Schools lagging on gender-equity reports

        Schools were still working late Tuesday to finish state reports on gender equity in their sports programs.

        But as of Tuesday afternoon, fewer than 10 schools in the state had still not turned in the completed reports, said Brigid DeVries, executive assistant commissioner with the Kentucky High School Athletic Association.

        The state told more than one-third of Kentucky's high schools that they'd be ineligible to compete if they didn't get the reports in by Tuesday. The state athletic association won't decide until today whether it will pull the plug on any sports programs for not turning the fully completed forms on time.

        “We have some schools still working to get them in, and that may go after hours,” she said. “We've got people working the phones and the fax.”

        Earlier this month, the athletic association cited 107 schools for not finishing a report on their compliance with federal Title IX regulations, which requires gender equity in school activities. The majority of these schools were missing only a few forms out of the 60-plus page packets outlining schools' sports offerings.

        The reports were due in June, but the deadline was extended a third time until Tuesday, schools' last chance to complete the reports or lose their sports programs. Most of the 13 Northern Kentucky schools cited for not turning in all or part of the state report had turned in the missing paperwork by Monday.

        The content of the forms that outline the schools' actual compliance with the law that seeks to equalize support for girls' and boys ' athletic programs has not yet been analyzed by the state.
       

Bromley FD marks 100th anniversary

        BROMLEY — The Bromley Volunteer Fire Department will mark its 100th anniversary with an open house from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 22at the firehouse, 226 Boone St.

        News articles and photos from 1900 through 2000 will be on display as well as equipment reflecting services the fire department provides.

        Winners of the kids balloon launch, held in June, will be awarded, and cake and refreshments will be served.
       

Physicians group opens "after hours' care

        Alliance Primary Care, which includes more than 150 Tristate doctors affiliated with the Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati, has opened an “After Hours Care Center” in Crestview Hills.

        The office will offer two family physicians seeing patients at 350 Thomas More Parkway, Suite 200. The office will be open 5-11 p.m. Monday through Friday; 2-8 p.m. Saturdays; and noon-8 p.m. on Sundays and holidays. For information, call 859-426-1800.
       

Mourners pay respects to former legislator

        BLUE LICK SPRINGS — Former state Rep. Marvin L. “Pete” Worthington was remembered Tuesday as a valuable lawmaker whose life ended with a tragic mistake.

        Hundreds of mourners, including Gov. Paul Patton and other legislators from across the state, packed the Worthington Center at the Blue Lick Battlefield State Park for Mr. Worthington's funeral.

        Mr. Worthington, 59, and Sherri Commodore Chambers, 40, were killed in a two-vehicle accident last Thursday on U.S. 68 near Maysville. Mr. Worthington was legally drunk at the time of the crash, officials said.

        Jerry Lundergan, also a former state representative and Mr. Worthington's friend for more than 20 years, spoke about their friendship and Mr. Worthington's beliefs.

        “His mission was to improve the lives of all the residents of Kentucky and his beloved home district,” Mr. Lundergan said. “The men wearing the bib overalls were his best friends.”
       

Grants permit hearing checks on newborns

        FRANKFORT — Thirty-three hospitals have received state grants for equipment to check the hearing of newborns.

        The screenings were part of an early-childhood initiative proposed by Gov. Paul Patton and enacted by the 2000 General Assembly.

        The administration's rationale was that early diagnosis and treatment of a hearing loss is less costly in the long run.

        The law requires screenings to be offered at hospitals with 40 or more births per year, of which there are 62 in Kentucky, according to the Cabinet for Health Services.

        Some hospitals already have screening equipment, according to the cabinet. Thirty-three applied for matching grants, which ranged from $2,000 to $10,000 and totaled $223,211.

        The Northern Kentucky hospitals receiving grants, by county:

        Boone, St. Luke Hospitals-West; Campbell, St. Luke Hospitals-East; Kenton, St. Elizabeth Medical Center.
       

Order blocks logging from National Forest

        LEXINGTON — U.S. District Judge Karl Forester granted a preliminary injunction Monday that derailed a plan to harvest downed and damaged trees from the Daniel Boone National Forest.

        Ben Worthington, supervisor of the forest, wanted to allow loggers to harvest a portion of the tens of thousands of trees knocked down by storms 1998.

        Mr. Worthington and McCreary County officials have said the trees are a fire hazard.

        But Kentucky Heartwood, a forestry watchdog group, argued that the Forest Service could have used means other than logging to eliminate the hazard.

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