Animal-cruelty law drive extended

A petition drive for a state bill to make animal cruelty a felony has been extended to Jan. 15.

The petition drive, which began in late October, has obtained more than 2,500 signatures in Northern Kentucky and other parts of the state.

A bill to be introduced in the 2003 legislative session would make animal cruelty punishable by one to five years in prison and require offenders to undergo psychological counseling.

The petition is available at Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties' animal shelters, all Northern Kentucky locations of Pets-N-Such, World of Pets, Jack's Aquarium, Petsmart and Petwild stores, and animal hospitals.

For more information, contact Jay Treft, Northern Kentucky's animal control board chairman, at 572-1203.

Boone planner elected group head

BURLINGTON - Kevin P. Costello, executive director of the Boone County Planning Commission, was elected president of the Kentucky chapter of the American Planning Association for the 2003-05 term.

Gov. Paul Patton also appointed Mr. Costello to the Kentucky Geographic Information Advisory Council for the 2002-06 term.

The council advises state and local jurisdictions in developing geographic information resources.

Four area officers complete training

RICHMOND - Four Northern Kentucky police officers graduated from Kentucky Justice Cabinet's Department of Criminal Justice Training last week.

They are Nathan A. Due of Edgewood's police department, Phouthakone Homphothichak of Covington's police department, and John Mulligan and Matthew Raniero of Florence's police department.

The 25-member class underwent 16 weeks of training at Eastern Kentucky University.

Would-be governor would reduce jobs

BOWLING GREEN - Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Nunn said Monday he would control state spending in part by trimming employment.

He estimated that 4,000 jobs could eventually be eliminated through normal attrition and by cutting political appointments.

"I'm not talking about going in and firing," Mr. Nunn said in a telephone interview. He also said he did not intend to abolish jobs within the state merit system.

Earlier this month, Gov. Paul Patton announced plans to eliminate 1,000 state jobs over the next year through retirements and other normal attrition. Mr. Nunn said Mr. Patton was "on the right track."

Protests over police shooting continue

LOUISVILLE- Eighteen demonstrators were arrested outside police headquarters Monday in the 10th day of protests over the killing of a handcuffed black man by white police officers.

The arrests were the first since the protests began after the Dec. 5 death of James Taylor, who was shot 11 times by a police detective. Police said Mr. Taylor lunged at detectives with a knife after his arrest.

Protesters vowed to continue the vigils, possibly even on Christmas.

"We are standing here together until a grand jury is called to bring this to justice," said the Rev. Milton C. Seymore, pastor at Energized Baptist Church. "We don't want this swept under the rug."

Those arrested were charged with obstruction or failure to disperse - both misdemeanors, said Louisville police spokesman Bill Keeling.

Women accused of theft by credit card

BURLINGTON - Two Covington women are accused of using a stolen credit card to purchase more than $12,000 worth of liquor from two Northern Kentucky grocery stores.

Fabbian D. Glover and Adonica M. Brown, both 31, were arrested by Boone County sheriff's deputies this month at the Kroger store in Union.

Investigators believe the women may have been selling the liquor to bar and liquor store operators in the area, a spokesman for the sheriff's department said.

The Kroger store manager told police that the two women had phoned in an order for thousands of dollars worth of liquor, which they charged to a Georgia resident's credit card.

Another store manager had flagged the card's number after noting it had been used to purchase about $12,000 worth of spirits at Kroger liquor stores in Cold Spring and Union over a few days, police said. Authorities found 10 cases of liquor in the women's car from an earlier order.

Ms. Brown is charged with two counts of receiving stolen property valued at more than $300. Ms. Glover faces a single count of the same charge. Both are to l appear in Boone County District Court for preliminary hearings Jan. 6. They were freed from jail on $5,000 bond each.