Cheney to speak to Southern governors

        LEXINGTON — Vice President Dick Cheney will visit here in September to speak to a meeting of the Southern Governors Association.

        The meeting will be Sept. 9-11 at Marriott's Griffin Gate Resort.

        The time and date of Mr. Cheney's appearance have not yet been worked out, but his visit has been confirmed, said Jen Waller, a spokeswoman for the Southern Governors Association.

        Kentuckian Helen Thomas, the longtime White House correspondent and author, also is scheduled to speak.

        Alfred R. Berkeley III, vice chairman of Nasdaq Stock Market Inc., has been invited to deliver the keynote speech.

        A major focus of the meeting will be efforts to boost research and technology in the South. A panel of several Nobel laureates and key scientific and business leaders from around the region will discuss the topic. Participation also is expected from the presidents of several universities in the South.
       

Hopkinsville worries about air quality

        HOPKINSVILLE — Area leaders worry that the region's growing air quality problems might result in action by federal environmental regulators that could hamper economic growth.

        There's a chance the deteriorating air quality could lead the Environmental Protection Agency to declare the Hopkinsville-Clarksville, Tenn., metropolitan area a “non-attainment zone,” officials said.

        Such a designation would limit the types of industries each of the cities could recruit, possibly translating into fewer jobs.

        The designation is one method used by the EPA to deal with growing air quality problems and to enforce the Clean Air Act.

        Steve Bourne, director of the Hopkinsville-Christian County Planning Commission, said that the western Kentucky city is only under consideration for the non-attainment status.

        “But if the zoning status goes through, it would be pretty tough for us to recruit,” he said. “It will put a cap on us, and all federal projects then would be under this status.”

        The possible designation was revealed last week at a meeting of the Metropolitan Planning Organization in Clarksville. The agency is made up of officials from the two cities as well as Oak Grove.
       

Adjutant General Groves steps down

        FRANKFORT — Adjutant General John R. Groves is returning to his teaching position at the University of Kentucky architecture school and will be replaced by his deputy, D. Allen Youngman.

        Mr. Groves was Gov. Paul Patton's first official appointment when he took office in December 1999.

        The adjutant general is not only chief of the 7,300-member Kentucky National Guard, but also directs the Division of Emergency Management.

        Mr. Youngman, a native of Owensboro who now lives in Fort Knox, has been Mr. Groves' deputy for the last year.

        Mr. Youngman, who is a lawyer, has worked full time for the National Guard since 1987.
       

Museum to exhibit European masters

        LOUISVILLE — A 64-painting exhibit featuring a lineup of European masters from Cezanne to van Gogh will be displayed at the Speed Art Museum for a three-month show starting in November 2002.

        The exhibit, on loan from the Kelvingrove Art Gallery in Glasgow, Scotland, will be shown at the Louisville museum from Nov. 6, 2002, to Feb. 2, 2003, Speed officials said Wednesday.

        The exhibit, rarely seen outside Scotland, will feature works by such masters as Monet, Renoir, Cassatt, Cezanne, van Gogh and Picasso. The paintings cover the Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and Modern periods.

        “We feel that the exhibit will both raise the quality of life and significantly enhance the cultural landscape of our region,” said David A. Jones, chairman of the Humana Foundation, sponsor of the Louisville show.
       

House, Senate to resume joint meets

        FRANKFORT — The Kentucky House and Senate, whose leaders have been feuding over control of oversight committees, will soon resume joint hearings.

        Senate President David Williams, a Republican, and House Speaker Jody Richards, a Democrat, said Wednesday they had approved requests for meetings from House and Senate co-chairmen of all joint committees.

        Joint meetings between legislative sessions were common until this year, when Mr. Williams demanded a greater presence for the Senate on a handful of permanent committees that oversee executive branch contracts, projects and regulations.

        The House, where Democrats have a 66-34 majority, historically has dominated the permanent committees. Republicans gained a 20-18 majority in the Senate in 1999.
       

Law firm settles discrimination suit

        LOUISVILLE — A local law firm will pay $6,000 to settle a discrimination complaint brought by a man with a hearing disability.

        Thomas Steptoe said the firm Segal, Sales, Stewart, Cutler and Tillman discriminated against him in August 1999 by refusing to pay for a sign language interpreter after he hired them to represent him.

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