| Breathitt Online News Archives Page #5 |
| Fisherman pulls piranha from pond 8-15-02 By SCOTT WUERZ and WILL BUSS Belleville News-Democrat Tim Vizer/News-Democrat Joan Ori of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' Fisheries Department identified the fish as a piranha. BELLEVILLE, Ill. - Just when you thought it was safe to wade into the Bellevue Park pond ... Fisherman Melvin Mitchell was hoping to catch some bluegill Thursday when he cast his line into the pond. Instead, he pulled out a fish that comes second only to sharks in giving swimmers that sinking feeling. "That's definitely a piranha," said Joan Ori of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' Fisheries Department after looking at a picture of Mitchell's catch. "There's no doubt about it." Biologist Steve Pallo, Ori's co-worker, agreed. "Yes, the fish is a piranha and, obviously, it is not native to Illinois," Pallo said. "Most likely (it is) a release from an aquarium of a person who got tired of it." But while piranhas have a notorious reputation, finding one in a pond doesn't mean the fish have made area waters their home, Pallo said. "They show up from time to time," Pallo said. "But they do not survive our cold winters, so they should not be a problem." Mitchell, a 50-year-old Belleville resident, said he has fished at the park pond for three years and never caught anything like it. He was using night crawlers when he felt a tug. "I thought it was bluegill at first," he said. "Then I saw him, and I said, 'What the heck is this?' Then I saw the teeth and the color." Despite the confirmation by experts that Mitchell's catch was a piranha, some still think it's just a fish story. Ron Goellner, director of animal collections at the St. Louis Zoo, looked at a picture of the fish and said he couldn't be sure whether it's a piranha - or just a vegetarian relative. Tom Belt, owner of G and T Aquarium & Pond Services in Swansea, said the fish doesn't look like a piranha to him. Still, Belt said Mitchell was right to take the fish home if there was any doubt. Belt's store sells piranhas for $22.95 each. He advises buyers who later decide they don't want their fish to bring it back instead of throwing it in the nearest lake or pond. Petty thefts on the rise. Jackson, Ky. 8-16-02 There has been a rash of petty thefts in area parking lots as of late. What can you do to prevent these thefts from happening to you? First, do not assume your valuables are safe no matter where you park. Do not leave valuables in your car. Always lock your vehicle where ever you park. If you are parking somewhere after dark, try to park near the most lit place where you are parking. If you have a security system, activate it, even if you think you will only be a few minutes. Lexington first Kentucky city to launch 'Amber Alert' system LEXINGTON, Ky. -8-19-02 Police announced the creation of Kentucky's first broadcast alert program Monday in the event of a child abduction in Fayette County. The program is based on the "Amber Alert" program, which aggressively publicizes child abductions through broadcast bulletins and other means. The program is named for Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old Texas girl who was kidnapped and killed in 1996. There are more than 40 such programs across the country, credited with recovering at least 19 children since 1997. "We're quite concerned with what's been going on across our country with the increasing number of child abductions," Lexington Police Chief Anthony Beatty said. "The greatest chance for peaceful and safe resolutions of these incidents are within the first few hours after they occur," Beatty said. Under the program, a reported child abduction will be investigated at the scene. If an officer determines an alert is needed, the department will contact several Lexington television and radio broadcast outlets. Those stations will then deliver information on the child, including age, height, weight, physical description or any other details that might help identify the child. Six large electronic message boards also can be placed at high traffic areas in the community to increase the visibility of the alert. Authorities have spent several months studying the most effective way to set up the system. They have devised the plan in a way that it can be easily incorporated into a statewide "Amber Alert" plan in the future. Kentucky State Police Investigate Double Homicide In Gallatin County/Suspect in Custody 8-23-02 (WARSAW, KY) - The Kentucky State Police, Campbellsburg Post, is currently investigating a double homicide that occurred prior to 6:00 AM today. At 6:01 AM, the Kentucky State Police were contacted by Gallatin County Dispatch and requested to send officers to a residence located on Weldon Way, in the city limits of Warsaw. Upon the officers' arrival, four victims were found at the residence. Two victims, both children, were deceased. Cody Sharon, six years old, and Chelbi Sharon, seven years old, were found dead. Courtney Sharon, ten years old, as well as their mother, Carolyn Marksberry, are currently being treated at the University of Cincinnati Hospital. The suspect, Marco Allen Chapman was captured around 12:30 PM by officials in Shrewsbury, West Virginia West Nile Virus - Human Deaths Extremely Rare Lexington, Ky. 8-24-02The mosquito--a small insect--is causing big concern for some people. Fayette County Health Commissioner Dr. John Poundstone says there's no need to panic. "One case is one case. The disease is really quite rare. You're more likely to be hit by a car." Even though it's very rare for people to die from the West Nile virus, Dr. Poundstone says certain groups are at a higher risk. Those at higher risk include: People with deficient immune systems: Elderly people : Very young children; So, how do you know if you have more than just a mosquito bite? Dr. Poundstone says, "There's no way to know. You might get cold or flu-like symptoms. But, it's almost a one-in-a-million case." That "one-in-a-million" case has now happened in Kentucky. The odds are high that the West Nile virus will eventually die out in the state. It's expected that birds will become immune to the virus in the next couple of years. Once they become immune, Dr. Poundstone expects the virus will stop being transmitted to other animals, including humans.West Nile Virus - Human Deaths Extremely Rare Lexington, Ky. 8-24-02 The mosquito--a small insect--is causing big concern for some people. Fayette County Health Commissioner Dr. John Poundstone says there's no need to panic. "One case is one case. The disease is really quite rare. You're more likely to be hit by a car." Even though it's very rare for people to die from the West Nile virus, Dr. Poundstone says certain groups are at a higher risk. Those at higher risk include: People with deficient immune systems: Elderly people : Very young children; So, how do you know if you have more than just a mosquito bite? Dr. Poundstone says, "There's no way to know. You might get cold or flu-like symptoms. But, it's almost a one-in-a-million case." That "one-in-a-million" case has now happened in Kentucky. The odds are high that the West Nile virus will eventually die out in the state. It's expected that birds will become immune to the virus in the next couple of years. Once they become immune, Dr. Poundstone expects the virus will stop being transmitted to other animals, including humans. HCC Mourns Passing of Bill Asher 8-23-02 Hazard Community College employees and students are mourning the passing of Bill Asher, associate professor, who began working at the college in 1989. Asher, of Letcher, died Wednesday, Aug. 21 at age 75. "We extend our deepest sympathies to Bill's wife, Bonnie, and their three children for this tremendous loss," noted Dr. Jay K. Box, president of Hazard Community College. Dr. R. Kathy Smoot, Vice President for Academic Affairs, said "Bill was one of the most dedicated faculty members that I've ever had the privilege of working with. He loved to teach and his students loved him. He will be greatly missed by all." For 16 years, Asher worked for the U.S. Forest Service in North Carolina where he was involved in research in biology and he conducted seminars. Prior to that he worked for the Nazareth School of Nursing in Lexington and the Stuart Robinson High School in Blackey. Besides being a veteran of the U.S. Navy, Asher obtained two master's degrees, one in anatomy and physiology from the University of Kentucky and the other in forest management from North Carolina State University. He earned his bachelor's degree in psychology from UK. Asher was very committed to teaching classes including anatomy, biology, and forestry and HCC students had good comments about his sense of humor, his knowledge that he shared, and his willingness to help them succeed. "He cared about us as students and he was always willing to go the extra mile," noted Vonda Farris, a student enrolled in his class during the spring. Other students complimented Asher for his ability to explain everything thoroughly. "He is nice and made class fun," noted one student. "He is very smart and can explain any questions the students ask. He has a good personality and because of this I think the students are more at ease to ask questions and comment on the subject." Besides Bonnie, survivors include his three children, Amy Asher of Letcher; Williams Curtis Asher Jr. of Wilmington, N.C. and Jerald David Asher of Pittsburg, PA. The funeral for Asher was held Saturday, Aug. 24 at the Letcher Funeral Home. The family has requested a scholarship fund be set up in Bill Asher's memory. To make a donation, please contact Carla Seals, Donor Relations, Hazard Community College, One Community College Drive, Hazard, KY 41701. Ten Commandments Allowed To Stay For Now Rowan County, 8-24-02 A federal judge has ruled the Ten Commandments will stay on display in Rowan, Mercer, & Garrard counties until the cases are tried in court. Commandments supporters are pleased. The ruling strikes down a preliminary injunction that had been issued forcing the Ten Commandments to be removed from display in the courthouses of the three counties. The American Civil Liberties Union pushed for the injunction. The plaintiffs in the case against Rowan County says the ruling will not change the outcome in the case. The lawsuit questions whether or not it is constitutional for the Ten Commandments to be displayed in any public building. The ACLU believes the government should not directly endorse religious documents or religious tradition.Defendants say that the role Christianity has played in the history and formation of the country cannot be denied. For now, the Ten Commandments will hang with other historical documents in the courthouses, pending further litigation. Both sides have vowed to continue the fight. Pennyrile Forest SRP to Stage Big Yard Sale FRANKFORT, Ky. (Aug. 20, 2002) -- For some folks, Saturdays are made for bargain hunting. Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park will get into the act on Sept. 14 when it holds a Trinkets & Treasures yard sale. The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature sale and food booths. The yard sale starts at 7 a.m. CDT. For sellers, the booth registration fee is $5, payable no later than noon on Thursday, Sept. 12. The Kentucky State Park System is composed of 50 state parks plus an interstate park shared with Virginia. The Department of Parks operates 17 resort parks with lodges -- more than any other state. During the administration of Gov. Paul Patton, two lodges have been built and all 15 others have been renovated. Each year, Kentucky parks draw 7.6 million visitors and contribute $289 million to the economy. For more information on Kentucky parks, visit our website at http://www.kystateparks.com Breathitt Online News Growing Jackson,Ky. 8-23-02 We are happy to announce that Breathitt Online News has went over 13,000 hits in a single month. Our traffic to this site has grown each and every month. This is a direct result of you our viewer. Feel free to email this site to everyone, and keep spreading the word. We are excited about upcoming events, and look forward to providing you the most information possible. We appreciate any ideas you may have. When we started we had 1,436 visits our first month, 3,516, our 2nd month, 9,692, third month, 13,664 last month, and 10,201 so far this month!! Anyone interested in providing news columns or stories may reach us by emailing us here at Breathitt Online News Kentucky Child Poverty Rate Declines; Some Skeptical About Numbers 8-20-02 Fewer Kentucky children are living in poverty than a decade ago, according to new census information. About one child in five - 203,547 in total - lived in a household with an income at or below the federal poverty line, which is $15,020 for a family of three and $18,100 for a family of four. The total was 30,000 fewer than in the 1990 census, when the ratio was about one child in four. However, an advocacy group said Kentucky's numbers would double if the government's poverty line, established 40 years ago and based on food costs, was adjusted to reflect what it actually costs a family to provide for itself. The government may tacitly agree. Eligibility for an array of assistance programs is based on incomes up to double the poverty level. The poverty line "doesn't really reflect what it's supposed to be reflecting. It doesn't even capture what most people agree is poverty," Debra Miller, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates, said in an interview. The established child poverty rate was 20 points higher among black youths - 39 percent to 19 percent for whites. The rate was 27 percent for youths identified as Hispanic or Latino. The highest overall rate was 56.4 percent in Owsley County. Wolfe County was second at 51.5 percent. Thirteen other counties in eastern and southeastern Kentucky had rates over 40 percent. Kentucky Records First West Nile Death Union County 8-20-02West Nile Virus Claims Kentucky Human Victim - Valeria Cummings Reports A Union County man is Kentucky's first victim of the West Nile virus. The Cabinet for Health Services says an 84-year-old Union County man died Monday from the disease. Officials had waited until medical tests by the Centers for Disease Control confirmed that he had West Nile Virus before announcing his death. Officials say the man had been hospitalized since early August for a variety of health problems. Health leaders say that the widespread distribution throughout the Commonwealth of horses and mosquitos with the disease made it likely that the state would see some human cases. At the same time, the same officials warn that it is highly unlikely that normally healthy people will become seriously ill or die from the ddisease. "Any time someone dies from a mosquiteo-borne disease, we understand the impact on family and friends," said Dr. Rice Leach, commissioner of the Department for Public Health. "At the same time, it is important for Kentuckians to know that the risk of people getting ill is very small and the fatal cases are unusual." Medical surveillance has found the West Nile virus in 32 Kentucky counties so far this year. 73 birds, 19 horses, and two mosquito pools have shown the virus in tests. Mosquito Prevention Tips 8-20-02 Remove all discarded tires on your property. Used tires are one of the primary breeding areas for mosquitoes. Dispose of tin cans, plastic containers, ceramic pots, or similar water-holding containers. Drill holes in the bottom of recycling containers left outdoors. Make sure roof gutters drain properly, and clean clogged gutters. Turnover plastic wading pools and wheelbarrows when not in use. Change water in birdbaths. Clean vegetationand debris from edges of ponds. Clean and chlorinate swimming pools, outdoor saunas and hot tubs. Add or aerate fish to ornamental ponds. Remember to drain water from pool covers and tarps. Use landscaping to eliminate standing water that collects on your property. Mosquitoes may breed in any puddle that lasts for more than four days. Missing Calif. girl found safe in Nevada Suspect arrested August 20, 2002 RENO, Nevada (CNN) -- A 10-year-old girl who was the subject of a massive manhunt Tuesday after she disappeared from her Riverside, California, home was found alive and unharmed later in the day, the Nevada Highway Patrol said. Nichole Taylor Timmons was last seen by her mother Monday night in her bedroom, police said. In the morning, the girl was gone, her door and the yard's rear gate both unlocked. Nevada authorities said they arrested Glenn Park, the girl's 68-year-old former baby sitter, about 2:40 p.m. after his vehicle was stopped on U.S. Highway 95 near Schurz in the Walker River Indian Reservation, about 65 miles southeast of Reno and about 350 miles from Riverside. Riverside Police Chief Russ Leach said Park had been a family friend of the Timmons but that the relationship had been terminated. "We believe one of the reasons could be him becoming distraught with the ending of that relationship with the Timmons family," Leach told reporters. "We're trying to find out more about that now ... to see perhaps why he chose today and why he chose take her, and what triggered that response to the termination of this relationship," he said. Nichole's mother, Cheryl Timmons, thanked police and the news media for helping recover her daughter so quickly. "To wake up in the morning and take the blankets off your child's bed and see empty sheets, puts you in another world like you're in a cloud," she said at a news conference. Leach said they hoped to reunite Nichole and her mother Tuesday night. He said they were arranging to fly Timmons to Nevada. The girl's parents are separated. Police said her father, Ralph Timmons, was scheduled to travel abroad Tuesday and they were trying to contact him. Smith said the father was not considered a suspect. Riverside Assistant Police Chief Mike Smith said earlier that Nichole's mother had expressed "some concerns" about Park to investigators, and authorities began receiving tips after an "Amber Alert" was issued via electronic billboards and signs throughout the state. Elk Event for Jenny Wiley State Park 9-4-02 FRANKFORT, Ky. (Sept. 4, 2002) -- The restoration of an elk population in Kentucky is the theme of a special event planned for Sept. 21 at Jenny Wiley State Resort Park in Prestonsburg. The highlight is a dinner featuring various entrees prepared with elk meat. They include elk meat loaf, potpie, and chili, along with elk roast carved on line. Other entrees will be fried chicken and catfish with hush puppies. Side dishes will include corn on the cob, turnip greens, Lyonnaise potatoes, and baked beans. Various salads will be served, along with desserts that include blackberry and cherry cobblers. The dinner will be served from 4-9 p.m. at the lodge dining room. The cost is $15.95 for adults, $8.95 for children 12 and under. Other planned activities include an elk tour starting at 6 a.m. Because of limited space available, reservations are required and may be made by calling 1-606-886-2711, ext. 2269. Also scheduled is an educational presentation on the restoration program, scheduled for 2 p.m., and a live wildlife program at 7:30 p.m. Participants qualify for a 10 percent discount off regular accommodation rates. For more information, call toll-free 1-800-325-0142. Knott County Youth Dies in Car accident 9-4-02 Knott County Ky. CONRAD ISSACS JR. AGE 16, OF KITE,KY. WAS OPERATING HIS 1999 TOYOTA TRUCK SOUTH ON KY. 1393 WHEN HE LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND RAN OFF THE ROADWAY. THE TOYOTA TRUCK THEN OVERTURNED EJECTING MR. ISSACS FROM THE VEHICLE. CONRAD ISSACS JR. AND A PASSENGER WERE TRANSPORTED TO THE HAZARD HOSPITAL WITH MULTIPLE INJURIES. MR. ISSACS WAS THEN TRANSFERRED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HOSPITAL WERE HE WAS PROUNCED DEAD. JOSEPH MOORE AGE 17 OF KITE IS LISTED IN FAIR CONDITION AT THIS TIME AT THE HAZARD HOSPITAL. NO SEATBELTS WERE IN USE AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. Pedestrian Killed in Busy, Ky. 9-3-02 Busy, Ky. 23 YEAR OLD DANNY CAUDILL OF BUSY WAS OPERATING HIS 1983 FORD RANGER SOUTH ON KY. 451 IN BUSY, KY. WHEN A PEDESTRIAN, 32 YEAR OLD RICHARD COMBS OF CHRISTOPHER STEPPED INTO THE ROADWAY AND WAS STRUCK BY THE CAUDILL VEHICLE. RICHARD COMBS WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE HAZARD HOSPITAL WERE HE DIED A SHORT TIME LATER. RICHARD COMBS WAS PROUNCED DEAD BY THE PERRY COUNTY CORONER. DANNY CAUDILL WAS ARRESTED FOR SEVERAL OFFENSES AND LODGED IN THE PERRY COUNTY JAIL. One dead in Perry County Crash 9-3-02 Perry County, KY A 1998 PONTIAC BEING DRIVEN BY 45 YEAR OLD EDDIE HALL OF WHEELWRIGHT WAS TRAVELING NOTH ON KY. 899 WHEN THE VEHICLE RAN OFF THE ROADWAY AND STRUCK THE EARTH EMBANKMENT. EDDIE HALL AND TWO UNKNOWN PASSENGERS WERE TRANSPORTED TO THE MCDOWELL ARH WERE THEY ARE LISTED IN SERIOUS CONDITION. A THIRD PASSENGER PAUL A. CAUDILL AGE 47 OF CORNETTSVILLE, KY. DIED WHILE IN ROUTE TO THE HAZARD HOSPITAL. SEATBELTS WERE NOT IN USE AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. Mo. Man Charged in Girl's Death Sun Jul 28, 4:41 AM ET By JIM SUHR, Associated Press Writer VALLEY PARK, Mo. (AP) - A transient was accused Saturday of abducting, trying to rape and ultimately slaying a 6-year-old girl who he allegedly snatched from her father's home. St. Louis County warrants charge Johnny A. Johnson, 24, with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, kidnapping and attempted forcible rape in Friday's killing of Cassandra "Casey" Williamson, who vanished from the home where Johnson had spent the night as a guest. Cassandra's body was found blocks away at an abandoned glass factory where police say Johnson sometimes slept. Johnson told police the girl's location, investigators said. Johnson was held without bond Saturday in the St. Louis County Jail in Clayton. It was not immediately clear when he would make his first court appearance. An autopsy Saturday showed Cassandra died after being hit by a blunt object, St. Louis County Police Maj. Jerry Lee said, but he refused to give details. He said tests to determine whether the girl was sexual assaulted were pending. Police Chief Ron Battelle told NBC's "Today" show Saturday that Johnson confessed to the slaying. He declined to comment on a motive. Battelle said Johnson was the last person seen with Cassandra, and he was seen carrying her piggyback down the street Friday. "We took him to our station and began interviewing him at that point in time, and as they went on he admitted to his involvement in the murder," Battelle said. A police news release on the charges against Johnson did not specify how Cassandra died, saying only "detectives from our agency were able to build a strong case against (Johnson)." "We're basically not releasing anything beyond the news release," said Mason Keller, a St. Louis County police spokesman. Johnson spent the night at a home shared by Cassandra's father, Ernie Williamson, and a roommate. Johnson had stayed up drinking with the roommate, the father said. Ernie Williamson and Cassandra's mother, Angela Williamson, had separated but still spent some nights together. Ernie Williamson said he had only known Johnson a few days, and that Johnson was sleeping on the couch Friday morning. Authorities said Cassandra was in the kitchen about 7:30 a.m. with her father. Williamson said he was about to pour his daughter a bowl of cereal and left the room briefly to go the bathroom. When he returned, the girl, barefoot and dressed in a white nightgown, had disappeared. The father said Johnson was also gone. About a half-hour later, Williamson said, Johnson returned to the house, wet and muddy, and said he had been swimming in the nearby river. Police began questioning him after he returned. A parent's worst nightmare: Are child abductions on the rise? National News Wed Jul 24, By Steve Irsay, Court TV First, it was the faces. Smiling in school photos and candid family snapshots, they were splashed across breaking reports and front pages around the country. Then, the names: Danielle, Elizabeth, Samantha, Erica. Their stories were painfully familiar. The recent highly publicized cases of abducted little girls, from California to Philadelphia, seem to suggest that the insidious crime of child abduction and murder is on the rise. But while the stories have recently dominated cable news coverage and have been splashed across the front pages, the cases of Danielle, Elizabeth and the others remain the exceptions in child abductions, according to researchers and advocates. It's every parent's worst fear: a dangerous stranger snatches their child. However, the vast majority of missing children are not kidnapped at all. They are runaways and throwaways, kids who leave and don't come back or are told not to come back, according to a 1990 study by the U.S. Justice Department ( news - web sites). Of the remaining cases that are considered abductions, some 350,000 each year, are committed by family members as part of a custody dispute. In a country with some 59 million children, abductions by a stranger are perhaps the most terrifying of crimes. But they are also the rarest. There are about 114,600 such stranger abductions attempted each year, and about 3,200 to 4,600 or around 4 percent, are successful, according to the study. Of those, an even smaller fraction, about 200 to 300, are what the FBI ( news - web sites) calls "stereotypical" kidnappings, where a child is gone overnight, transported over some distance, intended to be kept by the perpetrator or even killed. These incidents make up far less than 1 percent of the total stranger abductions. The numbers of these cases are small and getting smaller despite the recent publicized incidents, according to FBI statistics. In 2001, agents investigated 93 cases of abduction by someone outside the family. That is a decline from the 115 cases reported in 1998, when such statistics were first kept. The recent media attention on the cases of Danielle van Dam, Elizabeth Smart, Samantha Runnion, and most recently, Erica Pratt, who made a daring escape from her captors Tuesday, has heightened the public awareness of child abductions even though most experts agree there is no current epidemic. Some suggest that while the number of cases may not have changed, their nature has and this shift has drawn the extra attention. Miners rescued in Pennsylvania 7-28-02 Somerset, Pennsylvania "If you were to see any of these guys on the street right now, you would not know they were trapped in a cavern full of water for three days," said Dr. Russell Dumire of Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown, where six of the nine miners were taken. Dumire said he saw no evidence of post-traumatic stress among the men. "They're all quite calm, cool and collected, and they all want to get on with things," he said. Two are in fair condition and four in good condition, Dumire said. The latter group may be released Sunday, he said. Three other miners are in satisfactory condition at Somerset Hospital in Somerset and also might be released Sunday, said Greg Chiappelli, the hospital's communications director. One by one, the nine soggy and exhausted miners, their faces blackened with coal dust, were pulled from the mine early Sunday after being trapped underground for more than three days. The last one pulled from the 240-foot deep shaft was 41-year-old Mark Popernack, who emerged at 2:45 a.m. and gave his rescuers a thumbs-up. All nine men were taken to hospitals where they will remain under observation for at least 24 hours, officials said. They were to be reunited with their families at the medical facilities. The first miner, Randy Fogle, 43, who had complained of chest pains, was taken by helicopter to Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center. Dr. Richard Saluzzo said Fogle was hypothermic, meaning his temperature was low, but he was lucid and was undergoing an electrocardiogram to evaluate his heart. "We're warming him up," Saluzzo said. "Then we'll do the blood work and usual work-up for any heart problems." A second miner, Harry "Blaine" Mayhugh, was brought out about 15 minutes later, followed after a similar interval by Tom Foy, 51. John Unger, 52, was the fourth man pulled to the surface, and he was followed by John Phillippi. Ron Hilemand, 49, was raised at 2:10 a.m. Dennis J. Hall, 49, followed at 2:20. a.m. Then Robert Pugh Jr., 50, became the eighth miner to be rescued about 10 minutes later. They were met by applause and cheers from crews who had been working around the clock to save the men. The rescued miners were helped from the metal cage they rode up from the mine, placed on stretchers and then taken to be examined by medical personnel at the site. The men were discovered alive late Saturday after workers drilled a rescue shaft down to an air pocket where the men had found refuge 240 feet below the surface. They had been there since Wednesday night when millions of gallons of water from an adjacent, long-abandoned mine crashed through into the Quecreek mine. Pennsylvania Gov. Mark Schweiker : "All nine are alive, and we believe that all nine are in pretty good shape." A drilling crew punched a hole into the air pocket at 10:16 p.m. Saturday, according to reports from the scene. Rescuers lowered a telephone down an air shaft 6 inches in diameter and made contact with the miners a short time later, officials said. "This is a miracle," said John Weir, a spokesman for Black Wolf Coal Co., the mine's owner. "We're going to get them out. We're going to get them with their families." "All nine are alive, and we believe that all nine are in pretty good shape," Pennsylvania Gov. Mark Schweiker said. Before Saturday night, rescue workers last heard from the miners at noon Thursday, when they tapped on the air pipe. After then, noise and vibration caused by the rescue efforts made further communication impossible. The men began banging on the air pipe less than a minute after the drill broke through Saturday night, said Dave Lauriski, assistant secretary of mine safety and health for the U.S. Department of Labor. "We had a lot of people get very excited, but we kept everybody calm until we knew what the conditions were, that we knew we had all nine miners," Lauriski said. Rescuers kept warm, compressed air pumping through airways to preserve the air pocket. The mine is about 55 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. Miners had broken through into an adjacent mine that had filled with an estimated 50 million-plus gallons of water since it was abandoned in the 1950s. "All of a sudden, a call came in on the walkie-talkie," said Doug Custer, a co-worker of the trapped men, who escaped the flooded mine. "They said, 'We hit water -- get out.' In a mine, we joke around a lot, but we know a call like this is serious so we dropped our tools, shut off the machinery and got out of there as fast as we could." -- CNN Correspondent Jeff Flock and journalist Jeff Goodell contributed to this report. |
| Elk Event for Jenny Wiley State Park 9-4-02 FRANKFORT, Ky. (Sept. 4, 2002) -- The restoration of an elk population in Kentucky is the theme of a special event planned for Sept. 21 at Jenny Wiley State Resort Park in Prestonsburg. The highlight is a dinner featuring various entrees prepared with elk meat. They include elk meat loaf, potpie, and chili, along with elk roast carved on line. Other entrees will be fried chicken and catfish with hush puppies. Side dishes will include corn on the cob, turnip greens, Lyonnaise potatoes, and baked beans. Various salads will be served, along with desserts that include blackberry and cherry cobblers. The dinner will be served from 4-9 p.m. at the lodge dining room. The cost is $15.95 for adults, $8.95 for children 12 and under. Other planned activities include an elk tour starting at 6 a.m. Because of limited space available, reservations are required and may be made by calling 1-606-886-2711, ext. 2269. Also scheduled is an educational presentation on the restoration program, scheduled for 2 p.m., and a live wildlife program at 7:30 p.m. Participants qualify for a 10 percent discount off regular accommodation rates. For more information, call toll-free 1-800-325-0142. Knott County Youth Dies in Car accident 9-4-02 Knott County Ky. CONRAD ISSACS JR. AGE 16, OF KITE,KY. WAS OPERATING HIS 1999 TOYOTA TRUCK SOUTH ON KY. 1393 WHEN HE LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND RAN OFF THE ROADWAY. THE TOYOTA TRUCK THEN OVERTURNED EJECTING MR. ISSACS FROM THE VEHICLE. CONRAD ISSACS JR. AND A PASSENGER WERE TRANSPORTED TO THE HAZARD HOSPITAL WITH MULTIPLE INJURIES. MR. ISSACS WAS THEN TRANSFERRED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HOSPITAL WERE HE WAS PROUNCED DEAD. JOSEPH MOORE AGE 17 OF KITE IS LISTED IN FAIR CONDITION AT THIS TIME AT THE HAZARD HOSPITAL. NO SEATBELTS WERE IN USE AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. Pedestrian Killed in Busy, Ky. 9-3-02 Busy, Ky. 23 YEAR OLD DANNY CAUDILL OF BUSY WAS OPERATING HIS 1983 FORD RANGER SOUTH ON KY. 451 IN BUSY, KY. WHEN A PEDESTRIAN, 32 YEAR OLD RICHARD COMBS OF CHRISTOPHER STEPPED INTO THE ROADWAY AND WAS STRUCK BY THE CAUDILL VEHICLE. RICHARD COMBS WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE HAZARD HOSPITAL WERE HE DIED A SHORT TIME LATER. RICHARD COMBS WAS PROUNCED DEAD BY THE PERRY COUNTY CORONER. DANNY CAUDILL WAS ARRESTED FOR SEVERAL OFFENSES AND LODGED IN THE PERRY COUNTY JAIL. One dead in Perry County Crash 9-3-02 Perry County, KY A 1998 PONTIAC BEING DRIVEN BY 45 YEAR OLD EDDIE HALL OF WHEELWRIGHT WAS TRAVELING NOTH ON KY. 899 WHEN THE VEHICLE RAN OFF THE ROADWAY AND STRUCK THE EARTH EMBANKMENT. EDDIE HALL AND TWO UNKNOWN PASSENGERS WERE TRANSPORTED TO THE MCDOWELL ARH WERE THEY ARE LISTED IN SERIOUS CONDITION. A THIRD PASSENGER PAUL A. CAUDILL AGE 47 OF CORNETTSVILLE, KY. DIED WHILE IN ROUTE TO THE HAZARD HOSPITAL. SEATBELTS WERE NOT IN USE AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. Mo. Man Charged in Girl's Death Sun Jul 28, 4:41 AM ET By JIM SUHR, Associated Press Writer VALLEY PARK, Mo. (AP) - A transient was accused Saturday of abducting, trying to rape and ultimately slaying a 6-year-old girl who he allegedly snatched from her father's home. St. Louis County warrants charge Johnny A. Johnson, 24, with first-degree murder, armed criminal action, kidnapping and attempted forcible rape in Friday's killing of Cassandra "Casey" Williamson, who vanished from the home where Johnson had spent the night as a guest. Cassandra's body was found blocks away at an abandoned glass factory where police say Johnson sometimes slept. Johnson told police the girl's location, investigators said. Johnson was held without bond Saturday in the St. Louis County Jail in Clayton. It was not immediately clear when he would make his first court appearance. An autopsy Saturday showed Cassandra died after being hit by a blunt object, St. Louis County Police Maj. Jerry Lee said, but he refused to give details. He said tests to determine whether the girl was sexual assaulted were pending. Police Chief Ron Battelle told NBC's "Today" show Saturday that Johnson confessed to the slaying. He declined to comment on a motive. Battelle said Johnson was the last person seen with Cassandra, and he was seen carrying her piggyback down the street Friday. "We took him to our station and began interviewing him at that point in time, and as they went on he admitted to his involvement in the murder," Battelle said. A police news release on the charges against Johnson did not specify how Cassandra died, saying only "detectives from our agency were able to build a strong case against (Johnson)." "We're basically not releasing anything beyond the news release," said Mason Keller, a St. Louis County police spokesman. Johnson spent the night at a home shared by Cassandra's father, Ernie Williamson, and a roommate. Johnson had stayed up drinking with the roommate, the father said. Ernie Williamson and Cassandra's mother, Angela Williamson, had separated but still spent some nights together. Ernie Williamson said he had only known Johnson a few days, and that Johnson was sleeping on the couch Friday morning. Authorities said Cassandra was in the kitchen about 7:30 a.m. with her father. Williamson said he was about to pour his daughter a bowl of cereal and left the room briefly to go the bathroom. When he returned, the girl, barefoot and dressed in a white nightgown, had disappeared. The father said Johnson was also gone. About a half-hour later, Williamson said, Johnson returned to the house, wet and muddy, and said he had been swimming in the nearby river. Police began questioning him after he returned. A parent's worst nightmare: Are child abductions on the rise? National News Wed Jul 24, By Steve Irsay, Court TV First, it was the faces. Smiling in school photos and candid family snapshots, they were splashed across breaking reports and front pages around the country. Then, the names: Danielle, Elizabeth, Samantha, Erica. Their stories were painfully familiar. The recent highly publicized cases of abducted little girls, from California to Philadelphia, seem to suggest that the insidious crime of child abduction and murder is on the rise. But while the stories have recently dominated cable news coverage and have been splashed across the front pages, the cases of Danielle, Elizabeth and the others remain the exceptions in child abductions, according to researchers and advocates. It's every parent's worst fear: a dangerous stranger snatches their child. However, the vast majority of missing children are not kidnapped at all. They are runaways and throwaways, kids who leave and don't come back or are told not to come back, according to a 1990 study by the U.S. Justice Department ( news - web sites). Of the remaining cases that are considered abductions, some 350,000 each year, are committed by family members as part of a custody dispute. In a country with some 59 million children, abductions by a stranger are perhaps the most terrifying of crimes. But they are also the rarest. There are about 114,600 such stranger abductions attempted each year, and about 3,200 to 4,600 or around 4 percent, are successful, according to the study. Of those, an even smaller fraction, about 200 to 300, are what the FBI ( news - web sites) calls "stereotypical" kidnappings, where a child is gone overnight, transported over some distance, intended to be kept by the perpetrator or even killed. These incidents make up far less than 1 percent of the total stranger abductions. The numbers of these cases are small and getting smaller despite the recent publicized incidents, according to FBI statistics. In 2001, agents investigated 93 cases of abduction by someone outside the family. That is a decline from the 115 cases reported in 1998, when such statistics were first kept. The recent media attention on the cases of Danielle van Dam, Elizabeth Smart, Samantha Runnion, and most recently, Erica Pratt, who made a daring escape from her captors Tuesday, has heightened the public awareness of child abductions even though most experts agree there is no current epidemic. Some suggest that while the number of cases may not have changed, their nature has and this shift has drawn the extra attention. Miners rescued in Pennsylvania 7-28-02 Somerset, Pennsylvania "If you were to see any of these guys on the street right now, you would not know they were trapped in a cavern full of water for three days," said Dr. Russell Dumire of Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown, where six of the nine miners were taken. Dumire said he saw no evidence of post-traumatic stress among the men. "They're all quite calm, cool and collected, and they all want to get on with things," he said. Two are in fair condition and four in good condition, Dumire said. The latter group may be released Sunday, he said. Three other miners are in satisfactory condition at Somerset Hospital in Somerset and also might be released Sunday, said Greg Chiappelli, the hospital's communications director. One by one, the nine soggy and exhausted miners, their faces blackened with coal dust, were pulled from the mine early Sunday after being trapped underground for more than three days. The last one pulled from the 240-foot deep shaft was 41-year-old Mark Popernack, who emerged at 2:45 a.m. and gave his rescuers a thumbs-up. All nine men were taken to hospitals where they will remain under observation for at least 24 hours, officials said. They were to be reunited with their families at the medical facilities. The first miner, Randy Fogle, 43, who had complained of chest pains, was taken by helicopter to Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center. Dr. Richard Saluzzo said Fogle was hypothermic, meaning his temperature was low, but he was lucid and was undergoing an electrocardiogram to evaluate his heart. "We're warming him up," Saluzzo said. "Then we'll do the blood work and usual work-up for any heart problems." A second miner, Harry "Blaine" Mayhugh, was brought out about 15 minutes later, followed after a similar interval by Tom Foy, 51. John Unger, 52, was the fourth man pulled to the surface, and he was followed by John Phillippi. Ron Hilemand, 49, was raised at 2:10 a.m. Dennis J. Hall, 49, followed at 2:20. a.m. Then Robert Pugh Jr., 50, became the eighth miner to be rescued about 10 minutes later. They were met by applause and cheers from crews who had been working around the clock to save the men. The rescued miners were helped from the metal cage they rode up from the mine, placed on stretchers and then taken to be examined by medical personnel at the site. The men were discovered alive late Saturday after workers drilled a rescue shaft down to an air pocket where the men had found refuge 240 feet below the surface. They had been there since Wednesday night when millions of gallons of water from an adjacent, long-abandoned mine crashed through into the Quecreek mine. Pennsylvania Gov. Mark Schweiker : "All nine are alive, and we believe that all nine are in pretty good shape." A drilling crew punched a hole into the air pocket at 10:16 p.m. Saturday, according to reports from the scene. Rescuers lowered a telephone down an air shaft 6 inches in diameter and made contact with the miners a short time later, officials said. "This is a miracle," said John Weir, a spokesman for Black Wolf Coal Co., the mine's owner. "We're going to get them out. We're going to get them with their families." "All nine are alive, and we believe that all nine are in pretty good shape," Pennsylvania Gov. Mark Schweiker said. Before Saturday night, rescue workers last heard from the miners at noon Thursday, when they tapped on the air pipe. After then, noise and vibration caused by the rescue efforts made further communication impossible. The men began banging on the air pipe less than a minute after the drill broke through Saturday night, said Dave Lauriski, assistant secretary of mine safety and health for the U.S. Department of Labor. "We had a lot of people get very excited, but we kept everybody calm until we knew what the conditions were, that we knew we had all nine miners," Lauriski said. Rescuers kept warm, compressed air pumping through airways to preserve the air pocket. The mine is about 55 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. Miners had broken through into an adjacent mine that had filled with an estimated 50 million-plus gallons of water since it was abandoned in the 1950s. "All of a sudden, a call came in on the walkie-talkie," said Doug Custer, a co-worker of the trapped men, who escaped the flooded mine. "They said, 'We hit water -- get out.' In a mine, we joke around a lot, but we know a call like this is serious so we dropped our tools, shut off the machinery and got out of there as fast as we could." -- CNN Correspondent Jeff Flock and journalist Jeff Goodell contributed to this report. Winchester Pastor Charged With Rape 9-5-02 (Tishomingo, Oklahoma-AP) -- A Kentucky pastor accused of raping a 12-year-old Oklahoma girl has surrendered to officials in that state. The Reverend Chadwick Keathley is associate pastor of Ark of Mercy Church of God in Winchester. He responded Tuesday to an arrest warrant issued August 26th. Prosecutors charged the 27-year-old Keathley with lewd molestation, first-degree rape and rape by instrumentation. He was released after posting a $25,000 cash bond, and an October 22nd preliminary hearing was scheduled. The alleged incident occurred during summer 2000 at a Church of God gathering at Camp Bond Youth Camp near Tishomingo. According to an affidavit, Keathley allegedly took the girl at knifepoint away from the camp and into a secluded wooded area, threatening to harm her and her family members. Keathley's attorney, Wallace Coppedge, says Keathley pleaded innocent and he plans a vigorous defense. Man Charged in Drug Case 9-5-02 A dangerous drug is showing up in greater quanities in Central and Eastern Kentucky. Police say methamphetamine may even be the drug of choice right now, over marijuana and prescription drugs. Several recent arrests have police worried that the problem is growing out of control. Police say meth is easy to make and the materials are easy to buy, but people don't realize the dangers of using and making the drug. A recent arrest in Laurel County netted nearly 30 pounds of meth. Giant pickle appears on school roof 9-4-02 Associated Press ASPEN, Colo. - Johnny Hoffman wasn't laughing when he discovered the 8-foot-long, 200-plus-pound pickle had been plucked off the top of his sandwich shop's delivery car. He wanted it back. "I called the police. I wanted them to seal off the exits in and out of town," Hoffman said. "That pickle has become a big part of our image." Hoffman wasn't the only one puzzling over how the pickle wound up on the roof of Aspen High School. School officials and police in this glitzy resort town also want to know who the mastermind is behind the pickle prank. The pickle will stay on the school roof until a team can be brought in to safely return it to its rightful owners. Artist Tim Murray crafted the giant bright green pickle out of steel and brass in 1992. Hoffman and partner Terrance McGuire own delis in Aspen, Denver and Durango. Judge challenges pot-smoking basketball player to game 9-4-02 SANTA ANA, Calif. - The 20-year-old former high school basketball star told the judge he smoked pot because it made him a better player. So the 42-year-old jurist challenged him to a game of one-on-one on a different court. "I thought maybe he was kidding," said defendant Alvaro Alvarez, who accepted the challenge after he was charged with marijuana possession. Superior Court Judge Marc Kelly sentenced Alvarez to attend drug abuse classes for the misdemeanor, then told him to return to court ready for a game. On Tuesday, Alvarez proved he attended class. Then the judge stripped off his judicial robe and laced up his sneakers. "You better not let him beat you," Alvarez's friends said. Alvarez, who said he's been smoking pot since he was 10, added he wouldn't need the relaxing qualities he said marijuana provides to take on a player more than twice his age. After all, he was the defensive player of the year as a sophomore at Santa Ana Valley High School. As he faced off against the judge outside the Orange County courthouse, Judge Steven L. Perk stepped up to referee and half dozen court employees made up the cheering section. Although both players stood about 5-foot-10 and appeared physically fit, it was no contest. In a game to see who could score the first 10 baskets, the judge slam-dunked the former high school star 10-3. "Defensive player of the year, Alvarez? Come on," Kelly trash-talked at one point, then drove for two consecutive lay-ups. "The marijuana's getting to you, Alvarez. You're exhausted, aren't you?" After the game, the two embraced. "You surprise me," a winded Alvarez told the judge. "You are quicker than most of the guys I play with." Perhaps that's because Kelly had played some ball himself, on a Notre Dame team that included future NBA players Orlando Woolridge and Bill Laimbeer. "Lay off the marijuana," he admonished Alvarez. "I might have to, because it's getting me tired," Alvarez replied. No Area Traffic Deaths during Holiday 9-2-02 Hazard Ky. THE KENTUCKY STATE POLICE IN HAZARD WOULD LIKE TO ANNOUNCE THAT DURING THE HOLIDAY 8-30-2002 THRU 9-1-2002 POST 13 DID NOT HAVE ANY FATALITIES. THE OFFICERS AT POST 13 HELD 19 DIFFERENT TRAFFIC CHECKS WITH OVER 950 VEHICLES INSPECTED. TROOPERS ISSUED 44 SEATBELT CITATIONS AND 8 CHILD RESTRAINT CITATIONS ALONG WITH MAKING 8 D.U.I. ARREST. THE OFFICERS DURING THE STATE CAMPAIGN “YOU DRINK &DRIVE. YOU LOSE” HAVE MADE TRAVELING SAFE IN OUR AREA 'Lawyers love these cases' In Barbourville, cheap plastic chairs in Baker's small waiting room are filled. Welfare mothers who exhausted their benefits. Coal miners wheezing after years of inhaling dust underground, who worked off the books and therefore are ineligible for Social Security Disability Insurance. People who claim they are almost too depressed to leave home each day. "I see some families where their whole income is based on SSI," Baker said. "Both parents and two or three kids, they all get disability checks." "A lot of the people I deal with, they break my heart," he said. "That's why what I do is so rewarding, to be able to help people like that." Like most disability lawyers, Baker gets up to $5,300 for each successful claim. Some disability lawyers deal in volumes large enough to yield six-figure incomes. "Lawyers love these cases," said Jim Kelly, an Eastern Kentucky district manager for the Social Security Administration, which manages SSI. "They don't involve a whole lot of new work for each case," Kelly said. "You have a hundred cases in the government's files with your name on them, and you wait for them to hatch." Lawyers say they're needed to guide the poor and disabled through the bureaucracy. 'Your lawyer is your gun' Applying for SSI requires at least a medical complaint and a doctor's visit to support it. Some applicants push their claims for years, adding fresh complaints, fighting their way through levels of appeal and even suing for benefits if necessary. "SSI has gotten difficult. It's like filing income taxes," said disability lawyer McKinley Morgan of Hyden. Morgan said he wins 75 percent of disability claims for about 700 clients a year. Most are rejected initially, then prevail at appeal hearings before Social Security administrative law judges, he said. Unlike a courtroom trial, nobody represents the government at these hearings to challenge the disability claims. "If you want to be successful, you need to hire a lawyer because we know how to arrange for the medical experts, how to fill out the forms and present the information we've accumulated," Morgan said. "I explain it to my clients in hunting terms, which they can understand: 'Your lawyer is your gun,'" he said. Disability lawyers said SSI applicants are twice as successful with counsel as without. Social Security officials said they don't keep data to verify that. Law degree unnecessary SSI is a booming market for lawyers. Nationally, 434,000 people were denied a disability check in 2000 and then appealed. About 70 percent of them hired a lawyer. Only 35 percent of disability appeals 25 years ago involved lawyers. Some lawyers complain their field is so lucrative it's attracting competition: "non-attorney representatives," storefront offices that advise SSI applicants. These firms, such as AB Disability Associates in Manchester and Disability Claims Services in Pikeville, help applicants with paperwork just as lawyers do, although they can't argue in court without hiring their own counsel. Their market also is growing: About 20 percent of disability appeals in 2000 involved a non-attorney representative, up from 10 percent 25 years ago. "We've got everything from ex-Social Security officials to hairdressers running these businesses," Baker groused. "It feels like everyone's getting into it." There are enough clients for everyone, replied Brenda Bailey, owner of AB Disability Associates. Bailey opened her firm after seven years processing disability claims at Social Security's Office of Hearings and Appeals in Lexington. She said her insider's knowledge of the SSI program is as useful as a law degree; her firm handles about 100 cases a year. "You're supposed to get the same fair hearing regardless of whether you're represented or not. But my experience has been that you're more likely to be approved if you're represented," Bailey said. |
| More Job Losses in East KY 7-26-02 Hazard, Ky. At least 20 people will lose their jobs this Saturday when a Hazard Grocery Store shuts down. Last week management at the Hazard Kroger told employees it would close for good on Saturday. A spokesman for the company said the store has lost money for the past three years and cannot continue to operate. Many of the employees had been with the store since it opened in 1984. Kroger is located in the same shopping area as the struggling K-Mart. Mom fatally stabs 7-year-old girl July 27, 2002 NEW YORK (AP) -- A 7-year-old girl died after being stabbed 30 times by her mother, who critically injured another woman before she repeatedly stabbed herself, police said. Tashima Billingslea was declared dead about an hour after being rushed to a hospital Friday. Her mother, Yolanda Billingslea, 27, was in critical but stable condition Saturday at Woodhull Hospital. Charges were pending, police said. The other woman, Aishia Byrd, 24, was in critical condition Saturday at Kings County Hospital. Capt. Jim Klein said the two women were in Billingslea's apartment when they began to fight. Police said they did not know what led to the dispute. By the time two men intervened, Byrd had been stabbed more than a dozen times. Billingslea also had stabbed herself numerous times, Klein said. Two knives and a pair of scissors were recovered. Local Man Dies in Logging Accident 7-29-02 WarCreek,Ky. A breathitt County man, Kenneth Rourke, died Friday after apparently being severly injured during a logging accident. Mr. Rourke was moving logs near Hwy 541 at War Creek when the accident occurred, according to Breathitt County Sheriff, John L. Turner. The accident is still under investigation by the Kentucky State Police. Wet vs. Dry Poll heavily in favor of Wet County 7-29-02 Breathitt Ky. Although not scientific and used as a general poll, It appears that a heavy majority of people that voted in the poll, want the county to go wet. Of the 201 people that voted, 168, or 83.6%, voted for a wet county. Why is it then that Breathitt remains a dry county. The debate will go on forever, but it is apparent that there may be a groundswell for the couty to go wet. Over the last 10 years, an estimate of nearly a million dollars, has been spent on alcohol or at resturaunts that serve alcohol, by Breathitt Countians, outside this county. That is money and revenue, and taxes that could be used here in the county for roads and water, among other things. First Lady Judi Patton Expresses Concern Over New Data on Rape 8-1-02 Frankfort, KY - First Lady Judi Patton expressed concern today in response to preliminary 2001 Uniform Crime Report released recently by the FBI. According to the FBI, forcible rapes reported to police increased 0.2% last year. While the FBI will not release actual numbers until the fall, this increase means that approximately 180 additional forcible rapes occurred nationally in 2001 over the 90,186 total for 2000. The most recent data available from the Kentucky State Police “Crime in Kentucky” report indicates that forcible rapes in Kentucky increase by 3.7% from 1998 to 1999. First Lady Judi Patton spoke out with concern about the increasing numbers of victims of sexual violence. “Our first priority must be to keep citizens safe in their homes and on the streets of this Commonwealth. These numbers indicate that our women are not as safe as we want them to be. An increase of even one victim of a sex crime is too many.” The First Lady said, “Because so many victims choose never to report the crime to police because they are ashamed or scared, we know that these numbers only represent the tip of the iceberg. It is my hope that victims of all types of sex crimes realize that they are not alone and that there are resources in their communities that can help them.” A study on the costs of sexual violence reported in the June volume of the Journal of Interpersonal Violence further highlights the cause for the First Lady’s concern. In an article entitled “The Rape Tax: Tangible and Intangible Costs of Sexual Violence”, researchers reported that rape, sexual assault, and sex-offense homicide cost a state more than $6.5 billion per year, or approximately $2,750 per family of four. In describing the study, Carol Jordan, Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Services said its findings, “Emphasize the far reaching impact of this crime on victims, on their psychological, physical and financial well-being.” As a means to strengthen Kentucky’s response to the crime of rape, the Governor and First Lady have undertaken numerous initiatives since the beginning of the administration. The Pattons have successfully implemented a 129% increase in the state funding for local Rape Crisis Centers, and proposed 15 pieces of legislation resulting in significant reforms for victims of sexual offenses. Mrs. Patton described her dedication to this issue by saying, “We have used our time in the Capitol to bring attention to the issue of rape because we know our state cannot be completely healthy or productive if sexual violence is not addressed.” She also pledged that, “As we see the number of victims of sexual violence increasing, we’ll make sure our level of dedication to them is rising as well.” Kentucky’s Rape Crisis Centers can be contacted at: Pathways, Inc. 201 22nd Street Ashland, KY 41101 Business Phone: 606-324-1141 Hope Harbor, Inc. 913 Broadway Avenue Bowling Green, KY 42101 Business Phone: 270-782-5014 Women's Crisis Center, Inc. 835 Madison Avenue Covington, KY 41011 Business Phone: 859-655-2654 Cumberland River Comprehensive Care, Inc. PO Box 568 Corbin, KY 40702 Business Phone: 606-528-7010 Advocacy & Support Center PO Box 1537 Elizabethtown, KY 42702 Business Phone: 270-234-0577 Kentucky River Community Care, Inc. 465 Cedar Street Hazard, KY 41701 Business Phone: 606-435-0849 Sanctuary, Inc PO Box 1165 Hopkinsville, KY 42241 Business Phone: 270-885-4572 Bluegrass Rape Crisis Center Inc. PO Box 1603 Lexington, KY 40588 Business Phone: 859-253-2615 Center for Women and Families Rape Crisis Program PO Box 2048 Louisville, KY 40201-2048 Business Phone: 502-581-7200 New Beginnings PO Box 903 Owensboro, KY 42303-0903 Business Phone: 270-926-7278 Rape Crisis Center PO Box 8506 Paducah, KY 42002-8506 Business Phone: 270-534-4422 Mountain Comprehensive Care, Inc. Victim Services Program Prestonsburg, KY 41653 Business Phone: 606-886-4319 Adanta Regional Victim Services Program 259 Parkers Mill Road Somerset, KY 42501 Business Phone: 606-679-4782 Giant squid could represent a new species Scientists analyze creature found on Tasmanian beach (AP) HOBART, Australia, July 22 — A giant squid that washed up on an Australian beach could be a previously unknown species, scientists said Monday. THE 550-POUND (250-kilogram) creature was found dead Saturday on a beach in Hobart in Tasmania state and was transported Monday to the Tasmanian Museum. Experts were studying its unusual characteristics, which include long, thin flaps of muscle attached to each of its eight arms. “What we’ve seen on this animal we haven’t seen on other squid, and it’s a significant feature,” said zoologist David Pemberton. “It’s basically like having a pile of Advertisement muscles on your own body that nobody else has ... and I think it will rewrite the taxonomy.” The squid had lost its two tentacles, which Pemberton said would have been about 50 feet (15 meters) long. Giant squid usually live on the edge of continental shelves, about 1,600 feet (490 meters) below the ocean’s surface, he said. Even if the scientists had wanted to, they couldn’t have made a feast of the mysterious squid — Pemberton said it has a high ammonia content which would make it inedible. Snakehead Fish Found in 7 states 7-23-02 Maryland; The land-walking snakehead fish that is native to Asia has been found in seven U.S. states and the Bush administration will announce on July 23, 2002 a ban on U.S. imports of the predatory fish. The snakehead, which can grow up to 3 feet long, eats other fish and can walk across land to find new sources of food in other lakes and streams. The fish, which can stay out of water for up to three days, is seen in this undated file photo. (Maryland DNR/Reuters) Car Rams Thru Store 7-22-02 Missy's Video, located at Old Buck was hit by a car early Friday morning and caused severe damage to it. Apparently there was some disturbance just before it happened. The case is still under investigation and details are pending. Patton announces federal funds for local fire departments 7-21-02 FRANKFORT, KY - Governor Paul Patton, along with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), today announced that four Kentucky fire departments will receive "Assistance to Firefighters" grants for projects that total more than $700,000. "I am very pleased that FEMA approved the departments' grant applications for assistance under this program, which will allow each department to expand its equipment, training and services," Patton said. "Firefighters play an invaluable role in the safety of our communities, and this grant money will allow them to continue their projects and enforcement." The counties include: City Project amount; Federal share ; Local share ; Frankfort: $256,400; $230,760 ; $25,640 Island (McLean): $74,230 $66,807 $7,423 Hazard: $200,000 $180,000 $20,000 Salyersville: $186,000 $167,400 $18,600 TOTAL: $716,630 The fire departments are required to work with FEMA to ensure that they are able to meet the terms of the grant agreement. The departments must share in the cost of the funded project. Departments that serve jurisdictions of 50,000 or fewer residents are required to provide a non-Federal cost-share of 10 percent. Departments that service jurisdictions of over 50,000 provide a 30-percent cost-share. The match must be in cash without the use of in-kind contributions. The grant program allows fire departments to apply for eligible activities in one of four different programs: * Fire Operations and Firefighter Safety (eligible activities include: Training, Wellness and Fitness, Firefighting Equipment, and Personal Protective Equipment). * Fire Prevention (eligible activities include: Public Education, Public Awareness, Code Enforcement, and Arson Prevention). * Emergency Medical Services (eligible activities include: Training and Equipment). * Firefighting Vehicles. The maximum amount an applicant can be awarded is $750,000 during any fiscal year. As part of the application, applicants have to demonstrate financial need and articulate the benefits to be derived from the grant funds. Second Kentucky Air National Guardsman Identified Kentucky, 8-10-02 Dozens of searchers crisscrossed a mountainside Saturday in hopes of finding two remaining bodies of American servicemen killed when their plane crashed three days earlier. The day's efforts were unsuccessful and the workers descended at nightfall, saying they planned to saw open a piece of fuselage on Sunday in search of the last victims among the 10 aboard the U.S. Air Force plane. "There isn't much chance of finding the last two bodies because they're probably very dismembered," said Adolfo Menendez, commander of a National Guard unit at the crash site. Searchers have recovered the bodies of eight killed when the MC-130H special operations plane crashed in the U.S. territory during a training mission near Caguas, 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of San Juan. The crash's force left wreckage scattered over the mountainside, which was muddy on Saturday amid fog and drizzle. Searchers on Friday found the cockpit voice recorder, which would take one to three days to analyze, Menendez said. Workers also recovered a separate metal box on Saturday containing "classified equipment," Menendez said. He did not elaborate, saying only that the box was "one of the search's objectives." The bulky plane was flying in rain and fog when it struck Monte Perucho, broke in two and erupted in flames, witnesses said. Social workers later met with children from the area, saying the children were terrified at the sound of regular military flights overhead. "They don't sleep well. They're very quiet, very worried," social worker Carmen Rivera said. U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld expressed condolences to the families of those killed. Officials identified seven of the 10 people aboard the plane. One was a Kentucky national guardsman on temporary duty in Puerto Rico, five were from Air Force Special Operations in Florida, and one was from the Air Intelligence Agency, also based in Florida. Four victims from the 16th Special Operations Wing were identified as navigator Maj. Gregory W. Fritz, aircraft commander Maj. Michael J. Akos, co-pilot Capt. Christel A. Chavez, and loadmaster Staff Sgt. Robert J. McGuire Jr. Also identified were Staff Sgt. Shane H. Kimmet, a support operator from the Air Intelligence Agency, Capt. Panuk P. Soomsawasdi, a special tactics liaison officer with Special Operations Command, and Staff Sgt. Martin Tracy, a special tactics operator with the Kentucky Air National Guard. Chavez, the 27-year-old co-pilot, was the daughter of National Hispanic Cultural Center director Tom Chavez. The accident was the second in two months involving the four-engine Combat Talon II, a special operations variant of the C-130 Hercules cargo plane that costs dlrs 78 million. The other crashed in June in Afghanistan, killing three. The plane in Wednesday's crash belonged to the Air Force Special Operations Command and was flying from Roosevelt Roads Naval Station to the Borinquen Air Station on the island's west coast. |
| Main Archive Page CLICK HERE |
| NEXT Archive Page CLICK HERE |
| PREVIOUS Archive Page CLICK HERE |
| Back to Online News CLICK HERE |