Saturday, July 02, 2011
EKB Capsule News...Kentucky...7-3-'11
- An accident involving several vehicles in the Shelbiana community of Pike County late Friday evening resulted in the death of Shawn Thacker of Shelbiana. Kentucky State Police say the accident involving a car, motorcycle and pick-up truck shut down the southbound lanes of U.S. 23, both of which reopened shortly after midnight Saturday. Police believe the motorcycle was traveling south on US 23 and was struck by a pickup truck, which was turning northbound on US 23 onto the US 460 connector, causing the motorcycle to lose control and strike a passenger car entering US 23 from 460. Shawn Thacker, the driver of the motorcycle, was taken to Pikeville Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead. A woman also riding the motorcycle was taken to Pikeville Medical Center and later airlifted to Cabell Huntington Hospital, where she is in critical condition. The accident is still under investigation.
- The Kentucky Cybercrimes Unit marked its third anniversary Friday. The unit, which operates out of Attorney General Jack Conway's office, has launched more than 230 child pornography investigations since its inception, resulting in 39 arrests. The unit is now a member of the U.S. Department of Justice Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and has helped train police and prosecutors across the commonwealth to handle and process digital evidence.
- You don’t have to own a horse to get to ride one at six Kentucky State Parks. The six parks across the state offer guided trail rides during the summer months and into the fall period. Guests can enjoy a 45-minute ride while viewing forests, wildlife and lakes. The rides are a great family activity – especially for those who don’t have regular access to horseback riding. The cost for the ride is $18. Most parks offer rides seven days a week during the summer. The six parks that offer rides are:
Barren River ,Carter Caves ,Cumberland Falls ,Kentucky Dam Village,Lake Barkley andLake Cumberland Taylorsville Lake , Dale Hollow,Pennyrile Forest andCarter Caves
Congressman Hal Rogers presented Pike County's Get Five for PRIDE certificate to Kent Stacy, Sandy Looney, Marie Childers, Betty Brown and Jimmy Dale Sanders. Rogers joined PRIDE on June 28 to announce that Pike County met the "Get Five for PRIDE" challenge during PRIDE Spring Cleanup Month, the anti-litter campaign held in southern and eastern Kentucky in April. "Last year, I couldn't believe more than 30,000 people would volunteer to pick up trash across the region, but PRIDE volunteers had another record-breaking year for 2011," said Congressman Rogers. "The old tires and used appliances tossed over the hillsides are finally becoming a thing of the past. PRIDE volunteers have worked hard to educate our community members about the value of putting trash in its proper place and the importance of recycling. All the hard work is paying off and we invite more people to join PRIDE again this fall." The Get Five for PRIDE challenge set the goal of a five-percent increase in the number of volunteers who served during the 2010 Spring Cleanup. Pike County met the challenge by recruiting 991 volunteers in April 2011. The annual Spring Cleanup is hosted by Eastern Kentucky PRIDE, a nonprofit organization that encourages environmental cleanup and education in a 38-county region. Local governments organized the cleanup activities, and PRIDE provided supplies, volunteer T-shirts and funding assistance.
- WHAT: July 4th Holiday Traffic Enforcement Period
WHEN: Friday, July 1 (6:00 p.m.) through Monday, July 4th (11:59
p.m.)
WHERE: Statewide
WHY: To reduce highway fatalities by targeting impaired drivers
with zero tolerance patrol.
WHAT: July 4th Holiday Traffic Enforcement Period
WHEN: Friday, July 1 (6:00 p.m.) through Monday, July 4th (11:59
p.m.)
WHERE: Statewide
WHY: To reduce highway fatalities by targeting impaired drivers
with zero tolerance patrol.
*2010 July 4th Holiday Stats: During the official
holiday period, there were 1,237 crashes resulting in 7 fatalities. Of
that number, 66 crashes were alcohol related resulting in 52 injuries
and 1 fatality. (July 2, 2010 @ 6:00 pm - July 5 @ 11:59 pm).
- Kentucky Speedway, Kentucky State Police, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet have collaborated on a comprehensive traffic and parking plan to accommodate more than 100,000 race fans who will converge at the Speedway July 7-9 for a NASCAR tripleheader weekend that will feature the inaugural “Quaker State 400.” “We want to make sure our guests have a safe trip to and from the Kentucky Speedway for the first of many Sprint Cup races,” said Kentucky Transportation Secretary Mike Hancock. “The Kentucky Speedway has worked with our cabinet and other local and state government agencies to accommodate the thousands of race fans who will be attending.” Kentucky Speedway General Manager Mark Simendinger said a plan was carefully crafted to ensure maximum ease and efficiency for race fans traveling to and from the Speedway, just off Interstate 71 at Sparta, in Gallatin County. “We consulted with officials from Atlanta Motor Speedway, our Speedway Motorsports, Inc., sister facility, and state officials to formulate the best possible plan for accommodating in-bound and out-bound traffic utilizing Interstate 71 Exits 57 and 55. We have an efficient blueprint under which fans will be directed to exit our facility in the same direction in which they entered. We encourage fans to build extra time into their travel plans, follow posted signage and exercise patience,” Simendinger said. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet suspended highway construction activity on I-71 to allow northbound and southbound lanes to operate at full capacity. Construction is scheduled to resume on Monday, July 10.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 11:43 PM 
