Staff/Wire reports

LOUISVILLE - The case of a woman who sought to have her marriage annulled because her husband underwent a sex change is heading to the Kentucky Court of Appeals.

An annulment would allow Sharon Spina to retain their marital property.

She and Paul Spina married 22 years ago and had two children. Spina had a sex-change operation in May 2003, adopted a new first name and changed the sex on his passport and driver's license to female.

Six months later, Sharon Spina chose not to seek a divorce but rather an annulment, which would invalidate the marriage from its start.

In court documents, she contends that the marriage should be annulled because her husband represented himself as a man when psychologically he knew all along he was a woman - and that he wed her only to get his hands on her family's fortune.

She concedes her husband was anatomically male until the surgery. But she argues that his failure to disclose his gender identity before the wedding constitutes "a fraud involving the essentials of marriage."

Jefferson County Family Court Judge Eleanore Garber dismissed Sharon Spina's petition. She has appealed.

Garber said in her ruling she couldn't find an instance in which any court had annulled a long marriage involving a spouse who had procreated during the union but later had a sex-change operation.

"Given that Paula was biologically male when he married, and lived the male life, I would be surprised if any court, conservative or liberal, would rule the marriage was invalid," said Julie Greenberg, who leads the American Bar Association's International Committee on Issues Relating to Sex, Gender and Sexual Orientation.

5,000 turn out for first River of Music Party

OWENSBORO - Organizers of Owensboro's first River of Music Party say attendance at the three-day event that featured bluegrass music pioneer Earl Scruggs topped 5,000.

The party was hosted by the International Bluegrass Music Museum and featured performances by traditional and contemporary bluegrass groups.

Activities included competitions and exhibits designed to bring people to the museum.

Although officials didn't know how financially successful the event was, museum Executive Director Gabrielle Gray said it would be difficult not to do again with the attendance and good feedback.

Horses go back to farm they were taken from

CAMPBELLSVILLE - A horse auction in Taylor County ended with some of the animals returning to a farm from which they were taken after the owner was found guilty of animal abuse.

The sons of John Humphress said they had winning bids Saturday on 15 or 16 of the 46 horses that were auctioned. They said the horses will be housed at their father's farm.

John Humphress was found guilty in April of 47 counts of animal abuse and sentenced to a year in jail. He is free on bond while he appeals the charges.

Some who attended the auction expressed outrage that the animals would be returning to the farm.

But John Humphress Jr. said the horses will remain in his custody and that he is not the same person as his father.

Hydroplane champ killed on Ohio River

OWENSBORO - A champion hydroplane driver died Saturday after an accident on the Ohio River near downtown Owensboro.

Bill Sterett Jr., 57, of Owensboro was piloting a hydroplane at 1:08 p.m. when it hit rough water, nose-dived and broke up, the Messenger-Inquirer newspaper reported.

Capt. David Oberst, assistant chief of the Owensboro Fire Department, said another boater pulled Sterett from the water.

Sterett was taken to the hospital and was pronounced dead of blunt force trauma, Daviess County Deputy Coroner John Thayer said.

The river was choppy, especially after a towboat and barge passed through, Oberst said.