Sunday, May 15, 2011
EKB Capsule News...Kentucky...5-16-'11
- With a comfortable lead in the polls, front-runner David Williams plans to hopscotch the state by plane Monday on the last full day of campaigning before Tuesday's election, stopping in Bowling Green, Hazard, Lexington, Louisville, Owensboro and Paducah. Louisville businessman Phil Moffett plans to drive to Paducah for a tea party rally, while Jefferson County Clerk Bobbie Holsclaw is expected to concentrate her last full day in her political base of Louisville. Holsclaw spent Sunday going door-to-door canvassing for votes in the city and hoping to pull an upset. Williams' only public appearance Sunday was at a University of Kentucky building dedication where he shared a stage with Democratic Governor Steve Beshear. The two greeted each other with a tentative handshake. Moffett attended Clays Mill Road Baptist Church in Lexington for morning worship where Pastor Jeff Fugate introduced him to some 700 people. Williams said Sunday he was taking nothing for granted in his race against Moffett, a tea party candidate, and Holsclaw, a proven vote-getter in Louisville, home to about a fourth of the state's residents.
- In April, it took a Pike County jury only 25 minutes of deliberation to convict Bill David West, 38, of Knob Fork, Zebulon, on a two-count charge of first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance. The verdict came in the second day of his trial. The jury recommended he serve 13 years in prison after they convicted him of selling seven Oxycodone pills. West, represented by Attorney Steve Owens, was sentenced to two 6 and one-half year sentences on Thursday by Senior Circuit Judge Marc Rosen, who was filling in for Pike Circuit Judge Eddy Coleman.
- Last week's flooding will mean longer school days for Floyd County students. School Superintendent Henry Webb has announced school days will be extended by 30 minutes, starting on Monday, May 16th, and the extended time will remain in place until the final day of classes on May 27th. Severe flooding led to the cancellation of classes in Floyd County on Wednesday, and classes were also canceled for McDowell Elementary on Thursday, but students were back at the school on Friday.
- Consumers are paying near-record prices at the gas pump. The Republican-led House passed three bills in the last 10 days that would significantly expand and accelerate oil development in the United States, saying the Obama administration was driving up gas prices and preventing job creation with anti-drilling policies. President Barack Obama announced Saturday he was taking several steps to speed oil and gas drilling on public lands and waters. Obama said the administration would begin to hold annual auctions for oil and gas leases in the Alaska National Petroleum Reserve, a 23-million-acre tract on the North Slope of Alaska. It will also accelerate a review of the environmental impact of possible drilling off the southern and central Atlantic coast and will consider making some areas available for exploration. The president also said he would extend leases already granted for drilling in the Arctic Ocean off Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico that had been frozen after last year's BP spill. Tens of millions of acres onshore and offshore are under lease but have not been developed.
- Pikeville College will honor the academic achievements of 160 undergraduate degree candidates and 65 new physicians from the Pikeville College School of Osteopathic Medicine (PCSOM) on Saturday, May 21st. The medical school commencement begins at 9:30 A.M. at the Eastern Kentucky Exposition Center in Pikeville. The undergraduate commencement will be held at 2:00 P.M., also at the Expo Center. Four distinguished individuals will be recognized for their significant contributions in education, medicine and public service. On Thursday, May 19th, graduating students in the college’s Elizabeth Akers Elliott Nursing Program will be honored during a pinning ceremony at 7:00 P.M. in Booth Auditorium.
- Now that the site prep work is complete, construction on EQT’s regional headquarters at Scott Fork has begun. “People need jobs, and we are ‘America’s Energy Capital,’” Pike County Judge-Executive Wayne T. Rutherford said. “Our signature industries are coal and natural gas, which we depend on to keep our county going and with the opening of EQT’s regional headquarters we will be on the forefront of leading the country in both the coal and natural gas industries. Pike County produces more natural gas – 53 percent – than all other counties in Kentucky combined.” Construction is well under way at Scott Fork on U.S. 119 and EQT will be the first corporation to establish an office in the future energy park. Rutherford feels EQT’s locating in Pike County will attract other independent firms with whom they contract to locate at the energy park in the near future.
“We want to make sure that people are informed about the upcoming election and their rights as voters,” stated Secretary Walker ;“We hope more people participate in the upcoming election than we expect; and are trying to raise awareness about the ;primary election in every way possible. This election is critically important and I encourage everyone to get out and vote.” Below is a list of important “Dos and Don’ts.” ;For more information, visit www.vote.ky.gov. Kentucky Election Day Dos and Don’ts Do; Verify your voter registration status before you head to the polls. ;Visit the Voter Information Center at www.vote.ky.gov/vic Don’t; Get discouraged by long lines or long ballots. You can be prepared by previewing your ballot online at Vote.Ky.Gov. ;Remember, as long as you are in line by 6 PM, local time, on May 17th you will be able to cast your ballot. Do; Know where to go to vote. The Vote.Ky.Gov website has the Voter Information Center that allows voters to both find the address of their polling place and to obtain driving directions from their residence. Don’t; Campaign or solicit votes within 300 feet of a polling place. Electioneering in the immediate area around polling places is illegal in Kentucky.;However, you will not be turned away from the polls for simply wearing a campaign button, shirt, hat, etc. Do; Know the most convenient times to vote are during low traffic periods: not during the morning rush hour, lunch, or the evening rush hour. ;Remember, polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ;However, if you are in line by the close of polls at 6:00 p.m. local time, you will be allowed to vote. Don’t; Wait until the last minute to head to the polls. You may encounter traffic or another unexpected delay. ;If you are not in line by 6:00 p.m. local time, you will not be allowed to vote. Do; Bring identification to the polls on Election Day. Types of acceptable voter ID include: personal acquaintance of precinct officer, driver’s license, social security card, credit card, or another form of ID containing both picture and signature. Don’t; Use prohibited items at the polls such as video cameras, cell phones, or any other device that can record the identity of voters. If you bring a cell phone to the polls, you are encouraged to place it on silent or vibrate. Do Ask a poll worker for instructions on how to use the voting machine or ask other procedural questions of the precinct election officials if you are confused about the voting process. Don’t; Get caught up in election rumors. To get the facts, visit: www.vote.ky.gov/rumorcontrol. Do; Let officials know immediately if you encounter any problems at the polls;Start with your precinct election officers and county clerk, or call the State Board of Elections at (502) 573-7100. Don’t: ;Forget to remind your friends and family to vote. ;All elections are important as it is one way that you can make your voice heard. Do: ;Thank your poll workers. Without the nearly 15,000 Kentuckians that have volunteered to be poll workers across our state, this election would not be possible. They work long days on the front lines of our elections and deserve our appreciation.;Contact your county clerk if you are interested in helping in the future. Don’t Forget that you can obtain all of the election results in near real time by visiting www.elect.ky.gov after the polls have closed |
# posted by Homer Owens @ 9:20 PM 
