http://www.kentucky.com/181/index.xml News, sports, and entertainment from Kentucky.com en-us Copyright 2008 Kentucky.com Latest News 60 Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:13:09 EST http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss McClatchy Interactive's Workbench webmaster@kentucky.com http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/614684.html http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/614684.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:55 EST
Former 2003 Horse of the Year Azeri will be making news at another auction soon.

The three-time champion, in foal to 2004 Horse of the Year Ghostzapper, is catalogued for the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale, Jan. 12-17. The top money-earning Thoroughbred filly, she won nearly $4.08 million in four seasons of racing.

John Sikura's Hill .n' Dale Sales Agency will consign the broodmare for the Allen E. Paulson Living Trust. Azeri stunned the September sale crowd when her first foal, an A.P. Indy colt named Vallenzeri, failed to sell despite a top bid of $7.7 million.

Azeri headlines the catalog of 2,379 horses, including 986 broodmares, 834 yearlings, 543 horses of racing age and 16 stallions. Catalogs will be available online at www.keeneland.com beginning Monday. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/614558.html http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/614558.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:20 EST
Kentucky regulators have reached agreement with Prosper Marketplace Inc. in a case involving hundreds of state residents and the sale of unregistered securities, the Kentucky Department of Financial Institutions announced Wednesday.

The department said Prosper operated a peer-to-peer lending service through its Web site, which has been shut down.

Lending .members. would offer to make loans at a certain interest rate. Borrowing members would apply for loans and Prosper would disburse the funds. In return, the lending member would get a .note. from Prosper, the department said.

Kentucky and other states .consider the notes to be securities that were not registered for sale, as required by law,. the department said in a statement. .Regulators also were concerned that Prosper failed to disclose the true risks involved in the transactions.. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/614113.html http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/614113.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 19:12 EST
Alpha now expects earnings to range between $175 million and $185 million this year. That's down from an earlier range of $230 million to $270 million.

Blame for much of the Abingdon, Va.-based company's woes rests with the steel industry. The slowing economy has slashed demand for steel. In turn, that's hurting demand for raw materials such as iron ore and metallurgical-grade coal, which is used to fuel steel mill blast furnaces.

Alpha is trimming its fourth-quarter estimate of metallurgical coal shipments by 500,000 tons because customers are deferring delivery of shipments. One customer has asked to reopen negotiations for a 2009 metallurgical coal contract, the company said.

"Business has slowed. A lot of metals go into capital-spending related uses and if companies cut their capital spending, that has a meaningful impact," said Charles Bradford, a steel industry analyst with Bradford Research/Soleil Securities.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/614033.html http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/614033.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:26 EST
A company that makes uniforms for businesses is shutting down two plants in Kentucky and laying off nearly 300 people.

Cintas Corp. will close plants in Owingsville and Hazard on Jan. 31.

"Unfortunately, the economic climate and reduction in demand for products manufactured at these plants left us with limited options," chief executive Cintas Scott Farmer said in a new release. "Our top priority is to assist our employee-partners and their families throughout this transition," he said.

Perry Manufacturing in Hazard employs 142 workers. It primarily makes uniform work shirts. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/613903.html http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/613903.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:07 EST
The day's downbeat news included a drop in productivity, a pullback in the services sector and the Federal Reserve's finding of worsening economic conditions across the country. Investors were initially disheartened by each piece of news but soon shook off their disappointment - until the next dismal report was issued.

Analysts largely believe that much of the bad news is already priced into the market, and they again said stocks remain in a bottoming process after the huge declines of the past two months.

"The market is beginning to look forward, and a lot of the selling pressure appears to be abating," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at New York-based brokerage house Avalon Partners. "Perhaps some of the hedge funds are becoming less aggressive in selling, and investors are starting to look at the future."

The Fed's report, known as the beige book, said the country's economic picture has deteriorated, with Americans hunkered down heading into the holidays. The report suggests the economy was sinking deeper into recession.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/614027.html http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/614027.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:28 EST
The Institute for Supply Management, a trade group of purchasing executives, said Wednesday that its services sector index fell to 37.3 in November from 44.4 in October. It was well below the reading of 42 expected by Wall Street economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters, even after a report earlier this week that the U.S. has been in a recession for a year.

A reading below 50 signals contraction in the sector, which accounts for about 80 percent of the U.S. economy, while a reading above 50 indicates growth.

Readings for new orders, employment and prices all hit the lowest levels on records dating back to 1997. Of 18 industries in the survey, including warehousing, real estate, restaurants and wholesale trade, only one - health care and social assistance - reported growth.

The index's employment reading fell sharply, dropping to 31.3 in November from 41.5 in October, which means companies reporting job cuts outnumbered those with gains by a ratio of more than eight to one.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/613686.html http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/613686.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:41 EST
DALLAS . Executives of major U.S. airlines, already seeing signs of slumping travel demand, said Tuesday they were ready to cut more flights, and Delta hinted at more job losses as the carriers jockey to survive the deepening recession.

U.S. airlines have been helped by a sudden drop in jet fuel prices, and they already cut capacity this fall to further reduce costs and drive up fares.

But traffic has fallen even faster than the supply of seats, especially since the stock market went into a nosedive.

"October was a bang-up month, almost unexplainably strong," said Southwest Airlines Co. Chairman and Chief Executive Gary Kelly. "The trends changed in November." ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/613689.html http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/613689.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:41 EST
NEW YORK . The troubles that are part of imaginary life on daytime dramas are hitting those shows for real in the form of budget cuts and dismissals.

Salaries of All My Children regulars including longtime stars Susan Lucci, Michael E. Knight and Ray MacDonnell are seeing their paychecks shrink as part of a cost-cutting policy being applied to all three of ABC's soaps, including One Life to Live and General Hospital .

Without offering specifics, ABC Daytime on Tuesday confirmed a new focus on belt-tightening.

A statement from the network spoke of "carefully and responsibly managing our costs, which include some production cuts, but in ways the audience will not see on screen." ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/612988.html http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/612988.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:47 EST
Every major automaker reported a year-over-year sales decline of more than 30 percent on Tuesday. The Detroit carmakers were among the worst hit, with GM's U.S. sales falling 41 percent and Chrysler LLC's dropping 47 percent.

Their overseas rivals posted abysmal results as well. Toyota's sales tumbled 34 percent, while Nissan's dropped 42 percent and Honda's fell 32 percent.

"Our industry is in a much more severe situation than the rest of the economy," said Mike DiGiovanni, General Motors Corp.'s executive director of global market and industry analysis. "We cannot continue at these levels or else the entire industry is going to go down."

U.S. auto sales in November fell to 746,789, according to Autodata Corp. On a seasonally adjusted basis, automakers reported an annual sales rate of 10.2 million units, the lowest level since October 1982.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/612865.html http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/612865.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:36 EST
After grilling the CEOs at hearings last month, Congressional leaders demanded plans from the automakers by Tuesday to show that they will survive if they get federal funds. The plan Ford submitted said the company will cancel all management employees' 2009 bonuses and will not pay any merit increases for its North American salaried employees next year.

The company also said it will sell its five corporate aircraft. The CEOs of all three Detroit automakers were harshly criticized during last month's hearings for flying to Washington in separate corporate jets.

Mulally said in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday that Ford will give much more detail to Congress than it did previously, and the company will emphasize the steps it has taken to cut its labor costs with the United Auto Workers union.

Mulally said Ford will seek $9 billion as its share of the loan money but may not need to use it. The Dearborn-based company has said it has enough cash to make it through next year without assistance.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/615003.html http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/615003.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:53 EST
So this time what happened in Vegas didn't stay in Vegas.

It improved on Vegas.

Four days after winning the Las Vegas Invitational, Kentucky whipped visiting Lamar 103-61 Wednesday night, and easily looked the best the Cats have looked this young season.

Easily. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/614846.html http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/614846.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:10 EST
A scary injury to wing Ramon Harris marred an otherwise festive game for Kentucky Wednesday night.

The Cats routed Lamar 103-61, which marked UK's first 100-point total in a home victory in almost five years (101-72 over Eastern Kentucky on Dec. 23, 2003).

But a head-to-head collision between Michael Porter and Harris in the first half muted what could have been a party atmosphere.

Of the two UK players, Harris appeared the more seriously hurt. He laid on the floor on his back for almost eight minutes before being carted off on a stretcher. At times, his outstretched legs twitched. Teammate Patrick Patterson said he saw Harris' fingers curl up and tears flow down his cheeks. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/614606.html http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/614606.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 19:04 EST http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/614499.html http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/614499.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:30 EST
Former major-league player and veteran minor-league manager Tom Lawless was named the new manager of the Lexington Legends on Wednesday.

The Legends' parent club, the Houston Astros, announced the move.

Lawless replaces Gregg Langbehn, who managed the Legends the past two seasons.

Langbehn was hired last month to manage the Traverse City (Mich.) Beach Bums of the independent Frontier League. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/614422.html http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/614422.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:27 EST http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/614138.html http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/614138.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:21 EST
Lexington Christian Academy football coach Paul Rains said Lucas Witt's gutsy performance in leading the Eagles to victory over host Raceland convinced him that Witt was a special kind of quarterback.

No surprise there, except Rains wasn't talking about Witt's play in LCA's playoff win at Raceland last week.

He was referring to when Witt was a 5-foot-9, 140-pound freshman and got his first start in the fifth game of the 2006 season.

"He ran and scrambled all over the field, got beat half to death, tossed it here and tossed it there, and we beat Raceland," Rains recalled. "And most of it was that skinny little freshman running all over the place making plays. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/613454.html http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/613454.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 07:23 EST
You'd think Gardner-Webb and Virginia Military Institute cured anyone of a bias against mid-major teams.

But Kentucky Coach Billy Gillispie noted a possible snooty attitude as he discussed his team's game against Lamar Wednesday night.

"Unless it's the SEC or ACC or Big 10 or Big 12, one of the major conferences, people don't give those teams enough respect," he said at a news conference Tuesday night.

In Gillispie's mind, Lamar, which enjoys its first 5-0 start to a season since 1997-98, deserves respect for at least two reasons: Quickness and experience. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/613166.html http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/613166.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:17 EST
Billy Gillispie has a one-track mind.

That's it.

He is all about winning basketball games.

That must be it. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/613242.html http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/613242.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 07:25 EST
Freshman Randall Cobb had successful arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Tuesday, Coach Rich Brooks said.

"This will take a little longer rehabilitation than some of the cartilage repairs we've had in the past," Brooks said. "He won't practice for two-to-three weeks. I wouldn't rule him out, but he looks to be doubtful to play in the bowl game."

Cobb, who sustained the injury during Saturday's game at Tennessee, has started the last four games at quarterback. At wide receiver, he has caught 21 passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns. He has also returned punts, averaging 8.4 yards a return.

Sophomore Mike Hartline is expected to return to the No. 1 quarterback position in Cobb's absence. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/613588.html http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/613588.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 07:32 EST
CINCINNATI . It spread like a cold virus through a day care center.

It was the clinks, the bricks, the clunks.

For more than 11 minutes of the first half, Kentucky couldn't make a basket.

For more than eight minutes of the first half, Kentucky didn't score at all. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/613575.html http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/613575.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:22 EST
Coming into the new basketball season, Nick Hudson was Paul Dunbar's one proven scorer.

Where else would the Bulldogs get their points if they were to live up to their No.14 pre-season rating?

That question was answered, at least for one game, as Tod Lanter pumped in 26 points to lead host Dunbar past district rival Tates Creek 89-75 in Tuesday night's season opener.

Lanter, a 6-foot-2 senior who didn't get much playing time last year, hit six of 10 three-pointers. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/613857.html http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/613857.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 05:44 EST
Girls' scores, boxes ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/613337.html http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/613337.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:58 EST http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/613192.html http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/613192.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:07 EST
LAS CRUCES, N.M. . New Mexico State fired football coach Hal Mumme on Tuesday, ending a four-year run during which the program often ended up in the news for the wrong reasons.

Athletic director McKinley Boston said he has begun a national search for a successor. Head coaching experience won't be required, just an eagerness to work with a program that for decades has been one of the worst in major college football.

"I am looking for energy, a fire in the belly, someone with at least experience as a coordinator," Boston said. "It would help to have familiarity with this part of the country. We need an exceptional recruiter and someone who enjoys the external part of job."

The Aggies lost seven straight games to end the season 3-9 and 1-7 in the Western Athletic Conference. They lost 49-0 at home to Boise State and ended the year last weekend with a 47-2 defeat at Utah State. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/613142.html http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/613142.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:52 EST
Dixieland Band has been pensioned from stud duties at Lane's End Farm near Versailles.

Dixieland Band sired 115 stakes winners, according to a release from the farm, with progeny earnings in excess of $73.7 million,

The 28-year-old remains in good overall health, but his arthritis has prompted his retirement. He will remain at Lane's End.

Dixieland Band won the Grade II Pennsylvania Derby and Grade II Massachusetts Handicap before he was retired in 1985. He is one of the original three stallions to enter stud at Lane's End (the others were Fit to Fight and Hero's Honor). ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/614371.html http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/614371.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:59 EST
The ceramic vessel is elaborately hand-painted in an Asian style, featuring blossoms, mockingbirds, vases and trees, and has a cherry wood bottom. Its top is affixed with a tar-like seal, which led workers to conclude that someone's ashes are inside.

"It was strange because it is obviously not something that happens every day. It just came in the back with a bunch of other donations," Helping Hands director Bill Crawford said.

There is no inscription to indicate whose remains are inside. The urn was among clothes, furniture and other items that were left a couple of months ago at the charity, which helps families in need.

"It is really pretty, but after we found out, we all just kind of stared at it for three days," worker Angela Garber said.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/614448.html http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/614448.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:17 EST
He said the 49-year-old suspect became intoxicated, went over to a neighbor's home on Thanksgiving and began waving a kitchen knife at people gathered on the lawn.

He cut several peoples' clothing before one of them decided to fight back.

Police said the man with the knife was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. The guest who took up the candy cane was not arrested because police determined he acted in self-defense.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/614549.html http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/614549.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:12 EST
The Santa in Keith McGuckin's installation at the Oberlin Public Library has no legs because of an accident involving alcohol and some power lines. An accompanying narrative explains that the tree later goes off to a strip club with money from Santa's Salvation Army kettle.

McGuckin's holiday creations have been raising eyebrows for years. His 2006 gingerbread Nazis drew so many complaints he was forced to remove them from a hardware store window.

Library director Darren McDonough said the latest display is staying. He jokes that if a library doesn't have something that offends, it's not doing its job.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/614415.html http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/614415.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 16:47 EST
But in the end, officials say all it took was some juicy green leaves on a branch held by the caretaker to lure the camels back into captivity.

Police spokesman Jaime Torres says the camels named Yull and Tobi escaped early Wednesday from the warehouse of a businessman, who had bought the animals for a planned amusement park.

Mexico has seen a rash of escaped animals lately, including four tigers, a 500-pound lion and a five-ton elephant.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/614487.html http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/614487.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:17 EST
When officers stopped the truck, the man told them he was teaching his son to drive. Officers say the father's speech was slurred, his breath smelled of alcohol and he unable to stand without swaying. Police said an open case of Budweiser beer was in the backseat.

The man was charged with cruelty toward a child and allowing an unlicensed minor to drive. He was released from jail on $2,000 bond. The man did not return a phone call seeking comment.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/614647.html http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/614647.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:32 EST
The manager of Stromboli Pizza in Allentown says a customer saw one of the restaurant cooks carving up a deer Tuesday. But John Okumus says the venison was not intended for the store.

He says he shot a doe during a hunt and left the carcass in the store's kitchen for pickup by a friend. Okumus says a customer complained to the city health department after seeing a cook mistakenly butcher the deer.

The department investigated the incident but did not issue a citation.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/614353.html http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/614353.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:42 EST
"My first reaction was - you gotta be kidding," he said Wednesday.

The fisherman who discovered the tarnished ring inside his catch contacted Richardson on Nov. 28 in Buna, about 100 miles northeast of Houston, after tracking him down with help from the Internet.

His fisherman hero asked to remain anonymous.

Richardson, 41, said he lost the ring about two weeks after his 1987 graduation from Universal Technical Institute in Houston. His mom had bought it for about $200 and wasn't pleased when it went missing.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/614435.html http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/614435.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:33 EST
All of the lobster's excess appendages worked.

Marks trapped the mutated animal about 60 miles south of Newport and hauled her up on Monday.

Marks told the Newport Daily News he sometimes lets lobsters go out of guilt when they look at him funny.

So after showed off the multi-clawed lobster for most of the day, he let her go. She weighed 1.5 pounds and could have sold for $7.50 retail.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/614546.html http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/614546.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:07 EST
Police said the driver of the Mazda RX7 accidentally hit the gas instead of the clutch. The driver, who was not ticketed, said she recently bought the car but had only driven it a few times.

Bulldogs Tour owner John La Verne refunded the tour fee although some completed the outing.

La Verne said he's glad the accident wasn't worse, saying Charleston doesn't "need any more ghost stories."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/614770.html http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/614770.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:17 EST
Sheriff David Clarke said it's a common-sense approach to clean-up chores no one is eager to take on.

"Look, somebody has to do it," Clarke said. "It's cost effective because the alternative is to pay a county worker to do the job. With pay and benefits, that comes to $30 an hour."

Those who volunteer get biohazard training and protective gear.

"This isn't heart surgery and it's not like we're asking them to handle nuclear waste," Clarke said. "It's janitorial work and they do have to be trained properly because of AIDS and hepatitis."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/613210.html http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/613210.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:27 EST
The woman, 18 was booked into the Tulsa Jail at 3 a.m. Tuesday. She faces complaints of larceny of an automobile and leaving the scene of property damage.

Alonzo Johnson said his truck was stolen after he left it running while he was inside a QuikTrip store.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/613290.html http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/613290.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:32 EST
Elizabeth Ayers said the family figured the cat had been caught by a coyote. Her three young daughters, 6-year-old twins Tamara and Evelyn and 8-year-old Marisa, were sad about losing the cat.

"Tamara in particular had been very upset," Ayers said. "Every day she'd say, 'Mom, is Fluffy coming back?"

Fluffy somehow survived for about three months despite the coyotes, foxes, owls, hawks, eagles and grizzly bears that frequent the West Yellowstone area.

"It's pretty amazing," said Rick Armstrong, a West Yellowstone school guidance counselor, whose family lives north of town. "There's plenty of predators that would want to eat a little cat."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/613181.html http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/613181.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:27 EST
Mark Ciarmello and his 3-year-old daughter found the bottle along a beach in Corolla, N.C., in October. That's about 400 miles from where it was released.

The Downingtown, Pa., resident said he got on his cell phone, called North Haledon and e-mailed photos of the bottle to the firefighters.

No one is sure who tossed the bottle. But firefighters suspect it was during one of the many fishing trips that they used to take years ago.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/613216.html http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/613216.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:27 EST
According to the Manatee County sheriff's report a 37-year-old man was arrested last week after he threw a 3-foot Christmas tree at his father. The tree missed, but the man then tried to use the steel base from the tree to strike his father.

His father and mother were able to grab his arms to prevent the attack. Deputies say the tree could have caused serious injuries because the metal base weighs about five pounds.

The man was charged with felony assault. He denied trying to strike his father.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/613552.html http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/613552.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 22:52 EST
According to the Manatee County sheriff's report, 37-year-old Thomas Edward Lackie was arrested and charged with felony assault last week.

Authorities say he threw the 3-foot Christmas tree at his father but missed. They say he then tried to use its steel base to strike him. His father and mother subdued him.

The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reports that he denied trying to strike his father.

Authorities didn't immediately return a call by The Associated Press seeking information on the incident and whether Lackie has a lawyer.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/612688.html http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/612688.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 06:36 EST
Nassau County officers say they spotted a woman trying to make a three-point turn on a road in East Meadow. They say that when she couldn't complete the maneuver, she switched places with a male passenger, who took the steering wheel and completed the turn while not wearing a seat belt.

Police pulled them over and charged them with drunken driving.

As police Commissioner Lawrence Mulvey put it, "We have two individuals arrested for driving the same car intoxicated."

The man and the woman were arraigned Friday on driving while intoxicated and other charges.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/613189.html http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/613189.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:27 EST
Authorities said the investigation began about 4:30 a.m., after a woman reported a loud noise and discovered her 4-foot-tall Santa and snowman had been taken from her yard.

After deputies went to her home, another neighbor who was walking her dog reported that she, too, had been targeted.

The woman was awaiting a bail review hearing.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/613232.html http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/613232.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:27 EST
Patrol spokesman Chuck Allen said the crew tried to signal the woman after they spotted the unusual appendage to her green Subaru wagon about 4:30 a.m. but couldn't get her attention.

He said the crew eventually initiated a traffic stop and radioed the state troopers. Upon their arrival, the woman failed a sobriety test and was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence.

Allen said they are still trying to find the service station that is missing the nozzle and about 6 feet of fuel hose.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/613121.html http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/613121.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:27 EST
Police said the grill created dangerous carbon monoxide levels in the apartment building. Two residents were taken to a local hospital for evaluation.

The man has been released on a $500 bond.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/611550.html http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/611550.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:31 EST
The casket is manufactured by Eternal Image of Michigan, which has a licensing agreement with Major League Baseball.

Bob Biggins, co-director of Magoun-Biggins Funeral Home in Rockland, tells The Boston Globe families in mourning often want their loved ones buried with favorite items. In the past that's included Red Sox paraphernalia; the casket takes it to the next step.

Biggins says the family that chose the $3,000 Red Sox casket bearing serial number 0001 did not hesitate in picking it for their father.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/615025.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/615025.html Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:02 EST
State Police spokeswoman Paris Ervin says 10 ambulances were sent to the site of the accident Wednesday night on Interstate 39 near the village of Lostant. She didn't immediately have information on injuries.

A dispatcher at the LaSalle County sheriff's office says students went to three area hospitals, but she didn't know the number.

Ervin says at least two vehicles, including the bus, were involved in the accident, which occurred on an icy road. But she says it's too early to speculate on the cause of the crash.

The interstate has been closed. Lostant is located about 50 miles north of Bloomington.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614984.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614984.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:02 EST
Kazuyoshi Miura, 61, was found hanging in a Los Angeles Police Department cell on Oct. 10.

His lawyer Mark Geragos hired an independent pathologist to examine the body, then said injuries found on Miura were consistent with murder.

Police said Miura hanged himself with a piece of his shirt less than 24 hours after he was returned to the United States to stand trial for conspiring to murder his wife 27 years ago.

The Miura case was a sensation in Japan, where it was known as "the Japanese O.J. case."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614979.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614979.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:17 EST
Effectively aligning with the Republican congressman's defense, the House counsel says in a friend-of-the-court brief that federal prosecutors and the FBI repeatedly violated the Constitution's speech or debate clause, which grants members of Congress protections for their legislative acts.

The Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group of the House asserted that its brief is intended "to articulate and protect the House's interests - and not to defend defendant Congressman Richard Renzi."

Renzi, who was first indicted by a federal grand jury in February, is accused of engineering a swap of federally owned mining land to benefit himself and a former business partner. He is also charged with collaborating with the former president of his insurance company by misappropriating insurance premiums of his company's clients for his and others' enrichment.

The speech and debate provision gives members of Congress protection from having to disclose information about their legislative work and bars the Justice Department from indicting or prosecuting for those activities.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614974.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614974.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 22:52 EST
Andrew Mogilyansky, 38, of Richboro, was charged with traveling abroad to engage in illegal sexual activity and with committing sex crimes while overseas.

A federal indictment alleges he molested three teenage girls brought to his apartment in St. Petersburg, Russia, from a nearby orphanage in late 2003 and early 2004, then recruited them into an online-based child prostitution business in Moscow that he ran with several other people.

The girls were 13 and 14 years old, Acting U.S. Attorney Laurie Magid said.

"The significance of this case is, we want people to fully understand that you cannot just go to another country and think you are out of the reach of law enforcement," Magid said.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614959.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614959.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:02 EST
Carter said Wednesday night that "We Can Bring Peace to the Holy Land" will be published in January, just after the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama.

"I was going to call it, 'Yes, We Can.' My wife talked me out of it," Carter joked toward the end of a panel discussion on human rights at The Carter Center. He offered no further details on the new text, to be published by Simon & Schuster.

As president, Carter brokered peace between Israel and Egypt. But Jewish groups and some fellow Democrats strongly objected to his book published two years ago because it compared Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories with former racial oppression in South Africa.

During the panel discussion at the conclusion of a two-day forum of international human rights activists, Carter said the "persecution of Palestinians" and lack of U.S. commitment to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict remains one of the most volatile issues in the Muslim world.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614942.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614942.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 22:27 EST
The Los Angeles County coroner released the results Wednesday, noting that toxicology reports on Robert Sanchez came back clean and that injuries he sustained from the crash were "rapidly fatal."

Federal investigators have said Sanchez was text messaging 22 seconds before his train collided with a Union Pacific freight on Sept. 12 in Chatsworth.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614925.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614925.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 22:57 EST
The eight-ton, 72-foot Norway spruce was illuminated Wednesday night in the Manhattan plaza after performances by entertainers including Tony Bennett, Harry Connick Jr., Jamie Foxx and Beyonce.

"It's been an awesome experience," said Tracey Davison, 40, a teacher's assistant from Pascagoula, Miss. "I have a famous living room because of the tree from last year, and my girls and I have had a spectacular trip to New York for the first time."

This year's tree was decorated with 30,000 energy-efficient LED lights on five miles of wire, topped with a 750-pound star made of 25,000 Swarovski crystals. It was donated by the Varanyak family in Hamilton Township, N.J.

Among the thousands of onlookers who gathered to watch the annual tradition were Davison and her four daughters: Ashunti, 10; Nylah, 9; Majsa, 8; and Karly, 4.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614817.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614817.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:07 EST
Dritan Duka did not seem to be influenced by the man being paid by the government, unlike other recordings played in the seven-week trial.

On a recording informant Besnik Bakalli made on March 10, 2007, the day after the men watched a video of a lecture by Anwar al-Awlaki, a Yemeni imam who lived in the United States for a time, Bakalli can be heard asking Duka where he wanted to strike.

"I say here because he gave the fatwa," or religious decree, Duka responds. "Hit them here."

Duka and four other foreign-born Muslims are charged with conspiring to kill military personnel, attempted murder and weapons offenses. They were arrested in May 2007, and no attack was carried out.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614791.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614791.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:47 EST
With the Indiana operation, state officials have seized 32 children associated with the ministries over allegations of beatings and sexual abuse.

Alamo, 74, remains held without bond, charged with violating the Mann Act, a federal law that bans transporting women or girls across state lines for "prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose."

Julie Munsell, a spokeswoman for the Arkansas Department of Human Services, declined to say where or how the six children in Indiana were taken into state custody.

Anthony Lane, a father of three of the children, said officials acted Tuesday after receiving a tip from him about their location.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614777.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614777.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:27 EST
The amount of the settlement had been sealed until Wednesday, when a state appellate court overturned a lower court's decision to keep the settlement private.

Antonia Verni, 11, and her mother, Fazila, sought to keep the settlement private because of concerns over how the girl's estranged father handled funds from earlier settlements with other defendants.

The family sued Philadelphia-based Aramark Corp., Giants Stadium's concessionaire, claiming that employees continued to serve beer to Daniel Lanzaro of Cresskill even though he was visibly intoxicated.

Lanzaro had a blood alcohol level of 0.226, more than twice the legal limit at the time, after the 1999 accident. Antonia, then 2, was paralyzed from the neck down.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614772.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614772.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 22:57 EST
District Judge Lee Munson issued the order at the request of a lawyer for Curtis Lavelle Vance, who is charged in the death of Anne Pressly.

Pressly, 26, was found beaten and unconscious in her home Oct. 20 and died five days later in a hospital without ever gaining consciousness. Her parents say she had been sexually assaulted and beaten so severely that part of her jaw bone was broken away.

In his order, the judge barred prosecution and defense lawyers, law enforcement officers, the FBI, state Crime Laboratory employees and state Medical Examiner staff from commenting to the media on the case. He also sealed the investigative file.

Munson said he granted the request to protect Vance's right to a fair trial. He said the order would be in effect until Vance appears in circuit court for his plea and arraignment.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614767.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614767.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:27 EST
Of those, the military reports 404 were killed by hostile action.

Outside the Afghan region, the Defense Department reports 66 more members of the U.S. military died in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Of those, three were the result of hostile action. The military lists these other locations as Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba; Djibouti; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Jordan; Kenya; Kyrgyzstan; Philippines; Seychelles; Sudan; Tajikistan; Turkey; and Yemen.

There were also four CIA officer deaths and one military civilian death.

---]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614765.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614765.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:27 EST
The figure includes eight military civilians killed in action. At least 3,395 military personnel died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.

The AP count is two fewer than the Defense Department's tally, last updated Wednesday at 10 a.m. EST.

The British military has reported 176 deaths; Italy, 33; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 21; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Denmark, seven; El Salvador, five; Slovakia, four; Latvia and Georgia, three each; Estonia, Netherlands, Thailand and Romania, two each; and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan and South Korea, one death each.

---]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614752.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614752.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:17 EST
Simon and Michelle Nget, owners of the Saigon Grill restaurant group, are accused of failing to pay legal wages to dozens of employees at their popular Vietnamese restaurants in Manhattan and then fabricating records to conceal the violations.

In some cases, the restaurant tried to make it look like workers were being paid legally by having them cash regular paychecks, prosecutors said. Once the check cleared, however, the workers were required to give the money back, they said.

Over time, employees were cheated out of millions of dollars, officials said, adding that the state's unemployment insurance program was also cheated.

"Like so many restaurants across New York City, Saigon Grill was run on the backs of its workers," said Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who brought the criminal case. "These workers allowed the business to thrive, and in exchange they were allegedly cheated out of wages ... and then pulled into a painstaking ploy to cover it all up."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614747.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614747.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:07 EST
U.S. District Judge Marianne Battani rejected Richard Convertino's request that Karim Koubriti's lawsuit be dismissed.

Koubriti, a North African immigrant, was convicted in 2003 of conspiring to aid terrorists, but the conviction was tossed in 2004 after the U.S. Justice Department said evidence was withheld from the defense. Koubriti is suing Convertino, saying his constitutional rights were violated.

"Karim is looking forward to getting his day in court and holding Mr. Convertino responsible for his outrageous conduct," Koubriti's lawyer Ben Gonek said.

Battani said Koubriti's lawsuit can go forward, based on a 1971 Supreme Court ruling in a case involving federal drug agents who were accused of an illegal search and arrest.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614730.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614730.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:42 EST
William Balfour appeared in court for the first time in connection with the deaths and was denied bond. His attorney said authorities have no forensic evidence linking Balfour to the killings, but prosecutors said witness statements and the suspect's own lies and threats helped lead them to him.

Balfour was charged with murder Tuesday after being held for weeks on a parole violation. The slightly built man, wearing a yellow jump suit, stood quietly Wednesday as prosecutor LuAnn Snow described how he allegedly killed his 7-year-old stepson, Julian King, Hudson's mother, Darnell Hudson Donerson, and Hudson's brother, Jason Hudson.

Snow said Balfour had been at the Hudsons' South Side home early Oct. 24 and confronted his estranged wife, Julia Hudson, about a birthday present he believed she had received from a boyfriend.

Balfour, Snow said, also had shown up to Julia Hudson's workplace earlier in the month to confront her about dating another man.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614669.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614669.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:42 EST
The indictments don't allege any money was missing. They include four felony charges, each carrying a possible sentence of up to four years in prison.

Krolicki has said he is being targeted for political reasons. He was the first Republican to announce plans to run against U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in 2010.

He said the indictment was the result of "a secretive process" that was unfairly orchestrated by Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto.

Representatives for Masto and Reid, both Democrats, deny any politics were involved.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614644.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614644.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:27 EST
Brown and Thapar were named Wednesday for work providing a broader understanding of human development in past cultures.

Brown, a 73-year-old Princeton University professor, was recognized for work on the transition between classical and modern civilizations.

Thapar, a 77-year-old emeritus professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, was honored for work showing Indian civilization as more pluralistic than was widely accepted.

They will receive the award Dec. 10 at the Library of Congress and share the prize money.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614633.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614633.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:22 EST
Friends and associates of King gathered in Washington to hear an update on the memorial's progress.

"I like what I see because now we're going to have his words etched in stone," said Xernona Clayton, who served as King's assistant and later worked as a television personality and broadcast executive in Atlanta.

Clayton, who pledged to ask friends to donate whatever they can, added, "I don't think the masses understand what they can do to assist."

Others urged the King memorial foundation to capitalize on the enthusiasm behind President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration to help raise money. The inaugural ceremonies, expected to draw hundreds of thousands of people to Washington on Jan. 20, will come the day after the King holiday.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614592.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614592.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:42 EST
State Sen. Joe Scarnati (scar-NAH-tee) was sworn in Wednesday as the replacement for the late Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll. He assumed the job under the state constitution's rules of succession.

Gov. Ed Rendell says he is confident that their disagreements will be amicable and resolved with the state's best interests in mind.

Scarnati says he's a "big enough person to look beyond partisan politics."

Scarnati also will keep his seat in the state Senate and his post as its president pro tempore.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/614947.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/614947.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 22:30 EST
David Brannen is thrilled at the forming of the new Anglican Communion in North America.

The rector of St. Andrews Anglican Church in Versailles said his church is part of a denomination that is forming the new communion.

St. Andrews was formed about three years ago and has about 250 members. It is under the authority of the Anglican Church of Uganda, which has split recently with other Anglican communions over homosexuality and other issues.

Brannen is a former priest in the Episcopal Church, the Anglican body in the United States with ties to the Church of England. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/614759.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/614759.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:01 EST
"Initial reports were promising that UK junior wing Ramon Harris was not seriously injured in a first-half collision with Michael Porter.

Harris, who left Rupp Arena on a stretcher, was alert and undergoing tests, UK spokesman DeWayne Peevy said at halftime. Harris had movement in all extremities, Peevy said.

Harris and Porter were injured when they collided head to head in a loose-ball situation. Harris remained on the floor for about eight minutes.

Porter needed 10 stitches to close a cut over his left eye."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/614812.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/614812.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:00 EST
A Nicholas County High School student has been diagnosed with whooping cough, according to a letter sent home to parents. The letter also notified parents of a case of chicken pox.

The student with whooping cough has been treated with antibiotics for five days and is now considered non-contagious.

The announcement comes on the heels of Tuesday's news that a student at Shannon Johnson Elementary School in Berea may also have whooping cough.

Whooping cough, formally called pertussis, is a highly contagious bacterial infection spread through tiny drops of fluid from an infected person's nose or mouth. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/614807.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/614807.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:55 EST
The University of Kentucky would drain most of its reserve funds for classroom improvements and scholarships and freeze hiring for as many as 150 positions if forced to cut its budget by 4 percent.

The long-term effects would be severe, the university warned in a three-page draft of how it would carry out a $12.7 million reduction in state funds. Undergraduates "would bear the brunt of the consequences" with less availability of classes causing graduation delays and a possible double-digit tuition increase next year if the cuts are extended.

UK broadly outlined its reduction plan to the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education late Wednesday after Gov. Steve Beshear's budget office requested plans from every state agency and pubic university. The state is scrambling to cope with an expected shortfall of $456 million this fiscal year, which ends June 30, 2009.

UK's document doesn't put dollar amounts next to each item to be cut but it foreshadows tough days ahead. The state has already scaled back funding to UK by $20 million in the last 11 months. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/614743.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/614743.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:30 EST
An 18-year-old man faces murder charges after a 2-year-old girl he was charged with raping and beating last week died at the Kentucky Children's Hospital.

Brian Matthew Crabtree is being held in the Fayette County Detention Center on charges of first-degree rape, first-degree sexual abuse and first-degree assault.

The Fayette County coroner's report said the child, Katelynn Stinnett, was assaulted on Nov. 25 in a home at 2034 Cumins Court off Versailles Road. An autopsy is pending.

According to court documents, police said Crabtree admitted raping the child, plus dropping her several feet to the floor. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/614724.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/614724.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 19:35 EST
The veterinarian at the center of a notorious horse-racing medication case said on Wednesday that he never gave cobra venom to an active racehorse, let alone one in the care of top trainer Patrick Biancone.

Dr. Rodney J. Stewart, who told Kentucky racing authorities that three vials of powdered cobra venom found in a refrigerator in Biancone's barns at Keeneland, were there by chance, the result of being in transit from Versailles back to Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Stewart, who has been suspended since Aug. 16, 2007, testified Wednesday in an appeal of his five-year suspension, evidently the harshest ever imposed by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.

Cobra venom can be used to deaden nerves and has some legitimate use in non-racing horse, but is a banned substance on the tracks because of its potential for abuse. There is no test that can detect it. While Stewart doesn't dispute that the cobra venom and other drugs were at Keeneland, he said they weren't there to be given to a racehorse. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/614719.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/614719.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 19:30 EST
Defense attorneys for three men charged in connection with a scheme to tamper with $130 million in state road contracts say the federal government is keeping its investigators from interviewing witnesses in the case.

Lawyers for road contractor Leonard Lawson also say an April jury scheduled to hear arguments in the case should not be presented evidence involving Lawson's political donations because the information is irrelevant and could prejudice a jury.

Lawson, former Transportation Secretary Bill Nighbert and Lawson employee Brian Billings were indicted in September on a host of charges including conspiracy, bribery, obstruction of justice and witness tampering.

In defense motions filed Wednesday, lawyers for the three men say that their investigator has been blocked from speaking to various witnesses, including current Transportation Cabinet employees. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/614704.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/614704.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 19:15 EST
Versailles police are seeking the public's help in recovering property stolen from the residence of Patricia Last, who has been reported missing since Oct. 1.

Charged in the case with first-degree burglary is Richard Kincaid. "He remains under investigation," said Versailles police officer Pat Melton.

"It's a big puzzle and where the next piece comes from we don't know," Melton said. But "detectives are working very, very hard on this case."

Stolen items include heirloom jewelry and antique furniture. Anyone who received or bought items from Kincaid is asked to contact the Versailles Police Department at (859) 873-3126. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/614672.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/614672.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:43 EST http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/614572.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/614572.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:28 EST http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/614557.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/614557.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:20 EST
William Gallion, a disbarred Lexington-area lawyer accused of cheating his clients out of millions in a diet-drug lawsuit settlement, is appealing a federal judge's refusal to reschedule his February trial.

Gallion's lawyer, O. Hale Almand, Jr., of Georgia, has repeatedly asked U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves to reschedule the trial because Almand has a trial scheduled for January in Georgia and another trial scheduled for March in Mississippi. Gallion and co-defendant Shirley Cunningham's trial would likely not end before the start of the trial in Mississippi.

Almand filed an appeal this week to the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. He is asking the court to fast track his appeal so he can get a quick ruling.

In a motion filed with the Sixth Circuit, Almand wrote that he told Reeves in July that he had three trials scheduled in Georgia and Mississippi. He has reminded Reeves repeatedly in other motions. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/614332.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/614332.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:16 EST
NICHOLASVILLE . A Jessamine County man faces an attempted murder charge after he allegedly tried to fire a handgun at his estranged wife, police said.

Robert Gill, 54, of Nicholasville pleaded not guilty earlier this week during an appearance in Jessamine District Court.

The incident allegedly happened at 5:45 p.m. Friday at the Keene Springs Inn restaurant, 209 Keene-South Elkhorn Road. Gill's estranged wife, Deborah, 48, operates the restaurant, Jessamine County Sheriff Kevin Corman said.

"He brandished a weapon and said something like, 'You remember me?' and then pulled the trigger a couple of times," Corman said. "For whatever reason, the gun didn't go off." ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/614256.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/614256.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:16 EST
Telephone calls are being collected now for an annual radio broadcast reaching thousands of prison inmates.

Calls From Home allows family and friends to communicate with their loved ones who are locked up in U.S. prisons, often many hours away.

People record short messages, poems and shout-outs that are compiled and played on radio stations that reach prisoners in many parts of the United States.

On Dec. 13, Calls From Home will be available for download at www.thousandkites.org. During the holidays, about 200 radio stations around the nation will play the three-hour program at some point. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/614215.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/614215.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:27 EST
Metcalfe County Corner Larry Wilson says 14-year-old Colton Marshall of Summersville accidentally shot himself while hunting with his uncle in Metcalfe County on Thanksgiving Day.

The Glasgow Daily Times reports that Marshall tried to fire a single-shot shotgun but nothing happened so he turned the gun around and it discharged.

Metcalfe County Sheriff's Deputy Mark Jandt says a round struck Marshall in the neck.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/614213.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/614213.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:50 EST
A 20-year-old Laurel County woman faces endangerment charges stemming from a recent sleep-over where alcohol was served to three minors.

Whitney Nicole Denny was arrested on three counts each of wanton endangerment and unlawful transaction with a minor, according to a Kentucky State Police news release.

The charges stem from an investigation of the alleged incident last weekend at a house on Vanzant Road in southern Laurel County. One of the parents called state police and asked them to check on her daughter. The teenage girls were intoxicated and required medical attention at an area hospital.

Denny was arraigned Wednesday morning in Laurel District Court by Judge John Miller. She is in the Laurel County jail on $25,000 bond, of which she must pay 10 percent. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 9. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/614467.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/614467.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:10 EST
Police in Ohio said Wednesday they probably won't file criminal charges against a Lexington Catholic High School hockey player in connection with a serious injury to another player in a game last weekend.

Detective Paul Markowski of the Kettering Police Department said that after talking with referees in the game he could determine no criminal liability in connection with the play that injured Kyle Cannon, 14.

Cannon suffered broken vertebra in his neck and had some lingering paralysis after the incident Sunday.

"It's a tragedy; we're all sorry something like this happened. But it was a sporting event," Markowski said in a telephone interview. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/613414.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/613414.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:43 EST
Well, the economists finally made it official this week: We're in a recession. And, guess what? They said it began a year ago.

If you're like the three-fourths of Americans who consider themselves to be "middle class," this probably didn't come as a surprise. Many people feel as if they've been losing economic ground for years. That's because many of them have been.

America has been a generally prosperous nation since World War II, achieving the highest overall standard of living in the planet's history. The reasons are many, including advances in technology and global economic trends that have made goods cheap and available. Americans have been innovative, entrepreneurial and they have worked hard. At times, the nation has made significant public investments in physical infrastructure, such as highways, and social infrastructure, such as schools.

But the pain being felt in this recession has brought new attention to a trend economists have been watching for years: The rich really are getting richer, the poor really are getting poorer and the middle class has been shrinking steadily since the late 1970s. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/613989.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/613989.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:13 EST http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/613966.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/613966.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:28 EST http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/614131.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/614131.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:17 EST
Fish & Wildlife Commissioner Jon Gassett told The Courier-Journal that he intends to meet with park officials to discuss having the state operate Otter Creek as a wildlife-management area.

Abramson announced Monday the park would close Dec. 14 in an effort to help offset a projected $20 million city budget shortfall this fiscal year because it loses about $500,000 annually.

The city decided Tuesday to delay the closing until Jan. 1, so people can use the park's lodging and facilities over the holidays.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/613916.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/613916.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:10 EST
A driver and passenger in a car that crashed into a tree Tuesday in Woodford County died on Wednesday.

The driver of the car, Trent Sullivan, 20, died at UK shortly after midnight Tuesday.

Zachary Hutchens, 22, was taken to UK Hospital in critical condition and died later Wednesday after the one-car accident that occurred a little before 10:30 p.m. Tuesday on Clifton Road, Ky. 1964, about three miles west of Versailles.

Sullivan lost control of the eastbound 1995 Honda Accord and veered off the road, hitting the tree, according to Versailles police. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/613711.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/613711.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:58 EST
WASHINGTON . The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday approved a last-minute rule change by the Bush administration that environmentalists fear will lead to coal companies burying more Appalachian streams with excess rock and dirt from surface mining.


The change rewrites a 1983 rule that prohibited dumping the fill from mountaintop mining within 100 feet of streams. Environmentalists argue that regulators have not properly enforced the rule, and there were some exceptions that allowed mine debris in stream areas. Government figures show that 535 miles of streams were buried or diverted between 2001 and 2005, more than half of them in the mountains of Appalachia.

The 11th-hour change before President Bush leaves office would eliminate a tool that citizens groups have used in lawsuits to keep mining waste out of streams. Mining companies had been pushing for the change for years, and Kentucky elected officials had weighed in on both sides of the debate in recent weeks.

The change also means that President-elect Barack Obama's administration will have to decide whether to try to restore and enforce the rule, a process that could take many months of new rule making. Obama's transition team declined to comment on its plans on Tuesday. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/613375.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/613375.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:13 EST
State Auditor Crit Luallen 's office will examine the finances of Blue Grass Airport after a newspaper story revealed last month that its executive director spent more than $200,000 on travel and other expenses over 27 months.


Luallen confirmed that her office will conduct an audit of the Lexington airport, shortly after the Urban County Council gave tentative approval Tuesday to a resolution by Vice Mayor Jim Gray asking for her help. The measure was placed on the council's Thursday docket in an 11-4 vote.

"The public needs to be reassured that airport funds are being spent as effectively as possible and that strong management controls are in place," Luallen said.

Airport board chairman Bernie Lovely pledged to cooperate with Luallen. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/613710.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/613710.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:08 EST
More Kentucky students are being encouraged to enroll in college, showing up prepared and graduating, but the state still doesn't do enough to make college affordable, according to a new national report.

The independent report on American higher education flunks all but one state when it comes to affordability . an embarrassing verdict that is unlikely to improve as the economy contracts.

The biennial study by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education , which evaluates how well higher education is serving the public, handed out F's for affordability to 49 states, including Kentucky, up from 43 two years ago. Only California received a passing grade in the category, a C, thanks to its relatively inexpensive community colleges.

Still, the report shows that Kentucky has hoisted itself up to or above the national average in several key areas. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/613680.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/613680.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 06:22 EST
President-elect Barack Obama assured governors of financially strapped states that "help is on the way," Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear said Tuesday.

Beshear, attending the National Governors Association meeting in Philadelphia, said Obama told the nation's governors that a financial stimulus package is in the works for states.

The governor also said he invited the president-elect to visit Kentucky, particularly next February in conjunction with the bicentennial celebration of Abraham Lincoln's birthday.

"He did indicate a desire to be in Kentucky and felt like that was an interesting prospect," Beshear said. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/613358.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/613358.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 03:11 EST
The official commemorative painting of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games was unveiled Tuesday at the Kentucky Horse Park.

Games organizers said the painting by New York sports artist LeRoy Neiman will be displayed in cities around the state to build support for the 16 days of equine competition in 2010 that will decide eight world championships.

The painting, which will be permanently displayed at the park after the Games, is roughly 48 inches tall and 65 inches wide in its frame. It shows each of the eight events in bright reds, blues, greens and yellows that are typical of Neiman's work.

The 87-year-old artist also did the official painting for the 37th Ryder Cup golf tournament in Louisville in August as well as for five Olympiads and four Super Bowls. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/613438.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/613438.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 03:11 EST
The University of Kentucky has seen an up-tick in international students this year but not as steep of an increase this fall as the university initially reported.

UK has 212 international undergraduates enrolled, up from 185 in the 2007-2008 academic year, according to corrected figures supplied through UK institutional research department.

That represents a 14.6 percent increase, which is still above the national rate of increase in international students on U.S. campuses. But UK's total of 212 international undergraduates falls short of other key universities of similar size, including the University of Louisville.

The university, last week, incorrectly released 387 as the number of 2008 international undergraduate population. That figure, which was incorrectly stated in the university's Office of International Affairs' 2008 annual report, actually represents the number of international undergraduate applicants. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/613381.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/613381.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 06:32 EST
FALMOUTH . One person has died in a house fire in Pendleton County. Firefighters were called to a home at 199 Moore Road in Williams town about half a mile east of the Pendleton and Grant county line at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, state police said. A body was found among the debris.

State police have not released the victim's name, but the property owner, David Gilliam, said the victim is Kenneth Searp, who had rented the home from him for about four years. Gilliam said Searp, who was about 55 years old, was home alone at the time of the fire.

Gilliam said Searp had recently installed a woodburning stove, which could have caused the fire. He said the home had a furnace, but Searp had lost his job a few months back and was unable to afford the gas needed to run it. "He took care of my farm," Gilliam said. "I didn't have to worry about anything."

Fire crews from Williamstown, Dry Ridge, Falmouth and Pendleton County extinguished the fire. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/613338.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/613338.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 18:11 EST
BEREA . A letter was sent home Tuesday with Shannon Johnson Elementary School students to inform parents that officials are investigating a potential case of whooping cough.

The Madison County Health Department informed the school district Tuesday of the investigation. The student, who was not identified, was not in school Tuesday, said Madison County Schools spokeswoman Erin Stewart.

Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a contagious, bacterial disease that is spread when an infected person sneezes, coughs or talks, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Children typically receive a vaccine for whooping cough that comes in the same shot as diphtheria and tetanus vaccines.

The disease begins with cold-like symptoms such as a runny nose, sneezing, mild fever and cough, according to the CDC. It progresses to uncontrolled coughing spells and a whooping noise in young children when they breathe in. Adults, teens and vaccinated children usually have milder symptoms that mimic bronchitis or asthma. The disease is treated with antibiotics, but can be dangerous for infants or people with illnesses such as lung disease. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/613468.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/613468.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:03 EST
Many Kentucky school districts probably would have to dip into contingency funds to absorb a projected 4 percent state budget cut, but that might only postpone the pain, public school superintendents say.

Several superintendents said in interviews Tuesday that, since many districts have built up their contingency funds in anticipation of future needs such as enrollment growth, using the funds to offset a budget cut now might leave some districts short next year or later.

"This current year's cut, if it comes to fruition, will make next year very difficult," predicted Kelley Crain, superintendent of the Fleming County Public Schools and president of the Kentucky Association of School Superintendents . "What I'm hearing from the superintendents I've spoken with is that it's going to significantly impact services for kids."

State Education Commissioner Jon Draud has asked the state's 174 public school superintendents to submit reports to him by noon Wednesday, analyzing how a 4 percent state budget reduction would affect their districts. Draud acted in response to Gov. Steve Beshear's directive last week that all state agencies and public universities prepare plans for a 4 percent cut. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/613149.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/613149.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 06:40 EST
DANVILLE . A Boyle County woman was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in prison on charges that she sexually and physically abused three girls she adopted after serving as their foster parent.

Patricia Ann Harris, 55, pleaded guilty in September to second-degree sodomy, first-degree sexual abuse and three counts of first-degree criminal abuse.

During Tuesday's sentencing, defense attorney Melissa Bellew said this was the first felony conviction for Harris, and she sought probation for Harris. And in a handwritten letter filed with the court record on Nov. 13, Harris asked for probation from Boyle Circuit Judge Darren Peckler.

"I understand my charges and accept them" Harris wrote to the judge. "I regret those things that I did that were wrong and not a day goes by that I don't pray for forgiveness." ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/613682.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/613682.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:41 EST
Robert D. "Bob" Bell, who served in the administrations of several Kentucky governors and is credited with fostering education reforms, died Nov. 28.

Mr. Bell, 83, was involved with the Kentucky Advocates for Higher Education, the Governor's Scholars Program, the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence and other education-related organizations.

"He was a public servant to the core," said Bob Sexton, executive director of the Prichard Committee. "He ... understood fully that you can get a lot done if you don't care who gets the credit."

Mr. Bell's son, Larry Bell, said his father was a lifelong Democrat who served under governors Bert Combs, Ned Breathitt, Wendell Ford and Julian Carroll. He was appointed to a number of positions including secretary of natural resources and environmental protection, revenue commissioner, parks commissioner, director of state planning and deputy commissioner of highways. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/613172.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/613172.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:51 EST http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/613009.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/613009.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:22 EST
The veterinarian in the Patrick Biancone cobra-venom case will appeal his five-year suspension at a hearing Wednesday at the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.

Dr. Rodney Stewart was suspended after three vials of cobra venom, along with two drugs to treat Parkinson's disease and other improperly labeled medicines were found in a raid of Thoroughbred trainer Biancone's barn at Keeneland in June 2007. Stewart also was fined $2,000 for failing to report Biancone.

Biancone worked out a settlement with the racing commission that resulted in a six-month suspension. The suspension was extended after Biancone was found to have violated the terms of that agreement. The suspension was extended on Oct. 31. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/612969.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/612969.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:01 EST
Christian County Coroner Dorris Lamb says 42-year-old Devin William Peters, of Clarksville, Tenn., was killed in the accident.

Christian County Rescue Team director Randy Graham told the Kentucky New Era that Peters and another man were at the cave, located between Pembroke and Oak Grove, when the walls of an excavation trench collapsed.

The second man was above ground and telephoned for help at 4 p.m. CST Monday.

Graham said Peters' remains were found eight feet below the floor of the cave, buried under about four feet of dirt. Graham said the remains were removed about four hours after the collapse.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/612840.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/612840.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 10:08 EST
A military statement said Capt. Roger T. Hill and 1st Sgt. Tommy L. Scott, both of 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, based at Fort Campbell, Ky., are facing an article 32 hearing, similar to a civilian grand jury investigation, to determine whether they should be brought to trial.

The initial hearing was held Monday at the U.S. Camp Salerno, in Afghanistan's eastern Khost province. The statement said it follows a report from within the unit about potential detainee abuse.

The military did not provide details about the alleged abuse or its possible victim.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/613947.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/613947.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 08:17 EST
The area in eastern McLean County is about 30 miles east of Henderson.

The Gleaner reports VorTek, a small research and engineering company, analyzed National Weather Service data from 1950 through 2007.

The Huntsville, Ala.-based company says 32 tornado track segments touched down or passed within 20 miles of Maxwell.

VorTek develops software that assesses tornado threats.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/614006.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/614006.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:52 EST
Seven militants were killed during a clash with a joint U.S.-Afghan patrol in the Nad Ali district of the southern Helmand province on Tuesday, the military said in a statement.

"The combined forces were conducting a combat reconnaissance patrol when they were engaged by militants from multiple fighting positions using small-arms, indirect and rocket fire," the statement said.

Southern Afghanistan is the center of the Taliban-led insurgency. The U.S. military has said it will continue its operations against insurgents throughout the winter.

In another clash Tuesday, three militants were killed during a firefight with U.S. troops in the Andar district of Ghazni province Tuesday, another military statement said.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/614131.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/614131.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:17 EST
Fish & Wildlife Commissioner Jon Gassett told The Courier-Journal that he intends to meet with park officials to discuss having the state operate Otter Creek as a wildlife-management area.

Abramson announced Monday the park would close Dec. 14 in an effort to help offset a projected $20 million city budget shortfall this fiscal year because it loses about $500,000 annually.

The city decided Tuesday to delay the closing until Jan. 1, so people can use the park's lodging and facilities over the holidays.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/614508.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/614508.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:12 EST
North Carolina-based Appalachian Voices and others blasted Tuesday's Environmental Protection Agency decision to endorse the mining rule as the death of freshwater streams and the likely start of a new surge in mountaintop removal surface mining across Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky.

Although the regulation would apply nationwide, mountaintop removal operations are of special interest in Appalachia, where surface mines now outnumber those underground.

An EPA study estimated 400,000 acres of forest were wiped out and nearly 724 miles of streams buried between 1985 and 2001 by mountaintop mining, in which forests are clear cut and holes are drilled to blast apart rock. Massive machines, some with buckets big enough to hold 24 compact cars, scoop coal from the exposed seams.

The rock and dirt left behind is dumped into adjacent valleys, changing the natural shape of the earth, lowering the height of the mountain and covering streams.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/614614.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/614614.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:12 EST
A posting on the newspaper's Web site Wednesday says 17 of the employees volunteered for a severance package.

Citing a letter from newspaper President and Publisher Arnold Garson, the posting said 18 other positions won't be filled.

In the memo, Garson called the layoffs "necessary" and "very painful."

Executive Editor Bennie L. Ivory declined to say Wednesday how many of the cuts involved the newsroom's staff.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/614903.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/614903.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 22:02 EST
Dr. Rodney J. Stewart says the three vials of powdered cobra venom found in a refrigerator in trainer Patrick Biancone's barns at Keeneland were there as the result of being moved from Versailles back to Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Stewart is appealing his suspension, which was imposed Aug. 16, 2007. The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that Stewart told Kentucky racing authorities Wednesday during an appeal hearing that he had purchased the venom in 2006 and had only used it once, on a rescued racehorse, when he was treating the horse's sore foot.

Biancone has served a one-year suspension. He was eligible to reapply for a trainer's license about a month ago but hasn't done so.

Stewart's appeal hearing will be continued Tuesday.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/613866.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/613866.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:07 EST
North Carolina-based Appalachian Voices and others blasted Tuesday's Environmental Protection Agency decision to endorse the mining rule as the death of freshwater streams and the likely start of a new surge in mountaintop removal surface mining across Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky.

Although the regulation applies to all coal mines, mountaintop removal operations are of special interest in Appalachia, where surface mines now outnumber those underground.

An EPA study estimated 400,000 acres of forest were wiped out and nearly 724 miles of streams buried between 1985 and 2001 by mountaintop mining, in which forests are clear cut and holes are drilled to blast apart rock. Massive machines, some with buckets big enough to hold 24 compact cars, scoop coal from the exposed seams.

The rock and dirt left behind is dumped into adjacent valleys, changing the natural shape of the earth, lowering the height of the mountain and covering streams.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/613982.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/613982.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 08:42 EST
WPSD reports the packages were wrapped in Christmas paper, sealed with purple duct tape and addressed to two judges.

Jailer Adams says a man who has a criminal history dropped off the packages Tuesday and rushed out of the door. It turned out the packages were not a danger but the judges were concerned about the safety of inmates.

The Paducah Bomb Squad took X-rays of the packages and used a used a water cannon to blow them apart after it was unable able to determine what was inside.

Police are looking for the man who deliver the packages.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/614113.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/614113.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 19:12 EST
Alpha now expects earnings to range between $175 million and $185 million this year. That's down from an earlier range of $230 million to $270 million.

Blame for much of the Abingdon, Va.-based company's woes rests with the steel industry. The slowing economy has slashed demand for steel. In turn, that's hurting demand for raw materials such as iron ore and metallurgical-grade coal, which is used to fuel steel mill blast furnaces.

Alpha is trimming its fourth-quarter estimate of metallurgical coal shipments by 500,000 tons because customers are deferring delivery of shipments. One customer has asked to reopen negotiations for a 2009 metallurgical coal contract, the company said.

"Business has slowed. A lot of metals go into capital-spending related uses and if companies cut their capital spending, that has a meaningful impact," said Charles Bradford, a steel industry analyst with Bradford Research/Soleil Securities.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/614215.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/614215.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:27 EST
Metcalfe County Corner Larry Wilson says 14-year-old Colton Marshall of Summersville accidentally shot himself while hunting with his uncle in Metcalfe County on Thanksgiving Day.

The Glasgow Daily Times reports that Marshall tried to fire a single-shot shotgun but nothing happened so he turned the gun around and it discharged.

Metcalfe County Sheriff's Deputy Mark Jandt says a round struck Marshall in the neck.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/614574.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/614574.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:32 EST
Defense attorney Larry Mackey filed a motion Wednesday on behalf of Leonard Lawson, who was indicted in September along with one of his employees and a former top-ranking state official. Mackey said allowing prosecutors to introduce campaign contributions would be prejudicial and irrelevant.

A wealthy businessman, Lawson is widely known for his contributions to political and humanitarian causes in Appalachia. The Leonard Lawson Cancer Center in Pikeville is named in his honor. Lawson, his family and his companies have a long history of supporting political candidates running for state and federal offices.

Mackey supplemented his motion with references to newspaper articles about Lawson's philanthropy, including one from the Lexington Herald-Leader that said the road contractor, his family and employees have given at least $473,000 to candidates since 2004.

"The history of campaign contributions by Lawson, his family and employees already has become front page news, with the media treating the contributions as evidence of Lawson's guilt," Mackey said in the motion. He went on to say that he fears "the jury would similarly equate legal campaign contributions with guilt."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/614760.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/614760.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:27 EST
The announcement represents a new challenge to the already splintering, 77-million-member world Anglican fellowship and the authority of its spiritual leader, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.

The new Anglican Church in North America includes four breakaway Episcopal dioceses, dozens of individual parishes in the U.S. and Canada, and splinter groups that left the Anglican family years, or in one case, more than a century ago.

Its future status in the Anglican Communion is unclear.

It is unprecedented for an Anglican national province to be created where any other such national church already exists. But traditionalists say the new group is needed to represent the true historic tradition of Anglican Christianity.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/614913.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/614913.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 22:12 EST
The Fayette County coroner's office says the toddler was assaulted Nov. 25 in a Lexington home. An autopsy is pending.

Charged with first-degree rape, first-degree sexual abuse and first-degree assault is 18-year-old Brian Matthew Crabtree. He is being held at the Fayette County Detention Center.

The Lexington Herald-Leader cites court documents in which police say Crabtree admitted raping the child, plus dropping her several feet to the floor.

The girl died Tuesday at Kentucky Children's Hospital.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/613885.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/613885.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 06:57 EST
The one-car accident happen late Tuesday, about three miles west of Versailles.

Police say the driver lost control and veered off the road, hitting the tree.

Both victims were airlifted to the University of Kentucky Hospital.

Authorities have not released any names but say speed and alcohol may have been factors in the crash.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/614005.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/614005.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:27 EST
Enrollment in the health program for the poor and disabled is increasing by about 3,000 members a month, more than double what state officials had projected, The Courier-Journal reported.

That means extra costs for the state, which is already struggling with a projected $456 million revenue shortfall.

Costs for the program increase by about $11.4 million per year for every 3,000 people added to the program. The federal government provides 70 percent of Medicaid funding and states pay for the rest.

Kentucky was facing a projected Medicaid deficit of $183 million for the budget year that began July 1 before enrollment began shooting up, Medicaid Commissioner Elizabeth Johnson said.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/614123.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/614123.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:12 EST
Auditor Crit Luallen confirmed her office will look into the matter at the request of the Urban County Council.

Luallen said the public needs to be reassured that airport funds in Lexington are being spent as effectively as possible.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reported on Nov. 23 that airport Executive Director Michael Gobb spent more than $200,000 for trips and other expenses from January 2006 through March 2008. The expenses were in addition to Gobb's salary of nearly $220,000 a year.

Gobb didn't immediately return a telephone call Wednesday morning.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/614423.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/614423.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:37 EST
Beshear and McConnell met for about 30 minutes Wednesday at the Washington offices of the leading Republican senator. Beshear said they discussed the state and nation's economic woes and how their respective positions could help Kentucky weather the current financial storm.

"Both of us understand that politics is one thing and working for our folks is another," Beshear said during an interview with The Associated Press at the Kentucky Capitol. "We're not going to allow partisan politics to stand in the way of trying to find common ground on issues and helping Kentuckians during these hard economic times."

Economic forecasters have predicted Kentucky is currently facing a $456.1 million budget shortfall for the current fiscal year that ends June 30. The state's two-year budget is $19 billion.

Cuts needed to bring Kentucky's budget in line with projected revenue are sure to be painful for some residents, Beshear has said. The governor has told officials at state agencies and public universities throughout the state officials this week to suggest ways of slashing 4 percent from their budgets.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/614596.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/614596.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:52 EST <