http://www.kentucky.com/news/index.xml News, sports, and entertainment from Kentucky.com en-us Copyright 2008 Kentucky.com News 60 Fri, 05 Dec 2008 08:55:29 EST http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss McClatchy Interactive's Workbench webmaster@kentucky.com http://www.kentucky.com/512/story/616510.html http://www.kentucky.com/512/story/616510.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 04:46 EST
"Clearly we're on a collision course between supply and demand," said Brad Udall, director of the Western Water Assessment at the University of Colorado.

Although there is some disagreement about when the most dire conditions will materialize, scientists at a conference in Salt Lake City said Thursday they expect less water to be available in the coming decades.

Without fundamental shifts in water management, the result will be shortages and difficult decisions about who in the seven states the river serves will get water and who will go without, said Dave Wegner, science director for the Glen Canyon Institute, which organized the one-day conference at the University of Utah.

"To me, it's not going to be a pretty debate," Wegner said.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/512/story/615597.html http://www.kentucky.com/512/story/615597.html Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:56 EST
The launch of the massive roving robot with a rock-zapping laser was pushed back Thursday from next year until 2011, adding $400 million to the price tag. More than 10 different problems, all solvable with time, forced the postponement, Mars exploration chief Doug McCuistion said.

The six-wheeled Mars Science Laboratory is designed as the most powerful spacecraft to explore the Martian surface. About the size of a small sport utility vehicle, it will probe the red planet's climate and geology in finer detail than previous missions.

The project has been dogged by cost increases and technical challenges. Just two years ago the lab was supposed to cost $1.6 billion; the launch delay inflates the total price to nearly $2.3 billion.

The biggest major technical problem involves motors and gear boxes that will help the rover drive around and bend its robotic arm to reach out to test soil. One of the most vexing problems: the brake sticks in the on position in cold weather, McCuistion said. Other problems involved cracks in a key pipe, computer glitches and easy-to-fix failures with solar power cells, he said.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/512/story/615452.html http://www.kentucky.com/512/story/615452.html Thu, 04 Dec 2008 10:07 EST
From 2000 to 2007, annual measles deaths dropped 74 percent, largely because of vaccination campaigns, according to a report from the World Health Organization, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other organizations.

Measles has long been a leading cause of death of young children globally and still kills more than 500 a day. But health officials estimate 11 million deaths were avoided in the decline.

The most dramatic improvements were seen in Africa and in Greater Middle Eastern countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan, where measles deaths dropped by about 90 percent. The least progress was in Southeast Asia, where most of the world's measles deaths now occur.

The report appears this week in publications of the CDC and WHO.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/512/story/615974.html http://www.kentucky.com/512/story/615974.html Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:36 EST
The space agency Thursday announced that it is aiming to launch the shuttle Atlantis on May 12 for what would be an 11-day repair and upgrade mission to the $10 billion space telescope.

NASA was going to fix Hubble in October, but weeks before the shuttle launch, a glitch in Hubble's science computer forced a delay. The problem was fixed but NASA wants to fly up a new backup. Testing of the spare part has shown problems, causing a delay of at least seven months.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/512/story/615511.html http://www.kentucky.com/512/story/615511.html Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:32 EST
About 22 percent of wounded troops have a brain injury, concluded the prestigious Institute of Medicine - and it urged precise steps for studying how these patients fare years later so chances to help aren't missed.

The Veterans Affairs Department, which requested the report, and the Pentagon already are taking some of the recommended steps. But a report out Thursday highlights the urgency.

"I don't think we really knew how big a hole in scientific knowledge there is about blast-induced brain injuries," said Dr. George Rutherford of the University of California, San Francisco, the report's lead researcher.

Traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is a signature injury of the Iraq war. Most do not involve penetrating head wounds but damage hidden inside the skull caused by an explosion's pressure wave. It can range from a mild concussion to severe injury. And because symptoms may not be immediately apparent, troops may not seek care.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/512/story/616019.html http://www.kentucky.com/512/story/616019.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 00:41 EST
A paper being published Friday in a British medical journal concludes that happiness is contagious - and that people pass on their good cheer even to total strangers.

American researchers who tracked more than 4,700 people in Framingham, Mass., as part of a 20-year heart study also found the transferred happiness is good for up to a year.

"Happiness is like a stampede," said Nicholas Christakis, a professor in Harvard University's sociology department and co-author of the study. "Whether you're happy depends not just on your own actions and behaviors and thoughts, but on those of people you don't even know."

While the study is another sign of the power of social networks, it ran through 2003, just before the rise of social networking Web sites like Friendster, MySpace and Facebook. Christakis couldn't say for sure whether the effect works online.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/512/story/615261.html http://www.kentucky.com/512/story/615261.html Thu, 04 Dec 2008 06:22 EST
The Center for Biological Diversity sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne on Wednesday for failing to act on a petition seeking protection for walruses under the Endangered Species Act.

Walruses are threatened by global warming that melts Arctic sea ice, according to the group, one of the parties that successfully petitioned to list polar bears as threatened. The group also has filed petitions to protect Arctic seals.

The walrus petition was filed in February. The Fish and Wildlife Service was required by law to decide by May 8 whether the petition had merit, which would trigger a more thorough review and a preliminary decision after 12 months. The agency missed the deadline.

Rebecca Noblin, an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, said the delay would harm walruses.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/512/story/613941.html http://www.kentucky.com/512/story/613941.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 08:22 EST
The kingdom's Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday it found melamine in five samples of milk and dairy products. The milk was produced by Nestle in China and the wafers by Apollo Industries in Malaysia.

China has been struggling to get melamine out of its food supply after the chemical was found in infant formula and other dairy products. Six babies died and nearly 300,000 were sickened by melamine-tainted formula.

Elsewhere in the Middle East, authorities in the United Arab Emirates have been monitoring imports closely and have not found any melamine-contaminated Chinese food products in that country.

The UAE's General Secretariat of Municipalities banned Chinese dairy and related products in October and ordered them to be withdrawn until tests ensured they are free from melamine.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/616635.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/616635.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 08:54 EST
Anthony is charged with killing 3-year-old Caylee. The toddler was last seen in June, but was not reported missing until a month later.

Orange County jail officials released several hours of videotapes Thursday of visits between Casey Anthony and her family from July and August, when she was arrested on neglect and other counts but before being charged with first-degree murder.

During the taped visits, Anthony's parents tell her they're trying hard to find the little girl. Anthony does not appear to add information to aid that search beyond her account that a baby sitter took the girl.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/616573.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/616573.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 07:11 EST
Police say the robber in the second case was armed, while the man accused of stealing beer was not.

Just the same, the legal plights of the two clerks highlight the uncertain impact of National Rifle Association-backed laws sweeping the nation that make it easier to justify shooting in self-defense.

In 2006, Mississippi adopted its version of the so-called castle doctrine, which lifts requirements that individuals first try to flee before using deadly force to counter a threat in their homes, vehicles or, in Mississippi's case, at work.

Gun rights advocates who have helped pass the law in 23 states since 2003 say it removes an unfair legal penalty for people exercising a constitutional right in a life-or-death emergency, though some police and prosecutors are skeptical of self-defense claims under the law.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/616551.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/616551.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 06:21 EST
Curiosity about bottom-up bailouts inspired one of three questions in this edition of "Ask AP," a weekly Q&A column where AP journalists respond to readers' questions about the news.

If you have your own news-related question that you'd like to see answered by an AP reporter or editor, send it to newsquestions@ap.org, with "Ask AP" in the subject line. And please include your full name and hometown so they can be published with your question.

---

Can service stations tamper with their pumps to reduce the amount of gas that goes into your car for each gallon you buy? If so, is anything done to prevent this?]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/616521.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/616521.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 05:16 EST
Welcome to hunting season at Delta Theta Sigma, an agricultural fraternity at Penn State University where students keep a daily tally of deer kills on a calendar hung just outside the kitchen.

"The mailman hates us at this time of year," Dan Vastyan said as he worked one night this week to skin the deer hanging just inside the front door. The bloody mess had to be cleaned up by morning so the mail carrier could get through.

It's the same drill every late fall for the fraternity in State College, centrally located in hunting-happy Pennsylvania. Nearly 1 million hunters were believed to have taken to the woods on the opening day of rifle deer season, always the Monday after Thanksgiving, and more than 300,000 deer are expected to be killed over the span of two weeks.

"For anybody who's an avid hunter, this is like Christmastime for us," said Alex Potosky, the chapter's vice president.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/616492.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/616492.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 04:31 EST
"I carry the visible signs of Dec. 5," said 62-year-old Fred Wilson, who nearly died that day. "Other employees saw things I didn't. They may carry their wounds on the inside."

Wilson went back to work part-time at the mall after Memorial Day. He says there was never any question in his mind that he should be there.

He can no longer wrap gifts at work - his right arm is still in a sling, and he can barely move his fingers.

"I came to a degree of forgiveness ... when I was in the hospital," Wilson said. He tries to help others learn how to forgive, speaking at churches and schools and seminars.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/616488.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/616488.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 07:05 EST
International giving by U.S. foundations totaled about $5.4 billion last year, according to the report released Thursday by the New York-based Foundation Center.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation accounted for more than half the increase in foundation giving to international causes between 2002 and 2006, said the report, which documents trends in giving based on grants awarded by more than 1,000 of the largest U.S. foundations.

International giving by all foundations rose by more than 50 percent during that time. The Gates Foundation, the nation's largest, contributed $2 billion internationally in 2006, nearly four times the amount it gave in 2002.

Apart from the Gates contributions, international charity still grew faster than all foundation giving during the period of the study.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/616468.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/616468.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 03:56 EST
The state stuffs its 33 adult prisons with nearly twice as many inmates as they were designed to house. Attorneys representing the inmates asked the judges on Thursday to order the state to trim about 52,000 inmates from the current population of 156,300 over the next two years.

The judges hearing the case brought on behalf of sick and mentally ill inmates may not make a decision until next year. The special three-judge panel is acting for the first time under a 1995 federal law designed to limit the judiciary's power in inmate rights cases, and any release order likely faces an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Several more weeks of testimony are scheduled this month on whether releasing inmates early will increase crime. The judges have already heard seven days of testimony on overcrowding.

"In the long run, does it make any difference to public safety if we release them 60 days earlier?" than their original sentence, U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton of Sacramento wondered as the judges debated one hypothetical release order this week.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/616454.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/616454.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 08:37 EST
The 61-year-old former football star who walked away a free man after a celebrated murder trial was due to learn Friday how much time he'll spend in a Nevada state prison for a botched attempt to recover sports mementoes and personal items from two collectibles peddlers.

Neither Simpson, who was acquitted of the 1994 slayings of his ex-wife and her friend in Los Angeles, nor his co-defendant and former golfing buddy, Clarence "C.J. Stewart, testified at trial. They were convicted Oct. 3 of 12 criminal charges, including kidnapping and armed robbery, and face mandatory prison time - a minimum of six years and up to life.

Simpson attorney Yale Galanter has said his client won't address the court. Stewart will, said his lawyer, Brent Bryson.

"Best-case scenario we're hoping for is six years. That's the bottom-end number before being eligible for parole," Bryson said.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/616224.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/616224.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 01:03 EST
The claim contradicts findings from federal investigators that the Metrolink train ran a red light and caused the wreck - the nation's deadliest rail disaster in 15 years. The National Transportation Safety Board has said three tests showed the signal system was working.

Conductor Robert Heldenbrand told investigators he saw the green light as the train was leaving a station about a mile from where it crashed into the Union Pacific freight, said John Gilbert, Heldenbrand's attorney.

"He checked the platform prior to the (train) doors closing to make sure there were no more passengers," he told the Los Angeles Times. "That's when he observed the green light."

Gilbert said he was with Heldenbrand when he was interviewed by investigators.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/616220.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/616220.html Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:31 EST
The Sierra Club, The Wilderness Society and the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance filed their objections to drilling in 100,000 acres of wild land in eastern Utah.

The BLM has already pulled nearly 100,000 acres from the Dec. 19 auction, leaving more than 276,000 acres up for bid.

The BLM has been under intense pressure - first from the National Park Service and now from conservation groups - to cull a list of auction parcels in Utah's final oil-and-gas lease sale of President George W. Bush's administration.

Last week, the BLM pulled drilling leases that were located on and around the borders of Arches National Park, Dinosaur National Monument and Canyonlands National Park, all in Utah.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/616558.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/616558.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 06:41 EST
The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled Oct. 23 the results of a 2006 mayoral race in a small southern Kentucky town should be set aside in favor of a new election.

Beverly McClendon, who has been serving as mayor, finished the Nov. 7, 2006, contest with 325 votes to Jerry Hodges' 324 votes. There were three other candidates in the race.

The Glasgow Daily Times reports McClendon filed a requested for a rehearing Nov. 12. Hodges filed Monday. The case was sent to Supreme Court justices for assignment Monday.

Tompkinsville, with a population of more than 2,600 people, is located about 140 miles south of Louisville, near the Kentucky-Tennessee border. The race is nonpartisan.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/616608.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/616608.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 08:16 EST
Department of Health state epidemiologist Dr. Kraig Humbaugh says he expects the bacteria-caused illness called pertussis will infect more than 100 people this year. Kentucky has had at least 62 cases since October.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports the state has seen eight to 60 cases of whooping cough in recent years.

This year's outbreak is most severe in counties surrounding Elizabethtown.

The illness is most severe for young children and those with compromised immune systems. It can be deadly to children not vaccinated.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/616567.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/616567.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 07:05 EST
Whitley County Jailer Ken Mobley says Brittany Lynch was arrested Tuesday and charged with four counts of unlawful taking.

The Times-Tribune reports Mobley says Lynch has admitted to taking a jail two-way radio, bond money and cash from a co-worker's purse.

Lynch had worked at the Whitley County Detention Center for about four months but it is unclear what her job entitled.

Kentucky State Police, Williamsburg Police and Mobley began investigating when bond money and jail property went missing.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/616332.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/616332.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 01:21 EST
The Courier-Journal of Louisville reports the Board of Regents for the Kentucky Community and Technical College System is also planning Friday to discuss ending health insurance for new retirees as another way to save money.

Spokeswoman Terri Giltner said that the board will discuss the measure, but that no vote is scheduled. If the board asks for a more formal proposal, a final version would not be adopted until March.

But educators say eliminating tenure and benefits will keep them from hiring talented professors, especially at rural schools.

"What is there to attract high-quality, well-trained teachers to the rural colleges like Somerset, Hazard, Harlan, if you don't have good retirement and tenure?" said Dexter Alexander, a retired dean of institutional effectiveness and research at Somerset Community College.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/616572.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/616572.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 07:11 EST
Police say the robber in the second case was armed, while the man accused of stealing beer was not.

Just the same, the legal plights of the two clerks highlight the uncertain impact of National Rifle Association-backed laws sweeping the nation that make it easier to justify shooting in self-defense.

In 2006, Mississippi adopted its version of the so-called castle doctrine, which lifts requirements that individuals first try to flee before using deadly force to counter a threat in their homes, vehicles or, in Mississippi's case, at work.

Gun rights advocates who have helped pass the law in 23 states since 2003 say it removes an unfair legal penalty for people exercising a constitutional right in a life-or-death emergency, though some police and prosecutors are skeptical of self-defense claims under the law.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/615311.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/615311.html Thu, 04 Dec 2008 07:42 EST
Each firefighter gets $3,100 per year from the state as a benefit for completing a certain amount of training.

The Courier-Journal reports officials say the city could no longer afford incentive pay after a lawsuit firefighters filed resulted in a ruling that Louisville was underpaying them by not including it in the amount used to calculate overtime.

Fire commission division director Bruce Roberts says firefighters did not receive the $134 in their last two-week paycheck because Louisville did not send the required monthly request.

Firefighters union Craig Willman president says the union plans to give the city a document Thursday that offers to exclude the incentive pay from the overtime calculations to allow members to continue receiving the extra money.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/615643.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/615643.html Thu, 04 Dec 2008 13:37 EST
More than four dozen Ford Motor Corp. employees cheered and applauded at the Kentucky Truck Plant Thursday as Gov. Steve Beshear and other officials called for federal lawmakers to pass $34 billion in emergency aid. The money would help a state where between 80,000 and 85,000 people are employed by the auto industry either directly or through suppliers and dealerships, Beshear said.

"We're not asking for a handout," Beshear said. "We're asking to partner with the federal government."

The heads of Ford, General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC were on Capitol Hill Thursday in a second attempt to persuade Congress to help the ailing industry. Congress turned away an initial attempt by the automakers last month to get financial help from the federal treasury.

Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson says without help, the auto industry could fail. That, in turn, would have a devastating impact on the Louisville area, where the truck plant, a Ford Assembly Plant and parts suppliers are located, Abramson said.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/615814.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/615814.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 00:31 EST
Police announced Thursday that they have a suspect in the case - a dead felon twice convicted of abducting girls and injecting them with drugs in Alabama.

The evidence against Greg Lewis Oakley Jr. is so strong that he would be in custody if he hadn't died in 2002, Police Maj. Barry Wilkerson said.

"If I wasn't here talking to you and he was alive, I'd be talking to him right now," Wilkerson said.

Police believe he killed Ann by injecting her with an overdose of the painkiller Talwin.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/615954.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/615954.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 06:06 EST
The Courier-Journal of Louisville reports the Board of Regents for the Kentucky Community and Technical College System is also planning Friday to discuss ending health insurance for new retirees as another way to save money.

Spokeswoman Terri Giltner said that the board will discuss the measure, but that no vote is scheduled. If the board asks for a more formal proposal, a final version would not be adopted until March.

But educators say eliminating tenure and benefits will keep them from hiring talented professors, especially at rural schools.

"What is there to attract high-quality, well-trained teachers to the rural colleges like Somerset, Hazard, Harlan, if you don't have good retirement and tenure?" said Dexter Alexander, a retired dean of institutional effectiveness and research at Somerset Community College.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/615407.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/615407.html Thu, 04 Dec 2008 08:42 EST
Bullitt County Sheriff's Department Lt. Scotty McGaha says 25-year-old Jessica Smith repeatedly raped a 15-year-old boy. His mother says she paid Smith to watch her children.

WLKY reports McGaha says the boy may be the father since the relationship was ongoing.

Smith's attorney made arrangements Wednesday for her to surrender to police Friday. She faces rape and sodomy charges.

The boy's mother says the teen now has serious mental health issues.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/524/story/616637.html http://www.kentucky.com/524/story/616637.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 08:54 EST
All children of Japanese women are automatically granted citizenship. Before Friday's revision, however, those born out of wedlock to foreign women could claim citizenship only if their Japanese fathers acknowledged paternity before the birth or later married their mothers.

The new law expands the ability of those children to claim citizenship, stating that they need only to be acknowledged by their fathers before a claim is filed.

To prevent fraudulent claims, the law stipulates that violators will be fined of up to 200,000 yen ($2,170) or sentenced to one year in prison. The law also requires the government to study the feasibility of introducing DNA testing.

The revision came after 10 children born to unmarried Japanese men and Filipino women demanded citizenship. In June, Japan's top court ruled in their favor, saying that the previous restrictions on citizenship violated constitutional guarantees of equality.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/524/story/616629.html http://www.kentucky.com/524/story/616629.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 08:46 EST
The Tibetan spiritual leader says "if the Chinese leaders use common sense and realistic approach, or face the reality, then there is possibility to find a solution with the totalitarian regime."

But he tells a youth group at a gathering of Nobel laureates in honor of Lech Walesa Friday that "it is not in our hands ... I can just hope."

Beijing maintains Tibet has been part of China for more than seven centuries and denounces the Dalai Lama as a separatist.

The Dalai Lama has lived in exile in India since fleeing Tibet amid an abortive uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/524/story/616616.html http://www.kentucky.com/524/story/616616.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 08:26 EST
The Kremlin-controlled lower house of parliament voted 389-2 Friday to replace Soviet-era red stars on military aircraft with ones bearing the three colors of the Russian national flag. The five-pointed red stars have adorned the planes since the 1917 Bolshevik revolution.

The State Duma made the move even though the red star was officially restored as a military symbol and brought back to the military's parade banners in 2002. The stars had remained on the planes all along, however.

But not all things Soviet have been abandoned. During Vladimir Putin's presidency, Russia also restored the old Soviet national anthem - albeit with new lyrics.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/524/story/616605.html http://www.kentucky.com/524/story/616605.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 08:06 EST
Mayor Job Cohen's promise to lobby the Justice Ministry to give Amsterdam an exception came after city leaders overwhelmingly voted to challenge the issue. They argue the cafes are already so closely watched they don't need new rules to keep children away.

Cohen told national broadcaster NOS that "if there are other possibilities" to an outright ban, "then we'd like to look at them."

City aldermen want Amsterdam to relax a proposed ban on the cafes within 250 meters (yards) of schools. Cohen said he is waiting for more clarity from the government before deciding on his next step.

The challenge comes only days after a separate national ban on psychedelic mushrooms went into effect. Amsterdam also opposed that move and has so far declined to enforce it.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/524/story/616598.html http://www.kentucky.com/524/story/616598.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 07:50 EST
The British broadcaster says Friday on its Web site that no explanation was given for the suspension, but negotiations are ongoing with the head of the Kyrgyz National Television Corporation in hopes of resolving the situation.

The BBC broadcasts news programs three hours daily on the state radio station in Russian and Kyrgyz. It has been operating in the former Soviet nation since the mid-1990s.

Democracy watchdog organization Freedom House said in a recent report that government pressure on the media in Kyrgyzstan has worsened in recent years.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/616623.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/616623.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 08:39 EST http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/616361.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/616361.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 06:38 EST
We've got to change our megawatt-wasting ways.

Kentucky's energy-efficiency problem, experts say, is that low electrical rates have lulled us into lackadaisical light-switch-flipping.

The average man, woman and child in Kentucky uses 70 percent more electricity than the average American, according to numbers compiled by Robert Ukeily, a Berea attorney who represents environmental groups.

The average Kentucky home uses 24 percent more electricity than the national average. The average Kentucky industrial customer uses 427 percent more . a testament to the state's history of using local electrical rates to draw aluminum smelters and other energy-hungry industries. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/615753.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/615753.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 06:47 EST
LOUISVILLE . While other parts of the economy are suffering, Kentucky farms are seeing record gross receipts this year despite a difficult year for some of the state's traditional income drivers . horses and cattle.

Despite significant drops in some areas, farm cash receipts are predicted to be a record $4.7 billion for 2008, according to the University of Kentucky agricultural economists who presented their annual forecast Thursday at the Kentucky Farm Bureau convention.

Receipts this year are expected to be up 7 percent from 2007, and up by more than a third from 2001. Next year, receipts from sales of farm products are expected to drop only slightly, to about $4.6 billion.

Even with higher fuel, feed and fertilizer costs, net farm income for many farms is expected to be up about 10 percent for 2008, thanks to growth from corn, wheat, soybeans and tobacco. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/615600.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/615600.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 06:49 EST
The whooping cough has come to Kentucky, and the bacterially caused illness is causing its first outbreak in Kentucky in several years.

"We're seeing it all over the state," said Dr. Kraig Humbaugh, the state epidemiologist in the Department of Public Health.

In recent years, the state has seen between eight and 60 cases of whooping cough. This year, Humbaugh expects more than 100 cases.

This year's outbreak is most severe in counties surrounding Elizabethtown. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/616558.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/616558.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 06:41 EST
The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled Oct. 23 the results of a 2006 mayoral race in a small southern Kentucky town should be set aside in favor of a new election.

Beverly McClendon, who has been serving as mayor, finished the Nov. 7, 2006, contest with 325 votes to Jerry Hodges' 324 votes. There were three other candidates in the race.

The Glasgow Daily Times reports McClendon filed a requested for a rehearing Nov. 12. Hodges filed Monday. The case was sent to Supreme Court justices for assignment Monday.

Tompkinsville, with a population of more than 2,600 people, is located about 140 miles south of Louisville, near the Kentucky-Tennessee border. The race is nonpartisan.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/616567.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/616567.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 07:05 EST
Whitley County Jailer Ken Mobley says Brittany Lynch was arrested Tuesday and charged with four counts of unlawful taking.

The Times-Tribune reports Mobley says Lynch has admitted to taking a jail two-way radio, bond money and cash from a co-worker's purse.

Lynch had worked at the Whitley County Detention Center for about four months but it is unclear what her job entitled.

Kentucky State Police, Williamsburg Police and Mobley began investigating when bond money and jail property went missing.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/616059.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/616059.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 06:48 EST
At a small mobile home park tucked off Bryan Station Road in southern Bourbon County, many people knew 2-year-old Katelynn Stinnett.

They also know the teen accused of killing her.

According to police, Brian Crabtree, 18, raped and threw the girl on the floor of a Lexington apartment on Nov. 25. The toddler died from her injuries on Wednesday.

Crabtree was watching Katelynn and a 3-year-old brother while their father was at work, said Chris Baker, the uncle of Katelynn's father, Daniel Stinnett. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/616106.html http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/616106.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 06:56 EST
The Urban County Council gave final approval to plans to help revitalize two areas of downtown, one around the old Fayette County courthouse and the CentrePointe development, the other along a stretch of Manchester Street.

Improvements, which would include renovation of the historic courthouse and the James E. Pepper distillery water tower, a bourbon museum, new sidewalks and lighting, would be paid for using new tax revenue that the districts areas are expected to generate when the projects are completed.

This type of funding, called tax increment financing, is a first for Lexington and still needs state approval.

Tuesday's approval was the last local hurdle for the projects before they are forwarded to Frankfort for more scrutiny by the state as it decides whether to pledge revenues. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/616547.html http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/616547.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 08:21 EST
Three or four thieves swiped rings, necklaces and luxury watches from display cases at the Harry Winston store near the Champs-Elysees, a police official said. They brandished handguns and threatened about 15 employees, hitting some on the head with guns, the official said.

At least two of the bandits were men wearing wigs and dressed as women, at times spoke a foreign language, and knew employees' names, the official said. After the theft, the robbers fled.

The official, who was not authorized to be publicly named according to agency policy, said it was among France's biggest-ever jewel thefts.

New York-based Harry Winston said in a statement: "We are cooperating with the authorities in their investigation. Our first concern is the well-being of our employees."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/615816.html http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/615816.html Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:55 EST
The employee who was shocked was not seriously injured. The two workers were able to hold the suspects until police arrived and placed the women under arrest on suspicion of theft and battery.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/616069.html http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/616069.html Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:55 EST
The state Department of Public Safety said Travis Munroe Townsend was arrested and booked into jail Thursday on a charge of felony damage and misdemeanor counts of interference with a traffic control device and criminal trespass.

The DPS said a motorcycle officer parked under an overpass heard loud banging noises and saw a man swinging a pickax at a stationary camera late Wednesday night.

According to DPS, the camera wasn't damaged but it needed a new protective cover.

A DPS spokesman did not immediately respond when asked whether Townsend has an attorney.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/615747.html http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/615747.html Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:55 EST
Kathleen Hewko of Delran Township, N.J., says she was in the bathroom at Starters Pub near Allentown when the handicapped toilet seat she was sitting on cracked and dumped her into the bowl.

Hewko says in her lawsuit filed in federal court in November that she had hip surgery prior to the Nov. 19, 2006, incident and was re-injured when the seat broke.

The lawsuit names Starters and Kohler Co., the company that made the toilet seat.

Representatives from both companies said they couldn't comment.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/615837.html http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/615837.html Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:36 EST
The report said the man would not let the woman out of the vehicle, so she threw his drink out of the car. In response, the man allegedly grabbed her arm and smashed the cheeseburger into her face. The pair got out of the car, and authorities say the man again took the McDonald's sandwich and put it on her face.

The man was released on $1,000 bond Wednesday.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/615776.html http://www.kentucky.com/523/story/615776.html Thu, 04 Dec 2008 15:01 EST
For the past two years, officials have invited choirs and bands from high schools and churches to perform at Bush and Hobby airports during December. Karaoke seemed the next logical step, said Caroline Schneider, assistant airport manager for customer service.

"During the holidays, we have a lot of our novice travelers," she said. "We thought while they are waiting, they can just sing a song."

Aspiring vocalists can choose from hundreds of song titles, Schneider said. Small prizes will be given to the singers.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/211/story/616361.html http://www.kentucky.com/211/story/616361.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 06:38 EST
We've got to change our megawatt-wasting ways.

Kentucky's energy-efficiency problem, experts say, is that low electrical rates have lulled us into lackadaisical light-switch-flipping.

The average man, woman and child in Kentucky uses 70 percent more electricity than the average American, according to numbers compiled by Robert Ukeily, a Berea attorney who represents environmental groups.

The average Kentucky home uses 24 percent more electricity than the national average. The average Kentucky industrial customer uses 427 percent more . a testament to the state's history of using local electrical rates to draw aluminum smelters and other energy-hungry industries. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/211/story/616059.html http://www.kentucky.com/211/story/616059.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 06:48 EST
At a small mobile home park tucked off Bryan Station Road in southern Bourbon County, many people knew 2-year-old Katelynn Stinnett.

They also know the teen accused of killing her.

According to police, Brian Crabtree, 18, raped and threw the girl on the floor of a Lexington apartment on Nov. 25. The toddler died from her injuries on Wednesday.

Crabtree was watching Katelynn and a 3-year-old brother while their father was at work, said Chris Baker, the uncle of Katelynn's father, Daniel Stinnett. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/211/story/616106.html http://www.kentucky.com/211/story/616106.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 06:56 EST
The Urban County Council gave final approval to plans to help revitalize two areas of downtown, one around the old Fayette County courthouse and the CentrePointe development, the other along a stretch of Manchester Street.

Improvements, which would include renovation of the historic courthouse and the James E. Pepper distillery water tower, a bourbon museum, new sidewalks and lighting, would be paid for using new tax revenue that the districts areas are expected to generate when the projects are completed.

This type of funding, called tax increment financing, is a first for Lexington and still needs state approval.

Tuesday's approval was the last local hurdle for the projects before they are forwarded to Frankfort for more scrutiny by the state as it decides whether to pledge revenues. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/211/story/616039.html http://www.kentucky.com/211/story/616039.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 06:59 EST
Lexington's ABC affiliate plans to launch a new channel and begin a 10 p.m. local newscast in January to compete directly with the highly successful Fox 56 newscast.

WTVQ, last place in local news ratings, also plans to re-air some of its newscasts from its ABC channel on the new MyNetworkTV channel. The move is possible because TV stations now transmit multiple channels using digital technology.

WTVQ will launch the channel Jan. 1, adding it to its current ABC and 24/7 local weather channels.

"We're building a new TV station essentially from scratch," said WTVQ General Manager Chris Aldridge. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/211/story/615451.html http://www.kentucky.com/211/story/615451.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 07:05 EST
Kentucky is making small improvements for its children after several years of declines, according to the new Kids Count data book.

But they continue to face problems: Kentucky has low rates of breast-feeding and low achievement rates among disabled children, and some schools still use spankings . corporal punishment . as a form of discipline.

"We, as a state, are still 41st in terms of overall well-being," said Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates, the group that puts out the yearly report. "There is no way we Kentuckians can feel good about being in the bottom 10 for kids."

Brooks said it is unclear whether Kentucky's signs of improvement are the beginning of a new trend or a blip. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/211/story/615013.html http://www.kentucky.com/211/story/615013.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 07:00 EST
The Kentucky Community and Technical College System's board of regents has launched a spirited debate over potentially abandoning the tenure system for future faculty members.

At their meeting Thursday and Friday, the regents are giving a first public airing of the idea of hiring new professors with contracts of up to four years, rather than the tenure track that essentially establishes faculty members for life.

The board can't approve such a move this month because it is up for discussion only and couldn't be acted upon until its March meeting at the earliest, said KCTCS spokeswoman Terri Giltner.

But it is an idea that is being floated as an option to help the system handle "rapid shifts in the job market, emerging new job markets, and state budget cuts which underscored the need for flexibility," according to the board of regents' documents attached to its meeting agenda. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/211/story/616134.html http://www.kentucky.com/211/story/616134.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 03:04 EST
The Urban County Council on Thursday approved a resolution asking for state Auditor Crit Luallen's help in examining the finances of Blue Grass Airport.

The council approved the resolution by a 12-3 vote. Council members Dick DeCamp, Jay McChord and David Stevens voted against the measure.

Airport board chairman Bernie Lovely has pledged to cooperate with Luallen, who plans to meet with airport representatives and an audit team to define the scope of the audit and a time line for completion.

Articles published in the Nov. 23 Herald-Leader revealed that airport Executive Director Michael Gobb spent more than $200,000 for trips and other expenses from January 2006 through March 2008. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/211/story/616029.html http://www.kentucky.com/211/story/616029.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 07:00 EST
Someday, when state officials have added up all of the taxpayer money that will be spent on the lawsuit filed this week by an atheist group, I hope they will send the bill to state Rep. Tom Riner.

To help him pay it, Riner could then take up a collection among the legislators who supported his floor amendment.

American Atheists Inc. sued the state because Riner, a Louisville Democrat and Baptist minister, inserted the amendment two years ago into legislation organizing the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security. The amendment designated the office's first duty as "stressing the dependence on Almighty God as being vital to the security of the Commonwealth."

The amendment requires the office to publicize God's benevolent protection in its literature, and to post at the entrance to the state Emergency Operations Center a plaque with an 88-word statement that begins, "The safety and security of the Commonwealth cannot be achieved apart from reliance upon Almighty God." ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/211/story/615100.html http://www.kentucky.com/211/story/615100.html Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:51 EST
FRANKFORT . In his first year as governor of Kentucky, Democrat Steve Beshear said he was unprepared for the intensity of the job.

"No one who hasn't sat in this chair can appreciate the number of decisions and many times the enormity of the effects of those decisions that you make daily. There is so much going on that you have to say grace over," Beshear said during a wide-ranging interview Wednesday in the Capitol office he took over last Dec. 11.

Maybe the biggest decisions of Beshear's still-young administration will be made by the end of next week.

The 64-year-old governor will have to decide how to deal with a nearly half-billion-dollar shortfall in the state budget for this fiscal year. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/211/story/614743.html http://www.kentucky.com/211/story/614743.html Thu, 04 Dec 2008 06:23 EST
A 2-year-old girl police say was raped and assaulted last week died Wednesday at the Kentucky Children's Hospital.

Brian Matthew Crabtree is being held in the Fayette County Detention Center on charges of first-degree rape, first-degree sexual abuse and first-degree assault. He has pleaded not guilty.

The Fayette County coroner's report said the child, Katelynn Stinnett, was assaulted on Nov. 25 in a home at 2034 Cumins Court off Versailles Road. An autopsy is pending, and the death is being investigated as a homicide. According to court documents, police said Crabtree, roommate to the girl's father, raped the child and dropped her to the floor.

The Ellison Funeral Home in Williamsburg is in charge of funeral arrangements. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/211/story/614724.html http://www.kentucky.com/211/story/614724.html Thu, 04 Dec 2008 06:23 EST
The veterinarian at the center of a notorious horse-racing medication case said on Wednesday that he never gave cobra venom to an active racehorse, let alone one in the care of top trainer Patrick Biancone.

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

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

Cobra venom can be used to deaden nerves and has some legitimate use in non-racing horses, but is a banned substance on the tracks because of its potential for abuse. There is no test that can detect it. While Stewart doesn't dispute that the cobra venom and other drugs were at Keeneland, he said they weren't there to be given to a racehorse. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/211/story/615095.html http://www.kentucky.com/211/story/615095.html Thu, 04 Dec 2008 06:22 EST
The Empty Bowls project sold out of its 500 bowls in 50 minutes Wednesday at Transylvania University's Morlan Gallery, the school said in a press release.

By 4 p.m., all bowls were sold and the project had raised $6,638, a record for the sale, for local charity Community Action. Over the last eight years, the Morlan Gallery bowl sales have raised nearly $24,000 for local agencies such as Moveable Feast, the YMCA Spousal Abuse Center and the Hope Center.

"There was no doubt in my mind that we would sell all of our bowls, I just didn't expect to sell almost all of them in the first hour," said gallery director Andrea Fisher.

Herald-Leader Staff Report ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/211/story/615110.html http://www.kentucky.com/211/story/615110.html Thu, 04 Dec 2008 06:31 EST
The Detroit automakers are making their case for federal government loans, which could have wide-reaching effects on Kentucky's network of suppliers. Toyota will cut more than half its 500 temporary employees from its Georgetown plant. One Toyota supplier, AK Steel in Ashland, will furlough almost all 1,100 workers until at least mid-January.

There are weak links in the chains of restaurants, retailers and car dealers. Lexington-based Thomas . King, which operates Applebee's and Carino's Italian Grill restaurants, is eliminating 17 jobs at its headquarters and cutting other costs. Jaguar and Land Rover is the fourth Lexington area dealer to go out of business this year. Circuit City, a prime outlet for Lexmark printers, is closing stores in Lexington, Louisville and Paducah as it goes through bankruptcy.

Kentucky is one of many states dealing with a budget crisis. A projected $456 million budget shortfall prompted the possibility of 4 percent across-the-board budget cuts in state government. Lexington's mayor talked of laying off 100 police officers and shutting down five fire stations. Lexington city government and the University of Kentucky have already frozen hiring except for UK's medical center.

Kentucky's seasonally adjusted preliminary unemployment rate:. October 2008: 6.8 percent ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/211/story/615104.html http://www.kentucky.com/211/story/615104.html Thu, 04 Dec 2008 06:48 EST
Kentucky

Keeneland sale headliner will be pregnant Azeri

The 2003 Horse of the Year, Azeri , will be making news at another auction soon. The three-time champion, in foal to 2004 Horse of the Year Ghostzapper , is catalogued for the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale, Jan. 12-17. The top money-earning Thorough bred filly, she won nearly $4.08 million in four seasons of racing. John Sikura's Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency will consign the broodmare for the Allen E. Paulson Living Trust . Azeri stunned the September sale crowd when her first foal, an A.P. Indy colt named Vallenzeri, failed to sell despite a top bid of $7.7 million. Azeri headlines the catalog of 2,379 horses, including 986 broodmares, 834 yearlings, 543 horses of racing age and 16 stallions. Catalogs will be available online at www.keeneland.com beginning Monday.

Lower Alpha earnings forecast ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/211/story/614807.html http://www.kentucky.com/211/story/614807.html Thu, 04 Dec 2008 06:13 EST
The University of Kentucky would drain most of its reserve funds for classroom improvements and scholarships and freeze hiring for as many as 150 positions if forced to cut its budget by 4 percent.

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

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

UK's document doesn't put dollar amounts next to each item to be cut, but it foreshadows tough days ahead. The state has already scaled back funding to UK by $20 million in the last 11 months. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/615965.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/615965.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 07:16 EST
Windstream Communications, Lexington's local telephone provider, said Thursday it plans to cut 170 jobs across the nation by the end of the first quarter.

Company spokesman David Avery said the 170 jobs will be a combination of layoffs and voluntary resignations. No layoffs are expected in Kentucky, where the company employs 700.

The company isn't breaking down how many voluntary resignations it hopes to receive.

Windstream employs 7,400 people overall. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/615451.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/615451.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 07:05 EST
Kentucky is making small improvements for its children after several years of declines, according to the new Kids Count data book.

But they continue to face problems: Kentucky has low rates of breast-feeding and low achievement rates among disabled children, and some schools still use spankings . corporal punishment . as a form of discipline.

"We, as a state, are still 41st in terms of overall well-being," said Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates, the group that puts out the yearly report. "There is no way we Kentuckians can feel good about being in the bottom 10 for kids."

Brooks said it is unclear whether Kentucky's signs of improvement are the beginning of a new trend or a blip. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/615013.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/615013.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 07:00 EST
The Kentucky Community and Technical College System's board of regents has launched a spirited debate over potentially abandoning the tenure system for future faculty members.

At their meeting Thursday and Friday, the regents are giving a first public airing of the idea of hiring new professors with contracts of up to four years, rather than the tenure track that essentially establishes faculty members for life.

The board can't approve such a move this month because it is up for discussion only and couldn't be acted upon until its March meeting at the earliest, said KCTCS spokeswoman Terri Giltner.

But it is an idea that is being floated as an option to help the system handle "rapid shifts in the job market, emerging new job markets, and state budget cuts which underscored the need for flexibility," according to the board of regents' documents attached to its meeting agenda. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/615753.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/615753.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 06:47 EST
LOUISVILLE . While other parts of the economy are suffering, Kentucky farms are seeing record gross receipts this year despite a difficult year for some of the state's traditional income drivers . horses and cattle.

Despite significant drops in some areas, farm cash receipts are predicted to be a record $4.7 billion for 2008, according to the University of Kentucky agricultural economists who presented their annual forecast Thursday at the Kentucky Farm Bureau convention.

Receipts this year are expected to be up 7 percent from 2007, and up by more than a third from 2001. Next year, receipts from sales of farm products are expected to drop only slightly, to about $4.6 billion.

Even with higher fuel, feed and fertilizer costs, net farm income for many farms is expected to be up about 10 percent for 2008, thanks to growth from corn, wheat, soybeans and tobacco. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/616388.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/616388.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 07:20 EST
LOUISVILLE . As the heads of the Big Three auto makers appeared before Congress to ask for financial help, Ford workers in Louisville rallied behind the industry, along with the governor and mayors of Louisville and Lexington.

More than four dozen Ford Motor Corp. employees cheered and applauded at the Kentucky Truck Plant Thursday as Gov. Steve Beshear called for federal lawmakers to pass $34 billion in emergency aid. The money would help a state where between 80,000 and 85,000 people are employed by the auto industry either directly or through suppliers and dealerships, Beshear said.

"We're not asking for a handout," Beshear said. "We're asking to partner with the federal government."

Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson says that without help, the auto industry could fail. That, in turn, would have a devastating impact on the Louisville area, where the truck plant, a Ford Assembly Plant and parts suppliers are located, Abramson said. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/616386.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/616386.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 07:10 EST
LOUISVILLE . Ann Gotlib was 12 when she vanished while riding her bike near a suburban mall in 1983, a disappearance that rocked the city and made a generation of children think twice before venturing out alone.

Police announced Thursday that they have a suspect in the case . a dead felon twice convicted of abducting girls and injecting them with drugs in Alabama.

The evidence against Greg Lewis Oakley Jr. is so strong that he would be in custody if he hadn't died in 2002, Police Maj. Barry Wilkerson said.

"If I wasn't here talking to you and he was alive, I'd be talking to him right now," Wilkerson said. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/616385.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/616385.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 07:03 EST
Gov. Steve Beshear doesn't want Kentucky to borrow its way out of a nearly half-billion-dollar shortfall by issuing bonds, he said Thursday.

So far, Beshear has given few other specifics about how he plans to resolve the shortfall, preferring to talk in generalities.

He remained non-committal about the possibility of calling for a cigarette tax increase, declining to immediately support a bill pre-filed Thursday by Rep. David Watkins that would raise the tax from 30 cents to $1 a pack.

Beshear, who is expected to make public next week his plan to deal with a projected $456.1 million budget shortfall this fiscal year, told the Lexington Herald-Leader editorial board that he does not want to propose a financial solution "that would make things worse over the long haul." ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/616382.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/616382.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 02:39 EST
Thursday's funeral procession for former Lancaster Fire Chief Kenneth Adams in Lancaster included firetrucks from Danville, Stanford, McKee, Richmond, Lexington and elsewhere.

Adams, 69, who died Monday, was chief from 1964 to 2005. The procession went through downtown to Lancaster Cemetery.

Greg Kocher ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/616361.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/616361.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 06:38 EST
We've got to change our megawatt-wasting ways.

Kentucky's energy-efficiency problem, experts say, is that low electrical rates have lulled us into lackadaisical light-switch-flipping.

The average man, woman and child in Kentucky uses 70 percent more electricity than the average American, according to numbers compiled by Robert Ukeily, a Berea attorney who represents environmental groups.

The average Kentucky home uses 24 percent more electricity than the national average. The average Kentucky industrial customer uses 427 percent more . a testament to the state's history of using local electrical rates to draw aluminum smelters and other energy-hungry industries. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/616029.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/616029.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 07:00 EST
Someday, when state officials have added up all of the taxpayer money that will be spent on the lawsuit filed this week by an atheist group, I hope they will send the bill to state Rep. Tom Riner.

To help him pay it, Riner could then take up a collection among the legislators who supported his floor amendment.

American Atheists Inc. sued the state because Riner, a Louisville Democrat and Baptist minister, inserted the amendment two years ago into legislation organizing the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security. The amendment designated the office's first duty as "stressing the dependence on Almighty God as being vital to the security of the Commonwealth."

The amendment requires the office to publicize God's benevolent protection in its literature, and to post at the entrance to the state Emergency Operations Center a plaque with an 88-word statement that begins, "The safety and security of the Commonwealth cannot be achieved apart from reliance upon Almighty God." ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/615807.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/615807.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 07:08 EST
Tater Knob Fire Tower near Morehead has been closed because it was damaged by fire, Daniel Boone National Forest officials said Thursday.

The cab at the top of the tower was burned. Officials said they did not know how the fire started.

It was the last fire tower left in the national forest, and it was listed on the National Historic Lookout Register.

The tower was built in 1934 by the Civilian Conservation Corps. It was staffed daily during fire seasons through the early 1970s. Now, planes provide lookout duties. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/614033.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/614033.html Thu, 04 Dec 2008 06:13 EST
OWINGSVILLE . A Central Kentucky county still aching from the loss of an electronics manufacturing plant about a month ago was struck with harsher news this week when the county's second-largest employer announced plans to shut down.

Cintas Corp., which makes uniforms for businesses, will close two Kentucky plants . one in Owingsville, the other in Hazard . on Jan. 31 and lay off nearly 300 employees.

In Owingsville, the announcement that Cintas would close came about a month after Key Electronics, based in Jeffersonville, Ind., closed and 37 employees were laid off, said Bath County Judge-Executive Carolyn Belcher.

"It was a pretty tough day in Bath County yesterday," Belcher said. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/614724.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/614724.html Thu, 04 Dec 2008 06:23 EST
The veterinarian at the center of a notorious horse-racing medication case said on Wednesday that he never gave cobra venom to an active racehorse, let alone one in the care of top trainer Patrick Biancone.

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

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

Cobra venom can be used to deaden nerves and has some legitimate use in non-racing horses, but is a banned substance on the tracks because of its potential for abuse. There is no test that can detect it. While Stewart doesn't dispute that the cobra venom and other drugs were at Keeneland, he said they weren't there to be given to a racehorse. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/615155.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/615155.html Thu, 04 Dec 2008 06:36 EST
LOUISVILLE . The bad economy has led a record number of people to sign up for Kentucky's Medicaid program, leaving the state in a "dire" financial situation.

Enrollment in the health program for the poor and disabled is increasing by about 3,000 members a month, more than double what state officials had projected, The Courier-Journal reported.

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

Costs for the program increase by $11.4 million a year for every 3,000 people added. The federal government provides 70 percent of Medicaid funding and states pay for the rest. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/615123.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/615123.html Thu, 04 Dec 2008 02:41 EST
Kentucky county attorneys said Wednesday that a 4 percent cut in their budget could mean reduced hours and the possible layoff of prosecutors.

County attorneys, who prosecute misdemeanors and help enforce child support collection, said that if their budgets were cut by 4 percent it would translate to a loss of $1.1 million dollars, said Christian County Attorney Mike Foster, a member of the Prosecutors Advisory Council. That $1.1 million cut could translate to cutting 77 staff in various county attorneys' offices, county prosecutors say.

Gov. Steve Beshear asked all state agencies to outline the impact of a 4 percent budget cut. He will consider the proposals as he creates a plan to deal with a projected $456 million shortfall in this fiscal year, which ends June 30.

Foster called the potential cuts "devastating" to public safety, according to a press release from the Kentucky County Attorneys Association. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/616374.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/616374.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 02:39 EST
BAGHDAD . Suicide bombers killed 17 people . including two American soldiers . and wounded more than 100 in a string of blasts in two Iraqi cities Thursday as a timetable for withdrawing all U.S. troops won final government approval.

The brazen attacks in areas where the U.S. military has struggled for years to maintain order raised questions about Iraq's ability to ensure its own security as the United States scales down its own combat role under the newly ratified U.S.-Iraqi security pact, which calls for an American withdrawal within three years.

Iraq's three-member presidential council signed off on the pact Thursday, removing the last legal barrier so that the agreement can take effect Jan. 1.

But the latest bombings underscore the fragility of Iraq's recent security gains, adding new urgency to U.S. efforts to train and equip an Iraqi security force capable of maintaining order after American troops have gone home. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/616373.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/616373.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 02:39 EST
WASHINGTON . As the Justice Department prepares indictments, Blackwater Worldwide guards involved in the deadly 2007 Baghdad shooting of 17 Iraqi civilians could face mandatory 30-year prison sentences under an anti-drug law, said people close to the case.

Charges could be announced as early as Monday.

Prosecutors have been reviewing a draft indictment and considering manslaughter and assault charges for weeks. A team of prosecutors returned to the grand jury room Thursday and called no witnesses.

Drugs were not involved in the Blackwater shooting. But The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988, passed at the height of the nation's crack epidemic, calls for 30-year prison terms for using machine guns to commit violent crimes of any kind, drug-related or not. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/616370.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/616370.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 02:39 EST
KANSAS CITY, Mo. . The people of Kansas City thought they were getting a straight-shooter with financial smarts as their new mayor. What they got, critics say, is a henpecked husband who needs his wife to tell him what to do.

In an era when politicians get in trouble for infidelity, Mayor Mark Funkhouser finds himself under fire for his devotion to his wife, a sharp-elbowed New Yorker whose role as his closest adviser has locals wondering who's really running this city of 450,000.

"I knew Mark for almost 18 years as auditor and didn't even know he was married," said City Councilman Ed Ford, a leading critic of Funkhouser and his wife, Gloria Squitiro. "I think we were all surprised that he felt she was so indispensable once he became mayor."

Squitiro ran her husband's campaign for mayor, and after he got elected last year, she took a desk near his office in City Hall. That arrangement ended soon after a former mayoral aide filed a lawsuit last summer accusing Squitiro of making lewd comments around the office and calling the aide, a black woman, "Mammy." ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/616369.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/616369.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 02:39 EST
NEW YORK . Depending on your political tastes, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Sarah Palin or even Tina Fey could be considered Woman of the Year. But here's the harder question: Was this the Year of the Woman?

Some touted it as such, and in many ways it was a watershed election season: The first viable female presidential candidate . and she almost won. A female vice presidential nominee . and she was a Republican.

Yet talk to women's advocates, and you'll get differing views as to just how well things turned out.

Interviews with women's advocates yield a consensus on a few points of clear progress. The historic run of Clinton has probably inspired a generation of young women to get involved in politics, says Marie Wilson, president of the White House Project, which trains women to run for office. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/616367.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/616367.html Fri, 05 Dec 2008 02:39 EST
LONDON . A paper being published Friday in a British medical journal concludes that happiness is contagious . and that people pass on their good cheer, even to total strangers.

American researchers who tracked more than 4,700 people in Framingham, Mass., as part of a 20-year heart study also found the transferred happiness is good for up to a year.

"Happiness is like a stampede," said Nicholas Christakis, a professor in Harvard University's sociology department and co-author of the study. "Whether you're happy depends not just on your own actions and behaviors and thoughts, but on those of people you don't even know."

Although the study is a sign of the power of social networks, it ended in 2003, just before the rise of social networking Web sites such as Friendster, MySpace and Facebook. Christakis couldn't say for sure whether the effect works online. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/615121.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/615121.html Thu, 04 Dec 2008 02:41 EST
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. . The family of a worker trampled to death in a "Black Friday" crush of bargain hunters at a Long Island Wal-Mart store filed a wrongful-death lawsuit Wednesday, claiming store ads offering deep discounts had "created an atmosphere of competition and anxiety" that led to "crowd craze."

The lawsuit claims that, besides failing to provide adequate security for a pre-dawn crowd estimated at 2,000, Wal-Mart "engaged in specific marketing and advertising techniques to specifically attract a large crowd and create an environment of frenzy and mayhem and was otherwise careless, reckless and negligent."

Wal-Mart issued a statement saying it would cooperate with local law enforcement officials to develop stronger safety measures.

"We consider Mr. Damour part of the Wal-Mart family, and are saddened by his death," the statement said. Also named as defendants are a realty company that manages the property, a security company hired to patrol the property, and the adjacent Green Acres Mall. None of the other defendants immediately responded to phone and e-mail inquiries seeking comment. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/615120.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/615120.html Thu, 04 Dec 2008 02:41 EST
WASHINGTON . Tobacco giant Philip Morris USA might be partially freed from a $145 million punitive judgment, from the sounds of some Supreme Court justices Wednesday.

In an epic legal dispute pitting one court's will against another, conservative justices made clear their sympathies with Philip Morris and their dismay over seemingly being ignored by the Oregon Supreme Court. The eventual result could save Philip Morris a lot of money and deliver the Oregon court a rebuke.

"Does the state court sit in judgment on whether (our) orders are in error or not?" a clearly perturbed Justice Antonin Scalia asked one attorney skeptically.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts was even more pointed, suggesting that there was "something malodorous" about how the Oregon Supreme Court previously sidestepped a Supreme Court directive. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/615119.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/615119.html Thu, 04 Dec 2008 02:41 EST
NEW YORK . Theological conservatives upset by liberal views of U.S. Episcopalians and Canadian Anglicans formed a rival North American province Wednesday, in a long-developing rift over the Bible that erupted when Episcopalians consecrated the first openly gay bishop.

The announcement represents a new challenge to the already splintering, 77-million-member world Anglican fellowship and the authority of its spiritual leader, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.

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

Its future status in the Anglican Communion is unclear. ]]>