Todd County on front of Herald-Leader

It could be the fact that we are the poster child for complaining about never having a politician to show up, or it could be that the Ole Town Grille has good cheeseburgers, but the Lexington newspaper has put us front and center in today's (Oct. 28) newspaper.

The story, which had the headline "As campaign rages, candidates are absent in rural Kentucky" talks with some local folks about why they feel left out of the race because no major presidential candidate has come within a 75 miles this election.

The story goes on to say that having candidates in the area would make a difference to voters and to those who might to tend to believe some of the more insane Internet rumors.

If you want to read the story go to http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/570820.html or click here.

Overall it was a good story with good coverage, but I would have rather they spent their money sending a reporter three hours to Todd County to cover something that will ultimately matter — like the fact that Todd County is the only county in the state that is going to be giving its students laptops.

Still, this election should be a hoot.

Lincoln and Davis forum

The following is from a pamphlet promoting “Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis: Contrasts, Commonalities and Conversations.”

As the nation celebrates the bicentennial of one of its greatest presidents, Abraham Lincoln; another larger-than-life figure with Kentucky roots, Jefferson Davis, looms with a more complex legacy.

Born approximately eight months and 100 miles apart, Lincoln and Davis had many similarities in common with one another. However, their legacies rest on opposite sides of history.

We are pleased to present this forum to explore the souls of these two American leaders. Three noted historians will take the stage in a roundtable format for a two-hour evening event in Todd County, home of the birthplace of Jefferson Davis.
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The forum, which will be hosted by legendary journalist Al Smith, will be on Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. at the Todd County Central High School.

Here’s the part that kind of has me scratching my head — there will be a charge for the forum and the good seats are more than a Jimmy Buffett concert!

The really good seats will be in the $50 to $100 range. The other seats range from $10 to $30.

Here’s the question I’m pondering: While I think this is a good thing and very interesting, is it something you should charge for?

Also, how will it play in Todd County where a free candidate forum a couple weeks ago was mostly empty?

Posted by Ryan

Trigg murders

Details are still coming in about the murders over in the Roaring Springs community of Trigg County. It seems that there have been several murders in recent years, but very often the children have been spared.

It takes a true psychopath to kill children, but also are children often spared in this area because of community beliefs? Or is it often that children are spared because they are young and can't testify?

No matter what you have to wonder what resides where a soul is supposed to be for a person to kill small children?

Another side note, the next time state government talks about cutting back funding for the state police everyone should remember the speed and efficiency in which their investigation brought about an arrest in this case.

Can you say why you are voting?

Here is a something I've come across recently while talking to people about who they are going to cast their ballots for in the General Election on Nov. 2: Why are you voting for your desired candidate?

The answers have been varied, and at times racist and silly.

Still, despite insane Internet rumors and attack ads that stretch the truth to levels not seen in at least eight years, the public does seem to be a little better informed in this election than in the recent past.

There seems to be at least some effort for people to make up their minds on candidates. We will have an election preview in the coming weeks in the Standard, but except for the local candidates I wonder how much good it will do when it comes to electing a president or a senator?

The real question is: In the national and statewide races is there anyone out there who hasn't made up their minds already?

Web site up and running

Here is an excerpt from what we ran in the newspaper about the Web site launch:

To join a more technologically savvy world, the Todd County Standard launched its Web site, www.tcstandard.com, this week.

The Web site will be a free supplement to the weekly newspaper.

"Our motto for the site is that it is 'A place to go between newspapers,'" Todd County Standard Editor and Publisher Ryan Craig said. "We even have the motto written at the top of the screen on the Web site."

Craig said the Web site will not be a regurgitation of the newspaper's content each week, instead it will feature videos, breaking news and obituary information, the Standard's Web blog, a continuously updated calendar of events and a new feature that will be called "Stuff that couldn't fit in the paper."

"We can't always get everything in the printed product, such as press releases or state news so this will be a good item for people to browse since it will be updated daily," Craig said of the "Stuff" feature. "We also hope to eventually have some sort of state and national news wire on the site as well."

Perhaps the biggest addition to local news will be video coverage of stories and events.

"We've taken steps to make video a cornerstone of our Web site," Craig said. "The video is shot in HD and most of the time won't be raw footage when it comes to the Web. While we are still working some kinks out, we do eventually hope the videos will tell as much of a story as what we write."
Craig said tcstandard.com would also be used as a tool for breaking news.
"If something happens on a Thursday we will have breaking news coverage, and, if possible, video as soon as possible," Craig said. "Then we will dig into the story and in the next newspaper we will have the full story in the style our readers have come to expect from the Standard."

Todd County Shooting and Fishing Day

Clips from the 2008 Todd County Shooting and Fishing Day.