Democracy essay wins club award

        VILLA HILLS — Jenni Larsen, a Turkeyfoot Middle School student, is the winner of the Kenton County Republican Women's Club's Americanism Award.

        Jenni will receive $100 for her essay on “What Democracy Means to Me,” as will her sixth-grade teacher, Brian Barringer.

        The club also presented scholarships to two graduating seniors at Dixie Heights High School for their essays.

        Two $500 scholarships went to Ben Conley, who will attend Miami University, and Lindsay Sullivan, who will attend the College of Charleston, S.C.

Art auction, concert at local museum

        COVINGTON — The public can bid early at a sneak preview reception of SilentART at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 2 at the Behringer-Crawford Museum in Devou Park. SilentART runs Aug. 5-Sept. 9.

        A Coffee Cup Concert will follow at 7 p.m.

        Information: (859) 491-4003.
       

Kids invited to explore big trucks

        BURLINGTON — Parents are invited to the fifth annual Touch a Truck Day Aug. 4 at Boone Woods Park.

        County departments and independent companies will bring their dump trucks, fire trucks, garbage trucks, tow trucks, bulldozers, loaders, tractor-trailers and other large vehicles for parents and children to climb on and into.

        Kids can pretend to drive, blow the horns and take pictures from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

State senator guilty of drunken driving

        FRANKFORT — A state senator charged with drunken driving in February was found guilty on Thursday.

        Sen. Joey Pendleton, a Democrat from Hopkinsville, entered an Alford plea in Franklin District Court to a DUI charge filed while he was in Frankfort during the legislative session. Under an Alford plea, a defendant does not admit guilt but acknowledges that evidence could lead to a conviction.

        Mr. Pendleton showed a blood-alcohol level of 0.20. Kentucky law presumes a driver to be drunk with a level of 0.08.

        Mr. Pendleton had once considered fighting the charge. His chances of being found innocent were improved this month when Judge Thomas Wingate ruled that the results of his blood-alcohol test could not be considered as evidence.

        Although that ruling helped his case, Mr. Pendleton said on Thursday, “This would have been a long, drawn-out process, and I want to get this behind me and get on.”
       

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