Death-row case may return to N.Ky.

        COVINGTON — Eugene W. Gall Jr., who was convicted of murdering a 12-year-old girl in 1978 and then saw a federal appeals court overturn that conviction in October, will appear in U.S. District Court on Jan. 24 for a 2 p.m. status hearing.

        His case could then return to Boone County Circuit Court, where prosecutor Linda Tally Smith could pursue only a manslaughter charge against Mr. Gall, formerly of Hillsboro, Ohio.

        A Boone County jury convicted Mr. Gall of abducting 12-year-old Lisa Jansen as she walked to her Columbia Township school in April 1978 and then raping and shooting the girl to death in Boone County.

        In November, by a 2-1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit in Cincinnati said that Mr. Gall did not receive a fair trial and that he belongs in a mental hospital rather than on Kentucky's death row.

        The original Boone County trial never addressed whether Mr. Gall suffered from an "extreme emotional disturbance” before the slaying, the two majority judges said.

        If Mr. Gall had been found to have suffered from such a disturbance, he could have been declared legally insane, they said.

        Meanwhile, the Kentucky Attorney General's Office is asking the appellate court to reconsider its decision.

        Mr. Gall remains on death row, where he has remained longer than any other prisoner.
       

Bus driver sues district over firing

        COVINGTON — Homer Baker, a former teacher and bus driver for Campbell County Schools, is suing the district, claiming that he was fired last spring without a proper “due process” hearing.

        Mr. Baker also has targeted Superintendent Roger Brady and the school board members who were in office when he lost his job. They are Robert Turner, Carol Dunn, Joe Vahlsing, Charles Eifert and Carol Haas.

        In court documents filed on Dec. 14 in U.S. District Court, Mr. Baker said that a “sick-out” inspired his suit.

        A female bus driver was suspended for two days without pay on April 12. The other drivers were so upset that they discussed not showing up for their shifts the following day.

        They were discussing that possibility in the drivers' lounge when Mr. Baker appeared. At the time, he was on a committee that facilitated communication between the drivers and the district's transportation director.

        The next day, several bus drivers did not show up for their shifts including Mr. Baker, who has said he was not scheduled to work.

        Yet, within a week, he was terminated for allegedly “initiating the group protest and coercing drivers to call in sick,” the court documents said.

        A hearing took place and led to Mr. Baker's termination becoming official. But Mr. Baker said that he was not allowed to defend himself properly at the hearing and that school officials relied on hearsay when investigating who planned the sick-out.

        Mr. Baker's lawsuit demands reinstatement, an unspecified amount in damages and a jury trial.
       

Edmondson re-elected as group secretary

        Kenton County Attorney Garry Edmondson was re-elected secretary of the Kentucky County Attorneys Association at its December meeting in Lexington.

        Mr. Edmondson has served as secretary since 1998. He graduated from University of Kentucky in 1969, and he received his law degree from UK in 1972. He has served as the Kenton County Attorney since 1994.

        Kentucky County Attorneys Association is made up of county attorneys. The association provides communication, support, lobbying and opportunities for service.
       

TV station owner killed in crash

        KALAMAZOO, Mich. — James S. Gilmore, former mayor of Kalamazoo and owner of a Kentucky television station, has been killed in a traffic crash. He was 74.

        Mr. Gilmore died Sunday afternoon when his pickup truck skidded off the street in nearby Comstock Township, rolled over in deep snow and slid into a fence.

        Mr. Gilmore, the head of Jim Gilmore Enterprises — which includes WEHT-TV in Henderson, Ky. — was involved in numerous business interests, including radio and TV stations, automobile dealerships, farms, office buildings, ad agencies, cable TV systems, restaurants and insurance companies.

        He headed the Gilmore Racing Team and had a 20-year partnership with famed driver A.J. Foyt.

        In 1964, Mr. Gilmore and his wife, Diana, co-sponsored Gordon Johncock in the Indianapolis 500. He later formed a partnership with Mr. Foyt, a four-time Indianapolis 500 winner.
       

Publisher adds to magazine stable

        LEXINGTON — The Blood-Horse Inc. announced Tuesday that it purchased The Equine Image magazine, a publication established in 1986 to serve equine art enthusiasts.

        The magazine was acquired for an undisclosed amount from Heartland Communications Group of Fort Dodge, Iowa, company officials said.

        “We are excited about the opportunity to serve both communities with our publication of this outstanding magazine,” said Ray Paulick, executive vice president of The Blood-Horse Inc.

        The magazine focuses on the artistic aspects of the horse and equestrian lifestyle.
       

National Guard unit recruiting

        ASHLAND, Ky. — The Ashland area National Guard unit is looking for more than a few good men and women.

        The 201st Engineer Battalion has 100 vacancies out of 442 positions stationed at armories in Ashland, Olive Hill and Cynthiana, said Sgt. Kevin Yaden, the group's strength maintenance coordinator.

        The shortage comes at a bad time since the unit was one of 16 selected nationally to undergo an intensive evaluation at the National Training Center in California.

        A good rating would earn it favor in the eyes of the state and federal governments, which provide money and equipment for the troops. A poor rating would be “political suicide” for the unit, Mr. Ferguson said.

        In the evaluation, the battalion has to show that it can be war-ready in as few as 90 days.

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