http://http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/index.xml News, sports, and entertainment from Kentucky.com en-us Copyright 2009 Kentucky.com State 60 Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:04:37 EST http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss McClatchy Interactive's Workbench interactive-ops@herald-leader.com http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1014977.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1014977.html Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:53 EST
His comments about Afghanistan came as President Barack Obama huddled with top aides and military advisors to discuss four options to ramp up U.S. presence in Afghanistan.

Since March, Obama has been mulling the recommendation of General Stanley McChrystal, the NATO commander in Afghanistan, for 40,000 troops to join 68,000 U.S. soldiers already fighting in Afghanistan.

McCain said he didn't know whether 40,000 was the right number but warned of disaster if Obama doesn't commit all the necessary resources, of which troops are just a part.

"The worst thing we can do is have half-measures which send our men and women into harm's way but are not sufficient resources and sufficient numbers in order to get the job done," McCain said. "I fear that more than a complete pull-out." ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1013745.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1013745.html Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:30 EST
The grand jury also indicted Nunn for allegedly violating a domestic violence order of protection that Ross had received against Nunn in March. The indictment notes the violation is considered an "aggravating circumstance," which allows Fayette Commonwealth's Attorney Ray Larson to seek the death penalty if he chooses.

After the indictment, Larson declined to say whether he would seek the death penalty. "We will speak through our pleadings in this case," Larson said, referring to the court documents he will file.

Nunn will be arraigned in Fayette Circuit Court at 11:30 a.m. Nov. 19.

Court records indicate the grand jury heard from three witnesses Tuesday: Lexington police detective Todd Iddings and Nunn's two daughters, Mary and Courtney. Mary Nunn declined to comment to a reporter.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1014080.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1014080.html Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:32 EST
Terry Wallingford, 47, pleaded guilty to seven felonies with sentences to be served concurrently for a total of two years in prison. He has already served about 16 months in jail since his arrest last year.

Wallingford was indicted in 2008 on one count of rape and five counts of first-degree sexual abuse. All the counts involved former employees of New Hope Agency LLC in Burgin in Mercer County, which was closed in the summer after the allegations became public.

New Hope also came under investigation by the state attorney general's office, and that office on Tuesday presented a seventh felony count of wantonly neglecting an adult. The count was presented directly to Mercer Circuit Court Judge Darren Peckler through an "information," a charge that a prosecutor can issue without a grand jury indictment.

Under the plea agreement, the rape charge was amended to assault under extreme emotional disturbance. Three of the original counts of first-degree sexual abuse were also amended to assault under extreme emotional disturbance.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1014236.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1014236.html Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:14 EST
Someone near Colonial Village apartments at 342 Sycamore Street in Somerset heard a woman crying for help just before 3 a.m. and found the woman at a second-story window holding a child, said Battalion Chief Jeff Stringer of the Somerset Fire Department.

Stringer said the woman tossed the child down to a man, who caught the child. Then the woman jumped from the window.

A firefighter and a police officer dragged a man downstairs out of the building, he said. The man had been overcome with smoke on a couch, Stringer said.

The man and the woman were taken to the University of Kentucky Hospital, and the child was taken to Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital, Stringer said. The victims' names were not released.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1014226.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1014226.html Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:39 EST
State police say they got a call from Andy Cruse, 78, of Sandgap, at about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday in which Cruse reported a home invasion.

It was reported that Cruse's girlfriend, Louise Roark, 53, of Sandgap, had been tied up and held outside while three men held a shotgun on her, then took money and a gun from Cruse's home and fled on foot.

However, state police say Roark and Cruse's son, Timothy Cruse, 49, of McKee, planned the theft together, stealing $21,100 and a handgun after Andy Cruse went to sleep.

The money and gun were found in a remote part of the S-Tree Park area in Sandgap, police said.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1014533.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1014533.html Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:33 EST
Florence Reece, a miner's wife, wrote that song about the economic controversies surrounding coal in Harlan County in the 1930s. Thursday's forum, sponsored by UK's College of Engineering, focused on the global controversies surrounding coal today.

What made the forum remarkable was that it might have been the first time that so many coal executives, environmentalists and community activists sat together in the same room and discussed those controversies openly and, for the most part, honestly.

Some speakers on both sides fell into the old traps misrepresentations, oversimplifications and emotional appeals. But most stuck to facts. Things are different when you're addressing your biggest critics, rather than preaching to your choir.

Historian Ron Bryant noted that coal's effects on human health and the environment have been controversial since mining began in Kentucky in the 1820s. "But the need for coal stopped all arguments," he said.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1013764.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1013764.html Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:49 EST
And the case could potentially affect the way the county school system provides assistance for such students.

At issue is an administrative complaint filed with the state Department of Education last February by the Children's Law Center, a non-profit legal group with offices in Lexington. The complaint cited 12 middle and high school students who allegedly were denied special education services by the Fayette district. It further contended that the school district systematically fails to identify and help such students in violation of the U.S. Individuals With Disabilities Education Act.

In September, the education department issued a report on the complaint, finding that the school district had violated various regulations in the cases of seven of the students. The report directed the school district to take corrective steps such as providing additional staff training and offering compensatory services for some students.

Now, the school system has filed suit asking Fayette Circuit Court to overturn the state's findings. The findings are "arbitrary and capricious" and some of the corrective steps imposed are inconsistent with a U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals case, the lawsuit argues.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1014750.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1014750.html Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:09 EST
About 50 firefighters from the Lawrenceburg and Anderson County departments responded to the fire, he said.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1014751.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1014751.html Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:09 EST
His Dodge Dakota pickup was found burning off West Racetrack Road just north of Somerset about 8:40 p.m. Monday, but a search of the area turned up no sign of Price.

Price, of Science Hill, is white, 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighs 150 pounds. He has blond hair and hazel eyes and was last seen wearing blue jeans and a Tri-City shirt with a gray thermal undershirt and brown boots.

Anyone with information should call the Pulaski County Sheriff's Department at (606) 678-5145.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1014527.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1014527.html Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:31 EST
The state's General Fund receipts have declined 5.2 percent during the first four months of the fiscal year, according to the Office of State Budget Director. To meet the state's official revenue estimate, receipts must increase 0.2 percent over the remaining eight months of the fiscal year.

October's poor performance was expected by the Consensus Forecasting Group, a group of independent economists who help the state predict how much revenue it will receive each year, State Budget Director Mary Lassiter said in a written release.

In October, the Consensus Forecasting Group projected there could be a revenue shortfall of $161 million in the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. The group will return in December to make official predictions for this fiscal year and the next two years.

"While the ($161 million shortfall) is unofficial at this time, we are very concerned about the ability of revenues to meet budgeted levels," Lassiter said. "The Beshear administration remains committed to tight fiscal management as the commonwealth endures what we hope is the tail end of this persistent economic downturn."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1014526.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1014526.html Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:31 EST
Garland "Andy" Barr, 36, promised a group of supporters at a Lexington hotel that he would bring fiscal conservative values to Washington if elected in November 2010.

"The American people deserve better," Barr said. "They want leaders that will stop spending money that we don't have."

The Lexington lawyer is the first Republican to formally announce his candidacy for the seat held by Ben Chandler, D-Versailles. Barr formed an exploratory committee in September and had raised more than $185,000 by the end of September.

Matt Lockett, a Nicholasville Republican, also has expressed interest in running.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1014525.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1014525.html Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:36 EST
"I knew going into this thing that I would be criticized no matter what I did. That's one of the problems when you take a moderate viewpoint in today's climate," said Chandler, a fourth-term Democratic lawmaker from Versailles. "You can't appease both liberals and conservatives. And I don't vote the way folks want me to vote all of the time."

Indeed, scarcely had votes been cast Saturday night when the conservative Americans for Limited Government sent an e-mail to its members and media outlets condemning Chandler for supporting the measure that would create a government-run health insurance plan. The organization, which sharply criticized Chandler earlier this summer, was forced to issue a hasty retraction and begrudging congratulations when it realized Chandler was one of 39 Democrats who voted against the measure.

The misstep spoke volumes about the difficulty some have had in pinning down Chandler's methodology when voting on major pieces of legislation.

"Look at Ben Chandler, and you see someone who voted for the Democratic energy bill, voted against health care, and he's one of the four Democrats with that voting pattern who gained a well-funded challenger between June and November," said David Wasserman, an editor at the Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan political analysis group in Washington. "It's a reflection that these members no longer have an aura of invincibility as the energy level on the Republican side has increased."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1014089.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1014089.html Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:29 EST
But, LaRue said, the thing that would help her efforts the most would be the Kentucky General Assembly passing a law to allow victims of dating violence to get protective orders.

Currently, 40 states extend that protection; in Kentucky, protective orders are given only to people who are married, have lived together or have a child together.

"My students can't get the protections they need," said LaRue, who directs the Prevention, Education and Advocacy on Campus and in the Community at U of L. "That is a lot of people who can't access services that we've worked so hard to enact."

Several advocates at the summit said the lack of dating protection is a big hole in a state that has been seen as progressive in the fight against domestic violence. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1013783.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1013783.html Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:30 EST
Edward S. "Ned" Bonnie, a member of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, said there is a potent "carrot" in breeders' incentives, which will be denied to those who intentionally harm walking horses to achieve an exaggerated performance gait.

"You do it right, you get the money," Bonnie told members of the horse farming subcommittee of the Interim Joint Committee on Agriculture.

In September, the racing commission restructured the incentives for walking horses, stripping the Kentucky Walking Horse Association of the ability to inspect shows as part of the state program. Instead, to qualify for the thousands in state tax money set aside for prizes, all walking horse shows beginning in 2010 are required to be inspected by one of three groups devoted to stopping training practices outlawed by the 1970 federal Horse Protection Act.

Although Bonnie said federal law has not been sufficient to halt the practices, he stopped short of calling for new state legislation to toughen penalties.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1014237.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1014237.html Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:14 EST
The agency said relatives of Jeffrey K. Price II called Monday evening to report that Price, 21, had not come home after leaving work at Eagle Hardwood at 3:30 p.m., when his shift ended.

His Dodge Dakota pickup was found burning off West Racetrack Road just north of Somerset at 8:40 p.m. Monday, but a search of the area turned up no sign of Price.

Price, of Science Hill, is white, 5 feet, 9 inches tall and 150 pounds. He has blond hair and hazel eyes and was last seen wearing blue jeans and a Tri-City shirt with a gray thermal undershirt and brown boots.

Anyone with information should call the Pulaski County Sheriff's Department at (606) 678-5145.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1014153.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1014153.html Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:38 EST
A monument to women in the military, a two-year project by the Morgan County Woman's Club, was dedicated Saturday during West Liberty's Veterans Day celebration.

The bronze statue of three service members women of the past, present and future of the military stands at the center of Tredway Memorial Park in West Liberty.

A woman with a 1940s haircut, skirt and clipboard represents the clerical jobs in the early days of women's full enlistment in the military. A kneeling woman in combat fatigues, sunglasses, helmet and carrying a rifle faces east. A commanding officer with regalia and ribbons salutes facing the American flag in the park.

They evoke the enormous sacrifices women make in military service, said Stephen Tirone, a Marine and the Morehead artist who created the sculpture.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1012834.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1012834.html Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:02 EST
A trooper in Rockcastle County had tried to stop the Toyota truck, which was southbound on U.S. 25, at 12:20 a.m. because it had only one headlight, according to a press release.

The driver did not pull over, and after 10-mile pursuit into Laurel County, a tire deflation device stopped the truck. It was then that the meth lab was found.

Ford Wagers, 24, of London, and Frankie Powell, 29, of Brodhead, were charged with fleeing and evading police, unlawful possession of meth precursors and several traffic offenses. They were taken to the Rockcastle County Detention Center.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1012678.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1012678.html Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:13 EST
James Anthony Gray, 40, told police he got into an argument with his parents and shot them with a firearm his father had brought into the living room, said Detective Roger Persley of the Scott County Sheriff's Office. Gray told police he did not recall what the feud was about.

Circuit Judge Paul F. Isaacs did not rule in the case Monday, but the hearing will continue in Scott Circuit Court on Nov. 19. Gray's trial is expected to start Jan. 4.

The bodies of James E. Gray, 63, and Vivian Gray, 55, were found the morning of April 26 in their home not far from the Grant County line. James Anthony Gray was later charged with two counts of murder and tampering with physical evidence.

Gray went to the sheriff's office on Oct. 20, 2007, because detectives wanted to talk to him about an unrelated forged will, Persley said.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1012235.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1012235.html Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:14 EST
Kenneth Shadoan, 31, of Carlisle was arrested May 13 in Paris. Authorities found about 225 child pornography photos and 30 videos on disks in Shadoan's truck and in his bedroom at his mother's residence, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Shadoan pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of possessing one or more matters that contained visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. He also pleaded guilty to a forfeiture count, and he will have to surrender his computer and any associated software involved in the criminal activity.

Shadoan was arrested two days after Paris police received a complaint from a parent about inappropriate communication between Shadoan and her 17-year-old son. The mother told police her son's girlfriend discovered that her son had sent nude pictures of himself to Shadoan from his cell phone to receive a better math grade.

Shadoan will appear in U.S. District Court for sentencing on Feb. 11.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1012763.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/1012763.html Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:42 EST
Bendrea Wilson signed an agreed judgment with Big Brothers last week, after the organization filed a lawsuit against her and five men, alleging that Wilson had written the men, who are not affiliated with Big Brothers, at least 140 checks over the past year.

The judgment awarding Big Brothers $435,837 plus 12 percent interest per year was accepted by Judge James Ishmael and entered in Fayette Circuit Court on Friday. Wilson will also pay the cost of the lawsuit under the agreement.

"We're happy that the legal proceedings are moving forward and moving at a rapid pace," Dale Suttles, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bluegrass, said in a written statement.

Wilson did not immediately return a call from a reporter Monday evening.]]>