http://www.kentucky.com/181/index.xml News, sports, and entertainment from Kentucky.com en-us Copyright 2008 Kentucky.com Breaking News 60 Fri, 18 Jul 2008 22:03:13 EDT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss McClatchy Interactive's Workbench webmaster@kentucky.com http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/464766.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/464766.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:23 EDT
Jeremy Brooks, 27, accepted the plea deal Thursday in Wright County District Court.

Brooks is expected to get a life sentence without parole for the death of 58-year-old Ruth Ouverson August 3, 2007, near Montrose.

Before serving his Minnesota sentence, Brooks will go to Kentucky where he's expected to plead guilty in the deaths of 69-year-old Hugh O'Dea and 50-year-old Robert Eugene Elliott.

Brooks' alleged accomplice in the slayings, Coty Martinez, has not entered a plea.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/464817.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/464817.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:38 EDT
Jackson County Deputy Coroner Lonnie Hacker told The Lexington Herald-Leader the victims were 77-year-old Ricie Gobel and his 79-year-old wife, Geraldine Lunsford.

Hacker said Lunford did not get out of the house in Sand Gap after it caught fire early Thursday.

He indicated Gobel escaped, but died at the University of Kentucky Hospital after being severely burned.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/464944.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/464944.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:46 EDT
Jonathan Levy is an associate professor of environmental health and risk assessment. The Asheville Citizen-Times reports he testified Friday in the lawsuit brought by North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper.

U.S. District Court Judge Lacy Thornburg is hearing the case without a jury.

Cooper wants the TVA to cut pollution from its 11 coal-fired power plants in Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama. The state argues that emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and mercury drift from nearby states into North Carolina, hurting air quality and the economy.

Levy says if scrubbers and other pollution control technology were in place, North Carolina would see 99 fewer premature deaths annually from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. He also testified there would be 19,000 fewer asthma attacks, 60 fewer hospital admissions, 55 fewer emergency room visits related to asthma and 2,300 fewer lost school days.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/465122.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/465122.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:34 EDT
State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said Friday that VA officials are offering "disingenuous double talk and bureaucratic gobbledygook" in response to concerns voiced earlier this month by his office and Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz.

Blumenthal said the state is sending a letter to the VA threatening potential legal action if the agency does not meet its demands by Aug. 1.

Connecticut is among several states pushing the VA to reverse a policy that blocks nonpartisan groups from holding voter registration drives in veterans homes, hospitals and other VA facilities.

Veterans Affairs Secretary James P. Peake issued the directive May 5, saying the registration drives are not permitted "to avoid disruptions to facility operations." He also cited the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in political activities with government resources or on government time.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/465331.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/465331.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:39 EDT
The Gleaner said the plea means Luttrell, 24, of Henderson, would face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment without parole, avoiding the death penalty.

Frederick, 67, of Morganfield, was fatally beaten and stabbed in Henderson when she took an infant for what was to be a final home visit with the infant's mother, Renee Terrell.

Prosecutors say Terrell and Luttrell stole jewelry off of Frederick's body, kidnapped the baby and stole the woman's car. They were found three days later after a nationwide manhunt.

Luttrell also pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery, kidnapping, theft over $300 and three counts of being a second-degree persistent felony offender.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/464650.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/464650.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:09 EDT
The Park Place Children's Home should be ready for its first residents by the end of the year, said Jim Bosley, president and chief executive of the nonprofit New Hope Services, which serves nine southern Indiana counties.

New Hope received word of the grant Tuesday came from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis.

"It's definitely needed," said Brenda Combs of Charlestown, who drives each weekend to Indianapolis to visit her adopted 13-year old daughter, who has severe emotional disabilities.

The Silvercrest Children's Development Center was a residential school serving children with autism and other disabilities from across the state, helping them adjust to returning to their homes and schools.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/464771.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/464771.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:48 EDT
Police say 34-year-old James Ray Allgood left a minimum security work detail in Lyon County on Thursday afternoon.

Police say they think Allgood stole a truck which had a handgun inside. Police say they later found the truck, but the gun was missing.

Allgood was serving a 30-year sentence at the West Kentucky Correctional Complex on convictions from Hardin and Breckinridge counties for criminal possession of a forged instrument, theft by unlawful taking, burglary and receiving stolen property.

Allgood is described as a white male, 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds. He has light brown hair, hazel eyes and faded tattoos on the back of his left hand.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/464859.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/464859.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:13 EDT
The Courier-Journal newspaper reported Friday that the Illinois secretary of state's office confirmed the corporation had ceased to exist.

The newspaper also reported documents obtained under a Freedom of Information request showed the man listed as the corporation's director - Thomas D. Schroeder - was paid by the University of Louisville from Jan. 1, 2005, until April, 2008.

Federal authorities are investigating whether a $694,000 grant that was administered by former U of L education dean Robert Felner was mishandled.

Felner's attorney Scott Cox declined comment to the paper, but has previously denied any wrongdoing by his client. Schroeder did not return calls to the paper.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/464969.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/464969.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:45 EDT
Murfreesboro Police detective James Boske said the girl was visiting her grandmother Thursday night when she was hit. She died early Friday at Vanderbilt Hospital.

Investigators believe Lakeisha White of Hopkinsville, Ky., darted in front of Rutherford County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Ron Killings' car and that he never saw her, said sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Dan Goodwin.

The 12-year veteran was on duty when the accident happened and has been placed on routine administrative leave.

Killings was promoted to Criminal Investigation Division sergeant last fall after working more than eight years as a domestic violence investigator.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/465206.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/465206.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:29 EDT
Shayon died at his home in Frankfort on June 28.

He was born in New York City on Aug. 15, 1912, and worked as a writer, producer and director for WOR-Mutual and the CBS Radio Network. He later became a television critic for the Christian Science Monitor and spent more than 20 years as television critic for the Saturday Review.

Shayon was appointed an associate professor at Annenberg in late 1964 and became a professor of communication the following year. He was with the school until 1990, except for a brief leave of absence in the early 1970s to work on some television projects. The school created an endowed professorship in his name.

Shayon wrote a number of books, including "Television and Our Children" and his 2001 memoir, "Odyssey in Prime Time."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/465365.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/465365.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:14 EDT
The open call for auditions starts with registration Saturday and Sunday, followed by auditions Monday. All events take place at Freedom Hall.

Numbered wristbands will be handed out beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday for the Monday auditions, according to the American Idol Web site.

Registration is open 24 hours a day, ending Monday at 8 a.m. EDT.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/464756.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/464756.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:03 EDT
It's the first day of Florida's annual alligator egg collection program, a yearly ritual to replenish stocks for the state's gator farmers.

Hord and several other airboat pilots fire up their engines, giant fan blades spinning until they growl, and slowly glide out into a canal, voices crackling over their radios.

Thwump, thwump, thwump. A helicopter swoops overhead - the nest spotter.

Hord roars up to a small island and peers into the brush for a nest that to the untrained eye looks like just a patch of wet dirt.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/464780.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/464780.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:03 EDT
However 19-year-old Cody Morris will be eligible for parole in April.

The court in Bardwell sentenced Morris on Thursday to the maximum of five years each for reckless homicide and evidence tampering in the October shooting death of 18-year-old Casey Hall.

Judge Tim Langford sentenced Morris to consecutive terms for a total of 10 years, but Morris had been in jail for 273 days, since his arrest in October.

Hall was killed at a house where Morris and other teens were playing video games.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/464938.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/464938.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:00 EDT
This pesky pigweed species, called palmer amaranth, has long been held in check by powerful herbicides.

But three years ago, scientists discovered a far-from-ideal development in this central Georgia farming hamlet: The first species that's resistant to all but the most aggressive chemical treatments.

Now, this powerful new breed has spread to farms throughout the Southeast and is threatening to move further west, baffling farmers and bringing comparisons to that deadliest scourge of cotton.

"We've mowed down many thousands of acres of cotton," sighed Stanley Culpepper, a University of Georgia weed specialist, as he plucked a particularly tall weed. "Since the boll weevil, there's been no pest as challenging as this one - without a doubt."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/465079.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/465079.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:03 EDT
UofL officials said Friday that the James Graham Brown Cancer Center will receive $10.1 million from the National Institutes of Health. The grant is a renewal of an $11 million NIH grant awarded to the cancer center in 2003. Like the previous funding, the renewal will provide five years of support.

Brown Cancer Center director Donald Miller says the first round of funding helped scientists develop new cancer drugs being licensed for future commercialization.

UofL President James Ramsey says discoveries being made at the cancer center will ultimately change lives as well as create jobs for the area.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/465256.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/465256.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:54 EDT
The Park Place Children's Home should be ready for its first residents by the end of the year, said Jim Bosley, president and chief executive of the nonprofit New Hope Services, which serves nine southern Indiana counties.

New Hope received word of the grant Tuesday came from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis.

"It's definitely needed," said Brenda Combs of Charlestown, who drives each weekend to Indianapolis to visit her adopted 13-year old daughter, who has severe emotional disabilities.

The Silvercrest Children's Development Center was a residential school serving children with autism and other disabilities from across the state, helping them adjust to returning to their homes and schools.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/465388.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/465388.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:54 EDT
Authorities were searching for Pfc. Jeneesa Lewis, 29, and her husband, Clinton. El Paso Officer Chris Mears said they believe the couple is together and want to talk to her husband, Clinton Lewis, 34, about the disappearance.

Mears said investigators have been told by people who know the soldier that she and her husband, who is not in the Army, have been having marital problems.

Fort Bliss spokeswoman Jean Offutt said that when Jenessa Lewis didn't report to physical training or work, soldiers from the 5-52 Air Defense Artillery Battalion, 11th Brigade went to her off-post apartment to check on her. The apartment she shares with her husband was locked, prompting the call to police.

When police arrived just after noon, investigators found evidence of foul play, Mears said.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/464049.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/464049.html Thu, 17 Jul 2008 18:42 EDT
The plan hatched by the nation's largest public utility in 2004 to lure vehicle manufacturers to large consultant-certified, ready-to-go sites in the Southeast is paying off - four sites have sold since 2005, including three in just over a year.

Volkswagen's decision Tuesday to build a $1 billion, 2,000-employee auto plant at the Enterprise South industrial site in Chattanooga is the latest.

Previously announced and lured by the same program:

- Toyota is building a $1.3 billion, 2,000-employee Prius factory near Tupelo, Miss.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/464407.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/464407.html Thu, 17 Jul 2008 22:33 EDT
- Somerset, July 21.

- Winchester, July 24.

- Ashland, July 28.

- Madisonville, July 31.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/462943.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/462943.html Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:04 EDT
The Lexington Herald-Leader reported Thursday that the deal came after an emotional morning of testimony over the fate of 38-year-old James Barnett. On Wednesday, jurors found Barnett guilty in the shooting death of Clay City Police Chief Randy Lacy.

With the wanton murder conviction, Barnett could have been sentenced anywhere from 20 to 50 years to life.

Barnett's attorney says his client takes responsibility for the shooting, which happened in Lacy's squad car.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/465411.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/465411.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:42 EDT
The Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded $290,537 from the Assistance to Firefighters Grants program to local fire departments in Kentucky.

The City of Radcliff fire department received $99,872 for operations and safety, and the Wolf Coal volunteer fire department in Breathitt County received $190,665 for vehicle acquisition, FEMA said ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/465410.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/465410.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:47 EDT
The Kentucky Arts Council, part of the state tourism cabinet, has awarded Arts Build Communities grants of up to $5,000 each in 12 counties to encourage opportunities and partnerships between artists and community organizations.

The Lexington-Fayette Division of Parks and Recreation will commission Gordon Gildersleeve to design and create a sculpture that will also function as a park bench in Woodland Park. The project will also include a mini-documentary of the process and involvement with the Aylesford Neighborhood Association.

The other counties awarded grants are Ballard, Calloway, Daviess, Elliott, Floyd, Franklin, Harlan, Jefferson, Kenton, Laurel and Madison. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/465347.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/465347.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:47 EDT
A woman was in stable condition at University of Kentucky Hospital after her car was hit by a tractor-trailer in Danville.

Medics transported Lola Boyd, 41, to the UK Hospital by helicopter shortly after the 2:22 p.m. collision.

Boyd, of Perryville, failed to yield on Ky. 127 Bypass and was struck by the oncoming tractor-trailer, said Danville police.

Danville Police Captain James Monroe said in a press release that no charges are being pressed, and the tractor-trailer driver, Nedzad Kovacevic of St. Louis was not injured. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/465334.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/465334.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:02 EDT
A well-known pharmacist in Monticello has been sentenced to serve six months in home detention and pay $30,000 after pleading guilty in a federal drug case.

Dan Daffron, also a former city council member, admitted dispensing pain pills without a prescription and obtaining painkillers for himself by fraud.

He said in a plea document that he dispensed drugs to people who had prescriptions on file, but had run short of pills before time to refill them. He also admitted giving pills to people who didn't have valid prescriptions on file, taking pills for himself and lying about having a prescription for some pills he dispensed to himself, according to the plea.

Daffron dispensed 5,000 to 10,000 pills outside the usual course of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose, the plea agreement said. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/465330.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/465330.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:57 EDT
Fire and federal ATF officials will not be able to enter a Lexington business until early next week to begin an investigation into what caused a two-alarm fire that took hours to extinguish on Thursday.

Lexington Battalion Chief Joe Kinney said city crews spent most of Friday pumping water out of the basement of Star Light . Magic, an online theater and stage special effects supply store. It is unlikely that fire investigators will be able to get into the building to begin the investigation into what started the fire until Monday, Kinney said. Fire crew were on site Friday to make sure no new flare ups occurred.

Star Light owner Remy Simpson said Friday that there were no pyrotechnics inside the building at the time of the fire.

.Those are mostly shipped from a different location,. Simpson said. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/465300.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/465300.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:07 EDT
State officials confirmed Friday that one of the top inspectors for nursing homes has been fired after investigators said he may have been living rent-free in a Lexington house owned by a nursing home owner.

Moses Young, who was an assistant director in the Cabinet for Health and Family Services Office of Inspector General, was fired May 21 after an internal investigation into Young's relationship with Ralph Stacey Jr., an owner of a Covington nursing home, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services confirmed Friday.

Young lived in a Lexington home that was owned by Stacey, who owns the Garrard Convalescent Home, a Covington nursing home, according to documents released by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

Moses told Inspector General Sadiqa Reynolds that he was not able to prove that he paid rent to Stacey because all of his rent payments were in cash, documents show. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/465258.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/465258.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:30 EDT http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/464969.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/464969.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:45 EDT
Murfreesboro Police detective James Boske said the girl was visiting her grandmother Thursday night when she was hit. She died early Friday at Vanderbilt Hospital.

Investigators believe Lakeisha White of Hopkinsville, Ky., darted in front of Rutherford County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Ron Killings' car and that he never saw her, said sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Dan Goodwin.

The 12-year veteran was on duty when the accident happened and has been placed on routine administrative leave.

Killings was promoted to Criminal Investigation Division sergeant last fall after working more than eight years as a domestic violence investigator.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/464900.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/464900.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:33 EDT
Starbucks has released a full list of the 600 company-owned stores it plans to close starting this month. Six are in Kentucky, including one each in Lexington, Danville, Paris and Somerset.

Two Louisville Starbucks will be closing.

. The Lexington location slated to close is near .Euclid and Upper streets, at 535 South Upper.

. The Danville location's address is 3491 South Danville Bypass. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/464829.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/464829.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:17 EDT
It was still dark early Friday when police searched a north Lexington neighborhood because residents reported hearing gunshots. But 35-year-old Derrick Stewart's body wasn't found in the driveway of his home until daylight, hours later.

Lexington police went to 1576 Lindy Lane about 6:45 a.m. after receiving a report about a man down in the driveway, said Officer Ann Gutierrez, a Lexington police spokeswoman. Stewart's body was stretched between a closed, single-car garage and a parked car.

Stewart lives with his mother who was inside the house when police found him.

Investigators don't have any suspects. And they're asking anyone with information about where Stewart may have been that night to contact police. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/464950.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/464950.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:28 EDT http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/464859.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/464859.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:13 EDT
The Courier-Journal newspaper reported Friday that the Illinois secretary of state's office confirmed the corporation had ceased to exist.

The newspaper also reported documents obtained under a Freedom of Information request showed the man listed as the corporation's director - Thomas D. Schroeder - was paid by the University of Louisville from Jan. 1, 2005, until April, 2008.

Federal authorities are investigating whether a $694,000 grant that was administered by former U of L education dean Robert Felner was mishandled.

Felner's attorney Scott Cox declined comment to the paper, but has previously denied any wrongdoing by his client. Schroeder did not return calls to the paper.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/464219.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/464219.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 06:38 EDT
It's 10 p.m. at the Regal Hamburg Cinema, and six notices flash the words SOLD OUT. That's not a problem for Andy Noort, first in line for Batman: The Dark Knight .

He's not who you'd expect to be first in line.

Wearing cargo shorts, a black and white polo, 6-foot-9, not a comic book reader, there's nothing about him that screams fan-boy.

]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/464769.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/464769.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:19 EDT http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/464771.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/464771.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:48 EDT
Police say 34-year-old James Ray Allgood left a minimum security work detail in Lyon County on Thursday afternoon.

Police say they think Allgood stole a truck which had a handgun inside. Police say they later found the truck, but the gun was missing.

Allgood was serving a 30-year sentence at the West Kentucky Correctional Complex on convictions from Hardin and Breckinridge counties for criminal possession of a forged instrument, theft by unlawful taking, burglary and receiving stolen property.

Allgood is described as a white male, 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds. He has light brown hair, hazel eyes and faded tattoos on the back of his left hand.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/463598.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/463598.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 05:42 EDT
People used shirt collars as shields from smoke, wiped away sweat and tried not to breathe the filthy air.

Heavy smoke poured into the sky while a store near Jefferson and West Second streets burned Thursday. The dark smoke was visible for miles, and the news about the blaze quickly spread throughout the city.

Hundreds of people left their homes after Mayor Jim Newberry issued an evacuation order about 10:45 a.m., about an hour after reports of the fire at Star Light & Magic, an online theater and stage special-effects supply store.

All that was left of the building after the fire was extinguished were its brick walls. The inside was in ruins. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/464766.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/464766.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:23 EDT
Jeremy Brooks, 27, accepted the plea deal Thursday in Wright County District Court.

Brooks is expected to get a life sentence without parole for the death of 58-year-old Ruth Ouverson August 3, 2007, near Montrose.

Before serving his Minnesota sentence, Brooks will go to Kentucky where he's expected to plead guilty in the deaths of 69-year-old Hugh O'Dea and 50-year-old Robert Eugene Elliott.

Brooks' alleged accomplice in the slayings, Coty Martinez, has not entered a plea.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/463681.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/463681.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 06:17 EDT
HARRODSBURG . A Mercer County grand jury will consider charges of sexual abuse and rape against Terry Wallingford, the administrator of a Burgin provider of care to mentally disabled people.

Wallingford, 45, is accused of rape and sexual abuse against four former employees of New Hope Agency in Burgin.

A preliminary hearing in Wallingford's criminal case was scheduled for Thursday morning in Mercer District Court. But Wallingford and his attorney, Jim Lowry of Lexington, chose to waive the matter to a grand jury without a hearing.

According to sworn statements, one woman says she was raped at Wallingford's farm and was repeatedly subjected to groping and fondling. Three other women also say in affidavits that they were subjected to fondling. The Herald-Leader does not generally identify people who allege sexual abuse. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/464334.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/464334.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 03:46 EDT
Family members of a mother and son killed in an apartment fire in Pike County have filed a lawsuit against the building's owner.

Tammy Lockhart, 41, and her son Justin, 17, died from smoke inhalation in the blaze that broke out on July 8, destroying all nine apartments in the two-story building on Hibbard Street, Pike County Deputy Coroner Zeb Hampton said.

State fire officials have said the fire, which began in the Lockharts' living room, was accidental and appears to have been caused by an electrical problem.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday by Tammy Lockhart's father, Rex Lockhart, was first reported by the Appalachian News-Express. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/464327.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/464327.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 03:46 EDT
It was a defense that drew snickers from lawyers around Lexington.

Melbourne Mills Jr., his lawyers argued in his high-profile trial, was too drunk to know what was going on when two other lawyers allegedly pilfered millions of dollars from their clients in a diet-drug lawsuit settlement.

Yet Mills ultimately had the last laugh when a jury acquitted him on July 1 on conspiracy to commit wire fraud charges.

This week, another defendant in a high-profile Kentucky case had (partial) success with an intoxication defense. James H. .Jamie. Barnett avoided the death penalty Wednesday when jurors found that he murdered Clay City Police Chief Randy Lacy .wantonly. rather than .intentionally.. Barnett was drunk and high at the time of the shooting. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/464687.html http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/464687.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:39 EDT
The market was clearly pleased when Citigroup Inc., while reporting a second-quarter loss Friday morning, beat analysts' forecasts and joined Wells Fargo & Co. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. in delivering stronger results than the market anticipated. But investors who ecstatically sent the Dow Jones industrials soaring by more than 480 points over Wednesday and Thursday were brought back down to earth by results from Google Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc.

Google's results were lower than expected, the result of the weakening economy hurting advertising revenue, while Microsoft missed forecasts by a penny. Also, AMD's chief executive stepped down after the chip maker posted a wider-than-expected loss.

Still, the market that has hungered for good news about financial companies after a year-long credit crisis got it from Citi. The banking company reported a $2.5 billion second-quarter loss due to write-downs tied to deteriorating credit markets. The results surpassed projections, and helped to mitigate some of the market's concerns following a big loss from Merrill Lynch & Co. reported late Thursday.

It was a good sign to some analysts that the market didn't sell off sharply after two straight days of hefty gains.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/464482.html http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/464482.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 01:01 EDT
Sayre Christian Village broke ground Thursday on a $4.6 million expansion of its affordable housing complex that will provide 42 new apartments for senior citizens.

Sayre and city and federal officials broke ground at the village at 3816 Camelot Drive in south Lexington.

Sayre Christian Village already provides affordable housing and long-term care to over 300 low income senior citizens.

Christian Benevolent Outreach, the parent organization that operates Sayre Christian Village, worked with the city and the federal Housing and Urban Development agency. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/463925.html http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/463925.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 03:46 EDT
A U.S. bankruptcy judge on Thursday approved store-closing sales for the remaining Dawahare's locations, as the company prepares to shutter operations within the next few months.

Liquidator Gordon Brothers Retail Partners can begin the sales, which will continue through the end of August at all locations and might extend into September at select ones.

In a five-hour auction to determine the liquidator, Gordon Brothers agreed to pay 41.5 percent of the retail value of Dawahare's merchandise. Court filings said the percentage payment was based on the inventory being no less than $8.6 million.

Gordon Brothers also has committed to pay a fixed $15,000 for the sale of fixtures, furniture and equipment at each of no fewer than 17 Dawahare's stores and as many as 22. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/463491.html http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/463491.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:19 EDT
Futures began the day lower after Google Inc., Merrill Lynch & Co., and Microsoft Corp. had all posted quarterly results that missed analysts' expectations after the closing bell on Thursday. Meanwhile, oil prices moved higher after falling $15 over three days amid news of an output cut in Nigeria.

But Citi's better-than-expected results helped assuage nervous investors. The largest U.S. bank by assets reported a $2.5 billion second-quarter loss due to write-downs tied to deteriorating credit markets.

Dow Jones industrial futures rose 24 points, or 0.21 percent, to 11,425.

Citi's report followed stronger-than-expected reports from JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Wells Fargo & Co. that helped relieve some of investors' worries about the health of the banking sector. Wall Street has grown concerned that souring mortgage debt would force some banks to go under. The Dow had triple digit gains Wednesday and Thursday in response to the banks' reports.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/464531.html http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/464531.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 02:46 EDT
LOUISVILLE . Shares of Yum Brands Inc. tumbled more than 6 percent Thursday, a day after the fast-food company blamed surging commodity costs for taking a bite out of U.S. profits.

Yum's CEO, speaking on a conference call with analysts Thursday, expressed frustration with a slumping U.S. performance at KFC, one of the company's core chains along with Taco Bell and Pizza Hut.

.KFC is taking the bloom off of what could have otherwise been a very good year,. David C. Novak said. .That, along with commodities, have taken the fun out of the U.S. business this year..

Despite commodity inflation and weakness at KFC, Yum beat Wall Street forecasts in the second quarter. Novak said Yum's brand and geographic diversity lets it weather tough times. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/463305.html http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/463305.html Thu, 17 Jul 2008 03:12 EDT
WASHINGTON . The price of a quart of milk, a plane ticket and a host of other products rose in June at nearly the fastest pace in a generation, taking an even bigger-than-expected bite out of the buying power of Americans.

In the latest shock wave to hit the economy, consumer prices rose 1.1 percent in June from the month before, far faster than the expected rate of 0.7 percent and almost double the reading from May, the Labor Department said Wednesday.

The news was the back half of a one-two punch on inflation. On Tuesday, the Labor Department reported that prices at the wholesale level were rising by the highest annual rate in 27 years.

The only time in the past quarter-century that monthly inflation in consumer prices has increased so much was in September 2005, when prices jumped 1.3 percent, mostly because Hurricane Katrina shut down oil refineries and energy prices spiked. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/462480.html http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/462480.html Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:49 EDT
The Commerce Department reported Thursday that construction of single-family homes dropped by 5.3 percent in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 647,000 units, the weakest performance since January 1991, another period when the housing industry was going through a severe downturn.

However, construction of multifamily units surged by 42.5 percent last month, thanks to a change in New York City building codes that spurred a wave of apartment construction in that area. Taken together, single and apartment construction rose by 9.1 percent to an annual rate of 1.066 million units.

But the total increase was viewed as an aberration that did not give a true picture of the continued weak state for the housing industry because it was skewed by the huge jump in apartment building in New York.

Private economists are predicting that housing will continue to be under strains for the rest of the year. The troubles in housing, combined with related turmoil in the financial sector attributed to billions of dollars of losses on mortgage loans, are dragging down the total economy, raising risks of a recession.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/462498.html http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/462498.html Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:54 EDT
The Fed chief made his remarks to the House Financial Services Committee, his second day on Capitol Hill where he briefed lawmakers on the problems plaguing the economy.

Bernanke appeared amid a backdrop of fading confidence in the U.S. financial system and in the national economy.

The Fed and the Treasury Department on Sunday came to the rescue of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, offering to throw them a financial lifeline.

The two companies hold or guarantee more than $5 trillion in mortgages - almost half of the nation's total- and are major sources of financing for the mortgage market. The Bush administration is asking Congress to temporarily increase lines of credit to Fannie and Freddie and to let the government buy their stock. The Fed has offered to let the companies draw emergency loans.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/463302.html http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/463302.html Thu, 17 Jul 2008 03:12 EDT
NEW YORK . Oil prices settled sharply lower for the second time in a row Wednesday, leaving crude more than $10 cheaper in just two days of frenzied trading and prompting speculation that the hard-charging market might be running out of steam.

Light, sweet crude for August delivery fell $4.14 to settle at $134.60 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, after earlier sinking as low as $132. The drop follows a $6.44 sell-off Tuesday, the biggest since the Gulf War.

The two-day slide of $10.58 a barrel marks a dramatic turnaround in crude prices, which as recently as Friday traded at record highs above $147 a barrel. But even with this week's sell-off, prices remain about 80 percent above levels a year ago and up about 40 percent from the start of the year.

Analysts are unsure whether the drop represents a long-term shift or simply a brief correction to crude's monthslong bull run. But the decline is prompting market veterans to ask how much support remains for such high prices. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/463301.html http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/463301.html Thu, 17 Jul 2008 03:12 EDT
COLUMBUS, Ohio . The buying spree by Cleveland-Cliffs continued Wednesday with a nearly $10 billion acquisition of Alpha Natural Resources, broadening the onetime Midwest company's international reach as well as its exposure to a global steel industry clamoring to fuel its mills.

Its biggest acquisition to date, the cash-and stock deal will create a company with the largest reserves of iron ore and metallurgical coal in the United States.

The company will be named Cliffs Natural Resources, and own nine iron ore facilities and more than 60 coal mines in North and South America and Australia.

The iron ore business will operate from Cleveland and the coal business from Abingdon, Va. Alpha Natural Resources has a division in Roxana, Ky. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/465379.html http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/465379.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:42 EDT
John Cooper just turned 31 and knows his playing days are numbered, but he continues his drive for championships.

Cooper has been playing for titles most of his life, with Marshall University in college and with the Lexington Horsemen in arena football.

A 6-foot-5 wide receiver with speed and savvy, Cooper grabbed the touchdown pass and two-point conversion that put the Horsemen in the playoffs in their first season of arenafootball2.

Lexington tied Green Bay in the Midwest Division and swept the season series with the Blizzard after a 55-54 overtime victory last week. Quarterback Eddie Eviston was 19-of-20 passing in the second half after the Horsemen trailed by 20 points at the break. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/464590.html http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/464590.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:19 EDT
K.J. Choi rolled in a 25-foot birdie on the final hole for a 3-under 67 in more gloom and wind along the Irish Sea, giving him his first lead in a major championship. It will be the second straight year he plays in the final group at the British Open going into the weekend.

But the biggest surprises were right behind him, starting with a pair of British Open champions who once were No. 1 in the world.

Norman barely touched a club in the month leading up to his 26th appearance in golf's oldest championship. The 53-year-old married tennis great Chris Evert three weeks ago, and a trip to England counts as the tail end of his honeymoon.

He wound up renewing his love affair with links golf, delivering great escapes over his final three holes for an even-par 70 that put his name atop the leaderboard for most of the afternoon until Choi birdied the final two holes.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/464825.html http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/464825.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:46 EDT http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/463449.html http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/463449.html Thu, 17 Jul 2008 05:40 EDT http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/464406.html http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/464406.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:26 EDT
If Kentucky star big man Patrick Patterson reaches his goals next season, he will be playing his last season as a Wildcat.

UK basketball coach Billy Gillispie acknowledged at a Thursday news conference that he has talked to Patterson about possibly entering the 2009 NBA Draft.

.We've talked several times already,. Gillispie said. .He needs to prepare like he's going to be the first player taken. Put that as a goal..

Patterson, co-freshman of the year in the Southeastern Conference, will be a sophomore next season. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/464348.html http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/464348.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:15 EDT
During a news conference on Thursday, Kentucky Coach Billy Gillispie said he expected UK to present him with a formal contract soon.

Gillispie coached last season under a Memorandum of Understanding Offer, which he signed his first night in Lexington as a candidate for the job. UK and the coach couldn't agree on the terms of a more formal contract.

The memo contained such basic items as the length of the deal and pay for the coach. The coach's attorney, Stuart Campbell, noted his uneasiness about how the memo left vague the reasons UK could fire Gillispie for cause (that is to say, fire the coach without having to compensate him for years left on the deal).

Gillispie said he met with UK President Lee Todd and Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart twice since the season ended to discuss a more formal contract. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/464403.html http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/464403.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:29 EDT
First of all, were we still on Tubby time, this column on this subject on this particular day would not exist.

No how, no way. Tubby Smith was/is a great guy. But the former Kentucky basketball coach would rather have been tied to a tree in a lightning storm than spend a summer morning answering questions from a roomful of reporters.

Even basketball questions.

But Thursday morning in Memorial Coliseum, that is exactly what Billy Gillispie, the new Kentucky basketball coach, did for more than 46 minutes. And, at the end of 46 minutes, Billy G. proclaimed he would stay longer if anyone had anymore inquiries. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/464396.html http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/464396.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:34 EDT
Officials at Keeneland and Turfway Park announced a new horseshoe policy Thursday banning the use of toe grabs.

The announcement comes three days after the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission voted unanimously to limit toe grabs on the front horseshoes of all Thoroughbreds in training or in competition on Kentucky tracks.

That rule change will need to go through the legislative rules process and a public comment period before taking effect, possibly this fall.

The policy at Keeneland and Turfway takes effect Sept. 1. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/464440.html http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/464440.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:20 EDT
Playing on the one-month anniversary of manager Willie Randolph's firing, the Mets blew three leads before coming full-circle with four runs in the ninth off closer Francisco Cordero (4-2).

They were 6 1/2 games out when they changed managers, fearful that they were playing themselves out of contention with an underachieving offense. Their 10th straight win completed the turnaround - they're tied for first with Philadelphia, back in the top spot for the first time since April 19.

That once-balky offense made it possible.

Down to their last two outs, the Mets rallied against Cordero, who blew a save for the fifth time in 24 chances. Argenis Reyes singled, and Wright - an All-Star designated hitter at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night - hit a tying homer to right field that barely eluded the glove of leaping Ken Griffey Jr.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/464537.html http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/464537.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:22 EDT
Matt Crafton had long passed the point of doubt creeping into his head and, instead, had entered a battle to keep the uncertainty from overwhelming him.

For more than seven years and 177 races, Crafton had competed in NASCAR's Craftsman Truck Series.

And for more than seven years and 177 races, Crafton had yet to see the inside of victory lane.

.There wasn't a day that went by that I didn't think about when am I going to get the first win or am I ever going to get my first win,. he recalled. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/465361.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/465361.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:39 EDT
William Lynch entered the Aflac insurance office at Sycamore Plaza on Friday afternoon and asked to speak with his former girlfriend, Tiana Stokely, Suffolk County police said. It was unclear how Lynch got into the building, which has a keypad lock.

Stokely led him into supervisor Gary Destefano's office, where Lynch pulled out a .40-caliber handgun and began firing, eventually turning the gun on himself, Lt. Jack Fitzpatrick said. The supervisor was shot at least once in the chest, he said.

Both Lynch, 37, and Stokely, 20, died at the scene. Destefano was airlifted to Stony Brook University Medical Center, where he underwent surgery, police said. They didn't know his condition.

Lynch was wanted on a charge of violating a court order to stay away from Stokely, police said.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/464985.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/464985.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:24 EDT
The body was found in the home of 38-year-old Andrea Curry-Demus, police said. Authorities would not say whether it was male or female.

Wilkinsburg Police Chief Ophelia Coleman said the body was found lying face down. She said she didn't know how long it had been there. Investigators said police checked on Curry-Demus' apartment after reporters called authorities about a foul odor coming from inside.

Police visited the building Thursday night but did not go into that apartment, Coleman said. Instead, a relative of Curry-Demus led them to another apartment, she said.

Earlier Friday, police said they were concerned that the infant's real mother - described as a thin, black female in her 20s or 30s named Tina - might be in danger, or need medical attention.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/463970.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/463970.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:38 EDT
Garry Rentz said Friday the only way for the family's pain to end would be for the killer to acknowledge a role in the death of his daughter, Nancy Cooper.

Authorities in the Raleigh suburb of Cary have not named a suspect in Cooper's death. Her parents and sister persuaded a court to grant them custody of her two young daughters. They had been staying with Cooper's husband, Bradley.

A private memorial service is set for later Friday. Cooper's family plans to return home to Canada with the children this weekend, before returning to North Carolina for another custody hearing next week.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/464764.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/464764.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:29 EDT
Among the problems cited in the 98-page report: Old or mentally ill inmates struck by guards for dressing too slowly; inmates burning milk cartons to heat food in their cells; and prisoners rigging a dumbwaiter to move homemade weapons.

Three Cook County Jail inmates committed suicide in the first four months of 2008 alone, and others have died because of inadequate medical care, according to the report, prepared by the civil rights division of the Justice Department and the U.S. attorney's office after a 17-month investigation.

U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald on Thursday praised county officials for cooperating by providing investigators with unfettered access to the jail.

The Cook County Sheriff's Office acknowledged in a statement that the investigation had uncovered problems and would serve "as a roadmap to address operational deficiencies and improve conditions at Cook County Jail for inmates and staff alike."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/464676.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/464676.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:04 EDT
Citi rose nearly 8 percent Friday and helped lift other financial stocks, having joined JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Wells Fargo & Co. in convincing investors that the prognosis for the sector, while gloomy, may not be as dire as the market feared.

But it's hard to get too enthusiastic about clearing a low bar. It was Citi's third straight quarterly loss and neither JPMorgan nor Wells Fargo managed to notch a profit gain compared to last year. Meanwhile, the brokerage Merrill Lynch & Co. reported a wider-than-expected quarterly loss. And next week, Wachovia Corp. and Washington Mutual Inc. are anticipated to reveal losses, too, with Bank of America Corp. expected to report a steep profit decline.

"I don't think anyone's breathing too easily right now," said Prakash Shimpi, who works in the risk management practice at Towers Perrin. Determining the dollar value of certain assets backed by debt is still a tricky process, he said, even a year after the crisis began.

Citigroup, the nation's largest banking company by assets, lost the equivalent of 54 cents per share in the April-June period. In the same timeframe last year, the bank earned $6.23 billion, or $1.24 per share.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/464768.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/464768.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:33 EDT
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office says 49-year-old Patricia Snyder of Stuart was being flown by the Angel Flight charity organization when the plane crashed Thursday afternoon.

Also killed in the crash was the volunteer pilot, 81-year-old Harlan Northcott, and another passenger, 15-year-old Tyler McLellan of Stuart.

Authorities say the Beechcraft Bonanza may have hit a tower after taking off and crashed about 100 feet off the runway. The plane was in flames when rescue crews arrived.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/465412.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/465412.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:44 EDT
Flames swept through 1,413 square miles around the state after a lightning storm on June 20 sparked multiple fires. Officials have said the blazes have charred the most area and required the most resources in California history.

"It's equivalent to the size of Rhode Island," said Tom Maruyama, the deputy director of response and recovery for the Office of Emergency Services, on Friday.

In the hilly range flanking the Big Sur coast, the flames swept over 200 square miles of heavily forested land, destroying 27 homes and 34 other structures.

That fire is 65 percent contained, and most residents have been allowed to return home. But some cabins are still being kept empty until fire crews finish a backburn designed to clear fuel from the path of the fire.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/464933.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/464933.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:48 EDT
Federal officials have drafted a tentative proposal that talks about eliminating brucellosis and identifies elk along with bison as carriers of the disease. The proposal does not mention capturing or killing elk.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/464977.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/464977.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:40 EDT
The appointment was announced Friday by Mike Oreskes, the AP's managing editor for U.S. news. Washington replaces Erin Texeira, who resigned in March.

Few subjects permeate every corner of American life - and can expand our understanding of America - more than issues of race and ethnicity. The presidential candidacy of Barack Obama will be an early focus of Washington's coverage, as well as topics such as immigration and the Arab experience in America.

Washington, 39, had been the AP's entertainment editor since 2003, supervising an expanding team of journalists covering film, music, television, theater, books, pop culture and celebrities.

Before that he had been managing editor of Vibe magazine and later served as founding editor-in-chief of Blaze, a magazine focusing on hip-hop culture.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/464399.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/464399.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:04 EDT
The encampment under a stretch of freeway overpass known as the Claiborne Avenue bridge was erased during an all-night operation by UNITY of Greater New Orleans, which used the promise of beds at a Salvation Army facility to get the 46 men and women to move. As people gathered their belongings, their mattresses and tents were disposed of in the morning light.

"At no time in the richest country in the world should hundreds of people be living underneath an interstate," said New Orleans City Councilmember Arnie Fielkow, one of several officials who held a news conference to call the effort a success.

Yet, since October 2007 the camp grew in the heart of the city, first establishing itself at a plaza in the shadow of City Hall. By the time state and city officials fenced off the area and made its inhabitants leave, the camp had become populated with as many as 350 residents who used pup tents and their wits to survive.

Much of the camp migrated to the overpass, where it attracted almost daily donations of food and clothing.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/464532.html http://www.kentucky.com/103/story/464532.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:03 EDT
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. . The Tennessee Valley Authority's .megasite. economic development program is proving to be a megahit with major manufacturers.

The plan hatched by the nation's largest public utility in 2004 to lure vehicle manufacturers to large consultant-certified, ready-to-go sites in the Southeast is paying off . four sites have sold since 2005, including three in just over a year.

Volkswagen's decision Tuesday to build a $1 billion, 2,000-employee auto plant at the Enterprise South industrial site in Chattanooga is the latest.

Previously announced and lured by the same program: ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/465425.html http://www.kentucky.com/232/story/465425.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 22:02 EDT
Rick Crawford has always been one of the more candid voices inside the Craftsman Truck Series garage, so it's no surprise the longtime driver didn't mince words when asked about facing Sprint Cup Series leader Kyle Busch this weekend.

.I'd just like to catch him,. Crawford proclaimed during a national teleconference on Tuesday.

If Crawford can pull off that feat Saturday night, he'd be the first driver to do so in several weeks.

After a four-week hiatus from the Truck Series, the ridiculously red-hot Busch is starting in the Built Ford Tough 225 at Kentucky Speedway. ]]>