Brenna Angel is a reporter/producer and a newscaster at WUKY Radio, in Lexington, KY. WUKY is one of seven public radio stations in the Kentucky Public Radio partnership.
They took a flight aboard a C-130 Hercules, had a Meal Ready to Eat for lunch, and watched a live fire training session. Several civilian employers got a taste of military life at Camp Atterbury, Indiana this week as part of Boss Lift 2011. Dave Robinson, a resource manager for the Army Corps of Engineers in Harlan County, Kentucky, visited the Kentucky National Guard's 149th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade.
Of the dozens of items in Lexington's $274 million budget for the next fiscal year, one of the most controversial surrounds the sport of disc golf. The spending plan passed last week by the Urban County Council includes a $150,000 bond proposal for disc golf courses at Coldstream Park and Jacobson Park.
Jurors in the Lexington murder trial of Glen Doneghy (DON’-eh-high) got a brief physics lesson from a KSP collision reconstructionist Monday. Doneghy is charged with killing Lexington police Officer Bryan Durman in a hit and run crash.
More than 3,000 Kentucky nonprofits recently lost their tax-exempt status with the IRS and a few are working to reverse that. The thousands of nonprofit organizations that lost their tax-exempt status with the IRS represent a wide range of interests, including county fair associations, American Legion chapters, and religious groups. Danielle Clore of the Kentucky Nonprofit Network says the groups were affected by the 2006 federal Pension and Protection Act.
The Lexington Divisions of Fire and Building Inspection are busy leading up to the July 4th holiday. This time last year, businesses applied for around 12-15 permits to operate fireworks stands in Lexington. Now thanks to a new state law, that number has more than doubled. Marshall Griggs is a battalion chief with the Lexington fire department.
The Lexington Divisions of Fire and Building Inspection are busy leading up to the July 4th holiday.
This time last year, businesses applied for around 12-15 permits to operate fireworks stands in Lexington. Now thanks to a new state law, that number has more than doubled. Marshall Griggs is a battalion chief with the Lexington fire department.
"We're going out every day inspecting fireworks establishments and tents, making sure that everything that they're selling is legal."
The murder trial of a man charged with killed a Lexington police officer has entered week two of testimony. Prosecutors introduced several pieces of evidence Monday, including boots, ammunition, and a taser. A detective in the police forensics unit showed jurors items from Officer Bryan Durman's uniform that flew off when he was struck and killed in a hit and run crash on North Limestone.
A preliminary blueprint for Lexington's five-year development outlook will be open to public comment this week. Jim Duncan of the Division of Planning is working with other city officials to put together the 2012 Comprehensive Plan. "It addresses all issues from housing and transportation to jobs and economic development, as well community facilities and parks. And so we look at a variety of issues and try to determine how the community can grow, accommodate new population, and be responsive to the existing needs of the current population."
Several colleagues of Officer Bryan Durman, the Lexington police officer killed in the line of duty last year, took the witness stand Thursday. It marked day two of testimony in the Glenn Doneghy murder trial. When Durman requested backup to assist with his call on a noise complaint the night of April 29, 2010, Officer Teri Gover (GOH'-ver) responded. By the time she arrived on the scene, she discovered Durman had been struck in a hit and run crash.
A murder trial is underway in the death of a Lexington police officer. Glenn Doneghy,34, is accused of deliberately hitting police officer Bryan Durman in April of Last year. Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Lori Boling delivered an opening statement Tuesday for the prosecution. "After we present all of the evidence to you in this case, you will see that we have proven to you beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant was driving his car the night Officer Durman was struck and killed."
The University of Kentucky Board of Trustees has approved an employment agreement for incoming president Eli Capilouto. Board Chairman Britt Brockman says Capilouto’s compensation is based on recommendations from a consultant and a review of other universities.
Community leaders in Lexington are rolling out a campaign they hope will cause a significant drop in cigarette litter. In a recent survey of one block in downtown Lexington, members of the Keep Lexington Beautiful Commission counted more than 600 cigarette butts on the ground. Commission chair woman Patricia Knight says many smokers don’t take the time properly dispose of their cigarettes.
The University of Kentucky has landed a prestigious grant from the National Institutes of Health. The award is for $20 million over 5 years as part of the Clinical and Translational Science program. “This grant is in fact geared to bring new findings into the clinical environment, taking drugs from the bench to the bedside. But this grant also encourages taking things that have been brought from the bedside and analyzing them through clinical trials in an effective kind of way to see if they really do work,” said UK Vice President for Health Affairs Michael Karpf
Officials say a police task force focused on curbing graffiti in Lexington is a success. Community leaders gathered at Woodland Park Monday afternoon to announce the arrests of several people on vandalism charges."Within the first three weeks of the task force, with all the task force members working very hard, we identified most of the graffiti in the city of Lexington to six people," says police officer Ricky Lynn. The task force documented more than $32,000 in damage to city and private property. Some of the offenders are doing community service and painting over the graffiti.
Lexington's urban county council members are getting down to the wire in a passing a budget for the next fiscal year. Plans for spending cuts within the division of police remain a concern. Lexington Police Chief Ronnie Bastin has twice reported to council members in recent weeks on how the division is handling a proposed 7 percent reduction in funding. Police plan to cut community service units nearly in half; those affected include the DARE program, mounted patrol, and the Community Law Enforcement Action Response unit, also known as CLEAR.
Mine rescue teams from eight states will put their skills to the test at a contest in Maysville, Kentucky this week. The Mine Safety and Health Administration is sponsoring the 4th annual Southeast Region / Central Kentucky Mine Rescue Contest. The two-day event will feature a variety of scenarios, including a mine fire, explosion, or roof collapse.
The number of people crossing state lines to buy prescription pain killers has policy makers looking for ways to crack down on drug trafficking and pill mills. There is currently no national network to monitor the flow of prescription drugs. But as Kentucky Public Radio’s Brenna Angel reports, that will soon change, and states will have options.
Lexington's retired public safety workers can expect to receive more pension money each month to offset an increase in the cost of living. More than 900 retirees in the Lexington Police and Fire Retirement Fund will see a 2.6% cost of living adjustment.
Five months after Lexington Mayor Jim Gray called for a review of the Fayette County Detention Center it appears there will be not one, but two groups looking for ways to make improvements. Sheriff Kathy Witt recently presented her findings on conditions at the jail, and Lexington Deputy Police Chief David Boggs delivered his report Tuesday. Boggs says the jail needs less micro-managing and more leadership. "Really the resounding theme came back that that needed to be an increased emphasis on communication so the employees in the organization felt heard."
With topics ranging from parental involvement to school testing to teacher accountability, Jessamine County School superintendent Lu Young met with the Fayette County community Tuesday. The 51-year-old is a finalist to replace Stu Silberman, who is retiring from FCPS. At last night's public forum, Young recognized that moving from Jessamine County to a larger district would be a challenge.
Imagine the process of documenting all the objects you own - from coffee mugs to individual pieces of clothing - and you've got an idea of the work underway at the Kentucky Historical Society in Frankfort. "Every single artifact is getting a photograph, getting measured, getting re-cataloged, a new condition description, and then put online." KHS recently launched its Objects Catalog, and curator Bill Bright says more artifacts are going online.
Lexington's Police and Fire Pension Fund was the hot topic at Thursday's meeting of the Lexington Forum. Brenna Angel reports on what both sides had to say. Councilmember Doug Martin came armed with a packet of information about the Lexington Police & Fire Pension Fund, which has an unfunded liability of $200 million. Martin says the fund should be closed to new employees and benefits should be adjusted.
When Lexington theater group On The Verge Productions opens its latest play this weekend, it won't be performed on a traditional stage. The venue for "Three Viewings" plays a significant role for the cast, the audience, and the show's sponsor. Jeffrey Hatcher's "Three Viewings" is not your typical play. It has three acts - each a monologue from characters carrying on after death of someone important in their life.
U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell knows which side he's on in the "war on coal." Speaking before the Kentucky Coal Association in Lexington Wednesday, McConnell said the Environmental Protection Agency has defied logic and operated outside the scope of its authority with a permitting process that leaves coal operators in limbo.
Humid weather and mosquitoes can make summertime in the Bluegrass uncomfortable, but the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department says the pesky bugs can be avoided. Spokesman Kevin Hall recommends getting rid of any standing water around your property.
Kentucky is home to Fort Knox and Fort Campbell, but military families that don't live close to those installations may not be getting all the support they need. Lexington Vice Mayor Linda Gorton knows what it's like to have a child deployed overseas. Her son served in Iraq and Afghanistan with the Army Reserves. "It translates into a lot of stress. And I personally think when the community can rally around and support those folks, it makes for a healthier community."
Two central Kentuckians are lending a helping hand with tornado relief work in Joplin, Missouri. Craig Infanger and his wife Janis got the call from the Bluegrass Chapter of the American Red Cross around 4:30 Thursday afternoon. By 8 am Friday, they were bound for Joplin. The Infangers have volunteered for the Red Cross with other disaster relief work, including Hurricane Katrina, and they were eager to help victims of the devastating tornado.
Changes are ahead for Lexington’s legislative districts. The latest figures from the US Census show some of the districts within Lexington Fayette Urban County Government are unevenly populated. Boundaries need to be redrawn, but those district lines cannot be solely based on race or ethnic background.
Several organizations are coming together to promote H-I-V Awareness in central Kentucky. The HIV Community Coalition is made up of the Lexington Fayette County Health Department, the Hope Center, Volunteers of America, the Kentucky Cabinet for Health & Family Services, and AIDS Volunteers of Lexington, or AVOL. Each group does their own HIV awareness, but AVOL Executive Director Mark Royse says there is plenty of work to go around.
A new program will keep rising Fayette County kindergartners busy this summer. Four-year-old Josiah is already looking forward to next school year, when he'll be a kindergartner at Northern Elementary. "Books and art and paint," says Josiah. He's one of 2,000 students who will start kindergarten at Fayette County Public Schools this fall.
