Covington district names Moreland

        COVINGTON — The Covington school board unanimously chose Jack Moreland as the district's superintendent Thursday night.

        Mr. Moreland, 54, who has been interim superintendent since July, was chosen from six candidates.

        Long considered the front-runner in the search, Mr. Moreland has been repeatedly praised for leading the 4,700-student district's reform efforts. The changes were prompted by low test scores and state criticism of district instruction and management.

        The board approved a three-year contract with an annual salary of $110,000, which is $15,000 more than the previous superintendent made.

        Board members interviewed Mr. Moreland in a private meeting Thursday before voting. Last week, the board named Mr. Moreland as the only finalist.

        The board has refused to release the names of the other candidates.

        Mr. Moreland replaces James Kemp, who left last June amid the state scrutiny.

        Mr. Moreland was superintendent of Dayton, Ky., schools from 1978-96. He then led Northern Kentucky University as interim president for a year, followed by a year as interim chancellor of the technical branch of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System.
       

Free program gives facts about ferrets

        ERLANGER — Anyone wanting to learn about ferrets can attend a free program at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Erlanger branch of the Kenton County Public Library.

        Lori Seis of Ferret's Dream House, a shelter for ferrets, will explain ferrets' behavior, the pros and cons of having ferrets as pets, and how to introduce ferrets into the family.

        Ms. Seis will have several ferrets with her, and she encourages anyone with a ferret to bring it to the program.

        The program is open to all ages. For information, call (859) 341-5115.

Florence man competes on show

        A Florence man was a lucky contestant chosen to play on TV's most recent Powerball — The Game Show. Wally Mains and players from nine other states played for a chance to win $1 million.

        The 47-year-old didn't become a millionaire while on the show but he did make it to the final round, winning a total of $22,500, in addition to his $500 spending money and an all-expenses-paid trip to Hollywood.

        Mr. Mains is the second contestant from Kentucky to make it to the final round. The first was Bill Adams of Ashland, who won $102,500 on Dec. 16.

        Each man won a scratch-off game that sent him to Hollywood to compete in Powerball's TV game show, which airs locally at 6:30 p.m. Saturday on WSTR (Channel 64).

Senate passes bill on racial profiling

        FRANKFORT — Kentucky law enforcement agencies would lose state training incentives for officers if they do not adopt policies prohibiting racial profiling under a bill passed by the Senate Thursday.

        “What we're talking about is justice. What we're talking about is fairness,” said Sen. Gerald Neal, a Louisville Democrat who is the bill's sponsor and the Senate's only black member.

THE WAYS OF SIERRA LEONE: Susan Scott demonstrates to students at Cornerstone Montessori School in Bellevue, Ky., how people in Sierra Leone carry supplies. Ms. Scott and her husband, Andrew, (left) were Peace Corps volunteers in that African country during the 1980s. (Patrick Reddy photo) | ZOOM |

        About 360 law enforcement agencies around the state would have to adopt a model policy against racial profiling that is to be drafted by the state Justice Cabinet. Racial profiling involves law enforcement officers targeting individuals based solely on race.

        Previous efforts by Mr. Neal to prohibit racial profiling were blocked, but the most recent version passed 37-0 and now goes to the House.

Lexington editor leaving to teach

        LEXINGTON — Pam Luecke, editor of the Lexington Herald-Leader,is leaving her position to teach journalism at Washington and Lee University in Virginia.

        Ms. Luecke, 47, will remain at the newspaper through May. She was named editor four years ago, when she was promoted from editorial page editor.

        She is the first woman to hold the top editor's job at the Herald-Leader, and she has the title of senior vice president.

        Ms. Luecke will be the Donald W. Reynolds professor in business journalism at Washington and Lee, a small liberal arts college in Lexington, Va.

        “I have an opportunity to build a new program at Washington and Lee that I think is too good to pass up,” she said.

        Timothy M. Kelly, the newspaper's president and publisher, said a search for a replacement will begin immediately.
       

Nominee for judge withdraws his name

        FRANKFORT — The first black person nominated to serve as an administrative law judge in Kentucky withdrew from consideration Thursday, one day after his confirmation hearing sparked a bitter Senate debate.

        Gov. Paul Patton, who nominated Walter Bedford Jr. to hear workers' compensation cases, said Mr. Bedford informed him of his decision.

        “I appreciated Walter's willingness to serve but certainly understand his desire to act in the best interest of his family,” Mr. Patton said in a brief statement.

        The confirmation of Mr. Bedford, 53, of Louisville, was blocked on Wednesday by Republicans in the Economic Development, Tourism and Labor Committee. Democrats attempted to bring Mr. Bedford's confirmation to the full Senate, but their motion was defeated on a party-line vote.

        The committee hearing brought up Mr. Bedford's bankruptcy filing last year and a weapons charge that was dismissed years ago.
       

Journalism prof dies; worked in Louisville

        PORTLAND, Ore. — Edward Bassett, a former Louisville Courier-Journal staffer who nurtured two generations of reporters, editors and photographers as a journalism professor, died Thursday at his home. He was 72.

        Mr. Bassett had been undergoing treatment for liver disease.

        Mr. Bassett led journalism programs at five major U.S. universities, including the University of Washington, and spent four years as executive editor of the Statesman Journal in Salem, Ore. He worked for the Courier-Journal during the 1950s.

        In 1993, he won the nation's top award for journalism school administrators, presented by the Freedom Forum, an organization that promotes free speech and journalism education.

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