GLASGOW — Dear Editor, 

When a seed is planted, we often don’t know how great it will turn out. That’s the way I read the story of the Glasgow Success Academy.

What a great local program. Take, for instance, the hiring of Alan Cox Jr. by Danny Gibson of Bailey-Gibson. Who knows where this young man can go; what started as a tiny seed of opportunity may very well end up as the sky is the limit. He could someday be a certified mechanic or even become the owner of his own automobile dealership. When good ideas are put into place, good things begin to happen. 

One thing we know right now is that the young man is working, and if he keeps his head on straight with a good attitude, there’s no telling how far he can go. No doubt the others in the program can do the same.

Each business that becomes involved in hiring and mentoring these young people should be complimented.  

Johnny Belcher hit the nail on the head when he noted, “This is one program that you don’t want to see grow.” But he also recognized the fact that some kids may not “fit in” or cannot “deal with peer pressure” and end up dropping out of school. 

The Glasgow Success Academy seems to be one of those things in life that you wish didn’t have to be, while at the same time being something that just needs to be. Those associated with this vital program should be encouraged and commended by all. 

David Keith

Smiths Grove

Veterinary center needs state money to move forward

Dear Editor,

State funding for a new Breathitt Veterinary Center in Hopkinsville obviously is an issue of great interest to livestock and poultry producers in West Kentucky, but this also should be of concern to all Kentuckians because the lab plays a key role in combating livestock diseases and maintaining our safe supply of food.

The funding request currently before the Kentucky Legislature is for a new facility to accommodate an expanded workload and the dual role of livestock disease diagnosis and other homeland security disease control projects. The current facility is more than 40 years old and has been found to be overcrowded and unequipped to meet the changing needs of animal diagnostic science. A 2009 feasibility study funded through Kentucky’s Agricultural Development Board recommended construction of a new facility, rather than renovation of the existing structure.

The BVC uses the latest scientific knowledge, equipment and techniques to reduce losses from animal disease and to promote animal health. It is fully accredited for all animal species by the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians.

Kentucky’s agriculture community has attempted to secure state funding for this project for several years. Kentucky’s expanding animal agriculture industry relies on the Lexington and Hopkinsville diagnostic labs to protect and strengthen our industry. We need this project to move forward.

Jay Coleman, President

Barren County Farm Bureau Board of Directors

State chamber willing to be part of solution to fix shortfall

Dear Editor,

We were surprised and disappointed to read comments from the House of Representatives asserting that the business community has failed to offer any solutions for the state’s budget problems and want to set the record straight.

The Kentucky Chamber of Commerce has devoted much of the past year to a review of state spending and has offered numerous specific recommendations on ways to reduce expenditures in several areas. These recommendations range from changing the state’s public employee health insurance program to incorporating more managed care into Medicaid to penalty reviews and more drug treatment programs in the corrections system. We are encouraged that legislators in both parties have indicated there are, in fact, significant savings to be found in these areas of the state budget.

These and many other potential solutions were developed and released well in advance of the current legislative session and have been shared with the General Assembly. They also are available for anyone to review online at www.kychamber.com/leakybucket.

Additionally, Kentucky’s employers have agreed to do their part to restore solvency to the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund – now in debt to the federal government by more than $600 million. The Kentucky Chamber strongly supports legislation, which has passed the House, requiring employers to do their part in a significant way to help shore up the state’s unemployment system – clear evidence of our willingness to be part of the solution.

Dave Adkisson

President and CEO

Kentucky Chamber of Commerce