Wednesday, February 23, 2011
EKB Capsule News...Kentucky...2-23-'11
White House Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske is visiting the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Louisville for the start of a swing through Kentucky to look at anti-drug initiatives. During his stop Tuesday, Kerlikowske will meet with staff members, doctors and veterans involved in a substance abuse residential treatment program at the VA center. Rep. John Yarmuth's office says the program has treated more than 560 area veterans. Kerlikowske is scheduled to be in Lexington on Wednesday for a round-table discussion. He has stops planned in London and Pikeville on Thursday.
The Supreme Court has passed up a chance to take another look at a six-year-old ruling that struck down the display of the Ten Commandments in two Kentucky courthouses. McCreary and Pulaski counties had appealed recent lower court rulings barring them from posting the commandments, despite changes to the displays to include multiple religious and government documents. The counties were hoping that those differences, as well as critical changes in the composition of the high court, would lead the justices to take up their appeal. But the court declined to do so Tuesday, without comment.
Six students and a bus driver have been taken to the hospital after a dump truck hit a Jefferson County school bus at an interstate interchange. Jefferson County Public Schools spokeswoman Lauren Roberts said the bus was headed to Wheatley Elementary in west Louisville on Tuesday morning when the dump truck struck the bus where Interstate 65 meets I-264. Louisville Metro Police Officer Carey Klain said the students were taken to Kosair Children's Hospital and two adults were taken to Norton Healthcare with "very minor injuries."
Kentucky environmental regulators have issued a violation notice to a water treatment plant after problems surfaced during a diesel spill into the North Fork of the Kentucky River. The Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection gave the notice on Friday to Whitesburg's water treatment plant. Division of Water spokeswoman Allison Fleck told The Lexington Herald-Leader that the notice says actions that could have stopped the fuel from passing through the plant were not taken and that there were problems with the proper operation of the facility. The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet says the source of the Feb. 15 leak was identified as Childers Oil Bulk Facility, where a remote underground pipeline associated with an above-ground storage tank leaked due to equipment malfunction.
Officials say a new economic development partnership in northwest Tennessee and southwest Kentucky is very timely.
The Ken-Tenn Regional Alliance has been formed as the shutdown of the Goodyear plant in Union City late in 2011 has been announced, affecting 1,900 workers. Dr. Allison Davis of the University of Kentucky, a grant writer who put together details of the partnership, described the alliance as a "sustainable community project." The alliance represents Obion, Weakley and Lake counties in Tennessee and Fulton and Hickman counties in Kentucky. All the counties have made funding commitments to the group. According to the Union City Daily Messenger, the goal of the alliance is to attract, keep and grow small businesses in the region.
“Many states have been successful in raising funds for the arts with specialty license plates. This statewide effort by the Kentucky Foundation for the Arts, in partnership with the Kentucky Arts Council, is an excellent way for Kentuckians to support local arts organizations as they do the important work of providing opportunities for people of all ages to become engaged in the arts. This newly designed plate also is a unique way for drivers to publicly display their support for the arts.”
QK4, an engineering firm based in Louisville, has been selected to design safety improvements to Goff Curve at Millard in Pike County.
"This moves us one step closer to increased safety at this site," said John Michael Johnson, ProjectManager
for Highway District 12. "Now we have to finalize a contract with QK4, which should be done by April 1 of this year. Design alternatives should be ready for a public meeting in December."
The Supreme Court has passed up a chance to take another look at a six-year-old ruling that struck down the display of the Ten Commandments in two Kentucky courthouses. McCreary and Pulaski counties had appealed recent lower court rulings barring them from posting the commandments, despite changes to the displays to include multiple religious and government documents. The counties were hoping that those differences, as well as critical changes in the composition of the high court, would lead the justices to take up their appeal. But the court declined to do so Tuesday, without comment.
Six students and a bus driver have been taken to the hospital after a dump truck hit a Jefferson County school bus at an interstate interchange. Jefferson County Public Schools spokeswoman Lauren Roberts said the bus was headed to Wheatley Elementary in west Louisville on Tuesday morning when the dump truck struck the bus where Interstate 65 meets I-264. Louisville Metro Police Officer Carey Klain said the students were taken to Kosair Children's Hospital and two adults were taken to Norton Healthcare with "very minor injuries."
Kentucky environmental regulators have issued a violation notice to a water treatment plant after problems surfaced during a diesel spill into the North Fork of the Kentucky River. The Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection gave the notice on Friday to Whitesburg's water treatment plant. Division of Water spokeswoman Allison Fleck told The Lexington Herald-Leader that the notice says actions that could have stopped the fuel from passing through the plant were not taken and that there were problems with the proper operation of the facility. The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet says the source of the Feb. 15 leak was identified as Childers Oil Bulk Facility, where a remote underground pipeline associated with an above-ground storage tank leaked due to equipment malfunction.
Officials say a new economic development partnership in northwest Tennessee and southwest Kentucky is very timely.
The Ken-Tenn Regional Alliance has been formed as the shutdown of the Goodyear plant in Union City late in 2011 has been announced, affecting 1,900 workers. Dr. Allison Davis of the University of Kentucky, a grant writer who put together details of the partnership, described the alliance as a "sustainable community project." The alliance represents Obion, Weakley and Lake counties in Tennessee and Fulton and Hickman counties in Kentucky. All the counties have made funding commitments to the group. According to the Union City Daily Messenger, the goal of the alliance is to attract, keep and grow small businesses in the region.
“Many states have been successful in raising funds for the arts with specialty license plates. This statewide effort by the Kentucky Foundation for the Arts, in partnership with the Kentucky Arts Council, is an excellent way for Kentuckians to support local arts organizations as they do the important work of providing opportunities for people of all ages to become engaged in the arts. This newly designed plate also is a unique way for drivers to publicly display their support for the arts.”
QK4, an engineering firm based in Louisville, has been selected to design safety improvements to Goff Curve at Millard in Pike County.
"This moves us one step closer to increased safety at this site," said John Michael Johnson, Project
# posted by Homer Owens @ 12:44 AM 
