Kentucky.com: Clark County
News, sports and entertainment from Kentucky.com
- G.I. Joe is for real men
Since 1982, when he was 9, Roger Taft of Winchester has read about the missions of G.I. Joe.And he's been on a mission of his own: Collect every comic, action figure and other tie-in.His collection now boasts about 3,000 figures, tracing as far back as the toys he played with as a child during the '80s."I kept better care of my toys as a kid than anyone else I know," he said. "Most of the 1982 G.I. Joe figures I've got in my collection are my original ones."Taft represents what's become a sea change in the toy industry over the past decade and a half. Of the roughly $1.5 billion spent on action figures last year, industry data suggest, more than a third of that amount was spent by people older than 15. - Around Kentucky
RICHMONDRAPE SUSPECT ARRESTED AFTER TURNING HIMSELF INPolice arrested a man yesterday and charged him with raping a woman in his Richmond apartment last week. Jarrett Masters, 26, was charged with rape, unlawful imprisonment and two counts of sodomy in connection with an alleged attack on a 26-year-old woman Dec. 7 in his Ballard Drive apartment. According to police, Masters turned himself in to Kentucky Probation and Parole in Richmond. He was being held in the Madison County Detention Center on probation-related charges.WINCHESTERPOLICE CHASE CROSSES 3 COUNTIES - State allots $3 million for plant upgrade
East Kentucky Power Cooperative will receive $3 million in state funds to offset the costs of renovations at its power plant on the banks of Lake Cumberland.The funds were approved Monday by the legislative Government Contract Review Committee, the co-op said.They'll help pay for construction of a cooling tower designed to keep Cooper Station working while the lake's water levels are lowered to ease pressure on Wolf Creek Dam, which has leaks.The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has lowered the lake level to 680 feet, a level at which Cooper can still draw water, which it uses for cooling while generating electricity. Without modifications, the plant could not operate if the level were to fall below 673 feet.Total costs for the renovations are expected to exceed $20 million and include the cooling tower and a system of several barge-mounted water pumps. - Sign up for Pilates, nurse's aide training
Registrations are being accepted for the following Community Education classes to be offered in January. Call (859) 745-3946.• State Registered Nurse Aide Training: Jan. 8 through March 11. Classes will meet 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Clark County Area Technology Center, 650 Boone Avenue. The cost is $205. Textbooks are available at Bethany Book Room in Winchester.• Pilates: Jan. 8 through Feb. 14. Classes will meet 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at College Park Gym, 15 Wheeler Avenue. The cost is $40. - E. Ky. Co-op rate hike less than desired
The state Public Service Commission approved a $19 million rate increase yesterday for East Kentucky Power Cooperative, an amount less than half of what the co-op had requested and also far below a compromise proposal reached by several of the parties to the case.The approved increase essentially means no change in the electric bills for the half-million homes and businesses served by the co-op, because the commission had allowed a $19 million interim jump in April while it considered the case as a whole. That increase resulted in about $1.50 to $2 more a month for an average residential customer.In its order, the PSC said the co-op improperly included a number of items in its application, and after being removed, their absence resulted in the status quo increase.The ruling ends a nearly yearlong process focused on the electricity producer's increasingly dire financial situation. East Kentucky Power called the increase disappointing but said the increase, coupled with its own cuts in expenses, should allow it to operate adequately through 2008.The order noted the prospect of future rate increases, which could come as soon as construction is completed on a new power generator in Maysville in 2009. - Library advisory board invites teens
All teens are invited to a Teen Advisory Board meeting at 6 p.m. Monday at the Clark County Public Library, 370 South Burns Avenue.Also at the library:• Kathy Mayfield and Lisa Johns will demonstrate how to make artificial flower arrangements that can be added to wreaths from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday.• Santa Claus will be making his annual visit in the library's community room 10 a.m. to noon Saturday. Children can have their pictures taken with Santa at no charge.CHORALE'S CHRISTMAS CONCERT - BUSINESS NOTES
KENTUCKYPOWER CO-OP RATE DECISION EXPECTEDThe state Public Service Commission is expected to announce its ruling today on East Kentucky Power Cooperative's request for a rate increase. The cooperative, which provides power to half a million homes and businesses, originally asked for an increase of $43.4 million, but previously announced a compromise with all but one of the intervenors in the case to reduce that request to $38.5 million. The co-op has said unforeseen events caused its financial crunch. In particular, it cited a prolonged outage at one of its generators in 2004, which forced it to purchase power, and the cooperative's setting aside money in its 2005 fiscal year to deal with the potential effect of a lawsuit filed against it by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.NATIONALCLEAR CHANNEL BUYOUT LIKELY TO BE EXTENDED - Water rates for homes to go up
The rate Kentucky American Water's residential customers pay will increase 17 percent under a settlement agreement approved by the State Public Service Commission yesterday.The new rates begin Saturday.Lexington customers using 5,000 gallons of water a month will see their bills rise from $20.10 to $23.55.In April, the company requested a rate that would have increased the bills of most Lexington residential customers by 29 percent. The company said it needed the money because of $60 million in investments, including a new water tank on Eastland Drive in Lexington, improvements to the company's two treatment plants and a booster station at Mallard Point in Scott County.In mid-September, state Attorney Gen. Greg Stumbo announced that a tentative settlement had been reached that would cut that request nearly in half. - UK teams with Clark Regional Medical Center
The University of Kentucky will offer new health services at Clark Regional Medical Center and will help it form a strategic plan, under an agreement announced yesterday.Although the initial agreement will last only about seven months to a year, UK hopes to extend the relationship. A merger is one possibility, a UK HealthCare executive said."We'd very much like to develop a relationship with them that has sustained, lasting power," said Dr. Michael Karpf, UK's executive vice president for health affairs.The initial affiliation agreement will serve as a sort of trial period for the relationship, said Bob Fraraccio, chief executive officer of Clark Regional Medical Center.Under the agreement, UK HealthCare will have some oversight ability at the hospital and will help Clark Regional evaluate its finances, physical plant and medical services, then develop a plan. - Christian fiction author to speak
Christian fiction author Jan Watson will be featured during November's Book Lunch at the Clark County Public Library, 370 S. Burns Ave. Watson has penned two books, Troublesome Creek and Willow Springs, with a third one due out in February. She will be speaking noon-1 p.m. Thursday. Registration is required by calling (859) 244-5661.SCHOOL CELEBRATES RED RIBBON WEEKThe students, staff and parent volunteers of Central Elementary in Winchester celebrated Red Ribbon Week Oct. 22-26. They contributed their pennies to Clark County Agency for Substance Abuse Policy and held an assembly with featured speaker Superintendent Ed Musgrove.During the week all students, staff members and volunteers wore Red Ribbon T-shirts and surrounded the school holding hands to "keep out drugs."