{Frankfort, Kentucky}...To deal with cuts to the court system's budget, Chief Justice John D. Minton Jr. said Wednesday that judicial employees throughout Kentucky will have to take unpaid furloughs for three days this year. The furloughs will mean courts will close statewide on August 6th, September 4th and October 15th to deal with $25.2 million in cuts made by lawmakers in a budget passed in April. Minton says the Legislature's appropriation is far short of what is necessary to operate the Kentucky court system for the next two years, and the furloughs are necessary because lawmakers cut the court system's operating budget by $16.2 million and transferred $9 million from the court system to the state's General Fund. To generate cash, Minton says the judicial system will start charging schools $10 for criminal background checks that used to be done for free. The charge will increase from $15 to $20 to all others seeking background checks.
