Editorials

Tasers for the Bardstown Police Department are a good idea and we encourage the City Council to give Chief Charles Marksbury the green light to purchase them.

One hears pros and cons on the use of tasers, but the facts are they are in widespread use throughout the country and it is high time Bardstown police have use of this technology. The chief sensibly is requesting three such tasers, one for each shift. We should think that if they prove effective, eventually it would not be out of the ordinary for each and every patrol officer to have one.

There are hopes the third Friday of each month will be special for businesses in and around Third Street in Bardstown.

A new initiative, born through a partnership between Bardstown-Nelson County Tourist Commission and the Downtown Promotions group, is bringing special events to the downtown area each third Friday of the month.

Designed to increase foot traffic to those area businesses, the Third on Third events will allow local residents and tourists to explore the downtown area with the added bonus of having a little something special on the venue.

The budget passed by the General Assembly is cause for high anxiety in various quarters among service providers on the receiving end of funding, including school administrators and school boards which soon will soon be forced to deal with budget cuts. Education Commissioner Jon Draud issued a plea for lawmakers to find more revenue. Specifically, he noted significant cuts to after-school tutoring, teacher development, and school safety programs — where funding was sliced by as much as 50 percent.

Bardstown Rotary Club member Tommy Reed knows the value of Rotary International’s Work Study Exchange. Two years ago he led a group of young professionals to France. Reed, a charter member of the Bardstown civic club is coordinating a weeklong visit by a group from Japan under the auspices of Rotary.The Bardstown club has helped host other delegations from India, Denmark and Great Britain. The idea is simple. Pair up people from other countries with American families and let them tour work places similar to where they earn their livings.