J. Palmer

CYNTHIANA / HARRISON

Cedar Ridge will be hosting a 10-year anniversary celebration at its campus on Tuesday, Feb. 10 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. to thank the community for its continuing support. Trilogy Health Services’ Cedar Ridge Health Campus is among the first campuses that the company began operating in Kentucky.

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KENTUCKY

A proposed statewide smoking ban at workplaces and public buildings has picked up bipartisan support in winning approval from the House Health and Welfare Committee, and is being advanced to the House floor; Democratic Rep. Susan Westrom says she’s confident her bill can pass the House if it comes up for a vote. Doubts exist as to whether the bill would pass the Senate, according to Senate Majority Leader Damon Thayer.

http://wuky.org/post/proposed-workplace-smoking-ban-clears-kentucky-house-panel

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Drivers convicted of DUI in Kentucky would have it on their record for 10 years under a bill the Senate Judiciary Committee approved Thursday.

Presently, it takes four driving under the influence convictions within five years to be charged with a felony in Kentucky; increasing the time the convictions stay on record to ten years would potentially mean more felony DUI convictions.

In the last year, nearly 24,000 Kentuckians were convicted of a DUI offense. Most of those were for first-time offenses, but 137 were convicted for the fourth time in a five-year period.

http://wuky.org/post/bill-would-count-dui-offenses-10-years-instead-5

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A Kentucky House committee agreed to send Speaker Greg Stumbo’s minimum wage bill to the House floor Thursday. Stumbo is asking the legislature to approve an incremental increase that would raise the minimum wage up to $10.10 over a period of three years – a move he says makes economic sense, even if the idea has becoming polarizing.

“It’s become a political issue if you want to know the truth. It started obviously with the debate in Washington and it became a partisan issue and it’s filtered down here,” he told reporters.

But opponents, including Shannon Stiglitz with the Kentucky Retail Association, maintain raising the wage carries real costs, not just to businesses but to shoppers.

“Consumer prices will increase or tough decisions will have to made among retailers,” she said. “Do they cut hours? Do they have fewer employees? How do they cut benefits?

The bill easily passed committee with three “no” votes, all from Republicans.

http://wuky.org/post/minimum-wage-moves-full-house

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Attorney General Jack Conway, Commissioner of Agriculture James Comer, Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes and several state lawmakers spent the morning at the Capitol Rotunda Wednesday rallying Kentuckians to join the fight against hunger.

According to the USDA, one in six Kentuckians is food-insecure, meaning they lack consistent access to enough food for a healthy, active lifestyle.

Commissioner Comer encouraged Kentucky taxpayers to “check the box” for hunger relief. 2015 marks the second year that Kentucky state income taxpayers can donate a portion of their refund to the Farms to Food Banks Trust Fund. Administered by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, the fund provides grants to nonprofits for the distribution of Kentucky-grown surplus agricultural commodities to low-income individuals.

The Kentucky Association of Food Banks’ Farms to Food Banks program helps farmers recoup losses for product that would not otherwise be sold because of cosmetic imperfections or overproduction. The produce is distributed to hungry Kentuckians throughout the state through the food bank network. It is fresh, healthy food that would otherwise go to waste.

http://kyfbnewsroom.com/conway-comer-grimes-encourage-kentuckians-to-help-solve-hunger/

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The Christian ministry building a Noah’s Ark theme park has filed for a federal lawsuit in which it claims that Kentucky tourism officials violated the group’s First Amendment free speech rights by denying an $18 million tax incentive.

The tourism incentive was meant for the Ark Encounter, a theme park plan that will be built around a 500-foot-long wooden ark modeled after the Bible’s story of Noah. State officials said in December that the project’s mission had changed from tourist attraction to ministry, and denied the benefit.

The Answers in Genesis ministry says in the lawsuit filed Thursday that religious beliefs should not bar the group from participating in the tax incentive plan.

The suit names the tourism cabinet and Gov. Steve Beshear. A spokeswoman in Beshear’s office declined to comment.

http://wuky.org/post/kentucky-sued-christian-group-over-lost-tax-incentive-noahs-ark-park

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY

• 1778 – American Revolutionary War: In Paris the Treaty of Alliance and the Treaty of Amity and Commerce are signed by the United States and France signaling official recognition of the new republic.
• 1788 – Massachusetts becomes the sixth state to ratify the United States Constitution.
• 1815 – New Jersey grants the first American railroad charter to John Stevens.
• 1862 – American Civil War: forces under the command of Ulysses S. Grant and Andrew H. Foote give the Union its first victory of the war, capturing Fort Henry, Tennessee in the Battle of Fort Henry.
• 1899 – Spanish–American War: The Treaty of Paris, a peace treaty between the United States and Spain, is ratified by the United States Senate.
• 1918 – British women over the age of 30 get the right to vote.
• 1942 – World War II: The United Kingdom declares war on Thailand.
• 1951 – The Broker, a Pennsylvania Railroad passenger train derails near Woodbridge Township, New Jersey. The accident kills 85 people and injures over 500 more. The wreck is one of the worst rail disasters in American history.
• 1952 – Elizabeth II becomes queen regnant of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms upon the death of her father, George VI. At the exact moment of succession, she was in a tree house at the Treetops Hotel in Kenya.
• 1958 – Eight Manchester United F.C. players and 15 other passengers are killed in the Munich air disaster.
• 1959 – Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments files the first patent for an integrated circuit.
• 1959 – At Cape Canaveral, Florida, the first successful test firing of a Titan intercontinental ballistic missile is accomplished.
• 1976 – In testimony before a United States Senate subcommittee, Lockheed Corporation president Carl Kotchian admits that the company had paid out approximately $3 million in bribes to the office of Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka.
• 1978 – The Blizzard of 1978, one of the worst Nor’easters in New England history, hit the region, with sustained winds of 65 mph and snowfall of 4″ an hour.
• 1988 – Michael Jordan makes his signature slam dunk from the free throw line inspiring Air Jordan and the Jumpman logo.
• 1989 – The Round Table Talks start in Poland, thus marking the beginning of overthrow of communism in Eastern Europe.
• 1996 – Willamette Valley Flood of 1996: Floods in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, United States, causes over US$500 million in property damage throughout the Pacific Northwest.
• 1996 – Birgenair Flight 301 crashed off the coast of the Dominican Republic, and all 189 people inside the airplane are killed. This is the worst accident/incident involving a Boeing 757.
• 1998 – Washington National Airport is renamed Ronald Reagan National Airport.

CYNTHIANA / HARRISON

There will be no school today, Thursday, February 5, 2015.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10152547522321607&id=296254501606

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Harrison Memorial Hospital has announced the date and topic for the next “Dinner with a Doc” series; Dr. Anjum Bux will speak on the topic of pain management on March 16, at 6:30pm. Anyone interested in attending the free dinner event must RSVP by calling 859.235.3510. The Dinner with a Doc series gives the public an opportunity to sit and have a Q&A session about varied health issues.

https://www.facebook.com/163143847064829/photos/a.169092956469918.33867.163143847064829/835764189802788/?type=1

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HARRISON COUNTY SPORTS

Breds Basketball:

• Thursday, 2-12-15 Harrison vs Mason Co at Home JV/Varsity 6/7:30
• Saturday, 2-14-15 Harrison vs Paris at Paris, F/JV/Var. 4:45/6/7:30

Fillies Basketball:

• Monday, 2-9-15 Harrison vs Estill Co at Estill JV/Var. 6/7:30
• Wednesday, 2-11-15 Harrison vs Woodford Co at Home JV/Varsity 6/7:30 SENIOR NIGHT
• Friday, 2-13-15 Harrison vs East Jessamine at Home JV/Varsity 6/7:30

Wrestling:

• Saturday, 2-14-15 Harrison at Region 8 Tournament – Belfry High School

Bowling:

• February 12 & 13 State Tournament at Eastland Lanes, Lexington Will have more info as we get closer to date.

Indoor Track:

• Saturday, 2-14-15 Harrison Co at Mason Co 10:00 AM

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KENTUCKY

Kentucky health officials overstated state and federal Medicaid expenses by more than $500 million, according to an audit released Wednesday. The report by Democratic Auditor Adam Edelen said the Cabinet for Health and Family Services did not adequately review its finances before reporting them to the state’s Finance and Administration Cabinet. While many errors were caught before the state issued its final report, several mistakes did get through, including overstating $500 million in state and federal expenses and overstating federal revenue by $424 million.

http://wuky.org/post/health-officials-overstated-medicaid-expenses-audit-finds

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Opponents to the Kentucky’s death penalty received help yesterday from a former death row inmate who was exonerated with DNA evidence. Kirk Bloodsworth, a Maryland man who spent more than eight years in prison until his release, visited the Kentucky Capitol, endorsing efforts to abolish the death penalty. Bloodsworth calls capital punishment a social injustice due to the potential that innocent people will be put to death. He says being confined in a tiny prison cell without parole is a better punishment.

Kentucky has executed three people since 1976. State official say there are 33 inmates on death row.

Bills introduced by Democratic Sen. Gerald Neal and Republican Rep. David Floyd would abolish the death penalty and replace it with life in prison without parole.

http://wuky.org/post/death-penalty-foes-press-case-lawmakers

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Rep. Johnny Bell of Glasgow has been added to an ongoing sexual harassment lawsuit in Franklin County. Franklin County Circuit Judge Thomas Wingate on Wednesday added Bell as a defendant in a case brought by Yolanda Costner against the Legislative Research Commission and former Democratic lawmaker John Arnold. Costner is seeking damages, stating the Legislative Research Commission did not prevent Arnold from sexually harassing her. Bell became Costner’s superior last month when he was elected House majority whip. Bell soon dismissed Costner, an action Costner said was to retaliate against her for filing the lawsuit.

http://wuky.org/post/lawmaker-who-fired-state-worker-added-harassment-lawsuit

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Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes joined the Kentucky Association of Food Banks and other elected officials in the Capitol Rotunda yesterday for the Rally to Solve Hunger. The Rally, part of the second annual Food Bank Day, raises awareness and knowledge about the fight against hunger in Kentucky.

“As many as one in six Kentuckians does not know where his or her next meal will come from, and the rate of food insecurity is even higher among children,” Grimes said. “These programs are important opportunities for Kentuckians to help make sure their most vulnerable neighbors have enough healthy food to eat.”

Grimes thanked the farmers who participate in the programs and Kentucky’s food banks for their tireless work to help eradicate hunger and food insecurity in the Commonwealth. “By working together and continuing to create and foster these kinds of partnerships, we can end hunger in Kentucky,” said Grimes.

http://kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-Stream.aspx?viewMode=ViewDetailInNewPage&eventID=%7b838F5ECA-AFAE-4708-BB1B-832A675D9F78%7d&activityType=PressRelease

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A woman reported missing and presumed dead in Texas was found alive and well in Lexington Wednesday. Lexington police arrested Christina Rae Davidson, 42, after a traffic stop. Officers say when they ran her license, they discovered a warrant for her arrest relating to drug activity in Texas. Police say when officers contacted authorities in Texas to confirm her identity, they learned the suspect was reported as a missing person seven months ago, and was presumed dead.

Davidson is being held in the Fayette County Detention Center, pending her extradition to Texas. In addition to the preexisting warrant, she is also charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

https://web.archive.org/web/20151228052100/http://www.lex18.com/story/28025045/texas-woman-presumed-dead-found-alive-in-lexington

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MONEY

Verizon Wireless cut most of its data plan costs by $10 on Wednesday. A plan with one gigabyte of shared data will now start at $30 per month instead of $40, two gigabytes will start at $40 instead of $50, and so on. In the company’s release, it states that “existing customers can change their plans at any time by visiting MyVerizon.”

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY

• 1576 – Henry of Navarre abjures Catholicism at Tours and rejoins the Protestant forces in the French Wars of Religion.
• 1631 – Roger Williams emigrates to Boston.
• 1778 – South Carolina becomes the second state to ratify the Articles of Confederation.
• 1849 – University of Wisconsin–Madison’s first class meets at Madison Female Academy.
• 1852 – The New Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia, one of the largest and oldest museums in the world, opens to the public.
• 1869 – The largest alluvial gold nugget in history, called the “Welcome Stranger”, is found in Moliagul, Victoria, Australia.
• 1913 – Greek military aviators, Michael Moutoussis and Aristeidis Moraitinis perform the first naval air mission in history, with a Farman MF.7 hydroplane.
• 1917 – The current constitution of Mexico is adopted, establishing a federal republic with powers separated into independent executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
• 1917 – The Congress of the United States passes the Immigration Act of 1917 over President Woodrow Wilson’s veto. Also known as the Asiatic Barred Zone Act, it forbade immigration from nearly all of south and southeast Asia.
• 1918 – Stephen W. Thompson shoots down a German airplane. It is the first aerial victory by the U.S. military.
• 1918 – SS Tuscania is torpedoed off the coast of Ireland; it is the first ship carrying American troops to Europe to be torpedoed and sunk.
• 1919 – Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and D. W. Griffith launch United Artists.
• 1924 – The Royal Greenwich Observatory begins broadcasting the hourly time signals known as the Greenwich Time Signal or the “BBC pips”.
• 1937 – United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposes a plan to enlarge the Supreme Court of the United States.
• 1941 – World War II: Allied forces begin the Battle of Keren to capture Keren, Eritrea.
• 1945 – World War II: General Douglas MacArthur returns to Manila.
• 1958 – A hydrogen bomb known as the Tybee Bomb is lost by the US Air Force off the coast of Savannah, Georgia, never to be recovered.
• 1971 – Astronauts land on the moon in the Apollo 14 mission.
• 1972 – Bob Douglas becomes the first African American elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame.
• 1976 – The 1976 swine flu outbreak begins at Fort Dix, NJ.
• 1985 – Ugo Vetere, then the mayor of Rome, and Chedli Klibi, then the mayor of Carthage meet in Tunis to sign a treaty of friendship officially ending the Third Punic War which lasted 2,131 years.
• 1988 – Manuel Noriega is indicted on drug smuggling and money laundering charges.
• 1994 – Byron De La Beckwith is convicted of the 1963 murder of civil rights leader Medgar Evers.
• 1997 – The so-called Big Three banks in Switzerland announce the creation of a $71 million fund to aid Holocaust survivors and their families.
• 2008 – A major tornado outbreak across the Southern United States kills 57.

KENTUCKY

Paris R. Charles, 59, of Lexington, is in Fayette County Detention Center, charged with murder and abuse of a corpse, related to the death of Goldia Massey, Lexington Division of Police officials said. Massey was reported missing in early October 2014; her torso and an arm were discovered more than 100 miles apart in October and December 2014 in Henry and Jessamine counties.

“In my mind I knew who did it,” said Goldia’s son, Zachariah Massey, to WLEX-TV. “That’s the only person I could think of who she was around that would be capable of doing something that gruesome. [He] just seemed like a ragaholic type kind of person,” he remembered. “Somebody that could snap off and lose control at any moment.”

In an interview with WKYT-TV, Zachariah stated that he is now trying to find forgiveness for the man accused of killing his mother.”My mom always told me to forgive people,” he said. “I mean, I think if you take somebody’s life, your life should be taken. But at the same time I think that’s too easy. I think he should have to live out the rest of his days in prison if he’s found guilty, and the rest of eternity in hell.”

“We break men’s law all the time,” Zachariah Massey said, “but as far as God’s law, as long as he faces consequences for that, then that’s fine by me.”

Zachariah Massey’s interviews were conducted at the Bourbon County Detention Center, where he is being held on charges of escape, robbery, possession of a forged instrument, and credit card fraud. Zachariah Massey was arrested in December for the robbery of a Cynthiana gas station.

https://web.archive.org/web/20150624094051/http://www.lex18.com:80/story/28017819/murder-victims-son-reacts-to-arrest

https://web.archive.org/web/20150729090535/http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/Victims-son-relieved-after-arrest-made-for-mothers-murder-290734391.html

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The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet reports that work has begun in Nicolas County on a $3 million bridge replacement project. Contractors are building a new bridge adjacent to the old steel truss crossing Scrubgrass Creek and TTI Railroad about five miles east of Carlisle on Kentucky 32.Land clearing and utility relocations are underway at the location; construction is scheduled to take place this spring through late summer. Demolition of the old bridge is expected in the fall. Kentucky 32 will remain open during construction, but contractors will temporarily widen the highway near the existing bridge to divert traffic away from work zones.

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Democratic House Speaker Greg Stumbo stated that there will be a heroin bill this session, but differences remain between the House and Senate.

Stumbo told reporters that funding for treatment efforts in the Senate bill, as well its approach to penalties, are undergoing review in his chamber.

“We need to be careful about the way that we craft those penalties so that we actually get the people in jail that need to be in jail, and people who are just addicts perhaps don’t need to be in the same category as what we think of as pushers or dealers,” he said.

The speaker said Rep. John Tilley has been working alongside Commonwealth Attorneys to craft the House version of the bill, a draft of which is expected by the middle of next week. Also on the docket in the near term is a measure granting domestic violence protections to dating couples.

Stumbo says questions about the oversight of those protective orders still need to answered, but the House will produce a bill – a promise the speaker says Kentuckians can “take to the bank.”

http://wuky.org/post/house-heroin-domestic-violence-bills-expected-next-week

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Kentucky Treasurer Todd Hollenbach unveiled legislation Tuesday he says will give workers without access to a retirement savings plan at their workplace the option of creating a Kentucky Retirement Account. An estimated 786,000 Kentucky workers who lack access to an employer-based retirement savings plan. Under the KYRA bill, introduced Monday in the House by Rep. Martha Jane King, employees would be able to opt in or out of a privately-run savings plan and have the contributions deducted from their paychecks. The bill would also allow for exemptions for employers that consider offering the plan a hardship.

A number of states bordering Kentucky, including Illinois and Indiana, have either passed or are weighing similar legislation.

http://wuky.org/post/ky-treasurer-proposes-kentucky-retirement-accounts

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Attorney General Jack Conway and his Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Control Unit announced the arrest of Damon J. Heath, 23, of Frankfort–a former caregiver accused of engaging in sexual conduct with two intellectually disabled adults under the care of a group service provider where he worked. Heath is charged with five counts of third-degree sodomy, four counts of first-degree sexual abuse, and two counts of knowing abuse of a vulnerable adult. Heath admitted to investigators to engaging in sexual conduct with the two victims on multiple occasions at various locations in Franklin County from April 2013 until January 2015. Heath is a former caregiver at Community Choices Unlimited, which manages a group of Frankfort-area facilities that cares for intellectually disabled adults.

Heath was lodged in the Franklin County Regional Jail. Heath is scheduled to be arraigned in Franklin District Court on Feb. 4 at 9 a.m. The investigation of this case by Attorney General Conway’s Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Control Unit is ongoing.

http://kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-Stream.aspx?viewMode=ViewDetailInNewPage&eventID=%7b6850AB7E-21F6-4105-9D80-571FAAE15D13%7d&activityType=PressRelease

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NATION

Republican Sen. Rand Paul issued a statement yesterday in which he denies saying immunizations cause disorders.now says he thinks vaccinations are safe. The potential 2016 presidential contender, said Monday he was aware of “many tragic cases of walking, talking, normal children who wound up with profound mental disorders after vaccines.” However, Paul now notes that they were “temporally related,” or connected by time. The senator says he “did not allege causation.” Additionally, Paul states that he believes vaccines have saved lives and should be administered to children. He also tweeted a photograph of himself receiving a booster vaccination Tuesday for the immunizations he received last year.

Paul, an ophthalmologist, says he’s had his own children immunized.

https://web.archive.org/web/20150729070112/http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/290717841.html

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY

• 1789 – George Washington is unanimously elected as the first President of the United States by the U.S. Electoral College.
• 1794 – The French legislature abolishes slavery throughout all territories of the French First Republic. It will be reestablished in the French West Indies in 1802.
• 1825 – The Ohio Legislature authorizes the construction of the Ohio and Erie Canal and the Miami and Erie Canal.
• 1846 – The first Mormon pioneers make their exodus from Nauvoo, Illinois, westward towards Salt Lake Valley.
• 1859 – The Codex Sinaiticus is discovered in Egypt.
• 1861 – American Civil War: In Montgomery, Alabama, delegates from six break-away U.S. states meet and form the Confederate States of America.
• 1936 – Radium becomes the first radioactive element to be made synthetically.
• 1941 – The United Service Organization (USO) is created to entertain American troops.
• 1945 – World War II: The Yalta Conference between the “Big Three” (Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin) opens at the Livadia Palace in the Crimea.
• 1967 – Lunar Orbiter program: Lunar Orbiter 3 lifts off from Cape Canaveral’s Launch Complex 13 on its mission to identify possible landing sites for the Surveyor and Apollo spacecraft.
• 1969 – Yasser Arafat takes over as chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
• 1974 – The Symbionese Liberation Army kidnaps Patty Hearst in Berkeley, California.
• 1974 – M62 coach bombing: The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) explodes a bomb on a bus carrying off-duty British Armed Forces personnel in Yorkshire, England. Nine soldiers and three civilians are killed.
• 1977 – A Chicago Transit Authority elevated train rear-ends another and derails, killing 11 and injuring 180, the worst accident in the agency’s history.
• 1996 – Major snowstorm paralyzes Midwestern United States, Milwaukee, Wisconsin and ties all-time record low temperature at −26 °F (−32.2 °C)
• 1998 – An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter Scale in northeast Afghanistan kills more than 5,000.
• 1999 – Unarmed West African immigrant Amadou Diallo is shot dead by four plainclothes New York City police officers on an unrelated stake-out, inflaming race relations in the city.
• 2004 – Facebook, a mainstream online social networking site, is founded by Mark Zuckerberg.

CYNTHIANA / HARRISON

Harrison County Schools will be hosting the March 9 meeting of Champions for a Drug Free Harrison County. The March 9 meeting will include a presentation by Pendleton County Sheriff Craig Peoples, as well as an informational update on the Healthy Teens: Beautiful Minds program grant. The meeting/presentation will take place at the Harrison County  High School Auditorium, at 5:30pm.

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KENTUCKY

Recent poll findings are showing that many Kentuckians beginning to favor the federal health-reform law after gaining further information as to how the Affordable Care Act works, and what benefits the act brings to them. The Kentucky Health Issues Poll, conducted for the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, found that 39 percent view it favorably while 41 percent view it unfavorably. Notably, 51 percent of those polled said they didn’t have enough information to know how the law would affect them personally. Most of those who reported not having enough information, 64 percent, had not graduated from high-school.

Opinions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, often called “Obamacare”, are still driven partly by politics. The survey found that 58 percent of Democrats had favorable views of the law and 64 of Republicans had unfavorable views. Among independents, 42 percent had unfavorable views and 31 percent were favorable.

The poll was also conducted for Interact for Health, formerly the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati, by the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati.

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Gun owners in Kentucky can now apply for permits to carry concealed weapons online, allowing for a quicker response than the 60-day processing period allowed for paper applications; the Courier-Journal reports that the online filing process requires state police to either issue or deny a license within 15 days of receiving an electronic application. Supporters say the change improves access to concealed-carry permits at a time when demand is high; critics, however, say it endangers the community and invites more opportunities for violence. Online applicants are still required to complete an in-person training course on Kentucky law and gun safety, and pass a background check.

http://wuky.org/post/kentucky-accepting-online-concealed-carry-permit-applications

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President Barack Obama’s new budget proposal, released Monday, includes more than $3 billion worth of tax credits and other spending to help the Appalachian region recover from the declining coal industry. The largest new spending would be $1 billion to redevelop abandoned coal mines, going to states and tribes in $200 million increments over five years. The proposal also includes $20 million from the Department of Labor for states to help workers who lost their coal mining jobs and $25 million to the Appalachian Regional Commission for the creation of community economic development plans.

Republicans in Congress blame Obama’s energy policies for the job losses in coal states. Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has pledged to continue to fight those policies. McConnell also released a statement regarding Obama’s budget proposal:

“It is cold comfort for the Obama Administration to suddenly propose easing the pain they’ve helped inflict on so many Kentucky coal families, but anything aimed at aiding these communities should be seriously considered. Meanwhile, I will continue to offer ways to help Kentucky’s struggling communities under the Obama economy, particularly those in coal country. The best way to help these Kentuckians is to prevent anti-coal efforts in the first place, which is one reason I’ve joined the Senate subcommittee charged with overseeing spending at the anti-coal EPA.”

http://wuky.org/post/obamas-budget-includes-billions-coal-states

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Fire department crews responded to Georgetown Tool and Manufacturing at Bourbon Street and Chambers Avenue around 4 a.m, this morning. Firefighters say there was cardboard and other items burning in the office when they arrived, but they can’t say for sure if the fire started there. The blaze didn’t cause any structural damage, but did damage some equipment inside. Officials say investigators will examine the scene later Tuesday to try to determine what caused the fire.

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A Louisville-Metro Police officer is accused of punching and kicking his wife and spitting on a sheriff’s deputy in Clark County, Indiana. Prosecutors say Metro Police Officer Jonathon Osborne punched his wife in the face while she was driving Sunday night in Clark County.

“It is alleged that he punched his wife who was driving a car which did result in the car leaving the roadway, striking a tractor and resulting in injuries to her that required her hospitalization,” said Clark County Prosecutor Jeremy Mull.

Osborne’s bond is set at 30,000. He is scheduled to be back in court on Wednesday morning.

http://www.wdrb.com/story/28002340/louisville-metro-police-officer-arrested-in-clark-county-ind

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WORLD

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is recalling about 230,000 Jeep Grand Cherokees worldwide to fix a software problem that could cause the vehicles’ airbags to deploy even when there’s no real risk of a crash. The vehicles involved are about 170,000 model year 2014 and 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokees in the U.S. as well as roughly 20,000 in Canada, 4,000 in Mexico another 36,4000 outside North America. There have been a few cases in which the side airbags have deployed during “extreme driving maneuvers” such as those encountered in off-road terrain. New software will make the side airbags less likely to inflate in these sorts of situations.

Fiat Chrysler (FCAM), which makes Jeeps, will notify owners of the need to bring their vehicles to a dealer for the software upgrade. Customers with questions have been asked to call 800-854-1403.

http://money.cnn.com/2015/02/02/autos/jeep-grand-cherokee-recall/

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY

• 1690 – The colony of Massachusetts issues the first paper money in the Americas.
• 1781 – American Revolutionary War: British forces seize the Dutch-owned Caribbean island Sint Eustatius.
• 1783 – American Revolutionary War: Spain recognizes United States independence.
• 1787 – Militia led by General Benjamin Lincoln crush the remnants of Shays’ Rebellion in Petersham, Massachusetts.
• 1809 – The Territory of Illinois is created by the 10th United States Congress.
• 1870 – The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, guaranteeing voting rights to citizens regardless of race.
• 1900 – Governor of Kentucky William Goebel dies of wound sustained in an assassination attempt three days earlier in Frankfort, Kentucky.
• 1913 – The Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, authorizing the Federal government to impose and collect an income tax.
• 1917 – World War I: The United States breaks off diplomatic relations with Germany a day after the latter announced a new policy of unrestricted submarine warfare.
• 1943 – The USAT Dorchester is sunk by a German U-boat. Only 230 of 902 men aboard survived. The Chapel of the Four Chaplains, dedicated by President Harry Truman, is one of many memorials established to commemorate the Four Chaplains story.
• 1944 – World War II: During the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign, U.S. Army and Marine forces seize Kwajalein Atoll from the defending Japanese garrison.
• 1945 – World War II: As part of Operation Thunderclap, 1,000 B-17s of the Eighth Air Force bomb Berlin, a raid which kills between 2,500 to 3,000 and dehouses another 120,000.
• 1945 – World War II: The United States and the Philippine Commonwealth begin a month-long battle to retake Manila from Japan.
• 1947 – The lowest temperature in North America, −63.9 °C (−83.0 °F), is recorded in Snag, Yukon.
• 1959 – Deaths of rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa.
• 1961 – The United States Air Forces begins Operation Looking Glass, and over the next 30 years, a “Doomsday Plane” is always in the air, with the capability of taking direct control of the United States’ bombers and missiles in the event of the destruction of the SAC’s command post.
• 1966 – The unmanned Soviet Luna 9 spacecraft makes the first controlled rocket-assisted landing on the Moon.
• 1967 – Ronald Ryan, the last person to be executed in Australia, is hanged in Pentridge Prison, Melbourne.
• 1969 – In Cairo, Yasser Arafat is appointed Palestine Liberation Organization leader at the Palestinian National Congress.
• 1971 – New York Police Officer Frank Serpico is shot during a drug bust in Brooklyn and survives to later testify against police corruption. Many believe the incident proves that NYPD officers tried to kill him.
• 1972 – The first day of the seven-day 1972 Iran blizzard, which would kill at least 4,000 people, making it the deadliest snowstorm in history.
• 1984 – Space Shuttle program: STS-41-B is launched using Space Shuttle Challenger.
• 1995 – Astronaut Eileen Collins becomes the first woman to pilot the Space Shuttle as mission STS-63 gets underway from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
• 1998 – Karla Faye Tucker is executed in Texas, becoming the first woman executed in the United States since 1984.
• 1998 – Cavalese cable car disaster: a United States Military pilot causes the death of 20 people when his low-flying plane cuts the cable of a cable-car near Trento, Italy.

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…its Groundhog Day!

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WEATHER

A few slick spots and gusty winds this morning.

Scattered snow showers are expected to develop before sunrise and last through the mid morning hours. These snow showers may cause a quick dusting of accumulation this morning–perhaps around the morning commute. In addition, water on roadways from rains yesterday may freeze as temperatures fall into the 20s by sunrise. Black ice may result. Travelers should use caution on morning commute.

West to northwest winds of 10 to 20 mph will gust to around 30 to 35 mph through the morning hours as well.

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CYNTHIANA / HARRISON

A semi-truck crash closed New Lair Road near Canaan Lane for several hours Saturday night. Around 8:30 pm, a truck carrying about 42,000 pounds of Post-It notes from 3M was forced off the road while driving past oncoming traffic. After going off the road, the semi truck tore through a wooden fence before landing on its side in a field. New Lair Road was blocked off at Safety Way while crews cleaned up. The driver was not hurt in the accident and will not be charged.

https://web.archive.org/web/20150202194406/http://www.lex18.com:80/story/27994607/semi-full-of-post-it-notes-flips-road-closed-for-hours

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KENTUCKY

The Kentucky Arts Council and arts organizations from across the state will celebrate Arts Day in Kentucky, 9 a.m.-noon Feb. 11 in the Capitol Rotunda, 700 Capital Ave. in Frankfort. The arts council hosts Arts Day each year during the legislative session to bring awareness of the many roles the arts play in the Commonwealth. 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the arts council by Gov. Edward T. Breathitt, as well as the 50th anniversary of the creation of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) by Congress.

Performers and demonstrators for Arts Day include:

• Bob Gibson, wood carving, Lawrenceburg
• John Harrod, fiddle, Owenton
• Marianna McDonald, pastel art, Lexington
• Hong Shao, pipa, Nicholasville
• Squallis Puppeteers, Louisville
• Jennifer Zurick, basket making, Berea
• Doug Naselroad, Winchester, and Mike Slone, Mousie; dulcimer makers

For more information about Arts Day in Kentucky, visit the Arts Day Web page and see public service announcements about the importance of the arts in Kentucky recorded by some of Kentucky’s most well-known arts professionals.

http://kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-Stream.aspx?viewMode=ViewDetailInNewPage&eventID=%7bADD07733-9D3F-426A-BA4F-83A368C6EA7D%7d&activityType=PressRelease

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Kentuckians are sending a whole barrel to Washington in hopes that it’ll spark some conversation and maybe a little compromise. Master Distillers from several distilleries will fill the “Bourbon Barrel of Compromise” at Henry Clay’s Ashland Estate Monday morning at 10:00. Then it will begin its journey travelling first by bus, to Washington, D.C., where it will then be moved to an antique carriage and travel to the InterContinental Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C. as a nod to Henry Clay and his use of bourbon to get things done. Senator McConnell and Kentucky’s congressional delegation will greet the barrel in the Round Robin Bar.

The project is driven by Lexington’s Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship, the Kentucky Society of Washington, and the Kentucky Distillers’ Association.

There’s no word on whether the president might show up to the Washington, D.C. ceremony.

https://web.archive.org/web/20160212215818/http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/Bourbon-Barrel-of-Compromise–290476811.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20160831044605/http://www.kyforward.com:80/clay-centers-peace-bourbon-on-way-to-d-c-to-sweeten-the-deal-for-a-bourbon-summit/

 

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NATION

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced Saturday that more than 2 million Toyota, Chrysler and Honda vehicles are being recalled for a second fix for faulty air bags that may inadvertently inflate while the car is running. The NHTSA says all the vehicles covered in Saturday’s announcement had already been under a recall for the faulty air bags, but the carmakers’ original attempts to fix the defects only worked about 85 percent of the time.

The recall includes some Acura MDX, Dodge Viper, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Honda Odyssey, Pontiac Vibe, Toyota Corolla and Toyota Avalon models made from 2002 to 2004.

https://web.archive.org/web/20150728140030/http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/Automakers-recall-more-than-2M-vehicles-for-faulty-air-bags-290425621.html

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A super comeback gave the New England Patriots an NFL title that had eluded them for a decade.

Tom Brady’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Julian Edelman put them ahead with 2:02 left. Then little-known rookie Malcom Butler preserved it with an interception in the end zone with 20 seconds remaining and the Patriots dethroned the defending champion Seattle Seahawks 28-24 on Sunday night.

https://web.archive.org/web/20150728225457/http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/New-Englad-Patriots-win-Super-Bowl-290491411.html

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY

• 1653 – New Amsterdam (later renamed The City of New York) is incorporated.
• 1709 – Alexander Selkirk is rescued after being shipwrecked on a desert island, inspiring the book Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.
• 1848 – Mexican–American War: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is signed.
• 1848 – California Gold Rush: The first ship with Chinese immigrants arrives in San Francisco.
• 1876 – The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs of Major League Baseball is formed.
• 1887 – In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania the first Groundhog Day is observed.
• 1901 – Funeral of Queen Victoria.
• 1913 – Grand Central Terminal is opened in New York City.
• 1914 – Charlie Chaplin’s first film appearance, Making a Living premieres.
• 1935 – Leonarde Keeler tests the first polygraph machine.
• 1980 – Reports surface that the FBI is targeting allegedly corrupt Congressmen in the Abscam operation.
• 2000 – First digital cinema projection in Europe (Paris) realized by Philippe Binant with the DLP CINEMA technology developed by Texas Instruments.