FRANKFORT — More than 62,000 Kentucky adults took part in literacy training or pursued a high-school equivalency diploma in the last fiscal year, a 23 percent increase that surpassed expectations, the Workforce Development Cabinet reported Monday.

        A literacy and adult education initiative started in 2000 has a goal of 300,000 adult learners by 2010. The first-year goal was 60,000. Actual enrollment was 62,734, up from 51,177, the report said.

        A 1996 literacy survey found that nearly 1 million of all 2.4 million Kentuckians of working age read poorly or not at all.

        Figures released Monday were for the fiscal year that ended June 30. At the same time, 13,939 people completed high school with General Educational Development certificates. That was an increase from 12,444 GED graduates in fiscal year 2000.
       

Prepaid college accounts launched
The Associated Press
               FRANKFORT — A college tuition prepayment program was launched Monday. Kentucky's Affordable Prepaid Tuition, or KAPT, is pronounced “capped,” to emphasize guaranteed payment.

        “Kentucky parents have a powerful new tool,” said U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, a Republican, who appeared at the kickoff with Gov. Paul Patton and state Treasurer Jonathan Miller, both Democrats.

        Money is invested on a schedule reflecting current tuition rates at public and private colleges and universities. Earnings from the investments are exempt from state and federal taxes.

        Benefits can be used at any institution of higher education in the country. But payment of full tuition and fees is guaranteed at any public college or university in Kentucky.
       

Car hit on tracks; driver, 57, killed
The Associated Press
               LOUISA — A Louisa man was killed when his car was struck by a train at a railroad crossing Sunday afternoon.

        Thomas D. Mullins, 57, of Lackey Avenue, was pronounced dead at Three Rivers Medical Center.

        Louisa Police Chief Kevin Adkins said Mr. Mullins was attempting to cross the railroad tracks when a southbound CSX freight train slammed into the passenger side of his vehicle.

        Chief Adkins said the crossing had no gates or warning lights.
       

Terror preparation plan includes schools
The Associated Press
               FRANKFORT — School emergency plans written with floods, tornadoes and handguns in mind need to be redrawn to deal with terrorism, Gov. Paul Patton and other officials said Monday.

        “Safety has taken on a very different meaning in our nation” since attacks Sept. 11, Mr. Patton said in a speech beamed to schools statewide over Kentucky Educational Television.

        “We can't control the fact that a few terrorists hate this country and what it stands for,” Mr. Patton said.

        Model emergency plans developed by the state Center for School Safety in Richmond soon will include a component on chemical and biological terrorism.

        The center's director, Jon Akers, said many superintendents and teachers requested it.

        In the meantime, the center's Web site includes tips from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for coping with chemical and biological threats.

        Mr. Patton, Mr. Akers and other officials were kicking off a weeklong promotion of school safety in general and prevention of violence in particular. School violence “is merely terrorism on a local level and cannot be tolerated,” Mr. Patton said.

        All schools in Kentucky are required to have emergency plans.
       

National park sees fewer visitors
The Associated Press
               ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Tourists are staying away from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park this year, except in one of the most remote sections where a herd of elk is living.

        Visits to the Cataloochee Valley section of the park have nearly doubled since February while overall visits to the huge park straddling the Tennessee-North Carolina border are down 10 percent from the annual average of 10 million.
       

Spanish-language testing proposed
The Associated Press
               SAN ANTONIO — An Army campaign to increase the number of Hispanics in uniform includes a proposal for Spanish-language testing that could be expanded nationwide.

        Military recruiters early next year plan to give the tests in San Antonio and elsewhere, with 400 recruits chosen for the Foreign Language Recruiting Initiative to then study English for up to seven months at the Defense Language Institute at Lackland Air Force Base.

        It's part of a two-year pilot program in which recruits would then take a standard entrance exam in English. Those who pass will go on to basic training.

        Army recruiters believe some Hispanics who fail the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, the test used to evaluate all recruits seeking to enter the military, could pass it if they better comprehended English — particularly those hailing from such places as Spanish-speaking Puerto Rico, which also boasts the No. 1 recruiting company in the Army.

        “If you look at our attempts to penetrate and expand the Hispanic market, there are obvious barriers that are readily present,” Douglas Smith, a spokesman with the Army Recruiting Command in Fort Knox, Ky., said. “Language is one of them.”
       

Some coal haulers overloading trucks
The Associated Press
               CLOVER LICK — State officials are struggling to control coal truckers who are overloading their vehicles to keep up with a rising demand for their product.

        Maj. Steve Maffett of the state Division of Motor Vehicle Enforcement said his agency has tried to crack down on weight violations but said coal haulers remain undeterred by minimal fines.

        “It's somewhat unfulfilling to go out and put forth the effort when you know what you do will have no significant impact,” Maj. Maffett said. “Writing citations is an exercise in futility.”

        In Kentucky, The maximum fine for an overweight truck is $500, regardless of the extent of the weight violation and the number of times a driver commits a violation.

        In neighboring states, including Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee, the fines can be up to several thousand dollars and vary depending on how much extra weight the truck is carrying.

        Most Kentucky coal haulers and their drivers are paid by the ton, so overflowing trucks far exceeding the maximum weight of 126,000 pounds have become a common sight in Eastern Kentucky, Maj. Maffett said.

Bioterror a threat at the doorstep
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Scare at Sharonville mail center
Scares scramble emergency squads
Muslims fight fear, anger with understanding
Airport security fix up in air
Airport tries to cope with parking problems
City fire chief seeking money for preparedness
Tall Stacks back in October 2003
Morgue trial jurors deliberate second day
Project aims to remove lead paint
Some schools would lose in budget plan
Commission considers loan fund
Fuller, Luken meet in only radio debate
Norwood's Foust to carry Olympic torch
Obituary: George Helwig was archery expert
State tax increases possible
Tenn. judge nominated for city-based 6th Circuit Court
Annexation attempt may hit a roadblock
Congrats
Good News: Workers give $129K for relief
Indictment in drug case
Local Digest
Traficant cites privilege in seeking evidence suppression
Victims' compensation overhauled
Foal deaths may cost horse industry $336M
Kentucky Digest
New jail may oust agencies
Politics blamed for fund loss
Kentucky quarter draws interest
Rifle barrage hits cruiser