Agriculture Commissioner James Comer plans to lead a delegation to Washington within a month to seek an exemption for Kentucky producers to grow industrial hemp.

“I will work closely with Senators Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell and Representatives John Yarmuth and Thomas Massie to put Kentucky first in line if and when the federal government allows industrial hemp production,” Commissioner Comer said hours after the Kentucky General Assembly passed Senate Bill 50, state Sen. Paul Hornback’s bill to establish an administrative framework for hemp production in Kentucky. “We are closer to our goal of bringing hemp back to Kentucky than we have been in more than 60 years, and our work continues.”

Agreement fully funds, stabilizes pension system with revenue neutral plan

After weeks of bipartisan negotiation led by Governor Steve Beshear, the General Assembly passed bills stabilizing and modernizing the state’s pension system. The legislative package creates funding to pay the state’s full recommended annual pension contribution without threatening key state services like education and public safety.

The companion bills, House Bill 440 and Senate Bill 2, passed both chambers this evening, eliminating the need for a special session on pension reform.

“The looming pension liability threatened to gut funding for education and all other priorities. It demanded our immediate and bipartisan cooperation,” said Gov. Beshear. “No matter our political philosophies, none of us were willing to put our kids at risk of a stripped-down education. We all agreed we could not simply change our pension plan without paying for it. I’m proud of the bipartisan work that has been done in Frankfort to find a reasonable, practical solution to the pension challenge.”

As spring weather begins to appear in Kentucky, many of us begin to think about flowers and birds. Hearing the singing of our feathery friends brings the promise of warmer weather, lots of sunshine and days outdoors after a long winter trapped inside. A new sense of freedom  begins rising up in our souls.

Digging out the hummingbird feeder is one of the first springtime chores to be done. Getting hummingbirds humming around the deck or garden gives one the feel that summer is just ahead.

Hummingbirds in the U.S. and around the world have the benefit of being garden and backyard favorites. Many people put out hummingbird feeders or grow flowers that attract hummingbirds in the warmer months that allow these birds to refuel during their long migratory journeys. What's in sight is often in mind, and many fans of hummingbirds are doing what they can to keep every backyard, park and garden a friendly place for these beautiful birds.

There are very few advantages in heading toward old age.  First of all, one doesn’t have to worry about his reputation as much as when he was young. The few people who know you will think you are a crazy old man, and the other 90% just don’t even know you or care.  I have heard old men say, “When I was young, I was a ‘rip snorter’, but when I got older I got smarter.

They didn’t know it, but they didn’t get smarter; they just got older.  If they had life to live over, they would probably be crazier the second time around.

Most young folks do silly things, thinking it is a sign of maturity.  Today’s youth try alcohol, drugs, tobacco, tattoos, piercings, baggy britches, and vulgar language.  Now, I’m not saying all young people are in this category.

I remember reading about Sir Edmund Hillary climbing Mt. Everest in 1953 with his guide, Tenzing Norgay. I became interested in his conquest while in Australia. Hillary was an Australian and I purchased a book about his struggle with the tallest mountain in the world. When asked about the source of his motivation to risk his life in the climb, he answered, “Because it's there!”

The 2013 General Assembly session has now thankfully ended.  The most important piece of legislation that passed was Senate Bill 2, the public employee pension reform bill.

The public employee pension system is more than $30 billion in the red. Experts predicted it would run out of cash in five years with the commonwealth forced to go to a “pay as you go” system on pension benefits. The Senate has been ringing the alarm on this issue for several years now and I was very pleased that a bipartisan solution was finally agreed upon. Senate Bill 2 will establish a new-style retirement plan for those entering the system next year and require pre-funding of any future cost-of-living adjustments for retirees. Under the bill, pension benefits for new hires would be calculated in a hybrid ‘shared-risk’ plan similar to a 401(k) that will guarantee a 4% annual return on investment. Further, legislators and judges would be treated the same as regular state employees. The General Assembly is required to fund 100% of the actuarially required contribution (ARC). The new cash-balance plan is more predictable and sustainable than the current defined benefit plan without carrying as much risk for employees as a traditional 401(k). Besides saving the state $10 billion over 20 years, SB2 protects the retirement of current employees and retirees as well as the tax-payers’ financial exposure.  The bill will have no effect on teachers’ retirement, nor will it apply to current employees and retirees except to stabilize their current plan.

For the better part of the past year, there was no doubt what the biggest issue of the 2013 Regular Session would be: Stabilizing our public retirement systems for state and local government employees and their retirees.

Initially, it seemed as if the House and Senate would not be able to find common ground as both sides took different approaches to solve the problem.  With the help of Governor Beshear, however, leaders from both chambers were able to sit down and find a way that most members could support.

The final product is actually two different laws.  The first provides funding to pay down the sizeable liability, with the money coming from several different sources; individual taxpayers should notice little change, though.  At the same time, this revenue plan puts in place a new tax cut for those who trade in their vehicle for a new one.  Before, these buyers had to pay sales tax on the full cost of the vehicle, but now they will have to pay it only on what they owe, saving them potentially hundreds of dollars.  This should help spur more sales of cars and trucks when it is formally put in place.

Dear Editor,

I would like thank the wonderful citizens in Pendleton County who care for our community, the environment, and our children.  On Saturday afternoon March 23rd, while the PCHS Navy Junior Reserves Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) cadets and parents were picking up trash along Route 22 west, two wonderful encounters occurred.

Throw open those doors and windows - there is no better cure for months of winter than some fresh spring air.

But with spring, comes spring cleaning. And if the thought of pulling out mops, buckets and brooms brings on more stress than serenity, remember that a few tricks and some great tunes can make cleaning easier and perhaps even fun.

By: Justin Grieser

At the equinox, all latitudes see about 12 hours of daylight and darkness as Earth rotates on its axis.

It still feels like winter in many parts of the country, but Earth’s orbit says otherwise.

At 7:02 a.m. last Wednesday, March 20, 2013, astronomical winter ended as spring officially began in Earth’s northern hemisphere.

Astronomically, the spring equinox marks the moment at which Earth’s axis tilts neither away from nor toward the sun, resulting in nearly equal periods of daylight and darkness across the globe. An observer on Earth’s equator will see the sun at zenith before its direct rays shift northward toward the Tropic of Cancer over the next three months.