EKB News

Twenty-five year old Joshua Bly Miller of South Williamson was arraigned Thursday in Mingo County Circuit Court where he entered a not guilty plea to charges of reckless DUI causing death and two counts of DUI causing bodily injury. The indictment says that, on October 13, 2011, Miller was driving in Mingo County under the influence of alcohol and at a high speed when he crashed near the Boarderland, West Virginia exit, lost control and crashed his SUV which then rolled several times before landing on its top, causing the death of 22 year old Adam Ray York of Hardy and injuring 21 year old Zachary V. Smith of Belfry and Paul David Howard Jr. Miller is scheduled for trial on June 12th.

{David, Kentucky}...Attorney General Jack Conway's office filed a petition Thursday in Floyd Circuit Court seeking to force The David School to turn over documents related to Director Daniel Greene’s compensation. The filing alleges that, beginning no later than October 1, 2005 Greene used the school’s funds for his own profit, including paying himself twice for two pay periods without any authority from the Board of Directors. On February 29th, the Attorney General's office issued a Civil Investigatory Demand to the school seeking a number of documents related to money Greene has received from the school. On March 9th, the school sent copies of Greene’s W2s from 2006 to 2011, a copy of a deferred compensation check to Greene dated August 11, 2006, bank statements dated from 2009 to 2011 and a copy of the school’s 2009 tax forms along with a letter from Greene, explaining he would be going to the school the following weekend and would send the remaining materials. On March 22nd, Greene sent an email to the Attorney General's  office, saying, “We have been making copies and will get to your office as soon as possible.” The petition says that no further documents have been sent.

{Henderson, Kentucky}...Patriot Coal Co. is permanently closing its Freedom mine in eastern Henderson County this summer, meaning at least 156 miners will lose their jobs. A notice Patriot filed with county and state officials Friday said the closing could also idle another seven people at the Bluegrass mining complex office in Henderson and up to 37 people at the Grand Eagle coal preparation plant in Henderson. The mine produced 1.2 million tons of thermal coal last year. Earlier this year, Patriot closed three Appalachian thermal coal mines that produced a total of about 1.2 million tons in 2011.

{Lexington, Kentucky}...President Eli Capilouto says UK has lost $50 million in state funding since 2007, and, over the next two years, it faces another $20 million loss in the state budget and another $23 million gap from rising fixed costs, such as utilities and health care. University of Kentucky officials want to raise tuition by 6 percent for students and rule out raises for faculty and staff next year as they deal with a $43 million hole in the school's budget. For in-state freshmen and sophomores, that means tuition would jump from $9,128 this year to $9,676 in the 2012-13 academic year. For out-of-state students, tuition would increase from $18,740 a year to $19,864. While there will be no raises in 2012-2013, Capilouto said there will be a 5 percent merit pool for raises in 2013-2014. In addition, administrative units will be cut at higher rates to "help protect the academic core."