Thursday, March 31, 2011
EKB Capsule News...Kentucky...4-1-'11
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board arrived Thursday morning at the scene where a twin-engine Cessna 310 plane crashed Wednesday near the Pike County Regional Airport. FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said the plane took off from Dayton, Ohio’s Wright Brothers Airport and was destined for Pikeville. Bergen said the small plane was registered to Miller Aviation of Portland, Indiana. The State Medical Examiner's Office has positively identified the victims as, the pilot was 50 year old David Brent Miller from Portland, Indiana and the passenger was David Carlton Cowherd from Centerville, Ohio. Cowherd was the chief engineer at CBC Engineering and was frequently in Hazard on business. The NTSB and FAA are still investigating.
- Cristy Honaker, former employee of the Pike County Extension Office, was recently named an “Ambassador to Pike County” by Judge-Executive and member of the extension office board Wayne T. Rutherford. Honaker is leaving the extension office to pursue her teaching career at Letcher County Central High School where she will teach family and consumer science.
- Porter Morgan and Arthur Johnson, two men accused by Clayton Jackson of committing the 2004 murders of Chris and Amanda Sturgill and their three sons, testified in the murder trial for Jackson. Officials say Jackson wrote a letter to police detectives from prison saying Morgan and Johnson were the men who were at the scene the night of the murders, but Johnson denied knowing Morgan.
Former University of Kentucky basketball star Ed Davender has been sentenced to 12 months for taking money for basketball tickets he didn't produce. Davender pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft by deception in Fayette County Circuit Court in January. The sentence is to run concurrently with an eight-year prison sentence Davender began serving in September for a similar scam in which victims lost tens of thousands of dollars. Davender played for Kentucky from 1984 through 1988, scoring 1,637 career points, making him 11th on the school's all-time men's scoring list. He is fourth in career steals with 191.
- The case of former UK basketball player 26 year old Rekalin Sims has been sent to a grand jury. Sims, who spent just one year at UK under coach Tubby Smith, was arrested March 4th and charged with trafficking drugs within a thousand yards of a school. Lexington Police say Sims had marijuana shipped to him from California via Fedex to the "Fedex Express" shipping center on Mercer Road. Someone else picked up the package and led police to Sims. Sims, a 6'8" junior college transfer from California played in 29 games for UK before being granted a release from the team. Sims left for Fresno State, but was kicked off that team after being charged in connection with the beating and robbery of a disabled man. That charge was later dismissed. Sims is being held in the Fayette County Detention Center on a $25,000 full cash bond.
- Kennithea Beatrice Clark, 39, of London is charged with four felony counts of theft of mail matter. Clark was charged after a mail carrier and other witnesses told police they observed her stealing mail from rural mail boxes, and stolen mail was later recovered from Clark's mobile home.
- A Knox County Sheriff's Deputy was taking 20 year old Tiffany Elliott and 26 year old Jason Sutton, both of Corbin, to the Knox County Detention Center when they attempted to escape. Both now face second degree escape along with other charges. Elliott's boyfriend, 23 year old Justin Dodd of Rockholds was arrested for allegedly assisting Elliott during her escape.
- Kentucky has reached a $10.2 million settlement with pharmaceutical manufacturers Alpharma USPD Inc. and Purepac Pharmaceutical Co. in a case brought by the office of Attorney General Jack Conway. The case involved allegations that the companies claimed inflated average wholesale prices for their drugs. The Kentucky Medicaid program relies on average wholesale prices to calculate reimbursement rates. As a result, the attorney general's office claimed the Kentucky Medicaid program paid substantially more for Alpharma and Purepac drugs. Conway's office has recovered more than $175 million over the past three years for the Medicaid program in verdicts and settlements involving pharmaceutical companies.
- Jefferson Circuit Judge Judith McDonald-Burkman in Louisville handed down the maximum sentence for Nereida Allen and her ex-boyfriend, Joshua Peacher, who were convicted in the August 2008 beating death of Allen's 2 year old nephew, Christopher Allen. Allen and Peacher were found guilty of wanton murder and other charges during a trial in February. Burkman sentenced Allen to 47 years and Peacher to 70 years in prison. Prosecutors say Christopher Allen was beaten over two days, with the majority of his injuries inflicted by Peacher. Defense attorneys indicated to the judge that they will appeal the case to the state Supreme Court.
Last year, Kentucky received $11.6 billion in federal grants. State Auditor Crit Luallen released a review Thursday which found some state agencies didn't properly monitor how more than $100,000 in federal grants were spent. In one instance, auditors found $7,691 in questionable expenses paid for with federal chemical stockpile emergency funds administered by the Kentucky Department of Military Affairs. Auditors recommended inspectors from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture should more closely monitor food banks and food pantries that receive federal money. Inspectors were required to visit 20 of the sites, but the review found they made it to only eight. Kentucky is required to perform an annual audit of federal grants it receives.
- Mine Safety and Health Administration director Joe Main is renewing his call for tougher legislation to protect miners. Main told the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee his agency has made progress in fixing flaws in the enforcement system that came to light after the April 2010 disaster at the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia, but he says legislation circulating on the Hill would make it easier to shut down problem mines, impose tougher criminal penalties and protect whistleblowers. Efforts to pass sweeping mine safety legislation failed in the House last year. Committee chairman, Senator Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said the Senate is ready to focus on a mine safety bill.
- Kentucky State Park Resort Parks will be offering the annual Easter Buffet meals on April 24th. The dinners will be served from noon until 8:00 P.M. at all 17 resort parks. The menu includes beef carved on the line, baked country ham, golden fried catfish and hushpuppies. The meal will also include fresh fruit, a cheese bar, garden vegetables, salad and desserts. The price for adults is $17.95 and children (12 and under) are $7.95 (includes beverage), not including tax. For more information about resort parks and their locations, visit www.parks.ky.
State Route 404 in Floyd County will be closed on Wednesday, April 6th, from 8:30 A.M. until 2:30 P.M. Highway District 12 maintenance specialists will replace a pipe that runs underneath the pavement at mile point 2.15. The site is just before Triple S county road. This work is scheduled so that it will be finished before this section of road is to be resurfaced in the next couple of weeks.
- Big Sandy Community and Technical College (BSCTC) welding student, Tabatha Vanderpool recently earned her Kentucky State Welding Certification. The Welding Certification is based on the principals and guidelines observed by the American Welding Society (AWS). Known to friends and family as Tabby, Vanderpool is the first female student in BSCTC Assistant Professor John McKenzie's class to claim this distinguished honor. Vanderpool is a student on the BSCTC Mayo Campus and will graduate with honors in May 2011.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 9:36 PM 
