Pilot error cited in fatal 'copter crash

        LEXINGTON — The crash of a University of Kentucky medical helicopter that killed four crew members was likely caused by pilot error, according to a report released Wednesday from the National Transportation Safety Board.

        The board's final report on the June 14, 1999, crash said pilot Ernest L. Jones Jr., 48, did not adequately supervise second-in-command Don Greene, who was flying the helicopter when it slammed into the side of a Breathitt County hill.

        That miscommunication probably led to the crash, which killed the two pilots along with flight nurse Sheila Zellers, 43, and paramedic Brian Harden, 31. Fog and darkness also were listed as factors.

        Both Mr. Jones and Mr. Greene were veteran pilots who had logged thousands of hours in the air, although little of it was instrument flight time.
       

Longtime columnists retire from newspaper

        LEXINGTON — Veteran columnists Don Edwards and Dick Burdette have taken voluntary early retirements as a part of the Lexington Herald-Leader's effort to trim its work force.

        The retirements, announced Wednesday by publisher Timothy M. Kelly, are part of a process started in May when the Herald-Leader announced it would cut its work force by 15 positions. The 2.8 percent staff reduction leaves the newspaper's work force 6.7 percent smaller than it was last year, but virtually the same as in 1990.

Retired professor of speech skills dies

        LEXINGTON — John V. Irwin, a retired speech pathology professor who had taught at Eastern Kentucky University, died Tuesday at his home in Lexington. He was 85.

        Mr. Irwin, a Muskogee, Okla., native, was visiting distinguished professor in communication disorders at EKU from 1980 to 1987.

        He was a past president of the American Speech and Hearing Association, and had served on advisory and project committees for the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Education.

Deaths of Ky. pair examined in Fla.

        FORT MYERS, Fla. — Marine safety officers Thursday investigated a parasailing accident that killed a vacationing Kentucky woman and her teen-age daughter, who dropped 250 feet into shallow water when a harness broke.

        “It was like they fell on concrete,” Dr. Rebecca Hamilton, Lee County's acting medical examiner, said Thursday.

        Lisabeth Hope Bailey-Straney, 37, and Taylor Straney, 13, of Vine Grove, Ky., died of massive internal injuries after their fall at Fort Myers Beach on Wednesday, Dr. Hamilton said.

        The mother and daughter were riding together, attached to one harness, when a sudden squall hit and winds gusted to 25 mph.
       

Complaints pile up against cemetery

        LEXINGTON — The attorney general's office wants the owners of a Lexington cemetery to resolve 54 complaints about unidentified or poorly maintained graves.

        Most of the complaints are from people who can't find the grave sites of family and friends at Cove Haven Cemetery, the city's largest African-American burial site, said Todd Leatherman, director of the state's Consumer Protection Division.

        Mr. Leatherman said he will send the complaints to Dwight Hughes, chairman of the nonprofit Cove Haven Inc. board, Ruthan Fields, who manages everyday operations for the cemetery, and their attorney, Angela Curry. Mr. Leatherman said he met with Cove Haven officials in late June, and they agreed to work on the complaints.

        Families who aren't satisfied once cemetery officials have taken action can contact Attorney General Ben Chandler's office again, Mr. Leatherman said.
       

Volunteers will help test waterways

        FRANKFORT — Volunteers will collect water samples from 500 sites along Kentucky rivers and streams next week as part of a project called Watershed Watch.

        The idea is to get a snapshot of water conditions at the height of the swimming and boating season, the Natural Resources Cabinet said.

        Ten laboratories will analyze samples for fecal coliform, an indicator of sewage and animal waste. Results will be shared with federal, state and local resource management agencies as well as community groups working to protect water quality, the statement said.

        The study will be the third of its kind conducted statewide. Previous sampling exposed potential pollution problems in some streams but also high-quality water sites, the agency said.

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