High-speed suspect captured by police

        BURLINGTON — A fugitive led police on a high-speed car chase through Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky before Boone County sheriff's deputies captured the man.

        Tony Pike, 27, is charged with fleeing and evading police, wanton endangerment, drunken driving and receiving stolen property. He was also wanted for violating his parole.

        Police said they did not have a current address for Mr. Pike, who has lived in several Northern Kentucky communities in recent months.

        After fleeing Cincinnati and Covington police, Mr. Pike was spotted at 1:15 a.m. driving a car that had been reported as stolen on Dry Creek Road in Hebron. Boone County sheriff's deputies put down tire-flattening devices at Ky. 8 and North Bend Road, but that didn't stop the vehicle. Mr. Pike drove two more miles on flat tires before wrecking about 1:20 a.m.

        He was finally arrested after getting out of the car and trying to run.
       

Adjustments board candidates considered

        TAYLOR MILL — The city will meet in special session today to interview candidates for appointment to the Board of Adjustments.

        The meeting will be at 6 p.m. at the Taylor Mill Municipal building, 5225 Taylor Mill Road.

        For information, call City Administrator Jill Bailey at (859) 581-3234.
       

Taylor Mill meets to set park priorities

        TAYLOR MILL — City Council here will meet in special session Thursday to discuss Pride Park priorities for the 2002-2003 fiscal year.

        The meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. at the Taylor Mill Community Center, 5606 Taylor Mill Road..

        For information, contact City Administrator Jill Bailey at (859) 581-3234.
       

Deadline nears for arts council grants

        FRANKFORT — March 1 is the deadline for the Kentucky Arts Council Professional Development Grant Program for individual artists.

        Eligible events and activities can include attendance at workshops, conferences and master classes, production or mounting expenses for a first time performance or exhibition, or preparation of work samples. Requests can be for up to $500 with a one-to-one match required. The March 1 deadline is for applications for activities taking place April through June.

        For information on guidelines for the grant, check the arts council's Web site at www.kyarts.org or call (888) 833-2787, ext. 4827.
       

Criminal record not revealed by check

        LOUISVILLE — A background check by police and prosecutors in Jefferson County failed to turn up a 1986 embezzlement conviction for Lana Bush, who is to be sentenced next month for stealing $1.2 million from Humana Inc., where she worked as a secretary.

        Prosecutors approved a plea agreement last month that could result in Ms. Bush serving 90 days in jail. They were not aware of the prior conviction until told last week by the Courier-Journal.

        Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney J. Allan Cobb said the earlier embezzlement conviction would not have had any bearing on the state's decision to accept a plea agreement.

        Because more than five years had passed between the crimes, Ms. Bush could not be considered a persistent felony offender, Mr. Cobb said.

        Steven Strepey, Ms. Bush's attorney, would not comment.

        Ms. Bush, 44, of Taylorsville, was known as Lana Wheeler in the 1986 case in which she and her former husband pleaded guilty in Jefferson County Circuit Court to stealing nearly $53,000 from the Louisville offices of Rogers Group Inc., a crushed-stone producer based in Nashville, Tenn.
       

Tourism council chief appointed

        COVINGTON — Nancy Graff Willhoite, a Northern Kentucky tourism official, has been elected chairwoman of the Tourism Council of Greater Cincinnati.

        Ms. Graff Willhoite is the Visitors Center and Convention Housing manager with the Northern Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau. She will chair the council's board of trustees through 2002.

        Other officers elected were: Vice Chairman Jeff Blom, director of sales , BB Riverboats; Secretary Pat Stroup, district director of sales for AmeriSuites Hotels; and Treasurer Diane Ruether, national sales manager, city of Sharonville Hospitality Group.

        The tourism council is a 24-year-old non-profit organization.
       

Milling company ready to shut down

        AUBURN, Ky. — One of Logan County's oldest businesses is preparing to shut its doors. Hopkinsville Milling is finalizing a deal to buy Scott's Auburn Mills label.

        “The transaction will be made,” said Tom Yates of Hopkinsville Milling Co.

        He declined to release any specifics about the sale of the flour and corn milling operation.

        Scott's owner Ray Clark said his employees have been told about the pending transaction, but he declined to release any other information.

        Scott's Auburn Mills was established in 1876 and has 27 employees.

        “That is another page in Logan County's history that is going to be lost as well as those individuals who will now be unemployed,” said Becky McIntosh, executive director of the Logan County Economic Development Commission.

        A final closing date was not available.

Supreme Court to decide miners' case

        WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to decide if the health benefits of thousands of retired coal miners could be left in jeopardy by an agency's tardiness.

        The Bush administration had said without court intervention, a 1992 law to aid retired miners could fail. The law made mine operators responsible for the health care of former workers.

        At issue is the 1993 deadline that Congress set for the Social Security commissioner to determine which coal companies would be responsible for benefits, and to whom.

        That determination was made for about 7,500 miners after the deadline expired. As a result, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the designation was improper.

        The Supreme Court will review two cases from that appeals court.

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