KY To Change Execution Method

Kentucky officials said Thursday they will change how prisoners are executed, opening the door to using a single drug instead of the current three-drug method challenged by inmates who call it cruel and unusual punishment. The Kentucky Justice Cabinet filed notice in Franklin Circuit Court that it would propose new regulations by July 24th. The single-page motion does not say what changes will be made. The new method could be in place by late summer, allowing Kentucky to begin executions later this year. In April, Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd gave Kentucky 90 days to make changes or face a trial to defend the three-drug method. Shepherd said, if Kentucky adopts a new regulation allowing for a one-drug execution, any claims of cruel and unusual punishment by the inmates "will be rendered moot."

ARH And Coventry To Continue Negotiations

Appalachian Regional Healthcare and Coventry Health Care officials will begin negotiating again Friday. Negotiations resumed Thursday afternoon after coming to a halt earlier in the day. After Coventry said it would end its contract with ARH, which operates eight hospitals and other health clinics in eastern Kentucky, ARH filed a lawsuit. Earlier this month, Coventry agreed to continue its existing contract until June 30th while it negotiated with ARH for long-term coverage. Coventry filed a motion in U.S. District Court in Lexington that said when its contract with ARH expires June 30th, Coventry would pay ARH for treatments as a "non-contracted provider" and that coverage to its 25,000 Medicaid patient members in eastern Kentucky would not be interrupted. Steve Price, an attorney for ARH, said the motion means that ARH would be paid far lower payments than it currently is.

Sypher Appeal Rejected

{Cincinnati, Ohio}...In 2010, a jury convicted 52 year old Karen Cunagin Sypher of extortion, lying to the FBI and retaliation against a witness. Prosecutors argued she sought millions in cash, cars and a house from University of Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino to stay quiet about a tryst in a Louisville restaurant. Thursday, a three-judge panel from the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati heard arguments from Sypher's lawyer that her trial counsel failed to adequately represent her. The panel repeatedly told attorney David Nolan that his assertions weren't backed by evidence in the trial record. Judge Martha Craig Daughtrey said the argument "appeared to be a waste of everybody's time."

State Official Pleads Not Guilty

{Frankfort, Kentucky}...Jerry T. Lunsford, a division director for the state Finance and Administration Cabinet, pleaded not guilty Thursday to DUI, disregarding a traffic light, reckless driving and operating a vehicle without a license. The citation says Lunsford nearly hit a state trooper's vehicle a few minutes after leaving work on May 14th and that, after he was pulled over, his speech was slurred and he seemed slightly disoriented. The trooper said Lunsford stated he was tired. Police found pain medication in Lunsford's vehicle, and Lunsford told them he was taking it because of a cracked rib. A pretrial hearing in Franklin County District Court was set for August 16th.

Layoffs At King's Daughters Medical Center

{Ashland, Kentucky}...Some employees at King's Daughters Medical Center in Ashland have lost their jobs. Declining patient volumes and shrinking payments from both Medicare and Medicaid are among the factors causing the hospital to make the move. Public Relations Director Tom Dearing  says the layoffs affect several areas of the hospital, but patient care areas will remain at appropriate staffing levels. The exact number of layoffs has not been released.

Guilty Pleas In Oxycodone Case

{Ashland, Kentucky}...Darnell Desman Butler, 27, Christina Mayhone, 25, and Charlie Nicole Angell, 25, all of Ashland, pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to distribute Oxycodone and Leonard Eugene Vaughn, 41, of Lexington, pleaded guilty to attempting to possess with intent to distribute Oxycodone. According to court documents, Angell worked under the direction of 38 year old Richard Allen Young of Florida who distributed pills or used other co-defendants to sell pills in Boyd County. Angell acknowledged she was responsible for distributing 10,000 Oxycodone pills and admitted she directed Mayhone and Butler to sell pills. In October of 2011, a confidential informant bought pills from Butler and Mayhone in Ashland. 

Kentucky Power Files Motion With PSC

{Louisville, Kentucky}...Wednesday, Kentucky Power Co. filed a motion with the state's Public Service Commission to withdraw a $940 million plan for upgrades at its 800-megawatt Big Sandy No. 2 plant near Louisa. It had planned to build a scrubber by 2016 in order to meet federal environmental guidelines. The upgrade at the early 1960s-era plant would have increased the average customer's bill by $31 a month. After the utility applied to install the scrubber in December, environmental groups, including Earth Justice and the Sierra Club, argued that there were cheaper alternatives to installing expensive coal pollution controls, including burning natural gas. The groups said Wednesday that the best option would be to close the Big Sandy plant. Kentucky Power has 173,000 customers in 20 eastern Kentucky counties.