Pick a pumpkin, greet the Cool Ghoul himself
        COVINGTON — You can visit with Farmer Fred, pick a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch and enjoy musical entertainment and demonstrations throughout MainStrasse Village at the 2002 Village Harvest Celebration Oct. 12 and 13.

        Special events include a Ghoulish Dog Parade and Costume Contest Oct. 12 hosted by the Cool Ghoul. Registration will be at 10 a.m. and the parade and costume contest will be at 11:30 a.m. Dog photos will be taken for $3, with all proceeds benefiting Animal Welfare of Northern Kentucky.

        After the parade, the MainStrasse Entertainment Association will present a bullet-proof canine vest to the Covington Police Department's K-9 unit.

        Jubilee Joggers also will entertain at the Goose Girl Fountain at 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Oct. 12.

        On Oct. 13, visitors can shop for antiques along the Sixth Street promenade at the Second Sunday Antiques Marketplace from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

        Shops will be open from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Oct. 12 and from noon until 5 p.m. Oct. 13.

League of Cities convention in N.Ky.

        COVINGTON — From todaythrough Saturday, more than 1,200 local and state government leaders will gather at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center here for the 75th annual Kentucky League of Cities convention.

        The conference will feature sessions ranging from downtown revitalization to the future of tourism in Kentucky.

        More than 40 educational sessions will be offered during the convention, as well as meetings for local government professionals.

        The Kentucky League of Cities will present 11 awards during the convention, including its inaugural, Hometown Hero Award, which will be presented Friday to someone who has demonstrated courage and commitment in public service. The featured speaker at the luncheon will be Kentucky Speaker of the House Jody Richards.

Last outdoor antiques of season scheduled

        COVINGTON — The last outdoor Second Sunday Antiques Marketplace of the season will be Oct. 13 in the MainStrasse Village.

        More than 60 vendors will display vintage items for shoppers along the Sixth Street promenade.

        Participants do not have to be dealers to set up for the shows. There's a discounted first-time setup fee of $25.

        For information, call Cindy Scheidt at (859) 341-3390 or Donna Kremer at (859) 491-0458.

        Next year's Marketplace dates will be April 13, May 11, June 8, July 13, Aug. 10, Sept. 14 and Oct. 12.

St. Luke Hospitals offer some house calls

        FLORENCE — The St. Luke Hospitals are offering the Tristate's first hospital-based Medical House Call Program.

        The program provides home-based medical care for eligible Northern Kentucky seniors. It is intended for elderly patients who have difficulty traveling to a doctor's office because of complex medical problems or physical disabilities.

        Each patient is assigned a care team, including a board-certified physician and nurse practitioner trained in geriatric care. The physician or nurse practitioner will visit each patient at home once a month, or more often if needed, to do everything from blood pressure monitoring to drawing blood to administering medicine or vaccines. They also educate and counsel the patient's family members or caregivers to help them cope with the demands of care giving.

        The care team also includes a coordinator, who schedules appointments and tests and coordinates transportation needs and hospital visits. If the patient requires inpatient or outpatient services, he will be treated in a dedicated geriatrics unit at St. Luke Hospital West in Florence.

        For information, call (859) 962-4601.

Tax amnesty nets twice expected cash

        FRANKFORT — A two-month tax amnesty program took in $41.4 million, twice as much as expected, the Revenue Cabinet announced Tuesday.

        Nearly 12,800 people and businesses took advantage of the offer to pay delinquent taxes without penalties or interest, the agency said.

        The deadline was 7 p.m. Monday. More than half the money came in after Friday, said the cabinet's general counsel, Alex Rose.

        The amnesty was offered to help boost state revenues during the tight economy. Deputy Budget Director Bill Hintze said the money taken in was a small fraction of Kentucky's $6.6 billion spending plan, but it “will get us closer to being in balance.”

        “It's not surplus,” Mr. Hintze said. “We're simply going to be making ends meet.”

        According to the cabinet, more individuals than businesses — 6,777 to 6,055 — took advantage of the amnesty. But businesses accounted for $36.6 million, which was 88 percent of the take. The cabinet said 26,000 tax bills were resolved.

        The last time Kentucky offered amnesty, in 1988, it collected more than $61 million. That was the state's first amnesty and covered more years than the current program.

        Under amnesty, the state waived interest and fines from those who came forward. For those who didn't, overdue taxes are subject to fines, interest and a 25 percent penalty.

        Rose said the Revenue Cabinet would start Tuesday to seek out taxpayers who remain delinquent. Officials hope to collect at least $7 million more in the next year in post-amnesty taxes, late fines and penalties.

CSX Raceland shop to lay off more workers

        RACELAND — CSX Transportation will lay off 193 workers at its Raceland car shop starting Friday in what the company called a “temporary work force reduction.”

        The shop builds and repairs railroad cars, including coal hoppers, gondolas and coil steels cars. A total of 291 people work there.

        An “unanticipated” drop in coal loading along with weakness in the overall economy were cited as reason for the layoffs in a company statement.

        CSX spokesman David Hall said 24 percent of the company's business comes from coal transportation. The Raceland plant is CSX's largest car shop.

        Mr. Hall said Monday that the layoffs could last as long as five months. Right now, the company anticipates workers will return March 3.

        “This in no way is a reflection on the quality of work these people do,” Mr. Hall said. “This group of employees has consistently performed at high levels. They're doing everything they're asked to do; there's just not enough work.”

        This is the second furlough at the plant this year. In January, CSX laid off 230 workers for 60 days, also citing an economic downturn.

Two men enter pleas on forest arson cases

        LEXINGTON — Two eastern Kentucky men entered guilty pleas to forest arson in U.S. District Court in London.

        Christopher Smith, 19, and Darrell Foutch, 19, both of Clay County, were arrested in November on three counts of arson each in connection with forest fires in the Daniel Boone National Forest.

        Under the plea bargain Monday, they admitted to conspiring, then burning 200 acres of land in the forest.

        They face up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

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