http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/index.xml News, sports, and entertainment from Kentucky.com en-us Copyright 2008 Kentucky.com State 60 Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:36:29 EST http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss McClatchy Interactive's Workbench webmaster@kentucky.com http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/612585.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/612585.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:35 EST
When Gov. Steve Beshear joined other governors to meet with President-elect Barack Obama Monday night, he expected to make a pitch for a stimulus plan for states that could include cash to help struggling programs.

Beshear and other state leaders were scheduled to sit down with Obama in Philadelphia, first at an informal session Monday evening, then in a formal conference Tuesday morning.

"We're going to be talking about a number of possibilities to help us with this situation we find ourselves in," Beshear said. "Obviously an infrastructure stimulus package would help Kentucky as well as other states in helping people get back to work."

Beshear said he and other governors also are expected to ask for help to bolster Medicaid programs and unemployment insurance funds that are running low as jobless rates take off. Beshear also mentioned the possibility of a direct "cash infusion" from the federal government to state coffers, similar to what the Bush administration approved earlier this decade. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/612581.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/612581.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:35 EST
A state drug program designed to help poor patients pay for life-saving and life-sustaining HIV/AIDS drugs could again have a waiting list by April, state health officials said Monday.

As the state paused Monday to celebrate the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day with vigils and other public remembrances, HIV/AIDS clinics in Kentucky and throughout the country are bracing for the return of waiting lists for services because of a drop in federal and state funding.

The Kentucky AIDS Drug Assistance Program, which helps provide HIV/AIDS drugs to 1,300 patients not on Medicaid, Medicare or private insurance, has lost a significant part of its federal and state funding over the past three years.

At the same time, the number of patients who have applied for help to pay for anti-viral drugs . which can cost anywhere between $2,000 and $10,000 a month . has steadily increased, said Sigga Jagne, branch manager for the HIV/AIDS program with the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/612535.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/612535.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:34 EST
FRANKFORT . Out-of-work Kentuckians who want to contest their unemployment benefits before Christmas are out of luck: They may have to wait up to two months to get their appeals heard.

"We're not scheduling appeals cases now until mid-to-late January. It's a problem," said Kim Saylor Brannock, a spokeswoman for the state Office of Education and Training.

The normal wait time is about two weeks.

State Unemployment Insurance Director Tony DeName said the delay is the result of a sharp increase in appeals, a spate of retirements and holiday scheduling difficulties. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/612356.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/612356.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:49 EST
An overturned tanker truck shut down both eastbound lanes of I-64 just east of Mount Sterling for more than two hours Monday night.

State police were notified that a Freightliner tanker truck carrying a non-hazardous emulsion latex had overturned on the shoulder of the road about 10:15 a.m., reducing traffic to one lane.

Because the truck could not be towed without spilling its contents, a second tanker was brought in to collect the latex. Both lanes were shut down from about 6:40 p.m. to just before 9 p.m. while the transfer took place. During that time, traffic was detoured off the interstate at Exit 110 and routed back on at Exit 113.

The driver of the truck, Franklin D. Brown Jr., 35, of Tiline, was not injured. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/612314.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/612314.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:39 EST
Kentucky Community and Technical College System President Michael B. McCall . the nation's highest-paid community college leader . announced Monday he will decline a scheduled raise and bonus.

McCall's total compensation for the last two years has been $610,670.

McCall announced he would tell the system's regents at their board meeting Friday that he would decline any bonus and salary increase for 2009.

This comes as KCTCS, along with eight public universities, have been asked to submit to Gov. Steve Beshear plans to cut 4 percent of their state funding. For KCTCS, that amounts to a nearly $8.8 million cut from the $219.3 million the system was allotted by the General Assembly. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/611448.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/611448.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 02:42 EST
Kentucky is a red state with no shortage of conspiracy theorists and unusual politics, so it's no surprise that what might be the first post-election court challenge to Barack Obama's qualifications to be president comes from a Whitley County truck driver.

Daniel John Essek, 47, filed a demand last week that Obama prove he is a natural-born U.S. citizen . one of the few requirements to run for president.

Essek wants Obama to provide a copy of his birth certificate to a federal judge in London for verification.

He knows some people might find his request odd, especially after the election, but says he would tell them it's never too late to do the right thing. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/610828.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/610828.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 08:21 EST
LANCASTER . Add Garrard County to the list of places in Kentucky and the nation seeking to capitalize on its connection to Uncle Tom's Cabin, the 1852 novel that stirred anti-slavery sentiment before the Civil War.

Garrard officials hope to build a replica of a slave cabin on the grounds of Pleasant Retreat, the Lancaster home of Kentucky's 16th governor, William Owsley. The cabin would put a physical presence to claims that the book's author, Harriet Beecher Stowe, visited a Garrard County plantation and saw slave life there years before writing the book.

"I don't know that we have any evidence that she ever visited, other than hearsay," said Skip Gladfelter, chairman of the county's tourism committee. But local lore and a historic marker say that the author did visit a plantation between Lancaster and Paint Lick.

Officials hope to build the cabin . either with modern logs or 1800s-era logs salvaged from two old homes -- and have it up in time for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/611451.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/611451.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 02:42 EST
COVINGTON . Northern Kentucky teenager Brian Becker was so ill with a sinus infection the day he took his ACT college admissions exam, his parents suggested he skip it, but the Covington Latin High School senior toughed it out and couldn't be happier that he did.

When Brian took the test in September, he was the only Kentucky student to score a perfect 36. He was one of 52 students out of some 250,000 nationwide to ace the test.

What was so remarkable about the feat was that the Wilder resident did it with barely enough energy to get through the three-hour grind.

"It was difficult because my mindset was a little off," he told The Kentucky Enquirer. "All I could think about when it was over was 'Man, I've got a 45-minute drive home now.' I felt so bad I just wanted to get out of there." ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/611159.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/611159.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 03:01 EST
The World Equestrian Games Foundation has decided to allow Tennessee walking horses to join in demonstrations at the 2010 World Games, not in spite of, but perhaps because of controversies that has surrounded the breed.

"We have agreed that they will be participating, and I think it's a good thing," said John Long, WEG Foundation chairman and CEO of the U.S. Equestrian Federation.

But the participation comes with a mandate: "We will not be embarrassed. I will not allow any demonstration event, any participation in any way, to embarrass and put the WEG at risk," Long said.

He said the history of abuse of the breed and recent events in Kentucky originally made him wary of allowing walking horses. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/611428.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/611428.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 06:14 EST
Maybe it should ever after be referred to as the 30-day miracle.

Not because it took 30 days to accomplish, but because it took a single polite, but firm, demand to vacate the rent-free Central Kentucky Radio Eye's studios in 30 days for the miracle to start to happen.

The miracle . that continues to allow 3,000 blind and print-disabled people to have the newspaper read to them every day . took three years, hundreds of hours, a slew of volunteers, tens of thousands of dollars and the grace and benevolence of a community suddenly awakened to the need.

But it started with the phone call. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/610333.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/610333.html Sat, 29 Nov 2008 21:52 EST
A Williamsburg man died Friday afternoon when he was crushed in a construction accident.

L.B. Ellis and a good friend were excavating private property next to the Kentucky Splash water park, Whitley County Coroner Andy Croley said.

Ellis got out of his dump truck for an unknown reason, and his friend, operating an excavator, accidentally struck him with the machine's turret.

Ellis was crushed between the two machines. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/609936.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/609936.html Sat, 29 Nov 2008 17:51 EST
A 29-year-old woman died Friday evening in a two-vehicle crash in Pike County, state police said.

A 1997 Chevrolet truck, driven by Billy Ward, was headed south on Penny Highway when it crossed the center line and hit a 2005 Chevrolet truck driven by Johnny Spears Jr., state police said.

Alicia Caudill of Melvin, a passenger in the truck driven by Ward, was transported to the Pikeville Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

Ward was flown to a Huntington, W.Va., hospital and is being treated for his injuries, police said. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/610738.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/610738.html Sun, 30 Nov 2008 02:55 EST
MURRAY . The picture of a Western Kentucky Boy Scout has been featured on boxes of popcorn that are sold by Scouts across the country.

Murray's Nathan Watson of Scout Troop 45 was chosen for the honor after attending the 21st World Scouting Jamboree last year in England.

Watson, 17, was one of two Scouts from each country who was selected to participate in ceremonies commemorating the first Scout encampment on Brownsea Island, England, 100 years ago, according to Jeff Rock, Scout executive with the Shawnee Trails Council.

Having his picture selected was a "total surprise," he said. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/610737.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/610737.html Sun, 30 Nov 2008 02:55 EST
If you want to get on Santa's good side with Christmas fast approaching, the folks in Santa Claus, Ind., have a deal for you.

Santa needs elves . badly . this year.

And he'd sure appreciate some help.

The southern Indiana town has been deluged with mail addressed to Santa . almost like the scene in Miracle on 34th Street where the postmen drag bag after bag of children's letters into a courtroom. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/610708.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/610708.html Sun, 30 Nov 2008 02:55 EST
FORT CAMPBELL . Some 15,000 soldiers are heading home to this sprawling base after spending more than a year at war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and military health officials are bracing for a surge in brain injuries and psychological problems among those troops.

Facing prospects that one in five of the 101st Airborne Division soldiers will suffer from stress-related disorders, the base has nearly doubled its psychological health staff. Army leaders are hoping to use the base's experiences to assess the long-term impact of repeated deployments.

The three 101st Airborne combat brigades, which have begun arriving home, have gone through at least three tours in Iraq. The 3rd Brigade also served seven months in Afghanistan, early in the war. Next spring, the 4th Brigade will return from a 15-month tour in Afghanistan. So far, roughly 10,000 soldiers have come back; the remainder are expected by the end of January.

Army leaders say they will closely watch Fort Campbell to determine the proper medical staffing levels needed to aid soldiers who have endured repeated rotations in the two war zones. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/609318.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/609318.html Sat, 29 Nov 2008 02:47 EST
LOUISVILLE . University Hospital in Louisville is shuttering its psychiatric unit for older patients in what hospital administrators call a cost-saving move, leaving about 20 general psych beds.

The hospital's chief executive, Jim Taylor, told The Courier-Journal that officials reluctantly decided to close the unit by the end of the year. The unit has 20 beds reserved for geriatric patients with psychiatric illnesses.

Taylor said the geriatric unit is only about half-full most days and was losing money. The beds will be shifted to other units to ease a shortage of space for non-psychiatric patients.

Dr. Scott Hedges, vice president for medical services with Seven Counties Services, the regional public mental health agency, said the number of beds available for adult psychiatric patients is "getting squeezed." ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/609317.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/609317.html Sat, 29 Nov 2008 02:47 EST
LOUISVILLE . Two attorneys have been awarded more than $44,000 in fees after winning a battle over the public display of the Ten Commandments at a Kentucky courthouse.

U.S. District Judge Joseph H. McKinley said attorneys David Friedman and William E. Sharp, both of whom argued the case for the American Civil Liberties Union, should split $44,208 after winning a permanent injunction keeping the text out of the courthouse.

"Because there are no special circumstances which would render an award of attorneys fees unjust, the plaintiffs are entitled to an award of attorney fees ...," McKinley wrote.

McKinley on Wednesday also awarded the attorneys court costs of $3,252. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/609314.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/609314.html Sat, 29 Nov 2008 06:48 EST
FORT CAMPBELL . Jonathan Harris, a Blackhawk pilot who withstood enemy fire to save a wounded crew member in Afghanistan, was awarded a Silver Star on Friday. Not to be outdone, his 60-year-old father was awarded a Silver Star and a Bronze Star in a simultaneous ceremony honoring his bravery in Vietnam.

The two generations watched each other through a video teleconference between Fort Campbell, where the elder Gary Harris was honored, and Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, where Jonathan is completing a tour.

Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Schloesser, top commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, told retired Staff Sgt. Gary Harris via video that he hoped the special ceremonies repaid the Army's failure to give him an official ceremony nearly 40 years ago.

Gary Harris, of Corbin, originally received his medals in the mail. He was officially pinned with a Silver Star by the deputy commanding general-rear for the 101st Airborne Division for gallantry in action against an armed hostile force in Vietnam. He also received a Bronze Star for meritorious achievement during his time in Vietnam. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/609054.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/609054.html Fri, 28 Nov 2008 20:36 EST
A Tennessee man died after being hit by a truck as he tried to walk across Interstate 75 Thursday, Kentucky State Police said. Tommy Heatwole, 64, of Jellico, Tenn., left his car on the Exit 15 offramp in Whitley County about 8 p.m. Thursday.

Heatwole left his car because of an argument, state police said, and tried to cross the northbound lanes of the freeway when he was hit by a 2004 Chevy Trailblazer driven by Timothy Black, 40, of Corbin.

Neither Black nor his passenger were injured, police said. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/607973.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/607973.html Fri, 28 Nov 2008 03:01 EST
DANVILLE . When doctors told a central Kentucky couple that their 1-year-old son had completely recovered after having a car key lodged in his eye, his parents thought it was a miracle.

Chris and Staci Holderman at first thought their son, Nicholas, might lose his eye after he fell off a recliner in September and landed on the keys.

But six weeks later, he went for a checkup and the pediatrician had to ask which eye the child had hurt.

"I always believed in miracles, but I have never seen anything like this in my life, and we just feel blessed by the Lord," Chris Holderman told The Advocate-Messenger. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/607969.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/607969.html Fri, 28 Nov 2008 03:01 EST
MAYSVILLE . A northeastern Kentucky town may have found a new way to "beet" icy road conditions in winter with a compound based on everyone's favorite vegetable.

Maysville Public Works Director Jim Fryman said the city will be using geomelt, a concentrate primarily made of beets, along with the traditional salt to treat icy roads.

"The sugar in it helps keep the ice from bonding to the road," said City Manager Ray Young.

The city made the move in part because of a shortage of salt and skyrocketing prices for the commodity. This year salt has increased in price from $51 a ton in 2007 to $103 a ton in 2008, Young said. Young said that last year, 780 tons of salt was purchased from Morton and a small amount of that purchase was left over. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611638.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611638.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 08:18 EST
Investigators say 47-year-old James Deramus was crossing Bardstown Road early Sunday when he was hit by a Ford Escape, thrown into the northbound lanes and hit by a Ford F-150 truck.

Police say Deramus lived near the crash site. He died later at University Hospital.

No charges are expected to be filed.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611897.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611897.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:56 EST
Jackson's Stonestreet Stables owns 80 percent of the richest North American racehorse in history and had offered $4 million to buy out the remaining 20 percent interest from William Gallion and Shirley Cunningham Jr. The two disbarred attorneys are under a court order to pay $42 million to former clients they represented in a settlement over the diet drug fen-phen.

Although a court-appointed receiver recommended the transaction be approved, an attorney for Gallion and Cunningham argued $4 million was too low of a price for a share of such a promising stallion prospect. Circuit Judge Roger Crittenden agreed to disallow it after hearing the same plea from Angela Ford, who represents the fen-phen clients in their civil case against Gallion and Cunningham.

"The plaintiffs have objected to the process and the defendants have objected to the process, so I am ending the process," Crittenden said.

That means Curlin's ownership likely will remain split when he stands as a stallion next year at Lane's End Farm, collecting a $75,000 stud fee. Jackson announced last week that he had picked the Versailles, Ky., farm owned by Will Farish, a former U.S. ambassador to Britain, as the horse's new home.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611946.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611946.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:16 EST
The cuts announced Monday are part of an effort to make up for a $20 million budget shortfall and will become effective Dec. 14.

Abramson says halting road repaving is expected to save $1.4 million. He says closing libraries on Sundays and community centers on Mondays, will save $270,000. Closing the Louisville-owned Otter Creek Park in Meade County will save $180,000.

The mayor says more cuts will have to be made. Abramson says he and his top staff have taken 10 percent pay cuts and he is continuing to talk with union leaders who represent city employees to find more ways to save money.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/612168.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/612168.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:11 EST
Scientists and bloggers contacted the zoo on Sunday and Monday to complain that it should not be affiliated with a religious-based institution that dismisses evolution.

The 2-for-1 offer was on the zoo's Web site over the weekend, but it was no longer available Monday afternoon. The $25.95 promotion granted admission to the zoo's holiday light show and the Creation Museum's live nativity performance.

Zoo officials contacted the Creation Museum on Monday to say they were scrapping the offer after a rash of complaints, the museum said in a statement. A spokesman for the zoo did not return repeated calls for comment.

The Creation Museum, founded by the religious ministry Answers in Genesis, has drawn criticism from biological and other scientists since opening last year. The Petersburg, Ky., museum, with exhibits featuring Adam and Eve and a massive model of Noah's Ark, is about 25 miles from the zoo.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/612391.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/612391.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:56 EST
The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that the Blue Grass Chemical Activity says the leak didn't pose a threat to the depot or the surrounding area. The depot is located in Madison County, and Blue Grass Chemical Activity is the agency that oversees chemical weapons storage there.

The leak was detected during routine maintenance and monitoring procedures Monday coming from an M55 rocket stored at the Depot.

The rockets that hold the GB are kept in shipping and firing tubes in storage igloos. The agency's statement said the leak was confined to the tube and no vapor was detected in the igloo.

It's the fifth leak this year at the depot, a figure Army officials say is normal.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611580.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611580.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 09:18 EST
Police Lt. Scott Blakely says 19-year-old Taylor Rose was exiting Interstate 75 onto Newtown Pike at a high speed when his car struck a tree early Sunday.

Rose was a student at the University of Louisville. The funeral service is scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday at Foremans in Jeffersontown.

Denton, a Republican, is serving her fourth term and is chairwoman of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee.

The Louisville Courier-Journal reports Rose's older brother Thomas Rose Jr. sued his mother in November alleging that she took $15,000 from his trust account and spent it on herself. Denton has declined to comment on that lawsuit.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611741.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611741.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 09:48 EST
Those who came home and complained of symptoms such as memory loss and joint pain are only sicker. Even as their lives unraveled as their health further deteriorated, many were told their problems were just in their head.

But, recently, many of the sufferers were given a new reason to hope. Earlier this month, a high-profile advisory panel to Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake affirmed previous research that a collection of symptoms commonly known as Gulf War illnesses are real and require treatment. The country has a "national obligation" to help them, the panel concluded.

The report, however, also noted a sad reality: Of the $340 million in government funds spent to research the topic, little has focused on finding treatments. And, researchers said, the estimated 175,000-210,000 Gulf veterans who are sick aren't getting any better.

Many of those veterans are left wondering what's next for them. The panel, created by Congress, said at least $60 million should be spent annually for research, but some veterans question if in these economically strapped times the money will be made available.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611900.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611900.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 12:46 EST
The school in Richmond is joining up with California-based General Atomics to create a new Center for Renewable and Alternative Fuel Technologies. General Atomics is known for producing the unmanned Predator aircraft.

Researchers at EKU will be studying ways to make fuel from cellulose-based materials, such as switchgrass or sorghum.

Gov. Steve Beshear said during a news conference on Monday that the state is planning to contribute about $1.5 million toward the project. It will also receive about $4 million in federal funding.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611959.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611959.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:01 EST
Samuel and Crystal Elam of Danville are keeping a miniature horse in their front yard, prompting angry neighbors to ask the Danville City Commission to update its pet ordinance.

Neighbor Doris Burton told The Advocate-Messenger that the animal could hurt property values in the subdivision and shouldn't be allowed. The Elams declined to comment.

There are currently no laws to keep the animal out. The city's current ordinance refers to it being unlawful to tie a horse to a telegraph pole.

The City Commission held a workshop recently to discuss the possibility of a new ordinance.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/612216.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/612216.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:56 EST
Judge Ken M. Howard ordered the county clerk to certify the election after a recount in the Pine Valley precinct didn't change the overall outcome. The clerk, Kenneth Tabb, had asked the judge to review the matter after Democratic challenger Mike Weaver questioned the outcome.

Moore said he was pleased with the judge's order. Weaver didn't immediately return a telephone message left at his home in Radcliff.

Weaver had previously said he wanted votes cast in the Pine Valley precinct, where a machine reportedly malfunctioned, thrown out, which would have made him the winner of the 26th District seat. The judge said the recount showed Moore carried the precinct 600 to 388.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/612432.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/612432.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:41 EST
Police say Raymond Christian Rice of Huddy in Pike County was shot in the head with a high-powered rifle at his home and pronounced dead at the scene.

Police say their initial investigation indicates another juvenile in the home discharged the firearm, but detectives are still trying to determine what happened. No charges have been filed, and police were calling the case an accidental shooting.

The shooting happened early Monday. Police say an autopsy is scheduled in Frankfort.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611630.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611630.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 07:48 EST
The Lexington Herald-Leader reports this may be the first postelection court challenge to Barack Obama's qualifications to be president.

Fourty-seven-year-old Daniel John Essek filed a demand last week that Obama provide a copy of his birth certificate to a federal judge in London for verification.

A Pennsylvania judge threw out a pre-election court challenge to Obama's birth qualification, saying its arguments were frivolous.

Obama's campaign has posted a copy of his birth certificate on the Internet to prove he was born in Hawaii.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611850.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611850.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:46 EST
Those who came home and complained of symptoms such as memory loss and joint pain are even sicker. As their lives unraveled and their health further deteriorated, many were told their problems were just in their head.

But recently, many of the sufferers were given a new reason for hope. A high-profile advisory panel to Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake earlier this month affirmed research showing that a collection of symptoms commonly known as Gulf War illnesses are real and require treatment. The country has a national obligation to help them, the panel concluded.

The report, however, also noted a sad reality: Of the $340 million in government funds spent to research the topic, little has focused on finding treatments. And, researchers said, the estimated 175,000-210,000 Gulf veterans who are sick aren't getting any better.

Many of those veterans are left wondering what's next for them. The panel, created by Congress, said at least $60 million should be spent annually for research, but some veterans question whether the money will be made available during a time when the economy is struggling.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611907.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611907.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:31 EST
Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden are expected to speak to a group of governors at a National Governors Association meeting in Philadelphia on Tuesday. Beshear said he's expecting a chance, along with other governors attending, to voice concerns on the nation's struggling economy.

"I'm certainly going to be pushing for the different kinds of stimulus packages that can help state governments weather the storm," Beshear said at the state Capitol. "We are in the middle of what some people have referred to as a perfect storm right now and it is not going to be easy."

Maybe not.

Lawmakers approved a two-year $19 billion state spending plan earlier this year, that was already based on an estimated $900 million drop in state revenue from the previous year. That including cuts in funding for public universities and some government programs.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/612027.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/612027.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:16 EST
Defense attorney Fred Peters said Joe Fischer, 22, and Hunter Bush, 21, waived their right to a preliminary hearing on Monday, opting instead to go directly to grand jurors in hopes they will dismissed the charges.

Fayette County Commonwealth's Attorney Ray Larson declined to comment Monday on whether he will present charges to a grand jury.

"We haven't officially gotten the case," he said.

Campus police charged the men after they admitted to what Peters described as "a political prank." He said they did nothing illegal.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/612304.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/612304.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:26 EST
KCTCS said in a statement Monday that Michael B. McCall has told the board of regents of his decision concerning the package, which is to be decided at a board meeting Friday.

McCall cited "difficult financial times" for the state and postsecondary education. He said he would join KCTCS faculty and staff in receiving no increase.

The annual Chronicle of Higher Education survey released last month showed that McCall was the highest-paid community college leader with total compensation valued at $610,670. KCTCS spokeswoman Terri Giltner says that figure includes McCall's bonus of about $57,000 for the current year. She says McCall's raise is based on what employees receive and is usually around 3 percent.

KCTCS' state appropriation was reduced $13.5 million for the current academic year. The statement said the system didn't increase fall enrollment for the first time in the organization's 10-year history.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/612459.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/612459.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 23:41 EST
Two environmental groups - the Center for Biological Diversity and the Sierra Club - along with state residents Preston Forsythe and Hilary Lambert are trying to get the EPA to respond to a petition the groups filed with the EPA last year. The groups said pollution controls at the Muhlenberg County plant weren't in compliance with the federal Clean Air Act.

The EPA has 60 days to respond when the public files petitions for action over the granting of air emissions permits for power plants.

The lawsuit was filed Nov. 20 in U.S. District Court. EPA spokeswoman Laura Niles of the agency's Region 4 office in Atlanta told the Messenger-Inquirer in Owensboro that the EPA has a backlog of permit petitions. She says the EPA will respond to the lawsuit by trying to work out a timeline to answer the petition.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/610921.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/610921.html Sun, 30 Nov 2008 12:38 EST
Gov. Steve Beshear has predicted drastic funding cuts "that will bring pain to our people," and he's suggested a possible special session for lawmakers to deal exclusively with Kentucky's budget problem.

Last week, he asked university and government agency officials to suggest how they'd cut 4 percent in spending this year.

"There's only two options and everybody better accept them," said Senate Minority Floor Leader Ed Worley, D-Richmond. "Either raise some money or you cut expenses. It is that simple."

Kentucky lawmakers passed a two-year, $19 billion budget nearly eight months ago that included funding cuts for higher education and government services. It was based on an estimated $900 million drop in revenue from the prior year.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611106.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611106.html Sun, 30 Nov 2008 16:38 EST
Kentucky State Police say Christopher Jamar Crawford was found at 9:00 a.m. CST Sunday in an isolation cell at the Henderson County Detention Center.

Crawford, of Evansville, Ind., was unresponsive when checked by the jail staff. He was pronounced dead at the jail.

State police say Crawford's death "appears to be from natural causes." An autopsy will be performed on Crawford's body in Madisonville.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/610926.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/610926.html Sun, 30 Nov 2008 12:48 EST
When Brian took the test in September, he was the only Kentucky student to score a perfect 36. He was one of 52 students out of some 250,000 nationwide to ace the test.

What was so remarkable about the feat was that the Wilder resident did it with barely enough energy to get through the three-hour grind.

"It was difficult because my mindset was a little off," he told The Kentucky Enquirer. "All I could think about when it was over was 'Man, I've got a 45-minute drive home now.' I felt so bad I just wanted to get out of there."

After marking every correct answer on the exam that verifies knowledge in math, reading, English and science with 40-60 multiple-choice questions in each subject, he couldn't remember where or when he took it.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611124.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611124.html Sun, 30 Nov 2008 16:58 EST
The man, Pedro Antonio Soto Gonzalez, 23, was found inside the car in a parking lot Saturday afternoon west of Churchill Downs.

The Courier-Journal reports the man died of multiple blunt and sharp force injuries. The death was the seventh homicide since Sunday, Nov. 23.

Gonzalez moved to Louisville recently from Arizona. Police say Gonzalez's girlfriend says she last saw him around 10:30 p.m. on Friday.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/610924.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/610924.html Sun, 30 Nov 2008 12:48 EST
Waymond Morris Park is the site of the first youth football Kentucky championships for in-state players ages 7-13 in games scheduled this holiday weekend. The event is called the "Kentucky Cup," Bradfield said.

Waymond Morris Park opened in 2003 and several cities have shown interest in mimicking its design.

The park opened as Southwest Park five years ago in part to accommodate a growing youth football league, which includes more than 1,100 players and cheerleaders from Owensboro and Daviess County, Bradfield said. There are more than 400 cheerleading and football coaches involved in the league as well, he added.

The four fields are crowned, which means there's a slight rise in the middle that minimizes standing water when it rains, according to Bradfield. Two of the fields are lighted, and the complex has two press boxes, a concession stand and field-side aluminum bleachers.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611946.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611946.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:16 EST
The cuts announced Monday are part of an effort to make up for a $20 million budget shortfall and will become effective Dec. 14.

Abramson says halting road repaving is expected to save $1.4 million. He says closing libraries on Sundays and community centers on Mondays, will save $270,000. Closing the Louisville-owned Otter Creek Park in Meade County will save $180,000.

The mayor says more cuts will have to be made. Abramson says he and his top staff have taken 10 percent pay cuts and he is continuing to talk with union leaders who represent city employees to find more ways to save money.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/612168.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/612168.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:11 EST
Scientists and bloggers contacted the zoo on Sunday and Monday to complain that it should not be affiliated with a religious-based institution that dismisses evolution.

The 2-for-1 offer was on the zoo's Web site over the weekend, but it was no longer available Monday afternoon. The $25.95 promotion granted admission to the zoo's holiday light show and the Creation Museum's live nativity performance.

Zoo officials contacted the Creation Museum on Monday to say they were scrapping the offer after a rash of complaints, the museum said in a statement. A spokesman for the zoo did not return repeated calls for comment.

The Creation Museum, founded by the religious ministry Answers in Genesis, has drawn criticism from biological and other scientists since opening last year. The Petersburg, Ky., museum, with exhibits featuring Adam and Eve and a massive model of Noah's Ark, is about 25 miles from the zoo.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/612391.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/612391.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:56 EST
The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that the Blue Grass Chemical Activity says the leak didn't pose a threat to the depot or the surrounding area. The depot is located in Madison County, and Blue Grass Chemical Activity is the agency that oversees chemical weapons storage there.

The leak was detected during routine maintenance and monitoring procedures Monday coming from an M55 rocket stored at the Depot.

The rockets that hold the GB are kept in shipping and firing tubes in storage igloos. The agency's statement said the leak was confined to the tube and no vapor was detected in the igloo.

It's the fifth leak this year at the depot, a figure Army officials say is normal.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611580.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611580.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 09:18 EST
Police Lt. Scott Blakely says 19-year-old Taylor Rose was exiting Interstate 75 onto Newtown Pike at a high speed when his car struck a tree early Sunday.

Rose was a student at the University of Louisville. The funeral service is scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday at Foremans in Jeffersontown.

Denton, a Republican, is serving her fourth term and is chairwoman of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee.

The Louisville Courier-Journal reports Rose's older brother Thomas Rose Jr. sued his mother in November alleging that she took $15,000 from his trust account and spent it on herself. Denton has declined to comment on that lawsuit.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611741.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611741.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 09:48 EST
Those who came home and complained of symptoms such as memory loss and joint pain are only sicker. Even as their lives unraveled as their health further deteriorated, many were told their problems were just in their head.

But, recently, many of the sufferers were given a new reason to hope. Earlier this month, a high-profile advisory panel to Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake affirmed previous research that a collection of symptoms commonly known as Gulf War illnesses are real and require treatment. The country has a "national obligation" to help them, the panel concluded.

The report, however, also noted a sad reality: Of the $340 million in government funds spent to research the topic, little has focused on finding treatments. And, researchers said, the estimated 175,000-210,000 Gulf veterans who are sick aren't getting any better.

Many of those veterans are left wondering what's next for them. The panel, created by Congress, said at least $60 million should be spent annually for research, but some veterans question if in these economically strapped times the money will be made available.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611900.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611900.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 12:46 EST
The school in Richmond is joining up with California-based General Atomics to create a new Center for Renewable and Alternative Fuel Technologies. General Atomics is known for producing the unmanned Predator aircraft.

Researchers at EKU will be studying ways to make fuel from cellulose-based materials, such as switchgrass or sorghum.

Gov. Steve Beshear said during a news conference on Monday that the state is planning to contribute about $1.5 million toward the project. It will also receive about $4 million in federal funding.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611959.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611959.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:01 EST
Samuel and Crystal Elam of Danville are keeping a miniature horse in their front yard, prompting angry neighbors to ask the Danville City Commission to update its pet ordinance.

Neighbor Doris Burton told The Advocate-Messenger that the animal could hurt property values in the subdivision and shouldn't be allowed. The Elams declined to comment.

There are currently no laws to keep the animal out. The city's current ordinance refers to it being unlawful to tie a horse to a telegraph pole.

The City Commission held a workshop recently to discuss the possibility of a new ordinance.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/612216.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/612216.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:56 EST
Judge Ken M. Howard ordered the county clerk to certify the election after a recount in the Pine Valley precinct didn't change the overall outcome. The clerk, Kenneth Tabb, had asked the judge to review the matter after Democratic challenger Mike Weaver questioned the outcome.

Moore said he was pleased with the judge's order. Weaver didn't immediately return a telephone message left at his home in Radcliff.

Weaver had previously said he wanted votes cast in the Pine Valley precinct, where a machine reportedly malfunctioned, thrown out, which would have made him the winner of the 26th District seat. The judge said the recount showed Moore carried the precinct 600 to 388.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/612432.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/612432.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:41 EST
Police say Raymond Christian Rice of Huddy in Pike County was shot in the head with a high-powered rifle at his home and pronounced dead at the scene.

Police say their initial investigation indicates another juvenile in the home discharged the firearm, but detectives are still trying to determine what happened. No charges have been filed, and police were calling the case an accidental shooting.

The shooting happened early Monday. Police say an autopsy is scheduled in Frankfort.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611630.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611630.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 07:48 EST
The Lexington Herald-Leader reports this may be the first postelection court challenge to Barack Obama's qualifications to be president.

Fourty-seven-year-old Daniel John Essek filed a demand last week that Obama provide a copy of his birth certificate to a federal judge in London for verification.

A Pennsylvania judge threw out a pre-election court challenge to Obama's birth qualification, saying its arguments were frivolous.

Obama's campaign has posted a copy of his birth certificate on the Internet to prove he was born in Hawaii.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611850.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611850.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:46 EST
Those who came home and complained of symptoms such as memory loss and joint pain are even sicker. As their lives unraveled and their health further deteriorated, many were told their problems were just in their head.

But recently, many of the sufferers were given a new reason for hope. A high-profile advisory panel to Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake earlier this month affirmed research showing that a collection of symptoms commonly known as Gulf War illnesses are real and require treatment. The country has a national obligation to help them, the panel concluded.

The report, however, also noted a sad reality: Of the $340 million in government funds spent to research the topic, little has focused on finding treatments. And, researchers said, the estimated 175,000-210,000 Gulf veterans who are sick aren't getting any better.

Many of those veterans are left wondering what's next for them. The panel, created by Congress, said at least $60 million should be spent annually for research, but some veterans question whether the money will be made available during a time when the economy is struggling.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611907.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611907.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:31 EST
Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden are expected to speak to a group of governors at a National Governors Association meeting in Philadelphia on Tuesday. Beshear said he's expecting a chance, along with other governors attending, to voice concerns on the nation's struggling economy.

"I'm certainly going to be pushing for the different kinds of stimulus packages that can help state governments weather the storm," Beshear said at the state Capitol. "We are in the middle of what some people have referred to as a perfect storm right now and it is not going to be easy."

Maybe not.

Lawmakers approved a two-year $19 billion state spending plan earlier this year, that was already based on an estimated $900 million drop in state revenue from the previous year. That including cuts in funding for public universities and some government programs.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/612027.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/612027.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:16 EST
Defense attorney Fred Peters said Joe Fischer, 22, and Hunter Bush, 21, waived their right to a preliminary hearing on Monday, opting instead to go directly to grand jurors in hopes they will dismissed the charges.

Fayette County Commonwealth's Attorney Ray Larson declined to comment Monday on whether he will present charges to a grand jury.

"We haven't officially gotten the case," he said.

Campus police charged the men after they admitted to what Peters described as "a political prank." He said they did nothing illegal.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/612304.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/612304.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:26 EST
KCTCS said in a statement Monday that Michael B. McCall has told the board of regents of his decision concerning the package, which is to be decided at a board meeting Friday.

McCall cited "difficult financial times" for the state and postsecondary education. He said he would join KCTCS faculty and staff in receiving no increase.

The annual Chronicle of Higher Education survey released last month showed that McCall was the highest-paid community college leader with total compensation valued at $610,670. KCTCS spokeswoman Terri Giltner says that figure includes McCall's bonus of about $57,000 for the current year. She says McCall's raise is based on what employees receive and is usually around 3 percent.

KCTCS' state appropriation was reduced $13.5 million for the current academic year. The statement said the system didn't increase fall enrollment for the first time in the organization's 10-year history.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/612459.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/612459.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 23:41 EST
Two environmental groups - the Center for Biological Diversity and the Sierra Club - along with state residents Preston Forsythe and Hilary Lambert are trying to get the EPA to respond to a petition the groups filed with the EPA last year. The groups said pollution controls at the Muhlenberg County plant weren't in compliance with the federal Clean Air Act.

The EPA has 60 days to respond when the public files petitions for action over the granting of air emissions permits for power plants.

The lawsuit was filed Nov. 20 in U.S. District Court. EPA spokeswoman Laura Niles of the agency's Region 4 office in Atlanta told the Messenger-Inquirer in Owensboro that the EPA has a backlog of permit petitions. She says the EPA will respond to the lawsuit by trying to work out a timeline to answer the petition.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/610921.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/610921.html Sun, 30 Nov 2008 12:38 EST
Gov. Steve Beshear has predicted drastic funding cuts "that will bring pain to our people," and he's suggested a possible special session for lawmakers to deal exclusively with Kentucky's budget problem.

Last week, he asked university and government agency officials to suggest how they'd cut 4 percent in spending this year.

"There's only two options and everybody better accept them," said Senate Minority Floor Leader Ed Worley, D-Richmond. "Either raise some money or you cut expenses. It is that simple."

Kentucky lawmakers passed a two-year, $19 billion budget nearly eight months ago that included funding cuts for higher education and government services. It was based on an estimated $900 million drop in revenue from the prior year.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611106.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611106.html Sun, 30 Nov 2008 16:38 EST
Kentucky State Police say Christopher Jamar Crawford was found at 9:00 a.m. CST Sunday in an isolation cell at the Henderson County Detention Center.

Crawford, of Evansville, Ind., was unresponsive when checked by the jail staff. He was pronounced dead at the jail.

State police say Crawford's death "appears to be from natural causes." An autopsy will be performed on Crawford's body in Madisonville.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/610926.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/610926.html Sun, 30 Nov 2008 12:48 EST
When Brian took the test in September, he was the only Kentucky student to score a perfect 36. He was one of 52 students out of some 250,000 nationwide to ace the test.

What was so remarkable about the feat was that the Wilder resident did it with barely enough energy to get through the three-hour grind.

"It was difficult because my mindset was a little off," he told The Kentucky Enquirer. "All I could think about when it was over was 'Man, I've got a 45-minute drive home now.' I felt so bad I just wanted to get out of there."

After marking every correct answer on the exam that verifies knowledge in math, reading, English and science with 40-60 multiple-choice questions in each subject, he couldn't remember where or when he took it.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611124.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611124.html Sun, 30 Nov 2008 16:58 EST
The man, Pedro Antonio Soto Gonzalez, 23, was found inside the car in a parking lot Saturday afternoon west of Churchill Downs.

The Courier-Journal reports the man died of multiple blunt and sharp force injuries. The death was the seventh homicide since Sunday, Nov. 23.

Gonzalez moved to Louisville recently from Arizona. Police say Gonzalez's girlfriend says she last saw him around 10:30 p.m. on Friday.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/610924.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/610924.html Sun, 30 Nov 2008 12:48 EST
Waymond Morris Park is the site of the first youth football Kentucky championships for in-state players ages 7-13 in games scheduled this holiday weekend. The event is called the "Kentucky Cup," Bradfield said.

Waymond Morris Park opened in 2003 and several cities have shown interest in mimicking its design.

The park opened as Southwest Park five years ago in part to accommodate a growing youth football league, which includes more than 1,100 players and cheerleaders from Owensboro and Daviess County, Bradfield said. There are more than 400 cheerleading and football coaches involved in the league as well, he added.

The four fields are crowned, which means there's a slight rise in the middle that minimizes standing water when it rains, according to Bradfield. Two of the fields are lighted, and the complex has two press boxes, a concession stand and field-side aluminum bleachers.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/612535.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/612535.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:34 EST
FRANKFORT . Out-of-work Kentuckians who want to contest their unemployment benefits before Christmas are out of luck: They may have to wait up to two months to get their appeals heard.

"We're not scheduling appeals cases now until mid-to-late January. It's a problem," said Kim Saylor Brannock, a spokeswoman for the state Office of Education and Training.

The normal wait time is about two weeks.

State Unemployment Insurance Director Tony DeName said the delay is the result of a sharp increase in appeals, a spate of retirements and holiday scheduling difficulties. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/612356.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/612356.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:49 EST
An overturned tanker truck shut down both eastbound lanes of I-64 just east of Mount Sterling for more than two hours Monday night.

State police were notified that a Freightliner tanker truck carrying a non-hazardous emulsion latex had overturned on the shoulder of the road about 10:15 a.m., reducing traffic to one lane.

Because the truck could not be towed without spilling its contents, a second tanker was brought in to collect the latex. Both lanes were shut down from about 6:40 p.m. to just before 9 p.m. while the transfer took place. During that time, traffic was detoured off the interstate at Exit 110 and routed back on at Exit 113.

The driver of the truck, Franklin D. Brown Jr., 35, of Tiline, was not injured. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/612314.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/612314.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:39 EST
Kentucky Community and Technical College System President Michael B. McCall . the nation's highest-paid community college leader . announced Monday he will decline a scheduled raise and bonus.

McCall's total compensation for the last two years has been $610,670.

McCall announced he would tell the system's regents at their board meeting Friday that he would decline any bonus and salary increase for 2009.

This comes as KCTCS, along with eight public universities, have been asked to submit to Gov. Steve Beshear plans to cut 4 percent of their state funding. For KCTCS, that amounts to a nearly $8.8 million cut from the $219.3 million the system was allotted by the General Assembly. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/611448.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/611448.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 02:42 EST
Kentucky is a red state with no shortage of conspiracy theorists and unusual politics, so it's no surprise that what might be the first post-election court challenge to Barack Obama's qualifications to be president comes from a Whitley County truck driver.

Daniel John Essek, 47, filed a demand last week that Obama prove he is a natural-born U.S. citizen . one of the few requirements to run for president.

Essek wants Obama to provide a copy of his birth certificate to a federal judge in London for verification.

He knows some people might find his request odd, especially after the election, but says he would tell them it's never too late to do the right thing. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/610828.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/610828.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 08:21 EST
LANCASTER . Add Garrard County to the list of places in Kentucky and the nation seeking to capitalize on its connection to Uncle Tom's Cabin, the 1852 novel that stirred anti-slavery sentiment before the Civil War.

Garrard officials hope to build a replica of a slave cabin on the grounds of Pleasant Retreat, the Lancaster home of Kentucky's 16th governor, William Owsley. The cabin would put a physical presence to claims that the book's author, Harriet Beecher Stowe, visited a Garrard County plantation and saw slave life there years before writing the book.

"I don't know that we have any evidence that she ever visited, other than hearsay," said Skip Gladfelter, chairman of the county's tourism committee. But local lore and a historic marker say that the author did visit a plantation between Lancaster and Paint Lick.

Officials hope to build the cabin . either with modern logs or 1800s-era logs salvaged from two old homes -- and have it up in time for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/611451.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/611451.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 02:42 EST
COVINGTON . Northern Kentucky teenager Brian Becker was so ill with a sinus infection the day he took his ACT college admissions exam, his parents suggested he skip it, but the Covington Latin High School senior toughed it out and couldn't be happier that he did.

When Brian took the test in September, he was the only Kentucky student to score a perfect 36. He was one of 52 students out of some 250,000 nationwide to ace the test.

What was so remarkable about the feat was that the Wilder resident did it with barely enough energy to get through the three-hour grind.

"It was difficult because my mindset was a little off," he told The Kentucky Enquirer. "All I could think about when it was over was 'Man, I've got a 45-minute drive home now.' I felt so bad I just wanted to get out of there." ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/611159.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/611159.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 03:01 EST
The World Equestrian Games Foundation has decided to allow Tennessee walking horses to join in demonstrations at the 2010 World Games, not in spite of, but perhaps because of controversies that has surrounded the breed.

"We have agreed that they will be participating, and I think it's a good thing," said John Long, WEG Foundation chairman and CEO of the U.S. Equestrian Federation.

But the participation comes with a mandate: "We will not be embarrassed. I will not allow any demonstration event, any participation in any way, to embarrass and put the WEG at risk," Long said.

He said the history of abuse of the breed and recent events in Kentucky originally made him wary of allowing walking horses. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/611428.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/611428.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 06:14 EST
Maybe it should ever after be referred to as the 30-day miracle.

Not because it took 30 days to accomplish, but because it took a single polite, but firm, demand to vacate the rent-free Central Kentucky Radio Eye's studios in 30 days for the miracle to start to happen.

The miracle . that continues to allow 3,000 blind and print-disabled people to have the newspaper read to them every day . took three years, hundreds of hours, a slew of volunteers, tens of thousands of dollars and the grace and benevolence of a community suddenly awakened to the need.

But it started with the phone call. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/610333.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/610333.html Sat, 29 Nov 2008 21:52 EST
A Williamsburg man died Friday afternoon when he was crushed in a construction accident.

L.B. Ellis and a good friend were excavating private property next to the Kentucky Splash water park, Whitley County Coroner Andy Croley said.

Ellis got out of his dump truck for an unknown reason, and his friend, operating an excavator, accidentally struck him with the machine's turret.

Ellis was crushed between the two machines. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/609936.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/609936.html Sat, 29 Nov 2008 17:51 EST
A 29-year-old woman died Friday evening in a two-vehicle crash in Pike County, state police said.

A 1997 Chevrolet truck, driven by Billy Ward, was headed south on Penny Highway when it crossed the center line and hit a 2005 Chevrolet truck driven by Johnny Spears Jr., state police said.

Alicia Caudill of Melvin, a passenger in the truck driven by Ward, was transported to the Pikeville Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

Ward was flown to a Huntington, W.Va., hospital and is being treated for his injuries, police said. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/610738.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/610738.html Sun, 30 Nov 2008 02:55 EST
MURRAY . The picture of a Western Kentucky Boy Scout has been featured on boxes of popcorn that are sold by Scouts across the country.

Murray's Nathan Watson of Scout Troop 45 was chosen for the honor after attending the 21st World Scouting Jamboree last year in England.

Watson, 17, was one of two Scouts from each country who was selected to participate in ceremonies commemorating the first Scout encampment on Brownsea Island, England, 100 years ago, according to Jeff Rock, Scout executive with the Shawnee Trails Council.

Having his picture selected was a "total surprise," he said. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/610737.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/610737.html Sun, 30 Nov 2008 02:55 EST
If you want to get on Santa's good side with Christmas fast approaching, the folks in Santa Claus, Ind., have a deal for you.

Santa needs elves . badly . this year.

And he'd sure appreciate some help.

The southern Indiana town has been deluged with mail addressed to Santa . almost like the scene in Miracle on 34th Street where the postmen drag bag after bag of children's letters into a courtroom. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/610708.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/610708.html Sun, 30 Nov 2008 02:55 EST
FORT CAMPBELL . Some 15,000 soldiers are heading home to this sprawling base after spending more than a year at war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and military health officials are bracing for a surge in brain injuries and psychological problems among those troops.

Facing prospects that one in five of the 101st Airborne Division soldiers will suffer from stress-related disorders, the base has nearly doubled its psychological health staff. Army leaders are hoping to use the base's experiences to assess the long-term impact of repeated deployments.

The three 101st Airborne combat brigades, which have begun arriving home, have gone through at least three tours in Iraq. The 3rd Brigade also served seven months in Afghanistan, early in the war. Next spring, the 4th Brigade will return from a 15-month tour in Afghanistan. So far, roughly 10,000 soldiers have come back; the remainder are expected by the end of January.

Army leaders say they will closely watch Fort Campbell to determine the proper medical staffing levels needed to aid soldiers who have endured repeated rotations in the two war zones. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/609318.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/609318.html Sat, 29 Nov 2008 02:47 EST
LOUISVILLE . University Hospital in Louisville is shuttering its psychiatric unit for older patients in what hospital administrators call a cost-saving move, leaving about 20 general psych beds.

The hospital's chief executive, Jim Taylor, told The Courier-Journal that officials reluctantly decided to close the unit by the end of the year. The unit has 20 beds reserved for geriatric patients with psychiatric illnesses.

Taylor said the geriatric unit is only about half-full most days and was losing money. The beds will be shifted to other units to ease a shortage of space for non-psychiatric patients.

Dr. Scott Hedges, vice president for medical services with Seven Counties Services, the regional public mental health agency, said the number of beds available for adult psychiatric patients is "getting squeezed." ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/609317.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/609317.html Sat, 29 Nov 2008 02:47 EST
LOUISVILLE . Two attorneys have been awarded more than $44,000 in fees after winning a battle over the public display of the Ten Commandments at a Kentucky courthouse.

U.S. District Judge Joseph H. McKinley said attorneys David Friedman and William E. Sharp, both of whom argued the case for the American Civil Liberties Union, should split $44,208 after winning a permanent injunction keeping the text out of the courthouse.

"Because there are no special circumstances which would render an award of attorneys fees unjust, the plaintiffs are entitled to an award of attorney fees ...," McKinley wrote.

McKinley on Wednesday also awarded the attorneys court costs of $3,252. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/609314.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/609314.html Sat, 29 Nov 2008 06:48 EST
FORT CAMPBELL . Jonathan Harris, a Blackhawk pilot who withstood enemy fire to save a wounded crew member in Afghanistan, was awarded a Silver Star on Friday. Not to be outdone, his 60-year-old father was awarded a Silver Star and a Bronze Star in a simultaneous ceremony honoring his bravery in Vietnam.

The two generations watched each other through a video teleconference between Fort Campbell, where the elder Gary Harris was honored, and Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, where Jonathan is completing a tour.

Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Schloesser, top commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, told retired Staff Sgt. Gary Harris via video that he hoped the special ceremonies repaid the Army's failure to give him an official ceremony nearly 40 years ago.

Gary Harris, of Corbin, originally received his medals in the mail. He was officially pinned with a Silver Star by the deputy commanding general-rear for the 101st Airborne Division for gallantry in action against an armed hostile force in Vietnam. He also received a Bronze Star for meritorious achievement during his time in Vietnam. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/609054.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/609054.html Fri, 28 Nov 2008 20:36 EST
A Tennessee man died after being hit by a truck as he tried to walk across Interstate 75 Thursday, Kentucky State Police said. Tommy Heatwole, 64, of Jellico, Tenn., left his car on the Exit 15 offramp in Whitley County about 8 p.m. Thursday.

Heatwole left his car because of an argument, state police said, and tried to cross the northbound lanes of the freeway when he was hit by a 2004 Chevy Trailblazer driven by Timothy Black, 40, of Corbin.

Neither Black nor his passenger were injured, police said. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/607973.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/607973.html Fri, 28 Nov 2008 03:01 EST
DANVILLE . When doctors told a central Kentucky couple that their 1-year-old son had completely recovered after having a car key lodged in his eye, his parents thought it was a miracle.

Chris and Staci Holderman at first thought their son, Nicholas, might lose his eye after he fell off a recliner in September and landed on the keys.

But six weeks later, he went for a checkup and the pediatrician had to ask which eye the child had hurt.

"I always believed in miracles, but I have never seen anything like this in my life, and we just feel blessed by the Lord," Chris Holderman told The Advocate-Messenger. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/607969.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/607969.html Fri, 28 Nov 2008 03:01 EST
MAYSVILLE . A northeastern Kentucky town may have found a new way to "beet" icy road conditions in winter with a compound based on everyone's favorite vegetable.

Maysville Public Works Director Jim Fryman said the city will be using geomelt, a concentrate primarily made of beets, along with the traditional salt to treat icy roads.

"The sugar in it helps keep the ice from bonding to the road," said City Manager Ray Young.

The city made the move in part because of a shortage of salt and skyrocketing prices for the commodity. This year salt has increased in price from $51 a ton in 2007 to $103 a ton in 2008, Young said. Young said that last year, 780 tons of salt was purchased from Morton and a small amount of that purchase was left over. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/607921.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/607921.html Fri, 28 Nov 2008 05:52 EST
A dispute between newlyweds ended in a shooting early Thursday in Floyd County that caused the death of the wife and the arrest of the husband on a murder charge.

The victim was identified by Kentucky State Police as Linda Mock, 28, who died at Saint Joseph Hospital in Martin, Ky., shortly after the 3 a.m. incident.

Her husband, Joshua Mock, 26, was charged with murder and lodged in the Floyd County Detention Center, said Trooper Mike Goble of the Pikeville post.

The shooting occurred at 38 Dogwood Lane in Maytown, Goble said. No children were present, but at least one unidentified family member witnessed the incident. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/329/story/612549.html http://www.kentucky.com/329/story/612549.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:34 EST
Janet Ann Napolitano

Nominated secretary of homeland security

Born: Nov. 29, 1957, in New York.

Experience: Arizona governor, 2003 to present; Arizona attorney general, 1999-2003; attorney, Lewis and Roca, 1997-98; U.S. attorney for Arizona, 1993-97; partner, Lewis and Roca, 1989-93; associate, Lewis and Roca, 1984-89; clerk to Judge Mary Schroeder, 9th U.S Circuit Court of Appeals, 1983-84. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/329/story/612548.html http://www.kentucky.com/329/story/612548.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:34 EST
James Logan Jones

Named national security adviser

Born: Dec. 19, 1943, in Kansas City, Mo.

Experience: President and chief executive officer of U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for 21st Century Energy, 2007 to present; supreme allied commander, Europe, and commander, U.S. European Command, 2003-06; 32nd commandant, U.S. Marine Corps, 1999-2003; senior military assistant to the secretary of defense, Washington, 1997-99; commander, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Camp LeJeune, N.C., 1990-92; battalion commander, 9th Marines, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, Calif., 1985-87; Marine Corps Liaison Officer to U.S. Senate, Washington, 1979-84; company commander, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, Okinawa, Japan, 1974-75; company commander, Marine Barracks, Washington, 1970-73; platoon and company commander, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, Vietnam, 1967-68. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/329/story/612547.html http://www.kentucky.com/329/story/612547.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:34 EST
Eric Himpton Holder Jr.

Nominated attorney general

Born: Jan. 21, 1951, in New York

Experience: Senior legal adviser, Obama campaign, 2007-08; partner, Covington . Burling LLP, 2001 to present; acting U.S. attorney general, 2001; U.S. deputy attorney general, 1997-2001; U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, 1993-97; associate judge, Superior Court of the District of Columbia, 1988-93; trial attorney for the Justice Department's public integrity section, 1976-88. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/329/story/612545.html http://www.kentucky.com/329/story/612545.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:34 EST
Hillary Rodham Clinton

Nominated secretary of state

Born: Oct. 26, 1947; Chicago.

Experience: U.S. senator for New York, 2001 to present; first lady of the United States, 1993-2001; partner, Rose Law Firm, Little Rock, Ark., 1979-1992; associate, Rose Law Firm, 1976-1979; faculty, University of Arkansas Law School, Fayetteville, Ark., 1975; staff attorney, presidential impeachment inquiry, U.S. House Judiciary Committee, 1974; staff attorney, Children's Defense Fund, 1973. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/329/story/612544.html http://www.kentucky.com/329/story/612544.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:34 EST
ATLANTA . Jim Martin is feeling the spirit.

Usually the Democratic Senate candidate is so unassuming that he sometimes seems out of place at his own campaign events.

But at historically black Morris Brown College, surrounded by former Barack Obama campaign staffers and such African-American luminaries as Reps. John Lewis, D-Ga., and Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the bespectacled, 63-year-old lawyer has discovered his inner preacher.

"We're all in this together!" Martin intones. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/329/story/612542.html http://www.kentucky.com/329/story/612542.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:34 EST
WASHINGTON . American auto executives, stung by declining sales and unprecedented turmoil in credit markets, are braced for a tense showdown this week with still-skeptical lawmakers over whether the federal government will give them a $25 billion lifeline.

Detroit's Big Three, expected to detail Tuesday how they'd use the money, face two challenges: They must overcome a perception that they're insensitive and greedy, and they must persuade Congress that they can change their companies radically and quickly.

"This is an important week, because it will enable them to show what they weren't ready to show a couple of weeks ago," Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said in an interview with McClatchy Newspapers.

Last month, executives from General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC went home empty-handed, wounded by their own lack of specifics as well as their admission that they'd flown to Washington in corporate jets to beg for a taxpayer handout. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611638.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611638.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 08:18 EST
Investigators say 47-year-old James Deramus was crossing Bardstown Road early Sunday when he was hit by a Ford Escape, thrown into the northbound lanes and hit by a Ford F-150 truck.

Police say Deramus lived near the crash site. He died later at University Hospital.

No charges are expected to be filed.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611897.html http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/611897.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:56 EST
Jackson's Stonestreet Stables owns 80 percent of the richest North American racehorse in history and had offered $4 million to buy out the remaining 20 percent interest from William Gallion and Shirley Cunningham Jr. The two disbarred attorneys are under a court order to pay $42 million to former clients they represented in a settlement over the diet drug fen-phen.

Although a court-appointed receiver recommended the transaction be approved, an attorney for Gallion and Cunningham argued $4 million was too low of a price for a share of such a promising stallion prospect. Circuit Judge Roger Crittenden agreed to disallow it after hearing the same plea from Angela Ford, who represents the fen-phen clients in their civil case against Gallion and Cunningham.

"The plaintiffs have objected to the process and the defendants have objected to the process, so I am ending the process," Crittenden said.

That means Curlin's ownership likely will remain split when he stands as a stallion next year at Lane's End Farm, collecting a $75,000 stud fee. Jackson announced last week that he had picked the Versailles, Ky., farm owned by Will Farish, a former U.S. ambassador to Britain, as the horse's new home.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/612585.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/612585.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:35 EST
When Gov. Steve Beshear joined other governors to meet with President-elect Barack Obama Monday night, he expected to make a pitch for a stimulus plan for states that could include cash to help struggling programs.

Beshear and other state leaders were scheduled to sit down with Obama in Philadelphia, first at an informal session Monday evening, then in a formal conference Tuesday morning.

"We're going to be talking about a number of possibilities to help us with this situation we find ourselves in," Beshear said. "Obviously an infrastructure stimulus package would help Kentucky as well as other states in helping people get back to work."

Beshear said he and other governors also are expected to ask for help to bolster Medicaid programs and unemployment insurance funds that are running low as jobless rates take off. Beshear also mentioned the possibility of a direct "cash infusion" from the federal government to state coffers, similar to what the Bush administration approved earlier this decade. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/612581.html http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/612581.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:35 EST
A state drug program designed to help poor patients pay for life-saving and life-sustaining HIV/AIDS drugs could again have a waiting list by April, state health officials said Monday.

As the state paused Monday to celebrate the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day with vigils and other public remembrances, HIV/AIDS clinics in Kentucky and throughout the country are bracing for the return of waiting lists for services because of a drop in federal and state funding.

The Kentucky AIDS Drug Assistance Program, which helps provide HIV/AIDS drugs to 1,300 patients not on Medicaid, Medicare or private insurance, has lost a significant part of its federal and state funding over the past three years.

At the same time, the number of patients who have applied for help to pay for anti-viral drugs . which can cost anywhere between $2,000 and $10,000 a month . has steadily increased, said Sigga Jagne, branch manager for the HIV/AIDS program with the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/329/story/612550.html http://www.kentucky.com/329/story/612550.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:34 EST
Susan Elizabeth Rice

Nominated U.N. Ambassador Born: Nov. 17, 1964

Experience: Senior foreign policy adviser, Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2008; senior fellow in foreign policy, Brookings Institution, 2002 to present; senior adviser for national security affairs, John F. Kerry presidential campaign, 2004; assistant secretary of state for African affairs, 1997-2001; special assistant to the president and senior director for African affairs, National Security Council, 1995-97; director for international organizations and peacekeeping, National Security Council, 1993-95; management consultant, McKinsey and Co., 1991-93.

Education: Bachelor's degree in history, Stanford University, 1986; master's in philosophy in international relations, Oxford University, 1988; doctorate in philosophy, Oxford University, 1990. ]]>