Morning News – 02/13/15

CYNTHIANA / HARRISON

Cynthiana Police Chief Ray Johnson told city commissioners Tuesday that police officers have selected areas that will be their specific beat and first and second shift officers will begin meeting residents and allowing the community to put faces to the names of officers. Third shift officers won’t be walking through their neighborhoods to show a police presence until the time changes and the weather improves. Johnson confirmed that the areas where most crimes occur had been adopted by officers.

http://www.cynthianademocrat.com/content/community-policing-efforts-underway-cynthiana-officers

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Heard Karen Angelucci request stories and photos for The Harrison County Historical Society is requesting stories and photos to be included in their family history book. To date, over 100 families have submitted their stories. Anyone interested in including their stories have through the end of February to make their submissions. Contact Angelucci at Karenangelucci67@gmail.com or call 859-338-7857. All submissions can be mailed to Harrison County History Book at PO Box 411, Cynthiana, KY 41031.

http://www.cynthianademocrat.com/content/community-policing-efforts-underway-cynthiana-officers

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Warrants were issued Monday afternoon for the arrest of a Harrison County man after an apparent car-jacking incident last week. According to a report by law enforcement, Henry D. Hogg, 45, of South Church Street allegedly forced his girlfriend, Kathy Dawson of Rankin Mill Road in Falmouth, out of her car at knife point at the intersection of U.S. 27 North and Ky. 1284 West.

In the report, Dawson said that Hogg threatened her at knife point, and injured her hand while taking the keys from her at the intersection and continued driving down Sunrise-Richland Road, Ky. 1284. Dawson said that Hogg intended to commit suicide by “taking a large quantity of pills and wrecking her car into a tree.”

Hogg was arrested on Wednesday, Feb. 4 by Kentucky State Police in Breathitt County on a misdemeanor charge of carrying a concealed deadly weapon. Hogg was later released on bond from Three Forks Detention Center in Lee County on Tuesday, Feb. 10. A warrant from the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department was subsequently issued for Hogg’s arrest on charges of first degree felony robbery and fourth degree assault.

http://www.cynthianademocrat.com/content/carjacking-results-charges-two-counties-says-sheriff

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The Cynthiana-Harrison County Chamber of Commerce Award Banquet is next Tuesday, 17 February, @ 6 pm at the Cynthiana Christian Church. Tickets are $25. Reservations are necessary.

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KENTUCKY

Kentucky voters in local communities would have the option to pay for specific projects with a temporary one percent sales tax increase under legislation passed by the House Thursday. The local option sales tax, championed by Lexington Mayor Jim Gray, requires that Kentucky voters approve a constitutional amendment. Advocates, including House Speaker Greg Stumbo, argued the bill put more control in the hands of citizens.

Rep. Jim Wayne countered that local option disproportionately affects low-income Kentuckians.

“I certainly commend those who are pushing this idea because they really want to help their communities, but this is not the right proposal. It’s a regressive tax on top of a very regressive tax system in our state,” the Louisville Democrat said.

The measure cleared the chamber 62 to 35 and now moves to the Senate.

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House members debated and ultimately lent their unanimous support to House Bill 8, which makes civil protective orders available to dating couples and streamlines the process for other victims of domestic violence. Under the bill, victims could invoke a single interpersonal protector order that inform the offender that any further violation could lead to arrest.

While the measure has been unsuccessful in previous years, bipartisan support has grown up around the issue during this short 30-day session.

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House Bill 70, a constitutional amendment granting non-violent felons the right to vote met House approval. An estimated 186,000 Kentuckians could be impacted were the amendment to become law.

http://wuky.org/post/local-option-domestic-violence-protections-felon-voting-rights-advance-house

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Right-to-work legislation approved in the Senate in the opening days of the 2015 session has died in a House committee. The bill permitting employees who don’t pay union dues to work for union businesses drew scores of labor groups to the Capitol Annex, who cheered in it’s defeat. With the defeat of the right-to-work, the focus now shifts back to a number of counties that are taking action on their own. This week alone, 23 counties have voted on local right-to-work initiatives. Labor groups have also mounted legal challenges to the ordinances.

http://wuky.org/post/house-committee-kills-right-work-momentum-shifts-counties

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Public libraries across Kentucky are reporting unprecedented usage as technology continues to change the way Kentuckians use their libraries.

Statistics compiled from Kentucky’s 119 public libraries show that Kentuckians checked out 30,664,564 items during the 2013-2014 fiscal year, setting a record which was an increase of 2 percent over the previous year. The driving factor in this increase was the circulation of more than two million e-books. For the first time, the number of e-books checked out from public libraries in the state surpassed the number of items checked out from bookmobiles.

In addition to the dramatic increase in usage of electronic materials, Kentucky’s public libraries provided 4,858 computers for public use. In a world where technology is necessary for so many activities, the library is the only place where many Kentuckians have access to a computer to search for employment, access government services, prepare school assignments, and take tests among many other tasks.

Kentucky’s residents have also taken advantage of public library Internet access. Many Kentuckians brought their own devices to use at the library as every library system offered wireless access. More than 1.25 million wireless sessions were counted at library locations. Many other Kentuckians visited their public libraries from home, school or office through library websites and the Kentucky Virtual Library as the libraries play an increasing role in the education of Kentuckians at every level of the educational process.

The number of people registered for library cards in public libraries increased to 2,664,920 or 60 percent of Kentucky’s population.

http://kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-Stream.aspx?viewMode=ViewDetailInNewPage&eventID=%7b922DB572-9CD0-45A2-8B09-9B0B5613B577%7d&activityType=PressRelease

http://www.kyforward.com/technology-such-as-e-books-wi-fi-bringing-people-back-to-kentuckys-public-libraries/

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A bill to reform telecommunication regulations to reflect the declining use of landlines in favor of new technologies has passed the Senate Committee on State and Local Government. Known as Senate Bill 3, the legislation would remove requirements that telephone companies offer basic landline service to everyone so the money used to maintain that old technology can be used to increase Internet and mobile phone access, said Sen. Paul Hornback, R-Shelbyville. He sponsored the bill along with Majority Floor Leader Sen. Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown.

SB 3 now returns to the full Senate for consideration where it has already received two readings.

http://www.kyforward.com/senate-panel-answers-call-for-telecom-reform-sends-att-bill-to-full-senate-for-review/

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Kentucky’s decision to expand the Medicaid program is paying dividends in terms of jobs, economic growth, and improved health for the more than 375,000 Kentuckians who signed up last year, Gov. Steve Beshear announced at a press conference today. And according to a new study, those benefits will continue to accrue, he said.

Medicaid expansion will add 40,000 jobs and $30 billion to the state’s economy through 2021, according to the study released by Deloitte Consulting LLC and the University of Louisville’s Urban Studies Institute. Expansion will also generate a net positive impact of nearly $820 million to state and local government budgets.

A press release from the governor’s office said the report concludes that the estimated costs of expansion in the current and upcoming biennial budget would be more than offset by savings and new revenues generated from economic activity resulting from new health care spending. Conversely, choosing not to expand would have been expensive as well, incurring $100 million in costs.

The report, commissioned by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, reviewed Kentucky’s first full year of Medicaid expansion, and found the expansion generated positive results for the state’s economy, local governments, medical providers and Medicaid recipients. A supplemental report on Medicaid reimbursements also noted positive fiscal impacts, particularly for hospitals.

In May 2013, Beshear announced his decision to expand Medicaid eligibility in Kentucky pursuant to the Affordable Care Act, allowing individuals and families earning up to 138 percent of the federal poverty line to enroll in the federal health insurance program. The first enrollment period added more than 310,000 Kentuckians to the Medicaid program, nearly double the expected number. Another 17,000 Kentuckians who were eligible but not enrolled under the traditional Medicaid criteria also signed up. By the end of 2014, more than 375,000 Kentuckians were enrolled in Medicaid through the expansion.

http://www.kyforward.com/kentuckys-medicaid-expansion-40000-jobs-30-billion-economic-impact-report-shows/

http://migration.kentucky.gov/newsroom/governor/20150212expansion.htm

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY
1462 – The Treaty of Westminster is finalised between Edward IV of England and the Scottish Lord of the Isles.
1542 – Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII of England, is executed for adultery.
1572 – Elizabeth I of England issues a proclamation which revokes all commissions on account of the frauds which they had fostered.
1633 – Galileo Galilei arrives in Rome for his trial before the Inquisition.
1668 – Spain recognizes Portugal as an independent nation.
1689 – William and Mary are proclaimed co-rulers of England.
1880 – Thomas Edison observes the Edison effect.
1914 – Copyright: In New York City the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers is established to protect the copyrighted musical compositions of its members.
1920 – The Negro National League is formed.
1935 – A jury in Flemington, New Jersey finds Bruno Hauptmann guilty of the 1932 kidnapping and murder of the Lindbergh baby, the son of Charles Lindbergh.
1954 – Frank Selvy becomes the only NCAA Division I basketball player ever to score 100 points in a single game.
1955 – Israel obtains four of the seven Dead Sea Scrolls.
1960 – With the success of a nuclear test codenamed “Gerboise Bleue”, France becomes the fourth country to possess nuclear weapons.
1960 – Black college students stage the first of the Nashville sit-ins at three lunch counters in Nashville, Tennessee.
1961 – An allegedly 500,000-year-old rock is discovered near Olancha, California, US, that appears to anachronistically encase a spark plug.
1967 – American researchers discover the Madrid Codices by Leonardo da Vinci in the National Library of Spain.
1971 – Vietnam War: Backed by American air and artillery support, South Vietnamese troops invade Laos.
1978 – Hilton bombing: a bomb explodes in a refuse truck outside the Hilton Hotel in Sydney, Australia, killing two refuse collectors and a policeman.
1979 – An intense windstorm strikes western Washington and sinks a 1/2-mile-long section of the Hood Canal Bridge.
1981 – A series of sewer explosions destroys more than two miles of streets in Louisville, Kentucky.
1990 – German reunification: An agreement is reached on a two-stage plan to reunite Germany.
1991 – Gulf War: Two laser-guided “smart bombs” destroy the Amiriyah shelter in Baghdad. Allied forces said the bunker was being used as a military communications outpost, but over 400 Iraqi civilians inside were killed.
2000 – The last original “Peanuts” comic strip appears in newspapers one day after Charles M. Schulz dies.
2004 – The Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics announces the discovery of the universe’s largest known diamond, white dwarf star BPM 37093. Astronomers named this star “Lucy” after The Beatles’ song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”.
2011 – For the first time in more than 100 years the Umatilla, an American Indian tribe, are able to hunt and harvest a bison just outside Yellowstone National Park, restoring a centuries-old tradition guaranteed by a treaty signed in 1855.
2012 – The European Space Agency (ESA) conducted the first launch of the European Vega rocket from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

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“Morning News – 02/13/15” was originally published on J. Palmer

Morning News – 02/12/15

CYNTHIANA / HARRISON

The Cynthiana-Harrison County Parks and Recreation office is now accepting signups for youth baseball and softball; notices should be coming home with students from the Harrison County elementary schools detailing changes in a few of the leagues. The deadline for signups is February 28th. Signups can be done from 2-5 Monday thru Friday and 10-noon on Saturday at the Cynthiana City Hall gymnasium.

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The First Church of God in Cynthiana recently donated 18 blankets to Harrison Memorial Hospital for the Project Linus project. Project Linus is a group of individuals who provide blankets to children through local fire departments, hospitals, health departments and more. Since 2009, the group has donated more than 500 blankets for pediatric patients at HMH. The project is named after the adorable security blanket-toting character from the Peanuts comic strip. The mission of Project Linus is to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized or otherwise in need through the gifts of handmade blankets and afghans created by volunteer blanketeers.

For more information about Project Linus, contact Christy Hall (administration) at chall@hmhosp.org or 235-3554

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KENTUCKY

A threatening message kept many Eastern Kentucky University students and staff members home on Wednesday; but in the end, it ended up being a quiet day at EKU with lots of extra security on hand.

Even as the day came to a close, wrapping up nine days of tension following the discovery of the threat, many still are trying to figure out why someone would make the threat in the first place.

Police have not yet identified who wrote the threat in the bathroom stall.

http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/Strong-police-presence-sees-EKU-through–291609061.html

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A state Senate panel has approved a proposal to move Kentucky’s election for governor to even-numbered years.

Kentucky is one of the few states that elects its governor and other statewide constitutional officers in odd-numbered years. State Sen. Chris McDaniel, a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor in November, said moving the election would save local taxpayers $3.5 million every four years.

But Democratic state Sen. Dorsey Ridley of Henderson said the added expense of the elections is the cost of democracy. He said having the election for governor separate from a presidential or congressional campaigns gives the race more attention and prestige.

The Senate State and Local Government Committee has passed similar bills the past two years that ultimately failed.

http://wuky.org/post/bill-move-governors-election-advances-senate

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The Republican state Senate has advanced a bill that would likely accelerate the death of Kentucky’s traditional landline service after a similar proposal seemed to falter in the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives.

Supporters were optimistic the bill would get a vote in the House after it easily cleared a committee last week. But since then House members piled on eight amendments, a sign the body is far from a consensus.

The bill wouldn’t require telephone companies to maintain traditional landline service in areas that have more than 15,000 households. AT&T of Kentucky President Hood Harris vowed no one with an existing landline would lose service.

Opponents say the state is moving too fast, arguing alternative services are not reliable for home security systems and medical monitoring devices.

http://wuky.org/post/senate-advances-phone-deregulation-bill

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NATION

Tickets in North Carolina, Puerto Rico and Texas matched all six numbers last night, to split a $564.1 million Powerball jackpot. Should the winners select the lump sum option, each would get a one-third share of $381,138,450.16 before taxes. The jackpot was the third-largest in Powerball history and the fifth-largest U.S. lottery prize. The jackpot now goes back to $40 million. The winning numbers in Wednesday’s drawing were: 11, 13, 25, 39, 54 and the Powerball 19.

Sue Dooley, senior drawing manager for the Multi-State Lottery Association, says the Puerto Rico ticket was the first Powerball jackpot winner ever sold outside the continental United States. Puerto Rico joined Powerball less than a year ago.

http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/North-Carolina-Puerto-Rico-Texas-tickets-win-Powerball-291620791.html

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ENTERTAINMENT

60 Minutes correspondent Bob Simon was killed in a car crash in New York City on Wednesday evening. Simon was travelling in a livery cab that sideswiped a Mercedes-Benz that had come to a stop at a red light on 12th Avenue near West 30th Street around 6:45pm, and then slammed into the median. The CBS reporter, 73, was unconscious with head and torso injuries when he was rushed to St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital in the city where he was later pronounced dead. Police on the scene had to cut off the top of the Lincoln to free Simon and the driver. The driver of the Lincoln, a 44-year-old man, suffered two broken legs and a broken arm and was taken to Bellevue Hospital where he is in stable condition. The driver of the Mercedes claims the accident was the fault of the livery cab driver. The accident is under investigation.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2950159/60-Minutes-correspondent-Bob-Simon-killed-car-crash-New-York-City.html

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY

• 1502 – Vasco da Gama sets sail from Lisbon, Portugal, on his second voyage to India.
• 1554 – A year after claiming the throne of England for nine days, Lady Jane Grey is beheaded for treason.
• 1689 – The Convention Parliament declares that the flight to France in 1688 by James II, the last Roman Catholic British monarch, constitutes an abdication.
• 1733 – Englishman James Oglethorpe founds Georgia, the 13th colony of the Thirteen Colonies, and its first city at Savannah (known as Georgia Day).
• 1825 – The Creek cede the last of their lands in Georgia to the United States government by the Treaty of Indian Springs, and migrate west.
• 1851 – Edward Hargraves announces that he has found gold in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia, starting the Australian gold rushes.
• 1855 – Michigan State University is established.
• 1909 – The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is founded.
• 1914 – In Washington, D.C., the first stone of the Lincoln Memorial is put into place.
• 1924 – George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue received its premiere in a concert titled “An Experiment in Modern Music,” in Aeolian Hall, New York, by Paul Whiteman and his band, with Gershwin playing the piano.
• 1934 – The Austrian Civil War begins.
• 1935 – USS Macon, one of the two largest helium-filled airships ever created, crashes into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California and sinks.
• 1946 – World War II: Operation Deadlight ends after scuttling 121 of 154 captured U-boats.
• 1946 – African American United States Army veteran Isaac Woodard is severely beaten by a South Carolina police officer to the point where he loses his vision in both eyes. The incident later galvanizes the Civil Rights Movement and partially inspires Orson Welles’ film Touch of Evil.
• 1947 – The largest observed iron meteorite until that time creates an impact crater in Sikhote-Alin, in the Soviet Union.
• 1947 – Christian Dior unveils a “New Look”, helping Paris regain its position as the capital of the fashion world.
• 1961 – Soviet Union launches Venera 1 towards Venus.
• 1963 – Construction begins on the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.
• 1990 – Carmen Lawrence becomes the first female Premier in Australian history when she becomes Premier of Western Australia.
• 1994 – Four men break into the National Gallery of Norway and steal Edvard Munch’s iconic painting The Scream.
• 1999 – United States President Bill Clinton is acquitted by the United States Senate in his impeachment trial.
• 2001 – NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft touches down in the “saddle” region of 433 Eros, becoming the first spacecraft to land on an asteroid.
• 2002 – The trial of Slobodan Milošević, the former President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, begins at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, Netherlands. He dies four years later before its conclusion.
• 2004 – The city of San Francisco, California begins issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in response to a directive from Mayor Gavin Newsom.
• 2009 – Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashes into a house in Clarence Center, New York while on approach to Buffalo Niagara International Airport, killing all on board and one on the ground.

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“Morning News – 02/12/15” was originally published on J. Palmer

Morning News – 02/11/15

CYNTHIANA / HARRISON

The Rohs Opera House has announced that there will be no films showing this weekend. A post to Facebook states that the previously scheduled movie, American Sniper, will not be available and that the late notice does not allow for scheduling a replacement feature.

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KENTUCKY

Stamping Ground’s city commission has appointed Josh Cook as interim chief of the volunteer fire department, while it continues to seek out a new fire chief after Billy McIntosh and assistant chief Jacob Pasley abruptly resigned last week. McIntosh and Pasley resigned last Friday, amid investigations into numerous complaints and allegations. The city commission also is working with the fire department to develop new standard operating procedures. A city commission meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday to discuss those procedures.

http://www.kentucky.com/2015/02/10/3687452_stamping-ground-needs-new-fire.html

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The Kentucky House has approved a bill that would raise the wage to $10.10 incrementally over a period of three years; the bill also includes language guaranteeing pay equity between male and female workers. The bill will be heading to the Senate, where it is doubtful to receive positive attention. This is the second year that the House has approved a measure to attempt a minimum wage increase.

http://wuky.org/post/minimum-wage-redux-house-oks-increase-second-year

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State Senator Reggie Thomas wants the state to guarantee a woman’s right to breastfeed in any location she is otherwise allowed to be. Under Thomas’ bill, businesses that violate the law could be fined $500 for a first offense and $1,000 for each subsequent violation – penalties the lawmaker argues are not too onerous. A separate bill would establish workplace standards for nursing. Thomas says he will begin seeking a committee hearing on the issue Wednesday.

http://wuky.org/post/bill-would-guarantee-breastfeeding-rights

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A proposal that would allow dating couples to seek civil protective orders in cases of domestic violence, abuse, sex abuse or stalking has passed the House Judiciary Committee. House Bill 8, sponsored by House Judiciary Chairman John Tilley, D-Hopkinsville, and Rep. Joni Jenkins, D-Shively, now goes to the full House for consideration. Tilley said much of HB 8 is identical to his domestic violence protection bill that was considered but not passed into law last session. Should HB 8 become law, it would take effect on Jan. 1, 2016.

http://www.kyforward.com/dating-violence-bill-passes-house-committee-common-sense-legislation-goes-to-full-house/

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Gov. Steve Beshear announced that the Commonwealth exported a state-record $27.5 billion in 2014. It’s the fourth-straight year Kentucky has broken the previous mark. The record represents a 9 percent growth in exports since 2013. Leading Kentucky’s export growth is aerospace. Last year, the state shipped out $7.8 billion in aerospace parts and products, a 38 percent increase from 2013. Kentucky’s other top exports include motor vehicles, parts, and bodies and trailers ($5.9 billion), synthetic rubber and resin ($1.4 billion) and pharmaceuticals ($1.3 billion).

In 2014, the Commonwealth exported to 191 nations. Kentucky’s top trading partner is Canada, with $7.6 billion in products and services. Mexico ($2.3 billion), United Kingdom ($2.3 billion), France ($2 billion) and China ($1.7 billion) round out the top five.

http://kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-Stream.aspx?viewMode=ViewDetailInNewPage&eventID=%7bF8F2D919-40D9-4724-822F-06649C6DD304%7d&activityType=PressRelease

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Attorney General Jack Conway and nine other state attorneys general from across the country joined in a letter sent to Anthem’s president and chief executive officer yesterday, expressing concern that the company’s delay in notifying those impacted by the data breach is causing unnecessary added concern to Anthem customers. The attorneys general of Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island, led by the state of Connecticut, have joined the letter.

A copy of yesterday’s letter to Anthem is available here: http://tinyurl.com/letn9pt

http://kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-Stream.aspx?viewMode=ViewDetailInNewPage&eventID=%7b4E9660ED-8039-4626-B3D0-C26307E190E5%7d&activityType=PressRelease

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The 2015 KHSAA State Bowling Championships visit Collins Eastland in Lexington this week (Feb. 12-13), with the singles championship slated for Thursday and the team competition set for Friday. The team championship matches will be streamed live at KHSAA.tv, with the girls’ team finals scheduled for 12:15 p.m., followed by the boys’ team championship at 5:15 p.m.

Thursday’s boys’ and girls’ singles competition begins with qualifying games at 10:10 a.m., as the field is trimmed to the top eight individuals. The top eight will roll three additional games, with the top four boys’ and girls’ singles advancing to the step ladder bracket, which will continue through its completion. Awards for the singles competition are tentatively scheduled for 2:30 p.m.

The girls’ team championship opens Friday’s action, with team introductions slated for 7:30 a.m. and qualifying games starting at 7:50 a.m. Following two qualifying games, each team will be seeded in a 16-team bracket with the state champion determined through baker matches. Team introductions for the boys’ championship get underway at 1:15 p.m., with qualifying games scheduled for a 1:35 p.m. start time.

Lane Assignments for Thursday’s singles competition can be found at:

• http://khsaa.org/bowling/2015/2015singleslaneassignments.pdf

Lane Assignments for Friday’s team competition are available at:

• http://khsaa.org/bowling/2015/2015teamlaneassignments.pdf

The official championship program can be viewed here:

• http://khsaa.org/Publications/Programs/20142015/Bowling/issue1/index.html

Championship results will be posted to KHSAA.org as they become available.

02/10/15 – KHSAA State Bowling Championships This Week In Lexington

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ENTERTAINMENT

Jon Stewart announced yesterday that he will be resigning from his position as anchor for Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show”.

“In my heart I know it is time for someone else to have that opportunity,” he said on Tuesday night’s show as his studio audience gasped. It isn’t clear when Stewart will sign off; his contract expires in September, but he may leave as soon as July, or as late as December, he said.

Stewart has been hosting the satirical news program since 1999.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/jon-stewarts-exit-phony-newsman-loss-real-news-28879996

http://money.cnn.com/2015/02/10/media/jon-stewart-leaving-daily-show/

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY

• 660 BC – Traditional date for the foundation of Japan by Emperor Jimmu.
• 55 – Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus, heir to the Roman emperorship, dies under mysterious circumstances in Rome. This clears the way for Nero to become Emperor.
• 244 – Emperor Gordian III is murdered by mutinous soldiers in Zaitha (Mesopotamia). A mound is raised at Carchemish in his memory.
• 1531 – Henry VIII of England is recognized as supreme head of the Church of England.
• 1790 – The Religious Society of Friends, also known as Quakers, petitions U.S. Congress for abolition of slavery.
• 1794 – First session of United States Senate opens to the public.
• 1808 – Jesse Fell burns anthracite on an open grate as an experiment in heating homes with coal.
• 1812 – Massachusetts governor Elbridge Gerry “gerrymanders” for the first time.
• 1826 – University College London is founded under the name University of London.
• 1861 – American Civil War: United States House of Representatives unanimously passes a resolution guaranteeing noninterference with slavery in any state.
• 1906 – Pope Pius X publishes the encyclical Vehementer Nos.
• 1916 – Emma Goldman is arrested for lecturing on birth control.
• 1929 – Kingdom of Italy and the Vatican sign the Lateran Treaty.
• 1937 – A sit-down strike ends when General Motors recognizes the United Auto Workers.
• 1938 – BBC Television produces the world’s first ever science fiction television program, an adaptation of a section of the Karel Čapek play R.U.R., that coined the term “robot”.
• 1939 – A Lockheed P-38 Lightning flies from California to New York in 7 hours 2 minutes.
• 1943 – World War II: General Dwight D. Eisenhower is selected to command the allied armies in Europe.
• 1968 – Israeli–Jordanian border clashes rage.
• 1968 – The Memphis Sanitation Strike begins.
• 1971 – Eighty-seven countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, and Soviet Union, sign the Seabed Arms Control Treaty outlawing nuclear weapons on the ocean floor in international waters.
• 1973 – Vietnam War: First release of American prisoners of war from Vietnam takes place.
• 1978 – Censorship: China lifts a ban on works by Aristotle, William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens.
• 1981 – Around 100,000 US gallons (380 m3) of radioactive coolant leak into the containment building of TVA Sequoyah 1 nuclear plant in Tennessee, contaminating eight workers.
• 1990 – Nelson Mandela is released from Victor Verster Prison outside Cape Town, South Africa after 27 years as a political prisoner.
• 1990 – Buster Douglas, a 40:1 underdog, knocks out Mike Tyson in ten rounds at Tokyo to win boxing’s world Heavyweight title and cause one of the largest upsets in sports history.
• 1997 – Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on a mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope.
• 2001 – A Dutch programmer launched the Anna Kournikova virus infecting millions of emails via a trick photo of the tennis star.
• 2011 – The first wave of the Egyptian revolution culminates in the resignation of Hosni Mubarak and the transfer of power to the Supreme Military Council after 18 days of protests.
• 2013 – Pope Benedict XVI announces his resignation from the papacy, the first pontiff to resign in more than half a millennium.

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“Morning News – 02/11/15” was originally published on J. Palmer

Morning News – 02/10/15

CYNTHIANA / HARRISON

The deadline for nominating a local person, business, or entity for the Chamber Awards Banquet has arrived. People have until the close of business today to nominate individuals and groups for recognition in any of the following categories:

• Public Safety- Police, Sheriff, EMS, 911, Constable, School Bus Driver, Road Dept, State Road Dept
• Health- Doctor, Nurse, Hospice, Eye Care, Dentist, Veterinarian, Health Care Assistants
• Educator- Teacher, College Professor, Librarian, Principal, Aide, Assistant
• Citizen- Impacts Cynthiana-Harrison County as a whole
• Volunteer – Impacts an organization or Cynthiana on a smaller scale.
• Farmer – In Cynthiana-Harrison County
• Business/Business Person – In Cynthiana/Harrison County

Selected individuals/businesses/organizations will be invited to attend the Banquet, which will take place Tuesday, February 17th at the Cynthiana Christian Church from 6:00-8:30 PM. For more information, contact the Cynthiana-Harrison County Chamber of Commerce at 859.234.5236.

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HARRISON COUNTY SPORTS

The Fillies Bowling Team captured the schools first Region Tournament crown. Harrison County will go on to compete in the team Division on Friday, Feb. 13 at Eastland Lanes in Lexington. The competition begins at 7:50 am.

Shaylee Carter and Gregory Dick will participate in the individual competition at the Bowling State Tournament on Thursday, Feb. 12. at Eastland Lanes. Singles competition begins at 10:00 am.

http://www.harrison.kyschools.us/virtual/high/sports/?p=451

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The Breds and Fillies will play Nicholas County in the first round of the 38th District Basketball Tournament at Robertson Co on Monday, Feb. 23. The Fillies will play at 6:30; the Breds will play at 8:00.

http://www.harrison.kyschools.us/virtual/high/sports/?p=449

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After finishing second in the State Duals at Union Co., the Harrison Co. Thorobreds Wrestling Team is preparing for the Regional Tournament in Belfry this Saturday, Feb. 14.

http://www.harrison.kyschools.us/virtual/high/sports/?p=447

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KENTUCKY

Fayette County Coroner Gary Ginn and Lexington police say they need help identifying a person killed in a fiery crash along Versailles Road Monday afternoon. The crash near Westmorland Road around 4:30 p.m. involved three vehicles. Two burst into flames after impact. Ginn said the driver of a light green Saturn died in the crash. The body was unrecognizable, and the intensity of the fire melted the license plate and VIN number on the vehicle. That left investigators with little to go on as they try to identify the victim. EMS took other victims to UK Hospital, but officials did not say how many people were hurt, nor did they release any information on the extent of their injuries. If you have any information that might help investigators identify the victim, please call Lexington police at (859) 258-3600.

http://www.lex18.com/story/28067982/authorities-need-help-identifying-victim-of-fiery-crash

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KY 627 was shut down at the Bourbon/Clark County Line due to a Hazmat situation, in which a tanker flipped over spilling fuel on the roadway, Monday afternoon. Conflicting reports from Lexington broadcast media reveal that there may or may not have been injuries and that the tanker may or may not have been leaking fuel.

http://www.lex18.com/story/28063406/ky-627-closed-due-to-fuel-spill

http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/Clark-County-road-closed-after-hazmat-spill-driver-injured-291308211.html

http://www.wtvq.com/story/d/story/gasoline-truck-accident-shuts-down-paris-rd-in-wi/19489/96xgdknk-UGmG-YnZmWeuw

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Kentucky legislators are working to toughen up the law on cell phone use for drivers. House Bill 66, sponsored by Democratic Representatives Burch and Wayne, would make it illegal to even hold your phone while driving, whereas it is only against the law to text and drive in Kentucky, currently. Last year, more people were ticketed for texting while driving than in the precious three years combined; however, the administrative office of the courts reports that 38 percent of those cases were dismissed, where law enforcement had no proof that the drivers they ticketed were actually texting. House Bill 66 would have to pass through the house and senate becoming law. Fourteen states already ban handheld cell phone use while driving.

http://www.lex18.com/story/28064765/ky-house-bill-could-make-it-illegal-to-even-hold-cell-phone-while-driving

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The Kentucky Supreme Court is set to hear arguments this Thursday over whether juveniles who are both under the age of consent can be criminally charged when they voluntarily have sex. The case originates from Woodford County, where parents of a 13-year-old girl found nude photos of their daughter’s 15-year-old boyfriend on her phone; the parents took out a warrant on the boy, who was charged with sexual misconduct and possessing matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor. The question before the justices is whether criminal charges against the boy should stand.

“This case matters to any parent who has a teenage child, or will have a teenage child,” said assistant public advocate John Wampler, who represents the boy. “The simple fact is that unfortunately, many young teens under 16 are having sex with each other and engaging in sexting.

“If the Commonwealth’s position is held to be correct, then approximately one-third of all teenagers, according to recent statistics, could be charged with a felony sex offense,” Wampler said. “That should strike fear in the hearts of every parent who has bought their child a smartphone.”

The Kentucky attorney general’s office has said the boy’s punishment is justified because he initiated the acts and was on probation for a previous indecent-exposure charge.

http://www.kentucky.com/2015/02/09/3685831_kentucky-supreme-court-to-hear.html

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An EKU spokesman says they have increased security around campus since the discovery of an anonymous threat last week. Students said there has been tension on campus ever since a message was found in a men’s bathroom in the Combs Building.

“The actual text was ‘bringing gun to here 2/11/15 dead students’. That’s very graphic, that’s very specific, and that’s why we responded in the way we have,” said Scott Cason, vice president of the Marketing and Communications Department at EKU. He says while university police try to figure out who left the message, the administration is trying to help students and teachers get through the week.

“Wednesday, February 11 will be as normal a day on campus as we can make it,” Cason said.

The university will be increasing security across campus Wednesday, as well as at the Alton Brown’s Edible Inevitable Tour show and the Morehead State versus EKU basketball game Wednesday night. The Kentucky State Police will have an increased presence on campus Wednesday and will be ready to help if they’re needed.

The university won’t penalize students or teachers who don’t show up. In fact, they’re encouraging them to find alternative ways to complete assignments.

http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/EKU-increasing-security-in-response-to-threat-291349421.html

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The move of the Army’s Recruiting and Retention School from Fort Jackson, South Carolina, to Fort Knox, Kentucky, is complete, and the Army is celebrating. A ribbon-cutting and grand opening is set for 4:30 p.m. EST Wednesday at Fort Knox. The relocation is part of integrated force structure changes that support recruiting for the Army of 2025. The move is estimated to save $14 million a year.

http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/Army-Recruiting-and-Retention-School-opening-at-Fort-Knox-291369091.html

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The next time you’re near Meijer in the Hamburg area of Lexington, check out the side parking lot near Man O’ War Boulevard. There you’ll find stalls to charge a Tesla, an electric car. With the popularity of the company growing nationwide, the first super charging station has arrived in Lexington.

According to Tesla Motors a supercharger can provide 150 miles of range in about 30 minutes as opposed to six hours of charging at home. According to Tesla Motors there are more than 370 supercharger stations nationwide with more coming soon. Drivers don’t even need to pay to charge; it’s factored into the price of the car.

http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/Tesla-supercharging-station-opens-in-Lexington-first-in-Kentucky-291311721.html

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY

• 1763 – French and Indian War: The 1763 Treaty of Paris ends the war and France cedes Quebec to Great Britain.
• 1814 – Napoleonic Wars: The Battle of Champaubert ends in French victory over the Russians and the Prussians.
• 1840 – Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom marries Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.
• 1861 – Jefferson Davis is notified by telegraph that he has been chosen as provisional President of the Confederate States of America.
• 1862 – American Civil War: A Union naval flotilla destroys the bulk of the Confederate Mosquito Fleet in the Battle of Elizabeth City on the Pasquotank River in North Carolina.
• 1870 – The YWCA is founded in New York City.
• 1906 – HMS Dreadnought, the first of a revolutionary new breed of battleships is christened and launched by King Edward VII.
• 1923 – Texas Tech University is founded as Texas Technological College in Lubbock, Texas
• 1933 – In round 13 of a boxing match at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, Primo Carnera knocks out Ernie Schaaf. Schaaf dies four days later.
• 1942 – The first gold record is presented to Glenn Miller for “Chattanooga Choo Choo”.
• 1943 – World War II: Attempting to completely lift the Siege of Leningrad, the Soviet Red Army engages German troops and Spanish volunteers in the Battle of Krasny Bor.
• 1954 – President Dwight Eisenhower warns against United States intervention in Vietnam.
• 1962 – Captured American U2 spy-plane pilot Gary Powers is exchanged for captured Soviet spy Rudolf Abel.
• 1962 – Roy Lichtenstein’s first solo exhibition opened, and it included Look Mickey, which featured his first employment of Ben-Day dots, speech balloons and comic imagery sourcing, all of which he is now known for.
• 1967 – The 25th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified.
• 1981 – A fire at the Las Vegas Hilton hotel-casino kills eight and injures 198.
• 1989 – Ron Brown is elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee becoming the first African American to lead a major American political party.
• 1996 – The IBM supercomputer Deep Blue defeats Garry Kasparov in chess for the first time.
• 1998 – Voters in Maine repeal a gay rights law passed in 1997 becoming the first U.S. state to abandon such a law.
• 2009 – The communication satellites Iridium 33 and Kosmos-2251 collide in orbit, destroying both.

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“Morning News – 02/10/15” was originally published on J. Palmer

Morning News – 02/09/15

CYNTHIANA / HARRISON

A Harrison County grand jury indicted a Cynthiana man on charges of sexually abusing a child on four occasions; the first allegedly happening 35 years ago. William “Billy” Hyatt, 57, was arrested Wednesday by the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department after a state police investigation. Tuesday’s indictment said Hyatt had sexually abused a child younger than 12 on four occasions between 1979 and 1981. Kentucky State Police said the investigation is ongoing. Hyatt’s $5,000 bond was paid before he could be lodged in the Bourbon County jail, according to a state police spokeswoman.

Kentucky State Police say that anyone with information about this case, or other similar cases, should contact the nearest state police post.

http://www.kentucky.com/2015/02/06/3681372/cynthiana-man-indicted-on-charges.html

http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/Cynthiana-man-accused-of-abusing-a-child-more-than-30-years-ago-291090631.html

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KENTUCKY

The deadline to enroll in coverage through kynect is midnight, Sunday, Feb. 15. Individuals who need health insurance are encouraged to log on to kynect or contact an insurance agent or kynector to see their options for quality, affordable health coverage in 2015 before the Feb. 15 deadline passes. Medicaid enrollment is open at any time. Individuals with income above 100 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) who fail to enroll in healthcare coverage before Feb. 15 will be subject to an IRS penalty, including those whose income falls between 100%-138% FPL and are eligible for the Medicaid expansion. Individuals whose income falls below 100 percent FPL are not subject to the penalty. The 2015 IRS penalty is $325 per person or 2 percent of household income, whichever is greater. If an individual is uninsured for more than nine months in 2015, the penalty will be deducted from their refund when they file the 2014 tax returns. In many cases, this penalty could exceed the annual cost of insurance.

http://kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-Stream.aspx?viewMode=ViewDetailInNewPage&eventID=%7bCC8AA4EF-DCDE-4394-A666-53006A1123C5%7d&activityType=PressRelease

 

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Jay Whitehead is continuing to march forward in his attempts to re-open Forest Hill Military Academy, Kentucky’s only military school. Whitehead–the school’s headmaster–hopes to revive the 121-year-old institution in the wake of sex-abuse charges, receivership, debt, buildings shut down for safety concerns, and alleged interference from the school’s former leadership. For now, the 18-acre campus in northern Bourbon County lies dormant as the college-prep school has temporarily closed. Whitehead hoped to reopen the boarding school in time for the fall of 2015, under the revived name of Millersburg Military Institute.

“I would say the fall of ’15 would be optimistic,” Henry Watson–an attorney appointed to oversee charitable donations–said. “I just don’t know how much demand there is out there for children to want to leave home and come to a military boarding school. I would say 2015 would be extremely optimistic.”

Meanwhile, Whitehead is advertising military adventure camps to be held this summer. The camps, which cost $2,400 for two weeks, have drawn more than 200 students from Asia, Africa and Europe as well as the United States. Eighty percent of the school’s revenue comes from those camps, Whitehead said.

http://www.kentucky.com/2015/02/07/3683364_planned-rebirth-of-millersburg.html

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Mark Posey is no longer serving as Falmouth’s chief of police, amid an investigation into his use of city funds. Posey and the city of Falmouth mutually agreed to end his employment as police chief effective at the close of business Friday. Posey, whom was placed on paid suspension on Jan. 29, was served with papers Monday outlining two charges against him. One charge involved the unauthorized sale of six service revolvers when the department bought new weapons. The other charge involves failing to account for $4,000 in city funds advanced for confidential drug buys over a three-year period. An administrative hearing scheduled for Thursday night was canceled at the request of Posey and his attorney.

http://www.wcpo.com/news/region-northern-kentucky/falmouths-top-cop-steps-down-amid-investigation-into-use-of-city-funds

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Several crews worked to put out a fire Saturday afternoon at a the Knight’s Inn on Paris Pike in Georgetown. Firefighters say the blaze was contained to one room, which was vacant at the time. That room is now a total loss. The building had to be shut down for inspection, and several people who were staying there have been forced to leave. It’s unclear what caused the fire, but firefighters don’t believe it was suspicious. No injures were reported.

http://www.lex18.com/story/28052307/georgetown-motel-room-catches-fire

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Police and firefighters from Fayette and Madison County responded to a car accident along I-75 near the county line Sunday evening. The Fayette County coroner says the driver of a northbound vehicle lost control around mile marker 99 just before 9 p.m. The car went off the road and a woman was ejected from vehicle into traffic. The coroner says multiple cars hit the victim, and she died on scene. The coroner says he does not believe alcohol was a factor. Officials have not released the victim’s name.

http://www.lex18.com/story/28056401/accident-closes-part-of-i-75-near-madisonfayette-county-lines

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY

• 1825 – After no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes in the US presidential election of 1824, the United States House of Representatives elects John Quincy Adams President of the United States.
• 1861 – American Civil War: Jefferson Davis is elected the Provisional President of the Confederate States of America by the Confederate convention at Montgomery, Alabama.
• 1870 – US president Ulysses S. Grant signs a joint resolution of Congress establishing the U.S. Weather Bureau.
• 1889 – US president Grover Cleveland signs a bill elevating the United States Department of Agriculture to a Cabinet-level agency.
• 1895 – William G. Morgan creates a game called Mintonette, which soon comes to be referred to as volleyball.
• 1900 – The Davis Cup competition is established.
• 1913 – A group of meteors is visible across much of the eastern seaboard of North and South America, leading astronomers to conclude the source had been a small, short-lived natural satellite of the Earth.
• 1942 – World War II: Top United States military leaders hold their first formal meeting to discuss American military strategy in the war.
• 1942 – Year-round Daylight saving time is re-instated in the United States as a wartime measure to help conserve energy resources.
• 1943 – World War II: Allied authorities declare Guadalcanal secure after Imperial Japan evacuates its remaining forces from the island, ending the Battle of Guadalcanal.
• 1945 – World War II: The Battle of the Atlantic – HMS Venturer sinks U-864 off the coast of Fedje, Norway, in a rare instance of submarine-to-submarine combat.
• 1945 – World War II: A force of Allied aircraft unsuccessfully attacked a German destroyer in Førdefjorden, Norway.
• 1950 – Second Red Scare: US Senator Joseph McCarthy accuses the United States Department of State of being filled with Communists.
• 1951 – Korean War: Geochang massacre
• 1964 – The Beatles make their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, performing before a “record-busting” audience of 73 million viewers across the USA.
• 1965 – Vietnam War: The first United States troops with a combat mission, a Marine Corps Hawk air defense missile battalion, are sent to South Vietnam.
• 1969 – First test flight of the Boeing 747.
• 1971 – The Sylmar earthquake hits the San Fernando Valley area of California.
• 1971 – Satchel Paige becomes the first Negro League player to be voted into the USA’s Baseball Hall of Fame.
• 1971 – Apollo program: Apollo 14 returns to Earth after the third manned Moon landing.
• 1975 – The Soyuz 17 Soviet spacecraft returns to Earth.
• 1986 – Halley’s Comet last appeared in the inner Solar System.
• 2001 – The American submarine USS Greeneville accidentally strikes and sinks the Ehime-Maru, a Japanese training vessel operated by the Uwajima Fishery High School.

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“Morning News – 02/09/15” was originally published on J. Palmer

Morning News – 02/06/15

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.

http://www.cynthianademocrat.com/content/cedar-ridge-will-have-10-year-anniversary-celebration-feb-10

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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.

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“Morning News – 02/06/15” was originally published on J. Palmer

Morning News – 02/05/15

CYNTHIANA / HARRISON

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

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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.

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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

http://www.harrison.kyschools.us/virtual/high/sports/?p=445

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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.

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.”

http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2015/02/04/verizon_cuts_data_plan_costs_here_s_how_to_save_10_a_month.html

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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.

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“Morning News – 02/05/15” was originally published on J. Palmer

Morning News – 02/04/15

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.

http://www.maysville-online.com/news/local/arrest-made-in-death-of-robertson-woman/article_cf19a732-5e52-5931-aa78-97c37ea06497.html

http://www.lex18.com/story/28017819/murder-victims-son-reacts-to-arrest

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.

http://www.bgdailynews.com/news/state/nicholas-county-bridge-being-replaced-in-m-project/article_67bd7513-9588-5c44-bf9f-e83fd0e9cdad.html

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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.

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.

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“Morning News – 02/04/15” was originally published on J. Palmer

Morning News – 02/03/15

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.

http://www.harrison.k12.ky.us/virtual/co/hatter/?p=599

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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.

http://www.kyforward.com/many-kentuckians-support-health-reform-but-say-they-dont-know-how-it-may-affect-them/

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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.

http://www.lex18.com/story/28008839/fire-damages-georgetown-machine-shop

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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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SONG OF THE DAY

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“Morning News – 02/03/15” was originally published on J. Palmer

Morning News – 02/02/15

…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.

http://www.lex18.com/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.

http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/Bourbon-Barrel-of-Compromise–290476811.html

http://www.kyforward.com/clay-centers-peace-bourbon-on-way-to-d-c-to-sweeten-the-deal-for-a-bourbon-summit/

http://www.kyforward.com/bourbon-barrel-of-compromise-bus-dressed-up-ready-to-roll-on-peace-mission-to-d-c/

 

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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.

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.

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.

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“Morning News – 02/02/15” was originally published on J. Palmer