A nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism

Opinion – Bluegrass Wildlife: To hear a Mockingbird call is a wonderful thing, especially in the nighttime

By Howard Whiteman Murray State University There he goes again. Not even close to daylight, and the mockingbird is outside my window, producing his amazing repertoire of calls. Twelve different calls that I have hear so far, not bad but not even close to the extreme. For most of the calls, or songs as they are described by birders, he is clearly copying those of other local birds, hence the name of...

Mike Tussey: The treadmill and exercise can be your best friend; it is never too late to start

Dateline – April 1998. I was pushing 60 and out of shape, overweight and with no thoughts about health issues. After all, I was working midnight turn with no problem at all. That is, until it happened. Around mid-morning it was time to visit the bathroom and in doing so, an incredibly sharp pain hit my chest. Moments later, the pain increased. Sitting on the side of the bed, I began having trouble...

Kentucky by Heart: Celebrating Kentucky’s deep Irish influence as St. Patrick’s Day approaches

By Steve Flairty NKyTribune columnist St. Patrick’s Day is upon us, and here’s hoping you’ll appreciate me sharing a “stew” of Irish-laden tidbits passing through my Irish-ancestry mind as we approach March 17. Let’s start with praising an Irishman who came to Kentucky and grew an amazing business, called Alltech, creating jobs and spurring others to seek new ways of doing things. Dr. Pearse...

Our Rich History: In honor of St. Patrick’s Day — coming up — let’s salute Ludlow’s Irish legacy

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, we offer this encore column that originally appeared in the Northern Kentucky Tribune’s Our Rich History on March 14, 2016. By David E. Schroeder Special to NKyTribune Father Kehoe, pastor, St. James Catholic Church, 1894-1921 (Photo provided) Irish immigration to the United States began in the colonial period. Many of these early immigrants were tradesman from...

The River: A boy’s life couldn’t get any better; all that mattered was river and learning as much as he could

The riverboat captain is a storyteller, and Captain Don Sanders shares the stories of his long association with the river — from discovery to a way of love and life. This a part of a long and continuing story. It first appeared in 2019. By Capt. Don Sanders Special to NKyTribune The PAL-O-MINE was at home at the Newport Yacht Club, on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River upstream from the Mouth of...

Extensive make-over of Covington’s Austinburg Park is underway — good weather needed

New sidewalks … repaved basketball courts with new goals and lines … a driveway and parking facility … new playground equipment … a seating area for the FC Cincinnati soccer mini pitch … a new shelter house … an informational kiosk … and a dog park. Work has begun on an extensive makeover of Covington’s Austinburg Neighborhood Park, and it’s been a long time coming. The effort to...

meetNKY celebrated its 50th anniversary in fine style, reporting a record year and naming CVG ‘The Proof’

By Judy Clabes NKyTribune editor meetNKY’s annual meeting and celebration has a well-earned reputation for hosting “the best party in the region” and it backed that up Thursday with numbers that wowed its packed crowd at Drees Pavilion. Bottom line: Another successful year for the organization charged with bringing visitors into Northern Kentucky, driving the tourist economy, filling...

Bid on bison at Big Bone Lick State Historic Site — two one-year-old bulls available; bid until March 14

The Kentucky Department of Parks is accepting bids for two bison at Big Bone Lick State Historic Site. The one-year-old bulls are in excellent health. They are being sold in a two separate lots. American Bison at Big Bone Lick State Park (Photo from Kentucky State Parks) Bids are being accepted now until March 14. For questions or to make an appointment to see the bison, contact Claire Kolkmeyer at...

Mike Tussey: Self confidence, pride and high self esteem — you might find it all on the stage

We all watch a ton of movies in our lives. In the last century, movies became a staple of our society at small theaters across country. By the early 20th century, movies became our leisurely way to enjoy all types of entertainment; from cowboys, comedy, sports, monsters, drama to even noir movies. Whatever you come up with – it’s been filmed. Television soon hit our way of life and movies...

Kentucky by Heart: KY native — and Miss America 1944 — Venus Ramey dodged post-pageant spotlight

Miss America 1944 was surely a glamour girl, right? Beautiful, a much-needed celebrity for our tense times in World War II, and a young woman headed for an urbane life spent in materialistic entitlement and doting fandom, you might think. Venus Ramey in later years at speaking event (Photo by Mark Taff, Wikimedia Commons) Well, it didn’t quite happen that way. Venus Ramey, a Kentucky native born...

Our Rich History: The 15th Amendment — Politics, racism polarized Americans as lively debate raged

By Paul A. Tenkotte Special to NKyTribune (Continued: Part 2 of two parts; See part one) In last week’s column, we learned how racism in Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio made the passage of the 15th Amendment—granting the right to vote to all males regardless of “race, color, or previous condition of servitude”—an uphill battle. Although the legislatures of these three states eventually approved...

The River: Steamboatin’ on the excursion boat AVALON, a tradition dating back to the 1800s

(The riverboat captain is a storyteller, and Captain Don Sanders shares the stories of his long association with the river — from discovery to a way of love and life. This story first appeared in February, 2018. Order your copy below of the beautiful hardback book, The River, a sampling of Capt. Don Sanders historic river stories.) By Capt. Don Sanders
 Special to NKyTribune As the head of the...

Ludlow Historic Society to sponsor presentation on Lagoon Amusement Park March 7 at Bircus Brewery

The Ludlow Historic Society is sponsoring a digitized 3-D presentation of what the old Lagoon Amusement Park looked like in its heyday at the turn of the 20th century. The event will be held at Bircus Brewery, the old Ludlow Theater, on Thursday, March 7, from 7-9pm. (NKyTribune file) The computer simulation will include overlapping existing buildings and topography where one can see where the original...

Participate in statewide ‘plogging’ event combining exercise, litter pickup Saturday

Volunteers will fan out in Covington, Alexandria, and Newport’s neighborhoods on Saturday to pick up litter while getting exercise during the second-annual “Plogging Across the Bluegrass” event. There’s still time to register for the event, whose name employs the semantic merger of the Swedish term “plocka upp” (meaning “to pick up”) and the English word “jogging.” The event combines...

Despite best efforts to end it, Daylight Savings Time begins in most states March 10; some tips on coping

The Rural Blog Despite efforts to end it, daylight saving time begins in most states on March 10; having an adjustment plan helps U.S. states are still trying to decide if daylight saving time is a needed ritual, reports Claire Moses of The New York Times. “Oregon’s state senate failed to advance a bill that would have abolished daylight saving time in most of the state. . . . In Idaho...