NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. — Two people were killed and a baby was injured in a two-vehicle crash on U.S. 27, police said.

        Jennifer Lynn Underwood, 18, of Lancaster, was pronounced dead at the scene at 6:54 a.m. Wednesday. Her son, Bascum A. Underwood, 8 months, was in fair condition at the University of Kentucky Children's Hospital, police said.

        James Brandon Casada, 21, of Pulaski County, was also killed, said Nicholasville Police Sgt. John Branscum. A passenger in Mr. Casada's pickup, Matthew Jason Watson, 24, was treated for injuries at UK Hospital and released.

        Mr. Casada was headed north on U.S. 27, when Ms. Underwood's southbound Plymouth Voyager attempted to make a left turn and crashed into the truck, Sgt. Branscum said.
       

Conviction stands
for dog owner

               LOUISVILLE — A Jefferson Circuit judge on Wednesday upheld the conviction of a man whose dogs killed a 3-year-old boy, but ordered one of his 10 dogs spared.

        Jefferson Circuit Judge James M. Shake affirmed the conviction of Jeff Germain, whom a jury had recommended receive a $1,000 fine for harboring dangerous animals and for failing to have his dogs licensed.

        Mr. Germain's dogs had been ordered destroyed for the death of Mickey Wayne Oaks. Mickey was found dead in Mr. Germain's back yard on Oct. 2, 1999. A Jefferson County grand jury said the death was an accident.

        Judge Shake ruled that one of the dogs should not be euthanized since it was in the house at the time of the attack.

        The dogs remain quarantined.
       

3 tried to steal
ATM, police say

               LOUISVILLE — Three Indiana men were arrested in Glasgow for allegedly attempting to steal an automated-teller machine.

        Michael Landrum, 19; Robert Hackney, 22; and Michael A. Cozart, 20, all of New Albany, Ind., are charged with felony counts of burglary and possession of burglary tools. They were being held in the Barren County Jail in lieu of $25,000 cash bond.

        New Albany Police and the FBI have been investigating a string of similar cases in the area within the last six months, in which machines are either broken into or stolen.

        Glasgow police responding to a movie theater's burglary alarm about 4 a.m. Nov. 9 found three men standing inside, next to the ATM, holding crowbars.
       

Collision kills 3,
critically injures one

               LEXINGTON — Three people were killed and a fourth was listed in critical condition Wednesday after a head-on collision near Monticello, a Wayne County sheriff's deputy said.

        All the victims are from Monticello, Deputy William Hale said.

        Killed were Pamela Coomer, age unavailable; Brandy Lowe, 18; and Marion “Bob” George, 75. Mr. George's wife, Ruth, 80, was listed in critical condition at the University of Kentucky Hospital on Wednesday.

        Ms. Coomer was driving west on Ky. 90, 3 miles east of Monticello, when she tried to pass another vehicle just before 2:30 p.m. EST, Deputy Hale said. Witnesses said Ms. Coomer collided head-on with the Georges' minivan.
       

Prices increase
for burley tobacco

               LEXINGTON — Kentucky burley growers sold more than 10.05 million pounds of leaf Wednesday for $19.7 million, an average of $196.32 per hundredweight, according to the Federal-State Market News Service.

        The average is 19 cents higher than the previous sales on Tuesday.

        Danville growers received $200.28 per hundredweight for their leaf, the highest price of the day among the markets reporting sales. Danville sales totaled 662,719 pounds for $1.3 million.

        The lowest price, $193.30, was in Shelbyville, where farmers sold 963,016 pounds for $1.8 million.
       

State clears up
confusion about HMO

               FRANKFORT — The state insurance commissioner Wednesday obtained a court order to ensure that pharmacists are paid for prescriptions of patients covered by the failed health maintenance organization Advantage Care.

        Commissioner George Nichols III said the Department of Insurance got complaints of prescription payment cards being rejected by pharmacists in five cities — Cynthiana, Georgetown, Harrodsburg, Paris and Somerset.

        That apparently was because of a notice to providers that Advantage Care's drug benefit was ending, Mr. Nichols said in an interview. The notice, e-mailed by an Advantage Care employee, was erroneous but “not a malicious act,” Mr. Nichols said.

        Advantage Care, based in Lexington, was taken over by the department this month. Mr. Nichols has since had to threaten court action against physicians who wanted to get out of their Advantage Care contracts.

        Advantage Care, which specialized in employee group coverage, has 36,000 policyholders in 55 counties. The company is in rehabilitation and headed toward liquidation, but it is not out of business, Mr. Nichols said.

        When the department took over the HMO, it also got a Franklin Circuit Court order freezing assets while auditors checked the books. The new order, issued Wednesday by Judge Roger L. Crittenden, authorized the department to pay on claims to MedImpact, the HMO's pharmacy benefit manager. Advantage Care did not contract directly with pharmacies.
       

Program to prevent
violence among young

               LEXINGTON — Fayette County government and school officials announced plans Wednesday for a violence-prevention program for the youngest students and those not yet in school.

        “... It's about starting early before people have developed violent habits and violent behavior,” Mayor Pam Miller said.

        The Early Childhood Violence Prevention Program will be built with a $1 million grant from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

        The program will be for children ages 5 and under. The federal dollars will pay for a coordinator to manage the local support, pay for people to visit expectant and new mothers and for a nurse to work with families. The school components of the program will include educational programs for students and parents, a full-time speech and language specialist to work with children in early-start and kindergarten programs, and additional teacher training.

        “We know there is a strong correlation between educational performance and behavior,” said Tates Creek Elementary Principal Stanton Simandle. “When we are able to intervene early we can increase the opportunities children will have in life because they will be able to find outlets other than violence.”

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