503 new jobs, Sweet Sixteen, two planned libraries, one free tree per person and five points short

• The U.S. Department of Labor is committing more than $5 million to create 503 temporary jobs across 93 Kentucky counties to help with storm cleanup.
• The boys' Sweet Sixteen high-school basketball tournament is happening, and the 30-2 Elliott County Lions of Sandy Hook got some Hoosiers love in USA Today.
• Carter County is getting its first public library, in Olive Hill, and a branch is planned for Grayson.
• Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park near Dawson Springs will celebrate Arbor Day with a tree give-away.
• UK finished second in the NCAA rifle championships, with 4,638 points to West Virginia's 4,643.

Marching, indeed

• In the first round of the NIT last night, UK started clobbering Nevada-Las Vegas, then started getting clobbered themselves and, finally, sort of clobbered UNLV to advance. It was a great night. The game was played in old Memorial Coliseum because Rupp Arena is occupied with the boys' Sweet Sixteen state high-school basketball tournament. Memorial looked great, as did happy- and healthy-looking Joe B. Hall and Kenny Walker, whom ESPN cameras flashed briefly in the second half. Finally, if Patrick Patterson ends up going to the NBA after this season, this might've been the high-character, remarkable performance I'll think of when I think of his UK career. In conclusion: Rah.
• The state has rolled out a web site for tracking how federal stimulas bucks are spent here, www.kentuckyatwork.ky.gov.
• Pineville-born "Preston the Magician and Hypnotist" will be posthumously awarded the Kentucky Star for artistic achievement.
• Siemer Milling Co. is expanding its plant in Hopkinsville. The company says it processes wheat flour used in cookies, pretzels and other tasty treats, as well as in plywood.
• WKU's new Energy Policy "is comprehensive in scope and is intended to guide the university in responsible use of energy through personal conservation, responsible purchasing, efficiency in building design and management, transportation and education and awareness," university president Gary Ransdell said in a release.

Here's what this blog is about

So we went to Henderson on March 13, and, other than snapping this flat, lifeless, overexposed photograph of Jefferson Street (where the D.C. homeless dude had once lived), I didn’t do any too much reporting. We got a late start, mostly because, before leaving Madisonville, we got interested in watching the University of Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team lose to Louisiana State in the second round of the Southeastern Conference tournament.

UK played closely with LSU in the first half, while Rachel fed Virginia. We finally got on the road north with about 12 minutes to go in the game, but the Wildcats were clearly fading. By the time we were leaving U.S. 41 for the four-lane Pennyrile Parkway at Hanson, the teams were merely negotiating the final margin (which turned out to be a merciful nine points, 67-58). Kentucky plays Nevada-Las Vegas in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament tonight, but, for many of its followers, this team’s season is done. And the focus now has turned to whether the UK careers of its two best players, Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson, and its head coach, Billy Gillispie, are, too.

Before leaving the house, during a commercial break in Raycom’s telecast of the LSU game, I hustled some gear out to our Honda Element for the afternoon away. I cleared some soft-drink cans from the drink holders in the cab. As is so often the case, it turned out that Rachel was not finished with her lukewarm, flat soda—there were maybe two swallows left in the bottom of the can. She asked about its whereabouts even before we had backed all of the way out of the driveway, and the silence was icy after I responded that I’d already recycled the can.

So—the things we do for love—before getting on the parkway at Hanson, I veered into a barbecue joint and fetched Rach a fresh Coke. In the gravel parking lot, a photographer was posing two high-school lovers against the roughhewn wood siding of the barbecue joint for a rustic portrait. Inside, a TV in the corner of the dining area blared the last couple brutal minutes of UK’s loss. One woman assembled barbecue sandwiches and worked the cash register; another took and schlepped orders. Two 35-year-old men—one in a UK cap—and a boy sat at one table. What bothered me is that none of these individuals seemed bothered. I made eye contact with the UK-capped dude and shook my head in an offering of commiseration sharing; alas, I think he thought I was passing judgment on his jittery son’s raucousness.

Rachel and I talked a bit about this on the 31-mile drive to Henderson.

“I used to get really upset when UK lost,” she said. “I’d be down the whole next day. The year that they lost to Marquette … I almost felt embarrassed the next day.”

Marquette beat UK, 74-66, on March 20, 2008, in the first round of the NCAA tournament last season and upset top-ranked Kentucky, 83-69, in the second round March 29, 2003, but Rach was referring to March 20, 1994, when Marquette upset third-ranked Kentucky, 76-53, in the second round. (Wow … in looking up these dates, I learned that Marquette beat Kentucky, 81-74, in the NCAA tournament on March 13, 1969, and in a consolation game, 91-74, on March 20, 1971, too. I really hate Marquette.)

I recalled that I had experienced a similar feeling when UK lost to Alabama-Birmingham.

Alabama-Birmingham beat UK, 76-75, on March 21, 2004, in the NCAA second round, but I was referring to March 15, 1981, when Alabama-Birmingham upset UK, 69-62, in the Mideast Regional. (By the way, Alabama-Birmingham’s media relations made an effort a few years ago to get folks to start calling the school “Alabama-Birmingham,” and instead use “UAB,” or “The University of Alabama at Birmingham,” or just “Birmingham.” That’s completely understandable, but, sorry, just out of spite, I’m still using the hyphen. I really hate Alabama-Birmingham.)

The emotional tightrope of being such a rabid UK fan was at least one of the three most intense feelings of my boyhood, and I came to believe it was the single-most useless and destructive. It was rivaled in intensity only by, one, a series of unrequited romantic notions (but these always seemed and still seem entirely normal and necessary) and, two, my love of the Miami Dolphins (but this has always and still feels more baleful than desperate—and, anyway, covered in another blog altogether).

Why did I care so much? All rooting for UK so passionately seemed to do was make me more severe, more judgmental and more out of touch with the cool, well-adjusted crowd I grew up around—the ones who actually went roller-skating, went to parties and concerts, went out on dates, the people who went places.

So when I went away to college—not to UK but to Western Kentucky University—I decided to quit caring and invest myself in alternative concerns. I would care, instead, about alternative things: alternative teams (the WKU Lady Topper basketball team), alternative music (literally, the Replacements), alternative pursuits (journalism). In truth, I never did quit caring; in fact, I developed a passionately caring hatred of UK men’s basketball and its tradition—all of which seemed confirmed by the late ‘80s “KENTUCKY’S SHAME” debacle.

But why would I care so much now?

“I would give two reasons,” my friend, former-Kentuckian Stephen, explained in an e-mail from his home in Northern Virginia. “First, basketball should be very special to anyone who really loves Kentucky. In my opinion, basketball is the best thing about Kentucky. All the other major attributes of Kentucky life are things that Kentuckians either share with other Southerners (fundamentalist religion, the rural lifestyle, Bluegrass music) or belong almost exclusively to the rich (horse racing, an appreciation for good bourbon, politics). Only basketball belongs exclusively to the average people of the Commonwealth. It is perfectly suited to the weather—December to February are dreadful months in Kentucky weather-wise, and basketball gives you something to think about. It is perfectly suited to the demographics—basketball is the ultimate game for small towns and local neighborhoods, the one sport that poor kids can teach themselves and play by themselves. And it is perfectly suited to Kentuckians' love of controversy, argument, conspiracy theory and the radio. So basketball in Kentucky is not like basketball anywhere else.

“Second,” smart Stephen continued, “healthy and normal people (like you and your family) are sensitive to the demands of tradition. We Kentuckians have been left a great tradition of basketball success by the generations who went before us, and we hate the thought of letting that tradition lapse. Kentucky has been winning games and championships for a long time, and it would be heartbreaking to see that all come to an end. One reason, I believe, that modern British thought is so dominated by cynicism and sarcasm is that sensitive British people realize, at some level, that they lost the power and prestige in the world that had belonged to their ancestors. That is a devastating burden to carry, and it's not surprising that their response is to retreat into bitterness.

“So I think it's great that you care. In fact, I think it would be sad and unhealthy if you didn't care. Anyway, here's a video to cheer you up.”

Stephen was right. That did cheer me up.

There was a time when I believed that Kentucky’s superconcern for the UK men’s basketball team was at the heart of basically every ill in this state. If people didn’t care so much about the Wildcats, the schools would get better. If people didn’t care so much about UK, there’d be more and better jobs, and more Kentuckians would feel more at home here, etc.

I no longer remember the stepping stones within that logic. I think I was wrong.

Kentucky—not that you should have noticed when I left then, not that you should care now—I’m back. I’m rooting for the whole state. I’m rooting for UK tonight against UNLV. I’m rooting for all of the Kentucky teams in the men’s NCAA, women’s NCAA and WNIT. I’m rooting for schools, jobs and hospitality. I’m rooting for Greenville, and I’m rooting for Henderson. I really love this whole state, and that’s what this blog is about.

No. 1

Maybe we're only No. 49 in happiness, but Kentucky is No. 1 in something: http://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/news/20090312/states-with-most-smokers-ky-tops-list.

Tomorrow in Henderson

We’re going to Henderson tomorrow. “On the Ohio but never in it,” it’s a fine town that has played prominently in and around my life.

My dad was living there when he was 16 and enlisted in the Navy to go to World War II.

I once subbed (incompetently) for the injured catcher on my oldest brother’s softball league in a tournament there when I was in high school.

I was living there just out of college while working for the now-defunct Evansville Press across the river in Indiana.

On Aug. 23, 1997, I met a homeless man in Washington, D.C., who said he was 53 years old and had lived on Jefferson Street in Henderson for 30 years, working at a glass factory. “I've still got more than a little glass in me.” He said he worked 12-hour days. “They didn't give me much time to fool around. Met some nice ladies, though.” Now the man was living on the steps of a church, hiding his sleeping bag during the day. “Homeless because, you know, my momma and daddy are dead. … Brought my money home, and my momma and daddy and me had us a good time.” The man said he had a aon and daughter in school and that his son had been on the honor roll. “I don't want to bother them too much because I want them to do good in school. Then, if they can get a good job, well, …”

On Sept. 23, 2001, less than two weeks after the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, I noted this sign in front of Henderson Audubon Church on Zion Road: “If You’re Looking for a Sign from God, This Is It.” (And this one in front of the Shoney’s on U.S. 41 on: “DEFEAT OSAMA, GOOD LUCK TO ALL BANDS, BREAKFAST BAR: $5.99.”)

Finally, Rachel and I strongly considered relocating there when we moved back to Kentucky from North Carolina.

So, there you go—important place.

I once asked a lifelong Kentucky if he was a little suspicious of the folks in Henderson because they were so close to Indiana. “No, those boys are our first line of defense,” he said.

Here are some things about Henderson that we might want to explore/think about tomorrow:

--Zion United Church of Christ—Here are some notes I took from my visit there on July 4, 1993: “Boys in oversized Sunday shoes. Services performed in German. Woman still in congregation who played organ for 70 years. ‘Zion Church, organized in 1871, still worships in its first sanctuary built in 1873. For years, the church was a haven for German-speaking immigrants who sought community with those of similar background and beliefs. Organized as Zion Evangelical Church, our roots are historically Lutheran. … In August 1992, Zion UCC was suffering from a small and declining membership base. The church was contemplating closure. Today, you are an important ingredient in a renewal movement that is making Zion UCC an integral part of the religious fabric of the tri-state area. We do not seek to be a mega-church, but rather an exciting, progressive alternative for those seeking a meaningful church experience.’”

--The unusual localness of The Gleaner, the local newspaper—An editor there once told me, “God knows we try to reflect the community. In our daily budget meetings, ‘the invisible community members’ are usually the most influential voice. More specifically, what news can we focus on that will be of concern and interest specifically in our community? That's why, a lot of times, the most ‘important’ stories of the day—the ones that will be a lock in bigger dailies for A1—will go inside for us. I think that's why our circulation is so high. You want to know what's going on in the world? Then watch TV or read a bigger daily. But if you want to know what's up in Henderson, you better read The Gleaner.” And here’s what a Kentuckian friend of mine says about that: “I think this is exactly the right attitude. And I think if more provincial papers had followed this approach, they would be a lot more profitable today. Think of all the people in Kentucky who are currently getting their news from Rush Limbaugh, Paul Harvey and the Fox News Channel. If The Courier-Journal had set itself up as the true voice of Kentucky--if it had even tried to be somewhat fair--it could have had all of those customers, and might have been able to nudge them a bit to the left. That's what Henry Watterson did. Instead, folks like me just view The C-J as nothing more than a lapdog of the national media, so we don't pay any attention to it.”

--Mother’s Day—Henderson says it is the birthplace of Mother's Day. According to Kentucky's 191st historical marker—in front of a former Hardee's on U.S. 60 downtown—the holiday dates back to 1887 and a school teacher named Mary Towles Sasseen Wilson, “Originator of Idea.” National observance began in 1893, the marker says, and Congress adopted Mother's Day as a national holiday in 1914.

--Douglass basketball—I once found a program for Kentucky’s black state basketball tournament, and it featured Henderson Douglass (Coach Peter Rembert and Principal H.B. Kirkwood), in addition to Paducah Lincoln, Mayfield Dunbar, Murray Douglass, Princeton Dotson, Dawson Springs Charleston, Earlington Million, Madisonville Rosenwald, Hopkinsville Attucks, Providence Rosenwald, Morganfield Dunbar, Bowling Green high Street, Franklin Lincoln, Lebanon Rosenwald, Lincoln Ridge Lincoln Institute, Covington Holmes, Paris Western and Sinai Western.

--Gen. Hopkins—In November 2004, the local Daughters of the American Revolution chapter dedicated a marker in Henderson’s Fernwood Cemetery honoring Gen. Samuel Hopkins, one of the men who, along with Gen. George Washington, crossed the Delaware River at Trenton on a wintry Christmas Eve during the Revolutionary War. The high-school ROTC presented colors, and there were ceremonial bagpipe-playing, wreath-laying and remarking. Hopkins is actually buried in another cemetery, but, surrounded by private farm land, is no longer accessible to the public. After the war, as an agent of the Henderson, N.C., Transylvania Company, Hopkins, a surveyor and attorney laid out the new town of Henderson, Ky. The downtown streets were drawn extra wide to discourage the spread of fire, and the layout included the large, downtown Central Park which continues to play host to the town’s fantastic annual “Christmas in the Park” exhibit, featuring oversized toys.

--Husband E. Kimmel—A historian friend says, “The commander at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, was born near Henderson. Kimmel was made out to be a scapegoat in a plot to bait a Japanese raid. He worked from his office window while the Japanese destroyed our Pacific fleet. A spent .50 caliber machine gun round burst through the window and thumped him in the chest. He picked up the round, twirled it in his fingers and said, ‘It would’ve been merciful if it killed me.’”

--Executed soldiers—Near Henderson, the grave of Charles W. Thompson and Pierman Powell is marked: “Confederate soldiers, executed in the City of Henderson July 22, 1865, By Order of Gen. Burbridge, CSA.”

--Coach Mojo—In 1976, James “Mojo” Hollowell coached Henderson County to the at-large Class 4-A championship. Over coaching career, Hollowell nicknamed every player he every coach—including Henderson County’s star that season, Barry “Bang-Bang” Skaggs.

We will be visiting a downtown furniture story for some of tomorrow, but I suspect there will also be time for a little nosing around on these or other subjects at Henderson County Public Library, one of the 3,000 Carnegie libraries in the United States.

No. 49

The Associated Press reports on a survey that indicates Kentucky is one of the nation's most unhappy states: http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/723240.html. A friend of mine is dubious: "The notion that people in the West are happier than people in the South is simply absurd." I figure the survey was put together by a bunch of city people: "How close do you live to a Starbucks?" Any answer of more than a mile cost the state a happiness point.

Two good business stories

Creative marketing in Paducah: http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/719593.html.

Creative business model in Beaver Dam: http://migration.kentucky.gov/newsroom/gold/ohio+co+cdbg.htm.