EKB News

Government testing shows the brand of emergency air pack said to have failed at mine accidents in Kentucky and West Virginia can expose users to high levels of carbon dioxide and are prone to have damaged air hoses and other problems, according to a federal report obtained by The Associated Press. The most recent testing also found air packs made by Monroeville, Pa.-based CSE Corp. produces high breathing pressure. In combination with high carbon-dioxide levels, high breathing pressure can make the air packs far more difficult to use. The report by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health also indicated that problems with damaged hoses and failed starter oxygen canisters got worse in the most recent tests. A spokesman for the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the chief federal mine regulator, said the agency aggressively inspects air packs and removes them from service if they are not in working order.

An Elkhorn man has been apprehended after threatening an officer. According to the arrest citation Trooper Derek Sturgill of the Kentucky State Police received a DUI complaint in the Jackson’s Branch area of Ashcamp. When Trooper Sturgill arrived the subject was found stuck in a ditch behind the wheel of the vehicle. The citation states that the subject, 62 year old Tommy Hylton had slurred speech and became disorderly while the Trooper was questioning him. The citation goes on to state that Hylton then allegedly pulled a knife on the officer and threatened to kill him allegedly saying he was going to “get him back”. Hylton was lodged at the Pike County detention center on charges of resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, menacing and driving under the influence among other traffic violations. He remains lodged on a $10,000 full cash bond and is scheduled to appear again in court on December 18.

The Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure has opened an investigation into whether a Magoffin County man who promoted online and foreign medical schools has broken any state laws, C. Lloyd Vest, an attorney for the board, said yesterday. Stephen J. Arnett, a former tombstone salesman and Free Will Baptist minister, promoted the St. Luke School of Medicine, an online school based in Liberia, from an address in Falcon, a small Magoffin County community, until 2003. There is no agency in Kentucky that oversees online degrees, nor does the state have an office that investigates people accused of practicing medicine without a license.

State officials are pushing to ban a device that vaporizes liquor and allows people to inhale the intoxicating fumes for a quick high without the burn of hard liquor. Teresa Barton, head of the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy, said banning alcohol vaporizers is a matter of public safety, not preserving the state's sipping whiskey industry. She said such devices could become "a real deadly trap" because they have "no purpose other than to get you drunk." So far, 17 states have banned them, including California, New York, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Ohio, and several others are considering doing so, said Sherry Green, executive director of the National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws. Tennessee, the home of Jack Daniels, already prohibits the vaporizers.

The Kentucky Democratic Party is working on taking out a half-million-dollar bank loan to boost its finances before the November election. But many members of the party's state central committee -- the governing body that must approve any such transaction -- have been hesitant to give their blessing until they know exactly how that money would be used. Committee members were being polled by phone yesterday. An infusion of $500,000 could help the party back its candidates as the Nov. 7 election nears. Much or all of that money could be paid back with proceeds from an Oct. 24 fund-raiser in Louisville, featuring former President Bill Clinton. Democratic Party Chairman Jerry Lundergan wouldn't comment on the loan proposal.

The federal agency charged with keeping U.S. coal mines safe sometimes took two or more days to respond to complaints of hazardous conditions, but it has refused to accept two of 13 recommended improvements from the Office of Inspector General. The U.S. Department of Labor report examined the Mine Safety and Health Administration's hot-line responses over three months. It recommends MSHA set specific time limits for evaluating complaints and responding to the scene, rather than adhering to the current standard of "immediately" or "as soon as possible." But the 77-page report says MSHA balked, insisting that a focus on timeliness could lead to an incomplete evaluation of the complaint, an insufficient response and "a premature and uninformed decision." The OIG remained undeterred in its report.

Today high school students from around the region were invited to the Prestonsburg campus of Big Sandy Community and Technical College for their annual College Career Day. The students were able to tour the campus and receive information on college registration, classes and tuition.

“What this day is all about is to share with our students in the five county area the opportunities on all four of our campuses Pikeville Prestonsburg Hager Hill and Mayo”
Said Billie Jean Cole associate Dean of Student Affairs for BSCTCS who went into detail about what she hoped students came away with. “We have a new slogan and its high education begins here and we want the students in the five county area to know their higher education can begin right in their backyard.”

According to Cole over 650 students some of which are on fall break attended the College Career day which featured over 27 colleges and Universities there to answer questions and provide young minds with valuable information. For more information about BSCTCS or any of their affiliate campuses you can call 1-888-641-4132 or visit the states community and technical college website at http://www.kctcs.edu/

On Friday September 22, East Kentucky Broadcasting partnered with Walters Toyota for their annual charity golf tournament at Raven Rock Golf course at Jenkins with resounding success.

Despite the rains which put a damper on tee time, registration for the event surpassed all expectations and Walters Toyota was able to raise $2,000 to give to UNITE Pike. This morning East Kentucky Broadcasting met with Unite Pike coordinator Debbie Trusty and Walters Toyota General manager Bruce Walters the second to present the check to UNITE Pike.

“8 or 9 years ago is when we first started and it seems like it gets bigger and better each year” Walters said as he explained some of the history of the tournament. “We learned about five years ago we can have a big day of golf and fun and all that and bring in a lot of money to donate to a local charity so its really turned into a great thing and we look for to continuing it for many years to come.”

“We are just so thankful and so excited to be this year’s recipient.”
Trusty said expressing her thanks for the support. “This money is going to go to several activities within UNITE pike such as our hooked on fishing not on drugs.”

Golfers registered for the tournament will be teeing off on October 20th for the make up round.

Frankfort - Gov. Ernie Fletcher has raised just more than $1 million for his re-election campaign, according to a report filed Wednesday with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance. That includes $722,815 raised since July 1.
Fletcher said his fundraising was "going well" since August, when state prosecutors agreed to a deal that dropped misdemeanor charges against him of alleged official misconduct, political discrimination and conspiracy. The charges were part of an investigation into allegations that his administration illegally doled out jobs to political supporters.

Prestonsburg - A Printer man is now facing a theft charge after he was arrested for allegedly cutting down five telephone poles and selling them for $5 each, according to the Kentucky State Police. 46 year old Amos R. Johnson was arrested last week in Printer by Kentucky State Police Trooper Shawn Little and charged with theft by unlawful taking over $300, a felony.

The five telephone poles belonged to Bellsouth, and the cost of the damage has been estimated at around $3,000. The poles that were cut down were located on the same road that Johnson lives on in Printer. Johnson is being held in the Floyd County Detention Center on a $3,000 bond.

Pikeville - Last year during a similar promotion Harley Shop officials held, they invited the Central Kentucky Blood Center to set up their Blood Mobile and collect donations from those attending their big sale. During that time over forty pints of blood was collected and officials were pleased with the turnout.
During the Shriner’s Christmas in July Bike Ride, the CKBC’s Blood Mobile once again set up , this time garnering sixty pints of blood at Harley Davidson of Lexington.
Once again this year, Harley Davidson of Pikeville held another sale and once again invited CKBC to come and collect blood, with a goal of topping the sixty two pints collected in Lexington.
While it seemed like a daunting task, with the help of East Kentucky Broadcasting’s on air promotion of the blood drive, the center had yet another overwhelming turnout… beating the goal they set for themselves at the beginning of the day.
According to management at the Harley Shop seventy people registered on Saturday September 30 to donate blood during time that officials with the blood center are calling for donations to help stifle a shortage of blood.

Pikeville - Last year the Pikeville Police Department had a vision.
That vision consisted of smiles on children’s faces. Children who otherwise may not have gotten everything on their Christmas wish list. So the Pikeville PD instituted their own version of the Shop with A Cop program to be able to take underprivileged children out for a Christmas lunch and then on to Wal-Mart where they are allowed to buy whatever their young hearts desire.
Last Year the program was able to fund shopping sprees for ten children, but officials with the police department didn’t feel that those were enough children.
So this year the Police department decided to hold several fundraisers throughout the year in order to garner what they hope will be enough money to be able to send at least twenty children shopping this year.
According to Officer Tony Conn, this year’s car wash put on by the police department was a resounding success with over one hundred vehicles getting a scrub down with all of the money going to the departments funds to be able to take the children shopping.
After a smaller yard sale was held earlier this year, officials decided to go all out and hold a gigantic yard sale on Saturday September 30, with people lining up to go shopping before the yard sale even got started.
According to Sgt. Eddie Sword, the Pikeville Fire Department, who hosted the yard sale at their Chloe Creek Department, was calling over to the Police Department around 7:30, waiting for officials to arrive with goods that ranged from a wide variety of clothing items, tools and many other household odds and ends.

Pikeville - During an exclusive interview that aired on all of the stations of East Kentucky Broadcasting, Governor Ernie Fletcher spoke about how passionate he was about the Thompson Road project, which he had just broke ground with several other officials for just moments before hand on the afternoon of Friday September 29.
The three phase project will see the road widened to ease congestion and allow for economic development in that area, a project that Governor Fletcher said has been on his mind since driving on the road during his campaign for Governor in early 2003.
“The first thing that we realized is that there are a number of acres that are pretty much inaccessible at least to a significant flow of traffic and not only that but it’s a safety issue” the Governor told EKB news. “This project has a lot of merits, economic development and safety; it’s great for Pikeville and great for the county.”

Pikeville - At 10:00 am on the morning of Saturday September 30, Pikeville City Park was packed with people who all came out to take part in the Kiwanis’ First Ever Holiday Festival.
However there was a problem with the turnout that morning; the festival wasn’t scheduled to start until 2:00 that afternoon.
However the early start and continued flow of people in and out of City Park for the rest of the afternoon was re-assurance for the Kiwanis that the festival was a success and could become an annual tradition.
“It was an overwhelming success!” said Kiwanis Janet Thompson who helped to organize the event, which featured hay rides, cake tosses, arts and crafts and a slew of other activities, games and food.
But while the festival ensured light hearted fun for all in attendance, the underlying cause for the festival was one of a serious matter.
The Kiwanis civic organization prides itself on trying to help needy causes, including children who have been criminally abused.
Those children were the ones who benefited from the Kiwanis Holiday Festival with all of the money raised by vendors, going directly to the children.