COVINGTON — Police are looking for two people in the shooting of a 18-year-old Highland Heights man near the entertainment district on Main Street.

        Derrick Thomas of Myrtle Street was in fair condition Monday night at University Hospital, according to a nursing supervisor. He was shot once in the leg and once in the back, according to police.

        Police said they responded to a report of a shooting at 12:54 a.m. Monday and found Mr. Thomas in the 700 block of Main Street.

        Before the shooting, police said, there was an argument between one of Mr. Thomas' friends and the two people. One of them pulled a handgun and started firing. Police said the person was aiming for Mr. Thomas' friend, but hit the Highland Heights man instead. Mr. Thomas' friends left after the shooting, and when located by police, they claimed not to have seen anything, police said.
       

Missing Owensboro man's van found

               OWENSBORO — A van belonging to an Owensboro man who has been missing since Thursday was discovered in Evansville, Ind.

        Officers surrounded the vehicle Sunday behind Washington Square Mall. It was reported by a nearby apartment resident who had seen a picture of it on a news program.

        James E. Parson Sr., 58, was last seen driving the white and maroon van.

        Kentucky State Police said Saturday they had arrested Scott E. Gaither, 40, of Boonville, Ind., on charges of kidnapping.

        Officials did not say whether the van provided any clues to Mr. Parson's disappearance.

        Mr. Parson is described as 6 feet tall, 240 pounds, balding with some gray hair on the sides and blue eyes. He has a 12-inch scar on his abdomen and a 3-inch scar on his upper left chest.
       

Man indicted in murder of father, son

               HOPKINSVILLE — A Hopkinsville man has been indicted on murder charges stemming from the slayings in June of a father and son after an apparent argument.

        A Christian County grand jury on Friday charged David Richard Brown, 20, of Hopkinsville, with two counts of murder.

        He is accused of fatally shooting Harvey Sanders Sr., 56, and Harvey Trey Sanders III, 24, both of Hopkinsville, on June 9 outside Mr. Brown's home.

        Mr. Brown is lodged in the Christian County Jail without bond.

        According to testimony in Christian District Court, numerous disputes between Mr. Brown and the Sanderses had surfaced in the last year. They were living about 150 feet apart at the time the shootings occurred. The father and son had approached Mr. Brown about their latest argument when they were both shot, police said.

        Officials said another member of the Sanders family — Harvey Sanders Jr., 20, of Hopkinsville — then shot and wounded Mr. Brown.

        Grand jurors also indicted Harvey Sanders Jr., charging him with first-degree assault.
       

Squabbling couples ordered into program

               LEXINGTON — An increasing number of couples seeking a divorce or engaged in a custody battle are crowding the court docket with repeated appearances, local officials said.

        Fayette Circuit Court judges are ordering some couples into an intensive new program for parents who can't quit arguing in court. The eight-week sessions, set to begin Sept. 14, will be repeated periodically.

        The class, Cooperative Parenting and Divorce, costs $360 per person, but that's cheaper than the monthly visits to court that mark many divorces, said Fayette Circuit Judge Lewis Paisley.

        “The majority of people get along fine,” Judge Paisley said. “But a minority of couples come back again and again” with petty issues.
       

Recovery center set up for flood victims

               GRETHEL — Eastern Kentucky residents who have suffered from July's flood-related damages will have an additional resource available to them this week.

        The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be staffing a 45-foot long mobile disaster recovery center Wednesday through Saturday at the Mud Creek Clinic in Floyd County.

        “This will be one-stop shopping for the individuals in the five counties affected by this flash flood disaster,” said Michael Bolch, an official with FEMA. “Folks can obtain information such as housing assistance, available rent resources and disaster loan applications.”

        Twenty counties have been declared disaster areas since the floods that damaged homes, roads and bridges.

        The clinic will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Attorney says woman was mentally ill

               LOUISVILLE — An attorney for a woman accused of killing her 2-year-old son says his client was “severely mentally ill” at the time of the crime.

        Monica M. Berger, 41, is charged with one count of murder and is expected to appear in court for a hearing on Sept. 27. She is scheduled to go to trial in January. Ms. Berger's attorney, Bart Adams, plans to argue that she was legally insane, according to court documents.

        Mr. Adams said she was suffering from the effects of Addison's disease, a rare disorder affecting the adrenal glands, after she had stopped taking her required dose of medication.
       

Time is running out to find pot crops

               LEXINGTON — Kentucky State Police are running out of time to eradicate outdoor marijuana operations this year.

        Pot growers harvest their crops before the killing frosts of October, giving authorities about one more month to find small patches hidden on hillsides.

        “The race is on right now,” said state police Sgt. Ronnie Ray, who supervises efforts to destroy marijuana.

        Pot-related arrests are up in the state from last year, but the number of plants destroyed is down. Lt. Donald J. Gill, head of the state police Marijuana Suppression Unit, said that's because authorities are focusing their efforts more on arrests and less on killing plants.

        By late August 2000, police had arrested 179 people in Kentucky for outdoor pot crops and 53 for indoor crops, a total of 232. This year, the number as of Aug. 28 was 217 arrests for outdoor cultivation and 64 inside, a total of 281.

        The number of plants destroyed is down from 350,399 about this time last year to 328,977.

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