Ft. Mitchell officials to discuss projects

FORT MITCHELL - The city's building committee will meet Jan. 14 at the Blessed Sacrament Church Undercroft before the town meeting.

The building committee will meet at 6:30 p.m., an hour before the city's town meeting at the same location. Committee members will briefly discuss the municipal building expansion project and bring new council member Doug Hill up to date on previous discussions.

Council members serving on the committee are Ron Powell, Bob Wilder, Kathy Groob and Dan Wolff.

Ky. Public Retirees get new meeting site

FORT WRIGHT - The Northern Kentucky chapter of Kentucky Public Retirees will meet at the Golden Corral here starting Monday.

Kentucky Public Retirees is an organization of government employees who are retired, or eligible to retire from the Kentucky Employees Retirement System, the County Employees Retirement System or the State Police Retirement System.

The group meets for lunch on the second Monday of each month beginning at 11:45 a.m. and adjourns by 2 p.m. Meetings include a program and a brief business session.

Judge William Schmaedecke is scheduled to discuss the new Family Court system at Monday's meeting.

The Golden Corral is on Orphanage Road near Interstate 275 and Ky. 17.

Artist-in-residence deadline nears

FRANKFORT - Jan. 21 is the deadline for schools to apply to the Kentucky Arts Council for the artist in residence grant.

The Artist in Residence Program for sponsors places professional artists in Kentucky schools to demonstrate their art and share their creativity with students and teachers. Schools, districts and education-related organizations can apply as sponsors with the Kentucky Arts Council. Residencies vary in length; the Kentucky Arts Council grants cover up to two-thirds of the fee for the artist. Applications currently being accepted will be for residencies in the 2003-2004 school year.

Applications can be found on the Kentucky Arts Council Web site at www.kyarts.org under Arts Education.

For information, call (888) 833-2787, ext. 4813.

Library sale offers books, videos, CDs

ERLANGER - Thousands of nearly new and used books will be sold Jan. 20-26 at the new Erlanger branch library, 401 Kenton Lands Road.

The sale will run during regular library hours, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday.

Videos, books, cassette tapes, compact discs and books on tape will be sold, with prices ranging from 25 cents to $4. On Jan. 26, the last day of the sale, visitors can fill up a bag with books for $4. All proceeds benefit the library.

The Friends of the Kenton County Public Library is a volunteer organization that raises funds for the library through membership and book sales. For information, contact Alice Manchikes at (859) 962-4074. Anyone interested in volunteering to help with the Erlanger Used Book Sale should contact Virginia Johnson at (859) 356-2095.

Ex-official files for state agriculture post

FRANKFORT - Barney Hornback, a farmer who was a longtime administrator in the state Department of Agriculture, filed late Monday as a Democratic candidate for agriculture commissioner.

Mr. Hornback of Elizabethtown raises dairy calves and alfalfa hay on a 147-acre farm in Larue County. He was for many years director of the department's Division of Shows and Fairs.

Mr. Hornback is the third candidate with roots in the department. Roy A. Massey of Frankfort, a former deputy commissioner, is in the race with Alice Baesler, currently a principal aide in the department's environmental services division.

Also in the Democratic primary is Glen Holbrook of West Liberty, who ran for commissioner in 1995.

No Republican had filed for the office through Tuesday.

State given $1.8M more in heating aid

LEXINGTON - The federal department of Health and Human Services on Monday released its second wave of heating assistance funding, totaling $545 million nationwide.

State heating aid workers say allocations for Kentucky were significantly more than expected.

"It'll help us help more people," said Peggy Capps, executive director of Bell-Whitley Community Action, which distributes home heating aid in those counties.

With the original amount of funding, Kentucky estimated it could help 21,000 families.

"Now, we're projecting that we will be able to help 36,000 to 37,000 households," said Kip Bowmar, executive director of the Kentucky Association for Community Action.

The state will receive an additional $1.8 million for January, February and March, Kip Bowmar said. The state already had $2.1 million for heating assistance on hand, which the director said probably wouldn't have lasted through January.

Hospital begins no-smoking patrols

OWENSBORO - Owensboro Mercy Health System has hired extra patrols to enforce its no-smoking policy as it moves to smoke-free grounds July 1.

Security is patrolling from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at all entrances and the perimeters.

"We've added some temporary people to assist in our efforts so that now we will have coverage 12 hours a day, seven days a week," said Janet Hayden, vice president of marketing and planning at OMHS.

The additional personnel - contracted through American Valet, the company providing valet parking service at the hospital - began patrolling last week.

The move is phase two of the hospital's efforts to prohibit smoking by July. Last summer, the hospital announced its plans and designated two smoking areas for employees and visitors.

The hospital formed a committee last year to begin the process of prohibiting smoking. It began offering financial assistance for nicotine replacement to employees.

Costs of malpractice insurance get review

FRANKFORT - The state Department of Insurance announced Tuesday it will review medical malpractice insurance rates, and offered several proposals to try to deal with soaring premiums.

The department recommended creating medical screening panels to review alleged malpractice cases before lawsuits are filed. It also called for limits on attorney fees in cases that go to trial.

Skyrocketing malpractice insurance rates have been a growing concern for physicians in Kentucky, especially among such specialists as obstetricians and surgeons.

Insurance Commissioner Janie Miller said companies selling medical malpractice policies in Kentucky will have to file rates with the department for review effective Jan. 15.

"This will allow for closer monitoring of the market," Ms. Miller said.

The department could only review the information, since Kentucky does not regulate commercial insurance.