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Kentucky state is bordered by the states of West Virginia, Virginia (east), Tennessee (south), Missouri (southwest), Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio (west and north).

Kentucky state also borders the Mississippi River (southwest) and the Ohio River (west and north).

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20080805

John McCain

Rick Davis

Foreign

Corporate

Politics

Airport

Transport

Jobs

2008 Election

Obama

Ohio

Arizona

German

"McCain had role in original Wilmington DHL deal." ... "When [2008 Election] Republican presidential candidate John McCain meets Thursday with citizens and officials in Wilmington, Ohio, he won't need a playbook to understand why they're worried about deep job losses at the local freight airport." ... "Little known to those citizens, McCain and his campaign manager, Rick Davis, played roles in the fate of DHL Express and its Ohio air park as far back as 2003. Back then, however, their actions that helped DHL and its German owner, Deutsche Post World Net, acquire the Wilmington operations resulted in expansion, not retraction." ... "In a private meeting Thursday, Wilmington residents will ask McCain for help in stopping DHL's proposal to quit using the airport as a hub, which could cost more than 8,000 jobs. DHL says that it wants to stay in the freight business but that it can stem financial losses if it can put its packages aboard the planes of a rival - United Parcel Service - before delivering them in DHL trucks. UPS flies out of Louisville, Ky. [Kentucky], so the proposed change would render the Wilmington airport unnecessary." ... "None of that was anticipated in 2003, when McCain and Davis, who was a Washington lobbyist before managing the presidential campaign, first got involved. Several Wilmington civic leaders said that what happened in 2003 created an economic gain for their community, lasting several years." ... "But because that gain, and now the prospective loss, came from the decisions of a foreign-owned corporation, look for some Democrats and labor to seek to tie Wilmington's current troubles to McCain." ... ""Those jobs are on the chopping block because [Arizona Senator] Sen. McCain and his campaign were involved in a deal that resulted in control of those positions being shifted to a foreign corporation, and there's no getting around that," said Joe Rugola, president of the Ohio AFL-CIO." ... "Isaac Baker, a spokesman for [2008 Election] Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, said, "This episode represents everything that's wrong with Washington, D.C." " -By Stephen Koff

-PlainDealer

20080605

Mitch McConnell

James Inhofe

Gas

Emissions

Global

Climate

Environment

Nevada

Kentucky

Oklahoma

Law

"Republicans stall climate change bill to punish Reid." ... "When [Nevada Democratic Senator] Sen. Harry Reid rose to become the majority leader in 2007, many believed he had met his match in the Republicans’ new Senate leader, [Kentucky Republican Senator] Mitch McConnell of Kentucky." ... "Shrewd parliamentarians both, they brought the prospect of each trying to outsmart the other on the Senate floor, promising good viewing." ... "Those skills were on display Wednesday when McConnell brought the Senate to a standstill." ... "Just as the chamber was about to begin a feisty debate on the most sweeping effort yet to address climate change, McConnell shut down the Senate by forcing full reading of the 491-page bill." ... "Rather than hearing a spirited battle over carbon emissions, gas prices and new fees for polluters, one lonely clerk after another read page after page of minutia to a nearly empty chamber." ... "In his own statement, Reid said: “Republicans are yet again doing everything in their power to slow, stop and stall. These petty, partisan tactics waste the American people’s time, and ignoring the crisis of global warming endangers all of us.”" ... "By early evening, with a few remaining tourists in the gallery watching the nearly empty floor, Republican [Oklahoma Senator] Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma, the chamber’s leading global warming skeptic, sat in waiting, prepared to object should Democrats ask for the hours-long reading to end." -

LasVegasSun.com

20080522

John McCain - Randy Scheunemann - Money - Politics - Foreign - Republic of Georgia - Latvia - Macedonia - Romania - Ky - Arizona - US - 2008 Election - "Former Outside NRA Lobbyist Gives A Boost To McCain." ... "When he went to woo the National Rifle Association convention in Louisville, Ky. [Kentucky], on Friday, it did not hurt that presumptive Republican presidential nominee, [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Senator] Sen. John McCain of Arizona, was accompanied by a former outside NRA [National Rifle Association] lobbyist turned campaign adviser, Randy Scheunemann." ... "Officially the top foreign policy and national security adviser to McCain’s campaign, Scheunemann told National Journal in March he has weighed in with advice on Second Amendment and firearms issues. He said he had stopped lobbying for all his clients early this year, and his lobbying registration forms show that the NRA work ended at the end of 2007." ... "But during that year while he was helping the [McCain] campaign, Scheunemann & Associates, one of two boutique firms he runs, received $40,000 in fees from the NRA. The NRA, one of his oldest clients, paid him the same amount for several prior years. Scheunemann, who started working for the campaign as a volunteer in early 2007, did not return four calls seeking comment for this story." ... "According to one NRA lobbyist who was at the convention, Scheunemann arrived and departed with McCain. Scheunemann spent most of his time at the event backstage -- where McCain had a brief meeting with NRA leaders, according to a lobbyist." ... "Scheunemann’s other lobbying firm, Orion Strategies, has worked for several foreign governments, including [the Republic of] Georgia, Latvia, Macedonia and Romania, who have joined or are seeking to join NATO." -By Peter Stone -NationalJournal

20080423

Mitch McConnell - Corporate - Politicians - Woman- Workers - Law - Kentucky - "Republicans Kill Fair Pay Bill." ... "[Kentucky Republican Senator] Mitch McConnell and company managed to torpedo a bill that would have undone the Supreme Court's 5-4 decision last year in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, which held that workers can't sue for ongoing pay discrimination if the statute of limitations has passed since their first discriminatory paycheck (even if, as in most cases, workers don't know at the time that they're being discriminated against). This demonstrates a rather breathtaking lack of empathy on the part of Senate Republicans, even by their usual standards: They're defending on the merits a situation in which if your company continually docks your pay because you're a woman, and you don't find out about it for several years, you can't sue to get your lost wages back." ... "Finally, this seems to me like a pretty clear abuse of the filibuster." -By Josh Patashnik -TNR.com

20080414

Barack Obama - 2008 Election - Politics - Kentucky - Racist - "G.O.P. Rep. Refers to Obama as ‘That Boy’." ... "[Kentucky Republican Represenative Geoff Davis on 2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama:] “I’m going to tell you something: That boy’s finger does not need to be on the button,” Mr. Davis said." ... "Once the “boy” remarks began to circulate on the Internet, the Obama campaign moved swiftly to criticize them. “It’s hard to tell what is more outrageous - Representative Davis’s condescending and personal attack, or his absurd and offensive claim that Barack Obama is not prepared to defend America. Geoff Davis may hide behind offensive tough talk, but he has marched in lock-step with Bush-McCain policies that have devastated our national security, while Barack Obama has stood up against a misguided war in Iraq and worked with respected Republicans like Dick Lugar and Chuck Hagel to secure loose weapons and nuclear materials from terrorists,” Bill Burton, the campaign spokesman said." -By Kate Phillips -NYTimes

20080312

Barack Obama - Hillary Clinton - 2008 Election - Lawmakers - Illinois - New York - South Carolina - Mississippi - Georgia - Virginia - North Carolina - Tennessee - Alabama - North Dakota - South Dakota - Kentucky - West Virginia - "Eyeing Obama coattails." ... "Democratic lawmakers are becoming persuaded that [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois Senator] Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.[Democratic-Illinois]) would have a more positive impact on other Democrats on the November ballot than [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and New York Senator] Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.[Democratic-New York])." ... "Obama’s advantage over Clinton would be most pronounced in the Southern and Western states President Bush carried in 2000 and 2004, say lawmakers interviewed by The Hill. In total, 32 members of Congress from these “red states” have endorsed Obama. Twenty-two lawmakers from those states have backed Clinton." ... "Obama will “bring new people into the process in Southern states, there’s no question about it,” said Rep. James Clyburn, the House Democratic whip from South Carolina. “In these Southern states he’s bringing out more people, young people, African-Americans. They’re being energized by him.”" ... "Clyburn, who has stayed neutral in the primary, said Obama at the top of the ticket would “certainly” do more to help other Democratic candidates, citing South Carolina and Mississippi specifically." ... "Obama has picked up congressional endorsements from Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, North and South Dakota, Mississippi, Kentucky, and West Virginia. Clinton has not collected congressional endorsements from any of these states, according to a tally kept by The Hill." -By Alexander Bolton with contributions by Sam Youngman -TheHill.com

20080310

Water - Drugs - Human - Health - Environmental - Science - Investigation - Industry - Consumer - Safety - Federal - Law - Earth - Wildlife - California - New Jersey - Michigan - Ky - "Sex Hormones, Mood Stabilizers Found In Drinking Water Of 41 M Americans." ... "A vast array of pharmaceuticals _ including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones _ have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation shows." ... "To be sure, the concentrations of these pharmaceuticals are tiny, measured in quantities of parts per billion or trillion, far below the levels of a medical dose. Also, utilities insist their water is safe." ... "But the presence of so many prescription drugs _ and over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen and ibuprofen _ in so much of our drinking water is heightening worries among scientists of long-term consequences to human health." ... "In the course of a five-month inquiry, the AP discovered that drugs have been detected in the drinking water supplies of 24 major metropolitan areas _ from Southern California to Northern New Jersey, from Detroit [Michigan] to Louisville, Ky. [Kentucky.]" ... "How do the drugs get into the water?" ... "People take pills. Their bodies absorb some of the medication, but the rest of it passes through and is flushed down the toilet. The wastewater is treated before it is discharged into reservoirs, rivers or lakes. Then, some of the water is cleansed again at drinking water treatment plants and piped to consumers. But most treatments do not remove all drug residue." ... "And while researchers do not yet understand the exact risks from decades of persistent exposure to random combinations of low levels of pharmaceuticals, recent studies _ which have gone virtually unnoticed by the general public _ have found alarming effects on human cells and wildlife." ... "The federal government doesn't require any testing and hasn't set safety limits for drugs in water." ... "The AP's investigation also indicates that watersheds, the natural sources of most of the nation's water supply, also are contaminated." ... "Even users of bottled water and home filtration systems don't necessarily avoid exposure. Bottlers, some of which simply repackage tap water, do not typically treat or test for pharmaceuticals, according to the industry's main trade group. The same goes for the makers of home filtration systems." ... "Pharmaceuticals also permeate aquifers deep underground, source of 40 percent of the nation's water supply." -By Jeff Donn, Martha Mendoza, and Justin Pritchard -AssociatedPress via -HuffingtonPost.com

20080206

Emergency - Tennessee - Alabama - Kentucky - Arkansas - People - Homes - History - "Tornadoes in South Kill 50 in Rare Winter Strike (Update10)." ... "The deadliest tornado outbreak in almost a decade tore across the southern U.S. [United States] late yesterday, killing at least 50 people, sparking a pipeline explosion in Tennessee and destroying homes from Alabama to Kentucky." ... "The ``extremely dangerous'' tornadoes, spawned by unseasonably warm temperatures, prompted the first high-risk weather alert issued in February in 10 years, AccuWeather.com said." ... "``Tornadoes in February, especially this many and this strong, is a rare event,'' Buddy Rogers, spokesman for the Kentucky Emergency Management Office, said by phone." ... "The twisters first struck in the late afternoon, killing 26 people in Tennessee, 13 in Arkansas, seven in Kentucky and four in Alabama, the Associated Press reported, citing emergency officials." -By Demian McLean -Bloomberg

20080123

Mitch McConnell - Noteworthy - Government - Intelligence - Surveillance - Corporate - Telecom - Amnesty - Politics - Nevada - Kentucky - Vermont - Connecticut- Wisconsin - "Your Harry Reid-led Senate in action." ... "[Nevada Democratic Senator] Harry Reid -- who has (a) done more than any other individual to ensure that Bush's demands for telecom immunity and warrantless eavesdropping powers will be met in full and (b) allowed the Republicans all year to block virtually every bill without having to bother to actually filibuster -- went to the Senate floor yesterday and, with the scripted assistance of [Kentucky Republican Senator] Mitch McConnell and [Vermont Democratic Senator] Pat Leahy, warned [Connecticut Democratic Senator] Chris Dodd, [Wisconsin Democratic Senator] Russ Feingold and others that they would be selfishly wreaking havoc on the schedules of their fellow Senators (making them work over the weekend, ruining their planned "retreat," and even preventing them from going to Davos!) if they bothered everyone with their annoying, pointless little filibuster." ... "To do so, Reid announced that, unlike for the multiple filibusters from Republican colleagues, he would actually force Dodd and company to engage in a real filibuster. This is what Reid said:"

"[I]f people think they are going to talk this to death, we are going to be in here all night. This is not something we are going to have a silent filibuster on. If someone wants to filibuster this bill, they are going to do it in the openness of the Senate."

"That is what Democrats have been urging Reid to do to the filibustering Republicans all year -- in order to dramatize their obstructionism -- but he has refused to make them actually filibuster anything, generously agreeing instead that every bill requires 60 votes. Instead, he reserves such punishment only for the members of his own caucus trying to take a stand for the rule of law and the Constitution, those who are trying finally to bring some accountability to this administration." -By Glenn Greenwald -Salon

20071027

Mitch McConnell - Criminal - Money - Politics - Military - KY - US - Britain - Saudi Arabia - "McConnell marks funds for contractor: Firm Under Investigation for Bribery." ... "[Kentucky Reputlican Senator] Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is pushing $25 million in earmarked federal funds for a British defense contractor that is under criminal investigation by the U.S. Justice Department and suspected by American diplomats of a "longstanding, widespread pattern of bribery allegations."" ... "McConnell tucked money for three weapons projects for BAE Systems into the defense appropriations bill, which the Senate approved Oct. 3. The Defense Department failed to include the money in its own budget request, which required McConnell to intercede, said BAE spokeswoman Susan Lenover." ... "BAE is based in Great Britain but has worldwide operations, including a Louisville [Kentucky] facility that makes naval guns and employs 322. McConnell has taken at least $53,000 in campaign donations from BAE's political action committees and employees since his 2002 re-election. United Defense Industries, which BAE purchased two years ago, pledged $500,000 to a political-science foundation the senator created, the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville." ... "In June, BAE confirmed that the Justice Department is investigating possible corruption in its Saudi Arabian deals. According to British media reports, BAE set up a slush fund with hundreds of millions of dollars in a Washington, D.C., bank to bribe Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan in order to win weapons contracts. Bandar, who heads the Saudi National Security Council, has denied the allegation." -By John Cheves -Kentucky.com

20071019

Water - Emergency - Weather - Environment - History - Farm - Animals - Food - Georgia - Alabama - North Carolina - Tennessee - Kentucky - "Southeast drought hits crisis point." ... "Outdoor watering bans already cover the northern third of Georgia and dozens of cities, counties and towns in surrounding states. Farmers are selling cattle because pastures have dried up. Alabama's Elmore County had to bring in floating pumps and barges to extend its water intake pipe farther out into shrinking Lake Martin. Georgia might have to do the same at Lake Lanier, Atlanta's main water source." ... "Although rain is due today across parts of the region, it will barely dampen the 16-month drought. Through September, it is the region's driest year in 113 years of record-keeping. In five of the six worst-hit states, rain totals this year are close to a foot below normal." ... "It is the driest year on record for North Carolina and Tennessee, second-driest in Alabama and third-driest in Kentucky. A tree-ring study this summer of Tennessee's rainfall history shows this is the third-driest year for the state in at least 350 years, behind only 1839 and 1708." -By Patrick O'Driscoll and Larry Copeland with contributions by Jordan Schrader, Marty Roney, Leon Alligood, Ron Barnett, Jessie Halladay, Matt Reed, and Jennie Coughlin -USATODAY

20071017

Mitch McConnell - Media - Surveillance - Intelligence - Politics - Children - Health - E-Mails - Kentucky - "McConnell knew staff encouraged media to look at boy's background." ... "Senate Minority Leader [Kentucky Republican Senator] Mitch McConnell knew his staff had sent e-mails encouraging reporters to look into the background of a boy recruited by Democrats to support expansion of a children's health-care program - even as he denied involvement by his aides, a newspaper reported Wednesday." ... "The Kentucky Republican told a WHAS-TV reporter last Friday that his staff had not been involved in trying to push reporters to look into the financial situation of the 12-year-old boy's family." ... "But McConnell spokesman Don Stewart told The Courier-Journal of Louisville [Kentucky] that he informed McConnell about the Oct. 8 e-mails sometime around Thursday, the day before the interview with the television reporter." -AP via -Kentucky.com
Mitch McConnell - Children - Health - Politics - E-Mails - Media - Radio - Ad - Money - Kentucky - Maryland - "McConnell knew of e-mails about boy: TV interview included denial." ... "Senate Minority Leader [Kentucky Republican Senator] Mitch McConnell knew last week --at a time when he was denying it -- that his staff had sent e-mails encouraging reporters to look into the background of a 12-year-old boy used by Democrats to support expansion of a health-care program." ... "In an interview Friday with WHAS-TV reporter Mark Hebert, the Kentucky Republican said his staff had not been involved in trying to push reporters to look into the financial situation of the boy's family." ... "But McConnell's communications director, Don Stewart, said in an interview Monday with The Courier-Journal that he had told McConnell about the Oct. 8 e-mails sometime around Thursday, the day before the interview with Hebert." ... ""The initial e-mails sent by Stewart were aimed at alerting reporters that bloggers were raising questions about the boy, Graeme Frost of Baltimore [Maryland], and his family's financial circumstances. He backed off that claim in his subsequent e-mails, he said, based on a report from a blogger whom he respected." ... "Stewart said he informed McConnell of his personal role in the matter around Thursday." ... "The next day, Friday, Hebert asked McConnell about the e-mails. The exchange was broadcast Sunday night and again last evening." ... "Hebert asked the senator whether his office was attempting to get reporters to look into Frost's background." ... ""No," McConnell answered." ... "The senator was then asked, "What was the deal with the e-mail from your staffer?"" ... "McConnell replied: "There was no involvement whatsoever."" ... "The boy and his family's circumstances became an issue after he was recruited by the Democrats to respond to [Republican] President Bush's Sept. 29 radio address regarding the expanded health program, which Bush vetoed Oct. 3." ... "Graeme and his sister, Gemma, suffered severe injuries in a 2004 car crash and were beneficiaries of the insurance program." -By James R. Carroll -Courier-Journal.com

20070629

David Vitter - Trent Lott - Racism - Politics - Immigration - Legislation - Civil Rights - History - Mass - La - Ky - Miss - SC - Ala - 2008 Election - "Senate immigration bill fails; issue "is going to have to wait." ... "The political battles that helped bring down sweeping immigration legislation in the Senate are sure to rage on, although the bill is all but dead until after the 2008 elections." ... "[Massachusetts Democratic Senator] Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., one of the bill's architects, compared the fight with the Senate's long struggle for civil-rights legislation against segregationist opponents." ... ""You cannot stop the march for progress in the United States," he declared." ... "To that, [Louisiana Republican Senator] Sen. David Vitter, R-La., among the bill's most aggressive foes, snapped: "To suggest this was about racism is the height of ugliness and arrogance."" ... "Republicans on both sides acknowledged the immigration fight had riven the GOP. Republican Senate aides, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Senate Minority Whip [Mississippi Republican Senator] Trent Lott, R-Miss., was furious with Minority Leader [Kentucky Republican Senator] Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., over the leader's refusal to confront the bill's most implacable opponents, who had virtually commandeered the Senate floor, blocking introduction of amendments, refusing to offer amendments of their own, then complaining that an unfair process was preventing them from improving the bill." ... "Lott told McConnell that Sens. Vitter, [South Carolina Republican Senator] Jim DeMint, R-S.C., and [Alabama Republican Senator] Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., were becoming the uncompromising faces of the Republican Party, a prospect that could set them back for years as the Latino vote grows in power." -SeattleTimes.NWsource

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20070414

Noteworthy - Texas - Political - Intelligence - Law - Enforcement - Terrorism - Database - Business - KY - "Perry's database of Texans concerns lawmakers." ... "If you've had a traffic ticket recently, you likely are in the privately run database of criminals and potential terrorists being kept by [Texas Republican Governor] Gov. Rick Perry's office." ... "The database is intended to centralize information for police agencies, but some state lawmakers are afraid it can be misused for political purposes if the governor's office controls it instead of the Texas Department of Public Safety [DPS]." ... "The Texas Data Exchange database, TDEx, was developed after 9/11 and Perry established an Office of Homeland Security." ... "State law says it was to be overseen by the DPS, but it was quickly moved to the Office of Homeland Security at Perry's request, DPS Col. Thomas Davis testified Friday before the House State Affairs Committee." ... "Names of more than 1 million Texans are housed in the database, drawn from records of state, local and, soon, federal law enforcement agencies." ... "The database has information ranging from intelligence on potential terrorists to standard criminal convictions to drug investigations to speeding tickets and red-light violations." ... "TDEx is also poised for a major expansion by the end of May, when it also will start tapping into national records from the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Prison Management, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, [Perry's director of homeland security, Steve] McCraw said." ... "Critics note that the governor's homeland security office is not a law enforcement agency and question its authority to access law enforcement data under federal law." ... "The TDEx database is managed by Appriss Inc. of Louisville, Ky., and is an extension of its JusticeXchange program to provide state and local law enforcement agencies with a unified national crime database." -By Polly Ross Hughes and R. G. Ratcliffe with contributions by Gary Scharrar -HoustonChronicle.com

20061108

Election 2006 - US - Iraq - Military - Missouri - Montana - Virginia - Pennsylvania - Santorum - Rhode Island - Ohio - Indiana - Kentucky - "Democrats win House control in midterm elections; Senate still in doubt." ... "Democrats took over the House in Tuesday's midterm elections but Senate control might take weeks to decide, in an election shaped by voter discontent with President Bush and the direction of the Iraq war." ... "Democrat Claire McCaskill's victory over incumbent [Republican] Sen. Jim Talent in Missouri has put Senate control within her party's grasp. Two Senate races remained undecided early Wednesday -- Montana, where a Democratic challenger led, and Virginia, where another Democratic challenger was ahead by the slimmest of margins. Democrats must win both to seize Senate control." ... "Four incumbent Republicans lost in the Senate. Pennsylvanians voted out conservative stalwart Rick Santorum [Republican] — the No. 3 GOP leader in the Senate — in favor of Democrat Bob Casey; Rhode Island voters picked Democratic challenger Sheldon Whitehouse over incumbent Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee; Ohio voters chose Democratic Rep. Sherrod Brown over Republican incumbent Mike Dewine; and McCaskill beat Talent." ... "Democrats also won major House races in Indiana, Pennsylvania and Kentucky and the closely contested governor's race in Ohio, the AP projected. And Democrats seized a majority of the nation's governorships for the first time in 12 years." -USATODAY

20061107

Voting Machine Problems - Indiana - Illinois - Ohio - Florida - Utah - Kentucky - 2006 Election - Politics - "Voting machine problems bedevil multiple states." ... "As both parties revved up their massive get-out-the-vote operations across the nation, programming errors and inexperience dealing with electronic voting machines caused some early problems:" ... "• Election officials in Delaware County, Ind., planned to seek a court order to extend voting after an apparent computer error prevented voters from casting ballots in 75 precincts. Delaware County Clerk Karen Wenger said the cards that activate the machines were programmed incorrectly. "We are working with precincts one-by-one over the telephone to get the problem fixed," Wenger said." ... "• Illinois officials were swamped with calls from voters complaining that poll workers did not know how to operate new electronic equipment[.]" ... "• In Ohio, some machines wouldn't function."We got five machines — one of them's got to work," said Willette Scullank, a troubleshooter from the Cuyahoga County, Ohio, elections board." ... "• In Florida, voting was briefly delayed at four districts because of either mixed up ballots or electronic activators being unintentionally wiped out, according to Mary Cooney, spokeswoman for the Broward County Supervisor of Elections. Voters were forced to use paper ballots after an electronic machine broke in the Jacksonville suburb of Orange Park." ... "• In Utah County, Utah, workers failed to properly encode some of the cards that voters use to bring up touchscreen ballots." ... "• In Kentucky, a school board race was inadvertently left off the touchscreen ballot in two precincts in Bourbon County, requiring the county clerk to make paper ballots on the spot. " -By Douglas Stanglin with contributions by Bill Nichols, Kathy Kiely, and David Jackson -AP via -USATODAY

20060731

Minnesota - Wisconsin - Kentucky - North Carolina - Massachusetts - "Police groups to hold summit on rising crime." ... "Citing increasing concerns about violent crime, law enforcement authorities are convening a national summit here next month to deal with sudden spikes in homicides, robberies and assaults." ... "Local police officials and municipal authorities from more than a dozen cities, including Minneapolis [Minnesota], Milwaukee [Wisconsin], Louisville [Kentucky], Charlotte [North Carolina] and Boston [Massachusetts] will meet Aug. 30 in Washington, where the mayor and police chief recently declared a "crime emergency."" ... ""What we've seen happen in the past year across this country deserves all of our attention," said Charlotte Police Chief Darrel Stephens, referring to the first significant jump in homicides and other major crimes in more than a decade. "We need to get a better sense of what is going on."" -By Kevin Johnson -USATODAY

20060601

Government - Money - Politics - New York - Nebraska - KY - "Security Cuts for New York and Washington." ... "After vowing to steer a greater share of antiterrorism money to the highest-risk communities, Department of Homeland Security officials on Wednesday announced 2006 grants that slashed money for New York and Washington 40 percent, while other cities including Omaha [Nebraska] and Louisville, Ky., got a surge of new dollars." ... "The release of the 2006 urban area grants, which total $711 million, was immediately condemned by leaders in Washington [DC] and New York." ... ""When you stop a terrorist, they have a map of New York City in their pocket," Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York said. "They don't have a map of any of the other 46 or 45 places."" ... "In Washington, Mayor Anthony Williams said: "It was very shortsighted for the federal government to gut our homeland security funding program, even more so because so many dollars continue to be spent in rural areas that are far less likely to emerge as targets."" -By Eric Lipton with contributions by Diane Cardwell -NYTimes

20060104

West-Virginia- Kentucky - Labor - Business - Law - Enforcement - "Mine Where Explosion Occurred Was Cited for Hazards (Update2)." ... "Federal authorities issued 21 citations last year for a build-up of combustible materials at the West Virginia mine where 12 men died, according to U.S. Labor Department statistics." ... "The Sago mine, owned by billionaire investor Wilbur Ross's International Coal Group Inc., was cited for a total of 208 federal safety violations last year, up from 68 in 2004, according to the Labor Department. The largest individual fine last year was $440; the citations for combustible materials carried fines of $60." ... "When asked about the facility's safety record at a news conference yesterday, Ben Hatfield, International Coal's chief executive officer, said the Ashland, Kentucky-based company has improved safety conditions since acquiring the mine last year." ... "Phil Smith, the communications director for the United Mine Workers of America, in Washington, said the fines assessed for safety violations are too small to force large corporations to make improvements." ... "``We could get pulled over for speeding and pay more than that,'' said Smith, who said the Sago mine was nonunion. ``The problem with the current laws is enforcement.''" -By William McQuillen -Bloomberg

20051206

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