EKB News

• Friday, Dr. Eli Capilouto took over as the 12th president of the University of Kentucky. Dr. Capilouto says he's going to spend his first couple of weeks in office listening to student input before he makes any big changes. Capilouto had served as provost at the University of Alabama, in Birmingham, since 2005.

• U.S. District Judge Amul Thapar has issued a temporary restraining order commanding CAM Mining LLC in Pikeville to stop giving coal miners advance warning about searches for cigarettes and lighters. The order comes a week after the Labor Department sued CAM Mining in federal court under a little-used provision in federal mine safety law that allows regulators to seek an injunction from a federal judge, bringing the mine under the jurisdiction of the judge to ensure the law is followed. Federal inspectors had planned to search CAM Mining's No. 28 mine on June 17th after receiving a tip about smoking underground. Federal officials say, since the federal Mine Safety and Health Act was passed in 1977, there have been four major mine explosions blamed on smoking.

• Governor Steve Beshear is expected to make an announcement next week regarding Medicaid managed-care contracts. The Beshear administration had pledged earlier this year to have the contracts in place by Friday. Beshear says the Cabinet for Health and Family Services is in the final stages of evaluating managed care organizations for potential contracts that are key to filling a $166 million deficit in the Medicaid budget.

• More than 1,300 soldiers from the Kentucky National Guard of the 149th Maneuvering Brigade are training for deployment to Iraq to help decommission hundreds of bases, guard convoys and weapons and handle security at U.S. bases as the military prepares to pull out of Iraq. The mission is the Guard's largest overseas deployment since World War II.

• Greg Harkenrider, deputy executive director of the Governor's Office for Economic Analysis, said Friday that raising the state's cigarette tax from 30 cents to 60 cents a pack in 2009 appears to have caused people to smoke less. Kentucky smokers purchased 120 million fewer packs of cigarettes over the past two years. The American Heart Association's advocacy director in Kentucky, Tonya Chang, says the state, with one of the highest smoking rates in the nation, needs to do more to discourage people from lighting up. Chang said she'd like to see Kentucky's cigarette tax raised to the national average, which now stands at $1.45.

• In 2009, state lawmakers approved Senate Bill 1, which calls for the creation of more demanding state education standards that are aligned from preschool to college. Approximately 23,000 Kentucky children were enrolled in state preschool programs and an additional 17,000 in federal Head Start preschool programs in 2010. Lisa Gross, spokeswoman for the Kentucky Department of Education, says state education officials have their eye on a new federal "Race to the Top" education grant proposal that focuses on making improvements in early learning. Public input on the new grants, called "Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge" will be allowed through July 11th.

• Independence Day usually brings thoughts of parades, backyard barbecues and, of course, fireworks. This year, the Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH) wants the public to focus on safety in addition to celebrating the holiday, particularly when using certain types of fireworks recently legalized in Kentucky.
  House Bill 333, signed by Gov. Steve Beshear in March, expanded legal fireworks in the state from ground devices and novelties to include a full line of consumer fireworks, such as Roman candles and other fireworks that shoot into the air. The law regulates the sale, storage, location and display of the explosives.
  “Fireworks can be a fun way to celebrate and add to the festivity of the holiday, but don’t forget injury prevention,” said DPH Commissioner William Hacker. “This year, the types of fireworks that can be legally sold in Kentucky have expanded and some might be new to consumers. Make sure you know how to properly use these items and are working to avoid injury.”
  The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is asking states to join its nationwide effort to prevent injuries related to fireworks. According to the CPSC, fireworks-related injuries in 2010 were associated with approximately 1,900 people ending up in emergency rooms. CPSC’s annual death and injury report on fireworks incidents indicates that nearly half of these injuries affected children younger than 15 years of age.
  “Although fireworks play a major role in Fourth of July celebration, you have to keep public safety in mind – even with smaller items,” said Kathy Fowler, director of the public health protection and safety division in DPH. “Firecrackers, bottle rockets and sparklers are some of the biggest culprits of injury. Please use caution if you are using these items.”
  In fact, according to the CPSC, a sparkler can get as hot as the flame on some blow torches and can easily ignite clothing.
  No fireworks can be considered safe enough to let young children play with them without direct adult supervision under any circumstances,” Fowler added, emphasizing the following guidelines when using fireworks:
  · Never allow young children to ignite fireworks.
  · Adults should always supervise fireworks activities.
  · Never try to re-light or pick up fireworks that fizzle and don’t go off.
  · Never point or throw fireworks at another person.
  · Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy in case of fire or other mishap.
  · After fireworks fully complete their functioning, douse the spent device with plenty of water from a bucket or hose before discarding to prevent a fire.
  ndence Day usually brings thoughts of parades, backyard barbecues and, of course, fireworks. This year, the Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH) wants the public to focus on safety in addition to celebrating the holiday, particularly when using certain types of fireworks recently legalized in Kentucky. House Bill 333, signed by Gov. Steve Beshear in March, expanded legal fireworks in the state from ground devices and novelties to include a full line of consumer fireworks, such as Roman candles and other fireworks that shoot into the air. The law regulates the sale, storage, location and display of the explosives. “Fireworks can be a fun way to celebrate and add to the festivity of the holiday, but don’t forget injury prevention,” said DPH Commissioner William Hacker. “This year, the types of fireworks that can be legally sold in Kentucky have expanded and some might be new to consumers. Make sure you know how to properly use these items and are working to avoid injury.”  The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is asking states to join its nationwide effort to prevent injuries related to fireworks. According to the CPSC, fireworks-related injuries in 2010 were associated with approximately 1,900 people ending up in emergency rooms. CPSC’s annual death and injury report on fireworks incidents indicates that nearly half of these injuries affected children younger than 15 years of age.  “Although fireworks play a major role in Fourth of July celebration, you have to keep public safety in mind – even with smaller items,” said Kathy Fowler, director of the public health protection and safety division in DPH. “Firecrackers, bottle rockets and sparklers are some of the biggest culprits of injury. Please use caution if you are using these items.”  In fact, according to the CPSC, a sparkler can get as hot as the flame on some blow torches and can easily ignite clothing.  No fireworks can be considered safe enough to let young children play with them without direct adult supervision under any circumstances,” Fowler added, emphasizing the following guidelines when using fireworks:

                              · Never allow young children to ignite fireworks.
                              · Adults should always supervise fireworks activities.
                              · Never try to re-light or pick up fireworks that fizzle and don’t go off.
                              · Never throw fireworks at a person             
                              · Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy in case of fire or other mishap.