Friday, September 01, 2000
Kentucky News Briefs
Spanish courses for beginners
Two beginning Spanish classes will be offered by the Northern Kentucky Adult Reading Program for residents of Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties.
Classes will be from 6-8 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at Lloyd High School on Bartlett Avenue in Erlanger.
Classes begin Sept. 18 and continue through Nov. 16. Fees and registration will range from $150 to $200 per person.
For more information, contact Juliana Scott at 581-7323.
Business group rates Stine 100%
FORT THOMAS — State Sen. Katie Stine, R-Fort Thomas, has once again been given a perfect score from the National Federation of Independent Businesses, a small-business trade and lobbying group.
The organization represents more than 6,600 small businesses in Kentucky.
It based its legislative rating on eight votes lawmakers cast during the 2000 General Assembly session that ended in April.
“Small businesses are the engine that continue to drive our economic prosperity,” Mrs. Stine said in a statement.
“In order to continue that prosperity our state government must be vigilant and guard against unnecessarily burdening small business with regulations that hinder their ability to be profitable.”
Arson suspected at day care center
PADUCAH — Arson is suspected in a fire that closed the Children's Creative Learning Center on Wednesday and left parents of 60 children looking for alternative day care.
There was no serious damage, and the center should reopen soon, fire officials said.
The fire was reported shortly before 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Besides damage to the rear door, the letters “KKK” were spray-painted on the back of the building, authorities said.
Tanesha Young, who is black, runs the center. She said she has never received threats.
Wife, brother plead innocent in slaying
BURKESVILLE — The wife and brother of a man who opened fire on Commonwealth's Attorney Fred Capps in a fatal shootout pleaded innocent Thursday to charges that they were accomplices.
Patricia Vaughn is charged with complicity to murder and her brother-in-law, James Vaughn, is charged with facilitation to murder.
If convicted, Patricia Vaughn could be sentenced to 20 years to life in prison. James Vaughn faces a possible prison sentence of one to five years if convicted.
State rejects care responses
FRANKFORT — The state's search for a managed-care organization to oversee its Medicaid program drew just three responses, officials said Thursday. None was what the Cabinet for Health Services wanted, and all were rejected.
One company wanted to handle pharmacy services only. Another wanted a fee arrangement the state was not offering.
A third proposal could not be evaluated because it was incomplete, Dennis Boyd, commissioner of the Department for Medicaid Services, said in an interview.
More puzzling than deficient responses was the absence of any response at all from Kentucky's “big three” of health care coverage — Anthem, Humana and United HealthCare.
United HealthCare expressed interest and was represented at a bidder's conference but submitted no proposal. Anthem and Humana never expressed interest, Boyd said.
Health Services Secretary Jimmy D. Helton said he intended to have his agency do a “post-mortem” with industry representatives to find why.
Grand jury to review drowning conclusion
EDDYVILLE — A Lyon County grand jury will meet next month to review the death of Michael D. Todd, of Kevil, whose death was initially ruled an accidental drowning.
Lyon County Commonwealth's Attorney G.L. Ovey said he will ask a grand jury to review evidence in Mr. Todd's death and decide if an unidentified companion should be charged with murder. The grand jury is to meet Sept. 18.
Mr. Todd, 36, died while swimming with two friends at Lake Barkley on June 14, 1999.
Ex-day-care director guilty of sex abuse
WINCHESTER — A Clark Circuit Court jury convicted former day-care center director Joey Herndon on one count of felony sexual abuse but acquitted him on rape and sodomy charges.
The jury also found Mr. Herndon guilty on all four misdemeanor charges of nonsexual abuse, which had been captured on videotape and played twice during the weeklong trial.
Mr. Herndon was acquitted on seven felony charges.
The panel recommended five years in prison for the felony conviction and four years plus a $2,000 fine for the misdemeanors. Herndon's formal sentencing was scheduled for Oct. 5.
The jury deliberated for nearly 10 hours Wednesday before returning the mixed verdict. Mr. Herndon, 31, cried as Clark Circuit Judge Julia Adams read off an initial string of innocent verdicts, then sank slightly in his seat as the judge read the first of five guilty findings.
Farm workers treated for nicotine poisoning
LEXINGTON — About 19 Hispanic tobacco workers were treated at hospitals after they became ill, apparently from a condition called green tobacco sickness.
Rick Trontz, owner of Hopewell Farm in Woodford County, said about nine contract workers were treated last Friday at Samaritan Hospital for what a physician called nicotine poisoning. The workers were not employed by Hopewell Farm, he said, and they had worked on other farms Friday.
At St. Joseph Hospital, another seven to 10 workers were treated last Friday for what a nursing supervisor described as tobacco poisoning.
Samaritan spokeswoman Susan Farley said symptoms treated included nausea, vomiting and respiratory distress.
Mr. Trontz said no workers were hospitalized and all were feeling well within hours of being treated.
Robert McKnight, associate professor of preventive medicine at the Southeast Center for Agricultural Health and Injury Prevention, said such poisoning occurs when farm workers' skin touches wet tobacco leaves.
Cop dragged to death
Householder had other alcohol offenses
6-year-old drowns in closed pool
XU to build 273-unit apartments
Corbett pledge for arts school campus: $2.6 million
Councilmen: Jet firm overreacts
Holiday patrols on full alert
Former minister denies swindling his investors
Summer heat late, but it had to come
Blood donors needed
Bush defends health-care record
Cincinnati police union wants city to preserve promotion-test results
Education Notes
Educator wins severance fight
Hamilton police to honor officer who saved woman
He got the area soccer ball rolling
Humane group lobbies county
“I built that stadium”
Mobile home residents can stay
Project could spell relief
Reading to update residents on school delay
Suspect indicted in rape, slaying
Teachers reduce demand for raise
Trustees want lawsuit dismissed
UK president search panel finishes tour
Get to it
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