{Frankfort , Kentucky }…Kentucky
State Police say preliminary statistics indicate 11 people died in five
separate crashes on Kentucky roadways
during the Christmas holiday period which began at 6:00 P.M. Friday, December
21st and extended through 11:59 P.M. Tuesday, December 25, 2012. The crashes
occurred in Christian, Clark, Jefferson, Knox, and Pike counties. Preliminary
statistics indicate that 729 people have lost their lives on Kentucky roadways
during 2012. This is 16 more fatalities than reported for 2011.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Lexington Center Signs Pepsi Contract
{Lexington , Kentucky }…Coca-Cola products have been served at Lexington Center since it opened in 1976. Beginning
January 2nd, Pepsi beverages will be served at concession stands in Rupp Arena,
the Shops at Lexington Center , the Lexington Opera House, Triangle Park
and at Lexington Center events. G&J Pepsi-Cola
Bottlers Inc. of Cincinnati
signed a partnership agreement with the Lexington Center Corp. to become the
official beverage provider at several facilities controlled by the company. The
first major event where Pepsi will be served will be the University
of Kentucky 's men's basketball game
against Eastern Michigan on January 2nd.
Lawmakers Concerned Over Crushable Narcotics
U.S. Representative Hal Rogers and Senator Mitch
McConnell each sounded the alarm last week over patents expiring next month on
prescription narcotics such as Oxycontin and Opana. Once the patents expire,
generic versions of the two drugs will be allowed on the market. Rogers has asked the Food
and Drug Administration to act before January 1st to require generic
manufacturers to also implement tamper-resistant coatings. McConnell called
Bill Schultz, acting general counsel for the Department of Health and Human
Services, to his office last Wednesday to express his concerns, saying he has
heard concerns from law enforcement, hospitals and health clinics in Kentucky that these
generic crushable drugs lack the tamper-resistant gel coating of the brand name
drugs.
Unemployment Rates Released
{Frankfort , Kentucky }…The
Kentucky Office of Employment and Training reported Wednesday that jobless
rates improved in 99 counties in November but worsened in 20 others. Woodford County had
the lowest jobless rate in the state at 5.4 percent, while Magoffin County had the worst unemployment
at 15.1 percent. Letcher County had a 13.3 percent
unemployment rate. Harlan, Knott, Leslie and Letcher counties were all at 13
percent or above.
Nursing Home For Veterans Sought
{Bowling Green , Kentucky }…Ray
Biggerstaff of Alvaton and Col. Robert Spiller of Oakland have
spoken to Bowling Green commissioners
and Warren County officials in their effort to
bring a nursing home for veterans to the area. Biggerstaff and Spiller
have gotten dozens of letters from supporters who include leaders like Warren
County Judge-Executive Mike Buchanon, Bowling Green Mayor Bruce Wilkerson and Warren
County Sheriff Jerry "Peanuts" Gaines. Biggerstaff says they are
still working on getting enough land donated so that Bowling
Green can get to the top of a list of cities competing for the
next veteran's nursing home in Kentucky .
He says a piece of land between 10 and 30 acres is needed.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Fatal Accident In Knox County
{Flat Lick,
Kentucky}…Kentucky State Police have confirmed five people are dead following a
crash near Flat Lick in Knox County on Christmas Eve. Police say, around 5:30
P.M. Monday, 31 year old David Vanderpool of Williamsburg , was traveling on U.S. 25 E when
he lost control of his vehicle, went airborne over a median, and hit a
southbound car head on. Sixty-one year old Gary Caldwell and 58 year old
Patricia Caldwell, both of Putney, along with 29 year old Julia Robinson and 30
year old Brent Robinson, from Bradenton ,
Florida were in the second car. All
five people in both cars were killed.
Monday, December 24, 2012
Sprint Settlement Approved
{Louisville , Kentucky }…U.S.
District Judge Thomas B. Russell has approved a $1.4 million class-action
settlement between Kentucky
landowners and Sprint Communication. The settlement stems from a suit filed in
June in federal court in Louisville accusing Sprint and Qwest Communications of
trespassing on the landowners’ property, digging up the ground and putting the
cables in without permission. A fairness hearing is set for June 18th.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Theft In Knox County
Knox County
Sheriff's Deputy Claude Hudson says, while he was driving on Highway 225
Thursday, he noticed Earl Gray and Johnny Ray Jordan on a four-wheeler pulling
a trailer with a large piece of steel metal on the back of a four-wheeler. Hudson questioned the men
and was told they found it in the woods. Hudson
discovered a bench warrant for Gray and arrested him. Friday morning, Mountain
Ridge Drilling reported a metal theft. Deputies found the metal at a scrap
yard and returned it to the owners. Gray was released on bond before he was
charged with theft, and deputies are looking for both him and Jordan.
Saturday, December 22, 2012
DNA For Inmates Proposed
{Frankfort , Kentucky }…Republican
state Senator John Schickel of Union, in northern Kentucky , has proposed allowing more inmates
around the state to have access to DNA testing. The legislation would allow
those accused of only the most serious felonies or crimes classified as violent
to request testing. Currently, the state limits DNA testing to inmates on death
row. Schickel says he thinks it is "kind of strange" to offer DNA
testing to death row inmates, but not to others.
Friday, December 21, 2012
"Cram the Cruiser" Collects 52 Tons
{Frankfort , Kentucky }…Kentucky
State Police Commissioner Rodney Brewer says the "Cram the Cruiser"
food drive netted 52 tons of food to help feed people during the holidays.
This year's effort was more than double last year's take of 50,931 pounds of
food. Brewer says employees at the Harlan post alone gathered nearly 11 tons of
food.
Beshear Appoints Finance Director
{Frankfort , Kentucky }…Governor
Steve Beshear is appointing Republican State Representative 60 year old Danny
Ford of Mount Vernon
to become surplus property director in the Finance and Administration Cabinet,
effective January 2nd. Ford has been in the state House since 1982 and is
retiring at year's end. He is the longest-serving Republican House member since
1900. His 80th House District includes Lincoln ,
Rockcastle and part of Pulaski counties. Ford will make $85,000 a year in the
state position that has been vacant since spring.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Beshear Calls For Moment Of Silence
{Frankfort , Kentucky }…Governor
Steve Beshear is asking Kentuckians to join in a moment of silence at 9:30 A.M.
Friday morning for victims of the Sandy Hook
Elementary School massacre in Newtown , Connecticut .
Houses of worship and other buildings with bells are encouraged to sound them
26 times for the 20 first-graders and six adults that were killed. Connecticut
Governor Dannel Malloy has declared Friday a day of mourning in that state and
asked other states to participate in a moment of silence.
Physicians' Network Plans To Cut Coventry Ties
More than
700,000 Kentuckians receive insurance through Medicaid. The Physicians'
Network, a group of 550 independent physicians in Central
Kentucky , has announced plans to cut its ties with Medicaid
provider Coventry Cares of Kentucky. Dr. Ralph Alvarado, president of the
network, says Coventry had told the group that it would begin to pay less than
the established Medicaid rate in reimbursements, as much as 10 percent less for
care from specialists. Alvarado says doctors now taking Medicaid are making a
slim profit at best. Coventry
says the decision would not take effect until March 7th, and it remains
committed to continuing negotiations and trying to find common ground
Plea For USA Harvest Founder Delayed
{Louisville,
Kentucky}…Thursday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Dave Whalin rescheduled a change of
plea hearing for USA Harvest founder 63 year old Hugh "Stan" Curtis
for January 31st. Curtis was charged in September with taking $183,354 from the
charity and charging another $370,000 in personal travel expenses. Curtis,
who founded the organization in 1989 as Kentucky Harvest of Louisville, faces
charges of mail fraud, money laundering and filing false income tax returns. According
to the information filed in a Louisville
federal court, from September 2005 through September 2007, Curtis failed to
report to the Internal Revenue Service about $553,891.67 in personal income he
received from USA Harvest.
Bluegrass Audit Released
{Frankfort , Kentucky }…Auditor
Adam Edelen says an audit has found executives at Bluegrass Regional Mental
Health-Mental Retardation Board in Lexington awarded
themselves benefits worth millions of dollars without scrutiny from the
agency's board of directors. The audit found the agency has paid nearly $3
million in benefit contributions since 1997 to top executives at the CEO's
discretion while most employees received little or nothing. The agency, among
other things, manages Eastern State Hospital
in Lexington and Bluegrass Oakwood in Somerset , both of which
are owned by the state. Bluegrass CEO Shannon Ware said last week she plans to
retire after four years of leading the agency.
Overdose Deaths On The Rise
{Lexington,
Kentucky}…A study announced this week by the Kentucky Injury Prevention and
Research Center at the University of Kentucky shows drug overdose deaths
in Kentucky rose 282 percent between 2000 and 2010. The study found that drug
overdose deaths increased from six per 100,000 residents in 2000 to 22.9 per
100,000 residents in 2010. The study says 53 percent of the deaths were from
prescription drugs, with the highest fatality rates in eastern Kentucky .
Supreme Court To Hear Case
{Louisville , Kentucky }…The
Kentucky Supreme Court agreed Thursday to hear a case that could determine
what responsibility Kentucky State Police have when they employ a confidential
informant. In July 1996, LeBron Gaither testified before a grand jury against
Jason Noel, who was later indicted on a drug charge. The next day, detectives
reunited Gaither and Noel for a controlled drug buy. Gaither got into a car in Taylorsville for the buy unaware a grand juror had tipped
off Noel to his role as a police informant. Gaither was found dead in Casey County .
He had been tortured, stabbed, beaten, dragged and killed. The Kentucky Board
of Claims determined in 2009 that the state was 30 percent liable for Gaither's
death and awarded Gaither's family $168,000, but a Franklin Circuit judge overturned
that decision in 2011, and the Kentucky Court of Appeals rejected the award in
May.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Kentucky Pride Fund Awards Grant
{Frankfort , Kentucky }…Governor Steve Beshear has announced
that approximately $2.1 million in grant funding has been awarded by the
Kentucky Pride Fund for cleanup of 172 illegal dumps in 26 counties across the Commonwealth.
As part of the grant funding, counties must agree to provide a 25 percent match
when it costs less than $50,000 to cleanup an individual, illegal open dump.
The Energy and Environment Cabinet may waive the 25 percent match. Funding
comes from a $1.75 environmental remediation fee for each ton of garbage
disposed of at Kentucky
municipal solid waste disposal facilities.
The
following counties received grants: Adair, Boone, Breathitt, Breckinridge, Cumberland , Fleming, Hardin, Harlan, Hart, Henderson , Lee, Leslie, Logan ,
Lyon , Madison,
Magoffin, Mason, Meade, Monroe, Montgomery, Owsley, Pike, Powell, Warren, Whitley
and Wolfe.
Kentucky Power Announces Plan
{Louisa , Kentucky }…Kentucky Power announced Wednesday it
intends to close its primary generating unit at the Big Sandy Power Plant in
Louisa and replace it with power generated in Moundsville , West Virginia .
Under the plan, Kentucky Power would obtain 50 percent of the Mitchell
Generation Station, in Moundsville, which is currently owned by AEP-Ohio. The
cost of the transfer would be $530 million. If approved, consumers would see an
8 percent increase in electric bills. Kentucky Power is under a federal consent
decree to bring the Big Sandy plant into compliance with the Clean Air Act by
the end of 2015 or close the facility. Officials scrapped plans earlier this
year to install a $1 billion scrubber, saying they wanted to “reevaluate
alternatives” due to changes in the energy market. The construction would have
caused electric bills to soar 31 percent.
Florida Doctor Convicted
{Ashland , Kentucky }…A federal court jury in Ashland has
found 57 year old Dr. Clara S. Rodriguez-Iznaga, a Florida doctor, guilty of conspiring to
illegally prescribe hundreds of thousands of pills and money laundering. Evidence
presented at the trial revealed that, in a one year span starting in 2008,
Rodriguez-Iznaga made approximately $641,000 in cash by unlawfully prescribing
600,000 Oxycodone pills to patients mostly from West
Virginia , southern Ohio and
eastern Kentucky .
Rodriguez-Iznaga opened Florida Global Medical pain clinic in June 2008 with
co-defendant Jody Robinson.
Park Clerk Indicted
{Grayson , Kentucky }…Shawn Knipp, 19, of Olive Hill, a clerk
at the Carter Caves State
Resort Park ,
has been charged with theft by unlawful taking. Police say Knipp reported a robbery
on August 15th, telling authorities that he was assaulted and robbed.
Detectives say they found several inconsistencies with his statement and
evidence at the scene. The case was presented to a Carter County
grand jury, and Knipp was indicted.
KY Joins HERO Campaign
{Frankfort , Kentucky }…Kentucky
has joined the HERO Campaign. Governor Steve Beshear signed a proclamation
Tuesday encouraging people to participate in designated driver programs and
drive sober. The HERO Campaign, which was inspired by Navy Ensign John Elliott,
who was killed by a drunken driver in 2000, works with schools, businesses, law
enforcement agencies and other organizations to encourage bars and restaurants
to serve free soft drinks to sober designated drivers and asks schools to integrate
the campaign into drunken driving prevention and educational programs.
Funding For School Safety Considered
{Frankfort , Kentucky }…Funding for the Safe Schools Program in
Kentucky has
decreased from $10.4 million in 2007-2008 to $4.5 million in the current school
year. The funding cut has led to fewer safety audits being performed at schools
around the state by the Kentucky
Center for School Safety.
Some state lawmakers and educational leaders say the cuts need to be reviewed. Kentucky
Education Commissioner Terry Holliday says he’s worried that the state can’t
conduct as many audits as it would like to, and he thinks the funding cut
should be reviewed, though he is confident that schools around the state are
safe.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
AAA Gearing-Up For Holiday Travel
{Frankfort,
Kentucky}…About 39,000 motorists in West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio and western
Pennsylvania are expected to call AAA East Central for help while traveling
during the Christmas and New Year's holidays. While AAA expects it will replace
more than 6,500 dead car batteries, change nearly 6,000 flat tires and retrieve
nearly 4,800 sets of keys locked inside vehicles, it expects nearly 16,000
motorists will have to have their vehicles towed for problems that can’t be
fixed by the roadside. Steve Popovich with AAA's Automotive Services says many
breakdowns can be avoided by checking the antifreeze, tire pressures, the
battery and belts and hoses before starting a trip.
Senate Democrats Choose Leaders
{Frankfort , Kentucky }…Kentucky Senate
Democrats have re-elected R.J. Palmer of Winchester
as minority floor leader, Johnny Ray Turner of Prestonsburg as minority caucus chairman
and Jerry Rhoads of Madisonville
as minority whip. Republicans have a 23-14 majority over Democrats in the
Senate, with one Independent. House Democrats and Republicans are expected
to select leaders when the legislature meets January 8th for a 30-day
session.
Synthetic Marijuana Ban Signed
{Frankfort , Kentucky }…Tuesday,
Governor Steve Beshear signed emergency regulations banning newly identified
forms of synthetic marijuana. In the past, Kentucky lawmakers have passed laws banning
drugs known as "bath salts" and synthetic marijuana, but this is the
first time an administrative regulation has been used to outlaw synthetic
substances, which mimic the effects of cocaine, marijuana and other illegal
stimulants. Beshear says his regulation will allow the state to keep pace with
"backyard chemists" who try to skirt the law by slightly altering
formulas of such dangerous substances. Beshear's action stems from passage of
legislation this year that broadened the scope of banned substances to include
entire classes of synthetic drugs, not just compounds.
Lawmaker Wants Task Force To Study School Safety
{Frankfort , Kentucky }…Kentucky State
Representative Richard Henderson, D-Mount Sterling, says he will form a task
force to look into whether the state can put armed officers and metal detectors
in all of Kentucky 's
1,245 public schools. Last week, Jon Akers, director of the Kentucky Center
for School Safety, which helps schools develop state-mandated safety plans,
said there are 221 public schools in the state with on-site school resource
officers. Most of them carry firearms. Akers says metal detectors are only
effective if they are installed at every school entrance, not just the main
door.
Man Sentenced For Transporting Teen
{Owensboro , Kentucky }…Forty-six
year old Archie M. Whalen of Hancock County , Maine , has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for
transporting a 13 year old Kentucky
girl across state lines to engage in sexual activity. A jury convicted Whalen
on July 26th of taking the girl in 2009 from her home in Owensboro
to Sturgeon Bay , Wisconsin . Whalen met the girl when she
and her mother lived briefly in Maine .
Monday, December 17, 2012
Gun Control Considered
{Washington , D.C. }…Gun
control was a hot topic in the early 1990s, when Congress enacted a 10-year ban
on assault weapons, but since that ban expired in 2004, few Americans have
wanted stricter laws and some politicians say they don't want to become targets
of a powerful gun-rights lobby. Gun-rights advocates say that needs to
change. Democrats say meaningful action should be taken to include a ban on
military-style assault weapons and to look at how the nation deals with
individuals suffering from serious mental illness.
Kentucky's Health Care Exchange
{Frankfort,
Kentucky}…Beginning October 1, 2013, Kentuckians will be able to register for
the state's new health care exchange, a key part of the Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act that will allow people who do not have insurance to shop
for a benefits plan. Health insurance companies are expected to start filing
plans for the exchange by February 1st. Consumers will be able to select from
various levels, named after metals, among the plans offered: A bronze plan
means that the premium the customer is charged is expected to cover 60 percent
of the claim's cost; silver, 70 percent; gold, 80 percent; and platinum, 90
percent. The remainder would be paid by the consumer in co- payments,
co-insurance and other fees.
UK Teachers Given Great Teacher Award
{Lexington , Kentucky }…Six
University of Kentucky
professors have been given the UK Alumni Association 2013 Great Teacher Award.
The Great Teacher Award, which began in 1961, is the oldest continuous award
that recognizes teaching at UK .
The nominations are made by students. The recipients will be honored February 5th
at the UK Alumni Association Great Teacher Award Recognition Dinner and will
then be honored on center court of Rupp Arena during the South Carolina- Kentucky
men's basketball game later that evening.
The
recipients are:
Karen
Badger, associate professor, College
of Social Work .
Roberta
Dwyer, professor, College
of Agriculture .
Samuel
Franklin, assistant professor, College
of Medicine .
John Grove,
professor, College
of Agriculture .
Armando
Prats, professor, College of Arts and Sciences.
Gerald Smith,
associate professor, College of Arts and Sciences.
Trial Set For Catholic Priest
{Louisville , Kentucky }…Rev.
James Schook, a Louisville Catholic priest with terminal cancer, is scheduled
to go on trial June 24, 2013 to face charges he sexually abused two boys in the
1970s. Schook, who faces seven counts of sodomy, was indicted in June 2011. Attorneys
had delayed the trial in May because doctors said there was a possibility
Schook may not live to the end of this year. Jefferson County
Commonwealth 's Attorney
John Balliet said Monday that he had spoken with a doctor who said it's
possible Schook could live for several more years.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
KY Approved For Insurance Exchange
{Frankfort , Kentucky }…The
Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday that the District of Columbia , Kentucky
and New York
have been granted conditional approval to operate state-based health insurance
exchanges. The exchanges are a key component of the Obama administration's
health care overhaul and are intended to make it easy for individuals and small
businesses to buy health insurance.
Kentucky Blood Center Offers Stocking Stuffers
It’s the
Christmas season, and it’s time to give. The Kentucky Blood
Center is providing blood
donors an opportunity to snag a stocking stuffer while also helping to shore up
the blood supply. Those who give at blood drives from December 17th through
January 4th will receive a $10 gift card, while donors at KBC's four donor
centers will receive two movie passes to an area cinema.
Donor
center locations:
120 S.
Highway 27
Somerset , Kentucky
Kentucky State Parks…New Year’s Eve Parties
The
Kentucky State Parks has several New Year’s Eve parties and events planned at
resort parks across the state. Many parks are offering lodging packages that
include entertainment and meals, among other things, for December 31st or
around that date. For more details and park information, visit
www.parks.ky.gov.
The parks
include:
Jenny Wiley
State Resort Park ,
Prestonsburg
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Exonerated Man Files Lawsuit
{Louisville , Kentucky }…Kerry
Porter, a man who was exonerated of murder after serving 14 years in prison has
filed a lawsuit against Metro Louisville and eight police officers. The suit
alleges officers wrongfully conspired to convict Porter of a murder in 1996 by
fabricating evidence, using improper identification procedures and hiding
evidence that would have cleared him. The suit says the city condoned the
behavior by failing to track and identify officers who were repeatedly accused
of misconduct. Porter was freed from prison last year.
Man Sentenced On Attempted Murder
{Ashland , Kentucky }…Friday,
52 year old Thomas K. Biederman of Russell was sentenced to 40 years in prison
after being convicted last month of attempted murder and using a weapon of mass
destruction. A bomb detonated in a parking garage in Ashland on July 28, 2011, after Biederman’s
wife, Janie Biederman, touched the vehicle's brake pedal. She suffered burns to
her arms and legs. Biederman maintained his innocence, but prosecutors argued
he had the motive of a $430,000 life insurance policy and the opportunity.
Friday, December 14, 2012
Paul Announces Senate Plans
U.S.
Senator Rand Paul is insisting that he will seek re-election to the Senate in
2016, although he has acknowledged he's interested in a presidential bid. Republican
strategist Mike Karem, a Louisville
attorney, says Paul would find it difficult to raise money for his re-election
if people think he's running for president.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Natural Gas Station In Somerset
{Somerset , Kentucky }…A natural
gas station in Somerset
has begun servicing vehicles. Mayor Eddie Girder says, after a credit card
device that is order arrives, the station will be one of the first compressed
natural gas fueling stations in Kentucky that is open to the public 24-7, and he
expects between 200 and 300 cars per day to fill up at the station, which
charges about $1.50 per gallon. The city also plans to change its fleet of
about 75 vehicles from gasoline to natural gas.
Beshear Urges Passage Of River Legislation
{Frankfort , Kentucky }…Governor
Steve Beshear is urging U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell to
sponsor and pass legislation that would force the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
to release water from the Missouri River to raise the water level on the Mississippi where
drought conditions could soon halt barge traffic. The three have warned of
potentially negative economic consequences if the water level on the Mississippi River continues to fall.
State Chooses School District Manager
{Frankfort,
Kentucky}…The state Department of Education announced Thursday that Larry
Hammond, who has served as superintendent of Rockcastle County schools for 17
years, will begin his duties as state manager for the Breathitt County school
district immediately. Hammond
will be paid $700 a day for a maximum of 145 days, or $101,500, during fiscal
year 2013, and for a maximum of 260 days, or $182,000, in fiscal year 2014. His contract also calls
for him to be reimbursed up to $1,500 per day for housing, travel and other
expenses during the two fiscal years.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Conway Announces Drug Settlement
{Frankfort , Kentucky }…Attorney
General Jack Conway has announced that he has joined 32 other Attorneys General
in reaching a $42.9 million settlement with Pfizer Inc. to resolve allegations
that the company unlawfully engaged in unfair and deceptive practices in its
promotion of its drugs Zyvox and Lyrica.
Flu Season In Kentucky
{Frankfort , Kentucky }…Kentucky
Department for Public Health officials reported to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention this week that the influenza activity level in the state
has increased from regional to widespread. Widespread activity is the highest
level of flu activity, which indicates increased flu-like activity or flu
outbreaks in at least half of the regions in the state. The activity levels for
states are tracked weekly as part of the CDC's national flu surveillance system.
The flu season can begin as early as October and last through May, and usually
peaks between January and March.
Attorney General Warns Of Scams
{Frankfort,
Kentucky}…As Kentuckians open their hearts and pocketbooks to help those in
need this holiday season, Attorney General Jack Conway wants to make sure
charitable donations end up where they are needed most and not in the hands of
scam artists. The season of giving brings out the best and worst in people.
Scam artists are working overtime to devise new schemes to take advantage of
the generosity of others. Many scammers use a technique called phishing to gain
access to someone's secure information. This is often done through emails that
appear to come from a legitimate organization. Phishing emails may contain
links to websites that are infected with malware that enable the scammer to
gain access to user names, passwords, Social Security numbers and other
personal data.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
School Officials File Lawsuits
{Lexington , Kentucky }…Last
week, the Kentucky Board of Education voted to give management of the Breathitt County school district to the state.
Charles David Napier, assistant superintendent, and Steve Banks, transportation
director, filed lawsuits Monday in U.S. District Court in Lexington against
former superintendent Arch Turner, former board member George Daniel Strong,
board members Shirley Hudson, Ina Southwood and Bobby Gross and Melanie
Stevens, who was hired as interim superintendent after Turner was jailed in May
but has since been suspended. The lawsuits say those who cooperated with the
FBI during an investigation into vote fraud in Breathitt County
were targeted for retaliation.
KY Protecting Endangered Indiana Bat
{Frankfort , Kentucky }…The
Kentucky Division of Forestry has signed an agreement with federal officials
that will help protect the endangered Indiana
bat. Lee Andrews, who supervises the Kentucky Field Office for the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, says the agreement will assure that state forest lands
will be managed in a way that is beneficial to the bat. Indiana
bats have been encountered in five of the state's 10 forests, Big Rivers, Green
River, Kentenia , Kentucky Ridge, and Tygarts State Forests.
Beshear Urged To Abolish Death Penalty
{Frankfort,
Kentucky}…Activists with the Kentucky Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty have
delivered more than 1,500 postcards to Governor Steve Beshear asking that he
sign no more death warrants and that he work to abolish the death penalty. Each
of the cards said three decades of experience shows the death penalty is
"a risky, arbitrary, unfair, ineffective and costly distraction from
justice." Kentucky
has executed three people since the reinstatement of capital punishment in 1976.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Homicides In Clay County
{Manchester , Kentucky }…Kentucky
State Police in Clay
County are investigating
two homicides which occurred witin 48 hours. Thursday night, relatives found
the body of 74 year old Earl Woods in his home after he had been robbed and
beaten. Saturday afternoon, a burned body was found off a dirt road in the
Crawfish community.
KY Man Dies In Virginia Accident
{St.
Charles, Virginia}…Virginia State Police say 31 year old Jamie Collins of
Baxter, Kentucky, died early Monday at Lee Regional Medical Center, and his
passenger, 33 year old Jason H. Williams of Viper, Kentucky was transported to
Kingsport, Tennessee after a CSX rail car loaded with coal derailed in St.
Charles late Sunday. A van used to shuttle railroad employees was parked along
the train tracks with the two men inside when the coal car overturned on it.
Man Turns Himself In To Authorities
{Lexington , Kentucky }…Twenty-eight
year old Brandon Lamont Bailey went to WLEX's studios around 10:00 A.M. Monday,
saying he wanted to turn himself in to police for the December 1st shooting
death of 22 year old Anthony Logan, who was killed outside a Lexington apartment. Police say Bailey shot Logan after the two were
involved in a fight. Bailey says he was planning to flee to Louisiana
but family members convinced him to turn himself in because he shot Logan in self-defense.
Tax Amnesty Boosts General Fund Revenue
{Frankfort,
Kentucky}…Budget director Mary Lassiter said Monday General Fund revenue in
November rose 7.6 percent to $784.2 million, largely the result of a 16.4
percent jump in property tax collections as a result of tax amnesty in Kentucky. Individual
income tax revenue increased by 10.7 percent and sales tax receipts rose by 4.6
percent for the month. Some 16,000 delinquent taxpayers had accepted the
amnesty offer by the time it expired on November 30th.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Paul…Judd Too Liberal
Kentucky
Republican Senator Rand Paul isn't particularly excited about a
potential Senate run by actress Ashley Judd. Paul says Judd, who may be
considering running for Senate in 2014 or 2016 to represent Kentucky , is too out of step with voters in
the state. Judd and her husband, Scottish race car driver Dario
Franchitti, have a home in Scotland . Paul
jabbed Judd for splitting her time between the U.S. and Scotland, saying he thinks
she’d fit right in with the English Parliament because she’s too liberal for
the U.S. or Kentucky. He wished her good luck bringing the “I hate coal”
message to Kentucky .
Officials...School Buses Safe
{Frankfort , Kentucky}… Data provided by the Kentucky
Department of Education shows that the state's 10,000 school buses are involved
in hundreds of incidents each year, ranging from major wrecks to simple scrapes
with a mailbox. There was an average of 1,434 school bus incidents per school
year in Kentucky
from 2007-2008 to 2010-2011. During that time, two students riding buses were
killed. The U.S. Department of Transportation says school buses are still the
safest way to transport students to and from school. Ronna Weber, executive director
of the National School Transportation Association, says children are
almost 50 times safer riding in a school bus than driving themselves or with a
teen driver, and almost eight times safer than traveling in the cars of parents
or guardians.
Saturday, December 8, 2012
McConnell… President Wants It His Way
{Louisville , Kentucky }…At
the Kentucky Farm Bureau’s convention in Louisville
Friday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell suggested President Barack Obama
seems willing to take the country over the “fiscal cliff.” Republican
leaders say they will agree to measures that would bring in more revenue, but
they say it should be done by closing loopholes or reducing tax breaks rather
than raising tax rates for the wealthy. President Obama contends their plan
wouldn’t adequately rein in budget deficits. McConnell says President Obama is
bound and determined to get his way, and, the way the law is constructed, it’s
sort of stacked in his favor because Bush-era tax cuts for everyone are set to
expire on January 1st, with automatic, across-the-board spending cuts set to
kick in the next day.
Friday, December 7, 2012
State Police Opposed To Hemp
{Frankfort , Kentucky }…Kentucky
State Police Commissioner Rodney Brewer says his agency is opposed to proposals
to grow industrial hemp in Kentucky .
Brewer says it's incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to the casual
observer or even the astute observer to tell the difference between hemp and
marijuana as its being grown, and theproblem becomes even more difficult when
police use helicopters to search for marijuana fields. Hemp and marijuana are
the same species, cannabis sativa, but are genetically distinct. Hemp has a
negligible content of THC, the psychoactive compound that gives marijuana users
a high.
Beshear Urged To File Federal Declaration
{Frankfort , Kentucky }…U.S. Senators Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul have
urged Governor Steve Beshear to seek a federal disaster declaration because of
the potential economic consequences of a drought that has led to low water
levels on the Mississippi River . McConnell and
Paul said in a letter to Beshear that commercial traffic on the river could
"come to a complete halt in coming days" unless the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers takes action to increase the water flow.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Former UK Employee To Appeal
{Lexington,
Kentucky}…Former University of Kentucky employee 51 year old Mike Douglas
Rieder, who was a truck driver for the University of Kentucky's Physical Plant
Division, was sentenced to 10 years in prison Thursday in the April 2011 death
of U.S. Marine soldier 29 year old James R. Muzic. Police say Rieder and
Muzic had been at the Office Lounge bar on Eastland Parkway near New Circle Road,
and Rieder had given Muzic a ride in his car before the two began arguing. Rieder
pulled over at the gas station and told Muzic to get out. When Muzic refused,
Rieder pulled him out of the car and pointed a gun at him. The gun discharged,
killing Muzic. Rieder plans to appeal.
Industrial Hemp Getting Wide Support
{Frankfort , Kentucky }…Kentucky
Agriculture Commissioner James Comer says he sees widespread support building
in the General Assembly and across the state for legislation pushing industrial
hemp. The commission meets Friday, and Comer says members will discuss
potential legislation and the possibility of a new economic study to evaluate
the hemp market. State Senator Paul Hornback, R-Shelbyville, who supports
legislation to move Kentucky
to the forefront of potential hemp production and is widely expected to become
the next chairman of the Senate agriculture committee, says, if he is named chairman, he would call
Comer's hemp bill for a vote.
Family Wants Killer Behind Bars
{Grayson , Kentucky }…Cheryl
Young and Gary Young were murdered in
2004 by Gary 's
son Andrew Young and his girlfriend Stephanie Griffith. The two robbed and
killed the couple at their home in Grayson. Andrew is serving a life sentence,
and Mullins' family has been working to keep Stephanie Griffith behind bars. A
recent statewide jail change has moved Griffith 's
parole hearing from 2015 to December 2012. Brenda's daughter Cindy Shelby is
fighting back by starting an online petition to keep Griffith in prison. The petition has more
than 280 signatures, and the family hopes to have more than 1,000 signatures to
show the parole board for Griffith 's
hearing on December 19th.
Grant For Waste Tires
{Frankfort , Kentucky }…The
General Assembly established the Waste Tire Trust Fund in 1998 to receive fees
collected from new tire sales. Projects to use recycled waste tires for
athletic fields, playgrounds or other applications could be eligible for a
grant from the Energy and Environment Cabinet. The cabinet says it will also
consider funding research and development proposals for experimental practices
or technologies that further the waste tire program's purposes, to protect
human health, safety and the environment, or that help develop a market for Kentucky waste tires.
Applications must be in by 4:30 P.M. EST January 31st. For more information, contact Lisa Evans at 564-6716 or lisa.evans(at)ky.gov. More information and the application are available at http://waste.ky.gov/RLA/grants/Pages/default.aspx .
Applications must be in by 4:30 P.M. EST January 31st. For more information, contact Lisa Evans at 564-6716 or lisa.evans(at)ky.gov. More information and the application are available at http://waste.ky.gov/RLA/grants/Pages/default.aspx .
Blue Ribbon Commission Approves Plan
{Frankfort , Kentucky }…The
Blue Ribbon Commission on Tax Reform says the report presented to Governor
Steve Beshear on December 17th will include recommendations that could generate
nearly $700 million a year. Some $485 million would come from extending the
state's income tax to retirees who draw at least $30,000 a year. Social
Security benefits would be exempt. Another $200 million would come from
expanding the state's sales tax to household utility bills and other services
that have traditionally been exempt in Kentucky .
The plan approved Thursday by the commission would reduce revenue from
corporate taxes by more than $90 million in hopes of making Kentucky more attractive to companies
looking to relocate. Beshear has said he's not sure lawmakers will have time to
pass tax reforms in the legislative session, which is scheduled to end in mid-March,
but he's prepared to call a special session.
Meningitis Outbreak Update
Tennessee
Health Commissioner John Dreyzehner announced Thursday that, since Thanksgiving,
officials have identified 22 new cases of localized infections and one case of
meningitis without a localized infection in patients who received tainted
steroid injections. State health officials said just before Thanksgiving that
about 900 patients had received injections from recalled lots of the steroid
but hadn't developed meningitis. Nationally, at least 560 people have been
sickened and 36 have died. Thirteen of those deaths were in Tennessee .
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Beshear Won’t Challenge McConnell
{Frankfort,
Kentucky}…During a Capitol press conference, Governor Steve Beshear announced
Wednesday he has ruled himself out as a potential challenger to Republican U.S.
Senator Mitch McConnell in 2014. Actress Ashley Judd hasn't ruled herself out
as a potential challenger but neither has she said anything to suggest that she
would enter the race. Although Beshear was complimentary of Judd on Wednesday, he
said he has no inside information about whether she will decide to run. Beshear
is the latest of several top tier Democrats who have said they won't challenge
McConnell. That list includes Attorney General Jack Conway and former state
Auditor Crit Luallen. With the election still nearly two years away, McConnell
has banked more than $6.8 million. He spent some $20 million on his last
election to defeat wealthy Louisville
businessman Bruce Lunsford by 6 percentage points.
Cigarette Warnings Appeal Rejected
{Washington , D.C. }…Wednesday,
the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington
denied the government’s request to rehear a challenge to a requirement
that tobacco companies put large graphic health warnings on cigarette packages.
In August, a three-judge panel upheld a lower court ruling blocking the Food
and Drug Administration requirement. Some of the nation's largest tobacco
companies sued to block the mandate to include warnings to show the dangers of
smoking and encourage smokers to quit lighting up, arguing the proposed
warnings went beyond factual information into anti-smoking advocacy. The
government argued the photos of dead and diseased smokers are factual. The
government has 90 days to appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Armed Robbery In Harlan
{Harlan , Kentucky }…Police
in Harlan are investigating an armed robbery. They say Pizza Hut manager Dottie
Brock was walking to her car around 1:45 A.M. Wednesday morning when she said
two men wearing masks came up, pointed a gun at her, and demanded the night
deposit money bag. Brock told police the two men also got her keys to the
building and then ran behind the restaurant and over an embankment. Police
recovered some clues in the woods behind the restaurant.
Amendment Gets Senate Approval
{Washington , D.C. }…U.S. Senator
Rand Paul has gotten Senate approval for a measure that would ensure thousands
of military personnel serving overseas get counted in the next census at the
bases from which they were deployed. Paul's amendment to the National Defense
Authorization Act would especially benefit Kentucky
communities around Fort Campbell and Fort Knox .
Officials Discuss School Tests
Since test
scores were released in November, critics have questioned why low-performing
schools only have to move up one point next year to be considered improving. Some
Kentucky
board of education members asked Wednesday whether the goals set by the state
are high enough to lift up low-performing schools. Commissioner of Education
Terry Holliday said the new assessments evaluate schools on several factors to
determine success. That differs from the No Child Left Behind Law, from which
the state received a waiver. He also said the one-point goal is reasonable. The
2012 data showed 899 Kentucky
elementary, middle and high schools needed improvement, 260 were proficient and
137 were distinguished.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Soldier To Be Buried With Military Honors
The Defense
Department says the remains of Army Sgt. John R. Jones from Louisville
will be buried Thursday in the Arlington
National Cemetery
with full military honors. Jones was part of a U.S.
team working with indigenous commandos to defend a radio-relay base in South Vietnam
on June 4, 1971 when enemy forces attacked the site, and Jones and another
soldier took cover in a nearby bunker. The next morning, Jones was reportedly
killed and the other soldier was taken prisoner and held until 1973. DNA and
other tools were used to identify the remains.
Marijuana Plants Confiscated
{Frankfort , Kentucky }…Federal,
state and local law enforcement agencies confiscated more than $1.5 billion
worth of marijuana this year in central Appalachia .
Ed Shemelya, head of marijuana eradication in the Appalachian High Intensity
Drug Trafficking Area, released preliminary figures Tuesday showing that aerial
spotters guided ground crews to more than 760,000 plants during the 2012
growing season in Kentucky , Tennessee
and West Virginia , nearly 430,000 of the
plants found in Kentucky , 192,000 in West Virginia and more than 147,000 in Tennessee . They also arrested more than 400
growers in the region. The overall haul was down from last year, when law
enforcement eradicated 1.1 million plants valued at more than $2 billion. But
the total for this year is expected to rise. The final tally will be available
by mid-January.
Debate Over Wild Horses
{Harlan , Kentucky }…County
Humane Society President Marcella Chadwick says Sequoia Energy wants a pack of
wild horses moved off a former surface mining site, but Chadwick says her group
and the landowners who leased the coal rights to the mining company want the
animals to be left alone. Chadwick says there are about 80 to 100 horses in the
area, and the animals have been around there for decades. Chadwick says an
official from Sequoia contacted the Humane Society about three weeks ago to
seek help in moving the horses, which the company says are disturbing
vegetation that has been planted as part of the company's federally-mandated
reclamation of the surface mine site.
Former Officer Receives Award
{Ashland, Kentucky}…During
a ceremony in Ashland Tuesday afternoon, former Ashland police officer Kevin
Gunderson, who was shot in the line of duty, received the national Theodore
Roosevelt Police Award. As part of the award, the Theodore Roosevelt
Association made a $500 donation to the Putnam Stadium Restoration Project in
Gunderson’s name. Gunderson, who was
left a paraplegic after he was shot in the neck while trying to serve a
non-support warrant at a residence in Ashland on
July 18, 1980, has been a City Commissioner in Ashland for more than 20 years. He was
recently re-elected to a new two year term.
Highway Fatalities Down
{Frankfort , Kentucky }…Preliminary
statistics indicate 16 people died in 15 separate crashes on Kentucky 's roadways from Monday, November 26th
through Sunday, December 2, 2012. One double-fatality motor vehicle crash
occurred in Floyd
County . Two
single-fatality motor vehicle crashes occurred in Pulaski County .
One single-fatality crash also occurred in each of the following counties:
Crittenden, Graves, Hopkins , Jefferson, Knott,
Livingston, Lyon, Montgomery ,
Trigg and Webster. One bicycle rider was killed in Hardin
County , and one pedestrian was killed
in Jefferson County . Through December 2nd,
preliminary statistics indicate 678 people have lost their lives on Kentucky roadways during
2012. This is four fewer than reported for this time period in 2011.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Former Wildcat Dies
{Georgetown , Kentucky }…John
Lloyd Crigler, a forward on Kentucky 's 1958
national championship basketball team under coach Adolph Rupp, died Saturday in
Georgetown at
the age of 76. Crigler scored 14 points in the 1958 title game against Elgin
Baylor's Seattle
team. He played with teammates Johnny Cox, Ed Beck, Vernon Hatton and Adrian
Smith. Crigler had been a teacher, coach and athletic director at Scott County
High School for more than
40 years. Crigler was born in Hebron in Boone County ,
but he spent much of his life in Scott
County .
KY Featured In United Airlines Magazine
{Frankfort , Kentucky }…Governor
Steve Beshear's office says a 32-page editorial supplement on the state is
being featured in Hemispheres, the onboard magazine of United Airlines. The
governor's office says the supplement will be available to approximately 12.3
million passengers during December. The article is also available at
http://www.hemispheresmagazine.com , as well as through the Hemispheres app for
mobile devices.
Former Deputy Justice Secretary Faces Charge
{Frankfort,
Kentucky}…In a meeting Monday, the Executive Branch Ethics Commission charged former
Deputy Justice Secretary Charles Geveden with violating the state's ethics
code by allegedly using his position to solicit campaign contributions for
Governor Steve Beshear's re-election campaign last year. The Ethics Commission
began investigating the case in September 2011. Ethics Commission Executive
John Steffen says his agency's investigation found nothing to suggest Beshear
knew what Geveden was allegedly doing. Geveden could face fines of up to $5,000
for each of three counts and a public reprimand in the case that could take
months to resolve.
Project Collects Over 10.3 Tons Of Food
Over the
recent Thanksgiving holiday, more than 10.3 tons of food was collected in food
drives conducted by UNITE Service Corps (AmeriCorps) members and student
members of school UNITE Clubs as part of the annual “Make A Difference Day.” Collected
food, enough to feed 41,255 people in need an 8-ounce serving, was donated to
Family Resource and Youth
Service Centers ,
community charitable groups and/or church pantries in the communities where the
food was collected. Eugene Newsome, director of the UNITE Service Corps
initiative, says Majestic Elementary in Pike County, a school with just 147 students,
collected enough food to give every child’s family a food basket that included
a turkey. Newsome says this is the highest total in the food drive project’s
history.
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