FRANKFORT — Eight people were killed in seven separate crashes on state roadways during the holiday weekend, according to preliminary statistics from the Kentucky State Police.

        That's down by half from the 2000 holiday period when 16 people died in 16 crashes.

        The official Thanksgiving holiday period ran from 6 p.m. Wednesday through 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

        Of the eight fatal crashes, preliminary results indicate that alcohol was a suspected factor in four, police said Monday.

Jefferson Co. police get civil rights award

               LOUISVILLE — The Jefferson County Police Department has been given a civil-rights award for its approach to preventing racial profiling.

        The International Association of Chiefs of Police bestowed a 2001 Civil Rights Award on the county department at a recent conference in Toronto.

        The nonprofit association, with 19,000 members in 100 countries, established the award five years ago to recognize efforts to reduce hate crimes and civil-rights violations through investigation, education, prevention and intervention.
       

Pilots head to patrol Iraqi no-fly zone

               TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — Christmas came right on the heels of Thanksgiving for some families here, as members of the Indiana Air National Guard's 181st Fighter Wing prepared to head overseas to patrol Iraqi airspace.

        More than 100 members of the wing are scheduled to fly out of Hulman International Airport tonight, after about a dozen flew out Sunday night. They are all headed to an Air Force base in Turkey, where they will spend three months monitoring the no-fly zone over northern Iraq.
       

Man dies after ATV runs into tow truck

               WILLIAMSBURG — A Whitley County man was killed Sunday when the all-terrain-vehicle he was riding collided with a tow truck on Ky. 904, state police said.

        Brandon L. Tucker, 18, lost control of the ATV on a curve and it crossed into the eastbound lane, where it was hit by a 1996 International wrecker truck, police said. Whitley County Coroner Jim Paul pronounced Mr. Tucker dead at the scene.

        The driver of the tow truck, 37-year-old Jim Foley of Williamsburg, wasn't hurt.
       

Louisville actor, 66, dies from cancer

               LOUISVILLE — Vaughn McBride, a longtime Louisville actor, director, playwright and teacher, died Saturday in Salt Lake City of cancer. He was 66.

        Mr. McBride's name had been associated with Actors Theatre of Louisville since 1970. Mr. McBride, who was a resident acting company member for 25 years, began his career at Actors Theatre playing a tailor in The Taming of the Shrew. By his 25th season, he had performed in more than 100 plays, including 18 versions of A Christmas Carol.

        He directed more than 40 productions.

        Mr. McBride established the apprentice program at Actors Theatre in 1972 and directed the program until 1974. The program allows young people to work with theater professionals and receive training.

        He also created the State Tour Program and Adventure Theatre for Actors Theatre.

        Mr. McBride did not limit himself to performing in a theater. He appeared on the television show Touched by an Angel and in the film SLC Punk.

        Before coming to Louisville, McBride was a founding member of the Long Wharf Theatre acting company in New Haven, Conn.
       

3 men charged in used-car selling scam

               FRANKFORT — A school official and two car dealers in Adair County have been indicted for tax evasion and forgery in a scheme related to buying and selling used cars.

        The indictment was obtained by the Revenue Cabinet and Attorney General's Office on Oct. 24 from the Franklin County grand jury. The indictments were unsealed on Monday.

        The indictment alleges Allan Keith Young, the superintendent of the Adair County schools, failed to pay proper taxes on eight vehicles he bought and sold from 1990 through 2001. The indictment alleges Mr. Young submitted false documentation on the amount of money paid for the vehicles and the tax owed. The indictment alleges 33 counts.

        Also charged were Gary Cox and Billy Sexton, two Adair County car dealers, who are accused of assisting Mr. Young.

        The charges are all Class D felonies, punishable by up to five years in prison.
       

Lexington's homicide rate twice that of 2000
               LEXINGTON — The homicide rate in Lexington this year has more than doubled last year's total and is close to the record 25 homicides in 1986, police said.

        The list of victims has reached 23 so far this year, and no arrests have been made in more than half the cases.

        So far, police have gotten convictions, made arrests or named suspects in 11 of the 23 cases.

        Police solved all 11 homicides last year.

        A Lexington police lieutenant who has managed detectives this year could not explain the number of unsolved cases. However, in busier years such as this one, detectives have less time to spend on each case.

        If there were trends among the homicides, they would be easier to solve or stop, said Lt. P.T. Richardson.

        “It is not a predictable crime; it does not have a pattern to it,” Lt. Richardson said. “It is a crime of opportunity; it's a crime of passion.”
       

Expensive-home market cools off

               LOUISVILLE — High-end homes in the Louisville area are taking a hit as the economy slows, leaving hundreds of $400,000-and-up homes on the selling block.

        Louisville Board of Realtors records show 313 homes listed at that price range in the market area that includes Jefferson, Oldham and Bullitt counties and parts of southern Indiana.

        “In regular times, that house would have been gone a long time ago,” said real estate agent Mimi Middleton. “But these aren't regular times.”

        Overall, the Louisville area's housing market is slightly softer than last year, the first decline in four years, according to Ron Wolf, government affairs specialist for the Board of Realtors.

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