VILLA HILLS — The Villa Hills Civic Club/Foundation is sponsoring a Meet the Candidates Night this Thursday.

        The forum will begin at 7 p.m. at the civic club's building, 729 Rogers Road. Each candidate will have five minutes to discuss his or her platform. Most of the candidates will be available before and after the meeting for discussions.
       

Adventurer to speak
at lawyers' luncheon

               CRESTVIEW HILLS — Tori Murden, the first woman to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean, will be the guest speaker at a Nov. 22 noon luncheon sponsored by the Women's Section of the Northern Kentucky Bar Association.

        The luncheon will take place at Four Seasons Sports Country Club, 345 Thomas More Parkway.

        Ms. Murden, a Louisville lawyer, also was the first woman to ski to the South Pole.

        She is writing a book about her experiences and coaching competitive rowing.
       

Madonna Manor
holds sale Saturday

               VILLA HILLS — Madonna Manor's Treasure Trove sale on Saturday will feature gifts, collectibles and holiday decorations.

        The sale will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Manor Recreation Center.

        Items for sale include a Royal Bonn clock that dates from the mid-19th century, Precious Moments figurines, afghans made by Madonna Manor residents and jewelry. Madonna Manor is a Catholic health-care facility for seniors that is dedicated to providing a home with a spiritual atmosphere.
       

Church looking for
basketball players

               ERLANGER — Anchor Church is taking registrations until Nov. 19 for UPWARD BASKETBALL, a league for first- through sixth-grade boys and girls.

        Weekly, one-hour practices will be held, starting the week of Jan. 1, for eight weeks. Games will be played on Saturdays, beginning Jan. 13, at Anchor Church, 3126 Riggs Ave.

        The cost of $45 per child covers a jersey, player's gift, end-of-year award, awards at each game and more.

        Applications are available at area elementary and middle schools and at Anchor Church.

        For information, or to request an application, stop by the church or call Brother Darryl Crenshaw at 727-6400.
       

Track wants new look
at Keeneland decision

               LEXINGTON — The new owners of The Red Mile have asked the Kentucky Racing Com mission to reconsider a decision favoring Keeneland, claiming the commission relied on the word of a former executive who did not have authority to speak for the track.

        In August, the commission allowed Keeneland to extend its “track” designation to a training center on Paris Pike. The designation would allow Keeneland to conduct simulcasting at the facility, then known as the Kentucky Horse Center.

        Track representatives later denied that Keeneland had plans to turn the center into an off-track betting parlor.

        At the time of the vote, the commission had a letter, dated July 14, from Richard Cummings giving the blessing of The Red Mile. Mr. Cummings was formerly the track's general manager. He left the track last month.

        William J. Perretti, one of The Red Mile's owners, said in a recent letter to the commission that Mr. Cummings did not have authority to consent and that none of the owners knew about the decision.

        Mr. Perretti wrote that he wanted to “respectfully request the Commission to immediately review their decision.”

        Red Mile attorney Phillip D. Scott said Monday the track “requests clarification of exactly what Keeneland's intentions are.”
       

Court throws out
another death sentence

               A federal appeals court in Cincinnati on Tuesday threw out another death sentence for a Kentucky inmate, ruling that David LeRoy Skaggs' defense was inadequate.

        The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit left intact the convictions of Mr. Skaggs for the murders of Herman and Mae Matthews in May 1981 in Barren County. Mr. Skaggs shot them at point-blank range during a robbery.

        During trial, Mr. Skaggs' attorneys from the state Department of Public Advocacy lodged an insanity defense and hired Elya Bresler to testify about Mr. Skaggs' competency.

        Appeals Judge R. Guy Cole Jr. said Mr. Bresler's testimony was “rambling, confusing and at times, incoherent to the point of being comical.”

        But what was especially bad, the court said, was that the defense attorneys brought Mr. Bresler back to testify during the penalty phase of the trial even after his performance during the guilt phase. That decision amounted to giving Mr. Skaggs an inadequate and ineffective defense.

        It was later discovered that Mr. Bresler was not a licensed psychologist but a college dropout.

        Barren County Commonwealth Attorney Phil Patton said he would seek a new penalty trial for Mr. Skaggs again as soon as possible and would once again seek the death penalty.

        On Monday, the appeals court overturned the conviction and death sentence of Eugene W. Gall Jr., who had been on death row since 1978, the longest-serving condemned inmate in Kentucky.

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