Frankfort, Ky. — For a society that values liberty and the rule of law, having many lawyers is “a good thing,” Somerset resident Justice Daniel J. Venters of the Supreme Court of Kentucky told an audience Friday during the Kentucky Law Day celebration at the Capitol in Frankfort. Justice Venters was the keynote speaker for the public event, which took place in the chamber of the House of Representatives.
“People feel frustrated, even annoyed, by the burdens sometimes imposed by the legal processes implicit in the rule of law,” Justice Venters said.
“But we should not be surprised or offended that citizens, who would send their children around the world to die protecting or securing other people’s rights, would not hesitate to assert their own rights in a court of law.”
Law Day is a nationally designated day for Americans to celebrate the rule of law. The day underscores how law and the legal process have contributed to the freedoms of Americans. President Dwight D. Eisenhower proclaimed the first Law Day 51 years ago on May 1, 1958, to strengthen America’s heritage of liberty, justice and equality under the law. In April 1961, Congress passed a joint resolution designating each May 1 as Law Day, USA.
In Kentucky, new attorneys are sworn in as part of the celebration each Law Day. Supreme Court Clerk Susan Stokley Clary swore in 143 new Kentucky attorneys on Friday.
“It is the work of the lawyer, however great or mundane it may seem, that for the past nine centuries has kept the idea of liberty and the rule of law alive in the hearts of men and women,” Justice Venters told the new attorneys during his speech.
“That is the legacy of liberty passed to you. Your charge is to keep it and preserve it, and deliver it safely to the next generation.”
Also during the Law Day ceremony, individuals who have contributed to law-related education received awards. Justice Venters was among the award recipients this year, earning the Liberty Bell Award for his Law Day speech and other efforts.
The national theme for this year’s Law Day is A Legacy of Liberty. The theme recognizes the 200th anniversary of the birth of President Abraham Lincoln, who was a lawyer.
Of President Lincoln, Justice Venters said in his speech, “As a young lawyer, not yet 30 years of age, Lincoln spoke of our faith in the rule of law when he said, ‘Let reverence for the laws be breathed by every American mother to the lisping babe that prattles on her lap. Let it be taught in schools, in seminaries and in colleges. Let it be written in primers, spelling books and in almanacs. Let it be preached from the pulpit, proclaimed in legislative halls and enforced in courts of justice. And, in short, let it become the political religion of the nation and let the old and the young, the rich and the poor, the grave and the gay, of all sexes and tongues, and colors and conditions, sacrifice unceasingly upon its altars.’”
Gov. Steve Beshear appointed Justice Venters to the court in August 2008 to fill the seat made vacant by the retirement of Chief Justice Joseph E. Lambert.
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Venters delivers keynote speech at Law Day in Frankfort
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Pulaski County is not at war. The booming you may hear at dusk is mock cannon fire to scare away birds.
Stuart Spillman, environmental director for the Lake Cumberland Health Department, said at least three cannons are on loan from the department to residents who want to scare away swarms of starlings and blackbirds settling in to roost.
He said a cannon is being used by a resident on Laura Lane off Ky. 39; another is in the Oak Hill Road area and a third is on Ashurst Street in the eastern part of Somerset.
Spillman said a timer on each cannon allows it to “fire” at whatever frequency is desired. The cannons must be used as the birds circle before going to roost. “After they settle in, nothing will chase them out,” Spillman said.
The Health Department doesn’t operate the cannons unless there is a specific complaint in an area where there are lots of birds, Spillman noted. He said so far this year the birds are not as bad as in the past. -
Boil water advisory is lifted countywide
The water controversy that Pulaski County has been boiling over — so to speak — for the last week is finally over.
At 10 minutes after noon Wednesday, the “boil water” advisory for the Western Pulaski Water District was lifted — almost a full week after the problems began around 1 p.m. last Thursday.
Prior to that, the Somerset Water Service — along with the other water providers in its system, including Science Hill Water, Southeastern Water, and Eubank Water — lifted their advisories, with Somerset on Saturday afternoon and the last, Southeastern, by Monday morning. Western Pulaski was the last in the system to complete sample testing for potential contaminants, due to not being able to access its Pikeville-based testing lab until Monday.
Somerset Mayor Eddie Girdler thanked the public for its patience and understanding during the duration of the boil water advisory — put in place to keep citizens from drinking water that could have been contaminated after an accident last Thursday at the water plant site — and also thanked all the city employees for their hard work during this time.
“The boil water advisory went about as well as would be expected,” said Girdler.
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SCS to host Medal of Honor recipient
The message is clear: There are heroes. Even here in our own hometowns.
That’s the idea organizers hope to get across Saturday night at Somerset Christian School, when Congressional Medal of Honor winner Sgt. Dakota Meter speaks to all who choose to attend.
For further questions, ticket purchases, and sponsorship opportunities please contact Susan Adams at (606) 875-0255. -
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Rob McCullough, 50, who started working in a newspaper mailroom when he was 15, officially assumes his duties today. He succeeds Jack McNeely who has accepted a position with the Daily Mountain Eagle in Jasper, Alabama.
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