Recent editorials from Kentucky newspapers:

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June 28

The Bowling Green Daily News on an industrial park project in Kentucky:

When it was first proposed decades ago, the Kentucky Transpark was met with skepticism by some.

The ambitious industrial park will never be filled, the naysayers predicted.

Fortunately for everyone in the region, those predictions were wrong.

The Transpark in Bowling Green is now home to 18 facilities – 14 businesses, two schools and two nonprofit organizations – with about 2,700 employees.

The jobs in the Transpark businesses generally are high-paying and offer employees full benefits. The expanded impact of those jobs is immense for Warren County and Bowling Green.

The Transpark’s success has caused a good problem – it is now essentially full, even after several expansions over the years. The park now encompasses 1,141 acres.

Earlier this month, Warren County’s Intermodal Transportation Authority, which oversees Transpark operations, voted to purchase an additional 83 acres for what ITA members are calling “Transpark II.”

The new land sits near Glasgow Road and the CSX Railroad tracks and infrastructure such as roads and utilities will soon be built there to await future tenants.

“This gives us a large tract on rail that is hard to find in the state and in the broader seven-state TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) region,” said Ron Bunch, president and CEO of the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce.

The Transpark II property is where the Crown Holdings aluminum-can manufacturing plant is under construction. That 327,000-square-foot plant is expected to employ about 120 workers.

“The original part of the Transpark is mostly full,” said Gary Dillard, chairman of the ITA. “It’s remarkable how far it has come.”

Indeed, the Transpark’s success has been a vital part of the region’s growth in general.

Dillard noted that as countless municipalities work to attract businesses, having land that can be developed quickly is a major advantage. With an economy ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic, being proactive in these sorts of efforts will give the region a leg up on competitors.

“It once took companies a year or more to decide where they were going to locate a plant,” Dillard said. “Now they’re making those decisions quickly. You must have property that is ready to go if you want to attract these companies.”

We applaud not only those who have worked diligently for the Transpark’s success over the last 20 years, but the current leaders for having the foresight to expand the facility and pave the way for the park’s continued growth.

Online: https://www.bgdailynews.com

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June 25

The Daily Independent on the reaction to the results of the NASCAR investigation into a noose found in driver Bubba Wallace's garage:

The FBI has ruled NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace, who found a noose in his garage at the Talledega Superspeedway, was not the target of a hate crime.

The 15-member team of special agents found the rope had been in the stall since October; therefore, the rope, which was fashioned into a noose, was not a racist object but a handle for the garage door. Wallace is the only black driver in NASCAR.

“The FBI learned that garage No. 4, where the noose was found, was assigned to Bubba Wallace last week. ... Although the noose is now known to have been in garage No. 4 in 2019, nobody could have known Mr. Wallace would be assigned to garage No. 4 last week,” a statement from FBI Special Agent Jonnie Sharp said.

We hope the investigation got to the truth and the noose was not a message to Wallace, who has been in the spotlight recently for successfully requesting the Confederate flag be banned from NASCAR. From the show of support he received from fellow drivers over the weekend, NASCAR was happy to oblige: fellow drivers showed their support of Wallace by surrounding his car to walk with him on the track.

On social media, some comments have shrugged off the discovery of the noose as “another hoax.”

In fact, it was not a hoax. A hoax is something that is a lie. This was not a lie. Wallace discovered a noose in his garage. While the FBI investigation found the noose was something other than an intentional threat, this was not a hoax. It was a misunderstanding.

Even at that, it was a terrible experience for Wallace. We should all recognize in these sensitive times — and especially dangerous times for black people — some speech and actions can be offensive, even if they weren’t meant that way. Instead of belittling such an experience by calling it a hoax isn’t the way to heal the racial divide. Being willing to listen and empathize is.

Online: https://www.dailyindependent.com

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June 25

The (Frankfort) State Journal on the locations featured in Gov. Beshear's COVID-19 press briefings:

If it has been a while since you have tuned in to Gov. Andy Beshear’s press briefings on COVID-19, you may not recognize the backdrop and may be wondering where the updates are taking place.

What started three months ago at a podium in a darkened room in the Capitol as a way to educate Kentuckians about the global health pandemic has occurred in three different locations in recent weeks.

In May, Beshear moved the press conference upstairs in the Capitol to the second floor courtroom of the Supreme Court. But for the past three weeks, the governor and staff have crossed the Kentucky River to hold the briefings downtown — first, at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History and, most recently, inside the Old Capitol.

Whether intentionally or not, Beshear is showcasing a few of the many historic landmarks Frankfort has to offer. And we, for one, are enjoying the free publicity for our city.

Even though the frequency of the governor’s COVID-19 press conferences has lessened, there are still a variety of local attractions where they could occur around the capital city, including in Beshear’s own home. In addition to the Governor’s Mansion, other options include the Old Governor’s Mansion at 420 High St. and Berry Hill Mansion at 700 Louisville Road.

Now that the weather has warmed, the floral clock on the Capitol grounds would provide a beautiful backdrop for an outdoor briefing. Another great outdoor venue would be the gardens and grounds at Liberty Hall Historic Site at 202 Wilkinson St.

Other options include the Kentucky Military History Museum at 125 E. Main St. and the Salato Wildlife Education Center at 1 Sportsman’s Lane.

The point is there are a variety of places locally where Beshear could hold his press conferences. It is our hope that the governor and his staff will consider highlighting some of the many other historic landmarks that call Frankfort home.

Online: https://www.state-journal.com