Tuesday, February 01, 2011
EKB Capsule News...Kentucky...2-2-'11
- Governor Steve Beshear used his annual State of the Commonwealth speech Tuesday night to encourage Kentuckians who have been struggling financially after being hit hard by an economic recession born of greed on Wall Street and by reckless spending in Washington. Declaring that things are looking up, Beshear said, "The light that you see at the end of the tunnel is real, and we are moving closer to it." Beshear said difficult times are not over, and many Kentuckians still need jobs, but efforts are gaining momentum. Beshear received a standing ovation when he declared he would fight for Kentucky's coal industry, which employs some 18,000 miners and provides the state with some of the lowest electricity rates in the nation, making the state attractive to manufacturers. "But all that is in jeopardy because Washington bureaucrats continue to try to impose arbitrary and unreasonable regulations on the mining of coal," he said. "To them I say: 'Get off our backs!" Beshear also urged passage of legislation that would gradually raise the legal age for dropping out of school to 18 from 16 and called for lawmakers to approve his plan for balancing the state's Medicaid budget by shifting $166.5 million that would have been used next fiscal year to cover this year's costs. Beshear also called for more cooperation between Democrats and Republicans, while saying, too often in Frankfort, leaders worry about winning and losing in the political arena inside the Capitol building, but outside the building, people are sick and tired of partisan rhetoric and political posturing.
- Prestonsburg police arrested Aaron Smith of Georgia, a student at the Carl D. Perkins Job Corps Center, and charged him with trafficking marijuana within one thousand yards of a school after Job Corps instructors caught him with marijuana packaged to sell and more than one thousand dollars in cash.
- Barbourville Police arrested Matthew Cornett and Frank Chuck Norris after they allegedly burglarized several homes behind Union College, stealing several items. Police believe Cornett and Norris could be tied to multiple burglaries in Laurel and Knox Counties.
- There are about 500 Knox County students that attend Corbin schools, and for every child, the district gets money. Beginning next fall, parents that have children in the Knox County and Corbin school districts might have to pay tuition so their children can go to the school of their choice.
- In December, a grand jury indicted Bass Webb on a first-degree rape charge involving his ex-girlfriend Bryia Runiewicz, whose body was found in her home in July 2009. Webb had earlier been indicted on a murder charge in Ruiniewicz's death. A Harrison Circuit judge ruled Tuesday to combine the charges, making Webb eligible for the death penalty. Webb is also accused of killing and burying his ex-girlfriend, Sabrina Vaughn, whose body was discovered in a shallow grave in Powell County in 2010 and trying to run down two Bourbon County deputies.
- U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth has donated his congressional salary to help support several Louisville charities. A statement from Yarmuth says he donated varying amounts to 27 nonprofit organizations including the Center for Women and Families, Easter Seals of Louisville, the Jewish Community Center and Metro United Way. Yarmuth says at a time when several charities are facing funding cuts, he is "proud" to offer support to agencies that "play such a key role in strengthening our community." It is the fourth year he has donated his salary to local organizations, according to the statement. He did not specify how much was donated, but the website Legistorm lists it as $174,000.
- Kentucky State Police say no foul play is evident in the house fire death of a Perry County woman. The KSP says firefighters found the body of Kathy Osborne in her home on Monday in the Slemp community. An autopsy is being conducted. Jefferson Community and Technical College has found more land to expand its campus in Carroll County in northern Kentucky. Now the school needs funding to build on the property.
- The Courier-Journal of Louisville reports that the school has received the use of 30 acres that had been a part of General Butler State Resort Park at Carrollton. Enrollment at the college's Carrollton campus has more than tripled in the past five years to 862 as of this fall. JCTC spokeswoman Lisa Brosky says the college will seek legislative funding for $14 million for a 40,000 square-foot building. JCTC enrolls more than 15,000 students in its system, which includes three campuses in Jefferson County and one each in Carroll, Bullitt and Shelby counties.
- Kentucky's largest religious body, the Kentucky Baptist Convention, is cutting five full-time and 19 part-time positions as it shifts funding away from statewide ministries. The Louisville-based group also announced Monday that it was freezing salaries for those staying on the job. The cuts will take effect in September.The shifts follow state and national studies that showed members wanted a greater allocation of funds for missionary work outside traditional Southern Baptist strongholds in the Bible Belt. Bill Mackey, executive director of the convention, said the job cuts and salary freeze will save about $486,000. The convention will retain 90 full and part-time positions
- A defense attorney whose client is accused of stealing money from a youth sports program wants a western Kentucky court to pay for an accountant to review financial records. The lawyer for Michelle Taylor made the request Monday to Graves County Circuit Court, reports The Paducah Sun. Taylor is charged with three counts of felony theft after the Mayfield-Graves County Baseball/Softball Association found $10,000 missing. The money was unaccounted for during the time Taylor served as the nonprofit group's treasurer.
- Kentucky has received $1 million in federal funding to help protect streams in coalfield regions.State Department of Natural Resources officials say the funding will be used to develop and construct projects to reduce acid mine drainage into the waterways.The funding is coming from the U.S. Department of Interior's Office of Surface Mining. Natural Resources Commissioner Carl Campbell said Jan. 31 that acid runoff from abandoned mines has polluted streams for years. He says the federal funding will help continue stream cleanup efforts in the region.
- Officials at an eastern Kentucky animal shelter have canceled a planned euthanization of several dogs to allow for renovation. Rockcastle County Animal Shelter director David Carpenter says community response has been overwhelming since reports that several dogs would have to be destroyed circulated. Needed work to repair the shelter scheduled to begin Wednesday (today). Carpenter says the renovations have to be done because the kennels cages are rusty and weak, and the dogs have started getting out. He says it's a safety issue.
- One of the youngest people to face a murder trial in adult court in Kentucky has pleaded guilty to lesser charges. A Covington police detective said Emily Ball was 14 when she lured a teenage boy into a fatal ambush at her home in February 2009. Ball entered pleas Tuesday to first-degree conspiracy to commit assault, first-degree unlawful imprisonment, and tampering with physical evidence. Prosecutors recommend a 15-year sentence. Seventeen-year-old Travis White was beaten and stabbed to death. Two adults with whom Ball was living were charged with the killing. When District Judge Douglas Grothaus transferred Ball's case to adult court in 2009, he described White's killing as particularly disturbing.
- U.S. Sen. Rand Paul's proposals to slash $500 billion from the federal budget in a single year have received mixed reviews from Kentucky newspapers. The Courier-Journal of Louisville and the Lexington Herald-Leader panned the Kentucky Republican's proposals while The Paducah Sun and the Daily News of Bowling Green voiced support. The Courier-Journal said Friday that Paul is demonstrating the consequences of sending a guy with a meat ax to Washington. The Herald-Leader called Paul's proposal more parlor game than serious proposal. The Paducah Sun praised Paul for forcing a conversation in the nation about on the need to cut federal spending. And the Daily News said Paul should be commended for following through on a campaign promise to try to rein in federal spending.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 10:44 PM 
