Saturday, March 12, 2011
EKB Capsule News...Kentucky...3-13-'11
- Saturday, March 12, a pavement collapse/embankment failure occurred on KY 292 in Martin County, one mile from the Pike County line. The road broke away to the center line and slipped down the embankment toward the Tug Fork. According to Jerry Todd, D-12's Martin County Superintendent, the other lane appears to be unstable, so the road has been closed to all traffic until further notice. Barricades have been erected, and portable message boards have been located on KY 469 (Big Creek Road) in Pike County and on the other side of KY 292 toward Inez.
In advance of a Republican dinner in Corbin Saturday that was expected to draw GOP activists from across southern and eastern Kentucky, gubernatorial primary opponents Louisville businessman Phil Moffett and Jefferson County Clerk Bobbie Holsclaw unleashed criticism on Republican Senator David Williams. At issue is a proposal by Democratic Governor Steve Beshear to transfer $166.5 million in funding from next year's Medicaid appropriation to be used this year. Williams, the state Senate President, rejected the proposal, calling instead for across-the-board cuts to all government programs to free up money for Medicaid.
- Kentucky State Police arrested Corey Brown, Anthony McQuaid and Ashlee Matthews after they pulled Brown over in Olive Hill for careless driving and confiscated marijuana, syringes, rock salt and other paraphernalia used to make meth. They were taken to the Rowan County Detention Center. Brown was charged with careless driving. Brown and McQuaid were charged with drug paraphernalia and unlawful distribution of a meth precursor. All three were charged with unlawful possession of meth precursor.
Prosecutors say 25 year old Craig Andrew Armstrong of Louisville entered a guilty plea Friday to a child sexual exploitation offense in New Mexico. Albuquerque police and FBI agents arrested Armstrong last September 27th when he was found with a 12 year old girl at an Albuquerque hotel. Armstrong admitted to traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual contact. He told authorities he met the girl on the Internet last August and had sex with her several times at the hotel over 1 1/2 days before his arrest. Under the terms of his plea deal, Armstrong will be sentenced to 12 years in prison to be followed by lifetime supervised release. Armstrong remains detained pending his sentencing hearing, which hasn't yet been scheduled.
With spring arriving, there are plenty of adventure tourism events being planned across
Shooting Events & Instructional Classes, March 19; April 8-10
22850 Louisville Rd.
Details: The Rockcastle Shooting Center Long Range Rifle School Shooting Center
Details: Come enjoy the 600 acres of trails in western Kentucky
Fishing In Neighborhoods with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources
Details: The Fishing In Neighborhoods (FINs) Program was started by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources to make fishing opportunities more accessible to everyone in the Commonwealth. As the weather warms and the days get longer, this program brings good fishing closer to home. More than 20 counties now have FINs lakes in them. The lakes are stocked year round with trout and catfish, and can be managed for bass and bluegill as necessary. All of the fish stocked are keeper size too! For a listing of FINs lakes, stocking schedules, or to find more information visit www.fw.ky.gov/urbanfishing.asp or call 1-800-858-1549.
Adventures at Kentucky State Parks
Kentucky State Parks
Details: Kentucky
· March 19: John James Audubon SP – Youth Wilderness Survival
· March 26: Pennyrile Forest
March 26: Cumberland Falls
· April 2: Greenbo Lake SP
· April 3-6: Cumberland
· April 8-9: Kenlake SRP – Bowfishing 101
· April 9: Carter Caves
· April 9: Natural Bridge
· April 9: Pine Mountain SRP – Adventure Trek to Blanton Forest
· April 15-17: Lake Cumberland
· April 16-17: Lake Barkley SRP – Wildlife Weekend
Adventure Events at Bernheim Arboretum & Research Forest
2499 Highway 245
Details: Bernheim Arboretum & Research Forest
· March 19: Full “ Spring ”
ECO Kids Adventure in Nature Welcome Back Spring”
· March 26: Winter Star Stories and Sky Watch Night
· April 2-3: Adopt A Tree
ECO Kids Discovery Days
Family Volunteer Day
- April 6: OWLS Pollination Strategies
- April 16: ECO Kids Discovery Days: The Lost Ocean Discovery Stations
Wild About Wildflowers Hike
- April 17: Full “Sprouting Grass” Moon Night Hike
- April 23: Wild About Wildflowers Hike
- April 30: Wild About Wildflowers Hike
Spring Hikes with 21st Century Parks
The Parklands of Floyds Fork
Details: The Parklands of Floyds Fork is an exciting project to bring more parks to Louisville
- March 23: Glade Cress Hike, Moderately Difficult
- April 2:
Turkey - April 25: Miles Park Hike, Moderately Difficult
Tree Climbing with Earthjoy Adventures, March 11-13
3811 Dead Timber Rd.
Details: Earthjoy Adventures will have independent climbs these two weekends. Take advantage of these climbs for research, photography or just for fun. Beginning in March Earthjoy Adventures will be offering climbs in AJ Jolly Park in Alexandria , Ky.
Big South Fork Rafting Season with Sheltowee Trace Outfitters, March 19-20
Details: The third weekend in March marks the opening of the Big South Fork rafting season with Sheltowee Trace Outfitters. Sheltowee Trace has been providing outdoor adventure in Kentucky
2011 Lexington-Big Sandy Proposed Rail Trail Ride, March 19
Pleasant Ridge Park
1350 Pleasant
Ridge Dr.
Ridge Dr.
Details: This seventh annual ride will cover a lot of ground from Lexington to Ashland Winchester , Mt. Sterling , Morehead, Olive Hill and ending in Ashland Pleasant Ridge Park Ashland
Ride Cue Sheet: http://www.kyrailtrail.org/doc/2008-L_BS_Ride-cue-sheet.pdf
Kentucky Trail Riders Association Trail Rides, April
Details: The Kentucky Trail Riders Association (KTRA) hosts rides throughout the year in Kentucky , Indiana , Tennessee , Ohio and Missouri
· April 9 – Day ride at Taylorsville Lake
· April 22-24 – Overnight ride at Green River Lake
Motorcycle Safety Course and ATV Demo Rides, April 8-10
Sutton Memorial Drive
Details: The Knott County ATV and Motorcycle Rider Training Center is one of only five training centers in the United States Kawasaki are looking to return to the ATV Center
Reforest Northern Kentucky 2011, April 2
AJ Jolly Park
1175 Racetrack Rd.
Details: Join the Northern Kentucky Urban Forestry Council and the
Campbell County Fiscal Courtfor a tree planting day at AJ Jolly Park. The first 200 volunteers will receive a free T-shirt and all will receive refreshments and native tree seeds to take home. Volunteers must register by calling 859-572-2600 or by going online at
Campbell County Fiscal Courtfor a tree planting day at AJ Jolly Park. The first 200 volunteers will receive a free T-shirt and all will receive refreshments and native tree seeds to take home. Volunteers must register by calling 859-572-2600 or by going online at
Radcliff/West Point, Ky.
Details: April 2, 2011 is the Civil War Trust Park Day at Fort Duffield
April Fools Ride at Black Mountain
Details: Come enjoy the trails at Black Mountain Off Road Adventure Area at the April Fools Ride. Rides will leave from the Harlan County Campground located at the Putney Trailhead. For more information on the ride or the campground itself, visit their website at www.harlancountycampground.com.
Knott County ATV Spring Ground Pounding, April 15-17
Details: This year will mark the fifth anniversary of the Spring Ground Pounding. There will be plenty of events including live music, good food, corn hole tournament and most importantly, great riding. Contact Randall “Moose” Slone for more info at 606-785-4859. You can also go online at www.knottcountyadventure.com or www.knottcountytrailriders.com to find out more about this year’s event.
(Couples welcome too!)
2578 Ollie Rd.
Details: This ride kicks off the riding season at Mammoth Cave Horse Camp. The ride is $49/person. This includes breakfast Saturday and Sunday mornings, dinner Saturday night and a performance by the Star Mountain Band on Saturday night. For more details, or to register, visit www.mammothcavehorsecamp.com or call 888-682-3958.
2011 Redbud Ride, April 16
Details: The fourth annual Redbud Ride promises to be the best one yet. This year’s ride will offer participants the choice of four different routes ranging from 23 to 102 miles. Active.com has selected this year’s Redbud Ride as a nominee for “National Cycling Event of the Year.” Registration will be limited to the first 500 riders who sign up. For registration and more information go to www.redbudride.com.
Harlan County Ridge Runners Ramp Fest, April 16
North Evarts RV Park
122 Walnut St.
Details: The Harlan County Ridge Runners will host Ramp Fest April 16, 2011. Ramp Fest is the only time of year riders can get ramps from the mountains. There will also be some good eating after the ride. For more information check out www.kyoutdoors.org.
2011 Sip N’ Spin, April 16
Details: This unique event features rides through beautiful Shelbyville and Shelby County
Dogwood Trace Bicycle Ride hosted by Bikeworld, Inc., April 17
809 Joe Clifton Dr.
Details: Riders have been enjoying this ride through Paducah Paducah
# posted by Homer Owens @ 8:20 PM
EKB Capsule News...West Virginia...3-13-'11
- Michael McCaffery, 39, of Huntington, died Friday after being struck by a tree while he and fellow Asplundh workers were working for a local power company in Greenup County, Kentucky to remove the tree from a line along Tower Road.
Tommy Edward Young Sr., 43, and his son, Tommy Edward Young Jr., 23, Clay County, West Virginia, were sentenced Friday after being convicted of conspiring with others to steal more than $600,000 worth of construction equipment, vehicles and other property. From June 2003 to October 2008, the Youngs stole vehicles from New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania and brought them to West Virginia. As part of a plea deal, two friends testified during a March 2010 trial that the Youngs paid them to store stolen equipment. Tommy Edward Young Sr. was sentenced to 11 years in prison, while his son received four years, 10 months in federal prison.
- The state Environmental Quality Board has asked the Department of Environmental Protection to amend the permit of a Monongalia County surface mine. The Sierra Club sought the new permit conditions in its appeal of a water permit for ICG subsidiary Patriot Mining and its new 225-acre New Hill West surface mine near Cassville. The Sierra Club and scientists say conductivity pollution that is not detected in the DEP's current water analysis is causing widespread water quality damage downstream from coal-mining operations. The DEP has 45 days from the time of the request to study the issue and add appropriate discharge limits to the permit.
Signs reading “Wall Street and banks caused this recession, not workers. Let them pay for it,” and “Stop the War on Workers,” filled Capitol Square Saturday as a Workers’ Rally took place in support of workers in Wisconsin who are battling to keep their collective bargaining rights. Marion County Delegate Mike Caputo riled up the crowd, saying Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has woken a sleeping giant. Walker has been attempting to dismantle collective bargaining rights for public employees in Madison, but 14 Democratic lawmakers fled the state to avoid a vote. Friday, the West Virginia House of Delegates passed a resolution to show support for Wisconsin workers. Some delegates criticized the resolution, saying it was a waste of time when West Virginia has so many pressing issues of its own. But, Saturday Caputo told the crowd that union workers have to stick together because an injury to one is an injury to all. Caputo said he stands with workers all across this country.
- The West Virginia Legislature approved a bill Friday making holding someone captive through coercion or threats of physical harm a misdemeanor charge. Supporters say the felony offense of kidnapping does not cover attempts to restrain someone through means that fall just short of actual force. Celena Roby, a 33 year old mother of two, helped write the measure. She shared her ordeal at the hand of an abuser with lawmakers while urging them to adopt the law.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 8:08 PM
Friday, March 11, 2011
EKB Capsule News...Kentucky...3-12-'11
Former State Representative and prosecutor Leo Marcum, 68, of Inez, in Martin County, pleaded not guilty Friday to tax evasion charges that allege he failed to pay state income taxes from 2004 to 2009. Marcum was indicted last October by a Franklin County grand jury. State officials say his income over those years was $460,000, but he just didn't file at all. Records in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Kentucky show Marcum was sued in March 2010 by the federal government for $1.3 million in unpaid federal taxes. That case is still pending. Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd has set an April 15th hearing to review the state's case against Marcum. Marcum was a Republican state representative from Inez from 1978 to 1979 and was Commonwealth's Attorney from 1987 to 2002 for the 24th Judicial District, which covers Lawrence, Johnson and Martin counties. Marcum was suspended from practicing law for one year in April 2010 for professional misconduct in handling two legal cases.
- U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves sentenced 52 year old William B. Morris to 20 years and 51 year old Debra L. Morris to 10 years on Friday for conspiracy to buy votes, racketeering and money laundering in Clay County. The U.S. attorney's office said Friday that the Morrises bought votes for people running for city council because the candidates controlled contracts for city work related to their sanitation company. The vote fraud case stemmed from the 2002, 2004 and 2006 elections.
Twenty-three year old Tyson T. Mimms, a former defendant in a Louisville murder case has filed suit against A&E and the show "The First 48." Mimms says in the lawsuit that the episode about the shooting death of 21 year old Alfred D. Smith ends by saying Mims is "currently awaiting trial" even though the charges were dismissed due to a lack of evidence the day before the episode aired. Mimms, who says the true-crime TV show portrayed him as a killer, is seeking $3 million.
- The state's hospitals, doctors and pharmacies are bracing for a possible 35 percent cut in Medicaid reimbursement rates if legislators fail next week to fix a shortfall in the program's budget. If payments for treating Medicaid patients are slashed, more than 8,400 doctors' offices, 1,300 pharmacies, 300 nursing homes and 80 hospitals would take a financial hit, and those businesses might drop out of the Medicaid program. Friday, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services announced it was sending notices about the potential cuts which would last from April 1st to July 1st to providers who participate in the health care program for the poor and disabled.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 9:27 PM
EKB Capsule News...West Virginia...3-12-'11
People who want to pay their respects to Frank Buckles, the last surviving American veteran of World War I, will be able to do so for three days in Washington, D.C. Visitation for Buckles will be Sunday from noon to 6:00 P.M. at Joseph Gawler's Sons Chapel and from noon to 9:00 P.M. Monday. Buckles will then lie in repose from 8:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. Tuesday at the Arlington National Cemetery's memorial amphitheater. He will be buried with full military honors in a public ceremony at 4:00 P.M.
- Gas prices rose again Thursday night. In Kanawha City and throughout the valley, the price was up to $3.65. Triple A says gas prices jumped four cents overnight in West Virginia. The Associated press had reported that oil prices had dropped below $100 per barrel for the first time in more than a week. But, Japan, the third largest oil importer, suffered a massive earthquake that spawned a tsunami. Meanwhile, in other places in the U.S., gas climbed above $3.54 per gallon overnight.
- At the request of McDowell County Senator John Pat Fanning, the state Senate Confirmations Committee declined Friday to recommend McDowell County Assessor Dennis Altizer's nomination to the state Records Management and Preservation Board. Altizer had been nominated by Acting Governor Earl Ray Tomblin.
- Under legislation approved by the state Senate Friday, journalists could not be forced to disclose the names of confidential sources in most legal proceedings. The House approved its own version of the shield law March 2nd. The bill would shield reporters in civil and criminal trials, before grand juries and in administrative proceedings. The bill exempts testimony that would prevent imminent death, serious bodily injury or unjust imprisonment. The Senate's changes would expand protection to student and part-time journalists, among other things.
Under legislation that passed by a 77-15 vote in the House of Delegates, West Virginia state government would spend up to $11.4 billion during the next budget year. The spending plan would begin July 1st. It includes $4 billion backed by general tax revenues, and $497 million from lottery proceeds. The House Finance Committee added $48 million for one-time projects, and around $70 million in general and lottery revenues for proposed pay raises.
- Under a measure passed Friday by the state Senate, West Virginia would require insurance coverage of autism treatment. Senators unanimously sent the measure back to delegates Friday after agreeing to benefit caps and an exemption for small employers. Both public and private insurers would cover applied behavioral analysis. This ABA therapy is considered crucial for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Coverage would begin at age 2. Friday's bill would cap annual benefits at $30,000 for the first three years. It then sets a $2,000-per-month limit until age 18. It exempts employer plans with fewer than 25 workers.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 9:13 PM
Thursday, March 10, 2011
EKB Capsule News...Kentucky...3-11-'11
- White House drug czar Gil Kerlikowske briefed the newly formed Congressional Caucus on Prescription Pill Abuse on Thursday about his findings from a tour of some of the hardest hit communities, including some in Kentucky. Kerlikowske, who is calling for a multi-pronged approach to combating the nation's problems with prescription pill abuse, called for using education and law enforcement to combat the problem. Republican U.S. Representatives Hal Rogers of Kentucky and Mary Bono Mack of California, who established and co-chairs the caucus, praised the director of the Office of Drug Control Policy for his commitment to taking on a drug problem that has reached epidemic levels nationwide.
- Senate President David Williams said Thursday that Governor Steve Beshear taunted senators with a "sophomore-ish" insult, calling the senators "fat guys," but Beshear said he never made such a remark. Williams, a Republican, and Beshear, a Democrat, were individually interviewed by WHAS radio Thursday about the deadlock over balancing the state Medicaid budget. Beshear began his remarks by complaining that the regular legislative session ended in deadlock Wednesday because Williams waited until the last days of the session to propose an alternative to the Medicaid budget plan he had unveiled in November. In a recording of the interview, Beshear appears to be saying: "Senator Williams and all of those fat guys had plenty of time to talk about it, tell us the problems with it, whatever." Asked later about the comment during a visit to Hardin County, Beshear denied referring to the senators as "fat guys." Kerri Richardson, the spokeswoman for the governor's office, said later she spoke with Beshear about it. "He said that he thought back and he said it must have been he was trying to say the word 'fellow' and then changed his mind midway through and he said 'guy,'" Richardson said. "It was just a stumble trying to say two words at the same time."
- Purdue Pharma, the pharmaceutical company that makes OxyContin, has offered a $1 million donation to the state of Florida to fund a drug monitoring database, but Governor Rick Scott has rejected the offer. Alan Must, Purdue Pharma’s vice president for government affairs, says Florida’s database is needed to prevent pill trafficking nationwide. The donation would cover the operating costs of the database for two years, but Scott says he doesn’t want to rely on a short-term grant for fear the database would require state funding later.
- Forty-two year old Tony J. Hall of Hi Hat was set to go to trial on Monday in Floyd County after being indicted in 2008 on a charge of first-degree sexual abuse. When Circuit Judge John David Caudill asked potential jurors if they had any knowledge of the case, Roger Collins, a deputy with the Floyd County Sheriff’s Department, had no choice but to answer in the affirmative. Collins told Judge Caudill he was the arresting officer who apprehended Hall for a charge of bribing a witness in 2010. Hall was indicted on that charge in 2011. The defense said jurors heard Collins' comment and it would influence their view on the case. A mistrial was requested and granted. A new trial date will have to be set, but it could take five or six months to set a new jury.
- Former Clay County Circuit Court Judge Cletus Maricle was sentenced Thursday to 320 months, 26½ years, for being the mastermind in a racketeering conspiracy that bought votes in 2002, 2004 and 2006. Maricle and seven other county residents were convicted last March of using the county election board as a vehicle to corrupt the elections. U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves said 67 year old Maricle deserved a longer sentence than his counterparts because he was the head of the organization. Maricle's attorneys say they will appeal. Former Clay County magistrate Stanley Bowling was sentenced to 15 years and 10 months in prison. Judge Reeves recommended that Bowling, who suffers from multiple medical conditions, serve his time at a federal medical facility near his home.
- A.W. Stanley is scheduled to be sentenced in Floyd Circuit Court Friday. Stanley was originally charged with two counts of first-degree rape, two counts of sexual abuse and one count of first-degree sodomy from incidents that occurred from 1997 through 2002 and November 2008, but, under a plea agreement, two charges of sexual abuse were dropped. Under the agreement, Stanley will receive two years in prison, must register as a sex offender and complete sex offender treatment and is subject to a five-year period of conditional discharge. Commonwealth’s Attorney Brent Turner says the five-year period of conditional discharge is a prison sentence held over the head of the inmate for five years, and if they have any violations or don’t comply with sex offender laws, they can be returned to prison for five more years.
U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell said Thursday he wants to reduce gas prices by encouraging more domestic oil production to reduce the nation's dependence on foreign supplies. The Senate Republican leader lamented that President Barack Obama had been open to coastal exploration but pulled back last year after the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. McConnell says political leaders shouldn't shut down coastal oil exploration simply because something went wrong any more than they would tell all the airlines not to fly because of a single crash.
- Failed talks on the Medicaid deficit led to Republican Senator Damon Thayer of Georgetown and Democratic Senator Tim Shaughnessy of Louisville exchanging harsh words Wednesday. The verbally heated action began when Thayer gave a Senate speech criticizing Governor Steve Beshear's handling of the budget. Thayer mentioned Beshear several times without referring to him as governor, and even referred to him by his first name, an action which prompted Shaughnessy to accuse Thayer of not following proper decorum. Shaughnessy said it's customary to refer to elected officials by their title. Shaughnessy then referred to Thayer, a Michigan native, as a Yankee, spurring Thayer to leave his seat and walk toward Shaughnessy. The two stared at each other but didn't get within close distance of each other.
- Former Governor Brereton Jones stepped down on Monday as chairman of the Kentucky Equine Education Project, which he co-founded in 2004 to help push for expanded gambling. KEEP, which includes Kentucky racetracks as well as a diverse group of horse breeds, has unsuccessfully lobbied for expanded gambling at tracks in an effort to help the state's horse industry. Jones says he loves the industry with all his heart and will willingly stand up and fight for it at every level, but he believes he has reached the point where he has had about as much political activity as he cares to have. Jones says he still plans to breed and race horses and support the horse industry but will not be on the KEEP board. The board will meet later this month to elect a new chairman. Bill Casner, former co-owner of WinStar Farm, is the vice chairman.
- State Finance Secretary Jonathan Miller is leaving Governor Steve Beshear's administration at the end of the month to join the Lexington law offices of Frost Brown Todd LLC and also serve as a senior adviser to Washington-based Wellford Energy. Miller served two terms as Kentucky's elected state treasurer before joining the Beshear administration in 2007. Thursday, Governor Beshear named Lori Hudson Flanery, who had served as a deputy finance secretary for the past three years, as Miller's replacement. Flanery will take over as finance secretary on April 1st.
- The state Department of Highways says travel on the Hal Rogers Parkway in Perry County is being shifted as a safety improvement project gets under way at Exit 56. Work started this week and is expected to be finished by the end of the year. When finished, the road will be straightened to improve sight distance, and a center barrier will prevent head-on collisions. During construction, the merging pattern will change for traffic entering the highway westbound from Kentucky 451. The westbound truck climbing lane will be eliminated during part of the construction, and traffic entering the highway will be required to merge into a single westbound lane and yield to parkway traffic.
- Twenty-nine year old Cynthia Palmer of Clarksville, Tennessee was found on I-24 in Benton, Kentucky late on February 28th with her older son, Caleb, while a deputy found her 2 year old toddler, Jeremiah Austin Palmer, in the passing lane and moved him to safety. At a preliminary hearing Wednesday, Kentucky State Police Trooper Trey Green testified both a doctor and the boy's older brother indicated the toddler's injuries were not from falling or being dropped. Green testified that Caleb said his mother believed Austin was a demon or evil spirit, and that's why she hit him with a box-like object, like a chair that folds into a box. Caleb indicated that his mother pulled over because she thought there was a bomb in the car, but he tried to tell her it wasn't real. Austin tried to follow his mother and brother away from the car, but collapsed in the passing lane while Caleb tried to get him to stand up. Austin couldn't get up and his mother continued walking a distance police estimated at 50 yards before sitting down on the other side of the interstate's westbound lanes. Austin underwent surgery in Louisville for a head injury that exposed his brain. Marshall District Judge Jack Telle found sufficient reason to send the case to a grand jury and scheduled Palmer to appear in Marshall Circuit Court on May 2nd. Police believe Palmer was hallucinating after snorting bath salts.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 11:22 PM
EKB Capsule News...West Virginia...3-11-'11
- Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokesman John Bankhead said Thursday an autopsy identified the body found near a cotton field in south Georgia Wednesday as 85 year old Gladis Russell of Bellefontaine, Ohio. Russell was identified using dental records provided by the Logan County Sheriff's Office in Ohio. The body of her husband, 84 year old Richard Russell, was found in late February in Tennessee. Samuel K. Littleton II told police he left Gladis Russell's body in a "white, glowing field" off a side road along Interstate 75 as he drove to Florida.
- St. Louis-based Patriot Coal Corp. says it's temporarily closed a West Virginia mine to deal with flooding in a sealed, mined-out area. Patriot reported the problem in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Thursday. The company says it got everyone out of its River Edge underground mine Monday after an employee found excess water behind seals after heavy rain. Patriot says it notified the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration, which cited the company for having an imminent danger citation. Patriot plans to contest the citation and hopes to resume production next week.
- World War I veteran Frank Buckles will be buried Tuesday at Arlington National Cemetery. Buckles' daughter, Susannah Flanagan, wanted her father, the last of the so-called Doughboys, to lie in repose in the U.S. Capitol rotunda, but Congress failed to approve that plan. Politicians remain divided over how to best honor Buckles and the 4.7 million other Americans who served in World War I. The last person to lie in the Capitol rotunda was President Gerald Ford. The honor is reserved mostly for elected and military officials, but others have included civil rights activist Rosa Parks and unknown soldiers from both World Wars and the Korean War. Thursday, Jonathan Sandys, a great-grandson of Sir Winston Churchill, issued a statement calling on Congress to allow the use of the rotunda. He urged the public to join him in insisting that Buckles be afforded the honor "beginning this Sunday, as a mark of respect and as a representation of thanks to his entire generation from a grateful nation." President Barack Obama has ordered that U.S. flags on official buildings be lowered to half-staff on the day Buckles is buried.
- A bill that would require a prescription for medicines containing meth-making ingredients failed to pass the full Senate Thursday afternoon. The bill, which was introduced in the House January 31st, and passed the House last week, received a 16-16 vote in the Senate, with two members absent, so there was no majority to pass it. The state currently requires anyone who wants to purchase medicines with meth-making ingredients to show identification. Pharmacists must keep logs of how often those medicines are purchased, and more than 3 packages in a 30-day period is a crime. Drug makers argued the bill would inconvenience law-abiding citizens and increase health care costs.
- Acting on a tip, Huntington Police officers went to an apartment complex on Jefferson Avenue just after 3:00 A.M. Thursday morning where they arrested 33 year old Benjamin Vanover of Proctorville, Ohio. Vanover, who initially lied about who he was when questioned, is a fugitive from justice out of Lawrence County, Ohio. On December 29th, Vanover pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges. He was ordered to report to jail on January 19th, but failed to show up.
- State police are investigating the disappearance of a box of fentanyl patches, a painkiller intended for cancer patients, from the Marshall County Sheriff's Office. The drugs went missing from Chief Deputy Kevin Cecil's office at the end of January while Cecil was out of the office. Sheriff John Gruzinksas says the drugs, which were part of the Drug Enforcement Administration's take back initiative, had been turned over to his office which planned to turn the drugs over to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.
- After learning Director Pat Brown has been "double-dipping" for more than eight years, Mayor Danny Jones says he might appoint a City Council member, or even himself, to the Charleston Urban Renewal Authority board. Brown, a Democratic candidate for an at-large seat on City Council, says he plans to retire from his job at CURA by July 1st. Brown has been working through an employment agency on an hourly basis since November 2002, earning $93,000 a year through United Talent while drawing about $2,250 a month through the Public Employees Retirement System. Brown says he officially retired November 1, 2002, and was rehired the same day. Brown says all CURA board members, even those appointed after November 2002, know about the arrangement. The CURA board announced Wednesday it hired a new director, Jim Edwards of Sunshine, Florida, who will start April 18th.
- Thursday, Acting Governor Earl Ray Tomblin appointed Jay Smithers as the new superintendent of the West Virginia State Police. Smithers, head of the state Division of Protective Services, which provides security at the state Capitol, replaces Col. Timothy Pack, who was appointed by former Governor Joe Manchin in 2008. Smithers is a former state trooper. He retired from the department in 1998 with 25 years of service. Smithers has been with the Division of Protective Services since 1998 and has been director of the agency since at least 2003. Before heading protective services, Smithers was captain of the West Virginia Turnpike Division.
- As part of a yearlong probe, federal authorities have charged nine people in connection with a black market tobacco operation involving nearly 3.5 million contraband cigarettes. According to two recent indictments, 90 percent of the cigarettes came through a former Huntington business called Smokin' Aces. Half of the shipments went to six locations in Huntington and Lesage, while the remainder went to unknown addresses. The investigation also targeted illicit drugs and firearms. Eight of the suspects have been arrested.
- For the second year in a row, the Nursing Care Facility at St. Joseph's Hospital has been named the "Best in the State of West Virginia" by U.S. News and World Report. The ranking is based on a variety of important issues from nurse and patient staffing ratios to quality of medical care and performance in health inspections.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 10:07 PM
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
EKB Capsule News...Kentucky...3-10-'11
- During a news conference at the state Capitol Wednesday, Governor Steve Beshear issued a call for a special session to bring lawmakers back to Frankfort Monday to close the gap in the Medicaid budget. Beshear announced the call after the Senate followed through on a threat to end this year's legislative session 12 days earlier than scheduled. The Senate convened late Wednesday morning, while the House adjourned Tuesday night until March 21st. The House and Senate had been in discussions for three days to try to reach an agreement to fill the $166.5 million gap. Beshear's proposal to balance the Medicaid budget calls for using $166.5 million from next year's appropriation. Senate Republicans want across-the-board cuts to all government programs. Beshear says, unless lawmakers fix the problem, it will cause at least 30 percent rate cuts to Medicaid providers such as hospitals, nursing homes, doctors, pharmacists and mental health care providers. Beshear also said he would include in the call a bill to increase the school dropout age to 18, from the current 16. That legislation, a priority of his administration, also failed during the regular session.
- NASCAR driver Greg Biffle was involved in his second crash of the season Wednesday when a landing-gear malfunction caused his plane to partially collapse while landing at Blue Grass Airport in Lexington. Biffle said he looked out the window and noticed the left wing rising into the air and the right wing dragging the runway and sending up sparks. Biffle praised his pilots for preventing the plane's wing from leaving the runway and dragging in the grass, which could have caused the plane to flip over.
- Kentucky State Police say, just before 11:00 P.M. Tuesday night, a trooper tried to stop 39 year old James Arthur of Louisa at Clack Mountain, but he kept going, leading a police chase through two counties before being caught on Black Water Road in Morgan County. Troopers also discovered Arthur was a fugitive out of West Virginia, wanted on armed robbery, burglary, malicious wounding and battery charges. He faces several additional charges, including fleeing police, DUI and wanton endangerment.
- Several homes were evacuated and one abandoned home torn down after a mudslide threatened homes in Perry County Wednesday. The voluntary evacuations took place at homes located along Jordan Street. Officials say workers in a nearby mine noticed water in a place that there should not have been water before the slide started. Officials say one abandoned house that was in the path of the slide was torn down for safety reasons. Engineers were on the scene Wednesday in order to assess the next steps in order to prevent the mudslide from reaching the homes below it.
- Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves sentenced former Clay County Clerk Freddy W. Thompson to 150-months in prison for his part in a conspiracy to buy and stealing votes. According to trial testimony, Thompson put in a substantial amount of money to buy votes in 2002, when he won the county clerk's office, and in 2006, he showed corrupt precinct workers how to change people's choices on the voting machines and steal their votes. Reeves sentenced former Clay County School Superintendent Douglas C. Adams to 293-months, over 24 years.
- Federal authorities say they have proof that former Whitley County Sheriff Lawrence Hodge had something to do with missing guns from the department. According to an affidavit filed in federal court by ATF special agent Todd E. Tremaine, accused drug dealer James "Jeremy" Meradith told federal authorities he began supplying pain pills to then-Whitley County Sheriff Lawrence Hodge about December 2009, and Hodge traded him two police shotguns for Oxycodone. Meradith said he continued dealing to Hodge after he left office. Hodge denies taking part in any illegal drug transactions. A grand jury indicted Hodge last November on charges that he stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in public money during his two terms in office and sold or gave away guns seized in investigations. Meradith says accused drug dealer Charles Fritts helped Hodge get rid of all the firearms that were missing from the Whitley County Sheriff's Department. The firearms were reported stolen during a burglary from the sheriff's office in December 2009. Doyle Fritts turned himself in to ATF officers Wednesday. Jerry Fritts remains on the run.
- Kelly F. Fulmer of Walton who practiced law at the Boone County courthouse for years without a license has been charged with one misdemeanor theft by deception and two counts of felony theft by deception for accepting money for legal services. He also is charged with three counts of unauthorized practice of law, a misdemeanor in Kentucky. A preliminary hearing in the case was set for Wednesday in Boone Circuit Court but was continued until April 13th, while a trial is set for May 5th. Fulmer faces one year to five years in prison on one of the felony theft charges and five years to 10 years on the other felony theft charge. Fulmer resigned in September from the Walton-Verona school board, where he served as president. He had previously served a two-year term on the Kentucky School Boards Association.
- The environmental group Appalachian Voices has filed a notice of intent to sue after reviewing discharge-monitoring reports and finding Bardstown-based Nally and Hamilton Enterprises Inc. submitted inaccurate water-pollution reports to the state involving more than 12,000 violations of the Clean Water Act, with potential penalties of more than $400 million. Appalachian Voices says the company seems to have cut and pasted previous sets of data in later reports rather than monitoring the discharge and submitting accurate data for each month, misreporting levels of manganese, iron and other pollutants between July 2008 and June 2010 in operations in seven eastern Kentucky counties. The same coalition, comprising Appalachian Voices, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, Kentucky Riverkeeper and Waterkeeper Alliance, filed a similar action in October against ICG of Knott County and Hazard and Frasure Creek Mining, the two largest producers of surface-mined coal in the state.
- The Kentucky League of Cities has chosen Debra Gabbard as its chief financial officer. Gabbard, who has been the assistant budget director for the Legislative Research Commission since 2007, will oversee all financial aspects of the organization, as well as its affiliated businesses, including its insurance program for Kentucky municipalities. Gabbard, who has worked with legislative leaders as they put together the state's budget, says she's impressed with changes made at the League of Cities in recent months. The league provides services to hundreds of member cities and municipalities, including lobbying, financing and insurance.
- On Valentine’s Day, February 14th, fire destroyed Southside Tires and Auto on South Main Street in Corbin. The Corbin fire chief has determined the fire was the result of arson. Police are asking the public for any tips that could lead to an arrest in the case.
- According to recent reports from USA Today, some states are cutting funding for mental health issues, and Kentucky is among those that are cutting the most. Kentucky is cutting 47.5% of its budget, and Alaska is cutting 35%, while South Carolina and Arizona are each cutting 22.7%. According to the report, Kentucky has cut $193.7 million from the state’s mental health budget from 2009 – 2011.
- The Republican majority of the Kentucky Senate voted late Tuesday to not confirm eight of Governor Steve Beshear's nominees for boards and commissions, a move which angered the Democratic minority. The rejected nominees, some appointed by Beshear months ago and already serving, are Joe Childers for the Mine Safety Review Commission, Cecil Dunn for the Personnel Board, Marvin Russow and Lawrence O'Bryan for the Kentucky Employers' Mutual Insurance Authority, David M. Williams for the Fish and Wildlife Resources Commission and Monica Ann Edmonds, Maria "Sally" Mooney and Thomas Whetstone for the Parole Board. Meanwhile, Senate Republicans unanimously supported nominee Franklin Stivers for the Kentucky Workers Compensation Board. Stivers is the brother of Senate Majority Leader Robert Stivers, R-Manchester. Democratic senators defended Beshear's nominees, saying many of them were eminently qualified and deserved a full, public hearing by the Senate rather than a last-minute rejection on partisan terms.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 10:35 PM
EKB Capsule News...West Virginia...3-10-'11
- Due to declining enrollment and increased costs, the Wheeling-Charleston Diocese and the financial council at Sacred Heart Church in Williamson decided last year to close Sacred Heart Elementary, the the only Catholic school in a five-county area in southern West Virginia.Supporters say the school needs about $220,000 a year to keep the 28-student school open. Teachers, parents and others are asking the church to help defray the cost. Acting Catholic School Superintendent Richard Banabei is expected to travel to Williamson Thursday to meet with school and church officials.
- Remains found in a cotton field near Albany, Georgia Wednesday afternoon are believed to be those of 85 year old Gladis Russell of Bellefontaine, Ohio who went missing in late February, along with her husband. Richard Russell's body was found near Chattanooga, Tennessee on February 26th, more than 200 miles from where these remains were discovered. Sam Littleton, who was arrested in Princeton, West Virginia on February 23rd, told police he dumped their bodies on his way to Florida. The governor's warrant arrived in Mercer County Wednesday to extradite Littleton back to Ohio for murder. An autopsy on the woman's body has been scheduled for Thursday at the GBI crime lab in Macon.
- Arthur Jackson Byrd III, 33, of St. Albans, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Kanawha Circuit Court Wednesday. He was indicted by a grand jury on charges of attempted first-degree murder, malicious wounding and wanton endangerment after being accused of shooting Min Lin, a woman delivering Chinese food in Nitro. Police say Byrd was found with a 12-guage shotgun in the parking lot of his apartment building after Min Lin was shot in the back of the head. Circuit Judge Louis "Duke" Bloom ordered an immediate drug test for Byrd and said he would continue to remain free on a $25,000 bond pending his April 25th trial if the test was clean.
- The Kanawha County Sheriff's Department arrested 48 year old Terry Cantley after a tip led deputies to 45 marijuana plants in his home in East Bank. The Kanawha County Sheriff's Department described a "fairly elaborate marijuana growing operation," and seized the 45 plants along with other items used to cultivate marijuana.
- One man was killed in a shooting on Charleston's West Side early Wednesday morning. Police say they got a call around 5:00 A.M. of a vehicle crash in the 1200 block of Madison Street. Seconds later, Metro 911 radioed for additional units reporting an apparent shooting. Michael Jerome Grady, 48, of Charleston was transported from the scene to Charleston Area Medical Center General, where a short time later he was pronounced dead. Police say Grady was shot while driving a van, and, after being shot, Grady lost control of the vehicle and hit a residence on Madison Street. Police are investigating the incident as a murder.
- A man died after a scuffle with police in South Charleston. Police Chief Brad Rinehart says police responded to a call of a disturbance Tuesday in which Michael Atkinson, 47, appeared to be angry, screaming and wandering around the neighborhood throwing things. Police say Atkinson approached officers in an angry manner, and, when they couldn't control him, they wrestled him to the ground. When he got to the ground, he went limp and officers realized he had quit breathing. Officers performed CPR until the fire department arrived and took over. Rinehart says no weapons or pepper spray was used. Atkinson was later pronounced dead.
- Luke W. Pugh of Jane Lew, a former employee of Carter Roag Coal Company’s Pleasant Hill Mine in Randolph County, and Chad J. Ferrell of Nettie, a former employee of Brooks Run Mining Company’s Poplar Ridge No. 1 Deep Mine in Webster County, both pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Elkins Tuesday to making false statements on MSHA documents. Pugh admitted that, from June 2007 to April 2009, he stated in reports 387 times he was certified by the West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Education, although he was never certified.Ferrell admitted that, from September 2008 to June 2009, he certified on 489 different occasions he was certified to conduct safety exams. Both face a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment and a fine of $10,000.
- Steel of West Virginia Inc. anticipates investing $15.1 million in capital improvements at its Huntington plant this year. The improvements primarily involve an upgrade to the plant's No. 2 Rolling Mill. Steel President Timothy R. Duke says the company has fully recovered from the downswing of the recent recession, generating a small profit in 2009 and performing considerably better in 2010. The latest capital investment follows $10 million spent at the plant last year, with half of that going to install new air emission control equipment for the melt shop.
- BrickStreet Mutual Insurance Co., which the West Virginia Legislature set up in 2005 to replace what had been a state-run system to provide workers' compensation insurance, no longer wants to cover state agencies. Committee members quizzed BrickStreet chief executive Greg Burton before endorsing a bill Tuesday that would allow the state insurance commissioner to help agencies obtain coverage from other private insurers. Burton said BrickStreet has lost $30 million over the past three years from claims by state agencies and volunteer fire departments, and, for every dollar it collected from them in premiums BrickStreet paid out $1.36. Last year, these policyholders cost $1.57 for every dollar in premiums. Burton says the company cannot handle that kind of program any longer.
- Under legislation endorsed by a House of Delegates committee Wednesday, Marcellus Shale drillers would have to place horizontal wells 1,000 feet from West Virginians' homes and water wells. Current law allows drillers to place wells within 200 feet of people's homes and water wells. After endorsing the revised bill Wednesday morning, the House Judiciary Committee recommended it go straight to the floor. Delegate Sam Cann, D-Harrison, objected to that, and the bill will now go to the House Finance Committee. House Judiciary Committee members also made changes they said would smooth out tensions between natural gas operators and the coal industry about giving notice to coal mine operators when drilling will occur near mines. Also, committee members added provisions to make drill operators notify surface owners within 30 days of surveying their land for proposed access roads on drill sites and new well work. The committee also amended the bill to change the way the state hires gas well inspectors.
- What was a $600 bonus proposed for lower-income West Virginia public retirees is now a $2,400 payment after the House Finance Committee voted Wednesday to increase the payment meant for retired state workers and teachers. The bonuses would go to retirees with 20 or more years of service and annuities that do not exceed $7,200. Officials estimated nearly 1,400 retired teachers and nearly 800 retired workers or their beneficiaries would qualify. The latest version may end up costing around $4.8 million.
- Wednesday, Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin's proposal for a 1 percent reduction on the sales tax on food went from seemingly dead to approved in the Legislature after it was amended into another bill dealing with state sales taxes (SB2971). Senate Finance Chairman Roman Prezioso, D-Marion, said it was merely a way to keep the tax cut alive and send it to the House. In a surprise move Wednesday evening, the House passed the bill on an 89-4 vote. The bill, which will reduce the sales tax on food from 3 percent to 2 percent on July 1st, is headed to Acting Governor Earl Ray Tomblin.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 10:32 PM
