Student indicted in baby's death

        MURRAY — A Murray State University student accused of killing her baby in her dorm room will face two counts of murder and one count of assault.

        Angelita Turner was indicted by a Calloway County grand jury on Tuesday for the death of her baby girl, who prosecutors say was asphyxiated after its birth on March 29.

        Commonwealth Attorney Gale Cook said one murder charge is for intentional murder and the second count alleges Ms. Turner was “extremely indifferent” about whether the child survived.

        “The two counts deal with her mental state at the time of the act,” Ms. Cook said. “I think it should be up to the jury to decide between them.”

        Tom Glover, Ms. Turner's attorney, said it was unusual for two murder charges to be brought for the same offense.

        Ms. Turner could face the death penalty if convicted on the first murder charge. But Ms. Cook said she will not seek it “at this time.”
       

Perkins farm sold as historic site

        HINDMAN — The widow of U.S. Rep. Carl D. Perkins has sold his Knott County farm to Hazard Community College and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System to be preserved as a historic and educational site.

        The sale price for the two-story home and 70 acres at Leburn in Knott County was $247,500. The assessed value of the property is listed by the Knott County property valuation administrator at $83,000 for tax purposes.

        Mr. Perkins served in the House of Representatives from 1949 until his death in 1984. He was chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor for 17 years. His son succeeded him in office.
       

Business aims to be psychic center

        OWENSBORO — Tony Hayes and his company, Tony's Entertainment, are looking for a few good telephone psychics.

        “We'd like to have 500 people by the end of the year,” said Mr. Hayes, of Owensboro. “And we hope to have 1,000 people eventually.”

        Mr. Hayes said he's already found about 160 psychics interested in performing telephone consultations for callers.

        The job pays up to $12 per talk hour. Callers pay $4.99 a minute to talk to the psychics, Mr. Hayes said.
       

Bluegrass music museum delayed

        OWENSBORO — The opening of the International Bluegrass Music Museum this fall in Owensboro has been delayed, officials said.

        Officials with the Owensboro-Daviess County Tourist Commission said it is now looking like early 2002 before the museum will open its doors downtown.

        Burley Phelan, the commission's executive director, told his board Tuesday that unexpected delays — including the need for a new roof — make it unlikely that the museum will be ready to open before the first of the year.
       

Woman indicted as robber's helper

        LOUISVILLE — A Louisville woman was indicted Wednesday in a bank robbery in which a teller was killed.

        The indictment accuses Jessica Lynn Lawrence, 29, of helping Tiffany Dominique Pennington avoid arrest, knowing that Mr. Pennington was accused of committing the Feb. 13 armed robbery of the National City Bank branch and killing a bank employee.

        Ms. Lawrence allegedly bought bus tickets for her and Mr. Pennington, her boyfriend, to leave Louisville after the robbery. They were arrested two weeks later outside an Atlanta homeless shelter.

        Mary Dell Kaelin-Brandenburg, 52, was killed and $3,760 was taken during the robbery.

        Mr. Pennington, 27, was charged with assaulting and killing Ms. Kaelin-Brandenburg with a handgun and with robbing the bank.
       

Reward offered in racist writings

        LEXINGTON — Transylvania University officials have added $1,000 to a reward to find out who is responsible for racist graffiti after another epithet was found on the door of a student's room.

        During Easter weekend, a racial epithet was found scrawled on a dry-erase board on the door to a student's room in Henry Clay Hall. Three weeks ago, the door to a black student's room in Clay Hall was marked with a racial epithet, and another racial comment was found scratched on an outer door of Clay Hall.

        The reward is now $1,500.
       

Semi crashes; driver declared dead

        BOWLING GREEN — Andrew Williams Jr., 58, was killed when the semitrailer he was driving left Interstate 65 and hit a tree early Wednesday.

        Mr. Williams, of Cleveland, Ohio, was pronounced dead at the scene by Barren County Coroner Mike Swift.

        An autopsy will be performed by the state medical examiner in Frankfort, state police said. The crash remains under investigation.
       

Derby event will have traffic control

        LOUISVILLE — City police are beefing up security for this year's Thunder Over Louisville, part of the Kentucky Derby Festival's opening ceremonies, saying the 342 additional officers, state troopers and National Guard members should help ease traffic snarls.

        About 1,142 Guard members and officers from the city, county and suburbs will be assigned to the annual air show and fireworks extravaganza — which is billed as the nation's largest — near Waterfront Park on Saturday.

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