 29, 2004 |Story| Chicago Tribune

More ailing companies escaping pension costs

When officials of the federal agency that protects worker pension plans meet Thursday with United Airlines executives, they'll likely be seeking the answer to a fundamental question: "Is United planning to stick Uncle Sam with the entire $7.5 billion tab...

Tags: Retirement, Bethlehem Steel, University of Chicago, Financially Distressed Companies, Interior Policy

Sep 21, 2004 |Story| Chicago Tribune

Lawmakers hit United on pension plan

More than 100 lawmakers have signed a letter being sent to United Airlines' chief in opposition to its plan to terminate its pension plans to survive bankruptcy. "While we understand that the airline faces difficult challenges in emerging from...

Tags: Retirement, Financially Distressed Companies, California, Interior Policy, Politics

Sep 1, 2004 |Story| Chicago Tribune

Flight attendants target United's leaders

Tribune staff reporter
United Airlines' flight attendants union said Tuesday that it will do everything it can in court to oust the carrier's top executives. "We condemn United Airlines senior management for devising a business plan which, in addition to the termination of...

Tags: Retirement, Medina (Saudi Arabia), Financially Distressed Companies, Interior Policy, Politics

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