Friday, April 22, 2011
EKB Capsule News...Kentucky...4-22-'11
- Kentucky State Police Post #13 in Hazard reported a single vehicle collision on Hwy. 205 in the Vancleve community of Breathitt County. Preliminary investigation indicates Scottie J. Jackson, age 34 of Vancleve, lost control of his vehicle, ran off the roadway striking a rock embankment and a utility pole. The victim was pronounced deceased by the Breathitt County Coroner. Safety belts were in use at the time of the collision and the investigation is continuing by Trooper Glen Combs.
- The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration announced Thursday that federal inspectors issued 134 citations, orders and safeguards during special impact inspections conducted at eight coal mines and eight metal/nonmetal mines last month. On March 4th, an inspection party arrived during the evening shift after production had begun at ICG Knott County LLC's Classic Mine in Knott County, Ky. Inspectors captured and monitored the phones to prevent advance notice of their arrival. Classic Mine was issued four unwarrantable failure orders for accumulations of float coal dust, coal dust and loose coal along four conveyor belts in the mine. The operator had been cited 51 times in the last two years.
- James Bargo was arrested Thursday morning in Knoxville, Tennessee after Kentucky State Police say he shot Harold Croley and Charity Carter Tuesday as they sat in a vehicle in a wooded area in the Woodbine community of Knox County. Police said Croley was shot in the head while Carter was shot in the stomach and hand. Both were flown to UK Hospital. Tennessee officials say someone called 911 Thursday morning, reporting the man he'd seen on the news wanted for a double shooting in Kentucky was inside a McDonald's. When Knoxville Police asked Bargo for identification they say he provided a fake ID. Another ID was found on him that indicated he was James Bargo. Police also reported finding several types of pills in a bag belonging to Bargo. Bargo is now in jail in Tennessee facing drug charges along with charges of criminal impersonation. He's also charged with assault and drug trafficking in Kentucky.
- Thursday, the Kentucky Court of Appeals reversed an earlier decision and declared Mike Taylor the official Elkhorn City Mayor. A Pike County Circuit Court decision had voided the results in the November race in which Mike Taylor won following complaints that poll workers improperly gave ballots to non-Elkhorn City residents. The city council selected Councilman Johnny Mack Potter to serve as interim mayor.
- Appalachian Regional Healthcare, Inc. and Frontier Nursing Service, Inc. have announced they have entered into a letter of intent for ARH to acquire Mary Breckinridge Hospital and all related healthcare services. ARH and Frontier hope to finalize the transaction within the next 60 to 90 days. The sale will ensure that Hyden and Leslie County will continue to have local access to quality healthcare.
- A Perry County grand jury has indicted 42 year old Deisha White of Dice for allegedly stabbing a woman and burglarizing a home. The indictment says White stabbed Anna Lee Stacy in February. She faces up to ten years in prison on each charge. Her bail is set at one hundred thousand dollars.
- City of Pikeville Regular Commission Meeting will take place Monday, April 25, at City Hall in Pikeville.
- The Kentucky Supreme Court has ruled that inmates who mail legal documents through a prison postal system have met their court-mandated deadlines, even if the filing doesn't reach the courthouse in time. Justice Will T. Scott found that as long as the inmate put proper postage on the filing and dropped it into a prison's mail system before the deadline, the document is considered filed. The decision, a first for Kentucky, overturns a Court of Appeals ruling. Kentucky changed its rules for inmate filings on January 1st, saying a legal document is considered filed if it has proper postage and is marked as deposited in an institution's internal mail system on or before the deadline set by the court.
- The Kentucky Supreme Court has fined Della Tarpinian of Owensboro $5,000 for contempt of court, saying she continued to improperly practice law without a license after being warned to stop. Chief Justice John Minton, ruled that Tarpinian, who wrote legal filings while running her business, Legal Docs, LLC., had been warned by the Kentucky Bar Association in 2003 about the improper practice of law. The high court found that, despite her denials, Tarpinian continued to offer legal advice and practice law without a license. She has 30 days to pay the fine to the state.
- The U.S. Army has announced that some 500 jobs will be cut at Fort Knox in a cost-saving move that will streamline human resources and training responsibilities. Army spokesman Brian Lepley said Thursday they will be told in 60 days how this inactivation will occur. The trimming, a result of the Department of Defense and Army efficiency reviews, will shave $50 million off the Army’s expense budget. Headquartered in Fort Knox, the U.S. Army Accessions Command will be phased out by the end of the 2012 fiscal year. But the base, which employs approximately 18,600 military and civilian personnel and 2,800 contractors, will continue serving as the national headquarters for human resources and training. By mid-July, there will be a transfer of 81 additional employees to Fort Knox from Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia, which is shutting down. The changes will eliminate 195 military and civilian jobs and 290 contracted jobs in Fort Knox. The accessions support brigade, which employees 326 people, will remain in Fort Knox and be consolidated under the Army Marketing and Research Group.
- Norton Healthcare, one of Kentucky’s largest health-care systems, has settled allegations of Medicare overbilling by paying $782,842 to the federal government. Prosecutors say, from January 2005 to February 2010, the Louisville-area health-care provider submitted charges for services that were never performed. The settlement was about twice the overbilled amount. Stephanie Collins, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Louisville, says prosecutors could have sought up to three times the overbillings. Norton said the settlement was not an admission to the government’s claims.
- Kentucky State Parks is offering children ages 12 and under free admission to park museums and historic sites. A child receives free admission with the purchase of an adult ticket through October 31st. Coupons for the free entrance are available at www.parks.ky.gov. State park museums and historic sites cover a range of topics, including Native Americans, pioneers, historic homes, natural history and the Civil War.
- Members of a Christian Church in Louisville say a vote to stop signing the state marriage licenses of couples wed in their church is a show of support for gay couples who can't enjoy the same legal benefits. Leaders say the vote by more than 60 members at the Douglass Boulevard Christian Church on Sunday was unanimous. The Rev. Derek Penwell, the church's senior pastor, says members had been discussing the gesture for more than a year. Penwell says they believe it is unfair that ministers can bestow legal rights on a straight married couple but not on same-sex couples. Those benefits include tax savings for couples who file jointly. Church congregations in Ohio, New York, Virginia and Oregon have voted in support of similar actions.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 12:19 AM 
