Fire kills toddler; mom, brother injured

PADUCAH, Ky. - A 2-year-old boy is dead and his mother and brother were injured in a house fire Saturday night in McCracken County.

Jesse Duane Roberts, II, was pronounced dead at 8:11 p.m. CST Saturday, said Jerry Beyer, deputy coroner for McCracken County. A preliminary report shows that Jesse's death was consistent with smoke inhalation, Beyer said Sunday.

Jesse's mother - Jennifer Roberts, 24 - reported the fire from a neighboring house shortly after 8 p.m. CST. Firefighters were able to put out the flames, but the house was destroyed.

Jennifer Roberts and her younger son - Jacob, 1 - were transported to Lourdes Hospital in Paducah, then flown to Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville.

Both are listed in stable condition in the hospital's burn unit, said a hospital spokesman Sunday.

Man faces murder charges in dragging

LOUISVILLE - A Jefferson County man has been charged with murder following an altercation that involved another man being dragged by a van.

David Pruitt, 44, of Louisville, was pronounced dead at University of Louisville Hospital Saturday morning, said Jefferson County Deputy Coroner Rita Taylor. Pruitt died of multiple trauma as a result of injuries he sustained from the incident, Taylor said.

Henry D. Bibbs, 33, of Louisville, was charged with murder and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to Metro Louisville Police spokesman Dwight Mitchell.

The incident occurred about 7 a.m. EST Saturday, when Pruitt got into an argument with Bibbs, who was in the van, police said.

Pruitt's arm became trapped in one of the van's windows, and he was dragged about a block before the van crashed into a building in western Louisville, Mitchell said.

Nursing home could reopen if it complies

LOUISVILLE - A nursing home in Louisville that closed this month after the government terminated its Medicaid and Medicare payments could reopen if its brought into compliance with state and federal regulations.

Melrose Manor Health Care Center closed in early March, and its 36 residents were moved to other facilities after state and federal authorities concluded it had failed to meet licensing standards, according to records from the Cabinet for Health Services.

A lawyer for Health Care Management Group, listed on the license as Melrose Manor's operator, could not be reached for comment.

Cameras on buses help pacify students

SHEPHERDSVILLE, Ky. - Bullitt County school-bus driver Brenda Murray has seen a remarkable improvement in students' behavior in the last two weeks.

Murray attributes the change to the video camera recently installed in the bus.

"Sometimes it's pretty loud and wild on my bus, but it's been a lot quieter and calmer," she said.

Similar cameras are being installed in all 112 buses in the Bullitt County school system in an effort to improve safety and behavior.

"Ensuring a safe environment for students is crucial - whether in the classroom or while being transported - and we want to do anything we can, electronically and otherwise, to assist with that," said Glen Gray, acting transportation director.

Officials began installing the cameras last month. There will be a camera on each bus by the end of the year, Gray said. The equipment was purchased with a $35,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

Paducah candy firm to close next month

PADUCAH, Ky. - Gilliam Candy Co., one of Paducah's oldest businesses, will close next month after being sold this week by its parent company to Quality Candy of Julian, Calif., east of San Diego.

Bill Lacy, chief executive officer of parent company Gilliam Candy Brands, said Friday that nearly all of the 30 full-time employees at the manufacturing plant will lose their jobs. Four corporate employees will remain in Paducah, but the plant will soon be up for sale, Lacy said.

Gilliam Candy Co. was founded by Cleve Gilliam in 1927.

Lacy said the availability of cheap sugar on world markets, while American companies have to have pay more for domestic sugar, made it too difficult for small businesses to compete.

Lacy said his business, which will now be called Sophie Mae Candy Co., will shift its focus to its remaining operating divisions: Sophie Mae Peanut Brittle, Slo Poke Caramels, Kits and B.B. Bats Taffy.

Louisville events battle youth violence

LOUISVILLE - Fourteen-year-old Demetrius Penick spent his weekend doing pushups, running laps and perfecting his marching step.

"It's just fun. I like it," he said. "But it is tiresome."

Demetrius, a student at Carrithers Middle School, is not alone. Nearly 200 area students, from 10 to 18 years old, joined him Saturday at Central High School in Louisville to take part in a mini-boot camp and conference aimed at preventing youth violence.

The annual event is organized by the group Brothers/Sisters Reaching Out To Ensure Responsibility Somehow. The group is made up of police, sheriff, corrections and military personnel, as well as representatives of community organizations.

Jacqueline Hollingsworth, the event's organizer and a Louisville Metro Police officer, said the conference allows students to be exposed to information they may not get at school.

Fetzer Vineyards plans organic wine

LOUISVILLE - Fetzer Vineyards, the 10th-largest California wine producer and a Brown-Forman subsidiary, plans to have nearly all of the grapes used in its four major labels grown organically by the end of the decade.

Fetzer has been a subsidiary of Louisville-based Brown-Forman since 1992.

Currently, about 15 percent of Fetzer's grapes are organically grown

If all goes as planned with the contract growers who supply most of the grapes, that figure should be about 98 percent in 2010.

Organically grown crops are raised without chemicals, including pesticides. The move is more about lifestyle than profits, said Fetzer president Paul Dolan.

The company's vineyards have operated organically for years, and Dolan is convinced they produce better fruit. But there could be some marketing potential as well, particularly in Europe, where the green movement is strong.

"We do hope the consumer is going to be more aligned with us as a result of this commitment," Dolan said. "The United Kingdom is quite interested in organic produce. It's our biggest market outside the U.S. for organics."

- Compiled from wire reports