THE STATE JOURNAL n FRANKFORT, KENTUCKY n mRCH A 11, 2012 n PAGE D3 Tornado can’t defeat spirit of West Liberty ust when man believes them again before the sun rose homes that once stood on those so vivid that I felt like I was living he has gained some con- the next day. shady hills in Morgan County. there with them in that little log trol, amassed some power, My grandfather moved his They waded in the creek where my house or playing in the yard with JMother Nature quickly puts family in the 1920s to Ashland grandmother had drawn water, the children. Though I am sure him in his place as she did re- where he used his talent as a car- and they found a tree with the ini- they had hardships, they focused cently through the tornadoes that penter to help construct what was tials JLE, ones my grandfather had only on the good times, those pounded our area. Particularly once called Armco Steel Corpora- carved there decades before. hard hit was West Liberty, a town tion. My mother recalled the day My grandfather was actually memories of a loving family in a which, although I have never lived the family boarded the train in one of the most intelligent hu- world that now seems so far away. there, still holds a special place in West Liberty, saying goodbye to man beings I have ever known, Yes, the storm took its toll, my heart, for it is the birthplace Nancy Farley grandparents, aunts, uncles and not to mention a man of great hu- demonstrating to us once again of my maternal grandparents, STATE JOURNAL COLUmNIST cousins, making what seemed mor and wit. Whenever he was not that we are no match for Moth- grandchildren of families that then to be a long journey to the working he was reading or telling er Nature, but neither is she any came from Wales and eventually Possum Ridge where they even- big town of Ashland. They prob- funny stories to his grandchil- match for the human spirit, for ended up settling on land in what ably looked like a bunch of ragtag dren, many of them made up, but tually had eight children, one of that strong desire to work and re- is now the Daniel Boone National country bumpkins getting off that we did not know the difference. them my mother. That was dur- Forest. train, but soon my grandfather They were great stories. My grand- build as the residents of that sweet ing the first two decades of the last These are memories of a cou- had built another, nicer house for mother was equally talented and little place we call West Liberty century, when horses and trains ple who once lived in that area, them on the outskirts of town, intelligent, but in a different way. will surely do. And, even though which was destroyed by great were still the main mode of trans- leaving the dusty roads of Morgan She could sew beautifully and things will never be quite the portation, when most food was force, though not so great as the County behind and walking on bake the best homemade cherry same; they never are, I am betting homegrown, and clothing was strength of the human spirit that real pavement to a larger school pies I have ever tasted. She too was that one day there will be plenty made by hand. It was an era when continues to make us keep trying around the corner and a new job an avid reader, and both of them of grandparents with good memo- even when it looks as if nature or children walked to school, yes, in at a steel plant. were politically minded indi- ries, with great story-telling abili- any other force has its boot on our a foot of snow, when they had to Many years later a few of the viduals, conservative to the core, ties who will tell stories about that necks. We will prevail. invent their own forms of enter- family members visited that area choosing to discuss their views It was told that my grandfather, tainment like tag or red rover, and of Possum Ridge, long after the many evenings over the family little town so vividly that their James Leslie Ellington, built a log when parents worked so hard that last ones had moved away, but supper until I would ask, “Please grandchildren will surely see it house with his own hands, bring- it was easy to close their eyes and not so long after that they could tell me stories about Possum just the way it was back in early ing his new bride to live there on go to sleep at sunset, only to open not find a few foundations from Ridge.” Their recollections were 2012. Prosecutors back changes to Kentucky death penalty f the 78 people We continue to be- the death penalty is admin- accomplish this reform, tions endorsed by the KBA erning the exercise of pros- sentenced to istered in Kentucky in the HB 145, introduced by Rep. Board of Governors to pro- ecutorial discretion in death death in Kentucky lieve that heinous history of the Common- Darryl Owens with 11 bi- vide improved funding for penalty cases. Today, at since 1976, 50 criminal conduct must wealth. Its report focuses partisan co-sponsors; capital cases. As a result, great expense to the system, O n many cases are prosecuted have had a death sentence on fairness and accuracy in Guarantee proper pres- Kentucky’s statewide pub- overturned on appeal by be punished severely capital cases. It takes no po- ervation of all biological lic defender program has as capital cases when the Kentucky or federal courts in a way that advances sition with regard to wheth- evidence in capital cases. requested additional funds likelihood of a death sen- because of significant legal er or not the death penalty Courts should order DNA for this representation, but tence is very low; errors. That is an unaccept- public safety. Howev- should be abolished. It is testing if the results could such funding is not now a nEstablish a statewide able error rate of more than er, punishment must only concerned with its create a reasonable prob- part of the budget bill before clearinghouse to collect spe- 60 percent. proper administration. ability that a defendant the General Assembly; cific, pertinent data on all Kentucky’s justice sys- be a result of a fair The independent, com- should not have been sen- nLaw enforcement train- death-eligible cases; nAmend Kentucky’s post- tem is at an historic mo- process... prehensive evaluation of all tenced to death. The Ken- ing and practices should ment. As a matter of basic death penalty cases pros- tucky Supreme Court has comport with well-known conviction rules and prac- fairness, we must pause to ecuted in Kentucky identi- been asked to consider a best practices in areas such tices to permit adequate time to suspend executions development and consid- understand and reform the fied a number of very seri- rule change that would rec- as interrogations, confes- in Kentucky until the re- eration by the courts of an way capital punishment is ous problems with the use tify this problem; sions and eyewitness identi- forms recommended by a inmate’s claims of constitu- administered in our state. of the death penalty. The nProvide additional fication in order to promote groundbreaking profession- tional error. A rule proposal Each of us is a current or study makes a series of criti- funding to ensure that de- the apprehension of the al study are implemented. has been submitted to the former prosecutor, some Over the last two years, cally important recommen- fense attorneys who repre- guilty and prevent the con- Kentucky Supreme Court to of whom have prosecuted the American Bar Associa- dations that will address the sent indigent capital defen- viction of the innocent. Rule address this issue; capital cases in our Com- tion Kentucky Assessment problems identified with dants are paid at a rate that proposals that would begin nRevise the jury instruc- monwealth. As prosecutors, Team on the Death Penalty, the way the death penalty is will enable them to provide to address these issues have tions typically given in capi- we continue to believe that consisting of two retired administered in our state. high quality legal servic- been submitted to the Ken- tal cases to improve death heinous criminal conduct Kentucky Supreme Court We endorse these sensi- es in matters as complex tucky Supreme Court for its penalty juror understanding must be punished severely Justices, a former chair of ble recommendations: and demanding as a death consideration; and comprehension of the in a way that advances pub- the House Judiciary Com- nAdopt legislation ex- penalty case. Recently, a nAdopt statewide stan- law to be applied; lic safety. However, punish- mittee, distinguished law empting the severely men- report issued by the KBA dards governing the quali- nCorrect shortcomings of ment must be a result of a professors and bar leaders, tally ill from the death pen- Task Force on the Provi- fications and training re- the Kentucky Racial Justice fair process that produces conducted the most exten- alty. There is a bill pending sion and Compensation of quired of defense attorneys Act to ensure that the Act valid results in which we sive evidence-based analy- before the Kentucky Gen- Conflict Counsel for Indi- handling capital cases; serves as an effective rem- have full confidence. It is sis of the manner in which eral Assembly that would gents made recommenda- nAdopt guidelines gov- edy for racial discrimination in death penalty cases.