Unbridled Cynicism from the Louisville Loudmouth

Hey Rick, its only the media's fault if "Media" is the pet name for your penis.

2009-08-26T17:36:00.001-07:00

So Rick Pitino decided it would be a good idea to have a press conference to attack the dreaded "media" for reporting "lies" about him as stated by Karen Sypher. In the course of the press conference he whined about how unfair all of this was for his wife and said that breaking into normal programming to air excerpts of her interview with police was shameful on the day Ted Kennedy died.

It is becoming clear from Pitino's press conferences that Karen Sypher isn't the only one who has some psychological issues that need to be worked through. If you read between the lines at both of Pitino's press conferences, it is clear that he has zero clue why anyone in the community is disturbed by this. Let me lay it out for you Rick:

You cheated on your wife. Yes, these things happen and it is really none of our business, but let's move on to the rest.
You did it in a local restaurant after hours. Maybe this is something that happens every day in the fast-paced world of college coaches, but many of us here in Yokelville find it a bit seedy and a tad gross. You've got a lot of money, surely you could have ponied up for at least a Motel 6.
You were drunk. No sin there, but the fact that you have an assistant there to help you find your way home indicates that maybe this isn't the first time you've been inebriated. Is that one of the "choices" that your book says you have to make to be a "success"?
You did it while an assistant kicked back and waited. When you have a staff member who is willing to do this and doesn't find it the least bit odd, that would sort of indicate that this thing has happened before and that it was probably common knowledge among your staff. Again, this is something many of us in Yokelville have trouble relating to.
Sypher was the wife of a staff member who apparently knew all about your trysts. Can you see how we might find that one a bit troubling as well?
You gave her $3,000 for "health insurance" and/or an abortion. Abortions aren't exactly smiled upon in this part of the world and the fact you didn't have an issue with it kind of shoots what little remaining shred of that "Devout Catholic" thing you had going for you all to hell.
You fired Winston Bennett from your staff saying, "Winston is a tremendous young man, but he just has one terrible weakness. He’s a womanizer. And we’re trying to help him with that problem, to keep his family together and to turn his life in the right direction." Pot, meet kettle.
You have preached all about the "character" of your young men on your team. I'm guessing that these same men got to witness or at least hear about your behavior a time or two.
You have portrayed yourself as a model of "success", writing books and giving speeches. Can you understand why both of these things seem suspect in light of your character during this incident?
Finally, in your apology, you evoked 9/11. Yes, Rick, we understand that you lost your best friend in 9/11 and like anyone else who lost friends and loved ones that day, it must have been terrible. But can you understand why evoking it when you're apologizing about an affair might seem odd to those of us in Yokelville considering the person you lost was THE BROTHER OF THE WIFE YOU CHEATED ON!?!?!?!?! If you're worried about your wife's feelings, why bring this up at all?

Rick, we understand your wife and family don't deserve this. But YOU need to understand that the reason they're facing this is YOU. No, you didn't ask Karen Sypher to blackmail you or lie about you, but you are the one who cheated on your wife. You are the one who did it in an incredibly unseemly fashion. You brought shame on yourself, your family, and your employer. Be glad that you still have your job and your family to fall back on. Let Karen Sypher continue to dig her hole and keep your mouth shut. That is the only choice that will be a success for you in this matter.

Who would have thought it would be hard to get info from the Louisville Free Public Library.

2009-08-15T13:21:00.000-07:00

If I had to pick one resource in Jefferson County/Louisville that I could NOT live without, it would be the public library. Since moving to Jefferson County I'd estimate that I've checked out at least a 1000 or more books from the library for the family, including dozens for my daughter, an avid reader.

Because of this, the news of the library flooding during our heavy downpours in Louisville two weeks ago had me feeling pretty blue. I was angry that the library put all of these things where a flood could damage them, but realized that this was such a freak accident that the library probably assumed they were safe.

That said, I am worried at what appears to be some real issues with disaster planning at the library. From what I've been able to gather from the kind people at my local branch, the following issues exist:

There is no/limited ability to access member accounts. My library indicated they were using every available space to store returned books because they couldn't check them back in.
Account backups were done once a month. WHile I'm not sure if this is accurate, if it is, it means that a month or more of account info about every patron could be completely wrong. Books that should be checked in could be listed as out, those that are out could be listed as having been returned, etc.
Library workers have been told NOTHING. They are frustrated at the lack of information.
There appears to be a huge looming problem for the library once they get back online of not having anywhere near an accurate accounting of what is out and what has been returned, nor what people owe. This could result in hours and hours of work to fix the issues manually, lost fines, customers being overcharged, and worst of all, more lost books for the LFPL.
Disaster planning for returning operations to normal seems to be lacking. Perhaps there were redundancies built into LFPL's systems in case of catastrophic failure, but it seems as though if there were, they would be up by now.

As a taxpayer and library lover, I think that once this is over, the public deserves a full accounting of what went wrong and why. It also deserves to know what steps are being taken (or are recommended) from preventing or minimizing the effects of such a disaster in the future.

I wish the library and its workers the best of luck in dealing with this mess. Mostly I want everything back up for my own selfish needs.

Richard Poplawski's mom is a real gem....

2009-04-06T03:45:00.000-07:00

That Richard Poplawski is a piece of work is no surprise. But if you read the story below, you see that mom is a real gem herself. She's threatening reporters with "the biggest lawsuit in the history of the city of Pittsburgh." Here's an idea for the widows and families of the dead and the neighbors of this woman. How about filing the biggest lawsuit in the history of the city of Pittsburgh against her, her son, the gun makers, the gun sellers, and anyone else involved in bringing about the death of three police officers. Hey Mom, if your child is stockpiling guns inside YOUR house, maybe that's a sign that you needed to get help months or years ago.

Richard Poplawski fired several shots into the body of a wounded Pittsburgh police officer during a siege Saturday that left three officers dead and a fourth wounded, a neighbor told police.

The neighbor was awakened by gunfire shortly after 7 a.m. and rushed to a window. An officer, later identified as Stephen J. Mayhle, was sprawled on the ground near the stoop of 1016 Fairfield St. in Stanton Heights.

The neighbor told police a man standing in the doorway "fired 2-3 more shots into the downed officer, then re-entered the residence," according to a criminal complaint.

Mr. Poplawski, 22, is charged with killing Officer Mayhle, 29, and Officers Eric Kelly, 41, and Paul J. Sciullo II, 37, who were responding to a 911 call placed by Margaret Poplawski, the suspect's mother. He also is charged with multiple counts of attempted homicide as a result of a lengthy gun battle with other police officers. Another officer, Brian Jones, broke a leg while scaling a fence behind the house.

Mr. Poplawski, who told friends that he was afraid the government was going to take his guns and that police could not protect citizens during the economic downturn, was arraigned at 2 a.m. Sunday in his hospital bed at UPMC Presbyterian. His preliminary hearing is set for 2 p.m. Wednesday in City Court.

A spokesman for the Allegheny County district attorney's office would not speculate on whether Mr. Poplawski might face the death penalty on the charges against him.

"It's inappropriate to even talk about this case at this point," said Mike Manko.

The criminal complaint gives this version of the siege:

Mrs. Poplawski called 911 at 7:03 a.m., saying she wanted her son out of the house "because he was giving her a hard time." She said she had awakened and confronted him after discovering that a dog had urinated on the floor, and the two had argued.

Officers Mayhle and Sciullo arrived at 7:11. Mrs. Poplawski opened the door "and admitted them, saying, 'come and take his ass.' Mrs. Poplawski reported that as the officers entered approximately 10 feet into the residence, she heard gunshots, turned and saw her son about six feet away with a rifle in his hands, at which point she fled after screaming, "What the hell have you done?"

Officer Timothy McManaway arrived at 7:17, one minute after a radio call that officers were under fire. He saw Officer Kelly, who was off duty but had driven to the scene to back up the other officers, wounded and supine in the street beside his sport-utility vehicle.

As he tried to assist Officer Kelly, who said he was unable to breathe, more gunfire erupted and Officer McManaway returned fire toward the house. He was hit on the hand by a bullet or shrapnel.

Officer McManaway pulled Officer Kelly to cover behind the SUV, where they awaited rescue by a SWAT unit.

"Officer McManaway reported that he was able to see the one officer lying outside the residence near the front stoop, and it was clear that he was dead, having been shot in the head. He could not see the second officer, who was later found inside," the report said.

Paramedics took Officer Kelly to UPMC Presbyterian, where he died. An autopsy by the medical examiner later found he died of gunshot wounds to the trunk and lower extremities.

Back on Fairfield Street, a three-hour standoff ensued, punctuated by gunfire. Mr. Poplawski fired numerous shots that hit a bulletproof SWAT vehicle occupied by eight officers.

Shots fired by Mr. Poplawski also hit homes at 1021 and 1025 Fairfield, both of them occupied at the time, police said.

A neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said he watched through his window as a police sniper perched on the front stoop of his home at Fairfield and Antoinette streets fired a shot that clearly struck Mr. Poplawski.

The same man later found bullet holes in his Toyota Camry, which had been parked on the street.

Police who tried to get to where Officers Mayhle and Sciullo lay wounded were turned back several times by gunfire from the house, said Don Sand, an Allegheny County 911 administrative shift commander who lives down the street.

"It was terrible to watch the officers lying there because no one could get down there. It was heart-wrenching to see," he said.

"It was just a constant barrage," said Kathleen Gilkey, whose Downlook Street house is directly behind Mr. Poplawski's and was a staging area for SWAT personnel.

Police eventually persuaded Mr. Poplawski, who was wounded in the leg, to surrender. They found Officer Sciullo's body in the living room.

He and Officer Mayhle were pronounced dead at the scene. Autopsies determined that Officer Sciullo died of gunshot wounds to the head and trunk; Officer Mayhle died from a gunshot wound to the head.

Police said Mr. Poplawski wore a bulletproof vest during the siege. They found several firearms in the house, including an AK-47 assault-style rifle.

Mrs. Poplawski told police her son, after being kicked out of Marine Corps boot camp for assaulting his drill sergeant during basic training, had been "stockpiling guns and ammunition, buying and selling the weapons online, because he believed that as a result of the economic collapse, the police were no longer able to protect society."

Reached yesterday afternoon, Mrs. Poplawski declined comment on the police report.

Earlier yesterday, she called David Shribman, executive editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, to complain about the newspaper's coverage of the shootings and threaten a lawsuit.

She demanded that the newspaper stop publishing information about her and her son, saying the reporting thus far was not factual and should be limited to the officers and their grieving families.

"You're going to have the biggest lawsuit in the history of the city of Pittsburgh," she later told a reporter.

Jon Schmitz can be reached at jschmitz@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1868. Moriah Balingit can be reached at mbalingit@post-gazette.com or 412-263-2533.

Support Our Stinson?????

2009-03-23T16:35:00.000-07:00

TheVilleVoice.com had a story today about a new website devoted to legal defense for Jason Stinson. Stinson has the right to a fair trial and I'm sure he has many friends and family who support him. But this website leaves a bad taste in my mouth for many reasons.

There is substantial testimony that Jason Stinson DID deny water to players during a very hot day. That's perfectly fine (okay, no it isn't) if you're dealing with adults, but not when you are in charge of minors.
There is substantial testimony that Stinson taunted his players for desiring water, apparently wanting to toughen them up by dehydrating them.
The website never mentions Max Gilpin and his death. While this is perhaps understandable, the martyrdom of Stinson is a bit heavyhanded in light of the fact that a young man is dead and he died on his watch.
The chairperson of the legal defense fund, Rodney Daugherty posts this quote in a message on the website: "I respectfully request that you donate if you can afford to. If you are a coach of any sport from the youth leagues on up, you should pay attention to what is going on. This trial, regardless of its conclusion, will affect the way young athletes are coached and trained all across the United States." Does this mean that Daugherty feels coaches should be concerned that they will no longer be able to deny children water during practice, run them mercilessly in the heat, and to taunt them if they collapse?
There are a number of coaches associations supporting Stinson. While I understand this to some extent, I also think this makes a mockery of the child that has died.
The website states: "Coach Jason Stinson has spent many years in the Louisville area being a Christian friend, mentor, leader, teacher and coach to many." What does his religion have to do with anything? Was there something in the Bible about "thou shall give no water to wussy children who don't want to practice hard?" or "thou shall taunt children who are not able to practice in 90 degree temperatures?" Regardless of whether Stinson is responsible for the death of Max Gilpin or not, there is ample evidence that his coaching methods were harsh and potentially dangerous for impressionable young men. I don't consider that moral or "Christian".

Again, I think Stinson deserves a fair trial, and I don't believe for a second that Jason Stinson wanted any child at his practices to suffer injury or harm. Stinson didn't do anything that I'm sure 75% or more of his colleagues in other schools has done. But to run a practice in unbearable conditions and to deny children water in the name of macho BS is a bit much for my tastes. In the end, I hope the truth about what happened that day comes out and that any necessary changes to the responsiblities of coaches will occur. It sounds like they are long overdue.

Live Blogging the Oscars....

2009-02-22T17:09:00.000-08:00

8:29 -- As I wait for Hugh Jackman to start the show, I'm thinking the same thing everyone else is thinking.... was Ryan Seacrest too busy with the red carpet show to host? Seriously. A show known for sucking is going to be worst.

8:30 -- Wow, he's really bad at doing an Australian accent.

Kate Winslet looks about 50.

Wow, it is nice to see that they decided to do something different this year. Instead of a funny opening that was the highlight of the show, they decided to open with a cheesy off, off, off, off, off, off, off,off, off, Broadway number that wouldn't look out of place on the Tony Orlando and Dawn Show.

Hugh Jackman -- A straighter Nathan Lane?

8:38 -- The musical number is over, and I wish

8:39 -- Mickey Rourke looks great? He looks like the victim in last Thursday's CSI.

8:40 -- A montage of Best Supporting Actress nominees. So tonight is going to be like a ---th Anniversary show with lots of nominees who had nothing better to do presenting the awards? Whoopi Goldberg looks like a pregnant leopard. Tilda Swinson got all dressed up in her finest 400 count sheets.

8:44 -- Wow, Anjelica Houston looks no different than she did a couple of decades ago..... unfortunately. So this is how it is going to work, people who aren't going to win tonight pretending to admire those that don't? Whoopi, what's up with that tattoo? Classy.

Goldie Hawn -- So this is what cute looks like it its mid 60s? I wonder how many of the muscles in her face are currently NOT paralized?

8:48 -- The Oscar goes to....... Penelope Cruz. Damn, I've already missed my first prediction. "This ceremony was a moment of unity for the world!". Yes, I understand that Israelis and Palestinians have a big Oscar party that stops the fighting for just a minute. And in case you're wondering, this is what Penelope said in Spanish, "It isn't an honor just to be nominated, I wanted and deserved this, and all you American dogs can stick it in your leveraged and bought-out bums! Long live Spain. Oh, and Generalissimo Fransisco Franco is still dead."

8:52 -- Tina Fey and Steve Martin -- Wow, those would be novel hosts. A Scientology joke. Why not cut to Tom Cruise?

Best Original Screenplay -- Dustin Lance Black for Milk. I love those commercials. It does a body good. What's that? No matter, I got this prediction right. Is it just me or is the podium uncomfortably close to the audience? Wow, by promising that gay people might actually get treated like humans, this guy just provided the fodder for 100 different AM radio stations tomorrow.

Best Adapted Screenplay -- "There's an inept quiet?" You're going to nominate a guy who writes that? Slumdog Millionaire wins and I'm now 2 for 3 in my predictions. And his speech gets our first bleep of the night. Given the FCC, it was probably for saying poo.

9:03 -- Jack Black and Jennifer Anniston -- Who are two people who didn't get nearly enough attention as children?

Best Animated Picture -- What, you mean Space Chimps and Clone Wars weren't nominated? Can't imagine why. This show is slowly taking on the feel of one of those 4 hour AFI 100 biggest movies of all time shows.

Wall-E wins. Wow, big shock. And I'm now 3 for 4.

9:08 -- Best Animated Short -- I have no idea how to spell what won, but any guy who says, "Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto" in a speech that he knows nobody will understand is great. I would have picked this film to win, but for some reason, I left the Animated Short category out of my predictions.

9:16 -- Sarah Jessica Parker & Daniel Craig -- Bond and the Horse he Rode In With. Why would Matthew Broderick want to ever leave that. Did they really give her a line that ends in "...full face-lift?"

Art Direction: -- Winner -- Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I'm now 3 for 5, but did have this as the potential spoiler. Did they bring the set behind them from the Muppet Show?

9:19 -- Costume Design Award -- What is the deal with all the camera movement? Is NFL Films producing this year? Uh oh, The Duchess wins. I'm now 3 for 6.

9:23 -- SJP -- "We don't have to tell you what a makeup artist does." Really, Sarah, have you seen yourself on screen? The Make-Up award goes to.......... Curious Case of Benjamin Button -- 3 for 7. Really? Did you see the Dark Knight? That guy was missing half his face! Oh wait, I forgot that Aaron Eckhart was a method actor who actually had his face ripped off for the role.

9:25 -- The guy from the movie that too many women swooned over and the chick from Mama Mia. The chick from Mama Mia is wearing Aretha's bow under her boobs. Wonder why she took the lights off. A montage of romance from this year's films. A nice match cut between Mickey Rourke and Nicole Kidman shows how much they're starting to look alike. Eve and Wall-E were the least manufactured looking of all the faces shown.

9:31 -- Oh my God, this is how we're trying to improve the Oscars, by giving us a lesson on how movies are made? Ben Stiller is wearing a Joaquin Phoenix beard while Natalie Portman tries to do the intro. Would it have killed her to work on her timing? Ben Stiller derailing the show might be the funniest thing tonight. I'm sure the cinematographers aren't laughing, though. Slumdog Millionaire wins, completely trashing my record. Wouldn't it have been much funnier to have Christian Bale present this f-ing award?

9:39 -- Jessica Biel was the hope of the Sci-Tech awards dinner, and she showed up tonight in the curtains from that event. I just noticed the set looks a bit like the stargate in 2001. Maybe they can warp me to the end of this snoozefest.

9:43 -- Pot jokes from Pineapple Express. Seth Rogan has lost weight, which is the most interesting thing from this montage. Although having the cinematographer from Saving Private Ryan was amusing. This goes on far too long, which isn't surprising since it was done by Judd Apatow. My understanding is that when this bit comes out on DVD, it will be in a four hour director's cut.

Toyland wins best live action short. 3 for 8.

9:52 -- Hugh Jackman has now switched to hosting the Tony Awards. Is that Beyonce? Forgive me, I can't really tell my semi talented R&B stars from one another anymore. Hey look, it's one of the plastic doll toys from High School Musical. Ooops, my bad, that's Zac Efron. The number was created by Baz Luhrman. It was hard to tell because they held each shot for more than one second.

10:03 -- Cuba Gooding Jr. was able to be there? I would have thought Snow Dogs 4 was shooting. Another supporting actor award. Seymour Philip Hoffman showed up in a designer outfit and a watchcap from a BP station. Nice. Joel Gray is able to be there? Josh Brolin did brilliant work in Milk? I think he did brilliant work in winning Diane Lane. Hubba. And look, Christopher Walken decided to grow out his forelocks. Kevin Kline gets the honor of introducing Heath Ledger's award. Kline is looking more and more like John Cleese.

Heath Ledger wins. Awesome. Nice heartfelt speech from his family. And a classy move by the academy to use the "Hoe-down" theme for their playoff.

10:14 -- Best Documentary -- Bill Maher gets serious. Yawn. Man On Wire wins. I am at 5 for 10 or something like that. Cute acceptance speech by the subject of the documentary.

10:17 -- Best Documentary Short -- Smile Pinki wins. Bill Maher is disappointed to find out it isn't one of those movies with the fingers that have mouths painted on.

10:23 -- An annoying quick montage set to loud music. Baz Luhrman strikes again? Will Smith shows up to give out the visual effects award, which oddly enough is one of the least produced award presentations of the night. Winner - Ben Button again.

10:29 -- Sound editing -- Dark Knight. Another random playoff -- Mr. Blue Sky

10:31 -- Sound mixing -- Slumdog Millionaire. Wait a second? Isn't this only to be given to action movies? Hey look, there is John Mayer and Jennifer Aniston. In lousy seats.

10:34 -- Film Editing -- Slumdog Millionaire. Thanks for showing the clip from Benjamin Button, which made it clear the visual effects kind of sucked.

10:41 -- Nice to see Eddie Murphy has managed to get over his anger at Meet Dave not being nominated. Perhaps I'm not French enough, but I still don't see much to laugh about in Jerry Lewis. Of course, the man invented one of the most important pieces of film equipment ever, the spit take glass.

10:44 -- Jerry takes the stage and looks 100 pounds lighter. And apparently he left the funny in that tuxedo.

10:50 -- The Producers, realizing that we're all worked up over the non-stop excitement they've provided us all night, decide to play several minutes of lullabies inspired by the films that have been nominated. Hugh Jackman looks disappointed that they haven't found a way to work in a dance number for him.

10:54 -- Zac Efron shows up to show us his range of emotion from A to A and a half with the award for Best Score. Slumdog Millionaire wins. I'm fighting off sleep.

10:57 -- Best songs goes to show that this was a lousy year for songs. Apparently so bad that they brought John Legend in to sing a song from the Lion King.

11:01 -- Slumdog wins another award. Best song. Honestly, didn't we have our fill of Indian music with Ravi Shankar at Woodstock?

11:07 -- Best foreign language film -- Departures.

11:10 -- Queen Latifah gets to do the death roll call, wearing some sort of blue dress and OMG, she's going to sing for the In Memoriam? To be fair, she originally was going to rap an NWA song, but then thought better of it. I love the way the producers have decided to take full advantage of our big screen TVs by showing us the death montage not on our TV, but on TVs in the hall. Nothing to show how important Paul Newman was by putting him on 1/10th of my screen. BRAVO!

11:19 -- Best director is being given by famed director Reese Witherspoon, who I can't help but stare at and think of last week's Family Guy, in which her chin was used to cut into a safe. Danny Boyle. Slumdog Millionaire.

11:26 -- Is Anne Hathaway pretty or not? I can't decide? What happened to Halle's Berries? Sophia Loren looks good for a 90 year old. And so does Nicole. Hey Nicole, Michael Jackson called and wants his nose back. Kate Winslet wins. And thanks everybody, including her breasts.

11:39 -- Best actor. Bobby DeNiro is the funniest thing tonight, which says a lot about the crapfest this telecast has been. Poor Richard Jenkins has to see Adrian Brody, the most likely person on the stage never to be up there again, talk about his career. Sean Penn wins, and looks instantly depressed that George Bush is no longer in office..

11:54 -- Best picture has been given out...... Slumdog Millionaire. I'm too comatose to care.

12:00 -- Game over, exactly at midnight. In exactly one year, stay tuned for Howie Mandell hosting the show.

Why is this Cartoon Offensive?

2009-02-19T18:13:00.000-08:00

Okay...... I'll have to say that when I first saw the headlines about an "offensive" NY Post cartoon, I looked at this and assumed that someone from PETA was up in arms over what is a tasteless picture of a dead chimp, or perhaps just general good taste over the fact that some poor woman suffered greatly in a story that is essentially turned into a joke here.

Now that I realize that it was the tenuous connection between the monkey and Obama's race. Here's the thing...... I don't see it.

Have the people protesting ever been in your average first grade class? Ever seen that it is common for out of control kids to be referred to as monkeys? Ever seen a Super Bowl commercial? How about the one where incompetent coworkers are portrayed as....... Monkeys.

Need a refresher? It's right here:

I'm left leaning, voted for Obama, and generally find the Murdoch owned media reprehensible. But it seems to me that the people furthering a stereotype here are the people who turned this into far more than it actually is. The fact is, most of our politicians are dumb monkeys, to busying flinging poo to do anything serious. That's what I got out of this. If anyone deserves an apology, it is the poor woman who apparently needs a new face after being attacked by a chimp.

Daisy gives Jax a massage

2009-01-03T16:51:00.000-08:00

What is G? It's a Gatorade Commercial.

2009-01-02T17:40:00.000-08:00

It took me a couple of viewings of the commercial with Misty May, Kerri, Derrick Jeter, Muhammad Ali and a cast of other greats, but the (c) S VC at the end is the giveaway. Stokely Van Camp. Owner of Gatorade.

Annoying attempt at viral marketing, that sadly, worked on me.

Ben Foster's Response

2008-11-04T11:58:00.001-08:00

First, an apology for not publishing this sooner. I forgot I'd said I'd post it, and I apologize.

Second, I wouldn't have voted for Mr. Foster anyway, but I do think that his opponent's campaigning was out of hand today. Larry Hujo seemed to have signs every 5 feet and had two people that were dangerously close to the polling place waiving his signs. For a job that pays so little, that is a lot of money and turnout.

So I called the elections hotline about how close the people were, and I wrote my own name in.

I appreciate your comments. First, Farmer Elementary School is public property. According to JCPS headquarters, candidates may pass out literature and talk with parents as long as they are not within 10 feet of a door to the school. (I asked the Principal of Cochrane Elementary the first time I visited a school in my District.) I will also address your other comments. I don't expect to convince you to vote for me, but I hope I do demonstrate to you that I have reasons for my positions and am interested in many important issues facing Jefferson County Public Schools. Considering the complexity of issues facing the school system and the attention the average voter pays to school board races, I necessarily kept my brochure brief.
(1) Jefferson County students, parents, and taxpayers need an objective and independent voice on the School Board. My parents were poor farmers who sent eight children through Daviess County public schools.—I know the benefits and importance of quality public education. My wife attended JCPS and has nieces and nephews in the JCPS system, one that has graduated, and some that have dropped out of JCPS for various reasons. The fact that someone does not have their kids in public schools does not mean they do not have the best for kids at heart. I have spoken with many parents who have experienced many problems with JCPS and have had very bad experiences dealing with JCPS administrators. For example, a group a Black Pastors is extremely concerned about the high dropout rates among African-American students. A group concerned about special-needs children has fought with JCPS Administrators for years to get the education required by law for their kids. Many other parents believe the school assignment plans are too complex and limit their ability to be involved in their children's school--and believe that their JCPS schools don't want parental involvement. Essentially, many parents like you who have not had any problems with their children's education are well satisfied. However, everyone I have spoken with who has had issues with their child's education has had a frustrating experience dealing with JCPS. Many parents have pulled their children out of JCPS for many reasons, and people with no knowledge of their situation cannot know the full rationale for their choice. (2) One of my campaign issues is that of the addition of "sexual orientation" to the JCPS PERSONNEL, EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYMENT policy and that my opponent wants to add "transgendered" to that section of the Policy Manual. That portion of the Policy Manual not only mentions that JCPS "shall not discriminate in recruitment or employment", but also that “The District shall promote equal opportunities through a vigorous affirmative action program as an integral part of personnel policy and practice in the employment, development, advancement, and treatment of employees of the Jefferson County Public Schools."http://www.jefferson.k12.ky.us/Departments/GeneralCounsel/boardpolicy0702.pdfThat issue is very important to many parents and taxpayers in my district and they communicated their disagreement with the new policy to my opponent. Last fall, with the support of the teachers’ union, the Board added sexual orientation as a specially protected category in their employment policies anyway. In comments before the Board, Kat Crawford, a teacher and teachers’ union officer, said she mentioned her lesbian orientation to a middle school girl during a “teachable moment.” The new policy may lead to more similar discussions between teachers and children in JCPS.

What teachers do in private is their business, but all teachers should resist discussing their sexuality with students. In fact, state regulations prohibit teachers from making “sexual remarks” to students. The teachers’ union publicly supported Crawford’s comments just as they recently sued to reinstate teachers not rehired due to inappropriate behavior. Will JCPS administrators enforce the prohibition on “sexual remarks?” Because bi-sexuality is a “sexual orientation,” can teachers place pictures of a man and a woman on their desks (like married people have pictures of their spouses)? If elementary students ask about those pictures, will these teachers feel compelled to answer questions honestly in such “teachable moments?”

Including sexual orientation as a protected category in JCPS employment policies concerned many people. The teachers’ union, supported by Board members Larry Hujo and Steve Imhoff, wants to go further by adding transgendered employees as a specially protected group. Have union leaders and Board members Hujo and Imhoff considered practical implications of special employment protection for transgendered teachers? One group of transgendered people are commonly referred to as cross-dressers. If added as a specially protected group, a male elementary school teacher who started wearing dresses to work would be protected from negative repercussions. The dress code for students prohibits “distracting” attire; a man in a dress is usually distracting to children.
Also, according to some transgendered-rights advocates, a man dressed as a woman should be allowed to use the women's restroom. Citizens in Montgomery County, Maryland and Colorado now face this issue because of actions by their elected officials. Would a male JCPS teacher in a dress be allowed to use the girls’ bathroom? Could he demand a separate bathroom for himself?
People deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, but children also should be sheltered from some issues. Parents' concerns about the consequences of School Board policies are not just "religious" issues; these are common sense issues with moral dimensions. Apparently, only more citizen involvement can prevent further protections for teachers who use “teachable moments” to discuss their sexuality or want to dress as the opposite sex in public schools. (3) Things I do mention are that, from 1998 to 2007 enrollment was static, consumer inflation was 28%, JCPS revenues increased from $6,000 to $10,060 per student, nearly 68%, and JCPS revenue from property taxes increased over 100%. I agree that much of this was related to new housing starts, increased housing prices, and commercial property development. However, district-wide outcomes in student education do not indicate that taxpayers received improvements commensurate with the increase in spending. Property tax rates could have been reduced, relieving a burden on many hard-pressed taxpayers, while still maintaining adequate funding levels for our schools.One thing I did not mention is that Louisville/Jefferson County is known as a high-tax location. That hinders our ability to attract new businesses that will pay additional property taxes and provide jobs for the parents and future graduates of Jefferson County Public Schools.(4) The dollar amount spent on students in Jefferson County is far more than what is spent in many other successful school systems. In one debate, both John McCain and Barak Obama agreed that we spend far more money per student in this country than in other countries, and produce worse educational results. I believe what you say about Farmer Elementary. Keep in mind that Farmer Elementary is almost a brand-new school. Since filing to run for School Board, I have received unsolicited calls from people detailing some areas of waste in the school system. (They generally say that JCPS administrators are not receptive to suggestions for savings.) As a CPA, and as someone who has experience in educational institutions for many years, I can assure you that a tremendous amount of waste exists.(5) I have in no way implied that teachers in any school do not earn what they make. The question becomes from the taxpayers’ perspective: are the teachers paid more than what they would be under a satisfactory agreement if all members of the School Board were not elected through support of the teachers union? Years ago, the president of the American Federation of Teachers said something to the effect that, when students start paying dues, his union would start looking out for students.As a person who received a top-notch education from a public school system, and two state-supported universities, I do have much knowledge about what is important in the Jefferson County Public School System. I am somewhat surprised that someone would be morally and intellectually offended by the materials I distributed. Debate about issues should not be offensive. Also, assumptions about people's motives and beliefs frequently fall into stereotypical viewpoints from all sides of the political spectrum.
In the past, I probably believed more like you do regarding gay and lesbian teachers than I do today. I do not have time for the full debate, but I was more accepting of LGBT goals before reading the materials in the U of L Safe Space Training Manual produced by our LGBT Center and studying other materials. The Manual stated that nobody knows why some people are LGBT, that L women can transition to B or even H, and numerous other things that indicated uncertainty about the "people are just born that way" line usually espoused. The Guide also makes it clear that their goal is to make any type of sexuality considered normal, and from a diversity standpoint that different sexualities should be valued and "celebrated". Many studies have shown that as a group, homosexuals have more physical and mental health problems than the heterosexual population--even in cities where homosexuals are fully welcomed and valued. I would not want policies that would lead more children into less healthy lifestyles--similar to special protections for teachers who smoke. I view this as a common sense issue that has a moral dimension.
I also have studied some of the claims of excellence in our school system by JCPS administrators and the Courier-Journal such as: the Jefferson County Public School District has the highest market share of all large urban school districts, and "teachers in Louisville [are] the least likely to send their kids to private schools in the study's rankings of the 50 largest US cities". I examined the latest data from the US Census Bureau on the percentage of K-12 residents attending public schools. That data shows that Jefferson County ranks 14th lowest among the central counties in Greater Louisville Inc.’s 15 comparison markets. JCPS either must not include these counties in their comparison, or compares the market share of our combined city and county school system to inner-city school systems that do not include suburbs like that of JCPS. Either way, I believe JCPS must be making an inappropriate comparison when claiming the largest market share of all large urban school districts. The market share of most of the counties included on the chart would be well beyond any measurement margin of error when compared to JCPS. On July 13, 2004 the Courier-Journal ran a story about a study showing private school enrollments of children of public school teachers versus the general population. The storyline was that public school teachers in Louisville had the greatest difference with the general population, with only 15 percent of public school teachers sending their kids to private schools, compared to 25 percent of all families. The first paragraph of the story stated that this success applied to Jefferson County Public Schools, and a JCPS official was quoted saying the findings should 'inspire confidence' in public schools. To verify, I obtained a copy of the study, by the Thomas Fordham Institute. The Courier-Journal and JCPS were somewhat mistaken in their conclusions. First, the study was of the entire 7-county Louisville Metropolitan Statistical Area, and hence included teachers and other families in Bullitt, Oldham, Clark, Floyd, Harrison, and Scott counties, as well as Jefferson County. Second, the authors of the study estimated that public school teachers in eighteen other large metropolitan areas (among the top 50) were more likely than those in the Louisville area to send their kids to public schools. I am including another chart based on information included in the Thomas Fordham Institute study. Thus, the Courier-Journal's statement that "teachers in Louisville [are] the least likely to send their kids to private schools in the study's ranking of the 50 largest U.S. cities" is factually inaccurate. I have heard a JCPS Board member and others in our community repeat this inaccurate statistic. To disseminate fair and accurate information to the public, JCPS probably should not claim that it has the highest market share of any large urban school district. JCPS is a large urban and suburban school district and its market share should only be compared to other districts that contain a large urban and suburban area. Otherwise, any claim about market share should contain many disclosures and qualifications as to how that claim was derived. Also to disseminate fair and accurate information to the public, no one should claim that a higher proportion of JCPS teachers send their kids to public schools than any other large cities. Whether I win or lose the School Board race, I want JCPS to improve and better serve students, parents, and our community. Consequently, I believe JCPS administrators must be careful in the claims they make. Instilling a false perception in JCPS employees, county parents and students, policy makers and the general public that JCPS is superior to other similar school districts can reduce the impetus for needed change. If problems are not recognized, improvement is less likely. Sincerely, Benjamin P. Foster, Ph.D., CPA, CMA

Rain + Louisville Drivers = CRASH!

2008-10-24T03:42:00.000-07:00

Here's a lesson from Driver's Ed.

When rain has not fallen for awhile, the roads get covered in grit, grime, dust, and grease.

When rain falls it combines with these elements to make roads slicker than they would be with just the rain alone.

This means that it is probably a good idea not to text your friends while tailgating.

Already several accidents today being reported on Wave 3 Sunrise.

And I just remembered that I need new wiper blades. It's probably not good that one of them has part of its rubber pulling free.

Rovian Politics Meet the School Board Race

2008-10-23T21:05:00.000-07:00

I know it is sad, but I hadn't given much thought to my Jefferson County School Board election this year. I usually scan for such things in the week before the election and make up my mind then.

Well, choice came early for me in the form of Ben Foster, who is running against Larry Hujo for the spot. While I was waiting to pick up my daughter, Mr. Foster was wandering the school grounds, passing out campaign literature.

Since I tend to hate being given anything paper that I haven't asked for, I was angry to start with. Mr. Foster's campaign materials didn't make me any happier.

Seems Ben Foster is running against Larry Hujo because Hujo supported offering protection for gay and lesbian teachers.

I stuck my head out the window to say something and Mr. Foster turned away from me and kept going. For some reason, a voice in my head said, "I bet you he doesn't even have a kid in JCPS."

So I did some research. According to an October 15th endorsement of Hujo by the Courier Journal, Foster indeed does not have any kids in JCPS. His website, votefoster.net, hopes that you're not very skilled in numbers(sad for an accounting professor) when he points to escalating property tax revenues for JCPS, and seems to indicate that his major concern about the public schools (which again, his kids do NOT attend) don't spend too much of his money or let gay and lesbian teachers teach kids that aren't his.

So I wrote Mr. Foster an e-mail.

Dear Mr. Foster,

I want to express my dismay at you trespassing on the grounds of Farmer Elementary when you do not have a student there and using the car rider line to distribute your campaign materials. I'd also like to provide you with a list of reasons that I will NOT vote for you based on the information I have read about you in the Courier Journal and on your own website, http://votefoster.net.

1. According to the Courier Journal, you have chosen NOT to put your children in Jefferson County Public Schools. I find it difficult to understand how you can have the best interest of students or JCPS at heart when you won't even place your young children in the school system. And I don't understand how you'll be able to relate to the issues and concerns of normal parents that attend JCPS if you've never stepped foot inside of one as a parent.
2. The main concern of your whole campaign seems to be with the JCPS school board agreeing to protect gay and lesbian teachers from discrimination. Really? With all the issues in the world and within our school system, THAT is one of your top priorities? Can you point me to situations where a teacher's sexual orientation has created an issue that keeps them from being a competent teacher or threatened a child's well being?
3. Your website indicates that "JCPS revenue from property taxes increased over 100%" from 1998 to 2007." What you don't mention is that this time period also represents a tremendous boom in housing starts, housing prices, and commercial property development. Higher home prices and a higher number of developed properties means higher property tax revenue.
4. The pamphlet you handed out in the car rider line took issue with "spending efficiency -- $10,000 per student is enough". I can tell you that the facilities, teachers, and staff at Farmer Elementary are top notch, and as a parent who actually has students in JCPS, I don't see the waste you seem to assume is so rampant in the system.
5. You take issue with the JCTA and teachers unions on several fronts. While I certainly understand that the concerns of any teacher's union won't always reflect the interests I may have as a parent or a taxpayer, I also understand the need for a teachers union and the protection it provides. I also know that the teachers at Farmer Elementary are top notch, invest a lot of time, effort, and yes... their own money into their students and classrooms. They deserve and earn what they make.

As a person who received a top notch education within a public school system, I wanted to let you know that the materials you handed out offended me both morally and intellectually. The fact that your biggest concern (or at least the one you thought would frighten the most people into not voting your opponent) was your opponent's vote for protection of gay and lesbian teachers shows that you haven't a clue about what is important in the Jefferson County Public School system. I honestly hadn't given the school board vote a lot of thought. Thank you for encouraging me to cast a vote for your opponent.

I'll let you know if he responds.

Henry Mattheu -- Rest in Peace

2008-09-27T22:16:00.000-07:00

My uncle, Henry Mattheu, passed away today at his home in Parkton, Maryland after a long, valiant struggle with cancer. Uncle Henry helped bring our family together by establishing a yearly family reunion that enabled me to keep in touch with relatives I didn't know very well since I lived in Kentucky.

I will miss you Uncle Henry. I appreciate all you did for me, my family, and our extended family. I'm glad that you're no longer in pain, but I'll never say that it is for the best.

I love you, Uncle Henry. I play this song for you in your honor:

Saving the GOP and The Unbearable Lightness of Being Sarah Palin

2008-09-06T20:05:00.001-07:00

Pretty much lays out her problems. Sad.
About Sarah Palin
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Before we criticize Michael Moore too harshly.....

2008-09-01T06:33:00.000-07:00

Michael Moore's tongue in cheek comments about God sending a hurricane to New Orleans before the Republic National Convention was clearly meant to satirize the fringe elements in the right (sadly referred to as "the base") who believe that God creates major disasters, diseases, etc. to punish people they don't like.

Consider James Hagee, the idiot that endorsed John McCain for the nomination. Earlier this year he said that Katrina was a punishment for a homosexual rally they were having there.

The sad thing is he meant it.

Read more here.

Cindy McCain on ABC Today: Palin Has National Security Experience Because Alaska Is Close To Russia

2008-08-31T20:39:00.001-07:00

Is it just me or does Cindy McCain look like she stepped out of the V miniseries of the 1980's. She's a lizard woman, I tell you.
About Sarah Palin
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Sarah Palin First Impressions

2008-08-31T20:36:00.001-07:00

Is it just me or does she look like the uptight woman in a Skinemax movie who lets down her hair at the end?
About Sarah Palin
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Graham: I Dread The Day Obama Becomes President

2008-08-31T20:33:00.001-07:00

Lindsey Graham -- Sounds like a character in a lifetime movie of the week. You'd think he'd like an Obama Presidency because he'd no longer have to hide who he is.
About Sarah Palin
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Graham: I Dread The Day Obama Becomes President

2008-08-31T17:11:00.001-07:00

You'd think that, given Lindsey Graham's personal leanings, he'd want a liberal in the White House so he could live the life he was truly meant to lead. Trying to defend Lil' Miss Sunshine is amusing. Attacking Obama on Iraq is like Great White telling a band their pyrotechnics suck.
About Sarah Palin
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

The Worst Vice-Presidential Nominee in U.S. History

2008-08-29T16:57:00.001-07:00

C'mon guys.... let's look at this a little harder.

Cindy McCain is 54. She's got some health issues and she's lookin' a bit old.

Palin's an attractive, younger former beauty queen.

Little McCain needs someone to keep him company on the campaign trail.
About Sarah Palin
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Joe Biden Democratic Convention Speech (VIDEO)

2008-08-28T03:58:00.001-07:00

Biden's speech last night made me want to vote for HIM. The 1 2 punch of him and Clinton were the juice the convention needed. He was impressive in many ways and a good choice for running mate.
About Democratic Convention
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Obama's Columns At Invesco Stir GOP

2008-08-28T03:51:00.001-07:00

The sad thing is that the Democrats have several years of TRUTH to attack the GOP with and they seem unwilling to commit to doing it. The GOP does petty things like this because it has worked. Time for the Democratic party to start using the TRUTH against the GOP
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

That's Why They Call Him 'The Comeback Kid'

2008-08-28T03:49:00.001-07:00

Bill's speech was everything that Hillary's was not. It laid out why Obama was the better choice because of who Obama was, not because of who McCain was. I thought it also showed why many Bill supporters have issues with Hillary. Hillary seems to be more into winning for herself than winning for the party.
About Bill Clinton
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Mattie Jones -- Justice Resource Center -- Stick a fork in them, they're done

2008-08-22T20:24:00.000-07:00

Watching the protests and conferences organized by the Justice Resource center, you notice one thing. These people are old. Older than dirt. So old that they tell John McCain to get off their lawn.

As Mattie Jones appears to be on her way out from the JRC, perhaps it is time to just scrap the whole thing. The constant bitching and moaning, as well as infighting from the group indicates that whatever usefulness they once had is done.

You guys are old. The world has passed you by. As you jockey for position like kids in a treehouse club, nobody younger than 55 cares. While I understand the dislike of Christopher 2X, I think he represents what the new breed of civil rights leaders needs to be. Less confrontational, more action oriented, and more focused on bringing everyone together. The JRC fought the good fight, but now it is time to move on and pass the bullhorn to someone who doesn't get a discount to Denny's.

Zap Cars -- Are we being taken for a ride?

2008-08-06T04:29:00.001-07:00

Buried within a WAVE 3 story was a mention of a Wired article on Zap Cars that paints an unflattering picture of the car and its capabilities, as well as the integrity of the company.

It also had the CEO apparently lying about Wired retracting that article, and comparing statements the company has made about the car to the EPA's fuel economy estimates, which he said were made based on "optimum conditions."

Maybe someone should tell the CEO that the EPA now bases its estimates on real world conditions, and the numbers on the window are far closer to reality than ever before. Additionally, this is an apples to oranges comparison. The fuel economy statements don't say on them, "Warning, this car will no longer hit 55 MPH if you're going up a hill 10 minutes into your charge."

I have to wonder if this company isn't simply searching for a good deal from a state that it can swindle out of incentives. I think we need to work on attracting real businesses with a strong business model.

Pitch Mitch in a Ditch in 2008

2008-07-24T04:43:00.001-07:00

http://pitchmitchinaditch.blogspot.com/

Oldham County High School Class of 1989 Reunion

2008-07-21T20:54:00.001-07:00

We're trying to get contact information for the Class of 1989 Reunion for Oldham County High School in Buckner, Kentucky. Please sign up on this website so we can contact you later:

http://www.classcreator.com/Buckner-KY-Oldham-County-1989/class_index.cfm

Bloggin Me Baby -- Set to Rockin' Me Baby by Steve Miller

2008-04-20T12:13:00.001-07:00

Well I've been lookin real hard for a place to put my blog
And I found a place with a C preceded by an A
And when I post my ramblings, you'd get good odds on gambling
That toxic people will criticize today

Well I'm quite suspicious that people are malicious
When they say women aren't friends of mine
And I know it ain't true when they say I've no clue
I'd really like to kick their behinds

I'll keep on bloggin them baby.
I'll keep on bloggin them baby
I'll keep on bloggin them baby
I'll keep on bloggin them baby.

My articles are like a carcinoma or maybe a melanoma
From Bumblesville to Eastern LA
But not on Yahoo360 where the girls aren't warned
That they truly need to stay away.

I'll keep on bloggin them baby.
I'll keep on bloggin them baby
I'll keep on bloggin them baby
I'll keep on bloggin them baby.

Bloggin baby baby baby

Don't get malicious, now CP, your comments aren't nutritious
And I'll combat them with imaginary friends of mine.
They'll be on you like flu and no matter what you do
You'll never get away from hearing me whine

I'll keep on bloggin them baby.
I'll keep on bloggin them baby
I'll keep on bloggin them baby
I'll keep on bloggin them baby.

Some of my articles on Associated Content

2008-02-23T12:23:00.000-08:00

A review of Big Brother 9 (with an article about contestant Adam coming soon).

Information about Roni Deutch and other Tax Lawyers.

Thoughts on the Good Old Days.

Best and worst of the 2008 Super Bowl Commercials

Review of Smash Labs, a show on the Discovery Channel.

My thoughts on working on the Patrick Hughes house for Extreme Makeover Home Edition in Louisville, Kentucky.

Has there ever been a more appropriate book title?

2008-01-20T20:13:00.000-08:00

Kroger Plus Card

2008-01-18T17:17:00.000-08:00

Not to Kroger. When I'm trying to unload a cart full of a $200 worth of groceries, please don't hold up the entire order until I pull out my Kroger Plus Card. You'll get it, trust me. I don't care if once in a blue moon your system messes up. Just wait.

PETA -- People Enjoying Their Attention -- Eat a bucket of beaks for Lindsey Rajt

2008-01-11T20:07:00.000-08:00

Ever pay attention to the people of PETA? Sure there are some celebs. Most are of the messed up, attention seeking kind. Just like their rank and file. The latest is Lindsey Rajt, a self professed 25 year old vegan whose myspace page says that Lindsay Loathes KFC. This sad individual who obviously joined PETA so she could call attention to herself, was busy highlighting a headstone that PETA had placed in Cave Hill Cemetary near Colonel Sanders' grave. No doubt she or a cohort called the news to get the cameras there before she started.

In laborious tones, she looks at the Wave 3 reporter with the seriousness that only a 25 year old girl whose listened to too much Tori Amos can muster. She angles her head slightly to let you know that you shouldn't find the fact that she's painting a fake headstone sad and says, "It's a monument to the nearly 1,000,000,000 chickens who are tortured and killed for KFC restaurants every year."

PETA is not a constructive organization, nor do they add anything to the plight of animals. Honestly, (with apologies to A. Whitney Brown), I think that these people don't love animals as much as they hate plants. I'm thinking that when they eat a salad, they're thinking, "Take that you worthless piece of spinach!" Isn't there something that all of these people could do with their time and money? Like adopting stray animals, running spay and neuter clinics, or researching what really went into KFC's Chicken Littles.

Grow up Lindsey. If you don't want to eat chicken, don't. If you want to call attention to your cause, do it like an adult, not with some You Tube worthy prank.

In the meantime, bring on the nuggets.

Led Zeppelin at Churchill Downs -- You Heard it Here First

2007-12-14T21:20:00.000-08:00

Don't be surprised, if the Led Zeppelin tour comes to pass, to see Churchill hosting its third mega British act since turning the track over to concerts.

Winter Storm may be Headed This Way

2007-12-14T03:38:00.000-08:00

My forecast:

Friday:

Footage of people buying bread and milk, even if they never eat bread or drink milk. Interviews with dumb guys who drive SUVs who say, "I drive an SUV, so it doesn't really bother me."

Saturday:

Lots of snow, followed by hours of coverage telling us we got snow, followed by burn in of school closings on your new widescreen HDTV.

or

Meteorologists telling us why we didn't get the snow they predicted.

Arthur Blank on Michael Vick....

2007-12-10T18:45:00.000-08:00

Can't wait to hear this one tomorrow.....

Let's assume he's out for three seasons... 7, 8, and 9. If he doesn't watch himself and eat a lot of fried chicken and fries. Of course, if he comes out at 215 pounds, he's not going to be the same athlete he was.

Old Video -- Milner Hotel Building Implosion

2007-12-02T10:47:00.000-08:00

Oxmoor Toyota -- Truth in Advertising -- Total Disclosure Sale

2007-11-30T04:28:00.000-08:00

Just heard another booming ad from Oxmoor Toyota on Channel 3. They're advertising a total disclosure sale. Not many details in the voice over except a gem that says, "when it comes to the price, we'll disclose everything, then you determine how much we make."

Wow, sounds like I'll get a list of everything they paid for it, all rebates and incentives they'll get back, and be able to name my price.

But wait.... through the magic of TIVO, we find out what Total Disclosure means in the fine print:

"Total Disclosure includes: Down payment, tax, title, license, interest rate, length of financing, dealer fees, and special benefits package if applicable. "

In other words, total disclosure is the details of the deal you made with Oxmoor Toyota. Wow, you can't get that with just any dealer. Oh wait.... you can.

But heck, why let the deception stop there....

Oxmoor Toyota says they're "Your number 1 Toyota dealer."

Ooops... there's fine print there to: "Based on new light truck retail sales in Cincinatti region for 2006."

Do yourself a favor and find a reputable dealer to buy from. If there is ANYONE who has had a pleasant experience with a Farmer dealership, I'd love to hear about it. I've not heard anyone say anything good about a dealership with Oxmoor in the title. Including the salesmen.

Worst Person in the World -- Ryan Lambourn of Australia

2007-05-17T03:28:00.000-07:00

A note to anyone on the planet who ever wants to hire Ryan Lambourn of Australia, formerly of the United States. Do not hire him. EVER! Ryan Lambourn is the creator of a video game called V-Tech Rampage, which glorifies the killings of 32 students at Virginia Tech. To help you identify him, he's pictured to the left. He's 21 in 2007, which means he was born in 1986 or 1985.

Not content to just make the videogame, he decided he'd try to make a profit off of it. He's asking for $2000 to take the game down, and $1000 extra to apologize.

In short, he's an opportunisitic jackass who wants his 15 minutes of fame.

Some quotes from this genius:

"No one listens to you unless you've got something sensational to do." he said. "And that's why I feel sympathy for Cho Seung-hui. He had to go that far."

"ATTENTION ANGRY PEOPLE: I will take this game down from newgrounds if the donation amount reaches $1000 US, i'll take it down from here if it reaches $2000 US, and i (sic) will apologize if it reaches $3000 US."

"You do it for some negative reaction, to laugh at. You do it for other people who have the same tastes as you do because they get a laugh out of it as much as I do."

So, if you want to hire a guy who finds the murder of college kids amusing and laughable, feel free to hire Ryan Lambourn. But realize what you're getting.

Horror: VT video game relives rampageBy Jessica HeslamBoston Herald Media Reporter
Thursday, May 17, 2007 - Updated: 05:24 AM ESTWith the wounds still fresh less than a month after the Virginia Tech rampage, a sickening amateur video game simulating the nation’s worst school shooting - and the wails of terrified students - has wound up on the Web.
“It’s so contemptible it’s beneath response,” said Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker.
Called “V-Tech Rampage,” the player uses a computer keyboard to shoot fleeing students while pretending to be the gun-totingSeung-Hui Cho, who murdered 32 classmates and professors before killing himself April 16. One of the victims was Ross Abdallah Alameddine, 20, of Saugus, whose mother declined to comment.
The video game boasts “three levels of stealth and murder” and is set to Collective Soul’s “Shine,” a song with which Cho was obsessed. The player maneuvers Cho around an animated Virginia Tech campus and even into Norris Hall, where most of the killings occurred. It also depicts a dorm and post office, where Cho mailed NBC a violent multimedia manifesto.
The creator of the game, Ryan Lambourn, 21, lives in Australia but grew up in the United States. Lambourn recently posted his homemade video game to the Web site www.newgrounds.com, whose founder didn’t return an e-mail.
The game starts by showing Cho in his dorm room and these words first appear: “The pawns are all in place, the time has come that I may finally send my message to all the world.” The text then explains that Emily - a reference to Cho’s first victim, Emily Hilscher, 18 - stayed overnight with her boyfriend Karl, and he’d be dropping her “off at school as always.”
“I just take care of Emily and the pigs will be busy with Karl, an avid gun collector, for the next few hours,” the text reads.
The game harasses players, saying, “You let Emily get away.”

Northup--Hoover -- Is she even trying?

2007-05-17T02:54:00.000-07:00

I've never been a huge fan of Anne Northup. But her activities this campaign have been downright odd.

First, she ignored the LEO's request for information about her views. Not too difficult to believe, because she hates the paper.

Then she ignored the Courier Journal's request. I know that there are some who believe that the CJ is a liberal fishwrapper, but it seems as though it would be wise to talk to the biggest paper in your hometown.

Her commercials give little information about what she would do for Kentucky. And her response to the LEO's endorsement of Harper is more attacks on Fletcher, little about what she'll do for the state, other than be a fresh alternative to Fletcher.

Northup either feels she'll win without breaking a sweat, or she doesn't really want the job. What I find odd is that Northup has a rather detailed list of things she'd like to accomplish on her website. Why not tell the world about this?

If you can't bother campaigning and putting your ideas out there when the local media is trying to give the city a comparison guide, you don't deserve winning an election.

Shane Ragland comes to Louisville for a New Trial

2007-05-08T19:14:00.000-07:00

Shane Ragland is being granted a change of venue to Louisville for his retrial, which seems like a mixed blessing. I wonder how hard it has been to keep him out of trouble in the run up to the new trial. Rereading articles about Shane Ragland's charmed existence, I couldn't help but think of Paris Hilton. Shane appeared to believe that the laws didn't apply to him, and the actions of the court seemed to back him up. Even after he was arrested for the murder of Trent DiGiuro, he violated the conditions of his bond at least 50 times, including failing sobriety tests, and reporting in from places he was not supposed to be. He did all of these things without facing any consequences. I'm sure it had nothing to do with Jerry Ragland being one of the state's largest landlords at the time of his release, and his being well connected in the state capitol.

I hope Shane Ragland gets a fair trial and the justice he deserves, and that the case is judged on the evidence presented. But I think it is sad that Shane Ragland's other crimes were treated with hardly a slap on the wrist. You and I would never be granted the same consideration.

Earl Hickey attacks domestic partnership benefits for Kentucky universities

2006-10-19T04:13:00.000-07:00

I took one look at the picture above and had one thought..... How in the heck did Earl Hickey get into the state legislature? I would have figured "Once Used Same Sex Marriage To Pander to the Base" would have been on his list of things that he needed to atone for.

If this guy really wants to protect marriage, perhaps he should ban divorce. Or maybe he should concentrate on tightening laws on the states barbers and beauty shops for letting people walk out with that hairstyle.

Renee Terrell and Christopher Wayne Luttrell -- Sick individuals

2006-10-17T15:55:00.000-07:00

When I look at the picture of these two inbred idiots, the only thing I have is contempt. Christopher Luttrell gives an unsmiling death glare with his shiny bald head, hoping to look like a hard homeboy, but looking more like a phallus with ears. Guess that menace came in handy beating to death a 67 year old woman. Renee Terrell looks like a waste of space as well. All she is a baby machine that keeps pumping out kids and wanting to keep them like some three year old who finds a kitten.

If the press wanted to do something, they would a) spell Daewoo NUBRIA correctly, and b) publicize what the car and its emblem look like. Both are distinctive.

I hope that when they find these scum that the kid is taken as far away from them as humanly possible, and they are charged with a capital crime. If they killed the woman (got to say alleged to be fair, don't we), then they deserve far worse than she got.

Neighbor says mother threatened to kidnap son
By Jessie Halladay
and Katya Cengel
The Courier-Journal

HENDERSON, Ky. — A Henderson woman told friends on Saturday night that she planned to kidnap her 9-month-old baby and flee to New Mexico, a neighbor said Tuesday.

Jean Davis, 38, who lived down Clay Street from the house shared by Renee Terrell and her boyfriend, Christopher Wayne Luttrell, said she didn’t say anything to authorities because she didn’t believe Terrell would carry through on her threat.

But Tuesday, authorities were looking for Terrell, 33, and Luttrell, 23, and for Terrell’s young son, Saige Terrell.

An Amber Alert for the child and adults was issued Monday evening after state social worker Boni Frederick was found slain in Terrell and Luttrell’s home, according to police. Frederick had taken Saige, who is a ward of the state, to visit his mother that morning.

Davis said Terrell’s threat to kidnap her son had been precipitated by the mother learning Oct. 11 that the boy would be put up for adoption.

“She loved her baby. She talked about how she was going to get him back. She had bought clothes, a high chair … I guess that’s what made her snap,” Davis said.
Davis said Terrell has three other children besides the baby, but none of them live with her. A fifth child had died in its crib, Davis said.

Police got involved in the case about noon Monday when the foster mother taking care of Saige called social services and reported that the infant had not been returned, Detective Ron Adams of the Henderson Police Department said.

That’s when authorities began looking for 67-year-old Frederick.

By about 3:30 p.m., police had obtained a search warrant to enter Terrell’s home.
That’s when they discovered Frederick’s body, Adams said. He would not say how Frederick was killed. An autopsy was being performed Tuesday morning.

Frederick’s car, a white Korean-made 2000 Daewoo Nubira station wagon remains missing. It has a Kentucky license plate of 675-DRV.

Police issued a warrant for kidnapping against Terrell Monday night.

They are also seeking Luttrell, who is described as white with blue eyes, 6-foot-2 and 150 pounds with tattoos on his arms.

Luttrell was convicted in August 2004 of several counts of burglary and theft, said Cheryl Million, a spokeswoman for the Kentucky Department of Corrections. He was sentenced to five years in prison and was paroled from the Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex in April.

After his parole, Luttrell was assigned to a halfway house in Jefferson County, Million said. On June 3, he walked away from the house without authorization.

A warrant was issued for him on June 26 for absconding parole supervision and failure to complete a halfway house program, Million said. That warrant is still active.
Renee Terrell is described as white with brown hair and eyes, 5-foot-5 and 240 pounds. She wears glasses.

Police say the boy is developmentally disabled and has a scratch on the right side of his face and a rug burn on the back of his neck. He has brown hair and eyes, is 27 inches tall and weighs 19 pounds.

Kentucky State Police issued the Amber Alert for Saige just before 8 p.m. Monday, said Lt. Phil Crumpton. The alert was also extended to Indiana.

“We have had a tremendous amount of telephone calls,” Adams said.

Police were spending Tuesday tracking down those leads trying to locate the child and suspects, Adams said.

He asked the public to keep a vigilant eye out for the couple and the missing car. He said people should pay particular attention at rest stops, motels and to cars parked along the side of the road.

“We believe the baby to be in danger because of the nature of the crime,” Adams said.

There have been 14 Amber Alerts issued in Kentucky since the program began in 2002, Crumpton said. All those people to date had been returned safely, Crumpton said.

The alerts are useful, Crumpton said, because “that puts a lot of people out there looking for these subjects.”

Reporter Jessie Halladay can be reached at (502) 582-4081.

Reporter Katya Cengel can be reached at (502) 582-4224.

Sending fathers off to war

2006-10-05T19:52:00.000-07:00

Tonight on Channel 41's news, they had a story about the Bardstown National Guard going to Iraq. As I watched the men in uniform kissing their kids goodbye, I started to cry. I cannot imagine leaving my daughter. I certainly cannot imagine leaving her to go halfway around the world to fight in a horrible war that didn't need to be fought. I pray that every one of these men returns to their family intact.

Northup's Attack Ads Raise Blogger Ire

2006-10-01T14:06:00.000-07:00

Northup For Congress? is a blog that has some interesting assessments of Anne Northup's negative campaign against John Yarmuth.

Matter of fact, it's a gas.

2006-09-30T13:52:00.000-07:00

I was born too late, I imagine. I was born in 1971 and grew up after some of my favorite bands had hit their prime or fell apart. In the time since, one of my secret goals was to see all of my favorite British warhorses in some or fashion before they died. The Who, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles (as solo artists), Led Zeppelin, and The Kinks.

I got Paul and Ringo years ago, seeing Paul on February 9, 1990 (the anniversary of their appearance on Ed Sullivan) at the Worcester Centrum, and Ringo not long after at the Kentucky State Fair. The Who remain to be seen, primarily because I can't rouse myself to spend hundreds not only for tickets, but to travel hundreds of miles they always seem to be away from Louisville, especially when the backbone of the band is long dead. Led Zep. Well, we know why that won't happen. As for The Kinks, between strokes and shootings, that probably won't happen either.

Which brings us to the Stones. When it was announced I was excited beyond words. My first and probably only chance to see them. I got my tickets within minutes of the presale, and anxiously awaited the big day.

1st... the complaints. Churchill Downs did a HORRIBLE job with this one. After all the fanfare about the event, you'd have thought CD would have used its skills on Derby Day to make a better event. They didn't.

Let's start at the entrance. For some reason, nobody ever tries to tame the lines to enter a venue, so people were lined up blocking through traffic for security and taxis. Once let inside, the ticket takers didn't scan the tickets like at other venues, but instead tore the tickets, and then put holes in them when you got to your section. NOT COOL!

Once inside, the Brantley ushers had no clue how to get to the track seats. We wound up walking way out of our way to find an entrance and then had to walk all the way back to our seats. When we got to our seats, they were poorly marked folding chairs. The marking of each section was a price tag with the section on it and some Post It notes to indicate what seat number you were near.

Problem two became apparent at that point. Because the track understandably doesn't want people on a normal day to go into the track area, there were very few entrances, of too small a size. This created bottlenecks on the track. Plus, because they were channelling two to four times as many people through the entrances underneath the grandstands, there were huge bottlenecks in the back. During Alice Cooper's set, I went to use the restroom and some woman warned me "Don't go, it'll take you an hour to get back." When I saw the waves of people trying to get in, I turned back.

This wouldn't have been so bad had Churchill bothered to put porta potties and refreshments on the track side of the event. The only beverages they were selling was beer.

I was excited because all week they'd been promising great weather, and for a moment, it seemed that it would be nice, if somewhat cool. The sun was blazing.

As the time for Alice Cooper rolled near, the rain started. Never quite a deluge, but enough to get you wet and make you miserable. "If I see John Belski, I'm kicking his ass," I told my wife. What if it stormed, I thought. I couldn't imagine a bunch of drunk, wet, people running for shelter in a space that 2 or 3 people could fit in at a time. Worse, the ushers were conspicuously absent, trying to corral the crowd (I guess) so people were funnelling wherever they wanted, including crowding the aisles.

I remember looking around and thinking the people in line with me and sitting around me were old enough to be my parents. How was that possible? This is a rock show. Then I realize that the Stones were old enough to be my parents. It made me realize how timeless the band truly is.

Alice Cooper did a competent if rather bland set. I'm not a big fan, but it was cool to see him perform. His set was short and rather lacking in theatrics he's known for.

Then the Stones came on. OH MY! From the first bars of Jumpin' Jack Flash, it was clear that they weren't letting the rain get to them. I'd seen video and heard live CDs of Stones performances in the past. You'd think that in 40 years their performances would get more and more like other contemporaries. Essentially lifeless recreations of their hits with some nice stage effects to try and distract you. Instead, based on all accounts, including those of longtime fans, the boys are doing some of the best shows of their lives. They were incredible! From a sound mix that was far better than any show I've been in, especially one of this magnitude, you could hear almost everything clearly. Mick was actually singing, not talk singing or spitting out lyrics like in some shows I'd heard. He was hitting notes that a guy his age who has been doing that many shows for over a year should not be hitting. Charlie anchored the band as always, getting a huge sound without looking like he was even breaking a sweat. Ronnie and Keith looked like they were having a good time, lost in their own guitar playing. All of it was played out on a huge stage that added to the show without becoming the show.

Because it was their first time in Louisville in years, they stuck mostly to hits, to the delight of the many casual fans there, I'm sure. But each was performed with a vigor that belied the number of times they've performed them. While the rain sucked, the rain added a cool element to the video of the boys hammering out the hits. It all came to an early climax with Midnight Rambler, surpassing the Get Your Ya Ya's Out version for all 12 or so minutes. The obvious Dead Flowers kicked the studio version's butt as well, as Mick brought cheers to the crowd singing about "making bets on Kentucky Derby Day." Mick was a marvel, strutting around, playing to the crowd, and looking about 30 years younger than he is. His stage moves bordered on self parody, but somehow he pulled it off.

What amazed me about these shows is that the $240 I paid for two tickets was more than worth it. Not just because I saw living legends, but because the guys put on an incredible show. The sound, stage, and above all performance was far superior to any concert I've been to before. Rather than sounding like a cover band on their own songs (a charge I could hurl at the recent Journey/Def Leppard concert I saw), they sounded like men who have been playing together for years and still find new reasons to enjoy it. Songs that had no reason to be played with anything but competence, such as Satisfaction, sounded fresh again. Even the new tunes off A Bigger Bang had the crowd rocking and cheering.

In the end, I got more than I ever thought I could hope for. I got to see classic songs performed with most of the core band intact in an energy filled concert that musicians 1/3 of their age couldn't have pulled off. For two plus hours, all of my cares, including being soaking wet and the fact that I was trapped with several thousand drunks disappeared, and I was in music heaven.

And as for kicking John Belski's ass... I almost got my chance by proxy. About midway through the show, Kevin Harned and three friends (including a very young looking girl) appeared right next to us standing and watching the show. He disappeared a couple of songs later. I guess he feared for his life.

Random thoughts.... or Zam Bam Thank You Ma'am

2006-09-20T16:08:00.000-07:00

Does James Zambroski remind anyone of the reporter Lauraine Newman played on SNL with his drawn out method of speaking and his sign off "Wave 3 Newwwwwwwzzzzzzz"?

Why is it that every picture in Mike Weaver's congressional commercials looks like it was taken in 1964?

Ever notice that the machines you check your blood pressure on at pharmacies are surrounded with advertising guaranteed to raise your blood pressure? "ARE YOU AT RISK FOR HEART DISEASE!?!?!?!?!" "DIABETES THE SILENT KILLER!!!!!"

Does Ann Northup look more and more like a characture or is it just me?

Iceberg doesn't make a salad! SAVE THE SPINACH!

Can someone tell WHAS that when someone farts in Frankfort, it's not necessarily BREAKING NEWS!!!!

Can someone tell WAVE that we bought our HDTV to see broadcasts in HD, not to watch their promotional crawls in 4:3.

and finally.......

Wouldn't the world be a better place if people voted AGAINST the candidate with the most negative ads?

Where's Popeye when you need him

2006-09-15T15:37:00.000-07:00

First Al Qaeda and now E Coli. I don't know who this E Coli terrorist cell is, but attacking our spinach supply is beyond the pale. And what will it do to one of our greatest super heroes, Popeye the Sailor Man.

Let the Attack Ads Begin

2006-09-14T20:36:00.000-07:00

John Yarmuth has taken the semi-high road by not directly attacking Ann Northup. Ann and the Republican smear machine can't be depended on to do the same, of course.

First, Anne attacks Yarmuth for a supposed flip flop on the bridges. First he was against the East End bridge, and now, according to Anne's website, John says in today’s Courier-Journal that he has always been for the East End bridge! But I've read the article several times and I don't see where it says that. Northup has ads that have just come out that claim he's flip flopped on several more issues.

Now I don't know if this is true. Ann dcites LEO editorials. As the LEO Weekly pointed out in an article several weeks back, LEO doesn't have a great archival system. In fact, they only have a single archival copy of many issues. That didn't stop Anne from making an ass out of herself requesting all of the issues (800 plus), photocopying them, and now apparently having her staff scour every one of them for a quote they can use, whether in context or not.

I find it interesting that political campaigns make so much out of "Flip Flopping". Show me a person who hasn't changed his position on something in their lifetime and I'll show you an idiot.... like W. It's not even clear that John is flip flopping from what is shown. After all, many of us have flip flopped on the Iraq war after it became clear that the Government knew there was no connection at all. What seems like a good idea or bad idea at the time can turn out to be the opposite when the details are fleshed out.

I really wish that Ann would take the high road. Of course, that would require her to stand on her own terrible record.

Yarmuth, Northup clash on bridges
Each says other's support is lacking
By Marcus Green
magreen@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

By Marcus Green
magreen@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

Ask Louisville's leading congressional candidates where they stand on a $2.5 billion project to build two bridges across the Ohio River, and they'll tell you they wholeheartedly support it.

Ask them where their opponent stands -- and you'll get a much different answer.

Republican U.S. Rep. Anne Northup's campaign says Democratic challenger John Yarmuth's current support contradicts his past opposition to an East End bridge.

Yarmuth, in turn, says Northup's support has fallen short of securing enough federal money to push the project forward.

"I've always said I'm for as many bridges as we can build, as we can afford to build," said Yarmuth, who lives near the eastern bridge route. "I have serious questions as to whether there's going to be enough money to build these projects -- always have and still do -- but it's not a question of support for them at all."

Northup's campaign says work has begun, including the eastern bridge approach, with a bridge design expected soon.

"For John Yarmuth to suggest that we are no closer to an East End bridge is just baffling," said Patrick Neely, Northup's campaign manager.

The other two candidates for the 3rd District seat say they oppose part of the bridges project.

Constitution Party candidate W. Ed Parker said he favors an eastern bridge, but not a second downtown. Libertarian Donna Mancini said she would support bridges at either end of the Snyder Freeway.

Northup's accusations against Yarmuth stem from a 1991 newspaper column he wrote questioning a possible East End bridge; a 2005 television appearance in which he agrees that the bridge is a "stupid idea"; and his tenure as a trustee of River Fields, a conservation group opposed to an eastern bridge.

In 1991, Yarmuth wrote in the weekly LEO paper that he founded that an eastern bridge couldn't be justified on the basis of alleviating traffic downtown or creating a downtown bypass.

He wrote in part: "([T)here are a lot of roads that end somewhere, and, until I hear some better reasons for spending $250 million, I think U.S. 42 is as good a place as any for the Snyder to stop."

Yarmuth defends the column, saying that at the time there was talk about a new Ohio River bridge -- but no formal plan to build two bridges.

The current plan grew out of a 2001 study determining that the best solution to the region's traffic woes would be to build two bridges and untangle Spaghetti Junction, where interstates 64, 65 and 71 converge downtown.

Yarmuth said in the 15 years since he wrote his bridge column, "there have been a lot better reasons offered (for an East End bridge), namely economic development ones."

An eastern bridge would, for example, benefit Ford's Kentucky Truck Plant on Chamberlain Lane just off the Snyder, he said. The plant has expanded several times since 1991, adding new truck production and several shifts that have boosted employment.

In remarks on the WAVE-3 "Hot Button" program last year, Yarmuth agreed with commentator Jim Milliman, who said Northup ought to support a proposed southwestern Jefferson County bridge and "get rid of this stupid idea for an East End bridge that does nothing but bail out Southern Indiana."

"You won't get any disagreement … from me on that," Yarmuth told Milliman during the telecast. "The arguments for the southwest bridge are more compelling than the ones for an East End bridge, particularly for traffic congestion."

But Yarmuth said this week that he was not agreeing with everything Milliman said.

"I was trying to get on to something else and didn't want to argue with him about every little point he made," Yarmuth said. "He made about three or four different points there."

Speaking to reporters in Louisville late last month, Northup accused Yarmuth of opposing the bridges project. She questioned his past association with River Fields, a preservation group that favors a downtown bridge and redesigning Spaghetti Junction but opposes an East End bridge.

This week, Neely said Yarmuth is not coming clean on the bridges issue.

"He won't even be honest about his position on the East End bridge," Neely said.

Yarmuth was a River Fields trustee from September 2004 to March 2006. He defended his tenure on the board, saying that River Fields is dedicated to other environmental causes besides the bridges.

"One of the reasons that I resigned from the River Fields board was because I didn't want to be put in the position of being bound by their position as it relates to bridges and everything else they're involved in," he said.

Yarmuth accused Northup of trying to make the election about the bridges rather than the Iraq war, health care and prescription drugs for seniors, among other issues. But he also attacked Northup's record on helping get money for the bridges.

"The critical factor here is what Anne Northup and the Congress have done to fund these bridges so far. And as far as I'm concerned, we're no further along in this bridge project than we were five years ago," he said. "There's really nothing that's been done. She hasn't been able to procure the funding that's been necessary."

Northup's campaign says that isn't true.

In July 2005, Kentucky and Indiana delegates helped secure $58 million in federal funds for the bridges project from the transportation bill. Last winter, Northup lobbied in Frankfort for the project, which received $789 million in the state's six-year highway plan.

The bridges project is expected to cost $2.5 billion, with Kentucky picking up an estimated $1.7 billion.

Reporter Marcus Green can be reached at (502) 582-4675.

Support WLKY, CBS, and their airing of 9/11 documentary

2006-09-05T18:53:00.000-07:00

It's time to reclaim the airwaves for EVERYONE, not just the low minded religious publicity seekers in organizations like the American Family Association who want to make sure that none of us can make our own decisions on what we wish to turn off.

On Sunday, CBS is showing a documentary on 9/11 for the third time. This documentary has some "R-rated" profanity, and was aired without incident twice before. Since the events of that day are more horrific than a few F-bombs, I encourage everyone who values this heartbreaking documentary to e-mail the FCC and let them know you are NOT offended by its showing and that you will take offense at any attempts to fine your affiliate or CBS for airing it.

Then, e-mail that giant set of idiots at the AFA, who are rallying around this show to try and send a chill through the networks. You can contact them here. Let them know that there is an on/off switch on their TV and a channel selector if they don't like something that is on.

CBS To Air Profanity-Laden Program
It is time to tell CBS and the other networks that enough is enough!.
Not content with all the profanity already on TV, CBS has decided to air the profanity-laden unedited version of "9/11" on Sept. 10. The decision by CBS is a slap in the face to the FCC and Congress, which recently raised indecency fines to $325,000 per incident.

"9/11," which will be shown in prime-time, contains a tremendous amount of hardcore profanity. CBS has stated they have not, and will not, make any cuts in the amount and degree of profanity. CBS will ignore the law. The network is suing the FCC over the indecency law, saying they should be able to show whatever they desire whenever they desire. CBS wants no limits.

This is a test case for CBS to see how far they can go. If there is no out-pouring of complaints from the public, they will go further the next time.

The profanity is so bad that CBS has warned their affiliates that they could be subject to huge fines. The FCC says it will fine not only the networks, but also affiliates if the law is violated. Under the new Broadcast Decency Act the $325,000 per incident could run into millions of dollars not only for the network but also for local affiliates.

CBS could very easily bleep out the profanity, but they refuse. The goal of CBS is to be able to show whatever they want at anytime. The network wants no restraints on their programming. If they are allowed to get away with this, they will simply air even more profanity in the future.

Take Action

It is time to tell CBS and the other networks that enough is enough!.

Send an email, asking the FCC to enforce the law. Your email will go not only to the FCC, but also to CBS.

Contact your local CBS affiliate and ask them not to air "9/11." Click Here to find their contact information or use your local phone directory.

Please forward this to your friends and family. Share this information with members of your Sunday School class and church, and urge them to get involved.

If no changes are made and your CBS affiliate carries the program, AFA will provide you with information for filing a formal complaint with the FCC.

"Fatal Error" as insensitive as the Emmy's?

2006-08-30T04:29:00.000-07:00

I've been watching Channel 3's news coverage of the Lexington plane crash and I find they're need to give the disaster a title to be tasteless and tacky. To sum up a terrible tragedy with a constant graphic that says "Fatal Error" is horrible, especially when one of the people who may be responsible for that "Fatal Error" is fighting for life in the hospital.

Note to Channel 3.... Go back to "Investigating the Truth" and leave the ridiculous practice of giving titles for each news story to the networks.

Bush -- My Committment "Means Something"

2006-08-29T19:40:00.000-07:00

From George's interview with Brian Williams: “When it’s all said and done, the people down here know that I stood in Jackson Square [a year ago] and said, ‘We’re going to help you,’ and we delivered,” he said. “What matters is that we help the good people here rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, and we’re going to do that.

“You know, commitments in politics sometimes mean nothing,” Bush added. “I made a commitment that means something.”

He should be committed. While he admits to Katrina being a mess, the fact is, he became contrite and made a "committment" days after he should have gone into action. Nobody pretends the President should be Superman, but when a city is suffering from a disaster of this magnitude and you're too busy honoring your committment to Mark Wills and his gift of a guitar, or to giving John McCain a birthday cake, you aren't a leader. You're the bonehead drunk college boy you've always been.

Funniest part, Bush saying I have an "ecelectic" reading list.

Alright Rumsfeld, let's go after them all.....

2006-08-29T19:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, Rummy, all of us critics of your failed policy to eliminate terrorism by attacking a country that had next to nothing to do with it are wrong. We need to go after facists because they could lead to another Nazi Germany. Let me call your bluff.

Why don't you send troops to North Korea, Iran and Cuba? Or are you just a big pansy posturing for the cameras and grasping at any straw you can to defend the boneheaded psychotic moves of you and your bonehead bosses in pursuing a war that's made the region unstable.

Go ahead. If you're so damned smart, then take your policy to its ultimate conclusion. Surely if your right, invading the lands of all of these facist dictators that exist in the world will end in triumph for good for the entire planet.

How about it Rummy? And just to show how righteous we are, make sure that our invading troops have inadequate supplies and laugh about it if questioned.

You and your bosses are a joke, and the people finally realize, many years too late, unfortunately, that it's not a funny one.

Don't tell me I'm morally or intellectually confused. You are both immoral and stupid, as is your entire administration.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Aug 29 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld turned up the heat on critics of U.S. policy in Iraq and the war on terrorism in a speech on Tuesday recalling the world leaders who sought to appease Nazi Germany in the 1930s.

"With the growing lethality and the increasing availability of weapons, can we truly afford to believe that somehow, some way, vicious extremists can be appeased?" Rumsfeld asked the American Legion U.S. military veterans group.

"Can folks really continue to think that free countries can negotiate a separate peace with terrorists?"

The Bush administration is coming under increasing criticism from congressional Democrats and some Republicans over the direction of the Iraq war nearly 3-1/2 years after a U.S.-led invasion toppled President Saddam Hussein. Opinion polls show eroding U.S. public support for the war.

Rumsfeld said it was important to note that "any kind of moral or intellectual confusion about who and what is right or wrong can weaken the ability of free societies to persevere" in any long war.

In a speech heavy on condemnation of news coverage of the war, Rumsfeld told the American Legion that insurgents and terrorists are waging a campaign to demoralize the American public.

Rumsfeld, in his second speech in as many days to military veterans, tried to draw links between the current hostilities and World War Two.

Taking on the Bush administration's current critics, Rumsfeld referred to the period before the earlier war, and said that "some seem not to have learned history's lessons."

"It was a time when a certain amount of cynicism and moral confusion set in among Western democracies, when those who warned about a coming crisis -- the rise of fascism and Nazism -- they were ridiculed or ignored," Rumsfeld said.

"Indeed, in the decades before World War Two, a great many argued that the fascist threat was exaggerated or that it was someone else's problem. Some nations tried to negotiate a separate peace, even as the enemy made its deadly ambitions crystal clear."

"It was, as Winston Churchill observed, a bit like feeding a crocodile, hoping it would eat you last," Rumsfeld added.

"I recount that history because, once again, we face similar challenges in efforts to confront the rising threat of a new type of fascism," he said.

MIDTERM ELECTIONS

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada took issue with Rumsfeld's comments.

"The Bush White House is more interested in lashing out at its political enemies and distracting from its failures than it is in winning the War on Terror and in bringing an end to the war in Iraq," Reid said in a written statement.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also addressed the convention, telling veterans if the United States pulled out of Iraq too soon it would embolden extremists.

"We should not assume for one minute that those terrorists will not continue to come after the American homeland. That is why President (George W.) Bush calls Iraq a central front in the war on terror," said Rice.

Bush is scheduled to address the group on Thursday.

Rumsfeld's comments come as members of the Bush administration, ahead of November elections to determine control of the U.S. Congress, connect the Iraq war to the broader fight against terrorism.

Rumsfeld also condemned two news organizations, CNN and Newsweek magazine, for comments by some of their senior officials about the U.S. military.

In separate speeches on Monday to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, both Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney said pulling out of Iraq prematurely would be a sign of American weakness to terrorists and other foes. (Additional reporting by James Nelson)

Does anyone watch the news on the left coast?

2006-08-27T19:01:00.000-07:00

The Emmy's opened up with a spoof of Lost and Conan O'Brian going down on a plane. Whatever bonehead decided to go ahead with the opening deserves to be fired. I like Conan, but I can't believe he wouldn't have pulled the thing.

Awards’ plane-crash spoof intro
By Jamie Gumbrecht
HERALD-LEADER CULTURE WRITER
LEX 18 News ended an evening recap of yesterday’s coverage of the Comair Flight 5191 crash for the live broadcast of the prime-time Emmy Awards. The annual TV awards show opened with shots of host Conan O’Brien bouncing inside a plane before it crashed on an island in a spoof of ABC’s hit show Lost.

WLEX’s president and general manager, Tim Gilbert, who was home watching the telecast with his family, was “stunned” by the intro; if station managers had known about the intro before the broadcast, Lexington viewers wouldn’t have seen it, he said.

“It was a live telecast — we were completely helpless,” Gilbert said of the Emmys. “By the time we began to react, it was over. At the station, we were as horrified as they were at home.”

Gilbert said he’ll complain to NBC, but he said an apology won’t make up for insensitivity.

“They could have killed the opening and it wouldn't have hurt the show at all,” Gilbert said. “We wish somebody had thought this through. It’s somewhere between ignorance and incompetence.”

Lexington Crash of Comair 5191

2006-08-27T11:45:00.000-07:00

I'm watching Comair President Don Bornhorst talking about the crash of Comair 5191 that crashed this morning in Lexington, KY, about an hour away from Louisville. WHAS 11 is showing video of the crash site taken by Reed Yadon, who appears to be the only pilot who got decent footage of the site. The "intact" plane looks like it burned up rapidly. The roof missing. It's not clear if it burned off or was removed by rescuers. For lack of a better cliche, it's almost surreal to see an accident in this state.

The accident appears to have been caused by the unthinkable, going down the wrong runway.

It's an intriguing dance watching the airline and airport authorities having to give news conferences, but refusing to give much information, allegedly to not speculate or hinder the investigation, but certainly so that they can keep their legal impacts to a minimum.

With 49 people dead, I'm sure that this accident will impact someone I know. There have been reports that a UK baseball player was on board who was just married. That report disappeared later in the day.

My prayers and thoughts go out to everyone involved, including the victims, the rescuers, the responders, and the people at Comair.

Interesting fact, this is the first major crash in the US since a crash 10 days after 9/11.

Milner Hotel Implosion - 1995

2006-08-24T03:51:00.000-07:00

Images of the implosion of the Milner hotel taken from the Fifth Third building.

Teacher pulled from classroom for flag burning

2006-08-22T03:15:00.000-07:00

I've always found flag burning to be a waste of a good flag, but not offensive. To me, the real symbol of the United States is our Constituion, which guarantees your right to protest the government. If this guy is let go after 20+ years of service, it sounds like it will be an injustice.

Teacher's flag burning inflames many
A Stuart Middle School teacher has been removed from the classroom after he burned two American flags in class Friday as part of a civics lesson, according to Jefferson County Public Schools officials.

By Chris Kenning
ckenning@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

A Stuart Middle School teacher has been removed from the classroom after he burned two American flags in class during a lesson on freedom of speech, Jefferson County Public Schools officials said.

Dan Holden, who teaches seventh-grade social studies, burned small flags in two different classes Friday and asked students to write an opinion paper about it, district spokeswoman Lauren Roberts said.

A teacher in the school district since 1979, Holden has been temporarily reassigned to non-instructional duties pending a district investigation. The district also alerted city fire officials, who are conducting their own investigation.

“Certainly we’re concerned about the safety aspect,” Roberts said, along with “the judgment of using that type of demonstration in a class.”

Pat Summers, whose daughter was in Holden’s class, said he was among more than 20 parents who showed up at the school Monday upset about the incident. Holden apparently told the students to ask their parents what they thought about the lesson, he said.

“She said, ‘Our teacher burned a flag.’ I’m like, ‘What?’ ” Summers said. “When I was (at the school) at 8 a.m., the lobby was filled with probably 25 or 30 parents” who were upset, he said.

Holden could not be reached Monday for comment.

Roberts said the flag burning did not appear to be politically motivated, based on an interview with Holden.

Summers said no advance notice had been given to parents, nor were school administrators aware of Holden’s plans, Roberts said.

Stuart sixth-grader Kelsey Adwell, 11, said students were abuzz about the incident yesterday.

“They just can’t believe that a teacher would do that — burn two American flags in front of the class,” she said. “A teacher shouldn’t do that, even though it was an example.”

Kentucky has a statute last amended in 1992 making desecration of a national or state flag in a public place a misdemeanor, but the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that flag desecration is protected speech.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky said the federal ruling would trump the state statute.

Congress has tried unsuccessfully to prohibit flag burning with a constitutional amendment. The latest attempt failed in the Senate this year.

Beth Wilson, director of Kentucky’s ACLU, said the district is allowed to decide what’s instructionally appropriate.

But “if a school is masking their objections to flag burning under the guise of safety, it raises questions about freedom of speech and academic freedom,” she said. She said her group would monitor the case but did not plan to get involved at this point.

Regardless, school board member Pat O’Leary said the flag burning was unnecessary and could have offended some students, including those in military families.

“A teacher doesn’t do that,” he said. “It’s just disrespectful.”

Rebecca Creech, a Stuart sixth-grader, said she also thought it was “wrong.”

Ginny Adwell, Kelsey’s mother and the school’s PTA president, said some parents who called for Holden to be fired were “going a little bit overboard” and should remember that the teacher was trying to provoke thought.

Brent McKim, president of the Jefferson County Teachers Association, said Holden has “been teaching for many years, and has by all accounts a good teaching record. It was not a political statement and was meant to illustrate a controversial issue. To fire someone because of that would be inappropriate,” he said. “It wasn’t like he was taking one side or another.”

McKim said he was gathering facts that would determine whether the district was justified in removing Holden from the classroom.

In 2001, a teacher in Sacramento, Calif., faced suspension for using a lighter to singe a corner of an American flag in class.

The teacher later was fired, but district officials cited numerous acts of poor judgment and disregard for superiors.

Reporter Chris Kenning can be reached at (502) 582-4697.

Wanted -- Old Pictures

2006-08-19T21:31:00.000-07:00

My wife and I grew up here and we often talk about how things used to be in the 70s and 80s when we were young. The old layout of Mall St. Matthews. The undeveloped stretches of Hurstbourne and Westport Road. Old stores, old landmarks, old newscasters, etc.

So help me and everyone else with those memories. I am looking for old pictures and video (pre 1990) of Louisville, it's celebrities, its landmarks, its events, and anything else you can provide. I'll post as many as I can on this blog for everyone to see.

Of particular interest to me:

Shots from the 70s and 80s of what malls, stores, the skyline and events were like.

Footage or pictures of anchors, weather people, and other local celebrities.

Scans of old newspaper clippings of interest.

E-mail these items to crutnacker@gmail.com.

Ford -- Their own fault

2006-08-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

While watching coverage of work shutdowns at local Ford plants one worker summed up the situation perfectly. He said that Ford has relied too much on gas guzzling SUVs and Trucks at the expense of developing smaller and more fuel efficient money makers.

I've read that domestic car companies make little if any money on the small car segment. Indeed, the competition is brutal, with Toyota, Honda, and Nissan putting out nice small and midsize cars that are relatively cheap and reliable. Ford's Focus was introduced to great reviews, but Ford's bad habit of keeping the same sheet metal on cars year after year (Taurus anyone?) without a major redesign makes them look dated. Oddly Ford's Mazda has some very sharp looking cars that look fresh year after year.

While it is easy to blame unions and gas prices for domestic automaker's woes, the reality goes much deeper. Domestic models are still not as reliable as their foreign counterparts, their exteriors are often uninspired and their interiors often look, feel, and are cheap. Technology that comes standard on foreign models is optional or non-existant on domestic models. Heck, even something as simple as an interior opening fuel door is tough to find on domestic models.

While I hope Ford recovers, I don't think they'll do it by praying for a miracle or keeping their extensive model lines intact. And I certainly hope things work out for the people they employ and support.

Rolling Stones Opener -- Alice Cooper -- Is That It?

2006-08-15T20:14:00.000-07:00

Alice Cooper's website says he's opening for the Stones on September 29th. One can only hope that the Stones make the most of the night and add a couple of more acts. They have three at their Halifax show, including Cooper, Kanye West, and Sloan. I'm not a big Cooper fan, but he would be entertaining to see once.

I'd love to see Van Morrison come along too. An odd triple bill, but so what?

Cricket Promotions Get Out Of Hand

2006-08-15T19:37:00.000-07:00

I understand the need for companies to get the word out about their services in unique, buzz creating ways. And who am I to complain if the new to Louisville cellular phone provider Cricket Wireless wants to sell 99 cent gas at various spots around town. But I have to draw the line at their latest gimmick, releasing thousands of crickets around town.

As I was mowing the grass today, I saw swarms of them. Not surprising, since Cricket has an office not far from where I live. Little ones, bigger ones. All jumping everywhere I looked.

I guess what they're thinking is that the unceasing racket they create at night will cause you to look up that old buddy from college to help talk you through the evening.

Of course, dealing with Crickets is much better than the cockroaches I've been dealing with at Cingular.

Charlie's Barber Shop -- Great Haircuts for Guys

2006-08-13T11:13:00.000-07:00

Charlie's Barber Shop, located near the Pizza Hut at the shopping center on Taylorsville and Six-Mile, is a great place to get a GUY haircut.

So many salons do a poor job of cutting men's hair. Granted, mine is easy these days since I basically get it shaved down to almost nothing. But Charlie gives you a good haircut for a reasonable price. The shop is clean, has plenty of parking, and Charlie's got a good sense of humor.

Give him a visit.

Visit his website and get a coupon at www.charliesbarbershop.com.

Yung Joc -- Leader in The 'Hood ?????

2006-08-11T03:59:00.000-07:00

While I am not for censorship, and believe anyone should be able to produce the "art" they want, I question the value of having a rap artist visit young people about being "leaders of the 'hood", when his lyrics are full of the things that keep people from being leaders of the 'hood.

Consider the song "It's Goin' Down", which he used as music for a dance contest for these young kids. From reading the lyrics, it appears to be your typical rap boast, which became tired about 1987, full of talk of hoes, cash, pistols, and the N word and a few MFs to boot.

I once heard a woman who ran a drug education organization asked why she didn't use celebrities as spokespeople. She mentioned that as soon as you do, that same person gets into trouble that basically obliterates the message they were trying to send. While it's admirable for anyone to want to help inner city youth, it's also naive to think that he's not sending a mixed message, and that his tossing of five dollar bills glamourizes a lifestyle that probably nobody there will obtain. Of course, 18 year old Jacinta Sloan says that much more elegantly than I can in the article below.

Rapper takes time out to meet with youth
By Jessie Halladay
jhalladay@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

About 100 young people spent nearly two hours squirming on the bleachers of the Presbyterian Community Center as they waited for rap artist Yung Joc.

Finally, a high-pitched scream erupted as he entered the gym.

The rapper from Atlanta was in Louisville Thursday performing at Headliners Music Hall, but after stopping at several radio stations in the afternoon he took a few minutes to talk with young people at the community center on Hancock Street near the Sheppard Square public housing complex.

Yung Joc told the children about how he lost seven friends to violence in 2004. He warned the kids to stay off the streets.

“Y’all got to be the leaders of the ’hood,” Yung Joc told the excited crowd. “Life is too precious. You got one time to do it. Make the most of it.”

After speaking, he held a dance contest, handing out $5 bills to some of the children who danced to his hit song, “It’s Goin’ Down.”

Watching them, he said, “It brightens my day. It means love.”

He said several appearances and the rain kept him from getting to the gym earlier but said he thinks it’s important to get out and talk to young people.

She’nique Jackson, 11, waited patiently for the rapper to appear, hoping he would have a good message for youngsters.

She wasn’t disappointed when he walked through the door.

“He’s a good person who’s not only trying to make money but also trying to help kids,” She’nique said.

Jacinta Sloan, 18, waited for Yung Joc hoping to get a picture or an autograph but had to settle for a quick hug. While she said it was a big deal for a celebrity to come to a public housing neighborhood, she was disappointed.

“It’s just words,” she said. “You can’t make people change just by talking to them. People can relate to what he said, but I don’t know that it’s going to make a difference.”

Reporter Jessie Halladay can be reached at (502) 582-4081.

8 Ways to Promote Your Student Film

2006-08-10T19:21:00.000-07:00

When I was helping my friends Cord Douglas and Martin Doudoroff make their film New Sensations at Boston University, we had many misadventures. We set off a whole apartment building's smoke alarm with our smoke machine and had the Boston Fire Department show up. We went to the offices of the now defunct Bradlees and wound up breaking office equipment, spilling paint, and once again setting off another smoke detector (and calling the police). We locked ourselves IN an apartment. We even sent our building supplies flying down the highway because we didn't secure them well enough. But never did we think to strike fear in the hearts of Kentuckiana fisherman by dumping an octopus in the Ohio River.

So, Zachary Treitz.... a salute to you from a fellow BU Film School grad. (Class of '93).

How did the octopus wind up in the Ohio River this week?

Courier Journal

A 21-year-old college student from Louisville said in an interview Thursday that he put it there - after shooting videotape of the animal last Sunday for a film project.

He said he had purchased it - dead - from a local seafood shop.

The six-foot-wide octopus made headlines earlier this week when a Jeffersonville fisherman hooked the dead creature while angling for catfish below the dam at the Falls of the Ohio State Park, across from downtown Louisville.

Its discovery prompted officials to speculate that someone may have kept it as a pet and released it - dead or alive - into the river.

Octopuses are invertebrates that live only in salt water and cannot survive for long in fresh water.

Zachary Treitz, of Crescent Hill, told The Courier-Journal that he’s surprised at the interest in the octopus, which he said he had put in the river on Sunday morning after filming it for a picnic scene in a short film project he has been working on.

“I guess we didn’t think about the interest this would cause,” he said. “It was completely surprising.”

Treitz, a Boston University senior, said he’d purchased the octopus from a St. Matthews seafood store and considered eating it after using it in the film.

But it was too old, he said, so he and companions shoved it into the river. They were amazed, he said, to see it swirl life-like in the river’s eddies before disappearing from view.

Reporter Grace Schneider can be reached at (812) 949-4040.

Got my Rolling Stones Tickets

2006-08-10T04:34:00.000-07:00

I'm in the dirt track section at Churchill Downs. Tickets were only $99 apiece. (Hahahahaha.... I said only). For the convenience of using a website and having my tickets mailed to me, I paid just shy of $40 in ticketmaster charges.

One day I'd love to know why this continues. Call me weird, but I wish they'd just bury the stinkin' charges in the price of the tickets, rather than rubbing it in my face.

The seats should be pretty good. By my estimation, I'm less than 200 feet from the stage (assuming the tracks are truly 160 feet wide combined.)

My wife said Terry Meiners said something funny yesterday. Instead of offering a student discount, the Rolling Stones should offer an AARP discount.

Joke all we want, these guys seem to have a better record of surviving their tours than the 20 somethings on American Idol.

And assuming they still make the show (and with 5 million to make, I bet they do). I'll finally get to knock one of my goals off my list at 43things.com

Kroger Plus Card -- HELP

2006-08-10T04:28:00.000-07:00

Can someone explain to me why the brilliant cashiers at Kroger come to a dead stop in scanning your groceries until you produce your "Kroger Plus Card"? This is the card that claims to provide you awesome savings, but often merely takes the price of an item down to what it really should be.

I know that the card works at any point in the transaction. Is it that they don't want you to see how inflated their prices are at the end? (You can knock 20 or 30 off a cart full of groceries if you wait until the end to scan it). Is it that the cashiers get in trouble if they don't ask for it and receive it in the beginning?

Discovering half million dollar error nets local couple $180

2006-08-04T20:06:00.000-07:00

What a generous lot Caesars Indiana is. The one couple in a casino who doesn't want to screw the company out of its money, and they reward the uncovering of a $500,000 mistake with the equivalent of a couple of hours at the slot machines?

I've NEVER won in any visit to Caesars. I'm lucky if I get 20 minutes of play before the money I take is spent. In fact, I now have an arrangement where I just mail them a check for $50 and I save the gas money getting there. So I think I'd be one of the ones tempted to walk away with 10 times what I put in.

I love how they are going to try to track down the people who took the money and ran. I'd suggest going after the people internally who let $500,000 bleed out of the casino in 2 days without realizing the slot machine had problems.

Personally, I'm going to fly to the Philippines, where apparently the slots are all setup this way. I guess they make it up in volume.

Gamblers cash in on Caesars casino error
Slot machine paid out $487,000 over two-day period

By Harold J. Adams
hjadams@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

The Caesars Indiana casino lost nearly half a million dollars over two-days last month on one slot machine that had been incorrectly set to give players credit for 10 times the amount of money they put into it.

Caesars and Indiana Gaming Commission officials say the machine — named Extra Money — paid out $487,000 over the July 21 weekend before an honest gambler from Louisville brought the problem to their attention.

The commission is investigating the matter and might penalize Caesars for failing to follow procedures designed to prevent such a problem, said Jennifer Arnold, its deputy director.

But so far, at least, there’s no indication that criminal behavior was involved, according to casino management and the Indiana State Police.

Caesars, which is on the Ohio River in Harrison County, plans to try to track down the missing money.

But Ernest Yelton, executive director of the Indiana Gaming Commission, said he doesn’t know whether the players who benefited are under any legal obligation.

“I would suggest you consult an attorney,” he told a reporter

Friendly competition exposes problem
The problem came to Caesars’ attention after Kathryn Ford and her husband, David, sat down at two of the Extra Money slot machines on the night of July 23.

“We were going to have a race to see who could accumulate the most at one time on the same machine,” Kathryn Ford said Thursday.

But it soon became apparent that she had a very big advantage.

“He put a twenty in, and I put a twenty in, and my credits registered at 200 (dollars),” she said.

Confused, she tried a different $20 bill “and the same thing happened.”

Ford said she put eight $20 bills in the machine, and without playing even once she found herself with vouchers that could be redeemed for $1,600 in cash.

The extra cash put out by the Extra Money machine caught the attention of other gamblers, she said.

“There was even a young woman who jumped in while I was sitting there,” Ford said. “She … reached across me, popped a hundred in, popped out a thousand and then she took off.”

Ford said she and her husband flagged down a security officer to report the problem.

Machine set for use in Philippines

It turned out that the machine was one of a bank of eight slots in which new software had been installed on July 21, according to a gaming commission incident report.

The other seven machines checked out fine. But the one Ford was using had a switch set in a position for use in the Philippines instead of the United States, and it instructed the machine to multiply credits by 10, the report states.

Ed Garruto, general manager of the casino, said “our testing procedures before putting the game in place were not completely followed.”

Arnold said Caesars needed “to test a machine to make sure that if you put $10 in, you get $10 in credit, and then when you push cash out, that you get what you’re due.”

She added: “It appears that they failed to do that test. Had they done that they would have known that the machine was set to the wrong setting for currency.”

Arnold said the commission will “be looking at what occurred in their operation that allowed this type of breakdown.”

The results of the commission’s investigation will be sent to the agency’s compliance committee for review, she said.

Arnold said that Caesars’ management has been cooperative, but that the casino could still face sanctions, including a possible fine or a requirement for a plan to address any flaws that are found.

Technician suspended
The commission’s incident report said three technicians and one supervisor were involved in the installation and testing of the slot machine’s software.

The technician who set the machine “has been suspended pending investigation with others to follow,” the report stated.

Garruto said casino officials “have considered the possibility of collusion, but at this time we do not believe that it was deliberate or that there was collusion involved.”

He added, “It looks like it was a costly mistake.”

Garruto declined to comment on other possible disciplinary action or whether other employees might be affected.

Casino looks to get back money
Caesars, meanwhile, plans to try to get back its money.

“We are going to contact some of the patrons who may have benefited a great deal and see if we can effect a recovery,” Garruto said.

He said he isn’t sure whether the gamblers are legally required to return the money.

Some of those who benefited will be easy to track down. The incident report says that 24 patrons inserted their Player Cards — which allow the casino to track their gambling and reward them with perks — while getting vouchers out of the machine.

But Garruto said he thought “there were quite a few more” who did not use Player Cards and would thus require more effort to track down.

He said he was grateful that Ford alerted Caesars to the problem.

Ford said she thought about cashing her $1,600 in tickets but decided against it.

“Besides the guilt we would have for … sitting there putting money in the thing and knowing it wasn’t right, we are fully aware that they have cameras all over the place,” she said.

Ford said she and her husband go to the casino about once a week “on what we call date night.”

“We have four kids and a mom that lives with us and a dog, and we both work,” she said. “And one night a week we go and have some fun with young people … and everybody’s there to enjoy themselves and have a good time.”

Ford said Caesars was very nice to her when she reported the slot machine problem. And in the end officials told her she could keep one of those $200 vouchers.

Two more bridges to Indiana and a new Arena.... Is this what we have to look forward to?

2006-07-25T07:06:00.000-07:00

I'm sure there's enough bridge building experience out there to make sure that most people will travel across both of the bridges safely. But when I read about the Big Dig, I have to wonder what Louisville is in store for with such massive public projects coming up, especially, given the fact we can't even PAINT a bridge properly. I do like how the East End Bridges are more pleasing to the eye. Maybe we can have a Bridgearama when it opens.

By BROOKE DONALD, Associated Press Writer
Tue Jul 25, 5:43 AM ET

BOSTON - Traffic was disrupted once again in a key Big Dig tunnel after inspectors found loose bolts in a ceiling panel — the same sort of problem that is believed to have killed a motorist earlier this month.

Three loose bolts — one had dislodged about a half inch — were found at the westbound entrance to the Ted Williams harbor tunnel Monday. Traffic was diverted around the questionable panel and it was shored up with a portable support device.

"This is a precautionary step. There was no sign of failure, but we are erring on the side of public safety," Jon Carlisle, a spokesman for the state Highway Department, said Monday night.

A connector tunnel system leading to the eastbound side of the Ted Williams Tunnel, as well as ramps leading from the Boston end of the westbound section, have been closed since several 3-ton concrete ceiling panels in the connector tunnel crushed a car on July 10, killing Milena Del Valle, 39, of Boston.

The bolt-and-epoxy system holding up the ceiling panels in those tunnels has been the focus of the subsequent investigation.

The Ted Williams Tunnel's panels are lighter and its suspension system considered more substantial, but the eastbound tunnel was closed for a day last week when two bolts were found to have slipped. Those areas are being reinforced with the same type of portable device as the westbound panel.

Gov. Mitt Romney has said the Ted Williams Tunnel, which extends Interstate 90 between downtown Boston and Logan International Airport, would get daily inspections until pull tests on the ceiling panels could be completed.

The latest problem was discovered hours after Massachusetts Turnpike Authority Chairman Matt Amorello, who has overseen the beleaguered Big Dig project, filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent the governor from holding a hearing on Thursday seeking to demote him from his $223,000-a-year post.

Romney has long criticized his management of the Big Dig, and renewed calls for his ouster as chairman since the fatal ceiling collapse. Amorello's lawyers contend that the governor does not have the authority to demote him.

"The governor has invented a power he does not have," according to the 12-page lawsuit. Amorello's spokeswoman, Mariellen Burns, said the governor's actions are "politically motivated."

Eric Fehrnstrom, a Romney spokesman, countered: "We are confident that we are acting within the law, and we will make our argument in court."

The $14.6 billion Big Dig project, the most expensive in U.S. history, buried much of the city's highway network in tunnels. It took over a decade to complete and has since been plagued by leaks, falling debris, cost overruns, delays and problems linked to faulty construction.

___

Associated Press reporters Glen Johnson and Denise Lavoie contributed to this report.

Terry Meiners -- FCC Poster Child?

2006-07-19T17:41:00.000-07:00

Terry Meiners did one of his typically unfunny gay bashing bits yesterday, in which he read various news stories about gay people. One story he read was about a waiter filing a lawsuit for $150 million. He put a disclaimer in front of his statement that he was about to say something a bit rough, but Clear Channel's said he could say it.

Apparently the one of the comments made to the waiter was something about the harasser saying he wanted to "eat his ass."

I've always wondered why Mr. Ultra Conservative family values is so obsessed with gays and toilet humor.

That sounds like the type of think that would get Howard Stern and CC a huge fine.

I've already filed my complaint with the FCC.

Where can I get a retirement card for a criminal priest?

2006-07-18T18:56:00.000-07:00

Archbishop Thomas Kelly announced his retirement this past week. I know I should be a good Catholic and forgive him, but I think he should have been permanently retired, either to a jail cell or a monestary on an isolated island years ago.

During his tenure as priest, he presided over several coverups of sexually abusive priests. Rather than deal with it as a crime, he decided to treat it like a mild confession. Their penance was moving somewhere else with the promise never to sin again. Among the accused abusers he didn't stop were priests at both my wife's church when she was a child, and mine. In other words, she or I could easily have been a victim.

But the victimization didn't stop with the kids these sicko priests abused with Kelly's tacit approval. It continued with the ginormous settlement that Kelly agreed to with the victims. Why not? It's not Kelly's money. It's the money of the very people he was supposed to be serving. So the victims become the GOOD people of the Catholic Church. The people who contribute their time, talent, and treasure, and the many good priests who try to make do with minimal funding.

If you think I'm being hard on Archbishop Kelly, or think maybe his problems with alcohol and pain killers may have affected his judgement, I want you to read the story below and know why I think he deserves to be in jail.

Priest's abuse of children was known for years
Courier-Journal, The (Louisville, KY)
May 4, 2003
Author: WOLFSON ANDREWSTAFF
Estimated printed pages: 13

Records paint a disturbing portrait of Daniel C. Clark's addiction to child sex and the church's response to it.

ANDREW WOLFSON

awolfson@courier-journal.com

The Courier-Journal

As a seminary student at Cincinnati's Mount St. Mary's, the Rev. Daniel C. Clark ranked last in his class after his first year, and faculty later described him as ``very much of a loner.''

But Clark seemed to have one gift, according to his evaluations: He was great with children.

``His way with youths was really an asset to our parish,'' wrote Robert Sonntag, a church leader in Aurora, Ind., where Clark worked with Boy Scouts and other children in 1978, before he was ordained.

It was Clark's attraction to children, however, that ultimately destroyed his priesthood and damaged the lives of young parishioners, many of whom had turned to him for counsel.

In lawsuits filed against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville, Clark, 55, is accused of molesting 19 children ages 5 to 17.

Convicted in 1988 of sodomizing one boy and sexually abusing another, Clark also faces 60 years to life in prison if found guilty of new criminal charges alleging he abused two other boys from 1998 until last May.

He has pleaded innocent a trial is scheduled to begin June 24 in Bullitt Circuit Court. Clark, who now wears an orange jail jumpsuit instead of his clerical collar, has been held in the Bullitt County Detention Center since his arrest Aug. 7, unable to make his $500,000 bail.

Clark, who was removed from all ministry last summer but remains a priest, declined to talk with a reporter, as did his lawyer, David Lambertus.

But records surrendered by the archdiocese - including Clark's 373-page personnel file and 20 years of correspondence with Archbishop Thomas C. Kelly - paint a disturbing portrait of the priest's addiction to sex with children and the archdiocese's response to it. The records show that:

½ Archdiocesan officials twice talked with Clark about voluntarily leaving the priesthood - once before his 1988 conviction ``because of his past record'' of molesting children, and once after. But when Clark balked both times, Kelly declined to petition the Vatican to defrock him.

½ Despite knowing Clark had told his psychiatrist in 1986 that he wouldn't assign himself to a parish because ``the risk is too great,'' Kelly assigned him the next year to serve as a part-time pastor at SS Simon & Jude church. Clark also was allowed to fill in regularly as a weekend substitute at other parishes.

The archdiocese also assigned Clark in 1986 to live with the Holy Cross Brothers, despite concerns he might abuse students at Holy Cross High School, which shares the campus. ``We will make it quite clear that he is not to be involved with the high school in any way,'' the archdiocese's clergy personnel director wrote to Clark's psychiatrist. ``But is he capable of keeping such a commitment?''

½ Immediately after his 1988 conviction, Clark confided to Kelly that he was ``terrified of doing it again.'' But while Clark was removed from public ministry upon his arrest and never again assigned to a parish, over the next 14 years he was allowed to volunteer his services to numerous organizations.

The archdiocese said it relied on Clark to tell the groups he volunteered with about the restrictions on his ministry, including that he was barred from working with children.

But representatives of several groups, including volunteer fire departments, ham radio organizations and the local Department for Disaster and Emergency Services, said they didn't know of his record or the restrictions - they just knew him as ``Father Dan.''

Citing in part the pending litigation, the archdiocese's chancellor and chief administrative officer, Brian Reynolds, declined to respond to questions about Clark and how the church dealt with him. Other priests mentioned in the files declined to comment or didn't return a reporter's calls.

``In the past year we have all heard so many new reports from people telling they were abused by Fr. Clark,'' Reynolds said in a brief statement by e-mail. ``Their stories are tragic and painful.

``I wish no child ever had to experience any form of abuse, especially by a member of the clergy,'' Reynolds said. ``In hindsight it is easy to say the church should have seen more or acted sooner.''

`A LOT OF BAD THINGS'

Clark said his pastor

molested him as a child

Daniel Cooper Clark's mother was Catholic, his father was not, and he wasn't baptized in the faith until 12 years after he was born on a farm in Winchester, Ind., in 1948.

He would later tell one of his victims, according to court records, that ``there was just a lot of bad things going on in my childhood.'' The records also show Clark would later tell one of his victims, as well as Kelly, that he was molested in his childhood by his own pastor.

When Clark decided to pursue ministry as a young man, the Archdiocese of Indianapolis sponsored him, then dropped him for unexplained reasons while he was pursuing his undergraduate degree at St. Meinrad.

Later, at Mount St. Mary's, where he was sponsored by the Archdiocese of Louisville, Clark nearly flunked out. Scott Andrew, a classmate and longtime friend who eventually left the priesthood and is now a family therapist, said Clark wasn't ``bookwise'' and liked to drink and party more than study.

Clark would be diagnosed in the 1980s as ``cross-addicted to sex and alcohol.''

In 1980, the faculty at Mount St. Mary's refused to recommend him for ordination, but the Louisville archdiocese interceded on his behalf. ThenArchbishop Thomas McDonough had said in a 1978 memo that Clark ``meets people well, he is concerned, he is involved and he is interested.''

In 1979, the archdiocese's vocational director reminded seminary officials that the Vatican had ordered seminaries to cooperate with dioceses in producing priests, and said, ``This report is meant to suggest (Clark's) readiness to be approved for major orders.''

``They were desperate for bodies,'' said Monsignor Lawrence Breslin, the seminary's former rector, who said he remembered Clark as ``immature'' and unimpressive.

Eventually, the seminary allowed Clark to graduate, and he was ordained on May 24, 1980.

He was assigned to St. Rita on Preston Highway, and a month later began complaining in memos to the archdiocese that his $467 in salary and stipends left him unable to repay student loans or even leave the parish on his days off.

``As a result,'' he wrote five months after becoming a priest, ``I am experiencing a burned-out feeling.''

Within a year, he had molested his first victim at St. Rita, he admitted later in court. Thirteen plaintiffs contend in lawsuits against the archdiocese that they also were abused by Clark when he was at St. Rita.

They include Paul Barrett, who said he was 16 when he went to see Clark for counseling after his parents' divorce. ``I reached out my hand to him for help, and he bit me like an old dog,'' said Barrett, now 38.

Barrett alleges that Clark fondled and later masturbated him under the guise that girls were interested in him and would want to touch him, and that the priest could ``help me through it.''

Barrett says he tried to report Clark to the church's pastor, but another priest, now dead, told him to ``leave the church premises.''

Another plaintiff, Brian J. Weatherbee, said he told his mother in June 1981, when he was 13, that Clark, after luring him to his apartment, stuck his hand in Weatherbee's underpants while consoling him for breaking a vase.

Harriet Ann Weatherbee testified in a deposition last year that she reported her son's allegation to St. Rita's pastor, the Rev. Vincent Schweizer, on July 3, 1981, and that Schweizer assured her that it had been reported to the archdiocese.

At least one other parent reported Clark to Schweizer for allegedly molesting his son, Schweizer acknowledged in a deposition last year. Schweizer said he referred the man to the archdiocese, but never followed up, taking Clark's word that he had been referred for counseling.

Clark later pleaded guilty in Jefferson Circuit Court to molesting two children at St. Rita, including an 11year-old whom he called out of class about a week after the boy's brother was killed.

Other plaintiffs who have filed suit against the archdiocese allege that Clark molested them at St. Rita under the guise of helping expel their evil spirits, checking them for ``nerves'' and curing stomach aches.

NEW ASSIGNMENTS

Sex, marijuana use

reportedly continued

In June 1982, about a year after allegations about Clark reportedly were made to the archdiocese, Kelly - who had recently been installed as archbishop - transferred Clark to another parish, St. Dominic in Springfield, Ky.

``I know that you will bring great zeal and fidelity to this assignment,'' Kelly told Clark in a letter, ``and I am equally confident that you will be well-received by the people you are to serve.''

St. Dominic parishioner John Willis Grider, then 17, would later say the newly ordained Clark appealed to him because he drove a Jeep, drank at a local bar and was relatively young.

Grider was sent by his mother to Clark for counseling because, according to court papers, the boy had been drinking, smoking pot and having problems in school.

``We had a few beers, and Clark produced a green, tin lock box containing marijuana, rolling papers and pipes,' Grider said in court papers, describing his first counseling session in the summer of 1982.

``After a few hits of marijuana, Clark said he would teach me some relaxation exercises in his bedroom upstairs. . . . Clark massaged my chest and subsequently loosened my belt and unzipped my jeans.''

Grider said that after Clark fondled and sodomized him, he walked home and told his mother, who reported it to St. Dominic's pastor, the Rev. James T. Blandford. Blandford said in an interview that neither parishioners nor Kelly ever told him about any improper conduct involving Clark.

Clark, however, apologized to Grider, according to an Oct. 18, 1982, letter addressed ``Dear John'' that is now in Clark's personnel file:

``I ask for forgiveness for the anxiety I may have caused you,'' Clark wrote. ``John, I am most sincere when I say I beg your forgiveness - I trust now in the Lord.''

On April 6, 1983, Clark began seeing a psychiatrist, Dr. Robert O'Connor, for ``emotional illness,'' according to records from the archdiocese, which paid for the counseling.

Two months later, Kelly transferred Clark to St. John Vianney parish on Southside Drive, where over three years he allegedly abused four boys, according to suits pending against the archdiocese.

While at St. John Vianney, Clark also befriended a Bullitt County woman, Geraldine Henry, who had four children, two of them boys. Clark would take the family food, money and toys, and take the boys, John and Ralph, on fishing trips, recalled April Divine, one of Geraldine Henry's daughters.

``We looked at him as a father figure, because we didn't have one,'' Divine said in an interview.

She said Clark began a relationship with her mother, once promising to leave the church and marry her. But eventually, Ralph and John would confide in their mother that Clark had molested them, according to Divine and lawsuits both men have filed against the archdiocese.

Divine said her mother, who has lost her voice box to cancer and cannot talk, now believes Clark was only interested in her sons.

Divine said her mother told Clark to stay away after her sons' revelations, but after Clark apologized in writing and assured her that he'd undergone treatment, she allowed him to visit again.

``Everybody thought he was a changed man,'' Ralph Henry told a Shepherdsville Police Department detective last year. ``I mean he wears a collar of God.''

SCANDAL FORESEEN

Pastor told archbishop

of ongoing problems

Clark's involvement with Geraldine Henry was no secret to the archdiocese, its records show. Nor was his interest in her sons. In a July 1985 letter to Kelly, St. John Vianney's pastor, the Rev. James J. Lichtefeld Sr., said: ``John Henry's mother's name is Geraldine and since he goes over there often it could be that she is the Gerri that he is infatuated with. However, the evening he talked about John Henry . . . he made it clear that it was not . . . John's mother, that he was interested in.''

Lichtefeld also wrote that Clark had mentioned his ``involvement with some high school boys when he was at St. Rita's.''

Lichtefeld complained that Clark was ``just going through the motions with Mass'' and ``not praying,'' and that he was drinking often and early in the day. Urging Kelly to grant Clark a leave of absence, Lichtefeld concluded: ``I do know that he doesn't and can't operate as a priest and he knows it too. If he stays here and continues as he is, he will be causing scandal.''

Kelly granted the leave, noting in a memo that he approved it because of Clark's relationship with Geraldine Henry, his lack of enthusiasm for preaching and his ``continued starving for attention.''

When Clark returned to the archdiocese, his psychiatrist offered a bleak prognosis to the Rev. William L. Fichteman, the archdiocese clergy personnel director.

``Dr. O'Connor has seen very little progress in Dan and believes that he is, for the most part, in a state of denial of his situation,'' Fichteman said in a May 1986 memo. ``Instead of relating priest to people, he still relates to people in categories such as son to parent, intimate friend, etc. Thus, he forms relationships with people which are inappropriate for a priest.''

Fichteman also expressed reservations about Clark's return to active ministry.

``We are concerned that he is simply ineffective as a priest and has nothing to offer a parish,'' Fichteman wrote. ``This perception is affirmed by the fact that three or four pastors who have been approached about Dan coming to their parishes have said, `Absolutely not!' ''

Fichteman added that Clark - when asked by his psychiatrist to reverse roles and say where he should be assigned - ``finally said he would not assign himself to a parish. . . . The risk would be too great.''

Fichteman said O'Connor rejected the idea that Clark request laicization, or removal from the priesthood. ``There is no way Dan could function as a lay person,'' O'Connor said, according to Fichteman's memo.

The records show Clark worked on Kelly to salvage his priesthood.

``Perhaps it sounds strange, but I would like to experience death as a priest of the Lord,'' Clark wrote the archbishop in June 1986.

After ``careful consideration,'' Kelly allowed Clark to work as chaplain at the old Highlands Baptist Hospital and in 1987 assigned him as a parttime pastor at SS Simon & Jude.

He was serving there and living at the Passionist Monastery on Newburg Road when one of his victims from St. Rita called him on June 14, 1988 - in a conversation recorded by detectives from the local Crimes Against Children Unit.

``Did you really care, or were you using me?'' asked the victim, then 18.

``No, I really cared and I still do,'' Clark said. ``I prayed for you a lot. I still do.''

``Then why did you do it?'' the teenager asked.

``Because I was sick - I was very mentally ill, which is obvious and no one in their right mind would do something like that.''

Clark was arrested nine days later. Kelly passed on that news to his fellow priests by letter.

``One of our brother priests has been arraigned on charges of child abuse,'' Kelly wrote. ``Our first concern must be with those who made these charges. . . . At the same time, I have offered to Father Dan Clark our prayerful and fraternal support.''

Kelly then removed Clark from public ministry.

Clark's friend, Scott Andrew, said that when he visited the priest while he was awaiting trial, Clark told him that he had molested ``numerous children in numerous Kentucky counties, and across state lines in Indiana.''

Clark eventually pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 15 years in prison but was required to serve only 90 days in a work-release program. He was ordered to have no contact with children during his probation, which was set at five years.

In 1989, the archdiocese paid one of the prosecuting witnesses, Michael Thomas Mudd, $207,000 to settle a lawsuit filed against it and Clark - with the stipulation that he never disclose the terms of the accord or that it was settled.

ON SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT

Clark stayed busy

with volunteer groups

It was about that time that Clark began sponsoring local Sex Addicts Anonymous groups and serving on the steering committee of a national council on the subject.

The Rev. William F. Medley, who succeeded Fichteman as the archdiocese's clergy personnel director, rejected Clark's proposal that he be appointed as the church's contact person for priests with sexual problems - problems that Clark predicted then would cause the church ``economic devastation.''

In a January 1990 memo addressing Clark's future as a priest, Medley wrote that Clark was ``shocked'' to learn that the church's lawyer had decided he could never be assigned a ministerial role because doing so ``implied a position of trust,'' even if it did not specifically involve children.

``An example would be that of chaplain to a nursing home,'' Medley wrote. ``There would, obviously, not be any direct ministry to minor children but his position there could obviously lead to contact with children and he would be viewed as holding a position of trust.''

Two years later, Kelly would assign another priest, the Rev. Louis Miller, to be chaplain at a nursing and retirement home, despite knowing that Miller had admitted in a mental health evaluation to fondling boys his entire adult life.

In his own memo about a conversation with Clark, Kelly said he told the priest it was so expensive keeping him on salary and housed in the Passionist Monastery that ``I planted the idea - which he loathed - of possible laicization.''

Clark rejected the idea in a Feb. 6, 1990, letter to Kelly: ``After a great deal of prayer, discussion with Dr. O'Connor, feedback from colleagues and brother clergy, a request for laicization is not an option I can or should embrace.''

For many of the next 12 years, Clark was listed in the official national Catholic directory as being on ``special assignment.'' He served on the archdiocese's Priest Council, and, according to annual memos he wrote to Kelly, was ghost-writing decisions for a priest appeal board, among other duties.

He also kept busy as a volunteer.

He was a storm spotter, for example, for the old Louisville-Jefferson County Department of Disaster and Emergency Services, becoming known as the ``Priest in the Bell Tower.'' As bad weather approached, Clark would climb to the highest perch at the Passionist Community.

``We always felt safer when the priest was in the tower watching the skies,'' said Curran Copeland, the agency's former hazard mitigation officer.

Copeland added that as the agency's informal chaplain, Clark ``would do whatever was needed, whether it was cleaning toilets or comforting someone who had just lost his spouse. . . . He really did care about people, and he had an undying, unlimited faith in God.''

Others praised Clark for his willingness to help addicts in the middle of the night.

Cecelia Price, the archdiocese's spokeswoman, said Clark was expected to inform the volunteer groups about his history.

But the Camp Taylor Fire Department, didn't know about Clark, where he was chaplain until last year, according to Chief Harold Adkins. Nor did Kentucky REACT, a group of private radio operators that Clark was involved with in the 1990s.

``If I had had that information, he wouldn't be on our board - we had teenagers in our program,'' said Ruby Gordon, retired program director of the Health Department's methadone program, which in 1994 invited Clark to serve as a director.

Copeland also said his organization didn't know. ``He seemed to have no sex at all. . . . He could crack a dirty joke now and then, but it came off kind of lame, like he had read the joke but was just repeating it.''

FRIENDSHIP'S END

Ex-colleague tells Clark

to stay away from his children

In one of his last recorded letters to Kelly, in April 2000, Clark insisted he was in control of his urges, saying he could ``maintain strict boundaries in my ministry.''

And as recently as 1999, Kelly indicated that he thought Clark had successfully rehabilitated himself. ``I am very proud of you,'' Kelly wrote to him after he received an award from the National Council on Sexual Addictions: ``You have turned ultimate misfortune into the ground of a successful ministry, and we are all grateful for your generosity of spirit that prompts you to continue so faithful in this work.''

But according to his Bullitt County indictment, he was - at that very time - visiting the Henry home and sodomizing two additional boys, ages 11 and 12.

Clark's friend Andrew said he decided last year that he could no longer have the priest around his own two children, who once affectionately addressed him as ``Uncle Dan.''

Andrew called and left a message that Clark was no longer welcome in his home when his children were there.

``I told him, `the truth of it is you're a pedophile' and that there is no cure,'' Andrew recalled. ``It broke my heart that it ended our friendship. But I couldn't trust him.''

The Rev. Daniel C. Clark, convicted of sodomy in 1988, has pleaded innocent to abusing boys from 1998 until last May. He is jailed in Bullitt County.

BY PATTI LONGMIRE, SPECIAL TO THE COURIER-JOURNAL

Daniel C. Clark, shown with attorney David Lambertus, was arraigned in Bullitt County in August. Clark was removed from all ministry last summer but remains a priest in the Archdiocese of Louisville.

Archbishop Thomas C. Kelly, left, declined to petition the Vatican to defrock Clark, although church officials talked with Clark about leaving the priesthood.
Edition: MET;METRO
Section: NEWS
Page: 01A

Index Terms: RELIGION; CHURCH; CATHOLIC; Rev. Daniel C. Clark; Archbishop Thomas C. Kelly
Dateline: KENTUCKY, USA;UNITED STATES, LOUISVILLE
Copyright (c) The Courier-Journal. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Gannett Co., Inc. by NewsBank, inc.
Record Number: lou2003061314541120

Shane Ragland -- Can somebody actually make him stick to the conditions of his release?

2006-07-13T03:59:00.000-07:00

Shane Ragland has a habit of violating whatever restrictions are in place for him, be it the laws of the commonwealth, conditions of sentencing, or conditions of his bond. His family likes to pretend that he's a fine guy caught up in a case where he's been framed by the Lexington Police. But his criminal history would suggest that, at the very least, he has the sense he is untouchable and that the laws you and I abide by every day are not important.

While I certainly hope this trial goes without incident and he is convicted again fair and square, my biggest hope is that the law is on him like white on rice every step of the way and that the slightest violation puts him back in jail.

Shane Ragland out of jail

By Jeffrey McMurray
Associated Press

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Shane Ragland, facing a second trial on charges that he murdered a University of Kentucky football player, was released from jail yesterday after his father posted $1 million bail.

Ragland left the Fayette County Detention Center about 3:30 p.m. EDT, said Lt. Darin Kelly, a jail spokesman. Ragland told reporters outside that complete vindication was his goal.

"This is the best for the case so that I can actually communicate with my attorneys and do what's right," Ragland said. "That's all I can ask for. I just want a fair trial."

Under conditions of his release, set by Judge Thomas Clark, Ragland was fitted for electronic monitoring and must stay within 100 feet of his father's Frankfort home, where he has decided to live during his trial. He also must pay for drug tests and is subject to global positioning tracking.

Ragland's father, Jerry, said yesterday he is confident his son will be exonerated.

"It's going to be a lot different result this time," Jerry Ragland told WKYT-TV in Lexington.

Ragland was convicted in 2002 and sentenced to 30 years in prison for the shooting death of Trent DiGiuro while DiGiuro was celebrating his 21st birthday in 1994. The state Supreme Court ordered a new trial in March based on inadmissible evidence concerning a bullet.

Ragland's arrest came years after DiGiuro's death when a former Ragland girlfriend contacted police. She told investigators Ragland told her some years earlier that he had shot DiGiuro as revenge for DiGiuro's keeping Ragland out of a fraternity. Police arranged for the woman to meet with Ragland again and get him to talk about the case.

Joshua Northup -- Rest in Peace

2006-07-13T03:54:00.000-07:00

No matter how you feel about her politics, in my estimation, it is the worst thing in the world to have one of your children die. I can only imagine how it feels. Some of my wife's friends worked with Joshua and my understanding is that he was a really great guy. My sympathies go out to his family.

Rep. Northup's son Joshua, 30, dies at his home

By Kay Stewart
kstewart@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

U.S. Rep. Anne Northup's 30-year-old son, remembered yesterday as a beloved presence in a family of six children, suffered from a severe, undiagnosed heart problem that led to his death, a family spokesman said.

Friends and family of Joshua Northup grew worried about him yesterday after he didn't show up for work at Humana two days in a row.

His father, Robert "Woody" Northup, went to check on him at his apartment on South Galt Avenue in the Crescent Hill neighborhood.

EMS was called, and Joshua Northup was pronounced dead at his home just before noon by Gayle Norris, a deputy coroner.

She said the official cause of death was awaiting toxicology reports, but the death appeared to be the result of natural causes.

Terry Carmack, Northup's chief of staff, said the autopsy revealed a severe heart problem that led to his death, although not all the details are known.

Carmack said Joshua Northup had been diagnosed with high blood pressure about two months ago and was on medication for that, but a heart ailment had not been diagnosed. He said Northup had not been ill recently.

A statement from Anne and Woody Northup said: "He was a beloved member of the family. We are grieving his loss and have a hole in our hearts that will never go away."

Joshua, one of the Northups' two adopted children, was 2 months old when he joined the family at Christmas, Carmack said.

"He was brought out in a giant Christmas stocking," he said. "It is one of the family's fondest memories."

Joshua was the third-oldest among the six Northup children.

David Northup, 35, remembered his younger brother as "welcoming to everyone." He said he was gentle with an impish sense of humor and had a wide range of interests including books, movies, history and current events.

"He touched a lot of people," he said.

Anne Northup, R-3rd District, flew back from her Washington office when she received word of his death.

Carmack said Joshua Northup had worked for Humana for four years and had been a supervisor for more than a year. He was a 1994 graduate of St. Xavier High School and a 1998 graduate of St. Joseph College in Rensselaer, Ind.

In his spring semester of college in 1995, he studied in Tanzania, where he was also a volunteer in a leprosy colony, Carmack said. In Louisville, he was a volunteer for Wesley House Community Services.

His mother's campaign for a sixth term is suspended for now, said her campaign manager, Patrick Neely.

John Yarmuth, Northup's Democratic opponent in the fall election, issued a statement saying his family extends "heartfelt condolences and prayers to the Northup family. We ask our friends, supporters and the entire community to join us in prayer for the Northup family during this very difficult time."

U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell's statement said, "Elaine joins me in offering Anne, Woody and the entire Northup family our loving prayers during this sad time. I have come to consider Anne and Woody close personal friends over the years and know their deep faith and close family will see them through the loss of their beloved Joshua."

Tom Simms, a teacher at St. Xavier, said Joshua Northup had been involved in the Kentucky Youth Assembly, which teaches students about government, while in high school.

"He was sharp, he was articulate and he loved the government process, maybe in part … because of his mother," Simms said. "He did really well debating bills and writing laws."

"He was such a nice kid," Simms added.

Humana's statement read: "Joshua was an exemplary Humana associate, beloved by his colleagues and held in high esteem by his supervisors. We are deeply saddened by his death and extend our thoughts, prayers and heartfelt sympathy to his family."

World Cup Soccer -- Why I don't give a $&!^

2006-07-09T19:49:00.000-07:00

Before everyone gets nasty with me about what great atheletes World Cup Soccer players are and how it's the world's sport, let me give you my awful American opinion.....

Soccer sucks. Why would I want to watch an hour or more of people chasing a white ball around a field the size of a small town only to have the game settled by penalty kicks? Penalty kicks seem to be the sports own acknowledgement that there is a limit to how much boredom one can take. Honestly, if the sport was that exciting, why would they need to get into fist fights, spectator trampling riots, and set fire to the stadium during the games?

BORING BORING BORING!

Italy beats France for 4th World Cup title By BARRY WILNER, AP Sports Writer
1 hour, 5 minutes ago

The beautiful game turned vicious, even venomous Sunday. It was all still beautiful to Italy. And very ugly for France, which lost captain Zinedine Zidane with a red card after his nasty head butt in extra time, and then went down 5-3 in a shootout after a 1-1 draw.

Explanations were nonexistent for Zidane's action in the 110th minute of his farewell game. He was walking upfield near defender Marco Materazzi when, in his final act for his national team, he bashed his shaven head into Materazzi's chest.

"I have not seen the replays, but if it's voluntary then there's nothing you can say," France coach Raymond Domenech said. "But it's a shame. It's sad. He (Materazzi) did a lot of acting and for such a big man, a gust of wind made him fall over."

Not quite. Zidane, who is retiring, might have been provoked, but he definitely knocked over Materazzi.

"It's regrettable. We regret it, he regrets it," Domenech said.

Without their leader, the French still had their chance in the shootout. But the Italians, never masters of the penalty kick, made all five, setting off an hour of hugging, dancing and fist-pumping celebrations.

"This squad showed great heart," Gennaro Gattuso said. "Maybe it wasn't pretty, but we were hard to beat."

They were impossible to beat and gave up only one goal actually scored by an opponent. And no, it was not pretty.

Outplayed for an hour and into extra time, the Italians won it after Zidane committed the ugliest act of a tournament that set records for yellow and red cards, diving and, at times, outright brutality.

Asked if French soccer would miss Zidane, Domenech said:

"Yes, well, he was missed in the last 20 minutes tonight. It weighed heavily in the outcome."

Without their leader for the shootout, the French only missed once. But Italy was perfect. Fabio Grosso clinched the Azzurri's fourth championship, and his teammates had to chase him halfway across the pitch to celebrate.

"It's incredibly emotional. Words can hardly describe it," Grosso said. "Maybe we still don't realize what we have achieved. We really wanted to win and in the end we made it."

Only Brazil has more World Cups, five.

Until now, no team since the last Azzurri champions in 1982 had to endure the stress and anguish of a soccer scandal. Rather than be disrupted by the current probe ripping apart the national sport back home, the Italians survived.

"If the scandal hadn't happened I think we wouldn't have won the World Cup," Gattuso said. "It has given us more strength."

Verdicts in the match-fixing trial that could relegate four teams — and 13 of Italy's 23 players — to lower divisions are expected next week.

France underwent a renaissance of its own in the last month. The French, racked by dissension, nearly went out in the first round for the second straight World Cup, and then Zidane turned them around. They controlled the flow of play Sunday, only to fail to finish through 120 minutes.

Their only goal, Zidane's penalty kick in the seventh minute, was the lone score by an Italy opponent in seven games.

But the Italians put the ball into the net 12 minutes later on Materazzi's header off a corner kick. And then they held on in a game marked by sloppiness and maliciousness.

Rarely did Italy threaten over the final 75 minutes. But the Azzurri ignored recent history — they lost a quarterfinal shootout to France in 1998, when Les Bleus went on to their only championship.

Andrea Pirlo, Materazzi, Daniele De Rossi and Alessandro Del Piero all easily beat France goalkeeper Fabien Barthez in the shootout. The difference was the miss by rarely used David Trezeguet, which hit the crossbar on France's second attempt.

When Grosso connected with his left foot, the sliver of Italian fans in the opposite corner of Olympic Stadium finally could let out their breath — and screams of victory.

"We had fear of the penalties," said Gattuso, aware that Italy lost the only other final decided in a shootout, to Brazil in 1994. "Our history was not great, so that was the fear."

On the trophy stand, amid hugs and slaps on the back, Materazzi placed a red, white and green top hat on the World Cup Trophy. Captain Fabio Cannavaro then held it high as cameras flashed everywhere. An impromptu Tarantella by the players followed as silver confetti fluttered around them.

It was, by far, the prettiest sight of the night.

"I've won many championships," coach Marcello Lippi said, "but a joy so big I have never felt."

With a 25-game unbeaten streak dating back nearly two years, the Italians added this title to their championships in 1934, 1938 and '82 — when another match-fixing investigation plagued Serie A.

The hero then in Spain was striker Paolo Rossi, fresh off a two-year suspension for his role in match-fixing. This time, there were a dozen stars and a coach who seemed to make all the right moves.

Italy won its first-round group over the higher-ranked United States and Czech Republic, and Ghana. Then it beat Australia on a controversial penalty in the second-half extra time that Francesco Totti converted.

It routed Ukraine 3-0 before depressing the host nation with two stunning goals in the final minutes of extra time for a semifinal win over Germany.

Gianluigi Buffon made the save of the final match in the 104th minute as the ever-dangerous Zidane fed Willy Sagnol on the wing and then slipped into the area. Sagnol's cross was headed into the top of the net with the Italian keeper soared high to knock it over.

By then, the sea of blue supporters for both teams seemed as exhausted as the players. The crowd let out a short gasp, and then it was back to the tense and tentative action.

Zidane used his head again in the 110th, albeit the wrong way, and almost got away it. Argentine referee Horacio Elizondo didn't see the butt, and Buffon charged out of his net imploring Elizondo to seek help.

The ref finally asked his assistant on the sideline, then pulled out the red card.

For the remaining extra time, the fans whistled their displeasure.

"We prepared exactly how we needed to be at the top. You could see that in the second half and in extra time," Domenech said. "Once again we were largely superior to our opponents."

Both sides played nervous, sloppy soccer for 120 minutes, hardly befitting a World Cup final. There were far more mistakes than inspiration.

France's Thierry Henry went down in the first minute in a seemingly innocent collision with the impregnable Cannavaro. Henry stayed on the ground, clearly dazed, for two minutes before being helped off with an ice bag held to his head.

The striker soon came back and his first touch, naturally, was a header. It was a terrific one, too, falling at the feet of a breaking Florent Malouda.

Malouda stumbled — many might say dived — in the penalty area and Elizondo immediately signaled a penalty kick.

Zidane, whose penalty beat Portugal in the semifinals, lobbed it right as Buffon dived the other way. The ball struck the crossbar and fell 2 feet inside the net in the seventh minute.

For the rest of the half, the French showed little of the flair that carried them this far. And Italy tied it with one of its strengths: a set piece.

Mauro Camoranesi won a corner kick on right wing and was setting up to take it when Andrea Pirlo signaled Camoranesi to back off. Pirlo took the corner, a perfect spiral that found the head of defender Materazzi above France's Patrick Vieira.

Materazzi's header soared past goalkeeper Fabien Barthez to tie it.

Luca Toni hit the crossbar off another corner kick in the 36th.

Henry had the best opportunity in the second half, but Buffon lunged left to hand-save his right-footed drive. France got a scare, too, when Zidane fell on his right arm and shoulder and needed freeze spray applied before staying in.

Fun With Wal-Mart and Insight Cable

2006-07-09T19:30:00.000-07:00

Last night our cable started acting up. The digital channels were completely disappearing and the analog channels looked like we needed to adjust the rabbit ears. Since our weather's been pleasant and every television in the house was acting up, I assumed it was a transmission issue.

So I called 357-4400, a number that probably rings far to familiar with most Louisvillians, and told them what was wrong. They "sent a signal" to our DVR boxes. They shuddered, blinked, flipped up and down (okay, that's not true) and then reset themselves to the familiar ugly purple promo for an on demand movie. Of course, my wife wasn't very happy because she was trying to see how the episode of "While You Were Out" ended. The signal finally came back and..... nothing.

So I called again. After going through the phone tree, entering my phone number again, and then repeating my personal information yet again, I explained my problem. The woman asked me if it was effecting all TVs. I said I didn't know, but my two digital boxes were out. She then said she would check to see when a technician could come out. She put me on hold, came back and said, "we can get someone out there on the 26th." You do the math. 17 days to have someone fix the cable.

"Unacceptable!" I said. She said she's have to check what she could do. After a lot of hold time and back and forth, she finally was able to get me an emergency appointment for the 12th, from 2:30 to 5:30. I said that was fine, and she had to disappear yet again to get a supervisor to approve it because "the supervisor is on the other side of the building." When she came back, I said I knew it wasn't her fault, but I found it ridiculous that I'm paying $5 a day and $160 a month and I have to get special permission to get someone to restore my service in less than 17 days, and that I have to take time off work to be here for the person to do the work. Insight seems to be spending a fortune on people to install cable and next to nothing on repair work. I also said that it was insane that I have to call again to get a credit on my bill. She apologized and said that if the guy was 1 minute late (in a 3 hour window, of course), that I would get a $20 credit on my bill. Big freakin' deal.

Later it was off to my favorite place to raise my blood pressure.... Wal-Mart. The shopping experience wasn't too bad, but once again, they had about 15 too few people working the registers up front. I got in the shortest line and everything was going swimmingly until the people had a 6 pack of beer on the conveyor. My cashier was only 16, so he couldn't physically pick up the beer and run it over the scanner. Obviously, the laws are there to protect him from accidentally absorbing the alcohol through the cardboard handle. I waited approximately five minutes for someone old enough to come and take the five second action. Only problem was that it took the guy who showed up another five to do it, as he explained to the cashier how long he'd been there and bitched about some other things going on. But hey, I did get 5 notebooks for 50 cents.

New York Post on Ken Lay -- Tell Me You Weren't Thinking the Same Thing

2006-07-06T19:59:00.000-07:00

GNC -- Live Well

2006-07-06T03:44:00.001-07:00

While walking to the library in Fern Creek, I passed the GNC Nutrition store in the same shopping center. I looked up and saw a man hanging out the door in his GNC Golf Shirt, smoking a cigarette. Nothing screams healthy living like a guy with a cigarette in his mouth.

And now we have another police accident here in Louisville. I understand the need to get somewhere quickly, and the idea that the police are damned if they do and damned if they don't, I think there are too many instances in my own personal experience where the people with lights and sirens are paying less attention to the road ahead than the place they're trying to reach. There are many factors that they need to consider, including:

1) With air conditioning, loud stereos, car radios, and the general distracted state of people (cell phones, makeup, etc.), your siren may not be heard and lights seen until it is too late.

2) There is no good place to pull over in much of the county.

3) Some people panic when the lights and sirens are coming to them and they don't always make the wisest decisions.

Right Wing Wackos At the Pub

2006-06-29T19:50:00.000-07:00

As I was walking to the library, I saw a minivan with all sorts of anti-abortion bumper stickers plastered to the back, a bumper sticker that said something really odd like, "Breasts are for feeding babies, not for display or men's amusement", and finally, one that said, Irish Rover. They must be so proud.

Better Ingredients, Better To Almost Knock You On Your Butt

2006-06-29T19:43:00.000-07:00

As I was walking out of a conference today above Vincenzos, I almost ran headfirst into a guy. I said excuse me and he said excuse me, and I got down six or seven steps and thought..... That's Papa John!!!

Papa John Schnatter. Looks like the guy in the commercials, only younger. I wish I'd have asked for his autograph or said, "Love your pizza." Why, I'm not sure. I wondered if he thought, "did that guy know who I am?" or did he even care. Some parts of being relatively well known must really be a drag.

Here we go again. Shane Ragland

2006-06-28T04:21:00.000-07:00

--Shane Ragland Released from State Custody
Michelle Rauch
WTVQ Channel 36
Jun 23, 15:56 PM EDT

The man convicted of the 1994 sniper-style killing of U.K. football player Trent DiGiuro is back in central Kentucky, ready for a new trial.

Last week the state Supreme Court upheld their earlier ruling that overturned Shane Ragland's 2002 murder conviction.

Ragland appeared before Judge Clark Friday morning... a little thinner and backed by a new defense team.

High profile Frankfort attorneys Guthrie True and William Johnson who defended Ragland in 2002 and handled his appeal are out. Bowling Green attorney David Broderick is in.

Shane Ragland's father would not say why he has hired a new team.

"You do anything you can for your children, everything. And that's it, that's what we're doing. period," says Jerry Ragland.

During Friday morning's hearing they set a date for next week to talk about bond.

The defense also said a motion is forthcoming asking to move this trial out of town.

Jerry Ragland said he wants this next trial to be "out of reach of U.K. and the media.'

Commonwealth attorney Ray Larson said in court they will be opposing the defense motion for bond. but other than that he isn't saying much about this new trial.

"At this point I'm not going to talk about this case anymore. Our goal is to try this case as quickly and expeditiously as we can. That's the plan. It doesn't do one bit of good to talk about it in public," Larson said.

Trent DiGiuro's family isn't talking either, but they are here, watching and waiting to see what will happen the second time around.

Shane Ragland's family is confident a second trial will be in their favor.

"He's been wronged and we want to make it right," Ragland said.--

As I've pointed out elsewhere in my blog, Shane Ragland deserves no bond. Is anyone else willing to bet that as soon as he gets out on bond, he'll run afoul of the law somehow? The kid is a menace, and Jerry Ragland's desire to "... do anything you can for your children, everything. And that's it, that's what we're doing" has only said to his son that he can do no wrong. Maybe Jerry needs to stop coddling his adult son, stop working to undo his every mistake, and let him be a MAN on his own without the influence a Frankfort power broker wields.

Again, I hope that this trial runs smoothly and fairly. I'd hate to see him get off on another technicality AGAIN.

In the Get a Life Category.....

2006-06-26T19:05:00.000-07:00

Guys who stand outside adult bookstores taking pictures of patrons, part of a very slow news day on WDRB.

Visit their site at war-line.com.

Seen and Heard Around Town

2006-06-26T18:49:00.000-07:00

Why is it cars with Safe Auto stickers on them typically aren't?

After a trip to a Wendy's where the girl behind the counter looked like she'd been stunned with a cattle prod and couldn't hear anything I was saying, I saw the sign on their roof: "Now Hiring Friendly Faces." Here's an idea: "Now Hiring: People with IQs approaching triple digits".

Speaking of that, in my latest trip to McDonald's in Fern Creek(yes, I'm eatin' good in the neighborhood), I had the following experience.

The girl in the drive through was yelling at the customer that she couldn't understand what she was saying. The ironic thing was that it came out of her mouth as "I ca unerthan wha ya sayih." My guess is that she had a decent size tongue piercing impeding her speech. I can only imagine what it sounded like on the other side.

While I was waiting for the food, a woman came up and asked for a manager. It seems her granddaughter was followed into the restroom by their cleaning guy. I'm sure it was an honest mistake. Just like I'm sure he had legitimate immigration status.

Later that day, I went to get glasses at Dr. Bizers. They were quite nice, but while I was looking for frames, there was an obnoxious guy with his wife who kept saying, "Damn I hate looking for these things." He bitched about every frame he put on and to her credit, the woman waiting on him was more patient than I would have been. He put on several pairs and said, "I look like a retard in these!" each time. Others were met with incredibly dumb attempts at humor. He was there for a good 45 minutes trying to find something to his liking, grumbling all the way. He even mentioned, "I almost went to my ex-wife. She works for Bizers on Preston." If I were the woman waiting on him, I'd have said, "you had a failed marriage? Who would have guessed." His current wife must have been an angel, because if I acted like him, my wife would have left me there and never come back.

Let it go.......

2006-06-17T15:21:00.000-07:00

The 6 O'Clock WLKY newscast led off with the "Big Story" about two kids who were hit while on a bike in Fern Creek. The story said both are facing paralysis because of the accident, and mentioned the women, who were flanked by Christopher 2X in the story, are talking about legal action and believe the police haven't done enough in investigating the crime. One mother's said that there were plenty of people willing to come forward as witnesses to say that the woman was at fault.

While I certainly feel bad for the kids and their parents, it angers me that neither woman seems to realize (or at least is willing to speak to) the following:

Both kids were riding on one bike.
One kid was standing on the wheel of that bike.
The accident occurred on a stretch of road that no cyclist has business being on.
I don't believe either child was wearing a helmet.
The report at the time of the accident was that witnesses said she had the right of way.

When I was a child, we hardly ever left the neighborhood on our bikes. While we didn't wear helmets, we certainly would have these days. And my mom had set pretty clear boundries that she would have busted my behind had I crossed them.

This is what it is, a tragic accident. As a parent, I can only imagine what they're going through. But misdirected anger doesn't help the situation one bit.

Should I rename the blog the Carrie Weil / Kevin Harned Blog?

2006-06-02T04:01:00.000-07:00

Sheesh. Of all the search activity in recent days, I still get most of my visits from people looking for info on Carrie Weil and Kevin Harned's divorce or Terry Meiners' divorce.

Don't know what happened in either case, although I heard through the grapevine that in one case recent high profile divorce, certain people got too involved in a story. Cannot confirm that it is true.

Random Thoughts Today

2006-05-28T22:14:00.000-07:00

Random thoughts from Caesar's Indiana.

Why do I bother going? Why not just send them $50 bucks every six months in the mail and save the gas money.

What do they put in buffet food that makes me eat less of it then I would at a normal dinner? And why is it that I wind up loading up on the cheapest stuff available when I'm there?

Could the soap dispensers in the bathrooms BE more suggestive? Of course, I realize this observation is lost on most of the patrons of Caesars since they don't wash their hands.

A lucrative job.... the wheelchair concession at Caesars, followed by cigarettes. Nothing more inspiring then a guy in a wheelchair with a cigarette in his mouth trying to run over you to get to the buffet where he can shove 17 pounds of bacon into his face.

I may have lost $100 today, but I got them back by drinking 48 cups of free soda.

Why is it everyone looks so grim coming in? It's the most miserable looking lot of people I've ever seen coming to have fun.

Wouldn't it be cool to hotwire one of the free cars they're giving away and drive it out of the building?

May 26th in the News

2006-05-26T04:25:00.000-07:00

Mischa Barton is going to be a new spokesmodel for the Got Milk campaign. Looking at her, I would think "Got Food" would be a more appropriate question.

Congress is upset over what they see as the unconstitutional actions of the FBI in their search methods looking into the corruption of William Jefferson. Meanwhile, over at the NSA.........

X Men 3 comes out. Sorry Rebecca Romaine Lettuce, but the only chick that looked hot in all blue was Smurfette. Okay, maybe that's just me.

Howard Stern settled with CBS over his alleged breach of contract. In the settlement, CBS' Les Moonves gets two lesbians, a lap dance from Jessica Hahn, and his car washed for a year by Beetlejuice.

Note to John Belski -- SHUT UP!

2006-05-25T18:19:00.000-07:00

Another night of storms, another stormgasm from John Belski. Once again he's doing his "I'm in charge" act, being an ass to Kevin Harned, yelling at him for having the radar on the wrong storm and to take some of the graphics off of the screen.

WAVE needs to admonish him that there are three people on the air, not just him and his overheated delivery.

Shelby County Schools Made the Right Decision

2006-05-25T17:16:00.000-07:00

A few years back I went to my niece's graduation at Mercer County High School. The graduation was nothing like my own, in 1989 in Oldham County. There was singing, speeches, and oddest to me... prayer. A whole bunch.

I remember one prayer at our school. A nice, non-denominational brief invocation by one of the teachers that nobody else had to even say Amen to.

Watching WAVE 3 tonight, there were several interviews with Shelby County residents who seemed to speak exactly opposite of the way they looked. The guys who looked like Good Old Boys spoke in favor of the ban, and some that looked a bit more clean cut spoke against it. One business owner, Jackie Kennedy, even gave this charming comment "Everybody's been saying, basically, what I say: 'If you don't like the way we do things in our country, go back to your own country.'" Note to Ms. Kennedy, the student in question was born in Chicago. Although, I guess in Shelby County, that's close enough to foreign soil.

Me.... I'm glad that Shelby County made the right decision.

I have nothing against prayer, I say them often myself. And I have nothing against prayer groups meeting in school, or someone saying one in school. But the graduation ceremony is not a religious one. It's a right of passage for every student who is getting a diploma. While it is true that a student doesn't HAVE to participate in the prayers, it isn't right for a student of another religion, or one who chooses none at all to have to sit through a Christian prayer or any other religious right at a public school.

Steve Doeber from Shelby County said on WAVE 3 "We do things based on majority, we elect officials based on majority. Why shouldn't majority have the primary say so in this case as well?" Perhaps Mr. Doeber needs to go back to school himself and learn about the Constitution and about some other things that resulted from the will of the majority, such as slavery and civil rights abuses.

If you disagree, please feel free to comment.

Prayer out at Shelby graduation
Principal yields to Muslim's plea

By Peter Smith
psmith@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

Shelby County High School will not schedule any formal prayers at its June 2 high school graduation because a student complained that such prayers violate the constitutional ban on state-sponsored religion.

While students traditionally have given invocations and benedictions at graduation ceremonies, none will be scheduled this year, Shelby High School principal Gary Kidwell said yesterday.

He said the school had received a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky on behalf of a student demanding the school not have the prayer.

The school "will be compliant with the law and also provide a respectful and dignified program for all students," he said a day after meeting in closed session with the Board of Education and a lawyer -- while residents held a prayer vigil outside.

Kidwell added that traditional prayers at a school banquet and an awards ceremony also will not be held.

Arshiya Saiyed, who is Muslim, identified herself yesterday as the student who filed the ACLU complaint. She said other students share her view, a contention echoed by Kidwell.

Arshiya, 17, said she and those other students are "pretty happy" with the principal's decision.

But whether that decision means there will be no prayer is another question.

Last Friday at Russell County High School, after a court ordered a student who had been designated to pray not to do so, students rose on their own and recited the Lord's Prayer during the principal's remarks. And the student who'd been designated to lead the prayer included religious messages in her remarks to graduates.

Arshiya, who was born in Chicago, said she understands that student speakers at Shelby County also might include a prayer in their remarks, but she hopes they will respect her objections to the formal prayer.

"If they choose to pray … we hope it's a respectful prayer" for a religiously diverse audience, said Arshiya, who plans to study international relations and political science at Centre College and then attend law school.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that student-led prayers at high school football games and clergy-led prayers at high school graduations are unconstitutional.

The Liberty Counsel, a Florida law firm representing the student who spoke at Russell County's graduation, argues that if students elect a peer to give a message, without specifying that it be a prayer, that student has a right to pray.

Some Shelby County residents echo that contention.

"If the students voluntarily choose someone to give a message and that student chooses to pray, that is the student's right," said Jennifer Decker, whose son attends Shelby County.

Kidwell said yesterday that Shelby County students of all views have reacted maturely about the debate.

"Sometimes kids are a lot more mature and understanding than … we give them credit for," he said. "I think students are handling the whole issue really, really well."

ACLU lawyer Lili Lutgens declined to comment.

The Russell County case went to court after school officials there scheduled the prayer in spite of a similar letter.

Lutgens did say the ACLU and the Russell County student are "considering our options" after the prayer occurred in spite of the court ruling.

Reporter Peter Smith can be reached at (502) 582-4469.

Random Thoughts

2006-05-25T04:15:00.000-07:00

Kurtwood Smith and Gen. Michael Hayden.... Separated at birth?

Hey William Jefferson. When Tom Delay comes to your defense in a corruption matter, your goose is probably cooked. (And hey, we had to cook it, it was left to thaw on the table after we retreived your $90,000 from the freezer.) I'm just glad that a Kentucky company is helping do its part to help continue corruption in Washington.

Taylor Hicks is the new American idol. While he certainly was the better of the two, it was kind of like choosing between a Rottweiler or a Pit Bull to babysit your infant. This was the first season I didn't watch religiously, and my impression of Taylor Hicks is that he's essentially what would happen if you mated Jay Leno with Michael Bolton but eliminated the ego gene. He may be a nice guy, but he does like to torture himself and songs as he sings them.

My Favorite Toy!

2006-05-20T20:05:00.000-07:00

I was reading an article on Evel Knievel and it indicated that Ideal toys was reissuing the Evel Knievel stunt set. Low and behold, here it is.

Those of us who grew up in the 70s remember the original Jackass, Evel Knievel. My brother and I shared this wonderful toy, revving up the cycle and firing the bike over the ramps, down steps, into anything under the sun. I absolutely loved this thing. And now...... I gotta have one. $40 seems a bit steep, but this is definitely on my Christmas list.

Barbaro -- Sad......

2006-05-20T15:29:00.000-07:00

Watching Barbaro and his injured leg, I started crying. I don't think there's anyone in Kentucky who doesn't hope each year we're looking at the next Triple Crown winner. I pray he'll be okay.

Ten Speed Delivery

2006-05-19T09:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was walking down main when I heard the distinct sound of a ten speed bike heading toward me. The faint sound of a small again powered vehicle. I stopped abruptly at the cross walk, sure I would get run over.

Then, I saw it. A Bee Line Courier Ford Aspire complete with yellow safety light. As I admired the sound of raw power, I thought, Thank God. Imagine If I would have been hit by a ten speed!

May 17th in the news.

2006-05-17T19:24:00.000-07:00

US and the World

Richard Hatch from Survivor gets sentenced to 51 months in prison. Let me get this straight.... naked gay guy has to spend 51 months locked up with a bunch of other men. Wow, throw the book at him.

Paul McCartney and his wife Eileen (or whatever her name is)have decided to call it quits. McCartney apparently was shocked, thinking that she had everything she wanted. "Doing the garden, digging the weeds," he said, "who could ask for more?" he said. Mrs. McCartney apparently became distraught upon learning that her husband had been dead since before she was born and had been replaced by a guy named William Campbell.

The Federal Government is working on building a fence across the entire southern border of the country. Plans were going well until the Senate discovered the neighborhood association doesn't allow chain link fences.

Local News

Police have released the names of people who sold their Derby Tickets to criminal mastermind Bruce Gumer. Among the people listed is track superintendent Raymond Lehr, who surely sold them at face value to Mr. Gumer and told him not to sell them for a penny higher. In the meantime, the city suffered its 17th homicide. No joke here, the facts are enough of one.

John Yarmuth won the primary election for the Democratic nomination in the 3rd district. Ann Northup wasted no time in issuing this statement: "If John Yarmuth is elected this fall, we can all look forward to gay immigrant Al Queda terrorists who believe in evolution saying the pledge of allegiance in Spanish in public housing paid for by higher taxes on all of us."

Churchill Downs -- Payin' for the Twin Spires

2006-05-14T19:27:00.000-07:00

I love visiting Churchill Downs and betting on the ponies. And the new renovation has turned some of the track into a great place to visit. But........... a few complaints.......

1) What's up with the prices? $3.50 for a large soda? $4.50 for a smallish piece of Freschetta Pizza? Freschetta Pizza for cripes sake!!!! That's FROZEN pizza I can buy at Kroger for LESS than the cost of a slice.

2) Am I alone in feeling like the architect of Churchill Downs was MC Escher? The shortest distance to two points involves 14 flights of stairs, all of which wind up getting you 5 feet from where you are.

3) Would someone please get some better video cameras and TVs? I noticed during Derby Day at home and during our trip there today that it is near impossible to tell where your horse is during the race.

4) How about making the Twin Spires card a bit easier to use. Unlike a slot machine, the idea between the machines at Churchill is to get in and get out as quickly as you can. When you've got 4 people behind you, sometimes that card is the last thing you think about getting out. I lost about $20 worth of bets because I kept forgetting the dumb card.

5) Am I alone in missing Pat Day?

Derby Cruising -- Cop Style -- Who's in the limo?

2006-05-05T21:25:00.000-07:00

While taking a trip to Oxmoor today, I heard a sudden burst of sirens behind me. My wife and I were on the Hurstbourne lane exit to 64 west, waiting at the light. The sounds got closer. Where the heck was he? Suddenly I saw a Jefferson County cop drive up in front of all lanes of traffic at the stop light, pull his car in the way of one of the lanes, and get out. The guy in the SUV in front of him looked scared, and I thought there would be a confrontation. Then another one blazed up and blocked the exit from 64 west to Hurstbourne. What was this? A drug bust? A fugitive roadblock? Then, a large Free Enterprise bus blew through the intersection, as did several cop cars and several huge limos. When it had all blown by, the cop got back in his car and sped off.

Who was this? Surely a celebrity wouldn't be worthy of such ridiculous police behavior. Was it someone in Government? A secret celebrity?

Later we saw a Escalade SUV Limo that was about three times the normal limo length, pull out of a Dairy Mart across southbound Hurstborne, causing me and one other guy to have to come to a dead stop. As the big limo then blew through a red light, leaving my 4 1/2 year old to say to us "How does he park that thing in his garage?"

Derby Time

2006-05-05T13:49:00.000-07:00

There are many things in the 31 years I've lived here that I don't care for. I never got the U of L/ UK argument, especially among people who never went to either school. I don't understand why the city wants to be "World Class" but makes so many dumb decisions. I'm saddened by the lack of quality jobs in the area.

But one thing's for sure. I love Derby and I love horse racing.

My first real Derby memory is 1977, when I was 6. I remember being on the deck of our house at Crestwood. My dad was grilling out and we had a black and white TV out there watching the Derby. I remember (don't ask me why) looking at the Scene and picking out the name "Run Dusty Run". I imagine I liked the symmetry. He finished second to a nothing horse called Seattle Slew and my love for racing was born.

Some more favorite memories:

Spending several years with our friends the Littles, from PeeWee Valley.

Finding out in college at Boston University that I shared a love with my friends Jen Safrey and Rolly Hoyt (who later married and sadly, later divorced). We went each year to watch the Derby together at different simulcast tracks in Massachusetts. My favorite moment was being among the hardcore degenerate gambler at Suffolk Downs and betting on Lil E Tee because Pat Day was aboard. Because Suffolk wasn't tied into Churchill, the odds were a lot longer there. As Lil E Tee came on, and I was screaming for the horse to win, I could see the disgusted faces around me staring at me in amazement at my pick. My friend Jen and I were screaming when I won, and guys around me were asking me how I knew. "It's my home track. Pat Day was due," I said. Jen now writes romance novels, and Rolly now does media work in the horse racing game for several publications, broadcast outlets, and tracks. He's in Louisville today working hard.

Working two Derbys and two Oaks in High School and getting to see Larry Hagman and Hal Holbrook, as well as the following incident.

As I was standing guarding a stairwell, I saw Ron Clay and Troy Roebuck coming at me. Being a big fan, I was studying them closely. I looked away for a second and saw.... Terry Meiners. They both were headed on a collision course for each other, for what I imagined in my head to be their first meeting since their public divorce. They met in front of me and exchanged a few pleasantries and walked on their way. I always wondered what was said and what each thought of the other at that point.

Having $2 across the board on Charismatic, watching at Sports Spectrum with my wife and best friend Bryan from college, who was in from Fort Campbell.

And finally, spending the past few years with my daughter and wife, having our own "Derby Party", with my daughter picking numbers out of the program and riding her little rocking horse during the race.

I love Derby. Too bad it's only 2 minutes a year.

Road to Nowhere

2006-05-03T03:54:00.000-07:00

This will be the first year that cruising is officially banned in the West End. Every year around this time we got the official excuse from those involved that the people cruising couldn't afford to go to Derby like those in the East End and this was their way to celebrate.

Maybe I just don't understand how a several hour traffic jam that wastes a tankful of precious gas, gunfire, and angers many of the locals is a good time. I've been to Derby twice in my life, both times as a worker. Every other year I've stayed at home or gone to a party at someone's house. I never suffered because I didn't have my own, media recognized event.

This year it is banned, and the threat is that it will move to another part of town. Given the tensions that seem to arise during cruising each year, I certainly hope it remains peaceful Derby Day. But given the amount of people who come in from out of town, and the impression that the event has given in previous years that basically anything goes, I'm not holding my breath.

Thunbore over Louisville -- Can we mix it up a bit?

2006-04-22T19:00:00.000-07:00

For the 800th year in a row, we have the same Thunder Over Louisville show. Only the music has changed. The same boring flyby of a big flag. The same boring planes with fireworks attached. The same boring speech. The same fake pause with the Bridge On The River Kwai song. And now, the added bonus of the fake enthusiasm of channel 32's newsteam.

Can we PLEASE do something different next year?

Goodfellas Communications -- Supplier to Kentucky Politics since 2006

2006-04-18T03:30:00.000-07:00

In my favorite movie, Goodfellas, there is a scene detailing the method of communication with Paulie (Paul Sorvino), the boss of the family. Paulie hated telephones, so you had to call a guy who would go to Paulie and then get back to you.

Perhaps this is where Governor Fletcher figured out it was best to stop communicating by e-mail. If you keep a buffer between you and the communication, you can always claim you had nothing to do with it. See below:

Fletcher says he's given up e-mail
Doesn't want things 'taken out of context'
By Elisabeth J. Beardsley
ebeardsley@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

While the world plunges headlong into the digital age, Gov. Ernie Fletcher says he's reverted to ye olde pen and paper.

Fletcher said yesterday that four or five months ago he quit using e-mail for work and in his private life.

Instead, he's relying on letters and messages from his staff to communicate with constituents and conduct the state's business.

Fletcher said he abandoned his electronic mailbox out of concern over what people might say in their messages to him.

"You can't control, you know, what's done on those things," Fletcher said. "Things can be taken out of context."

The matter of Fletcher's e-mail account arose yesterday amid questions about whether he intends to comply with a court order to turn over e-mails from his state e-mail account, "Sadie@ky.gov." Sadie was a dog he had owned.

Fletcher's administration had denied an open-records request by The Courier-Journal seeking the e-mails. He said he would give them to the court, which has ordered a case-by-case review of which ones should be released publicly.

For Lyndee Mourn, a 23-year-old Lexington social worker, the inability to e-mail Fletcher directly is troubling. Mourn, a registered Republican, said Fletcher has taken away "the most convenient method" for people to get in touch.

"Personally, if I was worked up enough, I would take the time to sit down and write a letter," Mourn said. "It would deter a lot of people, though, because they would have to put forth an extra effort to do it."

But Adron Whitehead, a retired UPS worker who lives in Brooksville, said he doesn't care.

Whitehead, 81, a registered Republican, said he doesn't know how to use e-mail, anyway -- and that hasn't stopped him from speaking his mind in periodic letters to political entities.

"If I need anything from him, I'll respond to him by letter," Whitehead said of the governor. "I'll spend the 39 cents for that."

Fletcher acknowledged there are drawbacks to reverting to old communication options. "It does impair our ability to use technology to operate efficiently," he said.

A special Frankfort County grand jury has been investigating allegations that the Fletcher administration made personnel decisions on the basis of politics, a violation of state hiring laws. Investigators subpoenaed e-mails from the administration.

Attorney General Greg Stumbo, whose office has led the state hiring investigation, declined to comment yesterday on Fletcher's decision to shutter his e-mail account.

The governor still will be able to receive messages through his constituent services offices, but he no longer has his own e-mail address, Fletcher spokesman Brett Hall said.

Fletcher still uses his BlackBerry personal assistant device, paid for with campaign funds, to maintain instant communication with his staff through digital messages, Hall said.

Hall said e-mail and BlackBerry messages use different technologies, but he could not explain it further except to insist that Fletcher's BlackBerry communications are not e-mails. Hall could not say whether the BlackBerry communications are subject to the public-records law.

Analysts agreed that Fletcher's decision to give up e-mail probably is not a major work impediment.

Joe Gershtenson, director of the Center for Kentucky History and Politics at Eastern Kentucky University, said e-mail didn't exist until recently and its absence didn't stop the business of governing before.

"It does strike me as somewhat bizarre," he said. "On the other hand, I don't think this means, 'Oh gosh, he can't do his job.' "

The governor's leap back to pre-Internet technology is at odds with private business, which is embracing the digital age, said Al Lederer, a professor of management information systems at the University of Kentucky Gatton College of Business and Economics.

But as the state's top politician, Fletcher can dictate his own terms for communication, Lederer said.

"He's the governor. They'll come to him," Lederer said. "They'll communicate with him on the channel he wants."

Reporter Elisabeth Beardsley can be reached at (502) 875-5136.

Weather Annoyances

2006-04-14T03:24:00.000-07:00

Bob Hill apparently hit a nerve with his article about local coverage of storms. Most people seem to be annoyed at the fact that programming they want to watch is preempted by the coverage.

Having been in a tornado once, I am kind of glad that they break in and stay on. But I do have several pet peeves about local coverage myself:

1) The breathless excitement that certain meteorologists seem to have at the storms (John Belski and Jay Cardosi, that refers to you). When you watch these guys, it seems as though they take delight in the fact there's terrible weather bearing down on the area. At least Belski allows other meteorologists in the studio to say more than two words before interrupting, unlike what he used to do.

2) Any technology labeled "HD". Why not call it "Digital Dopler HD Blog MySpace Hybrid Technology" just to cover it all?

3) The interruption of audio for the national weather service warnings. The NWS is always a day late in their updates and you gain nothing by the interruption because the channel you're watching gets the same alert at the same time.

4) The fact that WHAS radio now uses WAVE TV coverage rather than a dedicated radio meteorologist. Hearing Belski say, "As you can see here" does me no good when my power is out and I'm listening to the radio.

5) The zooming, swooping, rotating and disorienting radar. I compare it to trying to read a document while someone else is working the mouse. Just when you see what you want to focus on, they move it on you. And some of the "3D" angles make it impossible to tell where the storm is in relation to the ground.

6) Coverage that extends well after it leaves the Louisville area. I cannot believe that people in East Podunk are watching coverage from Louisville to get their weather information. Also, tell me if we're in for more or we're in the all clear so that I can change to another station.

Terry Meiners -- Jealous Much????

2006-04-09T19:44:00.000-07:00

Those of us who remember the 80s remember the great radio shows of Ron Clay and Terry Meiners. Their "Morning Sickness" made us laugh. When Terry split to "go legit", Ron managed to carry on, and Terry reached much higher heights in his own career. 20 years ago, Terry was amusing on WHAS, poking holes in local politicians, serving up silly bits, and having generally amusing conversations with local people. Apparently, as his public recognition increased around town, so did his own ego and pompousness. Terry on his soapbox is a sight to behold, as he bashes "liberals", "shock" jocks, and anyone else that annoys him without a hint of wit. The hypocritical Meiners loves to attack Howard Stern and others for crude radio, apparently ignoring his own racist, homophobic and generally sophomoric radio show, and apparently not reading his own website.

Here's his latest rant about Stern, posted on his redesigned website, which appears to have had any reference to his wife annulled from it.

wednesday, april 5, 2006 howard stern is complaining to media outlets because only four million subscribers followed him to sirius satellite radio, which will affect his compensation. stern scolded all of the "cheap bastard" former free radio listeners who've resisted paying $13 per month to hear him say the f-word. five years from now, the f-word most commonly applied to howard will be "forgotten." apparently one new york homeless man spoke on behalf of the millions of former stern loyalists by spitting on stern and his girlfriend in manhattan last saturday night. the man was arrested for commiting the ultimate crime; trying to spitshine new york city. once he's released from jail, the homeless man says he plans to leave a trail of loogeys to lead katie couric from rockefeller plaza to the cbs building 8 blocks away. oh, and that homeless man? dan rather.

First, the quote is out of context. In the EW story, it's presented as Stern's own nutty obsession with domination and how he can't be happy with what he has. Secondly, I find it hard to believe that Meiners would find it funny if someone spit on his sons, wife (assuming their still married), or anyone of his friends.

Thoughts and Observations Around Louisville

2006-04-05T03:32:00.000-07:00

Recently observed:

Carrie Weil and ex-husband Kevin Harned being snippy to each other on WAVE 3 sunrise. After his daily trivia question:

Carrie: (snarky) "I'm sure there's another trivia question on trivia.com. Isn't that where you get these?"

Kevin: (blunt) No

Carrie: "Oh, I thought that's where you got these."

Kevin: No. Things change.

Older redneck woman walking out of Wal-Mart, to no one in particular, "I'm 'onna git me a Big Red and some White Castles.

Speaking of Carrie Weil, she appears to have ptosis. Check her left eye when she opens them wide.

What's up with people putting "Fred Smith RIP" in big white letters across their car windows or on cheap white T-shirts? If I die, put me in the ground or cremate me, then do a nice memorial somewhere, don't turn me into a Calvin peeing on a Chevy symbol or and "I'm With Stupid" T-Shirt.

Shane Ragland -- Pillar of Society

2006-03-27T19:18:00.000-08:00

If you visit ShaneRagland.com, you get the impression that Shane Ragland is a golden child who walks little old ladies across the street and never so much as jaywalked. It was only through a mass conspiracy among the Lexington Police, FBI, a jilted girlfriend, and probably the CIA and the Mafia that Shane was convicted.

But, lest we forget, here's some articles from several years ago in the Courier Journal, presented in chronological order. Ask yourself if the child of someone who wasn't a major Frankfort businessman with connections to state government would have gotten off so easy each time. The second article is especially fascinating. I've also included details of Shane Ragland's beating at the hands of a fellow inmate at the bottom.

I have added emphasis where I have found something interesting. I've copied directly from Newsbank:

Ragland case shows
Courier-Journal, The (Louisville, KY)
July 30, 2000
Author: GERTH JOSEPH
Estimated printed pages: 5

holes in DUI laws

Despite 5 convictions, he has done little time

JOSEPH GERTH, The Courier-Journal

LEXINGTON, Ky.

Shane Ragland, charged with the 1994 murder of a University of Kentucky football player, has been convicted repeatedly on drunken-driving charges since 1991.

But because of suspended sentences and poor communication among prosecutors in different counties, he has served little time in jail, according to court records.

Ragland, 27, the son of a prominent Frankfort businessman, has been convicted five times in nine years of drunken driving and twice for the related violation of driving on a license suspended for drunken driving.

He has been sentenced to jail five times for those offenses - for a total of 522 days - but has served only 52 days.

He completed only one sentence. Judges suspended part or all of the others, meaning Ragland didn't have to serve the time unless he committed another offense within a certain period. But when he did so on three occasions, court records show, the judges failed to order more jail time - apparently because the violations occurred in different counties and court officials weren't aware Ragland had suspended sentences pending.

Ragland's case illustrates cracks in the legal system, say those familiar with the law.

``It's a systemic problem,'' said Benham Sims, a former Louisville prosecutor and judge who wrote the state prosecutors' DUI manual. ``I think we need to make sure DUI convictions are registered with an appropriate central registry, and there should be accountability for prosecutors and clerks who fail to file the paperwork in a timely fashion.''

In Bullitt County, where Ragland was convicted in 1998 on his fourth drunken-driving charge, prosecutors are too overwhelmed by a massive caseload to check out details of every defendant, said Bullitt County Attorney Walt Sholar.

``This office handles 10,000 cases a year,'' Sholar said. ``I've got two part-time assistants who make about $20,000 a year and another who makes about $12,000. . . If we had more people, we'd be able to do that kind of thing.''

Ragland was arrested July 14 and charged with the 1994 murder of former UK football player Trent DiGiuro, a shooting police allege stemmed from Ragland's resentment over having been blackballed from a UK fraternity. He has pleaded innocent and remains in jail on a $1 million cash bond.

His lawyer, Bill Johnson, declined to comment.

In Ragland's drunken-driving cases, prosecutors in counties where he was convicted didn't learn of his later offenses in other jurisdictions.

Sims, author of ``But Occifer, I Only Had Two Beers,'' said the system fails in cases such as Ragland's because there is no easily accessible central source of information about drunken-driving arrests and there are no penalties for court officials who don't follow through as they should.

DESPITE HAVING his license suspended after convictions for five drunken-driving arrests, Ragland has continued to drive - sometimes when he had drugs and drug paraphernalia in his car.
Not once was he brought back to a county to answer charges that he violated a judge's order to stay out of trouble or to complete the sentence originally handed down.

``That's outrageous,'' said Rep. Rob Wilkey, D-Franklin, when told what has happened in the Ragland case. ``He's running up and down the highway and we're turning him loose.''

In fact, Wilkey, a lawyer and co-author of the state's new DUI law, said Ragland should have been sentenced to a minimum of three years in prison for DUI by now and should have served most, if not all, of those sentences.

``You're not doing him a favor at this point,'' said Wilkey. ``This is a person who has a serious substance abuse problem. The best thing you can do is put him in prison and make him get treatment. . . . When you slap him on the wrist you're telling him, `it's really OK to do what you did.' ''

Ragland has been charged with crimes and driving offenses 21 times since 1991 - 15 of those cases involved drug or alcohol charges, court records show.

RAGLAND'S drunken-driving record dates back to 1991, when as a student at UK, he was convicted of driving under the influence and paid a fine. Ragland was charged with drunken driving again in September 1996. He was convicted on that charge and served seven days in jail - the minimum for the crime.

Just seven months later, in April 1997, he was caught speeding in Franklin County on a suspended driver's license. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail but the sentence was suspended as long as he didn't have any alcohol-related driving offenses in the next year.

But eight months later, in December 1997, Ragland was again charged with drunken driving, this time in Franklin County. Because it was the second time he was caught driving drunk in a five-year period, he could have faced harsher penalties, but the charge was reduced to a first-offense DUI and Ragland was fined but not sentenced to any jail time. It is unclear why he was not sent to jail. Franklin County Attorney Jim Boyd did not return numerous calls to his office last week.

One year after that incident, a state trooper in Bullitt County charged Ragland with drunken driving after the trooper found Ragland driving in a ditch along Interstate 65 near Shepherdsville. Ragland was found guilty and a Bullitt County judge sentenced him to 30 days in jail but suspended 23 of them - on the condition that Ragland have no more drug or alcohol-related violations for two years.

The following year, in November 1999, Ragland was charged in Shelby County with driving on a suspended license and possession of marijuana. He was found guilty on both counts, fined and sentenced to 12 months in jail - with all but 10 days suspended on the condition he not break the law for two years.

Less than four months after that arrest - and 10 days before he was sentenced - Ragland was again arrested in Franklin County and charged with DUI. Court records allege he led police on a chase through Frankfort before he was arrested - prompting a felony charge that is scheduled to be tried next month.

He was convicted on the other charges stemming from the incident and sentenced to 12 months in jail. He served 28 days, then spent two months in a drug treatment program in Florida. Nine months of his sentence were suspended on the condition that he not have any drug or alcohol-related driving violations for two years.

Sholar, the Bullitt County attorney, said he doesn't believe he ever received notice of Ragland's subsequent arrests in Shelby or Franklin County. That's why, he said, his office didn't bring Ragland back to serve the remaining 23 days on his sentence there.

If Ragland were required to complete the sentences in Bullitt and Shelby counties, he'd be in jail for more than a year.

SHOLAR SAID it's not surprising that county attorneys in Franklin and Shelby counties didn't notify him of the charges - they probably weren't aware of Ragland's suspended sentences, he said. In fact, Sholar said his office doesn't have the resources to fully research the people it prosecutes to determine if they should be sent to other counties to complete sentences.

Shelby County Attorney Charles Hickman did not return numerous calls to his office last week.

Sims said instances such as the Ragland case are probably common and that individual prosecutors are not to blame. Prosecutors are overburdened and don't have time to run as thorough background checks as they should, and the driver-history records they have easiest access to don't tell them vital information, he said.

Basic information about charges and convictions throughout the state is available from the state Administrative Office of the Courts, but prosecutors don't have computer access to the records now, said spokesman Russ Salsman. He said that a computer hookup through the Internet is ``on the horizon'' at some point but that the state is still working through a number of issues, including privacy concerns, before it is available to prosecutors online.

Shane Ragland remains in jail, charged with the murder of Trent DiGiuro.

INFORMATIONAL BOX: SHANE RAGLAND'S DUI RECORD (SEE LIBRARY MICROFILM)
Edition: MET;METRO
Section: NEWS
Page: 01A

Index Terms: LI; LIST; CRIME; ASSAULT; MURDER; Shane Ragland
Dateline: KENTUCKY, USA;UNITED STATES, LEXINGTON
Copyright (c) The Courier-Journal. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Gannett Co., Inc. by NewsBank, inc.
Record Number: lou2000073109260331

Ragland violated conditions of bond on murder charge
Courier-Journal, The (Louisville, KY)
August 11, 2001
Author: GERTH JOSEPH
Estimated printed pages: 8

JOSEPH GERTH, The Courier-Journal

LEXINGTON, Ky.

Shane Ragland, accused of killing a University of Kentucky football player in 1994, has violated his bond conditions at least 50 times in the past year with minimal sanctions.

Ragland, 28, failed three breath-alcohol tests and showed up more than an hour late for one test. He also has called in late, or not at all, more than 40 times to a computer that tracks his whereabouts, according to records from the Fayette County Department of Detention.

Although he is supposed to stay at home or at work unless taking part in a court-approved activity, Ragland has reported in from restaurants and a video store in Frankfort, and numerous times from the home of his girlfriend, the daughter of a Franklin Circuit Court judge.

More than a year ago, police charged Ragland with murdering Trent DiGiuro, a UK student who was shot in the head with a highpowered hunting rifle. Authorities have said Ragland believed DiGiuro got him blackballed from a UK fraternity.

Guthrie True, Ragland's attorney, said his client had initial problems adjusting to electronic monitoring and that technical problems with the monitoring system also were to blame. But True said he doesn't think Ragland has violated any call-in requirements since the first few months he was monitored.

Fayette Circuit Judge Thomas Clark, who received the reports on Ragland's violations from corrections officials, said the number of release violations he would allow before revoking bond ``varies from case to case.'' He refused to comment on Ragland's violations.

After Ragland had been on Fayette County's electronic monitoring program about a month, Commonwealth's Attorney Ray Larson asked to tighten the release terms because of repeated violations. Clark lengthened the hours of Ragland's curfew and ordered twice-a-week drug and alcohol testing.

But the violations continued, and the court record of the case does not indicate any further attempts by Larson to more strictly monitor or sanction Ragland. Larson refused to comment.

The electronic monitoring program's guidelines call for corrections officials to ask the judge to revoke participation if the defendant makes three late calls in a 30-day period fails to respond to pages twice in a 30-day period fails to contact the program for 24 hours is charged with new criminal offenses or misses drug or alcohol tests or tests positive. The records show that Ragland violated the late-calls, no-responses and alcohol-test rules, lapses that corrections officials reported to Clark.

Fayette Chief Circuit Judge Mary Noble said judges normally view bond violations, even minor ones, as serious. ``It's been my experience that any violation will get you revoked,'' she said.

But she said it's up to a judge's discretion whether to revoke bond, and she wouldn't want to secondguess one.

IN JEFFERSON County, Chief Circuit Judge Thomas Wine said people are taken into custody automatically if they violate their bond conditions, and a judge later decides whether to renew or revoke the bond. ``Whenever you say to a defendant, `That's a gray area,' they will push it as far as they can,'' he said.

Jo Ann Phillips, executive director of Kentuckians' Voice for Crime Victims, said the number of violations by Ragland tell her he was not a good candidate for bond. ``He should have been hauled back in 49 violations ago,'' she said.

But Phillips said the bond system has traditionally favored the accused. In Ragland's case, she said, it has ``given him wide berth. . . . What this says to him, his friends and people like him is that the system doesn't really punish you.''

Melinda Wheeler, deputy director of the state Administrative Office of the Courts, said the agency does not offer judges guidelines regarding if and when they should revoke bond. Such decisions are made on a caseby-case basis, she said.

Since Aug. 18 last year, Ragland has been out on bail. His father, Jerry Ragland, a Frankfort businessman, put up $1 million in cash to secure his release. Jerry Ragland is among the largest landlords of state government, and the Ragland family has long been well-respected in Frankfort business and political circles.

The trial, scheduled for January, has been postponed several times, most recently so the defense could prepare to refute new prosecution evidence that has not been publicly disclosed.

DiGiuro's mother, Ann, declined to comment, saying she and her husband, Mike, residents of Oldham County, were told by prosecutors they should not discuss anything regarding the case.

Under Fayette County's electronic monitoring program, Ragland is required to call in by telephone several times a day, respond to random pages, abstain from use of alcohol and drugs, and stay at home or at work unless he gets prior approval to go elsewhere.

He must stay home on weekends, and on weeknights between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. He also is prohibited from leaving Franklin County, where he splits his time living with his mother and father, who are divorced.

But Fayette County corrections officials logged at least 50 violations of the terms of Ragland's release through February. Reports on the violations were sent to Clark and Larson, and Clark was asked 10 times by county detention officials to reconsider Ragland's participation in the program, in accordance with program guidelines.

There is no record of any action being taken as a result of those requests.

RAGLAND'S ATTORNEY said the monitoring system was flawed for the first few months Ragland was on it. ``There were a number of incidences where he didn't get pages,'' True said. ``There were disputed facts on both sides of the case.''

Some violations came early in the morning or late at night, when True said Ragland was sleeping and didn't hear the pager. And True said Ragland is not bound to stay at home or at work except on weekends and during curfew hours. True said he doesn't interpret the monitoring program's terms as barring Ragland from going out to eat or ``visiting anyone's home in Franklin County.''

The contract Ragland signed with the monitoring program says participants must maintain a detailed schedule approved in advance.

``You will be allowed to maintain current employment with appropriate travel time allotted and/or be allowed to remain in your residence instead of being placed in the Detention Center,'' the contract reads. ``You will report directly to your authorized destination,'' it goes on to say.

The home incarceration program started years ago as a way to punish non-violent offenders while not taking up jail space.

The system has expanded to include people who have been convicted and are awaiting sentencing, and for some suspects awaiting trial. As of this week, about 15 people were in the program, including two people convicted and awaiting sentencing. Ragland was the only person in the program awaiting trial.

Tom Bullock, a lawyer for Aimee Lloyd, a former girlfriend of Ragland's who is expected to be the chief prosecution witness at his trial, said allowing Ragland to remain in the monitoring program after so many violations could make him believe he is above the law.

``Not enforcing the terms of his release is the same as not having any conditions at all,'' Bullock said. ``That would be ridiculous. If he is out of jail and he's not monitored, he has the means and ability to do anything he wants.'' Bullock has said that Lloyd is afraid of Ragland, and the attorney is trying to keep her whereabouts a secret.

A key part of Fayette County's home incarceration program requires participants to call in to a Texasbased monitoring company that allows jail officials to track their whereabouts. The company, Voice Track, uses digital technology to confirm that the voice of the person calling is that of the person ordered to take part in the program. The computer at the company also records the telephone number from which the phone call was made.

The data allow Lexington corrections officers to know if Ragland calls from his father's house simply by looking at a computer printout. If he doesn't call on time, officers are notified.

ACCORDING TO the program's rules, those participating must be at home or at work except in certain situations. Unless they live alone, they are not even allowed to go to the grocery store or a coin laundry.

Last October, Ragland sought and received permission to go to the dentist. But Clark denied permission for him to go shopping for clothes. True said the denial was because Ragland wanted to shop outside the county.

Among the documented violations of Ragland's release terms:

On Sept. 27, Ragland didn't respond to several pages. When corrections Lt. Brian Proffitt tried to call him at home, he got an Internet answering service. Proffitt then called the Franklin County sheriff's office to ask that someone go to Ragland's father's home and look for him.

Forty-six minutes after the original page, Ragland called Proffitt and told him he had missed the page because he was in the shower.

When Proffitt told Ragland that a sheriff's deputy was on his way to check on him, according to Proffitt's memo to Clark, ``Mr. Ragland then became very agitated and began asking why I had done that to him. I could hear him moving things, shuffling things and breathing heavier.''

Ragland then called back to ask when the deputy would arrive.

In fact, the deputy never arrived. Instead, the deputy called Proffitt and told him that Franklin County Sheriff Ted Collins said his deputies ``were not authorized to make contact with Mr. Ragland except by order of the commonwealth's attorney or a warrant from the presiding judge.'' State law, however, would require no warrant to knock on the door and ask if Ragland was home.

Collins said he ``vaguely remembers'' the incident. He said his office would not make such a run ``without hearing from the court. That would be my standard operating procedure.''

Collins said the prominence of Ragland's family does not matter.

``I treat everybody the same here,'' he said. ``This is the capital city, and a lot of people here are somebody, and if they aren't somebody they know somebody who is somebody.''

On Nov. 11, Ragland didn't call in at 7 a.m. as scheduled. When Sgt. Marla Woodson called him at home, she woke him and told him to call in.

An hour-and-a-half later, he again failed to make a scheduled call. Again, Woodson had to call and wake him. Twenty minutes later, Ragland called her back and offered, without being asked, to take a drug and alcohol test. Ragland, who has had five drunken-driving convictions, is supposed to abstain from using alcohol. The breath-alcohol test registered 0.065 percent, below the level of 0.08 percent at which a driver is considered drunk but a violation of Ragland's release terms.

On Jan. 16, Ragland again tested positive for alcohol, this time at a level of 0.066 percent. And on Feb. 7, Ragland showed up more than an hour late at the program's downtown Lexington office for drug and alcohol testing, claiming he couldn't find a ride, and recorded a level of 0.041 percent.

According to files from the Fayette County Division of Community Corrections, corrections officials last found Ragland to be in violation on Feb. 12, when he was late in making a scheduled phone call.

Since then, the division has not submitted any new findings of violations to Clark and Larson, partly because Ragland's calling record has improved, and partly because program officials haven't checked where the calls originated.

Drexel Neal, the assistant director of community corrections for the Fayette County Detention Center, said because Ragland works for his father and must travel throughout the county, it's impossible for corrections officials to tell whether Ragland is at work when he is supposed to be there.

Most calls from Ragland, sometimes more than a dozen a day, come from either his father's or mother's home or from the Ragland Co., a property management firm that his father owns.

But Ragland also has made calls from the home of Roger Crittenden, the judge whose daughter he is dating. The calls have increased in recent months - five in the first 16 days of July, three in June, five in May, three in April and four in March.

Only two of the calls were approved - both on Easter, when Ragland received permission to leave home for Easter dinner.

Crittenden said he doesn't believe Ragland's visits to his home violate the release terms. If he put someone on a similar electronic monitoring program and was notified the person was calling from an unapproved location but made his curfew, ``I'd say why are you bothering me,'' Crittenden said.

``I'll tell you what this is - it's the prosecution using the press to guarantee this boy doesn't get a fair trial,'' he said.

Ragland also has made two calls from Casa Fiesta, a Mexican restaurant in Frankfort, one from a Blockbuster Video store, one from Gibby's Deli and one from Fazoli's restaurant.

Shane Ragland

Trent DiGiuro, a University of Kentucky football player, was fatally shot in the head with a hunting rifle in 1994 in Lexington.
Edition: KY;KENTUCKY
Section: NEWS
Page: 01A

Index Terms: MALE; Shane Ragland; Trent DiGiuro
Dateline: KENTUCKY, USA;UNITED STATES, LEXINGTON
Copyright (c) The Courier-Journal. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Gannett Co., Inc. by NewsBank, inc.
Record Number: lou2001081310181807

Ragland accused of causing injury on boat outing
Courier-Journal, The (Louisville, KY)
August 15, 2002
Author: JOSEPH GERTH
Estimated printed pages: 3

Incident occurred during house arrest before murder trial

JOSEPH GERTH

jgerth@courier-journal.com

The Courier-Journal

LEXINGTON, Ky.

Shane Ragland, convicted in March of the murder of University of Kentucky football player Trent DiGiuro, is accused of hurting a woman in a boating accident last summer while he was supposed to be under house arrest while awaiting trial.

A lawsuit filed in Franklin Circuit Court claims that Ragland and another man, Kenny Lancaster, pushed Emily Moore Houston from a boat during an outing on the Kentucky River in July 2001 and that she was injured by a propeller.

It is one of several cases, civil and criminal, involving Ragland, who was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the fatal shooting of DiGiuro in 1994.

Ragland's lawyers will be in court tomorrow seeking dismissal of a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by DiGiuro's father.

Last week, Ragland's lawyers subpoenaed an FBI bullet analyst who admitted lying during a pretrial hearing in the murder case. The attorneys, seeking a new trial for Ragland, want the analyst to testify at a hearing next month.

And in another case, Franklin Commonwealth's Attorney Larry Cleveland has asked a judge to set a trial date for a 2000 felony case in which Ragland is accused of fleeing from police while driving drunk, crashing his Mercedes-Benz. A hearing in the matter is scheduled for Aug. 27.

Houston's lawsuit suggests that Ragland violated the conditions of his release before the murder trial.

The Courier-Journal reported last year that Ragland had violated the terms of his release on at least 50 occasions - often responding late to pages, failing three blood-alcohol tests and returning calls from restaurants and even from the home of a judge whose daughter Ragland was dating.

While on home incarceration, Ragland was required to be at home or at work unless he was taking part in court-approved activities such as church or meetings with his lawyer.

``I think his history has been to disobey any kind of rule or law put down before him, so I guess I'm not surprised,'' said Fayette Commonwealth's Attorney Ray Larson. He added that the allegations indicate that Ragland violated the terms of his release.

Guthrie True, one of Ragland's lawyers, said he had no knowledge whether Ragland was on the boat, as Houston's lawsuit claims.

Houston's attorney, Stephen O'Brien, could not be reached yesterday.

According to Houston's lawsuit, Ragland and Lancaster threw her off the back of the boat and she was injured by the propeller. The lawsuit, filed July 3, also names Perry Goins, the boat's owner, and Tim Adcock, who Houston says was at the helm, as defendants.

The lawsuit did not describe Houston's injuries but said she sustained ``permanent injury and permanent impairment of her power to earn money'' and has ``incurred and will incur in the future medical expenses.''

According to a response to the lawsuit filed by Kathy Ragland, Shane Ragland's mother, she witnessed the event. Kathy Ragland claims that Houston jumped into the water on her own and was injured as she tried to climb back on the boat.

Goins and Adcock claim in their responses that Ragland and Lancaster were responsible for any injuries to Houston. Lancaster has not filed a response.

In the murder case, prosecutors and defense lawyers are preparing for a Sept. 5 hearing before Fayette Circuit Judge Thomas Clark on whether to set aside Ragland's conviction and order a new trial.

Defense lawyers asked for a new trial after learning that FBI bullet analyst Kathleen Lundy had given false testimony during a pretrial hearing. The hearing concerned whether to allow evidence that the bullet used to kill DiGiuro may have came from the same batch as bullets found at Ragland's father's home.

Lundy corrected her testimony at the trial. But Ragland's lawyers have argued that Lundy's evidence would not have been allowed at the trial if she had given the correct information at the hearing.

Larson also has subpoenaed Lundy for the Sept. 5 hearing. Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Mike Malone has said he does not know whether she will refuse to testify.

True said he doesn't know if Lundy will testify.

Lundy's lawyer, David O'Brien of Washington, did not return a telephone call yesterday.

Shane Ragland was required to be at home or at work during his house arrest unless he was taking part in court-approved activities such as church or meetings with his lawyer.
Edition: KY;KENTUCKY
Section: NEWS
Page: 01B

Index Terms: Q QUOTE; CD COURT DECISION; COURT; LAWYER ATTORNEY; SHANE RAGLAND; TRENT DIGIURO; KENNY LANCASTER; EMILY MOORE
Dateline: KENTUCKY, USA;UNITED STATES, LEXINGTON
Copyright (c) The Courier-Journal. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Gannett Co., Inc. by NewsBank, inc.
Record Number: lou2002081509398008

Griffin was cited for physical action resulting in the serious injury of another inmate, a Category VII, Item 2, violation of Corrections Policy and Procedure (CPP) 15.2.1 Griffin seriously injured inmate Shane Ragland by striking him in the head at least three times with a ten-pound weight plate on June 1, 2003. This attack was the climax of an argument between the two, which started over whose turn it was to use a piece of weightlifting equipment. After Ragland was found injured in the weight pavilion, he received first aid at the prison. He was later transported by stretcher to Baptist Hospital Northeast and then by stat flight to University Hospital in Louisville. His head wound was closed with surgical staples. The disciplinary report was based on the accounts of inmate witnesses Ragland, James Bunch, Steve Halsey, and Roger Whitaker; but it did not identify exactly what each of these witnesses said about the incident.