Sunday, February 13, 2011
EKB Capsule News...Kentucky...2-14-'11
- The Kentucky Tobacco Quit Line will now offer counseling services to younger Kentuckians to improve services available to youth interested in giving up cigarettes or other tobacco products. The Quit Line is now offering counseling services to Kentucky youth ages 15 to 17 years old. Prior to this change, services were available to people 18 and older. “We’re excited to offer Quit Line services to more Kentuckians and to increase the number of options available for young people who want to quit tobacco use,” said William Hacker, M.D., commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH). “Studies show that people have more success quitting smoking when they have access to resources like counseling and peer support. We hope this change will encourage young people who are interested in quitting to take action and start leading healthier, tobacco-free lives.” Data from the Kentucky Youth Tobacco Survey 2010 shows that almost 25 percent of high school students are cigarette smokers and almost 70 percent of teenage smokers want to quit. Nationwide, approximately 30 percent of high school students and 10 percent of middle school students are cigarette smokers.
- A contamination problem has officials in an Eastern Kentucky community warning people not to drink their water. Letcher county officials say some kind of diesel fuel has gotten into the water supply. The water has been shut off until officials can figure out the source and just how many lines have been affected. Officials say if you are not sure whether your water was affected, it's best to not drink it.
- U.S. Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers (KY-05), Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, introduced a Continuing Resolution (H.R. 1) to fund the federal government for the last seven months of the fiscal year while cutting spending by over $100 billion from the President’s fiscal year 2011 request. This legislation represents the largest single discretionary spending reduction in the history of Congress.
- Pikeville College officials say they have received 250 suggestions for a new name for the university. The school is taking suggestions from the public through its school website. The board of trustees is expected to choose the new name in May.
- Despite weather-related difficulties and a few equipment issues, work on the Warfield Curve Project in Martin County should be finished sometime this week. Part of the Kentucky Highway Safety Improvement Program, the project is located on KY 40 between milepoint 19.1 and 19.3. The rock face at the protruding hillside is being chipped, or shaved, to make passing at the curve safer for all vehicles as well as to give motorists better sight distance. Previous projects have included guardrail installation and tree cutting on KY 292 and rock chipping on KY 40. For the duration of the work, motorists can detour through KY 2032 from KY 40 or use KY 1714 from KY 292 to avoid delays.
- More than a dozen people spent the weekend outside Governor Steve Beshear's office. They met with Beshear on Friday to talk about mountaintop removal and asked him to protect the land, water, and people, not the polluters. They plan to stay in the office until there is an acceptable solution in their eyes, or they are physically removed. The annual I LOVE MOUNTAINS rally will be on Valentine's Day in Frankfort. People from all over Kentucky will be walking from the river to the Capitol steps.
- The acts keep coming to Louisville, filling the seats at the newly built KFC Yum! Center. Kid Rock performed to a nearly sold out crowd on Friday and the big acts continue to perform downtown. "Right now we're the hotbed for the concert market. We've brought the Eagles, sold out. Justin Bieber sold out. Lady Gaga sold out," Dennis Petrullo with AEG Facilities said. It's the success of the ticket sales and the new building that attracts promoters to bring more headliners to the KFC Yum! Center with the help of AEG Facilities, a well-known entertainment company. "For a promoter it's who is willing to pay the guarantees that the acts are asking for. As long as we're selling and we're selling high priced tickets such as the Eagles at $175 and Gaga at $175, the promoters feel comfortable that we can sell tickets in this market," Petrullo said. He said it is also about staying ahead of the game.
- Kentucky educators are split about allowing advertising on school buses. The Bill passed out of the House Education Committee earlier this week. However, there will be certain restrictions, as ads for alcohol or tobacco products would not be allowed on buses. Advocates for the Bill say it will bring revenue to the school system, while others feel the ads will be a distraction, and possibly even dangerous. Among those against the Bill is Hopkins County Deputy Superintendent Linda Zellich, who believes the effectiveness of the safety features on buses may be hindered by advertising, putting not only students but also bus drivers in danger.
- A search has been issued for a driver that left the scene of a crash on an Interstate 24 bridge in western Kentucky on Thursday. Kentucky State Police said 64-year-old Roy Hastings Junior left the site of the wreck before officers arrived. Witnesses told police they saw Hastings get out of his van, which crashed near Eddyville. Hastings did not stay long before he left the scene of the accident. The wreck that Hastings was involved in led to a chain reaction crash involving six semis and other vehicles. Amazingly, no injuries were reported.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 8:59 PM 
