FALMOUTH — A 22-year-old man died of a head injury after the all-terrain vehicle he was driving hit a tree, the Fayette County coroner's office said.

        Samuel D. Lewis of Covington was pronounced dead at 2:04 p.m. Sunday at the University of Kentucky Medical Center.

        Mr. Lewis was taken to the hospital Saturday after the 7:50 p.m. crash on Gum Lick Road in Pendleton County, the coroner's office said.

        Mr. Lewis died of a head injury, the report said.

Woman charged in ex-husband's death

        MANCHESTER — A Clay County woman was charged with murder Saturday in the stabbing death of a man who was once her husband, Kentucky State Police said.

        Linda Sue Smallwood, 50, of Manchester was accused of stabbing Herman J. Eversole in the abdomen, police said.

        Mr. Eversole, 39, also of Manchester, was found outside Ms. Smallwood's home by state police troopers and Clay County sheriff's officers who were responding to a report of a domestic dispute, police said.

        Mr. Eversole was flown to the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington. He was pronounced dead by the Fayette County coroner's office.

        Ms. Smallwood was being held in the Clay County Jail.

Owensboro man wins Am Vets post

        OWENSBORO — Doug Littrell, who commanded American Veterans Post 75 in Owensboro for seven years, has been installed as the state commander of the 2,500-member organization.

        Mr. Littrell is the first veteran from Owensboro to achieve Kentucky Am Vets' highest office. Mr. Littrell and other officers of Am Vets, Sons of Am Vets and the Am Vets Auxiliary were sworn in at the end of the groups' state convention. More than 300 attended the annual meeting Sunday.

        “I'm extremely honored to be elected as commander,” the 78-year-old said after the installation. “Our main goal for the upcoming year will be to strengthen our membership.”

        Am Vets, founded in 1945, is one of the youngest veteran organizations in the state. Its members have served since Sept. 15, 1940, and have been honorably discharged. Reserve and National Guard veterans also may join.

        Mr. Littrell moved to Owensboro from Louisville in 1988 and became a member of Am Vets that year. The new state commander served in World War II in both the European and South Pacific Theaters of Operations.

Deck collapse sends 8 party-goers to hospital

        LOUISVILLE — Investigators said metal supports under a deck at a St. Matthews apartment complex buckled, causing a collapse that sent eight people to hospitals.

        There had been as many as 60 people at a time on the deck at the clubhouse at the Jamestown Apartments on Breckenridge Lane, and about 20 were on it when it gave way, said David Seward, who threw the party for his son.

        Officials of the St. Matthews Fire Department called a Jefferson County building-code-enforcement inspector to investigate, said Rick Tonini, a fire department spokesman. Mr. Tonini said the deck's supports “had folded in half.”

        The collapse occurred after 10 p.m. Saturday.

        Eleven to 14 people were treated at the scene, Mr. Tonini said. Most of the injuries were cuts and bruises, but there were some broken bones, he said.

Popular new park plans extreme event

        LOUISVILLE — Nine weeks after opening, the Louisville Extreme Park downtown is getting heavy use and continues to draw rave reviews.

        Metro Parks officials have lined up a series of summer activities at the park and also a Labor Day weekend event that sponsors predict could draw up to 10,000 spectators and as many as 150 extreme-sports competitors from across the country.

        “We knew the park would be tremendously popular,” said Metro Parks spokesman Jason Cissell. “We have been surprised by so many people who have come from out of town” to try the park and also by the heavy night use.

        In an average 24 hours, the park probably has 500 or more visitors, Mr. Cissell said. “There is almost no dead time, when it's completely empty.”

EKU approves budget, 2.7% employee raises

        RICHMOND — The Eastern Kentucky University Board of Regents on Monday approved a $151 million budget for the 2002-03 academic year, which includes a 2.7 percent raise in employee salaries.

        Speaking at the board's meeting, President Joanne Glasser said the $151,871,053 budget achieved three goals — no layoffs, maintaining health benefits and across-the-board raises.

        Employee benefit funding, primarily health insurance and workers' compensation were increased by more than $1 million. Also, increases in university-funded scholarships totaled about $586,000.

        The new budget reflects a 1.87 percent decrease in general state appropriations and a 9.5 percent increase in tuition rates.

Police step up patrols to tame young drivers

        LOUISVILLE — Spurred by a wreck last month that killed two teens, Jefferson County police are stepping up patrols this summer and encouraging young people to drive safely.

        The department will spend $20,000 in grant money to pay officers overtime to patrol roads and intersections where collisions often occur, Chief William Carcara said. Officers will use radar to catch speeders and set up sobriety checkpoints, Chief Carcara said.

        He said the department has investigated 18 traffic deaths this year. The average is 36 a year, he said. Louisville police so far this year have investigated eight traffic fatalities, spokeswoman Alicia Smiley said.

        A car lot is helping the county police with the safety promotion by offering young drivers a chance to win a year's free use of a Pontiac Vibe if they have a clean driving record this summer.

        Those ages 17 to 21 who are attending or have attended Jefferson County high schools are eligible for the contest if their summer is free of alcohol, drugs, arrests and citations, police said.

        Eleven of the 18 traffic fatalities this year were alcohol-related, the chief said. Among the 11 were the deaths of Sarah Haas and Nicole Busby, both 19. Ms. Haas lost control of a car and hit a tree on May 12, authorities said. The car was traveling 80 mph when it left the road. A toxicology report said the two had been drinking.

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