More "Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down" in NKY

A reader asked in a recent post how to nominate "Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down" candidates. Just do so by replying to any of these posts in the blog. We’re publishing some of the best ones on the Community Forum page in The Kentucky Enquirer as well. Reader submissions are more than welcome.

Here are some that caught my eye in Northern Kentucky in the past few days:

Thumbs Down: To lax procedures with inmates. A Boone County prisoner failed to return to jail from St. Luke Hospital West. Timothy Iles of Walton had been allowed to leave on an unsecured bond on the condition that he go to St. Luke for treatment and return immediately to the jail. Now he's on the loose, wanted for that as well as his original assault charge. This follows a recent report of a prisoner who was freed after an accomplice faxed a phony release order to a state prison.

Thumbs Up: (Speaking of St. Luke's) To the Children's Advocacy Center of St. Luke, which is turning 20 years old and is two years into a $1.5 million fund-raising drive to move into a new, 4,000-square-feet facility that's sorely needed. The new facility will provide a lot more privacy and support for more than 500 children who are alleged victims of abuse in eight NKY counties each year. It's an astounding number that shows the need. Call 859-572-2406 to donate.

Thumbs Down: For a weird situation in the Campbell County schools, where Superintendent Anthony Strong wants to fire Campbell County High School Principal Ginger Webb, but refuses to answer the most basic questions about why. Since Kentucky law gives principal-hiring power to school councils, an even weirder scenario is that Webb could get her job back if she reapplies. State law regarding personnel matters should not stand in the way of the greater need for the public to know what's going on in their school district.

Thumbs Up: To Greg Owens, a 32-year-old Cold Spring man who dropped more than 90 pounds from a 300-pound frame and ran the Flying Pig Marathon. He feels better and some health problems have disappeared. Co-worker Ted Jaspers of Fort Thomas calls him an inspiration. We agree and remind folks that obesity is a regional problem, not just an individual issue. It's not too late to learn more about healthy weight loss and join our weight-loss challenge at www.nky.com/gethealthy.

Thumbs Up: To all the school graduates in our midst right now. Our pages have been filled with inspiring stories. Consider the tale of Laura Shelton, 39, of Fort Mitchell, who spent years in a variety of low-paying, long-hour jobs. Then she was in a terrible car accident in 2005, causing significant brain damage. She regressed to a fourth-grade reading level and had to learn to write again. On May 17, she received her degree in massage therapy from Gateway Community & Technical College. "Finally I have an education to believe in myself," she said. "What a great next 40 years."