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HavenWorks.com/kentucky - Kentucky News |
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Kentucky News, Kentucky State News, Kentucky capital: Frankfort, KY News |
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 US
States
Kentucky capital: Frankfort US
Capitals
KY: Kentucky State
Abbr.
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). KY News
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 Kentucky
KENTUCKY News:
 Mitch
McConnell -  Economic
- Emergency
-  Jobs
-  Accounting
-  Politics
-  Opinion
-  People
-  Social
Security -  Government
-  Reference
-  Book
- Kentucky
"Revisionists' blind view of New Deal." ... "[N]early eight decades after [Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt] FDR launched the New Deal, amid possibly the greatest economic emergency since the 1930s, it’s important to understand that the most sophisticated arguments seeking to demolish the New Deal are based on a misreading of the bulk of the historical evidence. University of California, Davis historian Eric Rauchway, the author of “The Great Depression & The New Deal: A Very Short Introduction,” dismantled Shlaes’ argument in a 2007 review in Slate. He showed how [right wing writer Amity] Shlaes had tried to diminish the nation’s economic growth during the 1930s using the narrow gauge of the Dow Jones Industrial Average as opposed to the gross domestic product." ... "Shlaes cited unemployment figures that excluded Americans who had New Deal-generated jobs, and she virtually ignored what Rauchway calls “the authoritative reference work Historical Statistics of the United States.” That reference book shows that during FDR’s first term, the real GDP grew by some 9 percent annually; and after the 1937-38 recession, the economy grew at an annual clip of 11 percent. By the fall of 1934, another New Deal historian, William E. Leuchtenburg, explains, “the ranks of the unemployed had been reduced by over 2 million and national income stood almost a quarter higher than in 1933.”" ... "The Shlaes-[ Kentucky Republican Senator Mitch] McConnell anti-New Deal critics tend to minimize the enduring contribution of laws such as the Wagner Act, which established workers’ rights to organize and bargain collectively, and the Social Security Act of 1935 that provided for unemployment as well as old-age insurance. They highlight, instead, the failure of the National Industrial Recovery Act to fuel economic growth, overlook the ways in which the New Deal alleviated people’s misery and rarely acknowledge that World War II lifted the economy and ultimately ended the Depression because the national government joined closely with the private sector to provide a massive stimulus in the form of federal wartime spending." ... "FDR’s New Deal had its share of failures, setbacks and problems. But to argue that it harmed the American people, “failed abysmally” (Shlaes’ words) to reduce unemployment, and retarded economic growth is to twist the historical evidence beyond all reasonable recognition. Such arguments are forms of revisionism that are misleading, polemical and riddled with distortions of the overwhelming facts at hand about the New Deal’s achievements as well as its real shortcomings. " -By Matthew Dallek -Politico.com 
 Jim
DeMint -  Bob
Corker -  Richard
Shelby - Mitch
McConnell -  Foreign
- Money
- Politics
-  Construction
-  Auto
-  Makers
- Government
- Emergency
-  Legislation
- Labor
-  Michigan
-  California
-  South
Carolina -  Alabama
-  Tennessee
- Kentucky
-  German
-  Japanese
-  South
Korean
"Foreign Auto Makers Won Billions in Government Subsidies: Southern States Gave [Foreign] Auto Companies Tax-breaks and Cash for Training." ... "To hear Southern Republicans tell the story, the financial burdens facing Detroit’s automakers are self-made troubles to be settled by the laws of Adam-Smith capitalism." ... "“We don’t think it is the role of government to intervene,” [South Carolina Republican Senator] Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C. [Republican-South Carolina]) told the Fox Business Network last week. “We need to let the market and the laws work the way they are already in place.”" ... "Yet this argument — that the government has no business interfering in free markets — ignores an increasingly frequent tradition among Southern states, which have fronted billions in local taxpayer dollars in the past two decades to attract foreign auto plants. Those incentives, arriving in the form of tax breaks, training for new employees and even land, have enticed [German automaker Bayerische Motoren Werke] BMW to South Carolina, [German automaker] Mercedes to Alabama and [Japanese automaker] Nissan to Tennessee. The result of the government subsidies has been the steady emergence of the South as an auto-manufacturing powerhouse. Some are dubbing it the “New Detroit” – a region where real estate is cheap and the labor’s not unionized." ... "Not coincidentally, these Southern states are represented by the same coalition of GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican] senators who led the fight against the recent Detroit [Michigan] bailout proposal. That legislation would have provided $14 billion in emergency bridge loans to General Motors and Chrysler, both of which say they lack the finances to survive the month. Rallying behind the animated opposition of GOP [Republican Senators] Sens. Bob Corker (Tenn.[Tennessee]), Richard Shelby (Ala.[Alabama]), Mitch McConnell (Ky.[Kentucky) and South Carolina’s DeMint, Senate Republicans killed the legislation." ... "On Friday, the day following the Senate vote, Shelby told CNBC that if the Big Three had only managed their business operations as well as the foreign companies, known as transplants, they wouldn’t be scrambling now for a taxpayer-funded bailout." ... "“You look at the South,” Shelby said. “You take — not just Mercedes in my hometown — but BMW, Honda and all of them. These companies are flourishing with American workers made in America.”" ... "But the flourishing of the transplants didn’t come without significant taxpayer help. Shelby’s Alabama, for example, secured construction of a [German automaker] Mercedes-Benz plant in 1993 by offering $253 million in state and local tax breaks, worker training and land improvement. For [Japanese automaker] Honda, the state’s sweetener surrounding a 1999 deal to build a mini-van plant was $158 million in similar perks, adding $90 million in enticements when the company expanded the plant three years later. A 2001 deal with [Japanese automaker] Toyota left the company with $29 million in taxpayer gifts." ... "Alabama is hardly alone. Corker’s Tennessee recently lured [German automaker] Volkswagen to build a manufacturing plant in Chattanooga [Tennessee], offering the German automaker tax breaks, training and land preparation that could total $577 million. In 2005, the state inspired Nissan to relocate its headquarters from southern California by offering $197 million in incentives, including $20 million in utility savings." ... "In 1992, South Carolina snagged a BMW plant for $150 million in giveaways. In Mississippi in 2003, Nissan was lured with $363 million. In Georgia, a still-under-construction [South Korean automaker] Kia plant received breaks estimated to be $415 million. The list goes on." -By Mike Lillis -WashingtonIndependent.com 
Mitch
McConnell - Bob
Corker - Richard
Shelby - Foreign
- Money
- Government
- Politics
- Auto
- Makers
- Working
- People
- Kentucky
- Tennessee
- Alabama
- Michigan
-  US
"Do Southern Senators Really Want to Start a New War Between the States?" ... "When my Southern pals used to say "The South is gonna rise again," I doubt this is what they had in mind: A cadre of Southern [Republican] Senators, heavily financed by foreign automakers and special interests, declaring war on the American Dream of good wages and decent benefits. When did they decide that hard-working people trying to make a better life for themselves are the enemy?" ... "These Senators may want to think twice. Southern states have been benefiting from Northern taxes for years. If they start another War Between the States, the Federal gravy train might suddenly stop at the Mason-Dixon line." ... "Studies by the nonpartisan Tax Foundation have consistently shown that these Senators' states receive far more from the Federal government than they pay back in taxes. That's an irony that could lead to some Blue State bitterness: They love to preach about fiscal responsibility and lower taxes, but they keep dipping their beak into the Federal trough." ... "I believe the applicable Southern phrase is "a handful of gimme and a mouthful of much obliged."" ... "The numbers in [PDF] the Foundation's most recent study (warning: pdf) speak for themselves: [Kentucky Republican Senator] Mitch McConnell's Kentucky took in $1.45 from the Feds for every dollar it paid in taxes. That's a 45 cent free ride. [Tennessee Republican Senator] Bob Corker's Tennessee received at 30-cent Federal giveaway. And [Alabama Republican Senator] Richard Shelby's Alabama extracted a whopping 71-cent subsidy from Northern taxpayers." ... "What about Michigan? They lost 31 cents for every dollar they paid. In other words, McConnell, Shelby, and Corker have been skimming a percentage off these autoworkers' taxes for years on behalf of their constituents. Now, when the same Michigan taxpayers need help, these Senators are telling them to get lost." -By RJ Eskow -HuffingtonPost.com
Bob
Corker - Richard
Shelby - Jim
DeMint - Mitch
McConnell - Foreign
- Money
- Politicians
- Auto
- Makers
- Michigan
- US
- Workers
- Emergency
- Law
- Tennessee
- Alabama
- Kentucky
- South
Carolina -  Georgia
- Japanese
- German
- South
Korean
"Meet the GOP's [Republican's] wrecking crew: Why did a small group of Southern Republicans turn the auto bailout into a demolition derby? Introducing the senators who hate unions and love foreign cars." ... "On July 15, [Tennessee Republican Senator] Bob Corker was a happy man." ... ""I cannot think of a more exciting day, even more so than Election Night, for me," the Republican senator from Tennessee said in a conference call that day. The reason for his elation was the announcement that [German automaker] Volkswagen, lured by up to $500 million worth of incentives from the state government, had agreed to build a $1 billion plant near Chattanooga, Tenn. [Tennessee.] That is, not just in his home state, but in the suburbs of the city he once served as mayor." ... "Add VW [Volkwagen] to [Japan automaker] Nissan, which already has two plants and its North American headquarters in Tennessee, and you begin to see why Corker was so aggressive this month about trying to block -- or at least dramatically rewrite -- a proposal to float billions of dollars in emergency loans to domestic automakers. Most of the focus during this debate has been on lawmakers who represent Michigan, the home of the Big Three -- Ford, General Motors and Chrysler. But Corker represents the other side of the coin: Tennessee and other Southern states have recently come to depend on foreign automakers and their non-union factories. If you're from those parts, what's good for American car companies may no longer be what's good for the country -- because your economy now depends on their foreign competitors instead." ... "Expect to hear more not just from the very vocal Bob Corker, but from the rest of a core group of Southern senators whose bread is buttered by the Japanese, Germans and Koreans. Here's a guide to the major players."
"As mayor of Chattanooga, he [Corker] reportedly conceived the idea for the site that will soon become home to the [German automaker] Volkswagen plant, and was instrumental in its development. He organized efforts to lure [Japanese automaker] Toyota to the area, and when that failed, he had VW execs [executives] and other top state politicians over to his house for dinner." ... "Georgia's two Republican senators, Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isaakson, both voted against the plan as well. Their state has a big [South Korean automaker] Kia factory coming in soon." (1, 2) -By Alex Koppelman and Mike Madden with contributions by Vincent Rossmeier and Gabriel Winant -Salon 
Auto
- Industry
- Legislation
-  Sports
-  History
- Michigan
- Ky
"Ky. Sen. Bunning, ex-Tiger, snubbed for autos vote: Ky. Sen. [Kentucky Republican Senator Jim] Bunning, ex-Tigers [baseball] pitching great, gets booted from Detroit[ Michigan]-area fair for autos vote." ... "Bunning was kicked off the schedule after he helped derail an auto-industry loan package in the Senate Thursday night." ... "Bunning is a Hall of Famer who pitched in Detroit from 1955 to 1963." -AP via -CNN
Mitch
McConnell - Bob
Corker - Richard
Shelby - Auto
- Makers
- Workers
- Lawmakers
- Politics
- Kentucky
- Alabama
- Tennessee
"Machinists Union Blames McConnell, Shelby and Corker for Killing Auto Rescue Plan." ... "The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) today rejected attempts by a trio of Senate Republicans to deny responsibility for their campaign to force General Motors, Chrysler and Ford into bankruptcy and possible liquidation." ... ""In a move worthy of Benedict Arnold, a handful of Senate Republicans this week successfully conspired to deny federal aid to [United States] U.S. automakers," said IAM International President Tom Buffenbarger. "It ranks second only to their attempt to blame autoworkers themselves for failing to provide sufficient concessions to satisfy GOP [Republican] demands."" ... "The campaign to blame autoworkers began immediately after the effort by [Kentucky Republican Senator] Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Alabama Republican [Senator] Sen. Richard Shelby and Tennessee Republican [Senator] Bob Corker to block the $14 billion aid package for automakers." ... ""With the U.S economy on the brink of a deep and prolonged recession, it is unthinkable that these lawmakers would deliberately kill an effort that could save as many as three million American jobs," said Buffenbarger." GoIAM.org
 David
Vitter - Mitch
McConnell - Bob
Corker - Foreign
- Money
- Politicians
- Auto
- Manufacturing
- Work
-  Louisiana
- Kentucky
- Tennessee
-  Pennsylvania
- US
- Japan
- Germany
"My Foreign Investor, Right Or Wrong." ... "A bunch of Southern-state Republicans (including, amazingly, ... [Louisiana Republican Senator] David Vitter), from right-to-work states, want to push GM [General Motors] and Chrysler into bankruptcy to bolster the foreign auto presence in their home states. Kentucky has a Ford factory but they also have a [Japanese] Toyota plant in Georgetown [Kentucky], so [Kentucky Republican Senator Mitch] McConnell's on board." ... "Last week, Jane Hamsher explained the conflict of interest for [Tennessee Republican Senator] Bob Corker in Tennessee:" "He hasn't mentioned the subsidies his own state of Tennessee has given toThe GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican] does a lot of chest-thumping about "Country First" and patriotism. It's fun to watch them destroy American manufacturing so they can keep Japanese and German corporate executives happy. OK, maybe not so fun." -By D-Day via Hullabaloo 
 Barack
Obama -  Stephen
Johnson -  Water
-  Earth
-  Coal
- Companies
- Government
- Law
-  Enforcement
- Politics
- Kentucky
- Tennessee
"EPA to gut mountaintop mining rule that protects streams." ... "The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday approved a last-minute rule change by the [Republican President] Bush administration that will allow coal companies to bury streams under the rocks leftover from mining." ... "The 1983 rule prohibited dumping the fill from mountaintop removal mining within 100 feet of streams. In practice, the government hadn't been enforcing the rule. Government figures show that 535 miles of streams were buried or diverted from 2001 to 2005, more than half of them in the mountains of Appalachia. Along with the loss of the streams has been an increase of erosion and flooding." ... "The 11th hour change before President George W. Bush leaves office would eliminate a tool that citizens groups have used in lawsuits to keep mining waste out of streams. Mining companies had been pushing for the change for years." ... "It also means that [Democratic] President-elect Barack Obama's administration will have to decide whether to try to restore and enforce the rule, a process that could take many months of new rulemaking. Obama's transition team declined to comment on its plans on Tuesday." ... "Another option would be for opponents to go through the courts. Opponents have argued that the rule change is illegal." ... "For now, however, the EPA's approval means there are no further obstacles to the Office of Surface Mining's plans to change the rule. The White House's Office of Management and Budget approved it on Monday. The Department of Interior, which includes the mining office, plans to make the rule final in December after briefing members of Congress, and it will go into effect 30 days after that, said spokesman Peter Mali." ... "The timing means the rule is expected to be in effect when Obama takes office in January." ... "In approving the change in writing as required by law, [Republican President Bush's Environmental Protection Agency] EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson rejected the appeals of environmentalists and some coal-country officials, including Kentucky [Democratic Governor] Gov. Steve Beshear and Tennessee [Democratic Governor] Gov. Phil Bredesen, both Democrats." ... "In a letter in November to Johnson, Beshear said his state had to protect its water and that while coal was important to the economy, it should be mined in environmentally responsible ways." -By Renee Schoof and Bill Estep -Herald-Leader -McClatchyDC.com
 Jeff
Sessions - Auto
- Makers
- Workers
-  Health
Care - Pension
- Politics
- Federal
- Economy
-  2010
Election - Michigan
-  Ohio
- US
- Foreign
- Alabama
- Georgia
- Kentucky
- Japan
- South
Korea
"It's North vs. South in Big Three bailout fight." ... "Should taxpayers in Alabama be required to bail out [American] automakers whose plants are concentrated in Northern states like Michigan and Ohio?" ... "Alabama is home to three Honda [Japan automaker] and Hyundai [South Korea automaker] plants. And just across the state line in Georgia, a new Kia [Hyundai] plant is set to open and will likely employ many Alabamans." ... "[Alabama Republican Senator] Sen. Jeff Sessions, R- Ala. [Republican-Alabama], told reporters Wednesday, “I can not imagine a real justification for a worker in Alabama who does not have any health insurance at his company to be taxed to maintain a Cadillac health care plan for somebody in Detroit [Michigan].”" ... "The struggle over whether Congress should make the loan is a classic regional battle: North vs. South, unionized states like Michigan vs. mostly non-union ones like Alabama." ... "“There are some states that might think there’s a competitive advantage for them if the Big Three don’t make it,” [Michigan Democratic Senator] Sen. Carl Levin, D- Mich. [Democratic-Michigan], a Big Three ally, told reporters Tuesday." ... "[Kentucky Republican Senator] Sen. Jim Bunning, R- Ky. [Republican-Kentucky], who is up for re-election in 2010, said Wednesday, “It’s not a balancing act. It’s whether the federal government should intervene in the private-sector economy. And I believe it should not. I am very concerned that people as hard-headed as the three people who spoke to us yesterday would not have a plan in place and not have any concession to make, but they would just want the money so they can burn through it. That’s unacceptable.”" ... "And if Chrysler and General Motors go into bankruptcy or liquidation?" ... "“I think that’s probably the best thing that can happen,” [Kentucky Republican Senator] Bunning replied. “Then there will be a reorganization and they’ll be able to jettison things they couldn’t ordinarily jettison, like health care benefits, like pension benefits and there will be someone to pick those up like the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. And then they will be able to restructure their salaries to get more in line with foreign producers and they may come out of bankruptcy a heck of a lot better off than they go into it.”" (1, 2) -By Tom Curry -MSNBC 
 John
McCain -  Rick
Davis - Foreign
- Corporate
- Politics
-  Airport
-  Transport
- Jobs
- 2008
Election - Obama
- Ohio
- Ky
-  Arizona
- US
- 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
Mitch
McConnell -  James
Inhofe - Gas
-  Emissions
- Global
- Climate
-  Environment
-  Nevada
- Kentucky
-  Oklahoma
- US
- 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
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Kentucky News Sources: NOT Necessarily Recommended Bardstown,KY Barbourville, KY Benton, KY Bowling Green, KY Cadiz, KY Campbellsville, KY Columbia, Ky Corbin, KY Covington, KY Elizabethtown, KY Frankfort, KY Franklin, KY Georgetown, KY Glasgow, KY Hodgenville, KY La Grange, KY Lawrenceburg, KY Lebanon, KY Leitchfield, KY Louisville, KY Madisonville, KY Maysville, KY Middlesboro, KY Morganfield, KY Murray, KY New Castle, KY Owensboro, KY Pikeville, KY Russellville, KY Shelbyville, KY Williamstown, KY Winchester, KY Kentucky Newspapers NOT Necessarily Recommended ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
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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
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
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
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
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
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
GOV
- Air
- Water
- Health
- Politics
- Business
- Kentucky
- "A
fight over easing rules for reporting toxic emissions:
The EPA plan would help small businesses reduce paperwork." ... "Gracie
Lewis is on a crusade to save the Toxics Release Inventory, a trove of
federal pollution data vital to helping her - and activists nationwide
- win community battles for cleaner air and water." ... "Until a couple
of years ago, Mrs. Lewis was at her wits' end over the stew of chemical
odors wafting into her home from nearby factories in the industrial heart
of Louisville, Ky. [Kentucky], a neighborhood known as "Rubbertown."" ...
"Though she still smells them today, the city now has a plan for beating
back toxic emissions, in part because of TRI data gathered annually by
the Environmental Protection Agency, she says. With those crucial numbers
in hand, she and other activists can ferret out companies releasing harmful
chemicals. "Once we smell it, we call the odor hot line," she says." ...
"But that ability to check the numbers may be changing as the EPA mulls
over whether to lower the TRI reporting requirements. Small businesses
have welcomed the proposal because it eliminates extra paperwork. But Lewis,
environmentalists, and first responders have become part of a vocal national
backlash since the changes were first proposed in September. These groups
argue they would lose vital data and would not be able to hold polluters
accountable." -By Mark Clayton -CSMonitor
Indiana
- Kentucky
- Disaster
- History
- "Indiana
Assesses Damages After Deadliest Tornado in 55 Years."
... "Rescue workers in southern Indiana and western Kentucky began to clear
debris and assess the damage left by the region's deadliest tornado in
more than half a century, which killed 22 people as it ripped apart mobile
homes." ... "The twister touched down in Evansville, Indiana, around 2
a.m. local time yesterday, after crossing the Ohio River from Henderson,
Kentucky. This tornado caused the most deaths in a single twister in the
58 counties covered by the National Weather Service's Paducah, Kentucky,
office since before 1950, said meteorologist Beverly Poole." -By
Heather Burke -Bloomberg
Kentucky
-
- "[Kentucky
Governor] Fletcher Pardons 9: Governor says he wants
to end 'game of political gotcha'." ... "On the eve of his scheduled appearance
before a special grand jury, [Kentucky] Gov. Ernie Fletcher issued blanket
pardons to members of his administration who have been charged -- as well
as those who could be indicted later --in the state hiring investigation."
... "He insisted he would not pardon himself." ... "The grand jury indicted
nine former or current administration officials on misdemeanor charges.
One, former Transportation Cabinet commissioner Dan Druen, faced 22 felony
charges of tampering with a witness and with evidence." ... "The governor's
pardon, filed last night with the Secretary of State's office, granted
"unconditional" amnesty to all nine by name as well as anyone who "may
be accused of committing" a crime related to the investigation." -By
Ryan Alessi And Jack Brammer -Herald-Leader
Kentucky
-
- "[Kentucky
Governor] Fletcher Declines to Answer Questions Before Grand Jury."
... "[Kentucky] Gov. Ernie Fletcher appeared before a special grand jury
Tuesday but declined to answer questions about alleged violations of state
personnel laws." ... "Fletcher's grand jury appearance followed his announcement
Monday that he was granting blanket pardons to nine current and former
members of his administration who were charged in an investigation into
hiring for state jobs." ... "The governor's decree pardons the nine people
already charged as well as anyone else who might be accused by the grand
jury of violating any section of the penal code, not just the personnel
laws. The pardon extends to crimes that may have been committed up to Monday."
... "Russell Weaver, who teaches criminal and constitutional law at the
University of Louisville, said issuing pardons to people who had not yet
been named or indicted was "a bizarre thing to do." Those pardoned in that
manner could include someone "who was intentionally committing felonies,"
Weaver said." -By Michael Jennings and Amanda Van
Benschoten -ChallengerNKY
Kentucky
-
- "Governor
invokes Fifth in grand jury appearance." ... "A sitting
Kentucky governor has refused to answer questions from a grand jury that
called him to testify. That's what Ernie Fletcher did Tuesday in Frankfort."
... "Fletcher invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination,
though he insists he's never willfully committed any violations of state
merit laws." -WHAS11.com
Kentucky
-
- "Kentucky
Governor Pardons Aides Facing Charges." ... "On the
eve of an appearance before a grand jury investigating his administration's
hiring practices, [Kentucky] Gov. Ernie Fletcher granted a blanket pardon
on Monday night to current and former aides charged in the inquiry." ...
"Mr. Fletcher also said that although he would appear before the grand
jury, he would not testify." -AP
via -NYTimes
Kentucky
-
- 
- "Kentucky
State Auditor Issues Alert to Sanitize Surplus Computers Containing Personal
Information." ... "On Tuesday Kentucky State Auditor
Crit Luallen announced that a random sampling of computers, designated
as surplus property to be offered for sale to the public, revealed that
one computer, formerly used by the Kentucky State Police, contained records
of 5,828 people who had been issued access cards to state facilities between
December 1997 and August 2002." ... "The records contained personal information,
including names and social security numbers, for 5,133 individuals."
-GovTech.net/news
Gordon
Smith - Corporate
- Politics
- Sports
- 
Vacations
- Jets
- Accounting
- 
Telecommunications
- Energy
- Lawmakers
- 
Ore
- Nev
- Ind
- Fla
- Mich
- Ky
- Va
-
- 
- 
- 
- "Amid
much scrutiny, mixing pleasure and politics goes on."
... "Even if lawmakers are more sensitive these days about teeing up [golfing]
with lobbyists at posh resorts, one would never know it by witnessing a
scene at Dulles International Airport on Sunday night when lobbyists returned
from the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, a high-end course in southwestern Oregon.
One lobbyist from Accenture, an accounting firm, even disembarked sporting
a long-sleeve Bandon Dunes polo shirt." ... "[Oregon Republican Senator]
Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.[Republican-Oregon]) held the fundraiser, an annual
event for his political action committee Impact America. A score of telecommunications,
financial-services and energy lobbyists paid $3,000 to $5,000 apiece to
join him for the promise of unfettered access for a weekend with the second-term
Oregonian and member of the Finance and Commerce, Science and Transportation
committees." ... "Smith paid Bandon Dunes $14,472 last year to reserve
the resort for his guests, according to disclosure reports filed with the
Federal Election Commission (FEC). Bandon Dunes charges $175 per person
for a round of golf and at least $300 for rooms during the peak season,
from May to October." ... "Smith, the heir of a frozen-foods fortune, seems
to have no qualms about his close ties to the business community. He readily
admitted that he flew to the event on FedEx’s corporate jet and returned
via Union Pacific’s plane." ... "[Nevada] Republican [Senator] Sen. John
Ensign (R-Nev.[Republican-Nevada]) also flew out for the event, as did
[Indiana Republican Representative] Reps. Chris Chocola (Ind.[Indiana]),
[Florida Republican Representative] Ander Crenshaw (Fla.[Florida]) and
[Indiana Republican Representative] Steve Buyer (Ind.[Indiana])." ... "[Michigan
Republican Representative] Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.[Republican-Michigan])
is hosting a golf tournament in July at the Oakland Hills Country Club
[in Michigan], the home of the 2004 Ryder Cup matches and the 2008 PGA
Championship. [Kentucky Republican Representative] Rep. Harold Rogers (R-Ky.[Republican-Kentucky]),
a cardinal on the Appropriations Committee, will hold an event in August
at Pebble Beach, the world-famous coastal golf course in California." ...
"In the winter, several lawmakers including [Virginia Republican Representative]
Chief Deputy Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.[Republican-Virginia]), hosted trips
to exclusive skiing resorts in Colorado, Idaho and Wyoming." ... "“You
wonder how long Republicans can bifurcate their message to mainstream America
with this gross display of wealth,” the lobbyist said." -By
Jonathan E. Kaplan -TheHill.com
- Kentucky
-
-
- "Ten
Commandments - and 2 split rulings." ... "The U.S.
Supreme Court has issued sharply divergent rulings in two separate cases
on the display of the Ten Commandments on government property." ... "In
the two decisions, both 5-to-4 rulings, the court said Monday that the
display of the Ten Commandments in a park at the Texas State Capitol was
proper - but that the displays of the Ten Commandments in two county courthouses
in Kentucky were so overtly religious as to be impermissible." ... "The
two rulings conveyed the message that disputes over such religious displays
must be decided case by case and that the specific facts are all-important."
-NYTimes via -IHT.com
Gordon
Smith - Money
- Politics
- Travel
- Lawmakers
- Oregon
- Okla
- NC
- Ky
- Fla
- US
- 
Ireland
- "Smith
trip to Ireland paid for by lobbyist, records show."
... "The Hill, a newspaper that covers Capitol Hill, reported Wednesday
that [Oregon Republican Senator Gordon] Smith and four other GOP [GOP=Grand
Old Party=Republican] lawmakers traveled to Ireland at the expense of a
Washington lobbying firm, Kessler & Associates Business Services Inc."
... "Smith, former [Oklahoma Republican Senator] Sen. Don Nickles, R-Okla.[Republican-Oklahoma],
and [Republican Representatives] Reps. Howard Coble, R-N.C.[Republican-North
Carolina], Harold Rogers, R-Ky.[Republican-Kentucky], and Clay Shaw, R-Fla.[Republican-Florida],
attended a four-day international trade seminar at Ashford Castle in Ireland's
County Mayo in August 2003, the newspaper said." ... "Disclosure reports
for the five lawmakers show that Kessler & Associates footed the $25,000
bill, even though congressional ethics guidelines bar lobbying firms from
paying for lawmakers' travel. " -By Matthew Day
-AP via -kgw.com
- "Frist
Set to Use Religious Stage on Judicial Issue." ...
"As the Senate heads toward a showdown over the rules governing judicial
confirmations, Senator Bill Frist, the majority leader, has agreed to join
a handful of prominent Christian conservatives in a telecast portraying
Democrats as "against people of faith" for blocking President Bush's nominees."
... "Fliers for the telecast, organized by the Family Research Council
and scheduled to originate at a Kentucky megachurch the evening of April
24, call the day "Justice Sunday" and depict a young man holding a Bible
in one hand and a gavel in the other. The flier does not name participants,
but under the heading "the filibuster against people of faith," it reads:
"The filibuster was once abused to protect racial bias, and it is now being
used against people of faith."" -By David D. Kirkpatrick
-NYTimes
Mississippi
- "GOP
wins Ky., Miss. governor races." ... "With a presidential
campaign only months away, Republicans picked up two governorships in the
South, ousting Mississippi’s Democratic incumbent and seizing Kentucky’s
top job for the first time in 32 years." ... "GOP Washington lobbyist Haley
Barbour unseated one-term Democratic Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, while in Kentucky,
three-term Republican Rep. Ernie Fletcher defeated Democratic Attorney
General Ben Chandler." -AP
via -MSNBC
