Crain at Climate Change meeting

By Lauralee Crain

Senior at Transylvania University

21 years old

Daughter of Eugene and Sandy Crain.

“We do note inherit the Earth from our grandparents, we borrow it from out grandchildren.”

In October, I received a phone call with the long awaited news that I had been chosen to be a United Nations delegate for the Sierra Student Coalition (the student branch of the Sierra Club) at the UN Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen. All at once, I realized that I would be a part of the world negotiations to formulate a bold and just climate treaty.

I found all of this out only a couple months ago, but my roots in being a steward of God for the Earth began long before. My father, a sure tree lover, planted nearly all of the trees you can see on the fence line on the bypass when he was a teenager. My mother, who learned from her father, still picks up every stray and starving pet she comes across. From both sets of my grandparents, I learned the importance, beauty and deliciousness of cultivation done right by growing gardens and orchards.

It was not until I was 19 that I began applying my duty to take care of my environment, when I joined the Transylvania Environmental Rights and Responsibilities Alliance. Since then I have been involved with environmental activism and lobbying on the state and national level, and now with my attendance to the United Nations Conference on Climate Change I am involved on the global level.

I imagine by now that most people from home have heard something about the climate talks going on in Copenhagen, but the issues are complex and often hard to delve into. The first global recognition and conference about climate change began in the 1970s. The climate change issue has continued since then, but the debate is over. The science has spoken for itself. This last week, the US Environmental Protection Agency finally announced that carbon dioxide is a pollutant, is harmful to human health, and must be regulated. Unless an international climate treaty can be produced, our lives as we know it will begin to change. Unfortunately, the developing countries, generally the third world countries, are feeling the initial brunt of climate change in events such as floods, droughts, and pollution.

In this movement, we are calling for equity. In the United States, people suffer from the use of fossil-fuels everyday. Unfortunately, it is the minorities and low-income areas that are affected the most by this, as we can see in our very near neighboring coal fields. The coal areas of the state are also the poorest regions. At one time, America was leading the world in science and technology developments. My generation has seen America in a recession for half of our lives. However, the recession is our great opportunity to create economic and job opportunity while simultaneously solving our energy crisis. It is not a question of environment versus economy, but resourcefulness versus business as usual.

What can you do? There are a number of really simple things you can do to begin living greener. On the local level, you can be a good neighbor. Eat from your own garden or buy vegetables from our local farmers. Compost your organic waste to use in your gardens as fertilizer. On the state and national level, call your representative and senators and tell them to keep sustainability and green economy in mind when voting. It is important that Kentucky is not left behind in green economy initiatives because of our dependence on a nonrenewable resource. A diversity of energy and economic sources is crucial. Further, we cannot move forward with a global climate treaty without ratification of the treaty by Congress.

My time here in Copenhagen at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change will include a visit from President Obama, meeting with United States delegates and Cabinet Secretaries, connecting with international youth organizations (including China), and writing up personal accounts of my own experience here. You can follow my work and my 18-person delegation at sscinternational.org. I appreciate all of the support I have received from home and was delighted to see the article about elementary students from Hillsboro starting a community garden. Efforts like this are essential to the bigger goals in achieving a more sustainable world.

Lucas Cannon comes home! A stop at the high school allowed friends to greet the courageous young man whose story has captivated Fleming County.

New business opens

On Wednesday, December 9, 2009, the Fleming County Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting ceremony for Premier Auto Care, LLC.

Located at 138 Taylor Mill Road in Flemingsburg, Premier Auto Care specializes in service, including major and minor repairs on both foreign and domestic cars and trucks. They also have computer diagnostic capabilities. Their hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM until 5:30 PM and Saturday from 8:00 AM until 12:00 PM. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, you can call Premier Auto Care at 849-AUTO (2886).

Pictured, L - R: Fleming County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Crystal Ruark, Chamber Directors Tiffany Reeder and Donna Bumgardner, Fleming County Judge Executive Larry Foxworthy, Premier Auto Care owners and staff Kara Wiley, Todd Wiley, and Mike Florence, and Chamber Directors Sue Holt, Connie Crain, Dina Gooding, and Dana Clark. Photo by Debbie Richardson.

Thomas G. Fern to Serve as State Director for Rural Development in Kentucky

LEXINGTON, Ky., Dec. 1, 2009– The Obama Administration has announced that Thomas G. Fern will return to the position of Kentucky State Director for Rural Development at the USDA. Fern previously served as State Director from 1993-2001.

“Thomas Fern will be an important advocate on behalf of rural communities throughout the state and will help administer the valuable programs and services provided by USDA that enhance the economic success of Kentucky’s residents and communities,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said.

Fern began his career in USDA more than four decades ago, after graduating from Morehead State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in General Agriculture, Economics and Sociology.

“I grew up in a rural community and I’m personally familiar with the needs of rural Kentuckians,” said Fern. “To have the opportunity to return as state director for an agency that has so many programs structured for enhancing their quality of life is an honor.”

Fern joined USDA in 1965 and worked his way up the ranks, starting out as an Agriculture Management Specialist, County Supervisor, in Vanceburg. He held this position until he was promoted to District Director of the Farmers Home Administration in Morehead in 1978. He remained there until his first appointment as State Director during the Clinton Administration. Fern also served as the director of advertising and marketing for the Kentucky Tourism Development Cabinet, Department of Parks, from 2001-2003.

Full details are in the Gazette print edition

PFC Hurst

PFC Dustin Lee Hurst, 21, passed away Sunday evening. PFC Hurst was a member of the 299^th Chemical Co., Army National Guard, Maysville, Ky. He was born in Morehead on May 25, 1988. His parents are Jimmy Hurst, Hillsboro, and Ruby Rigdon Applegate of Tollesboro.

PFC Rigdon is survived by one son, Justin Lee Hurst of Hillsboro; one stepdaughter, Kaylee Tackett; three sisters, Amanda (Josh) Wilson, Tollesboro, Natasha Applegate, Ewing, and Rachel Applegate, Ewing; and by three brothers, Timothy Forest Hurst, Hillsboro, Christopher (Kim) Hurst, Flemingsburg, and Billy Hamilton, Tollesboro.

He is also survived by maternal grandparents Lonnie and Bonnie Rigdon, Hillsboro, and paternal grandmother Clara Black, Hillsboro.

Funeral services will be 11 A.M. Friday, Dec. 11, at the Boone-Nickell Funeral Home with Rev. Harley Sexton officiating. Burial will be in the Rigdon Christian Cemetery with full military honors.

Visitation at Boone-Nickell Funeral Home after 6 P.M. on Thursday.

State highway crews ready for snow season!

Priority routes established

FLEMINGSBURG, Ky. – Winter’s officially here, at least for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s Department of Highways District 9!

Highway crews logged their first miles Dec. 5-7 on snow-covered roadways, treating them with nearly 400 tons of salt to clear lanes.

Throughout the Transportation Cabinet’s “snow season,” typically November to March, district highway crews remain at the ready – prepared to keep about 2,000 miles of state roads in Bath, Boyd, Carter, Elliott, Fleming, Greenup, Lewis, Mason, Nicholas and Rowan counties passable during inclement weather.

To accomplish that mission, crews plow and treat roads using a priority system based on the amount and nature of traffic within each individual county. Priority A routes include major through routes and are those most heavily traveled. Priority B routes include other important, but lesser traveled, state routes. Other roads fall into Priority C.

While it’s the Transportation Cabinet’s goal to treat all routes within eight hours of a routine winter storm event, higher priority routes are treated within a one- to four-hour turnaround time.

In Fleming County, Priority A routes include US 68, KY 11, KY 32 east of Elizaville, KY 32X (Flemingsburg Bypass) and KY 165. Priority B routes are KY 32, KY 57, KY 170, KY 111, KY 559, and portions of KY 344 and KY 158. Other routes are Priority C.

“The Transportation Cabinet recognizes how important roadway conditions are to Kentucky motorists,” said Randy Stull, Project Delivery and Preservation Branch I manager. “During a winter storm, our highway crews often spend long hours away from home to keep roadways clear and safe for the traveling public. We appreciate their service.”

More detailed information about the Department of Highways’ snow and ice response plans, including maps of priority routes in each county, is available on District 9’s web site at www.transportation.ky.gov/d9/ by clicking the “District Snow Operations!” link.

Throughout “snow season,” Transportation Cabinet response teams serve weekly on-call rotations. The teams monitor weather reports when snow is in the forecast and determine when to activate the cabinet’s arsenal of snow and ice equipment across the state, including more than 1,000 snow plows.

In District 9, more than 100 crew members operating 75 snow plows – plus 10 contract plows and crews – are involved with snow removal operations. And, approximately 23,180 tons of salt are currently stockpiled to battle winter precipitation. Crews work around the clock until storms pass to keep roadways in the best possible condition.

Motorists are reminded to give a wide berth to plows, salt trucks and other snow-clearing heavy equipment. To be effective in dispersing de-icing material, trucks tend to travel at a slower speed. Also, snow plows may create a snow cloud which can cause a white out or zero visibility condition, so keep a safe distance away from the trucks.

State highway crews mobilize against light snow, ice

Office of Highway Safety offers winter weather driving tips

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Dec. 7, 2009) — Kentucky Transportation Cabinet snow and ice crews are working to treat roads impacted by light snowfall and icy conditions in parts of the state.

Crews are spot treating roadways in 48 counties in the Elizabethtown, Louisville, Covington, Lexington, Jackson and Manchester highway districts. Crews in the Pikeville district are treating roads.

“This is our first taste of wintry weather this season,” said Acting Transportation Secretary Mike Hancock. “It’s a good time to remind ourselves of the important tips that can help make this a safe winter on Kentucky roads.”

Motorists should always use extra caution when driving in winter weather and remember that bridges and overpasses typically freeze before surface-level roadways.

Motorists should remember these tips while driving in snow and ice:

• Make sure your vehicle is sufficiently winterized – check the battery, antifreeze level, heater, defroster, wipers and windshield washer.
• Dress warmly for the weather –in layers of loose-fitting, lightweight clothing, in anticipation of unexpected emergencies.
• Try to keep your gas tank at least two-thirds full to prevent fuel line freezing and to prepare for possible lengthy delays on the roadway.
• Make sure a friend or relative is aware of your travel route.
• Carry a cell phone.
• Make sure your vehicle has an emergency care kit. It should include jumper cables, flares or reflectors, windshield washer fluid, an ice scraper, blankets, nonperishable food, a first aid kit, and traction material.
• Check the forecast and call 511 or visit 511.ky.gov for the latest condition reports before traveling. Avoid nonessential travel if conditions are dangerous.
• Drive carefully. Allow plenty of time to get to your destination. Do not use cruise control. 
• Remember that bridges and exit and entrance ramps can be icy when other areas are not.
• Stopping in snow requires more braking distance than stopping on dry pavement – up to four times more distance. Make sure to put plenty of distance between yourself and the vehicle ahead.
• Be visible. Dull, cloudy days will cut down on visibility, so drive using low-beam headlights.
• Steer into the skid. Stay calm and ease your foot off the gas while carefully steering in the direction you want the front of your vehicle to go.
• During significant winter weather events, the KYTC will provide media outlets with updated road condition reports throughout the day and night.

Road conditions are described as follows:

• Wet pavement – Ice could form as temperatures drop.
• Partly covered – Markings may be obscured by snow, slush or ice.
• Mostly covered by snow, slush or ice.
• Completely covered by snow, slush or ice.
• Impassable – Conditions unsuitable for all but emergency travel.

The Kentucky SAFE Patrol – Safety Assistance for Freeway Emergencies – operates seven days a week on Kentucky interstates and parkways. SAFE Patrol drivers are equipped with blankets, shovels, reflective cones, auto fluids and other equipment to get motorists back on the road safely. Motorists can request SAFE Patrol by calling 1-877-FOR-KYTC (1-877-367-5982).

Hancock said highway crews will work around the clock until roads are clear during snow and ice events.

If a winter storm hits, staffing in the Traffic Operations Center (TOC) is increased to aid in coordination and distribution of information throughout the state.  The TOC, which operates around the clock, keeps highway districts informed of weather and roadway conditions and of actions such as pre-treating, treating or removing snow.

More highway safety tips are available at http://highwaysafety.ky.gov/.