http://www.kentucky.com/210/index.xml News, sports, and entertainment from Kentucky.com en-us Copyright 2008 Kentucky.com State Government and Politics 60 Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:02:05 EST http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss McClatchy Interactive's Workbench webmaster@kentucky.com http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/614719.html http://www.kentucky.com/210/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/210/story/613710.html http://www.kentucky.com/210/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/210/story/613680.html http://www.kentucky.com/210/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/210/story/612585.html http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/612585.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:35 EST
When Gov. Steve Beshear joined other governors to meet with President-elect Barack Obama Monday night, he expected to make a pitch for a stimulus plan for states that could include cash to help struggling programs.

Beshear and other state leaders were scheduled to sit down with Obama in Philadelphia, first at an informal session Monday evening, then in a formal conference Tuesday morning.

"We're going to be talking about a number of possibilities to help us with this situation we find ourselves in," Beshear said. "Obviously an infrastructure stimulus package would help Kentucky as well as other states in helping people get back to work."

Beshear said he and other governors also are expected to ask for help to bolster Medicaid programs and unemployment insurance funds that are running low as jobless rates take off. Beshear also mentioned the possibility of a direct "cash infusion" from the federal government to state coffers, similar to what the Bush administration approved earlier this decade. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/612581.html http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/612581.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:19 EST
A state drug program designed to help poor patients pay for life-saving and life-sustaining HIV/AIDS drugs could again have a waiting list by April, state health officials said Monday.

As the state paused Monday to celebrate the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day with vigils and other public remembrances, HIV/AIDS clinics in Kentucky and throughout the country are bracing for the return of waiting lists for services because of a drop in federal and state funding.

The Kentucky AIDS Drug Assistance Program, which helps provide HIV/AIDS drugs to 1,300 patients not on Medicaid, Medicare or private insurance, has lost a significant part of its federal and state funding over the past three years.

At the same time, the number of patients who have applied for help to pay for anti-viral drugs . which can cost anywhere between $2,000 and $10,000 a month . has steadily increased, said Sigga Jagne, branch manager for the HIV/AIDS program with the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services. . ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/612535.html http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/612535.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:34 EST
FRANKFORT . Out-of-work Kentuckians who want to contest their unemployment benefits before Christmas are out of luck: They may have to wait up to two months to get their appeals heard.

"We're not scheduling appeals cases now until mid-to-late January. It's a problem," said Kim Saylor Brannock, a spokeswoman for the state Office of Education and Training.

The normal wait time is about two weeks.

State Unemployment Insurance Director Tony DeName said the delay is the result of a sharp increase in appeals, a spate of retirements and holiday scheduling difficulties. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/612255.html http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/612255.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 09:46 EST
An atheists-rights group is suing the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security because state law requires the agency to stress "dependence on Almighty God as being vital to the security of the Commonwealth."

American Atheists of Parsippany, N.J., and 10 non-religious Kentuckians are the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, set to be filed Tuesday in Franklin Circuit Court.

Edwin Kagin, a Boone County lawyer and the national legal director of American Atheists , said he was appalled to read in the Herald-Leader last week that state law establishes praising God . and installing a plaque in God's honor . as the first duty of the Homeland Security Office.

The state and federal constitutions both prohibit government from getting involved in religion, Kagin said Monday. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/611903.html http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/611903.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 06:33 EST
Eastern Kentucky University is launching a new alternative-fuels research program in tandem with a San Diego energy firm that will look at producing diesel . and potentially jet fuel . from plant matter.

Eventually, officials hope to use EKU's research as a springboard to start a production plant that would be based in Clark County and run by the firm General Atomics.

"I'm very excited about the chance that we have to deal with some of these energy issues and come up with some real solutions that will move the ball forward," said U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler, D-Versailles, who secured $4 million in federal funding to jump-start the research program.

In addition to that $4 million, Gov. Steve Beshear said on Monday he will recommend that the state kick in $200,000 in agricultural research funds, $350,000 from Appalachian Regional Commission grants and $100,000 in county agriculture board contributions to the project. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/611061.html http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/611061.html Sun, 30 Nov 2008 23:11 EST
The younger son of state Sen. Julie Denton, R-Louisville, died early Sunday after a car he was driving struck a tree in north Lexington.

Taylor C. Rose, 19, was pronounced dead at the scene by Fayette County Deputy Coroner John A. McCarty.

Rose was driving a 2003 Saturn four-door sedan. Lexington police said the car was exiting Interstate 75 at Newtown Pike at a high rate of speed. The car skidded off the right side of the inbound lanes of Newtown and struck the tree. Rose was wearing a seat belt.

The accident happened at 2:25 a.m. Sunday. A motorist following the Saturn called 911. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/611630.html http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/611630.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 07:48 EST
The Lexington Herald-Leader reports this may be the first postelection court challenge to Barack Obama's qualifications to be president.

Fourty-seven-year-old Daniel John Essek filed a demand last week that Obama provide a copy of his birth certificate to a federal judge in London for verification.

A Pennsylvania judge threw out a pre-election court challenge to Obama's birth qualification, saying its arguments were frivolous.

Obama's campaign has posted a copy of his birth certificate on the Internet to prove he was born in Hawaii.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/611452.html http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/611452.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 02:42 EST
FRANKFORT . A more than $450 million hole in Kentucky's state budget is likely to fill much of the General Assembly's time when lawmakers convene in January.

Gov. Steve Beshear has predicted drastic funding cuts "that will bring pain to our people," and has suggested a possible special session for lawmakers to deal exclusively with Kentucky's budget problem.

Last week, he asked university and government agency officials to suggest how they'd cut 4 percent in spending this year.

"There's only two options and everybody better accept them," said Senate Minority Floor Leader Ed Worley, D-Richmond. "Either raise some money or you cut expenses. It is that simple." ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/610710.html http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/610710.html Sun, 30 Nov 2008 02:55 EST
FRANKFORT . The preinaugural party scene in Washington, D.C., will include a strong Kentucky theme the night before President-elect Barack Obama is sworn into office.

The Bluegrass Ball, a black-tie event on Jan. 19, will include a reception, dancing and music.

Gov. Steve Beshear, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and other congressional and state officials are expected to attend the event at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, said Anne-Marie Kelley, chairwoman of the Kentucky Society of Washington, which is hosting the ball.

Michael Paley, executive chef at Proof on Main in Louisville, will prepare a menu that includes a number of Kentucky specialties, Kelley told The State Journal newspaper. Other Kentucky elements to be emphasized will probably include bourbon and the 2010 World Equestrian Games, which will be held at the Kentucky Horse Park. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/608229.html http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/608229.html Fri, 28 Nov 2008 06:07 EST
Under state law, God is Kentucky's first line of defense against terrorism.

The 2006 law organizing the state Office of Homeland Security lists its initial duty as "stressing the dependence on Almighty God as being vital to the security of the Commonwealth."

Specifically, Homeland Security is ordered to publicize God's benevolent protection in its reports, and it must post a plaque at the entrance to the state Emergency Operations Center with an 88-word statement that begins, "The safety and security of the Commonwealth cannot be achieved apart from reliance upon Almighty God."

State Rep. Tom Riner, a Southern Baptist minister, tucked the God provision into Homeland Security legislation as a floor amendment that lawmakers overwhelmingly approved two years ago. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/607097.html http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/607097.html Thu, 27 Nov 2008 03:06 EST
FRANKFORT . Unlike other times when Kentucky has had to handle a shortfall in its budget, Gov. Steve Beshear is emphasizing that "nothing is off the table" in resolving the problem.

"With a shortfall of this size, nothing can be . or should be . off the table, if we are to address this deficit in a fiscally responsible manner," Beshear spokesman Jay Blanton said Wednesday.

In previous state budget shortfalls, administrations have warned and prepared for deep cuts but usually have exempted or limited paring the state's basic funding to schools and Medicaid.

Some other protected areas through recent shortfalls have included corrections and prosecutors. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/606927.html http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/606927.html Thu, 27 Nov 2008 03:07 EST
The state lottery brought in record revenues despite a souring economy, an audit released Wednesday showed.

The audit of the Kentucky Lottery showed that the lottery brought in $778.2 million . up about 4.6 percent from the previous year . but its profits were down about 2.7 percent.

That's because the lottery increased its prize payouts to players and paid higher retailer commissions. But the amount of money the lottery paid to state scholarship programs, including the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship or KEES, decreased by about $4 million from $196.3 million in 2007 to $192.1 million in 2008, the audit found.

The audit, done by an independent firm under contract with Kentucky State Auditor Crit Luallen, was for the fiscal year that began ended June 30, 2008. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/606889.html http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/606889.html Thu, 27 Nov 2008 03:06 EST
State Education Commissioner Jon Draud Wednesday gave Kentucky's public school superintendents until noon Dec. 3 to report how a 4 percent budget cut would affect operations in their districts.

Draud said the cuts could be "devastating" for many districts.

He said he will use the district reports in preparing the education department's plan for achieving a 4 percent across-the-board budget cut as Gov. Steve Beshear has requested. Beshear said Tuesday that he wants such reports from all state agencies and public universities by Dec. 5 to counter a growing revenue shortfall.

State budget cuts would be "nothing but bad news for Kentucky kids," said Robert Sexton, executive director of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/607151.html http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/607151.html Thu, 27 Nov 2008 03:07 EST
Kentucky's campus leaders are rushing to turn down their buildings' thermostats and urging students to switch off the lights in order to deflate bloating utility budgets that are adding to universities' budget woes.

At least two schools . the University of Kentucky and Western Kentucky University . are facing more than half-million dollar deficits in their utility budgets this year as rates for energy, water and sewer usage skyrocket.

Widespread concern about energy bills, as well as the effect on the environment, has prompted campus facilities managers, administrators and student leaders to seek both common sense and creative solutions.

The urgency increased this week after Gov. Steve Beshear raised the prospect of mid-year budget cuts amid the tumbling economy. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/606005.html http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/606005.html Wed, 26 Nov 2008 02:45 EST
FRANKFORT . Gov. Steve Beshear called former Murray State University President Constantine W. "Deno" Curris in October to encourage him to seek the presidency of the state's Council on Postsecondary Education, Curris said Tuesday.

Curris said Beshear called him after Western Kentucky University President Gary Ransdell asked the governor to do so on behalf of Kentucky's eight public university presidents.

Curris' remarks were his first on the presidential search since it was disclosed last Friday by the CPE's search committee that Curris no longer was in the running for the job. An ethics opinion requested by the panel had suggested a possible conflict of interest since Curris' wife, Jo Hern Curris, is on the University of Kentucky board.

Beshear's involvement in the council's search for a new president came as he has maintained that he wants the group to make an independent decision. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/605682.html http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/605682.html Wed, 26 Nov 2008 03:05 EST
Three men charged in connection with an alleged scheme to rig $130 million in state road contracts want the case moved from the state capital to Covington.

There has been too much negative publicity for road contractor Leonard Lawson, former Transportation Secretary Bill Nighbert and Lawson employee Brian Billings to get a fair trial in Frankfort, attorneys for the three men argue in court documents filed Tuesday.

A poll conducted by a University of Kentucky professor for the defendants also showed that more people in Frankfort thought Nighbert and Lawson were guilty of tampering with state road contracts than respondents in other cities.

The motion included 800 pages of newspaper articles and television broadcasts about the case. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/605501.html http://www.kentucky.com/210/story/605501.html Wed, 26 Nov 2008 22:43 EST
Gov. Steve Beshear is asking every Kentucky agency and public university to draw up plans for 4 percent budget cuts in the wake of a state revenue shortfall that's nearing a half-billion dollars.

Such trims, if implemented, could mean reductions to vital services, including medical care for poor and disabled Kentuckians, local school districts and university programs.

In light of bleak revenue estimates that came out last week, "we have to ask areas throughout state government . including higher education . to develop scenarios that detail the potential impact of cuts," Beshear's spokesman Jay Blanton said in a statement.

The request from Beshear's office was the first step in quantifying the fiscal pain the national economic downturn could inflict on Kentucky's programs and services as tax revenue continues to shrivel each successive month. ]]>