Man charged with child porn

BROOKSVILLE - A 26-year-old local man has been arrested on child pornography charges after pictures of children engaged in sexual acts were found on a computer he returned to a rent-to-own store.

Bradley Allen Smith is charged with two counts of distributing matter portraying a minor in a sexual act. He is being held at the Mason County jail in lieu of a $100,000 bond. A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for March 2 in Bracken District Court.

State police launched the investigation after Colorama, a rental store in Maysville, discovered images of minors engaged in sexual activity had been downloaded to a recently returned computer's hard drive.

Detectives with the state Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force said they seized the computer from the rent-to-own shop and confirmed it had been used to view illegal child pornography.

Police also took several computer storage devices.

Trooper Tom Lilley said detectives are investigating whether Smith was taking pornographic pictures of children.

Toelke president of library board

COVINGTON - John R. Toelke of Crestview Hills has been re-elected president of the Kenton County Public Library Board.

Toelke has served on the board for seven years and has been president since 2002.

Other board officers elected this month include Anthony Durso of Covington, vice president; Milton Mains of Morningview, treasurer; Lois Schultz of Villa Hills, secretary. Erlanger resident Allen Thomas Jr. is a trustee.

Trustees serve a four-year term. Officers are elected every two years.

The Kenton County Public Library has locations in Covington, Erlanger and Independence and offers many of its services online at www.kenton.lib.ky.us.

Heather Henry chairs center's fund-raiser

MAYSVILLE - Heather French Henry will serve as honorary chairwoman for the Women's Crisis Center's $2 million fund-raising campaign to build a new crisis shelter for the five counties of Buffalo Trace.

"We would all like to think that domestic violence does not happen in any town, especially our own hometown," Henry said. "Unfortunately, it happens in all towns in all classes of people."

The current shelter can house only 18 people a day, said Mary Jo Davis, executive director of the Women's Crisis Center. The new building will house as many as 26. The Women's Crisis Center also will be able to serve physically challenged women and children and provide indoor and outdoor play areas for the children.

Local Oktoberfest top destination

FRANKFORT - The Oktoberfest celebration in Covington's MainStrasse Village is among the top 25 picks in Kentucky for downtown festivals.

This year's Oktoberfest will be Sept. 10-12.

Managers of Kentucky Main Street programs in more than 100 communities will release a monthly series of "Top 25" lists throughout 2004 in honor of the downtown revitalization program's 25th anniversary.

"Who better to vote on the best downtown festivals than the managers who promote and work on behalf of Kentucky Main Streets every day?'' said David L. Morgan, executive director of the Kentucky Heritage Council and state historic preservation officer.

Other festivals on the list include the W. C. Handy Blues & BBQ Festival in Henderson, June 12-19; Bardstown's Bourbon Festival, Sept. 15-19; Civil War Days in Munfordville, Sept. 10-12; the Daniel Boone Festival in Barbourville, Oct. 4-9; the Rosemary Clooney Music Festival in Maysville, Sept. 25; and the Kentucky Derby Festival April 17-May 1 in Louisville.