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We said we would never forget: Will we?

For the first time in 20 years, we will celebrate Veterans Day in relative peace. On November 11, 1918, Ralph Lindsey wrote from his hospital bed in France “Armistice signed at 11 o’clock. Grand celebration all over France. War is at last over and I am still alive!” Later in life if you asked him about the scars on his chest he would simply respond with a shrug and say, “I zigged when I should have zagged.” Ralph was my great-grandfather, and now, nearly 103 years after he wrote those words, our nation once again finds ourselves celebrating the contributions of our veterans ...

Help: Families Anonymous reaches out with 3 C’s

You never conceived of the notion that addiction could happen in your family, or that any of your friends would become dependent on harmful substances, or become alcoholic. Now you realize it could happen to anyone. You are a firm believer in tackling problems head-on as soon as you are aware of them, but this situation is not so easy to manage. In fact, you aren’t sure you can control any of it, no matter how hard you try. Confused, hurt, lost … what are you going to do? Addiction affects everyone around the person with the substance misuse problem. How are you going to protect ...

Danger: Alcohol misuse in women

Do you remember the television commercial: “I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in the pan. And never let him forget he’s a man”? If there is one thing that women don’t need to compete with men about in the pursuit of equality, it would be alcohol use/misuse. Early this past summer an NPR report informed the public of a very real problem: “For nearly a century, women have been closing the gap in alcohol consumption, binge drinking, and alcohol use disorder,” the article says. “What was nearly a 3-1 ratio for risky drinking habits in men vs. women is closer to 1-1 ...

One can kill: Alarming increase in deadly fake prescription pills

ALERT: The only safe pill is the one prescribed by your doctor and the pharmacy where you get your medications. There are people who would like you to believe otherwise, but here are a few words to the wise: One Pill Can Kill. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) last week warned that there is “an alarming increase in the lethality and availability of fake prescription pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine.” This is a national crisis, an emergency. Some 9.5 million of these fake pills have been seized from every state in the United States in unprecedented quantities ...

ARC helps build communities

Since 1965, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) has collaborated with local and state partners to transform communities, create jobs, and strengthen the regional economy. Since becoming the ARC Federal Co-Chair in May, I take seriously my responsibility to work collaboratively with ...

Strategic approach used for collecting tax delinquencies

Over the past eighteen months, the pandemic has brought many challenges. For some, one of these challenges is the ability to pay bills. One of the county prosecutor’s many duties is representation of the county treasurer in the collection of delinquent real estate and manufactured home taxes. This is not a duty that our office takes lightly, as schools and other political subdivisions within our county rely heavily on revenue derived from real estate and manufactured home taxes. Recently, our office has coordinated with the county treasurer to adopt a strategic approach to dealing ...