LEX18.com

A tragic fire claims the life of a Lexington woman. Find out what investigators suspect as the cause.

A survivor of one of the nation's most tragic bus crashes comes forward to tell his story and be included in a documentary.

Police descend on a Williamsburg home they say is filthy and seize thirty sick and abandoned animals.

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A 23 year-old Georgetown driver is fighting for his life tonight at the hospital;  his passenger, recovering there as well, after a bad wreck on Georgetown road Thursday afternoon.

The accident happened at about 3 p.m. on Georgetown Road at Kearney Ridge Road. Police say witnesses tell them that a car that was traveling at a high rate of speed swerved when a tractor trailer pulled out onto Georgetown Road in the opposite direction. The driver of the car then lost control and slammed into two road signs, a rock wall, and then came to rest against a wood fence at the front entrance of a subdivision.

Police say neither person in the car was wearing a seat belt, and alcohol is not a suspected factor in the crash. The driver of the tractor trailer was not injured and the passenger of the car is in fair condition.

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LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - A Lexington woman has died in a house fire that officials say was difficult to fight because of medical oxygen tanks in the home.

The Fayette County coroner's office identified the woman as 62-year-old Lillian Lewis, who was found on the floor of the home's den. The coroner's office says she was last seen sitting in a chair
in the room where the fire started.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, and the cause of death is pending an autopsy. The coroner's office reports Lewis was a known smoker.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that emergency workers responding to the fire Thursday were able to resuscitate a dog that was inside the house and wasn't breathing.

Fire department battalion commander Marshall Griggs told the newspaper that fighting the fire was "tricky" because of the oxygen

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

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FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky's jobless rate rose to 10.7 percent in January.
     
The Office of Employment and Training released the latest unemployment rate Thursday.
     
Chief labor market analyst Justine Detzel said one bright spot was that Kentucky's trade, transportation and utilities sector rose by 2,900 jobs in January 2010. This area includes retail and wholesale trade, transportation and warehousing businesses and utilities.
     
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a decrease of 36,488 jobs in Kentucky overall from January 2009 to January 2010.
     
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

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Two IRS Service Center employees in Covington were charged Thursday in a 29-count indictment for stealing thousands of dollars in money orders.

Joseph Ligon, 37, and Lashon Weaver, 31, both of Cincinnati, Ohio, were indicted for theft of government money.

The indictment alleges that starting in July 2009 and continuing to November 2009, Weaver stole $7,784.62 in money orders. The indictment also accuses Ligon of stealing approximately $3,737.93 in money orders from June 2009 to October 2009.

In addition, the indictment also alleges that Ligon and Weaver, aided and abetted by each other, stole a $500 money order

If convicted of the charges, each defendant faces a maximum prison sentence of 10 years..

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Two people were hospitalized with what appeared to be serious injuries after a single-vehicle accident in north Lexington Thursday afternoon.

The accident happened at about 3 p.m. on Georgetown Road near Spur Road. Police say witnesses tell them that a car that was traveling at a high rate of speed swerved when a semi pulled out onto Georgetown Road in the opposite direction. The driver then lost control and slammed into a wood fence at the front entrance of a subdivision.

Police say neither person in the car was wearing a seat belt.

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The Fayette County coroner has released the identity of a woman who died after a fire broke out in her southeast Lexington home Thursday morning.

The coroner said Lillian Lewis, 62, was found lying on the floor of her home on Pimlico Parkway after the fire was spotted by a Fayette County Sheriff's officer and firefighter at about 9:40 a.m. The coroner said Lewis was last seen sitting in a recliner in the room where the fire originated.

EMT and firefighters worked on two dogs found in the home that were suffering from smoke inhalation, and say they were able to resuscitate one of the dogs.

Officials have not released the cause of the fire, and say Lewis' cause of death is pending an autopsy.

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The former Christ The King school teacher charged with murdering her infant son who originally pleaded not guilty in the case has changed her plea to guilty on a lesser charge.

Bishop's son, Caleb Bishop died in February 2007. Court records show the one-month-old suffered from a broken leg and a skull fracture. The coroner said the boy died of blunt force trauma injuries.

Bishop, whose trial had been set to begin on March 15, has pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of reckless homicide and will be sentenced on April 23.

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A Georgetown man who pleaded guilty earlier this year to a DUI crash that killed his wife was sentenced to five years in prison in the case Thursday.

Police say Larry Slucher, 32, was driving drunk on Newtown Pike in October 2008 when he flipped his car and killed his passenger, his 24-year-old wife, Angela.

Slucher pleaded guilty earlier this year to second-degree DUI manslaughter charges.

Angela Slucher's family said says Larry has never apologized for what happened, and say they cannot forgive him until he does.

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(AP) - A bill aimed at allowing Kentucky judges to order ankle monitors for people posing a domestic violence threat has cleared a key hurdle in the General Assembly.
     
The measure - named in honor of a Lexington woman who was gunned down outside her home last year - was approved Thursday by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
     
House Speaker Greg Stumbo, the bill's lead sponsor, called the committee action a "positive step forward." The bill passed the House in January.
     
The Senate panel changed part of the bill. Under its version, alleged abusers would wear ankle monitors if they violated a domestic violence order. The House version allowed judges to order ankle monitors for people named in domestic violence orders.
     
Stumbo said he didn't think the changes hurt the bill, but said he needed time to fully review the Senate committee version.
    
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

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OWENSBORO, Ky. (AP) - A 13-year-old western Kentucky girl struck by a hit-and-run driver over the weekend has died.
     
The Messenger-Inquirer reports Madalynn Matlock was pronounced dead Wednesday evening at Kosair Children's Hospital in Louisville.
     
She was struck Saturday as she and two other teens walked along Old Kentucky 54. The Daviess County Sheriff's Department says a vehicle crossed the center line and stuck the girl.
     
Chief Deputy Lt. Col. Jeff Jones says police are looking for a vehicle that has been described as a 1980 to 1986 full-size Ford Bronco that was dark in color. He says it should have damage to the front driver's side.
     
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

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Nearly a week after a missing woman turned up dead in a Madison County Lake, Richmond Police are seeking more information from the public about the case of Tonselara Miller.

The 56-year-old Richmond woman was last seen alive outside the Social Security office on Gibson Bay Drive on the morning of February 26. She was wearing a dark colored warm-up suit and a white down coat.

Police are asking anyone who may have seen Miller walking on Gibson Bay Drive or in the Lake Reba area on February 26 to contact detective Matt Boyle at the Richmond Police Department. The number is (859) 623-1162.

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A gas main broken near downtown Lexington Thursday morning that led to the evacuations of three businesses has been repaired

The leak happened at about 9 a.m. on South Limestone. The businesses, Jimmy John’s, Pazzo’s Pizza Pub and Tolly-Ho, reopened at approximately 10:30 a.m.

George Milligan, who is overseeing the reconstruction of South Limestone between the Avenue of Champions and Vine Street, said construction workers thought the gas main was not in use.  The main is located near the intersection of South Limestone and the Avenue of Champions. There were no injuries.

“We apologize for the disruption,” Milligan said. “We have worked very hard throughout this project to keep businesses open.”  

The reconstruction project began last July and the street is expected to re-open mid-summer. The street is closed to through traffic, but businesses remain open. 

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A woman has been confirmed dead after a fire broke out in a southeast Lexington home Thursday morning.

The fire was spotted by a police officer at about 9 a.m. at the home, located on Pimlico Parkway. The coroner confirmed the death, and officials worked on a dog found in the home that was suffering from smoke inhalation. Officials say they were able to resuscitate the dog.

Officials have not released the cause of the fire, or the identity of the victim.

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Officials say a gas leak near downtown Lexington caused by a construction crew Thursday morning has caused evacuations of some nearby businesses.

The leak happened at about 9:30 a.m. near South Limestone. Officials say they have evacuated 6-10 businesses, including the Kennedy Book Store, as a precaution.

Construction crews using carbide blade saw cut a two-inch gas line they had been told was an abandoned water line, but turned out to be an active gas line.

Officials said that they were able to contain the leak at about 10:15 p.m., and would like let people back into the evacuated businesses by noon.

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PINEVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Authorities in Kentucky's southeastern corner say they've found the largest moonshine still in years.
     
Doug Jordan with the Bell County Sheriff's Department said Hazard officers charged 40-year-old Noal Ward on Wednesday with trafficking an alcoholic beverage in a dry territory and unlawful manufacturing. No bond was set and he remains in jail.
     
Police say they found more than 100 gallons of whiskey and 500 gallons of mash, from which the alcohol is made.
     
Jordan said because of the amount found, the department believes it was being sold across state lines. Tennessee and Virginia border Bell County.
    
 Sheriff Bruce Bennett says there have been problems with underage people buying illegal whiskey.
     
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

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FRANKFORT AP) - The Kentucky House passed a $17.5 billion two-year state budget plan Wednesday that divided lawmakers along mostly party lines in a debate focusing on its use of revenue enhancements and a jobs creation component that would pile up more state debt.
     
The spending blueprint for the budget cycle beginning July 1 features about $2.2 billion in borrowing for a flurry of projects to build schools, roads and waterlines.
     
Supporters said state government should step up to help stimulate job creation at a time of anemic job growth by the private sector - reflected by the state's high unemployment rate.
     
"It's not our responsibility to come down and say that because people are hurting ... we just need to hunker down and don't do anything to change this," said Rep. Harry Moberly, D-Richmond, predicting that ratcheting up construction projects could produce 25,000 jobs.
     
House Minority Floor Leader Jeff Hoover, a Jamestown Republican, said the proposed budget's overriding theme was the increased debt level that taxpayers would shoulder for years.
     
"It should make every one of us sick in the pit of our stomach of what we're doing for our future and our kids and grandkids with this debt," Hoover said.
     
After more than three hours of debate, House Democrats voted in lockstep for the bill with one exception - Jim Wayne of Louisville. Republicans were united against it other than Rep. Jim Stewart of Flat Lick. Two GOP members didn't vote.
     
The proposal relies on budget cuts and other steps, plus more than $300 million in revenue enhancements, to plug a more than $1 billion shortfall looming over the next budget.
     
The measure passed on a 65-33 vote. It now goes to the Republican-led Senate, which will put its imprint on the plan.
     
Under the House-passed plan, public universities and colleges would take a 1 1/2 percent spending cut in the first year and a 1 percent reduction in the second year.
     
The basic funding formula for public elementary and secondary schools was spared, but the proposal would cut two instructional days for those schools in a move projected to save about $36 million each year. School districts could preserve the days but would pick up the tab.
     
The plan calls for increased use of parole for certain nonviolent offenders, with a goal of decreasing the state's prison population by 1,000. The projected savings is about $15 million. The measure calls for use of home incarceration as among the alternatives.
     
State employees would go without pay raises. The plan would revise state health insurance offerings to save a projected $150 million in the two years. It calls for reductions in government contracts and non-merit positions across state government.
     
Also included was extra funding for adult and family protection services, much of which would go to improve safety for social workers.
     
Social workers have called on lawmakers to fully fund the "Boni Bill," which passed following the murder of social worker Boni Frederick during a welfare check in 2006.
     
The House spending plan relies on a package of revenue enhancements aimed at generating an extra $371 million in the coming two years to help balance the next budget.
     
The proposed tax changes include temporarily suspending tax write-offs for businesses reporting losses and accelerating collection of sales taxes. It would not raise tax rates.
     
Opponents said the suspension of the tax write-off amounted to a tax increase. The bill's supporters said businesses could still eventually claim those losses for tax purposes.
     
Republican Rep. Brad Montell of Shelbyville said the plan relies on too much spending, taxing and borrowing.
      "In these times, we need a budget that is prudent - very little borrowing, very few general fund projects, living within our means, finding efficiencies in government and no new taxes," Montell said. "That's what our people expect, and that's what we should deliver."
     
Rep. Keith Hall, D-Phelps, said he was willing to stake his political future on the bill.
     
He said it seeks to preserve Medicaid programs while bringing construction jobs to districts like his in eastern Kentucky. Medicaid is the state-federal health insurance program that covers about 790,000 low-income and disabled Kentuckians.
     
"I didn't come to Frankfort to lay off people. ... I didn't come to Frankfort to cut people off Medicaid. I came here to help," Hall said.
    
The bill's supporters pointed to a state report last week showing that Kentucky's annual unemployment rate for 2009 jumped to a 26-year high of 10.5 percent.
     
Republicans complained that GOP-held districts were left off the list of school construction projects, which they said was punishment for their opposition to the revenue enhancements. The proposal seeks to replace some of the state's oldest school buildings.
    
In another development, the state budget office said Wednesday that Kentucky's general fund receipts dropped 0.6 percent in February compared with the previous year.
    
It said total revenues for the month were $525 million - $3.4 million less than state government took in during the same month in 2009.
    
Receipts have now fallen 4 percent for the first eight months of the fiscal year, it said.
     
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

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A man is sent to UK Hospital after a mobile home goes up in flames in Madison County.

It happened around 1:00 Thursday morning along Boone Street in Berea. The man living inside that mobile home told investigators the fire sparked from a kerosene heater. Whether it was knocked over or something else, firefighters say they still aren't sure. No word on the extent of the man's injuries.

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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers say a partial suspension of work is in effect along a section of the Wolf Creek Dam in Russell County.

Corps officials say that's because equipment used to monitor the foundation of the dam has picked up movement and increased water pressure. Officials say the suspension affects about 600 feet of the 4,400 foot long barrier wall.

The Corps doesn't anticipate any impact on Lake Cumberland itself, economic or otherwise.

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The search continues for a Peeping Tom and Lexington Police say he may have struck again, overnight.

Just after 2:30 Thursday morning, Lexington Police got a call of a man looking inside another woman's home along West Short Street. The description of the man matches that of a suspected Peeping Tom that police are working to track down. Officers looked high and low for the man, but we're told he was already gone by the time investigators arrived.

Lexington Police are looking for a black man, in his late 30's, standing about 6-feet tall. Witnesses tell Police he wears thick-rimmed glasses, a skull cap and rides a white bike.

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