Editor,

You know I often think of how lucky us baby boomers are. Just think of the things we have seen during our lifetime. I could mention a thousand things but I’ll just touch on a few.

All depending where you lived milk was delivered in glass bottles to your door. We heard Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley bring in rock and roll. Gas was 20 some cents a gallon, pop was 6 cents, a bag of chips a nickel. If you went to a drive-in sometimes you had to specify, one you drive to and car hops come out to your car and take your order or was it one that you drove to, parked and put the speaker in your window to watch a movie?

We saw television evolve, first one I seen was black and white and I don’t think I seen one in color till the 60s, not to mention we only had three channels. We had beautiful cars in the 50’s and no seat belts. Screaming Muscle cars in the 60’s which did start coming out with seat belts. We did the twist, mash potatoes etc at the school dances.

Who remembers donkey basketball at the gym in Evarts? We watched John Glenn on our B&W TV go into space and also the moon landing years later. We watched a terrible war night after night on the news and prayed that our loved ones or someone else we knew were safe. We also watched the racial riots on TV and Martin Luther King Jr. We then were also segregated and didn’t start going to school with the African Americans till 63.

If someone told me then I’d pay a dollar for a bottle of water I’d told them they were crazy. Pay phones were common, no such thing as a cell phone. I remember our first phone, didn’t even have a dial. You picked the receiver up and the operator said number please. We saw computers evolve; only computers back then was the government and they were huge dinosaurs.

Those were the days my friends and I’m sure you can add something that I didn’t mention. Those were simpler times in a simpler world, God help us in the days to come.

Kenneth Lockhart

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Editor,

With winter in full swing, our community’s most vulnerable citizens can sometimes struggle to pay for essential services like heat and power.

Kentucky Utilities Company partners year-round with non-profit and community organizations to provide utility bill assistance and weatherization services to help those in need. This support is even more critical during cold weather months.

We also encourage customers who have the desire to help those in need to make voluntary contributions to our heating assistance program, the WinterCare Energy Fund.

The WinterCare Energy Fund is a nonprofit organization supported by KU and managed by an independent third party, the Community Action Council.

KU matches customer donations each month and forwards the entire amount to the Community Action Council for distribution in the counties we serve. Through March 31, KU will make contributions go even further by matching customers’ donations $1-for-$1.

Over the last five years, the WinterCare Energy Fund has raised nearly $600,000 to provide utility bill assistance to thousands of area families in need.

The program supports our most vulnerable community members who may be in dire financial situations leaving a family with no heat or the immediate prospect of no heat.

Eligibility is determined by the Community Action Council, and KU plays no part in determining eligibility. KU customers may donate to the program by making a recurring monthly pledge or a one-time contribution that can be added to their monthly bills. Customers can also donate online at www.lge-ku.com after registering their utility account.

The WinterCare Energy Fund has provided assistance to thousands of our community’s most disadvantaged citizens over the years. With your support, we can ensure those in need continue to receive the assistance they need.

Laura Douglas

V.P., Corporate Responsibility, Community Affairs

Kentucky Utilities Company

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Editor,

Kentucky’s General Assembly is being heavily lobbied by some in the telephone industry to deregulate Plain Old Telephone (POTS) Lines. They want to end their obligation as “carriers of last resort.” A carrier of last resort is a telecommunications carrier that commits (or is required by law to provide service to any customer that requests it in a service area, even if servicing that customer would not be economically viable at prevailing rates.

Telephone deregulation in Kentucky would leave many rural, low-income and fixed-income Kentuckians without access to basic phone service, including 9141-emergency service.

Basic telephone service is not a luxury. It is a necessity, keeping families in touch and keeping people safe in an emergency. Landlines are STILL the only option for affordable and reliable telephone service. The recent terrible weather events have taught us all how critical reliable phone service is for consumers, especially senior citizens who live in an isolated area.

Please call Senator Brandon Smith and urge him to VOTE NO on the AT&T deregulation bill. The legislative message line is 800-372-7181. Together we CAN make a difference!

Georgiana Saylor-Milwee

Executive Director, Harlan Co. Committee on Aging