Tag: news

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.

CYNTHIANA / HARRISON

Harrison County Schools have announced that school is scheduled to be in session on February 16, 2015. That Monday, President’s Day–which was previously scheduled as a day-off for students–will now be used to make up for time missed for closings and delays.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10152535767916607&id=296254501606

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Champions for a Drug-Free Harrison County has announced that there next meeting will take place on February 9, 2015 at the Cynthiana Christian Church. According to a recent post to the Champions Facebook page, the meetings will continue at the church through the month of February. Champions has been attempting to locate a new home for their meetings.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=839388412768975&id=111571698883987

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KENTUCKY

All of Kentucky’s 173 public school districts have increased the dropout age from 16 to 18; seven public school districts will have the new policy go into effect in the 2017-18 school year, while the majority will put the policy in effect beginning this fall. State legislature created and passed a law in 2013 giving school districts the option of raising the dropout age; once 55 percent of districts did so, it would trigger a four-year deadline for everyone else to raise the age.

The Kentucky Department of Education provided each district with a $10,000 grant to plan for implementation of the higher dropout age.

It is expected that the higher compulsory school attendance age will help drive up Kentucky’s already high graduation rate. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, for the 2012-13 school year, Kentucky had the fourth highest graduation rate in the country at 86 percent, placing Kentucky as tied for ninth-highest among all states. The most recent data from the 2013-14 school year shows Kentucky’s graduation rate improved to 87.5 percent. In recent years, the state also has increased the college/career-readiness rate of its students, which now stands at 62.4 percent, up from 34 percent in 2010.

http://wuky.org/post/all-173-kentucky-school-districts-raise-dropout-age

https://web.archive.org/web/20150805052349/http://www.kyforward.com/reason-to-celebrate-all-173-kentucky-school-districts-have-raised-school-dropout-age-to-18/

http://kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-Stream.aspx?viewMode=ViewDetailInNewPage&eventID=%7b52674489-85FF-464D-8C1D-0E3EFCEF105A%7d&activityType=PressRelease

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52-year-old David C. Pierce of Lexington was sentenced Wednesday to more than 175 months in prison for leading a conspiracy in which he and others used stolen identities to file false federal income tax returns that netted more than $600,000. Federal authorities say Pierce was assisted by several co-conspirators over a two year span as he fraudulently claimed over $3.7 million in tax refunds and received over $600,000 in payments from the Internal Revenue Service. Three of Pierce’s co-conspirators have already pleaded guilty and have been sentenced. Timothy Richard Smith, 51, was also sentenced Wednesday to 70 months or more than five years in jail. Joyce Ann Estes, 44, was sentenced Jan. 22 to 51 months or more than four years in prison. Stephen Lane Woodrum, 24, was sentenced Jan. 21 to 48 months or four years. A fourth co-conspirator Dwayne Ray Smith, will be sentenced Feb. 11.

https://web.archive.org/web/20150201050414/http://www.kentucky.com:80/2015/01/29/3667613_stealing-identities-to-file-false.html?

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Lieutenant Governor Crit Luallen joined federal and state housing and veterans officials yesterday to announce a partnership aimed at sheltering Kentucky’s homeless veterans. The “Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness” involves collaboration between the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC) to issue a larger number of permanent housing vouchers for homeless veterans in Kentucky. Additionally, the U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs (KDVA) have teamed up to dedicate financial and human resources to end veteran homelessness. Through this partnership, federal and state agencies hope to continue to decrease that number by ensuring every military veteran has a safe and affordable place to live.

“This is an admirable and ambitious goal and one the Governor and I wholeheartedly support,” Lt. Gov. Luallen said. “I applaud the hard work and dedication of all our partners to launch this worthy project for the men and women who served our country.”

To assist with this partnership, more than 170 local officials throughout Kentucky have joined the “Mayors’ Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness,” an effort to solidify partnerships and gain commitments from America’s mayors and other public officials to end veteran homelessness in their cities in 2015.

“We strongly encourage all local officials to join the Mayors’ Challenge to help us with this project,” Lt. Gov. Luallen said. “It’s only by working together that we can succeed.”

In 2014 there were 600 homeless veterans in Kentucky, according to HUD. The number of homeless veterans has steadily decreased from 2008 when there was a reported 1,046 homeless veterans in the state.

http://kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-Stream.aspx?viewMode=ViewDetailInNewPage&eventID=%7b727FAEDF-9B79-4D66-B35E-D2200502C217%7d&activityType=PressRelease

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Unemployment rates fell in all 120 Kentucky counties between December 2013 and December 2014, according to the Kentucky Office of Employment and Training, an agency of the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet. This is the fourth time in the last five months that Kentucky has seen a year-over-year drop in all counties.

http://kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-Stream.aspx?viewMode=ViewDetailInNewPage&eventID=%7bB31C10AD-B6B2-4425-8413-D5CF86E7CC25%7d&activityType=PressRelease

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We’re only a month into the year, and Kentucky has already been “kicking ass” according to a recent post published by Kentucky for Kentucky. The post mentions eight news items that garnered attention this month:

• Guntown Mountain
• Lexington’s National Avenue
• Drew Curtis for Governor
• University of Pikeville offering gaming scholarships
• Indoor bike park coming to Louisville’s Mega Cavern
• Kentucky’s craft beer
• Dalton Hayes & Cheyenne Phillips
• Frankfort being listed as a destination in Condé Nast Traveler’s ‘Diamonds in the Rough: 8 Dark Horse Destinations’

https://web.archive.org/web/20160120162328/http://www.kentuckyforkentucky.com/blogs/news/16884460-8-ways-kentucky-and-its-kentuckians-kicked-ass-in-january-2015

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NATION

The Senate voted 62 to 36 in favor for a bill approving the Keystone XL oil pipeline. The passage sends the measure back to the House, which passed a largely similar bill this month. House leaders are deciding whether to pass the Senate bill as is or to hold a conference merging the House and Senate versions into a new bill to be voted on by each chamber. It is expected that the bill will be vetoed by President Obama should it reach the White House.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/01/29/382430179/senate-prepares-to-ok-keystone-xl-oil-pipeline-despite-obama-veto-threat

 

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WEIRD

34-year-old Robin Adelmann, a transgender woman, says Aerosmith’s 1987 hit “Dude Looks Like a Lady” has mocked her at bars and now, at an Ohio police department. Lakewood, Ohio Detective Thomas McLaughlin’s received a verbal warning for playing that rock hit, and the Kinks’ “Lola” as Adelmann was interviewed on shoplifting charges last month. McLaughlin blasted the transgender-themed songs from his work computer “trying to be funny to his co-workers,” a police report stated. Adelmann complained to the agency’s Internal Affairs Unit, which resulted in McLaughlin’s discipline.

“Every transgender person wants to be left alone. We want to blend back into society and be who we are,” Adelmann pleaded. “We don’t even want you to notice us.”

Adelmann has since pleaded no-contest to shoplifting charges and is on probation for one year.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ohio-taunted-transgender-woman-aerosmith-song-article-1.2096920

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY

• 1790 – The first boat specializing as a lifeboat is tested on the River Tyne.
• 1806 – The original Lower Trenton Bridge (also called the Trenton Makes the World Takes Bridge), which spans the Delaware River between Morrisville, Pennsylvania and Trenton, New Jersey, is opened.
• 1820 – Edward Bransfield sights the Trinity Peninsula and claims the discovery of Antarctica.
• 1835 – In the first assassination attempt against a President of the United States, Richard Lawrence attempts to shoot president Andrew Jackson, but fails and is subdued by a crowd, including several congressmen.
• 1847 – Yerba Buena, California is renamed San Francisco.
• 1862 – The first American ironclad warship, the USS Monitor is launched.
• 1911 – The destroyer USS Terry makes the first airplane rescue at sea saving the life of Douglas McCurdy ten miles from Havana, Cuba.
• 1933 – Adolf Hitler is sworn in as Chancellor of Germany.
• 1942 – World War II: Japanese forces invade the island of Ambon in the Dutch East Indies.
• 1943 – World War II: Second day of the Battle of Rennell Island. The USS Chicago is sunk and a U.S. destroyer is heavily damaged by Japanese torpedoes.
• 1944 – World War II: The Battle of Cisterna, part of Operation Shingle, begins in central Italy.
• 1944 – World War II: American troops land on Majuro, Marshall Islands.
• 1945 – World War II: The Wilhelm Gustloff, overfilled with German refugees, sinks in the Baltic Sea after being torpedoed by a Soviet submarine, killing approximately 9,500 people in what is the deadliest known maritime disaster.
• 1945 – World War II: Raid at Cabanatuan: One hundred twenty-six American Rangers and Filipino resistance fighters liberate over 500 Allied prisoners from the Japanese-controlled Cabanatuan POW camp.
• 1948 – Mahatma Gandhi known for his non-violent freedom struggle, is assassinated by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu extremist.
• 1956 – African-American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.’s home is bombed in retaliation for the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
• 1959 – MS Hans Hedtoft, said to be the safest ship afloat and “unsinkable” like the RMS Titanic, strikes an iceberg on her maiden voyage and sinks, killing all 95 aboard.
• 1968 – Vietnam War: Tet Offensive launch by forces of the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army against South Vietnam, the United States, and their allies.
• 1969 – The Beatles’ last public performance, on the roof of Apple Records in London. The impromptu concert is broken up by the police.
• 1982 – Richard Skrenta writes the first PC virus code, which is 400 lines long and disguised as an Apple boot program called “Elk Cloner”.
• 1995 – Workers from the National Institutes of Health announce the success of clinical trials testing the first preventive treatment for sickle-cell disease.
• 2013 – Naro-1 becomes the first carrier rocket launched by South Korea.

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DUDE (LOOKS LIKE A LADY)

CYNTHIANA / HARRISON

The Cynthiana-Harrison County Parks and Recreation office is taking signups for indoor soccer thru February 14th. The cost to play is $25 per child with the season starting around the first of March and ending sometime in April. Office hours are from 2 to 5 Monday-Friday, and from 10 to noon Saturdays.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1704358949790488&id=1435907653302287

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HARRISON COUNTY SPORTS

Boy’s Freshman 38th Dist Tourn:

The 38th District Freshman Boys Tournament was postponed last Saturday due to weather. The Tournament has been rescheduled for Sat, Jan 31. All games will be played at Harrison Co High School. Harrison vs Nicholas at 5:00 pm. Pendleton vs Robertson at 6:30 pm. Championship at 8:00 pm.

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Breds Basketball:

• Tuesday, 2-3-15 HC vs Campbell Co at Campbell 6/7:30
• Friday, 2-6-15 Harrison Vs. Bracken Co at Home 5/6/7:30
  • Homecoming and senior night for Breds; Sr. night festivities will be after JV game and Homecoming will be at half time of Varsity game.
• Saturday, 2-7-15 Harrison vs Collins HS at Collins 4:45/6/7:30

Fillies Basketball:

• Monday, 2-2-15 HC vs Williamstown at Williamstown 6/7:30
• Tuesday, 2-3-15 Harrison vs Augusta at home 6/7:30
• Wednesday, 2-4-15 HC vs Scott Co at home 7:00 Freshman
• Saturday, 2-7-15 Harrison vs Brossart at Brossart 6/7:30

Bowling:

• Sunday, 2-1-15 Regional Tournament ( This is all the info I have ) I do not have times

Wrestling:

• Saturday, 2-7-15 Harrison at Charger Classic Jeffersontown High School

Indoor Track:

• Saturday, 2-7-15 Harrison at Mason County 10:00

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KENTUCKY

Gov. Beshear has been invited to speak at the international CAR-Symposium in Bochum, Germany, where he will discuss Kentucky’s prominence in the global auto industry. More than a thousand automotive executives from around the world gather for the yearly conference to discuss opportunities for future growth.

During the five-day trip, the Governor, accompanied by executive staff at the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, also will showcase Kentucky’s business-friendly climate to potential new businesses and strengthen existing ties with European companies already operating in the Commonwealth.

To further boost economic development leads from European companies, Kentucky also operates an international office in Hamburg, Germany. During the upcoming trip, Gov. Beshear will follow-up on several business opportunities that have arisen thanks to the on-the-ground, in-country support designed to develop relationships with European companies.

Since taking office in 2007, Gov. Beshear has made a half dozen economic development trips to Europe. He is scheduled to return to Kentucky Feb. 5.

http://kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-Stream.aspx?viewMode=ViewDetailInNewPage&eventID=%7b13796E0C-5CA7-4AB6-898F-0CF95F38566A%7d&activityType=PressRelease

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Fort Boonesborough State Park and the Fort Boonesborough Foundation will be holding a series of “Fireside Chats” with famous characters from Kentucky history beginning Feb. 7, 2015.

During each Saturday program, there will be a “Taste of Frontier Fare” from 5:30-6:15 p.m. The program begins at 6:45 p.m. at the 18th Century Tavern blockhouse.

• Feb. 7: Frontier doctor (portrayed by Albert Roberts)
• Feb. 14: Maggie Delaney, Irish indentured servant (portrayed by Carol Jarboe)
• Feb. 21: Simon Kenton (a Kentucky Chautauqua performance by Mel Hankla)
• Feb. 28: Frontier surveyor (portrayed by David VanMeter)

Tickets are $15 for adults, and children 12 and under are $5 each. Reservations are required due to limited seating. Visit fortboonesboroughlivinghistory.org for more information.

https://web.archive.org/web/20170212131233/http://migration.kentucky.gov/Newsroom/parks/FBFireside012315.htm

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NATION

San Francisco police report having discovered human body parts stuffed inside a suitcase left behind on the sidewalk of a downtown street. Police spokeswoman Grace Gatpandan said police closed off nearby blocks in the area of the package around 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, and found more remains after searching the area. The city medical examiner confirmed that the remains were human, but could not determine whether they belonged to one person or multiple victims, Gatpandan said. Police are reported to be seeking a person of interest in the case, but have not released information on the suspect as the homicide investigation was ongoing. The suitcase was found within blocks of social media company Twitter Inc’s headquarters.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/29/human-remains-found-in-suitcase_n_6569004.html

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WEATHER

Potential Exists for Wintry Weather Saturday Night – Monday Morning

A storm system is expected to cross the Ohio Valley later this weekend, bringing the possibility of a wintry mix to parts of southern Indiana and central Kentucky. There remains considerable uncertainty but the potential exists for impacts to travel Sunday.

When: Starting late Saturday night through Monday morning. Highest precipitation chances Sunday / Sunday night.

Where: The entire area is expected to see precipitation. At this time, southern Indiana and points north most likely to see a period of snow.

Confidence: Low. There remains a wide range of outcomes with this system due to uncertainties in storm track and temperatures. This greatly impacts precipitation type. Two possible storm tracks and expected precipitation types are depicted below.

https://web.archive.org/web/20150202032306/http://www.crh.noaa.gov:80/news/display_cmsstory.php?wfo=lmk&storyid=106430&source=0

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WEIRD

Bart the Cat was hit by a car and buried by his heartbroken owner in January 2015. Five days later, he clawed his way out of his shallow grave. While Bart did survive a terrifying ordeal, many were skeptical the ferocious feline could overcome his injuries. The cat needed to have his broken jaw repaired and an eye removed.

http://www.snopes.com/info/news/bartthecat.asp

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY

• 1834 – US President Andrew Jackson orders first use of federal soldiers to suppress a labor dispute.
• 1845 – “The Raven” is published in The Evening Mirror in New York, the first publication with the name of the author, Edgar Allan Poe
• 1850 – Henry Clay introduces the Compromise of 1850 to the U.S. Congress.
• 1861 – Kansas is admitted as the 34th U.S. state.
• 1863 – Bear River Massacre.
• 1886 – Karl Benz patents the first successful gasoline-driven automobile.
• 1891 – Liliuokalani is proclaimed the last monarch and only queen regnant of the Kingdom of Hawaii.
• 1900 – The American League is organized in Philadelphia with eight founding teams.
• 1907 – Charles Curtis of Kansas becomes the first Native American U.S. Senator.
• 1916 – World War I: Paris is first bombed by German zeppelins.
• 1936 – The first inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame are announced.
• 1963 – The first inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame are announced.
• 1967 – The “ultimate high” of the hippie era, the Mantra-Rock Dance, takes place in San Francisco and features Janis Joplin, Grateful Dead, and Allen Ginsberg.
• 1991 – Gulf War: The Battle of Khafji, the first major ground engagement of the war, as well as its deadliest, begins.
• 1996 – President Jacques Chirac announces a “definitive end” to French nuclear weapons testing.
• 1998 – In Birmingham, Alabama, a bomb explodes at an abortion clinic, killing one and severely wounding another. Serial bomber Eric Robert Rudolph is suspected as the culprit.
• 2002 – In his State of the Union address, President George W. Bush describes “regimes that sponsor terror” as an Axis of evil, in which he includes Iraq, Iran and North Korea.
• 2009 – Governor of Illinois Rod Blagojevich is removed from office following his conviction of several corruption charges, including the alleged solicitation of personal benefit in exchange for an appointment to the United States Senate as a replacement for then-U.S. president-elect Barack Obama.

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CYNTHIANA / HARRISON

A Harrison County High School student was killed and another was injured in a Monday afternoon crash near Falmouth.  The driver, Bradlee Beagle (18) was taken to the Cincinnati hospital with chest injuries, while passenger Darin Williams (18) was flown to University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, Peoples said. The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that a hospital spokeswoman said there was no patient by that name Tuesday. Pendleton County Sheriff Craig Peoples stated that a vehicle had stopped in the roadway to allow for a dog to cross, when Beagle’s vehicle came up from behind; Beagle swerved to miss the stopped vehicle, his vehicle left the roadway, came back onto the road, went out of control and slid sideways. It then went over an embankment and rolled several times, Peoples said.

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KENTUCKY

The pairings for the 2015 Houchens Industries/KHSAA Girls’ Sweet Sixteen® and the 2015 Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Boys’ Sweet Sixteen® will be revealed on Thursday, Feb. 5 at 1 p.m. (ET) when the annual Draw Show is televised live by The CW Lexington. The Sweet 16® Draw Show will also be streamed live online at KHSAA.tv and WKYT.com.

The 2015 Houchens Industries/KHSAA Girls’ Sweet 16® will be held March 11-15 at E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, with the 2015 Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Boys’ Sweet 16® taking place March 18-22 at Rupp Arena in Lexington. Full-session ticket packages for the Boys’ and Girls’ Sweet 16® are available for $80 for upper arena seats and $124 for side/lower arena seats, and can be purchased online at the following link: https://web.archive.org/web/20171121071735/http://khsaa.org:80/payments/tickets/

Brackets with official times and pairings will be available on the KHSAA/Riherds.com Scoreboard and the KHSAA website on the basketball home page following the conclusion of the draw show.

01/27/15 – Sweet Sixteen® Draw Show Set For February 5th on CW Lexington, KHSAA.tv

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Former U.S. Senate candidate Matt Bevin has filed to run in the Republican primary for Kentucky governor. Bevin, a Louisville businessman, said in a statement Tuesday that his running mate, Jenean Hampton, would be the first black female lieutenant governor in Kentucky history. Hampton served in the U.S. military, including a tour of duty in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War. The tea party-backed Bevin lost last year’s primary to incumbent Sen. Mitch McConnell. Candidates have until 4 p.m. to file for one of six statewide offices that are on the ballot in 2015.

http://wuky.org/post/tea-partier-matt-bevin-files-run-governor

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Alison Lundergan Grimes filed for re-election as Kentucky secretary of state, ending months of speculation about the former Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate’s political plans for 2015. Grimes spent more than $18 million in 2014 trying to unseat the now-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in a race that garnered her national attention.

https://web.archive.org/web/20150727163452/http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/Alison-Grimes-to-seek-re-election-as-secretary-of-state-289893571.html

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Former Morgan County Judge-Executive Tim Conley tearfully begged for mercy before being sentenced to more than seven years in prison on Tuesday, for collecting more than $100,000 in a kickback scheme that continued after his Appalachian county was hit by a tornado. U.S. District Judge Gregory F. Van Tatenhove sentenced Conley to seven years and three months in prison for soliciting and accepting the kickbacks from a bridge contractor. That was at the top of federal sentencing guidelines. Prosecutors urged a sentence of 11 years and four months.

The 2012 tornado killed six people in Morgan County. They were among 25 who died in an outbreak of twisters statewide.

http://wuky.org/post/conley-sentenced-slightly-more-seven-years-kentucky-tornado-kickback-scheme

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY

• 1547 – Henry VIII dies. His nine-year-old son, Edward VI becomes King, and the first Protestant ruler of England.
• 1813 – Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is first published in the United Kingdom.
• 1820 – A Russian expedition led by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev discovers the Antarctic continent, approaching the Antarctic coast.
• 1855 – A locomotive on the Panama Canal Railway, runs from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean for the first time.
• 1887 – In a snowstorm at Fort Keogh, Montana, the world’s largest snowflakes are reported, 15 inches (38 cm) wide and 8 inches (20 cm) thick.
• 1896 – Walter Arnold of East Peckham, Kent becomes the first person to be convicted of speeding. He was fined 1 shilling, plus costs, for speeding at 8 mph (13 km/h), thus exceeding the contemporary speed limit of 2 mph (3.2 km/h).
• 1902 – The Carnegie Institution of Washington is founded in Washington, D.C. with a $10 million gift from Andrew Carnegie.
• 1915 – An act of the U.S. Congress creates the United States Coast Guard as a branch of the United States Armed Forces.
• 1922 – Knickerbocker Storm, Washington D.C.’s biggest snowfall, causes the city’s greatest loss of life when the roof of the Knickerbocker Theatre collapses.
• 1938 – The World Land Speed Record on a public road is broken by Rudolf Caracciola in the Mercedes-Benz W195 at a speed of 432.7 kilometres per hour (268.9 mph).
• 1956 – Elvis Presley makes his first US television appearance
• 1958 – The Lego company patents the design of its Lego bricks, still compatible with bricks produced today.
• 1977 – The first day of the Great Lakes Blizzard of 1977 which dumps 10 feet (3.0 m) of snow in one-day in Upstate New York, with Buffalo, Syracuse, Watertown, and surrounding areas most affected.
• 1979 – CBS News Sunday Morning debuts with original host and cocreator Charles Kuralt.
• 1981 – Ronald Reagan lifts remaining domestic petroleum price and allocation controls in the United States helping to end the 1979 energy crisis and begin the 1980s oil glut.
• 1985 – Supergroup USA for Africa (United Support of Artists for Africa) records the hit single We Are the World, to help raise funds for Ethiopian famine relief.
• 1986 – Space Shuttle program: STS-51-L mission – Space Shuttle Challenger explodes after liftoff killing all seven astronauts on board.

WEATHER

The National Weather Service in Louisville has issued a Travelers Advisory for patchy light freezing drizzle and flurries, which is in effect until 10am for all of central southern Indiana and central Kentucky.

Light freezing drizzle and flurries will create scattered slick spots early this morning on untreated surfaces, especially bridges, overpasses, rural roads, and sidewalks.

Stay tuned to NOAA all hazards weather radio and your local media for the latest on this winter weather situation.

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CYNTHIANA / HARRISON

Harrison County is on a TWO-Hour delay today, Tuesday, January 27, 2015.
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10152531569501607&id=296254501606

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Police in Pendleton County are investigating a crash that injured two teenagers from Cynthiana. The crash happened Monday afternoon on U.S. 27, outside of Falmouth. Police say the driver of the car was trying to avoid an animal in the road when he lost control and rolled off the road. Police say the passenger was thrown from the car. Both the driver and passenger were airlifted to a Cincinnati hospital. Their conditions are not known.

https://web.archive.org/web/20161226110124/http://www.wkyt.com:80/home/headlines/Two-teens-injured-in-Pendleton-County-crash-289874961.html

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Harrison Memorial Hospital began 2015 with three new members on its Board of Directors; James Smith, Greg Wills and Dr. James Pettey attended their first official board meeting on January 15. Wills was contacted by the hospital board’s nominating committee to determine his interest in serving as a board member for the next three years, and was elected into the board on November 20. Smith joins the board as the newly elected mayor of Cynthiana, and Pettey will serve on the board as the new chief of the medical staff.

https://www.facebook.com/notes/harrison-memorial-hospital/smith-wills-and-pettey-join-hmh-board-of-directors/800976803306729

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KENTUCKY

Lexington police responded to the scene of what became the city’s second homocide, last night. A man was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds in the backseat of a four-door sedan along the side of Johnston Road, which runs between Bryan Station Road and Paris Pike. Fayette County Coroner Gary Ginn said the man had not been identified but was thought to be Hispanic and was possibly in his 20s.

https://web.archive.org/web/20150130025922/http://www.kentucky.com:80/2015/01/26/3662597_man-found-shot-to-death-in-car.html?

https://web.archive.org/web/20150727031006/http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/Coroner-on-the-scene-of-a-reported-shooting-in-Lexington-289865351.html

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Sixty new Intoxilyzer 8000s will be placed in Kentucky jails starting in February; two will go to each Kentucky State Police post district and the rest will to the agencies with the most DUI arrests. A previous model–the Intoxilyzer 5000–has been in use by the KSP for 16 years. The first Intoxilyzer 8000s were delivered to the KSP’s Central Lab about five years ago, however full rollout of the new equipment was delayed due to numerous factors, including questions of the device’s accuracy. Reports from other states like Ohio and Florida surfaced, claiming that “if you blew too hard or didn’t blow hard enough…It wasn’t catching the correct errors or it was creating an error that wasn’t really there,” said Central Lab Director Laura Sudkamp.

There are other brands of breathalyzers, however, Sudkamp says the state is comfortable with the company, and it’s a product made in Kentucky.

https://web.archive.org/web/20161106061905/http://www.wkyt.com:80/home/headlines/New-breathalyzers-for-KSP-controversial-in-other-states-289842531.html

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A poll found that 80 percent of Kentucky think dating partners should be allowed to get a protective order against a partner who had made them a victim of violence, and the prospects for such a law appear to have improved considerably. Under current law, such orders are available only to family members, members of an unmarried couple with a child in common, and unmarried couples who either live together or have lived together. All other states allow such orders for partners who are merely in a relationship.

“Kentucky is the last state in the country not to offer protections to victims of dating violence,” said state Rep. John Tilley, D-Hopkinsville, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. “It is time we changed that.”

The poll, taken Oct. 8 through Nov. 6, found 83 percent of women and 76 percent of men in favor of the change. Majorities in each political party also supported it: 84 percent of Democrats, 77 percent of Republicans and 75 percent of independents. The poll’s error margin is plus or minus 2.5 percentage points. The poll was conducted by the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati for the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky and Interact for Health, formerly the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati.

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NATION

A “life-threatening” blizzard has moved into the U.S. Northeast, affecting up to 20 percent of Americans–keeping many workers and students housebound, halting thousands of flights and prompting officials to close roadways and shut down public transport. Governors of at least eight East Coast states declared emergencies; ultimately, the storm could affect up to 60 million people in nearly a dozen states. The National Weather Service lowered snowfall forecasts early this morning, however still said a “life-threatening blizzard” could bring as much as 24 inches (61 cm) of snow.

Sustained winds in the area could reach 40 mph, though gusts as high as 78 mph have been recorded in Nantucket, Massachusetts. Preliminary reports from the NWS in Massachusetts showed that 13 inches of snow had fallen by early Tuesday across parts of the state. Manhattan’s Central Park has received just over 6 inches, and almost 15 inches fell on the Islip Airport on Long Island, according to unofficial NWS figures.

https://web.archive.org/web/20150712161911/http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/27/us-usa-weather-idUSKBN0KW26Z20150127

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The drone which was reported as entering the White House compund yesterday morning was revealed to have been a recreational craft being flown by a government employee. The drone, which was about two feet in diameter and weighed about two pounds, has been identified as a “quadcopter” available for purchase by any citizen for recreational use. The Secret Service said the employee was flying the quadcopter near the White House around 3 a.m. when he somehow lost control of it. Officials have clarified that the man does not work at the White House. The unidentified government employee has not been charged with a crime.

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY

• 1302 – Dante Alighieri, the poet and politician is exiled from Florence, Italy, where he served as one of six priors governing the city.
• 1606 – Gunpowder Plot: The trial of Guy Fawkes and other conspirators begins, ending with their execution on January 31.
• 1776 – American Revolutionary War: Henry Knox’s “noble train of artillery” arrives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
• 1785 – The University of Georgia is founded, the first public university in the United States.
• 1825 – The U.S. Congress approves Indian Territory (in what is present-day Oklahoma), clearing the way for forced relocation of the Eastern Indians on the “Trail of Tears”.
• 1880 – Thomas Edison receives the patent on the incandescent lamp, the first light bulb.
• 1888 – The National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C.
• 1939 – First flight of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning.
• 1943 – World War II: The VIII Bomber Command dispatched ninety-one B-17s and B-24s to attack the U-Boat construction yards at Wilhelmshaven, Germany. This was the first American bombing attack on Germany of the war.
• 1944 – World War II: The 900-day Siege of Leningrad is lifted.
• 1945 – World War II: The Red Army liberates the remained inmates of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp built by the Nazi Germans on the territory of Poland.
• 1951 – Nuclear testing at the Nevada Test Site begins with a one-kiloton bomb dropped on Frenchman Flat.
• 1967 – Astronauts Gus Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee are killed in a fire during a test of their Apollo 1 spacecraft at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
• 1967 – The United States, United Kingdom, and Soviet Union sign the Outer Space Treaty in Washington, D.C., banning deployment of nuclear weapons in space, and limiting use of the Moon and other celestial bodies to peaceful purposes.
• 1973 – The Paris Peace Accords officially end the Vietnam War. Colonel William Nolde is killed in action becoming the conflict’s last recorded American combat casualty.
• 1980 – Through cooperation between the U.S. and Canadian governments, six American diplomats secretly escape hostilities in Iran in the culmination of the Canadian Caper.
• 1984 – Pop singer Michael Jackson suffers second degree burns to his scalp during the filming of a Pepsi commercial in the Shrine Auditorium.
• 1996 – Germany first observes International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
• 2003 – The first selections for the National Recording Registry are announced by the Library of Congress.
• 2006 – Western Union discontinues its Telegram and Commercial Messaging services.

WEATHER

The National Weather Service in Louisville has issued a Travelers Advisory for slick roads, which is in effect until 10am.

Wet roadways coupled with a light amount of snowfall earlier this morning has led to icy roadways as temperatures have fallen into the 20s. Secondary and elevated roadways are most likely to be affected.

Motorists are urged to use caution this morning, as black ice is difficult to spot. Slow down and allow plenty of time to reach your destination. Conditions should improve by the mid morning hours.

Stay tuned to NOAA all hazards weather radio and your local media for the latest on this winter weather situation. More information, along with other weather, hydrological and climate information can be found at weather.gov/louisville.

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CYNTHIANA / HARRISON

Due to slick road conditions there will be no school today, Monday, January 26, 2015.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10152529944781607&id=296254501606

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Cynthiana Mayor James Smith has announced that he will be introducing a resolution at tomorrow’s Commissioner’s meeting, which will ask for higher penalties for persons arrested for dealing and trafficking drugs, as well as increasing funds for programs that will aid addicts in recovery. Smith states that he will urge the Commission to vote in support of his resolution, which he plans to deliver to Frankfort.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10152947555568820&id=762763819

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KENTUCKY

Kentucky State Police has reported that the agency is roughly 100 troopers short of its authorized staffing level, due in part to retirements and challenges in finding recruits. Trooper Paul Blanton says there are certain challenges in recruiting eligible applicants, and readying a new cadet class takes a long time. Among the challenges, Blanton notes that some applicants–such as those with visible tattoos–are immediately disqualified; another challenge comes from newly trained troopers leaving the KSP for other law enforcement agencies. The agency currently has 910 troopers, including 69 new trainees that graduated last week.

http://wuky.org/post/state-police-experiencing-trooper-shortage

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The Kentucky Office of Highway Safety (KOHS) has released preliminary figures in a Jan. 16 report, indicating that 667 people lost their lives on Kentucky roadways last year, up from 638 in 2013. Transportation Secretary Mike Hancock said saving lives and reducing serious injuries is a top priority of the administration.

“We are saddened by the fatality increase, and we firmly believe that one fatality is too many,” Hancock said. “The Governor’s Executive Committee on Highway Safety is committed to providing direction on traffic safety issues as we move ‘Toward Zero Deaths’ on Kentucky’s roadways.”

KSP Commissioner Rodney Brewer says the increase in fatalities during 2014 will not discourage his agency from striving ‘Toward Zero Deaths’ in 2015. “We are utilizing real-time, digital traffic data to identify high crash corridors and increasing patrols and enforcement efforts in those areas.”

The figures will remain classified as preliminary until all highway crash data is collected. A final report is expected by April.

For more information, visit http://highwaysafety.ky.gov and http://www.kentuckystatepolice.org.

http://kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-Stream.aspx?viewMode=ViewDetailInNewPage&eventID=%7b5EEFFE7B-8740-482B-8ECF-3A9FD60FAC07%7d&activityType=PressRelease

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Kentucky state Rep. Mike Harmon has filed for his run as state auditor on Friday morning. The Danville Republican has served in the state House since 2003 and represents Boyle and Casey counties. Harmon says he will use “conservative, practical principles” to guard state funds. Democratic incumbent Adam Edelen is the only other candidate to have filed for auditor so far. The deadline to file for statewide office is 4 p.m. Jan. 27.

http://wuky.org/post/republican-harmon-files-ky-auditor

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NATION

An unknown device has been discovered on the grounds of the White House, according to information released by White House spokesman Josh Earnest. Secret Service Agents recovered the object, and established a security perimeter around the building. The device does not pose “any kind of ongoing threat,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said during a press briefing. Neither President Barack Obama nor first lady Michelle Obama were on the premises when the device was located; both are currently in India. As of the time of this writing, no details about the device or the exact location where it was found have been released.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/26/device-found-white-house_n_6545156.html?utm_hp_ref=dc&ir=DC

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ENTERTAINMENT

The Rohs Opera House has announced their scheduled films for the next five weekends:

• Jan 30-Feb 1 – Annie
• Feb 6-8 – Unbroken
• Feb 13-14 – American Sniper
• Feb 20-21 – Selma
• Feb 27-29 – Paddington

https://www.facebook.com/groups/58664724413/permalink/10153046974319414/

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY

• 1700 – The magnitude 9 Cascadia Earthquake takes place off the west coast of North America, as evidenced by Japanese records.
• 1788 – The British First Fleet, led by Arthur Phillip, sails into Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour) to establish Sydney, the first permanent European settlement on the continent. Commemorated as Australia Day.
• 1837 – Michigan is admitted as the 26th U.S. state.
• 1838 – Tennessee enacts the first prohibition law in the United States
• 1855 – Point No Point Treaty is signed in Washington Territory.
• 1856 – First Battle of Seattle. Marines from the USS Decatur drive off American Indian attackers after all day battle with settlers.
• 1861 – American Civil War: The state of Louisiana secedes from the Union.
• 1863 – American Civil War: General Ambrose Burnside is relieved of command of the Army of the Potomac after the disastrous Fredericksburg campaign. He is replaced by Joseph Hooker.
• 1863 – American Civil War: Governor of Massachusetts John Albion Andrew receives permission from Secretary of War to raise a militia organization for men of African descent.
• 1870 – American Civil War: Virginia rejoins the Union.
• 1915 – The Rocky Mountain National Park is established by an act of the U.S. Congress.
• 1920 – Former Ford Motor Company executive Henry Leland launches the Lincoln Motor Company which he later sold to his former employer.
• 1942 – World War II: The first United States forces arrive in Europe landing in Northern Ireland.
• 1961 – John F. Kennedy appoints Janet G. Travell to be his physician. This is the first time a woman holds the appointment of Physician to the President.
• 1962 – Ranger program: Ranger 3 is launched to study the moon. The space probe later misses the moon by 22,000 miles (35,400 km).
• 1978 – The Great Blizzard of 1978, a rare severe blizzard with the lowest non-tropical atmospheric pressure ever recorded in the US until October 2010, strikes the Ohio – Great Lakes region with heavy snow and winds up to 100 mph (161 km/h).
• 1992 – Boris Yeltsin announces that Russia will stop targeting United States cities with nuclear weapons.
• 1998 – Lewinsky scandal: On American television, U.S. President Bill Clinton denies having had “sexual relations” with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

CYNTHIANA / HARRISON

Heroin was a topic for discussion at a community meeting hosted by the Harrison County Search and Rescue Team at Cynthiana Christian Church, yesterday evening. Guest speakers from the Heroin Impact Response Team educated citizens, first responders and hospital workers on the drug and how to know when someone’s using. After the meeting, members of the Heroine Impact Response Team handed out overdose emergency response kits that included two doses of NARCAN; NARCAN is a medicine administered to overdose patients to reverse the effect of the heroine. Health experts at Thursday’s meeting said there were 230 deadly heroin overdoses in 2013 statewide and they expect that number to triple for 2014 once the final numbers are reported. The rise in heroin abuse and addiction in the area has also resulted in a corresponding rise in missing person searches where the drug has played an important role, according to Re’Jeana Craft, chief of the Harrison County Search and Rescue Team.

https://web.archive.org/web/20150625131315/http://www.wkyt.com/news/headlines/City-leaders-working-to-fight-Cynthianas-heroin-problem-289533471.html

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Seven jury trials are scheduled for February in Harrison Circuit Court; the first two taking place on Feb. 5, when a jury will hear the cases against Christopher Wilson and Joshua Fryman. Wilson is charged with second degree burglary, theft by unlawful taking $500 or more but less than $10,000, theft by unlawful taking under $500 and third degree criminal mischief. Fryman will stand trial for receiving stolen property under $10,000. The slate of jury trials for Feb. 19 are primarily drug- and sex-related charges. Additional trial dates set for the year include trials for:

• Larry C. Browning. Browning’s charges include first degree sexual abuse, victim under 12 years old (three counts), first degree indecent exposure, alcohol intoxication in a public place, second degree disorderly conduct, and second degree indecent exposure.
• Mercedes Clem.  Clem’s charges include second degree possession of a controlled substance (drug unspecified), theft by unlawful taking (firearm),and theft by unlawful taking or disposition of controlled substance under $10,000.
• Osie Jackson. Jackson’s charges of first degree trafficking in a controlled substance (heroin), tampering with physical evidence and possession of drug paraphernalia.
• Joshua Griffieth. Griffieth has one trial set for a charge of theft by unlawful taking $500 or more but less than $10,000; a second trial is set for the charges of first degree trafficking in a controlled substance (heroin), tampering with physical evidence, second degree possession of controlled substance, third degree possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
• Nicholas Harney. Harney is charged with flagrant non-support.

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The special election set to fill the seat of Wayne Blevins Jr. on Tuesday, March 3, will take place at Cynthiana’s National Guard Armory at 1497 New Lair Road. The election date was announced earlier this year, by Governor Steve Beshear, following Blevins’ resignation as representative of the 27th Senatorial District; Blevins resigned his senatorial position to serve as Rowan County judge-executive. Harrison County Clerk Linda Furnish said all Harrison County precincts will be voting at the armory instead of more familiar polling locations due to sheduling conflicts with the Harrison County school district.

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KENTUCKY

Condolences were a plenty for a Kentucky politician who passed away Thursday morning. Wendell Ford, former Democratic Governor and U.S. Senator, died Thursday morning at his home in Owensboro at the age of 90. At the time of his retirement, Ford was Kentucky’s longest serving senator, a title now belonging to Sen. Mitch McConnell.

“Wendell Ford first came to the Senate in the 1970s, calling himself just a ‘dumb country boy with dirt between his toes,’ but over a distinguished two-decade career this workhorse of the Senate would prove he was anything but,” McConnell said.

http://wuky.org/post/wendell-ford-remembered

http://kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-Stream.aspx?viewMode=ViewDetailInNewPage&eventID=%7bE0A86A8A-3A37-4192-8905-3347DA23C947%7d&activityType=PressRelease

http://kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-Stream.aspx?viewMode=ViewDetailInNewPage&eventID=%7bB9422423-2946-4856-A98C-7AAE5EB7BBB1%7d&activityType=PressRelease

http://kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-Stream.aspx?viewMode=ViewDetailInNewPage&eventID=%7bFFE3B00E-16FC-4E30-A14C-05AAF9EED441%7d&activityType=PressRelease

http://kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-Stream.aspx?viewMode=ViewDetailInNewPage&eventID=%7b3D2A4C3D-2E29-40C8-AE86-859ED64C313F%7d&activityType=PressRelease

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First-term agriculture commissioner, James Comer (Rep.),  has officially filed to run for governor; Comer has been raising funds for a campaign since September–along with running mate state Sen. Chris McDaniel–however, yesterday marked the official start of his 2015 campaign. Comer is the second Republican to file for governor following former state Supreme Court Justice Will T. Scott. Former Louisville Metro Councilman Hal Heiner also plans to run but has not officially filed yet. Attorney General Jack Conway and former congressional candidate Geoff Young are the only Democrats to have filed so far. Candidates have until 4 p.m. Jan. 27 to file for statewide office.

http://wuky.org/post/comer-files-kentucky-governor

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY

• 1556 – The deadliest earthquake in history, the Shaanxi earthquake, hits Shaanxi province, China. The death toll may have been as high as 830,000.
• 1570 – James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, regent for the infant King James VI of Scotland, is assassinated by firearm, the first recorded instance of such.
• 1571 – The Royal Exchange opens in London.
• 1789 – Georgetown College, the first Catholic University in the United States, is founded in Georgetown, Maryland (now a part of Washington, D.C.)
• 1855 – The first bridge over the Mississippi River opens in what is now Minneapolis, Minnesota, a crossing made today by the Hennepin Avenue Bridge.
• 1870 – In Montana, U.S. cavalrymen kill 173 Native Americans, mostly women and children, in what becomes known as the Marias Massacre.
• 1897 – Elva Zona Heaster is found dead in Greenbrier County, West Virginia. The resulting murder trial of her husband is perhaps the only case in United States history where the alleged testimony of a ghost helped secure a conviction.
• 1909 – RMS Republic, a passenger ship of the White Star Line, becomes the first ship to use the CQD distress signal after colliding with another ship, the SS Florida, off the Massachusetts coastline, an event that kills six people. The Republic sinks the next day.
• 1941 – Charles Lindbergh testifies before the U.S. Congress and recommends that the United States negotiate a neutrality pact with Adolf Hitler.
• 1957 – American inventor Walter Frederick Morrison sells the rights to his flying disc to the Wham-O toy company, which later renames it the “Frisbee”.
• 1964 – The 24th Amendment to the United States Constitution, prohibiting the use of poll taxes in national elections, is ratified.
• 1968 – North Korea seizes the USS Pueblo, claiming the ship had violated its territorial waters while spying.
• 1973 – President Richard Nixon announces that a peace accord has been reached in Vietnam.
• 1986 – The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducts its first members: Little Richard, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley.
• 1997 – Madeleine Albright becomes the first woman to serve as United States Secretary of State.
• 2002 – “American Taliban” John Walker Lindh returns to the United States in FBI custody.
• 2002 – Reporter Daniel Pearl is kidnapped in Karachi, Pakistan and subsequently murdered .
• 2003 – Final communication between Earth and Pioneer 10.

Happy Birthday, Taron !!!

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CYNTHIANA / HARRISON

Harrison County High School is gearing up for the creation and publication of the 2014-15 yearbook, and there are many opportunities for students and parents to be involved. HCHS has announced that the yearbook committee is accepting personal ads, photos, and special messages for submission. Additionally, opportunities for parents to be included in learning the compilation, editing and publication process will be available in the form of a training session on February 2. Yearbooks are currently available for order online, through May 20, or via paper order-form through February 20.

The student Yearbook committee/editors meet each Monday from 3:15-4:00 in the Youth Services Center office, located on the second floor of the high school next to the elevator.

For more information on how to be involved in the yearbook process, contact Paula Barnett at HCHS.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10152522901851607&id=296254501606

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10152522902471607&id=296254501606

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10152522902856607&id=296254501606

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10152522903331607&id=296254501606

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10152522903711607&id=296254501606

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HARRISON COUNTY SPORTS

InDoor Track:

• Saturday, 1-31-15 Harrison @ Wildcat H.S. Track Classic @ UK

Archery:

• Saturday, 1-31-15 Harrison Co. Inv. at HCMS

Breds Basketball:

• Wednesday, 1-28-15 HC vs Henry Clay at Henry Clay F/ JV/Varsity 5:15/6/7:30
• Friday, 1-30-15 Harrison vs Pendleton Co at Pendleton B/G Double Header 6/7:45
• Saturday, 1-31-15 Harrison vs Fleming at Fleming JV/Var. 6/7:30

Wrestling:

• Wednesday, 1-28-15 Harrison at Dunbar Duals- Lexington
• Saturday, 1-31-15 Harrison at Wolverine Invitation- Frankfort, Ky.

Fillies Basketball:

• Monday, 1-26-15 Harrison vs Campbell Co at Home JV/Var 6/7:30
• Wednesday, 1-28-15 Harrison vs Pendleton at Home JV Only
• Friday, 1-30-15 Harrison Vs Pendleton Co at Pendleton B/G DB

Bowling:

• Harrison at Regional Tournament at Souhtland Lanes Lexington

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KENTUCKY

A Kroger “unlike any other Kroger store in the nation” opens this morning at 8 a.m. at 704 Euclid Avenue in Lexington, with University of Kentucky head basketball coach John Calipari on call for the ribbon cutting. The new three level, 86,000-square-foot facility boasts an expanded variety of produce, meat, seafood and deli, as well as a walk-in beer cave, sushi bar, soup and salad bar, drive-through pharmacy, Starbucks Coffee Shop, and Murray’s Cheese Shop. In addition to parking spaces in a lot in front of the store, 125 parking spaces will be available on the roof. Multiple elevators and escalators will transport customers between the shopping level and the parking deck. The store will be open 24/7; pharmacy hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Read more here: https://web.archive.org/web/20150125033335/http://www.kentucky.com:80/2015/01/21/3653408_kroger-unlike-any-other-opens.html?rh=1

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY

• 1889 – Columbia Phonograph is formed in Washington, D.C.
• 1890 – The United Mine Workers of America is founded in Columbus, Ohio.
• 1901 – Edward VII is proclaimed King after the death of his mother, Queen Victoria.
• 1905 – Bloody Sunday in Saint Petersburg, beginning of the 1905 revolution.
• 1917 – World War I: President Woodrow Wilson of the still-neutral United States calls for “peace without victory” in Europe.
• 1941 – World War II: British and Commonwealth troops capture Tobruk from Italian forces during Operation Compass.
• 1944 – World War II: The Allies commence Operation Shingle, an assault on Anzio, Italy.
• 1946 – Creation of the Central Intelligence Group, forerunner of the Central Intelligence Agency.
• 1947 – KTLA, the first commercial television station west of the Mississippi River, begins operation in Hollywood.
• 1957 – Israel withdraws from the Sinai Peninsula.
• 1957 – The New York City “Mad Bomber”, George P. Metesky, is arrested in Waterbury, Connecticut and is charged with planting more than
  30 bombs.
• 1968 – Apollo 5 lifts off carrying the first Lunar module into space.
• 1970 – The Boeing 747, the world’s first “jumbo jet”, enters commercial service for launch customer Pan American Airways with its maiden voyage from John F. Kennedy International Airport to London Heathrow Airport.
• 1971 – The Singapore Declaration, one of the two most important documents to the uncodified constitution of the Commonwealth of Nations, is issued.
• 1973 – The Supreme Court of the United States delivers its decisions in Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, legalizing elective abortion in all fifty states.
• 1973 – The crew of Apollo 17 addresses a joint session of Congress after the completion of the final Apollo moon landing mission.
• 1984 – The Apple Macintosh, the first consumer computer to popularize the computer mouse and the graphical user interface, is introduced during Super Bowl XVIII with its famous “1984” television commercial.
• 1987 – Pennsylvania politician R. Budd Dwyer shoots and kills himself during a televised press conference, leading to debates on boundaries in journalism.
• 1990 – Robert Tappan Morris is convicted of releasing the 1988 Internet Computer worm.
• 1991 – Gulf War: Three Scuds and one Patriot missile hit Ramat Gan in Israel, injuring 96 people. Three elderly people die of heart attacks.
• 1992 – Space Shuttle program: Dr. Roberta Bondar becomes the first Canadian woman and the first neurologist in space.
• 2002 – Kmart becomes the largest retailer in United States history to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.