http://http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/index.xml News, sports, and entertainment from Kentucky.com en-us Copyright 2009 Kentucky.com Latest News 60 Sun, 05 Jul 2009 12:38:15 EDT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss McClatchy Interactive's Workbench interactive-ops@herald-leader.com http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/852897.html http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/852897.html Sun, 05 Jul 2009 06:28 EDT
The probes revealed unchecked spending, "a severe lack of documented policies and procedures" and an insurance program for the counties that had big financial problems.

KACo which offers services such as lobbying, insurance coverage, financing for projects and training to Kentucky's 120 counties made changes after the scrutiny, particularly to prevent the collapse of its insurance fund.

But, in areas of expenses and travel costs, history appears to be repeating itself.

"There seems to be some similar situations that are going on now: lack of proper oversight and excessive expenditures," said Jack Coleman, the former Democratic state representative who co-chaired the legislature's Committee for Program Review and Investigations that looked into KACo in 1994. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/852896.html http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/852896.html Sun, 05 Jul 2009 06:31 EDT
Julie Tye, president of The Cradle adoption agency in Evanston, Ill., describes the process as simply making all information available all the time: "Transparency is inside out."

The Cradle is cited as a model of non-profit board development, its innovations taught at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. Among other things, the organization provides a dedicated board Web site that only board members have access to with monthly updates on activities and finances. The board has access to updated financial information within 24 hours of its completion.

Such immediacy has its benefits in keeping board members constantly and directly involved: "Board members don't want to be on boards just to hear good news," says Tye. "They want to contribute to advances in the organization."

In Kentucky, non-profits especially ones that receive public money have come under scrutiny after a spending scandal last fall at Blue Grass Airport. Since then, questions have been raised about expensive travel, meals and perks at other organizations, as well as oversight by board members who were often surprised to read about salaries and expenses in news articles.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/852894.html http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/852894.html Sun, 05 Jul 2009 06:34 EDT
Louisville International Airport put $1.5 million in major projects and purchases, including baggage system upgrades and new terminal seating, on hold in fiscal year 2009.

But drive by Lexington's Blue Grass Airport and you'll see construction crews scurrying to finish a host of projects, from a new runway to a revamped front entrance.

About $60 million is being spent on major projects, mostly construction, at the local airport, which is much smaller than the Kentucky airports to its west and north.

Some of the Blue Grass Airport projects have been on the books for years, and the airport is trying to get them done before the 2010 World Equestrian Games come to Central Kentucky. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/852333.html http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/852333.html Sun, 05 Jul 2009 07:03 EDT
Cliff Feltham, a spokesman for the Nest, said that a projected operating deficit at the center of approximately $132,000 necessitates that the day care stop offering services after July 21.

The day care program accounted for approximately 60 percent of the deficit, Feltham said.

Board chair William Owsley said Nest officials did not want to close the day care, which served 696 children from unstable families in the fiscal year 2007-08.

"For the good of the center and in order to continue all the important work that it does, this was the only choice that we really had," Owsley said.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/852128.html http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/852128.html Sun, 05 Jul 2009 07:08 EDT
Deputy Coroner Jim Wesley identified the victims as:

- 21-year-old Gabrial Johnson of Louisville, who was pronounced dead at University Hospital, and is believed to be a friend of the family who lived in the house;

- An adult male who authorities were trying to identify using dental records;

- Amarion Seargent, 5, who lived in the house, who died of soot and smoke inhalation and]]> http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/852919.html http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/852919.html Sun, 05 Jul 2009 02:01 EDT
Vets already in school have run into problems including campus bureaucracy, crowds that can trigger alarm instincts honed by war and fellow students who don't understand their battlefield experiences.

In response, colleges across the country are offering veterans-only classes, adding counselors and streamlining the application and aid process.

Under the new G.I. Bill expanded by Congress last year, the number of military veterans either starting or continuing their studies this fall is expected to top 460,000, up from 354,000 last autumn, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Many of them will encounter a classroom culture shock that can leave them agitated.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/852068.html http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/852068.html Sun, 05 Jul 2009 11:27 EDT
Unil recently, I had never been inside. It has been a long time since many other people have, either.

When Pastor John C'deBaca gave me a tour, I was amazed. The 1,500-seat sanctuary has arched oak pews beneath a stunning vaulted ceiling of massive chestnut beams. There are four balconies, beautiful stained glass windows and a huge pipe organ.

There also are water-damaged walls and a stone front entrance that is closed and braced with wooden beams because city code enforcement officers fear it could collapse.

]]> http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/852529.html http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/852529.html Sun, 05 Jul 2009 07:23 EDT
Suffolk County police say John Everitt was participating in the 83rd Annual Babylon Yacht Club Sailboat Regatta when the boat suddenly capsized at noon Saturday. Both Everitt and his wife, Virginia, went overboard.

Race officials in motor boats helped pull out the Bellport couple. Everitt, who was wearing a lifejacket, was found unconscious.

The 65-year-old Everitt was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead at 12:38 p.m. His wife wasn't hospitalized.

It was not immediately clear what caused the boat to capsize. The 15-foot Vanguard 15 was impounded to the Suffolk Country Marine Bureau.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/852540.html http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/852540.html Sat, 04 Jul 2009 21:36 EDT
About 100 people from a church group were outside playing soccer and volleyball in Lakeland, about 30 miles east of Tampa, when a lightning bolt or series of strikes hit nearby, seemingly out of nowhere, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.

Benjamin Gonzalez, 30, who was playing soccer, was hit and collapsed. He was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead. Eighteen others were hospitalized and nine more treated at the scene.

Judd said their injuries were not life-threatening, with symptoms including numbness and tingling.

"It's very sad to see folks just celebrating the Fourth, in a way that you would hope people would celebrate the Fourth, with friends and family, and a lightning strike, an act of God occurred, and one person died," Judd said.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/852287.html http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/852287.html Sun, 05 Jul 2009 02:06 EDT
Honduras' interim government has already said it's quitting the organization rather than meet demands to reinstate the ousted president.

The decision was made during a special meeting of foreign ministers and supported by 33 out of 34 members of the Organization of American States with one abstention - Honduras.

"The suspension takes effect immediately," Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana said, reading the resolution before the body. The move temporarily sidelines Honduras from any participation in the OAS, but obliges it to continue observing the body's rules in areas such as human rights.

Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza had asked the organization to punish the de facto government by suspending the country from the organization. Minutes before Insulza's report to foreign ministers, ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya said he's optimistic and is still planning to return to his country Sunday in an effort to retake office, a week after he was overthrown by a military coup.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/852612.html http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/852612.html Sun, 05 Jul 2009 07:23 EDT
"Some problems are so big you have to team tackle them," evangelical megachurch pastor Rick Warren addressed the annual convention of the Islamic Society of North America.

Warren said Muslims and Christians should be partners in working to end what he calls "the five global giants" of war, poverty, corruption, disease and illiteracy.

Warren, founder of Saddleback Community Church in Orange County, Calif., is the author of "The Purpose Driven Life," which has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. His willingness to show support for U.S. Muslims is a huge gain for the community, which has endured intense scrutiny since 9/11.

A Southern Baptist, Warren has a record of upsetting fellow Christian conservatives by calling old-guard evangelical activists too partisan and narrowly focused. Ahead of his speech Saturday, bloggers who follow Warren had already denounced his appearance at the convention as cozying up to extremists.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/852937.html http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/852937.html Sun, 05 Jul 2009 07:23 EDT
Jean-Gabriel Chelala contacted authorities from his kayak Saturday after he encountered several days of rough waters and became too weak to paddle through the currents.

A Jayhawk helicopter airlifted Chelala from his specialized kayak about 40 miles off the coast of Alaska's St. Lawrence Island and flew him to Nome, where he was treated for mild hypothermia, the Coast Guard said. The kayak was abandoned.

The 28-year-old has been attempting to circle the globe through human power - bicycling and kayaking. He left France by bike in January 2008, kayaked across the Atlantic Ocean to Florida and then pedaled from Florida to Alaska, according to his Web site.

Chelala left Emmonak on Alaska's western coast on June 27 with the goal of reaching Gambell on St. Lawrence Island - a journey of 250 miles, the Coast Guard said. But rough seas threw him off course.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/853007.html http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/853007.html Sun, 05 Jul 2009 07:08 EDT
A flier surfaced last week promoting a plan to charge $25,000 to sponsor one of a series of dinner parties that would include off-the-record conversations with Post journalists and access to Washington insiders. The series was canceled Thursday.

"I want to apologize for a planned new venture that went off track and for any cause we may have given you to doubt our independence and integrity," Publisher Katharine Weymouth said in a letter that appeared in the newspaper's op-ed section Sunday.

Weymouth said the flier wasn't approved by her or the paper's editors, and that it didn't accurately describe the plan for the small gatherings.

The flier advertised a "Washington Post salon" on health care reform at Weymouth's home on July 21. The gathering would include 20 or fewer guests, including Obama administration officials, members of Congress, business leaders and lobbyists.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/853011.html http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/853011.html Sun, 05 Jul 2009 08:53 EDT
The United States Park Police said Barry, a current D.C. Council member, was arrested Saturday in Washington after a woman flagged down an officer and complained that Barry was stalking her.

Barry was charged with misdemeanor stalking and released.

A message left seeking comment from a spokeswoman for Barry wasn't immediately returned early Sunday.

Barry served four terms as mayor. In his third, he was videotaped in 1990 in a hotel room smoking crack cocaine in an FBI sting. He served six months in prison and in 1994 regained the mayor's office.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/852569.html http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/852569.html Sun, 05 Jul 2009 07:29 EDT
It was the nation's biggest fireworks display, with more than 22 tons of pyrotechnics exploding Saturday over a mile-and-a-half of the Hudson River, a new vantage point for New York's festivities. Millions of spectators watched from both sides of the river.

Among them were Jamalat Bayoumy and his wife, Mosad Mohamad - food vendors who work near the river. They lost an estimated $1,000 in business when police asked them to shut down because of swelling crowds.

"This is very nice," Bayoumy said, "but we're losing money in America."

But, his wife added, "America is free. We have green cards and we dream to become Americans."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/851887.html http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/851887.html Sun, 05 Jul 2009 07:05 EDT
Worley, who is the Senate Democratic leader and a private developer, spent $765,000 over two years buying up most of a downtown Richmond block full of 19th-century, Italianate-style buildings, which he demolished.

He's now building a two-story, brick-veneer office building on the site to house Madison County's family courts division.

Worley said his position in the General Assembly doesn't make his development deal with the county and state court system a conflict of interest when he takes state money in his private life.

He said his development companies sometimes get work from local and state governments, including Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, all of which he has power over as a legislator who helps craft the state budget.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/851394.html http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/851394.html Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:49 EDT
The four included Jerome Roberts, 40, who was driving the vehicle, his live-in girlfriend Cheryl Collins, 41, their 11-year-old daughter, Auguste Roberts, and Collins' daughter, MaRhonda Collins, 20.

The family had scheduled a Florida vacation so Ma Rhonda Collins could audition for the American Idol TV show in Orlando next week, said Cheryl Collins' sister, Polly Inman.

"MaRhonda had such hopes and dreams," said Inman.

Inman said the allegations that Roberts exhibited aggression toward another driver just before the wreck doesn't fit with the man she described as a doting father figure to Auguste and MaRhonda.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/851299.html http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/851299.html Sat, 04 Jul 2009 06:56 EDT
No Kentuckian made the final cut.

The finalists are:

Dennis W. Cheek, a senior fellow and former vice president for education at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City, Mo.

Terry Holliday, superintendent of the Iredell-Statesville Schools in Statesville, N.C. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/851822.html http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/851822.html Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:17 EDT
The Louisville-based Reclaim Our Culture Kentuckiana claims in a lawsuit filed in Franklin Circuit Court that the Transportation Cabinet erred in 2008 when it denied its application for the license plate.

In its application, ROCK said it would use money from sales of the plate to raise awareness about harm caused by pornography and the sex industry and to help people hurt or victimized by porn, sexual predators and the sex business.

If approved, the plate would cost $34, but buyers could volunteer to add $10 that would go to ROCK.

In the cabinet's response, attorney Allan Weiss of Louisville asked the court to dismiss the complaint because ROCK promotes religion, making the organization ineligible to sponsor a specialty license plate under state law.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/851123.html http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/851123.html Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:11 EDT
The Kentucky State-wide Tea Party is set for Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. EDT on the steps of the Capitol.

The group TEA Party of Kentucky says there will be music, several speakers and an open mic. Three buses are scheduled to bring participants from Elizabethtown, Louisville and Somerset.

TEA stands for "Taxed Enough Already." Similar rallies, or "tea parties," were held nationwide and in Kentucky on Tax Day, April 15.

On the net: http://kentuckyteaparties.webs.com]]> http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/851823.html http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/851823.html Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:11 EDT
Hundreds of tree roots around Waterfront Park are being injected with a chemical that protects against the tree-killing ash borer.

Officials haven't confirmed the beetle is in the park, but the borer has been found in Shelby and Jessamine counties.

"It's coming," Beth Reece, a horticulture technician with the Jefferson County Extension Office, told The Courier-Journal. "It's pretty much all around us. A lot of homeowners believe they have it."

The insect burrows under the tree's bark and devours its system for moving nutrients and water, Reece said.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/851403.html http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/851403.html Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:36 EDT
Some said the decision should be up to his wife, Jenny. And it's a safe bet that his political future is a topic of conversation as the Sanford family spends the holiday weekend in Florida, where her parents live.

But others, including influential lawmakers, said Sanford must resign after misleading the public about his loyalty to family and trips to see his mistress.

Sanford admitted a yearlong affair with an Argentine woman after he returned from South America on June 24 following a puzzling, five-day absence from the state. He had ditched his security detail and misled staffers who told reporters he was hiking on the Appalachian Trail.

"We can never trust him again," said Pam Johnson, a 45-year-old nurse from Greenville who has three teenage children. "What a hypocrite. He betrayed his family. He betrayed his state. South Carolina has become a national joke. He just needs to go."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/851459.html http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/851459.html Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:32 EDT
"What we've got on our hands, a serial tree arsonist, I've never seen before," said Galveston Fire Marshal Gilbert Robinson. "I've talked to colleagues of mine, and that's the first they've heard of setting palm trees on fire."

Robinson said the calls reporting burning trees have recently increased in frequency.

Tree service company owner Greg West is offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to charges.

"We just got hit by a hurricane, and the only thing that lived were the palm trees," West told The Galveston County Daily News. "I want to put the reward out, so it might change somebody's mind to turn them in."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/851717.html http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/851717.html Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:12 EDT
The person told the Associated Press that Mayor Dave Bing has told Police Chief James Barren that the chief is being relieved of his duties. The person talked with Barren on Friday, a day after a man arrested in the shooting of seven teenagers at a Detroit bus stop was released due to lack of evidence.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the person wasn't authorized to publicly discuss Barren's dismissal. The person did not know when it was to become official.

"There have been no changes or announcements regarding changes at the Detroit Police Department at this time," Bing spokeswoman Karen Dumas said Friday.

A telephone listing for a James Barren in Detroit was not working. Messages were left with the police department.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/851974.html http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/851974.html Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:36 EDT
Her motivation was purely financial - police said she needed money to pay rent and the loan on her gold Chevrolet. In every case, the mother drove the getaway car and once coached a kid during a robbery because he was having trouble stealing a cell phone from a victim, police said.

The case has outraged authorities and the public and drawn comparisons to "Ma Barker," the infamous mother who led her four young sons on a robbery spree in the early 1900s.

"In the days of the Depression, Ma Barker took her sons and they robbed banks and did this and did that for a living until they got caught," Phoenix police Detective James Holmes said. "Now I've got this lady with her kids and her crew of other bad guys and they're pretty much robbing people all because she didn't have a job."

The similarities between the cases are striking.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/851602.html http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/851602.html Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:24 EDT
Billy Sparks, 61, died at 8:45 p.m. Thursday at Clark Regional Medical Center, acccording to Clark County Coroner Robert Gayheart.

Spark's motorcycle left Athens Boonesboro Road and struck a tree.

Gayheart said Sparks died from blunt force trauma.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/851605.html http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/851605.html Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:49 EDT
Hodge said he is waiting for family members to be notified before releasing the woman's name or address.

Hodge said the woman died at 2:14 p.m. on U.S. 27.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/851424.html http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/851424.html Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:46 EDT
Her spokesman, David Murrow, confirms Palin is in Juneau this weekend for the state capital's Fourth of July celebrations. But she hasn't appeared at any public events.

Palin shocked even her closest friends Friday when she called a news conference at her house in suburban Wasilla, outside Anchorage, and said she planned to step down as Alaska governor on July 26.

Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell will take her place.

Palin hasn't given many details about her future plans, leaving open the possibility she would seek the presidency in 2012.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/851414.html http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/851414.html Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:44 EDT
Mercer County Deputy Coroner Scott Moseley said a passenger in the vehicle, Kristine Taylor, 26, of Harrodsburg, died at the scene.

Kentucky State Police were called to the accident on Cornishville Road at 10:54 p.m. Thursday.

Police said the vehicle crossed over the center line and ran off the left side of the road.

The vehicle struck a wooden fence plank. Witnesses said the driver fled on foot prior to police arriving.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/850633.html http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/850633.html Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:33 EDT
As a child, Corman watched the Jessamine County fireworks while eating homemade ice cream in his grandmother's yard .

"Then one year I came home all ready for the fireworks, and they told me the fireworks weren't happening this year," Corman recalled. "So we got some fireworks and put on our own show.

"We kept doing that until the year one went off under our feet, and I realized someone might get hurt. Then we got Jody Watkins to set them off for us, and he still does it."

Corman said he has been putting on his fireworks show in Jessamine County for almost 20 years. The fireworks will cost Corman approximately $20,000, but he will not be deterred by a tight economy.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/850809.html http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/850809.html Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:44 EDT
The council's economic development task force discussed ways to make sure all organizations working toward economic development keep in constant contact. But council members split on just how to do that, or indeed whether Commerce Lexington is already doing an adequate job of promoting economic development without stepped-up appearances at council meetings.

"They're just starting up their program. ... These are long-term initiatives," 12th District council member Ed Lane said.

Commerce Lexington was founded in January 2004 with great fanfare, uniting Lexington's Chamber of Commerce with the city's private and economic workforce development agencies.

Banker Luther Deaton, then chairman of the organization, said that Commerce Lexington would become a potent lobbying force for the Lexington area in attracting businesses and retaining businesses already in Fayette County.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/850943.html http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/850943.html Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:44 EDT
"With the Lyric coming to life, an entire neighborhood is going to blossom," said Everett McCorvey, director of the University of Kentucky's opera company, who has been involved in the Lyric effort.

McCorvey said he could envision the neighborhood around the center becoming a thriving arts area with the Lyric as its centerpiece.

The Lyric, at the corner of East Third Street and Elm Tree Lane, was once an entertainment hub for the black community. Ray Charles, Duke Ellington and many other well-known artists performed there. It opened in 1948 and closed in 1963.

Plans are for the revitalized Lyric to host a variety of programs, with an emphasis on African-American heritage. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/850575.html http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/850575.html Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:44 EDT
The nonprofit's board of directors also voted to welcome state Auditor Crit Luallen, who said Wednesday that her office would audit the League and the Kentucky Association of Counties because of what she called "serious concerns over spending" at both groups.

Luallen said her decision to audit the League was partly based on the League's decision to stop releasing documents to the newspaper, but Thursday's announcement won't stop her work.

"We are proceeding with our plans to conduct the audit and will contact the League on Monday to set up the first meeting," Luallen said late Thursday.

The League's executive board, along with the board that governs its insurance arm, voted in a conference call Thursday to reverse a June 25 letter denying any further requests for documents under the state's Open Records Act. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/850627.html http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/850627.html Fri, 03 Jul 2009 06:19 EDT
Millions of dollars could hinge on the answer.

UK has been adamant that Gillispie worked for the university, not the athletics association, the non-profit organization that oversees UK athletics, as Gillispie claimed in a federal lawsuit filed in Texas that alleges breach of contract.

"It is unfortunate that Mr. Gillispie has sued the UK Athletics Association, a nonprofit supporting foundation that was not his employer," the university said in a news release on May 28.

However, tax returns filed by the UK Athletics Association tell a different story, listing Gillispie as the organization's highest-paid employee. The 2007 return lists Gillispie's salary as more than $1,220,667 million, with contributions to employee benefit plans and deferred compensation of $293,524.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/850380.html http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/850380.html Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:44 EDT
The four names could be released Friday morning, or as soon as all candidates have been notified, Board Chairman Joe Brothers said.

"We're working right now on confirming some final details before we release a statement," Brothers said by phone Thursday. "We're guessing right now that it's going to be in the morning."

Brothers said the board plans to meet for more discussion at a special meeting July 8 possibly in Lexington after more interviews with the four finalists.

"We'll interview them individually," he said.]]>