Grand Jury Indicts Man For Illegal Distribution

• {Kentucky}...Tuesday, a federal grand jury in Louisville charged 44 year old Stacy Allen Taylor, the former owner of Health PMO, with conspiracy to illegally distribute controlled substances, misbranding drugs, wire fraud and conspiring to commit money laundering. According to the indictment, Taylor used multiple web addresses to dispense the substances and trying to hide the payments, while making nearly $790,000. The indictment charges that Taylor made wire transfers from a bank account in Louisville to an account in Cyprus to hide the source of the drugs sold through Health PMO. Taylor is scheduled to appear for arraignment on August 23rd following extradition from Hong Kong.

Governor Beshear Visits Troops In Iraq

Governor Steve Beshear visited U.S. troops

serving in Iraq and Kuwait today, including troops from Kentucky, as

part of a special Department of Defense trip.  The visit marks the first

time in recent history that a sitting Kentucky governor has visited an

active war zone. "In Kentucky, we truly appreciate and support the thousands of troops

from our home state who are serving in the far reaches of the world, who
protect our nation's security and promote peace," said Gov. Beshear.
"When the Pentagon invited me on this trip, I jumped at the chance to
meet these troops face-to-face and tell them personally how much their
service means to us." More than 2,600 Kentucky servicemen and women are currently deployed to
Iraq and Kuwait.  Approximately 1,000 troops are deployed from Ft.
Campbell, as well as an additional 140 troops from Ft. Knox.  Nearly
1,500 Kentucky National Guard troops are serving in Iraq and Kuwait,
including the 149th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade.  This brigade consists
of 1,467 soldiers from units in Louisville and Southeastern Kentucky,
and just deployed to the area this week.  It is the largest mobilization
of Kentucky National Guard troops since World War II.

Louisville Attorney Seeks To Withdraw From Case

{Kentucky}...Attorney Keith Kamenish filed a motion Monday in U.S. District Court in Louisville seeking to be withdrawn as appointed counsel for a man charged in federal court with killing one of his former clients. Kamenish had been representing Dion Neal, who is charged with capital murder in the shooting death of LaJuante "B.B." Jackson, who was killed August 19, 2005, four weeks after Kamenish got him released on bond on a state drug charge. Prosecutors sought Kamenish's removal, saying he would have an irreconcilable conflict between guarding the confidences of his dead former client and zealously defending his new one.

Bikers To Raise Funds For Guardsmen Memorial

{Kentucky}...On August 13th, hundreds of bikers are expected to ride from all across the state to help raise funds to build a memorial dedicated to fallen Kentucky National Guardsmen who have died in the line of duty in the past 100 years. Riders will gather at the Healing Field in Lawrenceburg at noon for food and entertainment and hope to raise $70,000 for the memorial to be constructed at Boone National Guard Center.

Ethics Complaints Accuse Beshear And Williams

{Kentucky}...Kentucky's two major gubernatorial candidates were accused Monday of violating state ethics laws. Democratic Governor Steve Beshear was accused by Republican Party Chairman Steve Robertson of pressuring state government employees for campaign contributions. Psychologist Rodney Young, a government employee seeking whistle-blower status, claimed in a letter released publicly Monday that some state workers were threatened with termination unless they contributed to Beshear's re-election campaign. Young, who works for the Department of Juvenile Justice in Louisville, made the accusation in letters to Robertson and Attorney General Jack Conway. Beshear spokesman Matt Erwin dismissed Robertson's claim as "gutter politics," saying Young's complaint is based on "unsubstantiated third party rumors."

A complaint filed with the Legislative Ethics Commission by Democratic Party Chairman Dan Logsdon accuses Republican gubernatorial candidate David Williams of not reporting gambling activity on a 2003 financial disclosure form. As president of the Kentucky state Senate, Williams is required to periodically file documents listing personal financial information. Logsdon says Williams made no mention of his gambling income received in 2002, but the gambling income had been included on personal tax returns that were part of an old divorce file. In the complaint, Logsdon charged that Williams intentionally misled the public by failing to report the income.

Kentucky Powerball Sales Fall

{Kentucky}...Lottery officials say Powerball sales in Kentucky fell more than 27 percent for fiscal year 2011, amounting to a $72 million drop, while the lottery made up some of the difference with increases in sales of Mega Millions and scratch-off tickets. Sales for the year were $772.3, down $200,000 from last year. But, dividends to the General Fund rose 2 percent to $204.8 million. Overall, sales of online games...Powerball, Mega Millions, Pick 3 and Pick 4, fell $8.4 million, or 2.7 percent. Lottery chief financial officer Howard Kline says the reason is mainly the lack of large jackpots. Lottery President Arch Gleason says Powerball changes planned for January include raising the price per play to $2.

Williams' Father-In-Law Contributes $1 Million To Republicans

{Kentucky}...Terry Stephens, owner of Stephens Pipe and Steel in Russell Springs, the father-in-law of Republican gubernatorial candidate David Williams contributed $1 million to the Republican Governor's Association on June 22nd. Stephens says he's not in the habit of making such large contributions, but "David is family." He said he knew the RGA couldn't earmark his donation for the Kentucky campaign, so, his contribution was made "on faith." The RGA had said even before Stephens' contribution that it planned to be aggressively involved in the Kentucky gubernatorial race, one of only four in the nation this year. RGA spokesman Mike Schrimpf says the RGA has fully complied with the law.