01-30-10 Toyota Says It Has A "Fix"... Will Begin Repairs To Gas Pedals Soon
Toyota Motor Corp. said Friday that it has a "fix" for the sticky gas pedals in many of its vehicles which shut down assembly lines and took several models of its vehicles off the market last week. Toyota halted sales and production of those models. The company expects the repairs to be completed in less than a month, according to a company press release. The problem affects about 4.2 million vehicles in the U.S., Europe and China. Toyota said its engineers are working around the clock to fix the problem in eight of its U.S. models, including the top-selling Kentucky built Camry. It has recalled cars and trucks in the U.S., Europe and China because of the problem.
01-30-10 Letcher Therepist Cops Plea In Medicaid Fraud Case
Letcher County Therapist Tiffany Bentley, 29, of Corona, pled guilty Friday in Jefferson Circuit Court to Medicaid fraud, a class D felony. She was arrested in 2008 and charged with defrauding the Kentucky Medicaid Program. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Bentley was sentenced to one year in prison, but the sentence was diverted for a period of five years if she pays restitution to the Kentucky Medicaid Program of $1,562.00 and reimburses the Attorney General's Office for investigative costs. Bentley, along with Vanessa Rouse and Janice Fields, fraudulently billed the Kentucky Medicaid Program in 2006 and 2007 for services they did not provide.
Rouse and Fields pled guilty in 2008. Each was sentenced to a year in prison and ordered to pay restitution. They served 30 days and the remainder of their sentences were probated. Rouse and Fields were also convicted of bribing a witness in Perry Circuit Court.
01-29-10 2 Men Arrested In Connection With Robberies
Randy G. Wallen, 34 and Shane Mulkey, 34, were arrested Wednesday following a traffic stop in Floyd County in connection with the robbery of the Cardinal Country Store in Stanville, according to Kentucky State Police. Wallen and Mulkey allegedly matched the descriptions of the men who pulled the heist at Stanville, where employees said two men entered the store wearing hoodies and wielding a knife, and possibly a gun, while committing armed robbery. They were pulled over shortly after the robbery in a Chevy pickup truck. The Stanville robbery was the fourth this month in the vicinity, including robberies at Garrett and Regina involving suspects with similar descriptions. Investigators are going through surveillance tapes trying to see if the men are connected to those robberies. Wallen and Mulkey were charged with robbery lodged in the Floyd County Jail on a $200,000 full cash bond.
01-29-10 Jury Finds Lawson,Nighbert Not Guilty On All Counts
Road contractor Leonard Lawson and former state Transportation Secretary Bill Nighbert have been found not guilty on all counts. The jury got the case Thursday afternoon and returned the verdict Friday afternoon. Nighbert and Lawson were charged with a scheme to rig bids on $130 million dollars in state road contracts, bribery, conspiracy and other charges. The prosecution's case against the defendants began to fall apart when U.S District Judge Karl Forester threw out two bribery counts and said he was sceptical about some of the other charges in the case at the end of the prosecutor side of the case.
01-29-10 High Speed Rail For Kentucky?????
Gov. Steve Beshear announced Friday that the Federal Railroad Administration has approved a $250,000 grant to study the feasibility of high-speed passenger service on a rail corridor that includes Louisville, according to a press release from the governor's office Friday. Beshear joined with Govs. Phil Bredesen of Tennessee and Sonny Perdue of Georgia in supporting the study of a high speed rail corridor running from Chicago to Atlanta, through Louisville and Nashville, Tenn. The hope is that the corridor would eventually extend to Florida. The grant was awarded to the Georgia Department of Transportation. Gov. Beshear and his two fellow governors in October jointly endorsed the Georgia application in a letter to Vice President Biden and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
01-28-10 Jenkins Coal Mine Operator Indicted For Violating MSHA Safety Regs
EDITOR'S NOTE: When you consider a mine operator put the lives of every person working there in danger, is a possible jail sentence of one year enough? It is highly unlikely they will get a year of jail time. On top of this is a fine of $250,000 big enough for someone who endangers so many? I don't think so. They should have been shut down, and fined so much it bankrupts them. If MSHA was serious about stopping unsafe mines, they would demand stronger fines, and more jail time for those who break the law.
01-28-10 Jury Gets Lawson-Nighbert Bid Rigging Trial Thursady
A U.S. District Court jury in Lexington began deliberations in the bid rigging trial of road contractor Leonard Lawson and for former Transportation Secretary Bill Nighbert Thursday around 2 PM, after hearing closing arguments of attorneys for both defendants as well as the prosecution. Prosecutors said the key evidence wasn't engineer Jim Rummage but rather the taped recordings he made talking with Lawson. The defendants countered that Rummage was an admitted liar. The jury deliberated for three hours before court recessed. Deliberations will resume Friday.
01-28-29 2500 Workers Idled At Georgetown Toyota Plant
About 2500 auto workers at Georgetown's Toyota plant were affected by the company's decision to stop production of vehicles built there, according to published reports. The plant will shut down one of its two assembly lines next week as Toyota tries to fix the problem which is causing gas pedals to stick. That line produces the Camry and Avalon. The plant's second assembly line, which builds the Camry, Camry hybrid and the crossover Venza, will continue to run.
01-28-10 Unemployment Up In All But One County
Magoffin County had the state's highest unemployment rate at 21.4 percent last month, while Fayette County recorded the lowest jobless rate at 7.3 percent, according to the Kentucky Office of Employment and Training. Unemployment rates rose in Dec. in 119 out of 120 Kentucky counties between December 2008 and December 2009. Union County was the only county where rates decreased compared to last year, with rates falling from 10.5 to 10.1 percent in December 2009. This is the first time since January 2009 that all 120 counties rates have not risen over the same month the previous year.
01-27-10 Bribery Charges Dismissed Against Lawson,Nighbert.. Trial Continues
The prosecution's bid-rigging case against Leonard Lawson and former Transportation Secretary Bill Nighbert suffered a major setback in Lexington Tuesday when U.S. District Judge Karl Forester threw out two bribery counts and said he is considering dismissing other charges. After prosecutors rested, U.S. District Judge Karl Forester said they failed to prove Lawson was involved in getting Nighbert $125,000-a-year consulting job with Utility Management Group, a company in which Lawson is a minority stockholder, after Nighbert left the Transportation Cabinet in 2007.
01-26-10 Bill Filed To Change Way Smokeless Tobacco Taxed
A bill has been filed in Frankfort that would change the way Kentucky taxes smokeless tobacco products. Currently the products are taxed based on weight. The proposal would change that to a price-based tax. Critics say such a tax would make revenues from smokeless tobacco taxes hard to predict because of the ups and downs of smokeless tobacco prices. In fact, a dozen states have changed from a price-based tax to the more stable weight based levy in recent years. Kentucky tobacco growers say they are concerned because companies using domestic tobacco, which is of higher quality, would be at risk with the change in the tax making it that much harder to compete against the cheaper products using foreign tobacco.
01-23-10 Louisa Odyssey Addiction Recovery Center Opens
Within a week of opening their doors to people who want help battling their personal addictions to alcohol and narcotics, including prescription painkillers, officials at Louisa's Odyssey Center have already placed two people into residential treatment centers. Tim Robinson, who appeared last Thursday on Studio 600 on WKYH, said he is also confident the Odyssey program's practices and goals will be transparent, and people will soon come to appreciate what they are trying to accomplish in Louisa. The Odyssey staff conducted an open house last Saturday in downtown Louisa. Those wishing more information can visit www.odysseycenters.com or call (606) 638-0938.
01-23-10 Store Robbed At Regina
Rick and Deb's General Store at Regina was robbedaround 6:00 AM Saturday Morning when a man described as "white with a mustache and wearing a grey hooded shirt" came into the store and demanded money, according to the Kentucky State Police. The report from the KSP stated that the man "left in an unknown direction" and that he took "an unknown amount of money". No further description of the man was provided and no information on whether he used a weapon and, if so, what kind. The case continues under investigation by a KSP trooper.
01-23-10 Rogers Announces $3,653,000 Grant for Johnson County Head Start
Congressman Hal Rogers announced Friday that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded $3,653,000 to the Big Sandy Area Community Action Program in Paintsville to administer the Head Start program. Head Start provides comprehensive child development services to economically disadvantaged families, with a special focus on helping preschoolers develop the early reading and math skills they need to be successful in school. The funds go to the Big Sandy Area Community Action Program which provides various services throughout the region, including Head Start.
01-22-10 Leslie County Miner First Fatality of 2010
Travis G. Brock, 29, of Helton in Leslie County, was killed Friday morning in a mine accident at the Bledsoe Coal Company, Abner Branch Rider mine in Leslie County, according to a press release by the Kentucky Office of Mine Safety. Brock, a continuous miner operator, received fatal injuries when he was struck by rock fall when the pillar which supports the mine roof gave way Officials from the Kentucky Office of Mine Safety and Licensing continue to investigate. The mine will remain closed until a site investigation and interviews are complete. This is the first mining-related fatality in Kentucky in 2010. In 2009, there were four mine-related fatalities.
01-22-10 Flu Hotline Shuts Down... Too Few of Calls
The Kentucky Department for Public Health announced that the toll-free Influenza Hotline, created to answer questions about swine flu and seasonal flu, is closing due to decreased call volume. Citizens are encouraged to contact their local health department or visit the Health Alerts Web site at http://healthalerts.ky.gov for up-to-date information about swine flu and where to receive the swine flu vaccine.
01-22-10 Perry Grand Jury Indicts Alleged Murderer Of Dr. Sandlin
John C. Combs, 46, of Redfox in Knott County, was indicted Friday by the Perry County Grand Jury in connection with the murder of Dr. Dennis Sandlin on Dec. 8th at his medical office in Perry County, according to published reports. He was indicted for murder, burglary, tampering with evidence and terroristic threatening. Combs pleaded not guilty to a murder charge after his arrest. His attorney has requested a psychiatric evaluation and says Combs is not competent to assist in his defense.
01-21-10 Floyd County Woman Killed In Head On Crash Near Floyd County Line
Valerie Spurlock, 33, of Floyd County, was killed that Wednesday in an accident on U. S. 23 near Hager Hill, when the vehicle she was driving crossed the centerline and struck a coal truck head on, according to Kentucky State Police. Spurlock died instantly. The crash closed U.S. 23 south of Paintsville for several hours. Witnesses said Spurlock's vehicle traveled 600 to 700 feet in the left-center lane of the four-lane highway before colliding with the coal truck. The operator of the coal truck, Harold Hall Jr., 42, was treated for minor injuries and released.
01-21-19 Mongiardo Files For Senate
Lieutenant Governor Daniel Mongiardo officially filed his papers in the Secretary of State's office Thursday to run for the U.S. Senate, according to published reports.
Dr. Mongiardo was elected Lt. Gov. in 2007. His main opponent, Attorney
General Jack Conway, filed his papers to become a candidate Wednesday. They will face each other in the Democrat Primary in May.
01-22-10 Constitutional Amendment To Require Vote On Gambling Measures Defeated In Senate
16 Democrats voted along party lines Thursday to vote against legislation that would have placed a constitutional amendment on the ballot this fall requiring that voters approve all Kentucky gambling proposals, thereby killing the measure. The bill needed 23 votes to pass. It got only 21, all from Republicans. The measure would have required all gambling issues to be placed on the ballot for Kentucky voters to accept or reject. House Speaker Greg Stumbo is sponsoring a bill in the house that would legalize slots at Kentucky horse tracks, without placing the issue on the ballot.
01-21-10 Cincinnati Pharmacist Sentenced To Jail In Fed. Drug Case
Thomas Stark, the Cincinnati pharmacist who was involved in the East Kentucky drug ring headed by a Timothy Wayne Hall of Floyd County, was sentenced to two years in prison Thursday by Federal District Judge Gregory F. Van Tatenhove and fined $10,000. He has already forfeited $100,000 to the government, representing the money he made selling 11,000 methadone pills. His pharmacy license was taken by the state of Kentucky. The drug ring with which Stark was involved included many people from Pike and Floyd Counties going to doctors in Louisiana, Philadelphia and Cincinnati between 2001 and 2007 to get prescriptions, some of which were filled by Stark.
01-21-10 Beshear Testifies In Lawson-Nighbert Bid Rigging Trial
Governor Steve Beshear took the witness stand Thursday in the bid-rigging
trial of road Leonard Lawson and former Transportation Secretary Bill Nighbert, according to published reports. The governor said he had been hearing reports that Lawson was unhappy back in 2008 after he took office and called Lawson in February to assure the contractor that the new Beshear administration would be fair to his companies. Under cross-examination Beshear admitted that he has approached Lawson for campaign donations and road industry fund-raising throughout his political career, including his 2007 campaign for governor. The governor denied that there is a connection between road contracts and campaign donations. State Senate President David Williams, R-Burkesville, also is expected to testify.
01-21-10 Adult Care Providers Sentenced In Cart er County
Todd Gribbin, of Flatwoods, and Earl Pelfrey, of Grayson, who pled guilty last month to the abuse of a patient at Community Presence, Inc. in 2007, were sentenced Thursday in Carter Circuit Court to one year for wantonly abusing an adult, wanton endangerment first degree and unlawful imprisonment first degree, all class D felonies, according to a published report. The sentences will be diverted for a period of five years.
Pelfrey and Gribbin were indicted in Carter Circuit Court in connection with the abuse of Michael Price, a mentally handicapped adult who was under their care. Community Presence’s Adult Day Treatment facility. Gribbin and Pelfrey also were ordered to never again be employed as caregivers of vulnerable adults or children. They have agreed to cooperate with the ongoing investigations of Community Presence, Inc. staff members and testify against the remaining co-defendants. Charges are still pending against Bob Thompson, Michael Yates and Mathew Wilburn. Bob Thompson, Regina Stephens and Ira Lee Griffith also face charges in connection with other allegations of patient abuse at the facility.
01-21-10 Lawson Wrongly Received Contracts After Indictment, According to federal Audit
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet awarded companies associated with embattled road contractor Leonard Lawson contracts funded by $24 million dollars in federal stimulus funds, in violation of Federal Highway Administration Rules, according to an audit report by the U. S. Department of Transportation's inspector general. According to the report, the Federal Highway Administration should have suspended Lawson from winning road projects involving federal funds within 45 days of his September 2008 indictment. He was not suspended until July, 2009.
01-21-10 Unemployment Up to 10.7%
Kentucky’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 10.7 percent in December 2009 from a revised 10.6 percent in November 2009, according to the Office of Employment and Training. Last December's 10.7 percent jobless rate is 3.1 percent higher than the 7.6 percent rate recorded in December 2008 for Kentucky.
Unemployment reached a high of 11.3 percent in 2009. The U.S. seasonally adjusted jobless rate in December remained at 10 percent.
01-20-10 Conway Makes It Official... Files For Senate
Attorney General Jack Conway, 40, of Louisville, officially entered the race for U.S. Senate Wednesday when he filed his papers in the Secretary of State's office to run in the May 18th Democratic primary. Conway will face Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo of Hazard. He said his campaign will report at the end of this month nearly $2.5 million dollars for the last quarter of 2009.
01-20-10 Governor Renews Proposal For Video Slots At Tracks
Gov. Steve Beshear renewed his proposal for video slots at Kentucky race tracks as part of his budget proposal in his address to a joint session of the General Assembly Tuesday. He said Tuesday that slots would generate $780 million in new revenue for state government over two years, reducing the need to lay off state workers.
Political observers in Frankfort have expressed doubt that the measure has much of a chance to pass the General Assembly this year. Without the revenue from slots, Beshear said state government would face cuts of more than 12 percent over the first year of the two-year budget proposal and 34 percent in the second year. . Gambling revenues would help maintain current funding levels for job creation, health care, public safety and education programs, according to the governor.
01-19-09 Deadline Less Than A Week Away
Time is running out for potential candidates to place their name on the ballot for the 2010 primary elections. Primary candidates, including political party candidates and candidates for non-partisan races that file with the Secretary of State, have until January 26, 2010 to file for office. Candidates for offices that file with the Secretary of State may file their papers until 4:00 p.m. EST In Frankfort on January 26th. Candidates who file with the local county clerk may file until 4:00 p.m. local time. If candidates choose to mail their filing papers, the documents must still be received by 4:00 p.m. on the 26th.
01-19-10 Consulting Firm Predicts 50% Decline in Coal Production In Region Over Next 10 Years
Coal production in Central Appalachia will probably continue to decline, as it has done over the past 12 years, according to a report issued by Downstream Strategies of Morgantown, an environmental consulting firm, WV Tuesday. The study urges policy makers and legislators in West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee to work to diversify the region's economy. The report predicts that production will fall nearly 50 percent within a decade and urges those states to adopt laws, low-interest loan programs and other measures to support the development of renewable energy sources and to diversify the economy of the region.
01-19-10 Former Lewis County Clerk Shirley Hinton Indicted
Former Lewis County Clerk Shirley Hinton, 74, of Vanceburg, was indicted Friday on six counts of theft by failure to make required disposition, filing a false tax return and official misconduct while she was clerk, according to published reports.
Hinton allegedly committed the crimes between 1999 and 2008. She
was also charged with six counts of filing false income tax returns and one count of first-degree official misconduct.
01-19-10 Former State Rep. May File Against Floyd Judge Exec. Marshall
Former state Rep. Charles "Chuck" Meade picked up paperwork to run against incumbent judge-executive R.D. "Doc" in the May Democrat Primary in Monday, according to a report in the Floyd County Times. Meade represented Floyd County in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 2004 to 2008. House speaker Greg Stumbo filed to run in the Democrat primary for his old house seat after his term as attorney general ended and Meade stepped aside. Meade, if he files, will be an opponent with county-wide name recognition running against current Judge-Executive R.D. "Doc" Marshall.
01-17-10 KY Inmates To Get Cold Case Playing Cards
The Kentucky Department of Corrections announced Friday that inmates in 18 Kentucky prisons and some jail inmates will receive "Cold Case" playing cards from the Department of Corrections, according to published reports.
The cards will feature a photo and description of 52 cold cases in Kentucky. Kentucky is the 10th state to produce the cold case playing cards for inmates.
01-17-10 Chandler Loads His War Chest For Republican Opponent
Sixth District Rep. Ben Chandler's re-election campaign raised $215,000 during the quarter and expects to report having about $1.6 million cash on hand for his re-election campaign at the end of January, according to published reports. Chandler's main Republican opponent, Andy Barr of Lexington, said he raised $118,652 in the fourth quarter of 2009, bringing his total to $304,852 since entering the race last year. Chandler ignited a firestorm of protest in his district last year when he voted in favor of Cap & Trade legislation in the U. S. House of Representatives and indicated that he would probably vote for health care reform. Chandler wound up voting against health care reform after Tea Party protesters staged several demonstrations in his district.
01-17-10 Garrett Marathon Robbed Friday Night
The Garrett Marathon was robbed Friday night around 11:00 PM when two men entered the store and demanded money, according to the Kentucky State Police. The robbers fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash. The dispatch from the Kentucky State Police did not provide our listeners with any information which might help police identify those responsible for this crime, such as a discription of the
men; whether they used a weapon and if so, what kind. The case is under investigation by the KSP.
01-17-10 Nuclear Power Bill Clears Committee
The Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee approved
legislation last week that would reverse a 1984 law barring
construction of nuclear plants in Kentucky until a permanent waste storage facility is in place. The measure now goes to the full Senate for consideration.
The legislation has failed to get out of committee in the last three
sessions.
01-17-10 Fen-Phen Lawyer Disbarred
Melbourne Mills Jr. of Lexington was recommended to be permanently disbarred by a committee of the Kentucky Bar Association Saturday on a 14-1 vote for his part in the fen-phen case which led to the conviction of his co-defendants. Mills was acquitted by a Federal District Court jury, according to published reports. The board's decision will go to the Kentucky Supreme Court, which will have final say on whether he will lose his law license.
01-16-10 Pike County Approved Law Suit Against KY Power
The Pike County Fiscal Court authorized a lawsuit against Kentucky Power Company Friday to sue the utility for its failure to be prepared for the snow storm last December and for its failure to make repairs to its lines after the storm, which kept some customers without power until after Christmas. The action follows an angry letter earlier this month in which Judge Executive Wayne T. Rutherford complained to the Public Service Commission about what he termed "pure neglect" in the failure of the company to keep its right of way clear. The power company denies any neglect in the maintenance of its lines.
01-14-10 Jones To Plead Guilty In Vote-Fraud Case
Chester Jones, former state representative and Perry circuit clerk filed a motion in Federal District Court Wednesday to be rearraigned on the vote-fraud, mail fraud indictment, according to published reports. Jones, who was indicted along with former Perry County Judge Sherman Neace last year, will plead guilty, according to the motion.
Neace pled guilty earlier this year on charges that he and Jones took $7,500 meant for use in efforts to increase voter turnout in November 2008 and instead used the money to buy votes for themselves.
01-14-10 Senate Passes Untrasound Bill
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill Thursday that
would require a woman to review the results of an ultrasound
with a doctor before receiving an abortion. Senate Bill 38 now goes to the Senate for a vote and is expected to pass. The same legislation has died in the last two session in the house. Those who support the move say it gives women information
before making a critical health decision. Opponents say it adds an obstacle for women seeking an abortion.
01-13-10 Grayson Makes It Official... Files Papers For Senate Run
Trey Grayson will file his official candidacy papers Thursday in his own office of Secretary of State to run for the U.S. Senate in the Republican Primary in May, according to a release from his office. Grayson's supporters are hosting house parties in 95 counties around the state to participate and a live interactive, video webcast moderated by Lexington media personality Dave Baker. Viewers will listen to Grayson explain his vision for Kentucky's future and have the opportunity to ask questions. His main opponent, Dr. Rand Paul, a Bowling Green eye surgeon, filed his papers last month as did Bill Johnson, a businessman from Elton.
01-13-10 Nearly 250 Verizon Workers in Lexington To Lose Jobs
The Verizon Telephone operator assistance center on Harrodsburg Road in Lexington announced this week that it will close in March, putting 226 employees out of work, according to a company spokesman. The jobs pay average wages of $15.00 per hour, plus company benefits. The spokesman said the closing is a result of reduced demand for directory assistance resulting from free internet sites and other
alternatives to directory assistance. The facility's final day of operation will be March 27th.
01-12-10 Pike County Judge Complains To PSC About Ky Power
Pike County judge-executive Wayne T Rutherford wrote a letter to the Kentucky Public Service Commission last week accusing Kentucky Power Company of "pure neglect" in its maintenance of power lines in Pike County, where there were widespread power outages during the mid-December snow storm. Power was not restored to some Pike County residents until after Christmas. Meanwhile, in adjoining Letcher County, the local Commonwealth's Attorney and the Letcher County Grand are preparing to launch a grand jury investigation into similar allegations. A Kentucky Power spokesman said the utility spends millions of dollars a year clearing the rights of way.
01-11-10 Gamblings Not Given Much Of A Chance In 2010
A politically divisive proposal to legalize slots at Kentucky horse tracks appears to be facing long odds in the state legislature this year. House Speaker Greg Stumbo told reporters Friday that he doesn't expect House lawmakers who passed the measure last year will bother to take it up this year because Senate leaders are not willing to allow a floor vote. Senate President David Williams reiterated his opposition to the proposal on Friday, saying it preys on the poorest of Kentucky's residents.
01-11-09 Lawson-Nighbert Bid Rigging Trial To Get Underway
Jury selection in U.S. District Court in Lexington is scheduled to begin this week in the bid-rigging and conspiracy trial of Leonard Lawson and former state Transportation Secretary Bill Nighbert, a case in which both Gov. Steve Beshear and Senate President David Williams may be called as witnesses. Prosecutors say Nighbert and Lawson are guilty of bribery, obstruction of justice and conspiracy associated with $130 million in state road project bids in 2006 and 2007. Lawson and Nighbert were indicted in September 2008.
01-08-10 Governor Orders Female Inmates Out of Otter Creek
Gov. Steve Beshear has ordered all 400 female inmates removed from the Otter Creek Correctional Complex at Wheelwright. The move came Thursday after a report by the Kentucky Department of Corrections, according to published reports, some four months after an investigation into the handling of 18 alleged cases of sexual misconduct by prison guards at the facility, which is operated by Nashville, Tenn.-based Corrections Corporation of America. Hawaiian Corrections officials removed 165 inmates from Otter Creek last summer because of the alleged sexual abuse of female inmates. Male prisoners will be transferred to Otter Creek to replace the female inmates.
01-08-10 Letcher man killed in fire
Lindsey Blair, 68, of Tooter Branch Road in Jeremiah in Letcher County, was killed Thursday night in a house fire, according to Kentucky State Police Blair was found dead inside the house after crews extinguished the fire. The fire appears to have been accidental, but remains under investigation by the KSP.
01-07-10 Williams To Introduce Constitutional Amendment For Expanded Gambling
Senate President David Williams announced Thursday that he plans to file a bill that would allow a vote on a constitutional amendment to allow expanded gambling, according to published reports. Williams switched his position on the issue last year and he, along with fellow Republican State Senator Damon Thayer, announced their intention to introduce their own constitutional amendment legislation last year.. Any constitution amendment would have to be approved by the voters, after which another vote would be required to approved expanded gambling.
01-07-10 Johnson County man indicted on child-porn charges
Phillip Cavins, 60, of Johnson County, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Lexington Thursday for possession and distribution of child pornography and for being a felon in possession of firearms, according to published reports. The indictment alleges that Cavins possessed and distributed images that depicted minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct last May and that he was in possession of six firearms.
Cavins faces 15 to 40 years in prison on the child pornography distribution charge, 10 to 20 years on the pornography possession charge, and up to 10 years for the firearms charge, if convicted.
01-7-10 Stumbo Files Bill To Require GPS Equipment On Domestic Violence Suspects
A bill which would allow judges to require potentially violent domestic abuse suspects to wear global positioning satellite devices unanimously passed the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday. House Bill 1, sponsored by House Speaker Greg Stumbo of Prestonsburg, is a response to the death of Amanda Ross, the 29-year-old woman who was allegedly murdered by former Representative Steve Nunn. Stumbo said the cost of the monitoring would be between $7 and $10 a day. Stumbo said 15 states are already using the system.
01-07-10 John's Creek Home Destroyed By Fire
The John's Creek home of Paul and Cheryl Fannin was destroyed by fire Wednesday, according to published reports. The cause of the fire was still undetermined Thursday. Fire fighters were hampered by cold temperatures as they struggled to bring the fire under control. The home and its contents were a total loss.
01-05-09 Beshear Announces More Cuts Monday
Gov. Steve Beshear announced his plan Monday at a news conference in Frankfort to deal with a close to $108 million budget shortfall, by imposing three percent spending cuts in most state agencies and transferring $25 million in federal stimulus funds and more than $33.9 million in transfers from state programs with unallocated funds. This is the sixth budget reduction he has made since taking office in December 2007, and the second time since the fiscal year began in July, that he has had to cut this year's budget. Many agencies have had their budgets reduced by more than 20 percent. Beshear said he will continue to protect areas of government such as basic school funding, Medicaid, student financial aid, state police, mental health services and higher education.
01-05-09 Bell County Dentist Sent To The Pen For 5 Years
Dr. Craig Ralston, 47, formerly of Bell County, Ky., was sentenced to five years in prison Monday in Bell Circuit Court and ordered to pay $7,900 in restitution to cover investigative costs and to the Kentucky Medicaid Program, according to a release from the Kentucky Attorney General. He was indicted in December 2007 on charges that he defrauded the Kentucky Medicaid Program and three counts of trafficking in a controlled substance, Hydrocodone. Ralston pled guilty to all counts in Bell Circuit Court on Monday, November 16th. Ralston billed the Kentucky Medical Assistance Program for dental extractions, which were either not performed or were medically inappropriate. He also supplied drug-seeking clients with Hydrocodone, while billing for extractions of healthy teeth. He surrendered his license to practice dentistry in 2004.
01-05-09 5 Killed During New Years On Highways
Five people died in five crashes during the New Years Holiday weekend,
compared with four during the same enforcement period last year.
Kentucky closed 2009 with 771 people killed on Kentucky highways, 55 fewer
than in 2008. However few miles were traveled in 2009 because of the slowdown in the economy.
01-03-09 Mining Fatalities Lowest In Recorded History In 2009, Down By over 3,200 In 100 Years
The number of mining fatalities in the United States fell for the second straight year in 2009, to just 34, down from a low of 52 in 2008, the fewest since record keeping began over a century ago. U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration documents show 18 of the deaths occurred in coal mines, down from 29 in 2008. The deadliest year in recorded history was 1907, when 3,242 deaths were reported. Kentucky led the nation in mining deaths last year with six in coal mines and one in a limestone quarry. West Virginia and Alabama had three coal mine fatalities, each.
01-03-09 Man Arrested For Killing Niece In Pike County
David Joe Ratliff, 49, of Regina was arrested Saturday and charged with the alleged murder of his niece, Rachel Lee Ratliff, 30, also of Regina, according to Kentucky State Police. Ratliff allegedly shot and Killed Rachel with a semi-automatic pistol. When police arrived shortly after 8:00 AM they found Rachel Ratliff's uncle, trying to leave the back door of his home. Pike County Deputy Coroner Denver Bailey pronounced Rachel Ratliff dead at the scene. The case remains under investigation by KSP.
1-01-09 Hit & Run Driver Found Dead Beside I-64 In Lexington
A body found Friday in a field next to I-64 in Lexington has been identified as Clark Roberts, 53, of Virgie, according to Lexington police. Roberts apparently died as a result of a blow to his head when he fell from a an interstate bridge. The Fayette County Coroner identified Roberts as the driver of a vehicle which was involved in a hit and run Thursday night in Lexington. His car was later found, unoccupied. No foul play was suspected.