Thursday, March 24, 2011
EKB Capsule News...Kentucky...3-25-'11
Unseeded Pikeville College made history Tuesday night when a 83-76 overtime victory gave the Bears their first NAIA national title, and they became the first unseeded team in championship history to defeat five seeded teams. In the Mid-South Conference, Pikeville finished tied for third place, but the Bears were relentless in the tournament against a string of favored teams – including third seeded Mountain State. Pikeville beat top-seeded Robert Morris, defending national champion Oklahoma Baptist and defending national runner-up Azusa Pacific to reach the semi-finals. They then overcame a 15-point deficit against Martin Methodist to reach their overtime win. A crowd lined the streets of Pikeville and filled the Pikeville College gym Thursday afternoon to honor the team and coach that brought the national trophy from Kansas City to Pikeville.
- Karen Davis, commonwealth's attorney for Metcalfe and Barren counties, says she and Metcalfe County Attorney Sharon Bowles Howard will recommend that a 15 year old boy charged with killing Gary and Barbara Holloway of Metcalfe County be tried as an adult. Under state law, there are several criteria under which a juvenile can be certified as a "youthful offender" to be tried in adult court. One is that the juvenile is over 14 and used a gun in a crime; another is that the juvenile was over 14 and allegedly committed a Class A felony. Davis says it appears as though the teen charged in the double murder falls within the youthful offender category on both points.
- A Leslie County murder trial that was moved to Clay County has begun for Clayton Jackson, a man charged with the February 6, 2004 murder of Chris and Amanda Sturgill and their three children, Michael, 4, Robert, 3, and Jordan, 18 months. The jury was shown photographs of their burned-out mobile home and bodies burned almost completely to ashes, Chris Sturgill with an arrow through his chest next to a bloody mattress and the children who died of smoke inhalation. Commonwealth's Attorney Gary Gregory hinted that Jackson had or wanted to have an affair with Amanda Sturgill. Kentucky State Police Detective John Griffith, who in 2004 was investigating his first homicide, testified Thursday that Jackson's then-girlfriend, Shirley Mae Barrett approached him at the scene of the fire and asked how many bodies had been found. Public defender Barbara Carnes says there's no DNA, no fingerprints, no bad blood, fight nor argument that points to Clayton Jackson as the killer.
Jason Singleton was in court Thursday morning on 12 charges, including kidnapping, burglary, and criminal mischief, from a hostage situation in Pulaski County. Singleton was arrested in January after a standoff with police at the Super Service trucking company where he held several people hostage at gunpoint. Singleton has pleaded not guilty, and a trial date is set for July 12th.
- Britt Brockman, a University of Kentucky Board of Trustees official, said Thursday he's confident the school's presidential search committee can narrow the field to three to five finalists at its next meeting April 11th. The finalists will be reviewed by the school's trustees, who hope to hire a new president in May. The committee conducted a series of initial interviews with prospects this week. Brockman didn't say how many candidates were interviewed or how many made the cut for further review. UK is looking for a successor to President Lee T. Todd Jr., who is retiring in June.
The Appropriations and Revenue Committee voted 13-5 Thursday, largely along party lines, for a bill that proposes cuts to most government services to free up money for Medicaid. A handful of government programs wouldn't be cut. That includes education, if Governor Steve Beshear's administration can achieve enough savings to make that unnecessary. The Republican-controlled Senate voted 22-15 along party lines to approve the bill. Democratic House Speaker Greg Stumbo, who rejected the proposal outright, says, "It's unacceptable. We're back at square one. The Senate just had us up here in special session, costing the taxpayers money." Lawmakers have been meeting in special legislative session since March 14th at a cost of about $64,000 a day. Stumbo said, "We're going to stay here and try to resolve something, but I can guarantee you this, it will not end up causing education to be cut."
- A Pulaski County grand jury has declined to indict Deputy Danny Pevley, ruling he was justified in shooting a man who pointed a gun at him during a domestic dispute in February. Pevley was to a call reporting that James M. Lane, 38, had a pistol and was trying to force his way into a bedroom at his mobile home in the Jabez community of Wayne County, where his wife and three others had locked themselves in to take refuge from him. Pevley and Sgt. Jon Williams went to Lane's house, and Pevley went inside the house as soon as he arrived. Pevley saw Lane at the bedroom door with a .25-caliber pistol and ordered him to drop it. Instead, Lane pointed the gun at the deputy and began moving toward him rapidly. Pevley fired four shots, hitting Lane once in the chest. Lane died at the scene.
- A federal grand jury has charged 39 year old Ricky Lewis Kelly of Louisville on a count of murder in what prosecutors describe as a potential death penalty case. Kelly was charged under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act. Prosecutors say Lewis, helped by others, killed a woman on August 19, 2005 in exchange for payment or to promote the position of another person in a gang. Kelly pleaded not guilty in state court to the murder charges. A court date had not been set in federal court as of Thursday morning. Jefferson County Commonwealth's Attorney David Stengel said he would drop eight murder charges in state court, but has the right to refile the charges later.
The Kentucky Supreme Court voted 5-2 Thursday to uphold Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd's order temporarily halting all executions in the state while an appeal by condemned inmate 54 year old Gregory L. Wilson is pending. Shepherd issued the order in September as the state prepared to execute Wilson for the 1987 kidnapping, rape and murder of 36 year old Debbie Pooley in northern Kentucky. Shepherd told attorneys on Monday he's considering a final opinion in the case.
- An effort to raise awareness about the dangers posed by prescription and over-the-counter medications kept in the home will conclude with a free “Clean Your Medicine Cabinet Out Day” program on Thursday, March 31st. Citizens are urged to bring all unused, unwanted or out-of-date medicines to the Paintsville Recreation Center on Preston Street between 11:00 A.M. and 2:00 P.M. There is no cost. All pills will be fed to UNITE’s “Pill Dragon,” a mobile incinerator sponsored by UNITE, Eastern Kentucky PRIDE and the Kentucky Army National Guard.
- The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has awarded an additional highway improvement contract as part of its February 2011 letting. The $64,830 contract is for the installation of thermoplastic pavement markings along the KY 15 corridor in Breathitt, Perry, Powell and Wolfe counties in District 10. These include crosswalks, turn lane arrows, stop bars and other pavement markings designed to improve traffic flow and safety. A&A Safety, Inc. was the successful bidder, and the work is to be completed by November 30th.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 10:36 PM 
