http://www.kentucky.com/522/index.xml News, sports, and entertainment from Kentucky.com en-us Copyright 2008 Kentucky.com Top Stories - Wire 60 Fri, 22 Aug 2008 01:31:01 EDT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss McClatchy Interactive's Workbench webmaster@kentucky.com http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/497927.html http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/497927.html Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:19 EDT
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement offered the pilot program in five cities, giving illegal immigrants facing court orders to leave the country 90 days to plan their departure and coordinate travel with relatives instead of facing the prospect of being arrested, detained and deported.

ICE will end its "Scheduled Departure" program when the trial period concludes Friday, Jim Hayes, acting director of ICE's detention and removal operations, told The Associated Press.

"The bottom line is it is not effective," Hayes said. "Quite frankly, I think this proves the only method that works is enforcement."

The initiative drew skepticism, even ridicule, from many immigration activists who have criticized ICE's increasing raids on homes and businesses.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/497155.html http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/497155.html Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:19 EDT
Police identified the victim as Ryan McDonald, a sophomore who lived with his grandmother and had alopecia, a condition that left him bald since he was 3 and the target of endless teasing as a child.

"He tried to have a tough exterior, like a shield, to fit in," his uncle Roger McDonald said. "He was a good kid ... who was dealt some bad cards in life."

The shooting happened shortly after 8 a.m. at the Central High School cafeteria, Deputy Chief Bill Roehl said, and the suspected shooter was taken into custody six minutes later on a nearby street. The suspect and victim knew each other, Knox County School System Superintendent Jim McIntyre said.

Jamar Siler, 15, was charged with one count of first-degree murder and was being held in a juvenile detention facility, police spokesman Darrell DeBusk said. Siler had an initial appearance in Juvenile Court late Thursday and was being held without bond. His lawyer, public defender Mark Stephens, refused to discuss the case.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/497696.html http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/497696.html Fri, 22 Aug 2008 01:30 EDT
Subject to final approval by the top Iraqi leadership, the exit date for U.S. troops would be December 2011, although the Americans insist on linking that target to additional security and political progress.

President Bush has long resisted a timetable for pulling out, even under heavy pressure from a nation distressed by American deaths and discouraged by the length of the war that began in 2003. But that has softened in recent weeks.

The timing has major political importance in both Iraq and the United States.

The two contenders to replace Bush as commander in chief, Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama, spar almost daily over the future course of the war.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/497224.html http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/497224.html Fri, 22 Aug 2008 01:10 EDT
The twin bombings, which also wounded more than 100 people, hit one of Pakistan's most sensitive and heavily guarded military installations, underlining the threat posed by Islamic militants to the Muslim world's only nuclear-armed nation as well as its war-ravaged neighbor, Afghanistan.

Authorities have arrested a man they believe would have been a third bomber in the blasts. He was detained shortly after the blasts. Police also seized several other suspects and found an explosives-laden jacket in a nearby mosque, local police official Mohammed Saeed said.

"The army and police arrested a suspected bomber not far away from scene of the attack," Saeed said. "They also recovered a suicide jacket from a nearby mosque and seized explosives."

It was unclear whether the suspect was found with the explosives.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/496959.html http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/496959.html Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:17 EDT
National Guardsman Steve Johnson was wading through hip-deep water Wednesday night when his flashlight revealed an alligator drifting through a neighborhood of flooded mobile homes.

"I said, 'The heck is that?' and there was an alligator floating by," Johnson said. "I took my flashlight and was like, 'You've got to be kidding me, a big old alligator swimming around here.'"

The erratic and stubborn storm has dumped more than 2 feet of rain along parts of Florida's low-lying central Atlantic coast this week. The system continued its slow, wet march Thursday by curving back from the ocean to hit the state for a third time.

Alligators live in all 67 Florida counties, and state officials say they receive more than 18,000 alligator-related complaints each year. But the floodwaters heighten the risk of an encounter with people because the creatures search for a safe place to wait out the storm.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/497164.html http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/497164.html Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:01 EDT
Hours after a report that the Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting didn't know how many homes he and his multimillionaire wife own, Democratic rival Barack Obama launched a national TV ad and a series of campaign stops aimed at portraying McCain as wealthy and out of touch.

With the economy the top issue in the race, Obama sought to turn McCain's gaffe into one of those symbolic moments that stick in voters' minds.

Think John Kerry sailboarding or the first President Bush wowed by a grocery store checkout scanner, Michael Dukakis riding in a tank or Gerald Ford eating a tamale with the husk still on.

"I think - I'll have my staff get to you," McCain told the Politico online site when asked Wednesday how many houses he owns. "It's condominiums where - I'll have them get to you."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/497848.html http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/497848.html Thu, 21 Aug 2008 21:00 EDT
Schleicher County Clerk Peggy Williams confirmed the grand jury issued indictments against three individuals. She would not say who was indicted or what the indictments allege, other than that they are felonies.

A spokesman for the Attorney General's Office, which is handling the prosecution of the case, also declined to comment on what the indictments allege or who the accused are.

The indictments, which followed a day of women in prairie dresses again filing in and out of the grand jury meeting room, were the second set issued since the grand jury began meeting in June on the case. Six indictments were issued last month.

On Thursday, Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints member Willie Jessop, who has become the sect's spokesman since the raid, testified before the grand jury for the first time. By law, he could not disclose what was discussed, but he said the process has been painful for church members.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/497498.html http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/497498.html Thu, 21 Aug 2008 21:40 EDT
Two national polls released Wednesday showed McCain has drawn almost even with Obama in the last few weeks, thanks to an aggressive new tone and a series of negative campaign commercials painting Obama as a tax raiser who is ill-prepared to lead in a dangerous world. That, in turn, has prompted Obama to step up his rhetoric against McCain.

Both an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll and a CBS News/New York Times survey found the race close - Obama with 45 percent to 42 percent for McCain.

At a town-hall meeting here, Obama was introduced by Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, widely believed to be on Obama's short list of possible vice presidential contenders. The two met privately for about 15 minutes before the campaign appearance. Kaine later batted away questions about his prospects.

"I'm going to let the campaign speak for the campaign," he said.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/497466.html http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/497466.html Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:05 EDT
The New York-based Conference Board said Thursday its monthly forecast of future economic activity fell 0.7 percent in July, far more than the consensus estimate of a 0.2 percent decline by Wall Street economists surveyed by Thomson/IFR.

The last time the index showed a drop this great was last August, when it fell by 1 percent.

The largest drag on the index was the decline in building permits, followed by dropping stock prices, rising unemployment claims, a tightened money supply and falling manufacturers' orders for consumer goods. The index has slipped 0.9 percent for the six months ending in July.

"The economy is stuck somewhere between sluggish growth and recession," said Mark Vitner, senior economist at Wachovia Corp. "We're in economic purgatory."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/497209.html http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/497209.html Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:50 EDT
As investigators tried to piece together what happened, relatives crushed by grief went to a makeshift morgue to identify loved ones. Officials said many of the bodies were burned beyond recognition.

One survivor told of the heaving, hellish final minutes of the MD-82's flight, saying she feared she was going to die.

"The plane was rocking back and forth, until I suspected it was going to fall," Ligia Palomino, a 41-year-old emergency rescue worker who happened to be on board, told Spain's Cadena Ser radio station. "I saw people, smoke, explosions. I think that is what woke me up because I had lost consciousness."

"I thought that if help did not arrive soon I would die," said Palomino, who suffered leg injuries and a broken rib.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/497190.html http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/497190.html Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:13 EDT
The New York-based Conference Board's said Thursday its monthly forecast of future economic activity fell 0.7 percent in July, far more than the consensus estimate of a 0.2 percent decline by Wall Street economists surveyed by Thomson/IFR.

The last time the index showed a drop this great was last August, when it fell by 1 percent.

Revised June data showed no change to the index, which has slipped 0.9 percent for the six months ending in July.

The decline was the steepest in the index this year. The largest drag on the index was the decline in building permits, followed in order by stock prices, rising unemployment claims, a tightened money supply and falling manufacturers' orders for consumer goods.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/495999.html http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/495999.html Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:58 EDT
The ruling coalition government, made up of traditional rivals who were united primarily in their determination to force Musharraf from office, meanwhile appeared veering toward collapse.

The two main parties have been unable to bridge key differences, like whether judges fired by the one-time military ruler should be quickly reinstated and who should succeed him as president.

Pakistanis have urged the civilian government to stop bickering and turn quickly to tackling the country's problems from an economic downturn to extremist violence in the volatile northwest, where fighting between security forces and Islamic militants has escalated in recent weeks.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for Thursday's blasts at the government arms factory 20 miles west of Islamabad, which occurred as workers were heading home.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/497138.html http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/497138.html Thu, 21 Aug 2008 19:15 EDT
Rice said she hoped meeting personally with Maliki would help determine what still needs to be negotiated to bring the talks to a close.

"Part of what I'd like to do is talk to the prime minister and see what still remains to be done, what still needs to be closed," Rice said before meeting with Maliki at his home in the fortified Green Zone here. "Nothing will be signed today."

American and Iraqi negotiators have been saying for weeks that they are close to an agreement, but that Maliki has held up the process over his concern that the agreement doesn't give Iraq enough authority over U.S. troop conduct.

The agreement foresees U.S. combat troops leaving Iraq by 2011, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari has said. Other Iraqi officials have told McClatchy Newspapers that the agreement also calls for U.S. forces to pull out of Iraqi cities by June 30, 2009.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/496604.html http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/496604.html Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:45 EDT
Casey Anthony, 22, said nothing as she left the Orange County jail Thursday. She faces charges of child neglect, making false statements and obstructing an investigation into the disappearance of 3-year-old Caylee, who has been missing since June.

Police say Casey Anthony lied to them and didn't report Caylee missing for more than a month. Caylee's grandmother reported her disappearance in July.

Anthony's attorney, Jose Baez, escorted her out of the jail under a black umbrella amid a throng of reporters. He scuffled with a journalist, pushing him out of the way.

Baez said Anthony whispered into his ear on her way out, "I'm innocent. I'm going to walk out of this place with my head held high."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/496791.html http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/496791.html Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:01 EDT
Obama refused to say whether he'd notified his pick or when exactly he would send cell phones buzzing with the answer delivered via text message.

He didn't reveal his choice to Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, considered to be on Obama's short list, even after they met Thursday, according to two people close to the governor. They spoke on a condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Obama seemed to relish the frustrations of scores of reporters following him this week in anticipation of the announcement.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" he said with a grin when an Associated Press reporter asked when the text would be sent.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/496794.html http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/496794.html Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:38 EDT
The deaths were reported in Uttar Pradesh state, one of India's poorest, bringing this monsoon season's death toll to more than 300 people across India.

Monsoon season, which lasts from June to September in India, brings rain vital for the country's farmers but also massive destruction. Floods, mudslides, house collapses and lightning strikes kill hundreds every year.

One of the worst hit places was the Hindu holy city of Varanasi, where 11.5 inches of rain fell in 24 hours.

"The dead included women and children, as most of the fatalities occurred due to the incidents of houses collapsing," said Surendra Srivastava, the state police spokesman.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/496327.html http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/496327.html Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:40 EDT
The negotiations over a withdrawal timetable follow long insistence by President Bush that setting any schedule for U.S. troops to leave would be dangerous. The draft agreement with Iraq would link troop reductions to achievement of certain security milestones, although the details have not been made public.

Time has become ever more important in discussions between U.S. and Iraqi officials with Bush heading into its final months and the presidential candidates tussling daily over how and when they would move to end the war.

Democrat Barack Obama has said he would begin pulling troops out immediately upon taking office and have all combat forces out within 16 months. Republican John McCain has said the situation in Iraq will dictate any pullout schedule, not a timetable set up without consideration of how the war is going.

Rice and Zebari, appearing together at a news conference, asserted that the proposed deal reflects growing confidence in the ability of Iraqi forces to secure the country. A final agreement would require endorsement of the proposed deal by top Iraqi leaders and the Iraqi parliament.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/496627.html http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/496627.html Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:35 EDT
Tubbs Jones, the first black woman to represent Ohio in Congress, died Wednesday evening after suffering a brain hemorrhage caused by a ruptured aneurysm. She was 58.

"She poured her heart and soul into her job," said U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio. "She worked so hard and gave everything she could. I'm devastated. Wherever we'd go, we'd speak of each other as brother and sister. It's an incalculable loss."

Tubbs Jones represented Ohio's heavily Democratic 11th District for five terms. She was the first black woman to serve on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee and the first to serve as a common pleas judge in Ohio.

The congresswoman suffered the hemorrhage while driving her car in suburban Cleveland Heights on Tuesday night. She had been driving erratically and her vehicle crossed lanes of traffic before coming to a stop, police said. An officer found her.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/495969.html http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/495969.html Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:58 EDT
The airliner said it has not yet determined the cause of the crash Wednesday, the nation's worst air disaster in nearly 25 years. Only 19 people survived.

Spanair spokesman Javier Mendoza said a valve was reported overheating in the front of the plane under the cockpit and technicians corrected the problem by turning it off. Mendoza said the device is not on a list of equipment that has to be functional for a plane to take off. He told a news conference that turning off such a device in these circumstances is an accepted procedure.

Spanair says the plane was eventually cleared by company technicians. The plane crashed on its second attempt to take off for the Canary Islands.

Mendoza said the MD-82's two black box recorders have been recovered but one is damaged.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/495898.html http://www.kentucky.com/522/story/495898.html Thu, 21 Aug 2008 07:13 EDT
Armored personnel carriers and troop trucks blocked the bridge to the Black Sea port city of Poti, and Russian forces excavated trenches and set up mortars facing the city. Another group of APCs and trucks were positioned in a nearby wooded area.

Although Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has promised that his forces would pull back by Friday, Russian troops appear to be digging in, raising concern about whether Moscow is aiming for a lengthy occupation of its small, pro-Western neighbor.

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili told The Associated Press that Russia was thinning out its presence in some occupied towns but was seizing other strategic spots. He called the Russian moves "some kind of deception game."

"(The Russians) are making fun of the world," he declared.]]>