FRANKFORT — Walloped by a series of financial blows, political leaders in Kentucky spent much of the past year looking for places to cut government spending, and as 2008 drew to a close, economists were warning of more misery ahead.
Gov. Steve Beshear originally whittled some $430 million out of the state budget in a move that affected a broad array of government services and even forced layoffs in some local governments and school districts. Then came news of additional shortfalls of $456 million in the general fund and $100 million in the road fund.
The financial woes were voted the top Kentucky story of 2008 by The Associated Press member newspapers and broadcasters. That was no surprise to Beshear, who has been forced to make broad cuts in government spending.
“Kentucky’s state budget has been the most pressing issue for me in my first year as governor,” he said. “My first directive has been to reduce state government spending because that’s what families are doing all across the commonwealth during this trying economy.”
Beshear, looking for ways to raise revenue to offset some of the nearly $1 billion in shortfalls, proposed in December raising the state’s cigarette tax to $1 a pack and to double the tax on snuff and other tobacco products. That move, which Beshear believes is politically acceptable to most Kentuckians, would generate $81 million this fiscal year and $144 million the next — not nearly enough to offset the revenue losses.
To achieve that, the Democratic governor proposed cutting an additional $147 million in spending and taking nearly $179 million from the state’s “rainy day” fund.
The financial problems edged out a number of other high-profile events that made news over the past 12 months. That includes the continuing legal battles over Kentucky’s death penalty, which took the No. 2 spot on the list of top stories.
A Kentucky case that questioned the legality of lethal injections made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which in April upheld the state’s method for putting inmates to death, refusing claims by defense attorneys that lethal injections were cruel and unusual punishment.
Some seven months later, in November, Marco Allen Chapman, a confessed child-killer who waived appeals in an effort to expedite his death sentence, was executed. It was Kentucky’s first execution in nine years.
Third on the list of top stories was the debate over whether Kentucky should legalize casinos. Beshear proposed amending the state’s constitution to allow casinos to open so that they could be taxed to generate some $500 million a year in revenue for the state.
After months of spirited discussions, the measure died in the General Assembly where lawmakers refused to vote to place a referendum on the ballot that would have allowed Kentucky voters to decide whether to lift a constitutional ban on casinos.
In politics, Kentucky voters turned out in record numbers to take part in a historic election that resulted in the nation’s first black president, Barack Obama, a Democrat from Illinois. However, Kentuckians threw their support not to Obama but to Arizona Republican John McCain. That election, in which U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell was sent back to Washington, was the No. 4 story as voted by editors and broadcasters.
McConnell, the Senate Republican leader, had a scare from Democratic challenger Bruce Lunsford, a wealthy Louisville businessman and formidable opponent, but ended up winning the race handily.
A federal probe into bid-rigging in the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet took the No. 5 spot on the list. A grand jury indicted Kentucky road construction contractor Leonard Lawson, former state Transportation Secretary Bill Nighbert and Lawson aide Brian Russell Billings in September.
The charges — conspiracy, misapplication of property and obstruction of justice — were brought after a yearlong FBI probe into the awarding of $130 million in state highway construction contracts during Gov. Ernie Fletcher’s administration. The three men entered not guilty pleas. Their trial is set for April 28.
The death of filly Eight Bells at the Kentucky Derby made the list of top state stories at No. 6. The 3-year-old broke both of her front ankles moments after finishing second to Big Brown and was euthanized on the track at Churchill Downs. Her death sparked widespread cries for safety reforms across the thoroughbred industry and even some questions about whether the filly’s bloodlines emphasized speed at the expense of soundness.
A wind storm that swept through the state in September made the Top 10 list at No. 7. The remnants of Hurricane Ike hit the state with gusts of up to 75 mph, knocking out power to an estimated 600,000 customers across Kentucky. National Guardsmen were brought into Louisville, one of the hardest hit cities, to help remove debris and manage traffic. At least two deaths were blamed on the storm.
In western Kentucky, a gunman shot and killed five co-workers at a Henderson plastic plant in June and then killed himself. That tragic shooting was selected at the 8th biggest story in Kentucky for the year.
Investigators said the shooter had argued with his supervisor about not wearing safety goggles and about using his cell phone on the assembly line.
The slayings of three children and a violent sexual assault on their mother in Trigg County in October made the list of top stories at No. 9.
A grand jury indicted a Hopkinsville man, Kevin W. Dunlap, on three counts of murder, one count of attempted murder and four counts of kidnapping, as well as rape, burglary and evidence tampering following the deadly violence in the Roaring Spring community near the Fort Campbell Army post in southern Kentucky.
Rounding out the Top 10 stories of the year was a court case from Brandenburg that resulted in a Kentucky-based Ku Klux Klan group being ordered to pay $2.5 million in damages in a judgment that civil rights attorneys hope will bankrupt the chapter.
A jury in November ordered Imperial Klans of America grand wizard Ron Edwards and two former lieutenants to pay the money to a Latino teen severely beaten in 2006 by two Klan members.
Local News
Financial woes picked as Kentucky’s top story
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Judge weighs constitutionality of legislative redistricting
Kentucky’s deadline for filing to run for legislative seats was in flux on Monday because a judge did not immediately rule on a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of newly redrawn district boundaries.
Franklin County Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd said he expects to enter a ruling in the case by mid-week.
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Couple recovering from injuries suffered in weekend house fire
A couple was hospitalized after their home was set ablaze Sunday by a spark from a cigar, according to a county fire official.
County Fire Chief Jim Cox said the city and county fire departments were called to the home at 111 Concord Road in the early afternoon. Waco Volunteer Fire Department and the Richmond Fire Department also responded.
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EKU closes dining room at Arlington Clubhouse
A Richmond country club is no longer offering dining to members, but remains available for catered events and will be open on certain holidays.
Arlington Country Club, which has been a staple of Eastern Kentucky University for the past 40 years, laid off all dining staff late last week, according to Tom Coffey of the EKU Foundation.
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Standoff at Super 8 Motel ends peacefully
A bizarre drug-fueled standoff at the Richmond Super 8 Motel ended peacefully with no one hurt, including a child who was in the room with a man that police found wielding two knives.
About 1:53 a.m. Friday, police received a call about a man who was threatening someone with a knife at the motel on North Keeneland Drive, according to Richmond Police Chief Larry Brock.
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Trial for couple accused of human trafficking delayed
The trial for a Berea couple accused of human trafficking involving their daughters has been delayed.
Despite Monday morning television reports that the trial was beginning Monday, it was postponed because the attorneys are not ready to try the case.
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Richmond man charged with child porn possession
(Editor’s note: The following story contains graphic information some readers may find offensive.)
A Richmond man has been arrested for possession of child pornography as a result of a nearly one-year investigation by local police.
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Noted author to deliver keynote address for Black History Month
Almost a year ago, Arnold Rampersad stood in the East Room of the White House as he was presented the National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama.
On Thursday, Feb. 16, the noted author will stand in O’Donnell Hall of Eastern Kentucky University’s Student Success Building to deliver the keynote address for the university’s Black History Month observance. Rampersad’s visit is also part of Eastern’s year-long Chautauqua lecture series, and the title of his talk, “Black History: The Challenge of Living with Others,” coincides with this year’s Chautauqua theme, “Living with Others: Challenges and Promises.” -
Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity of Madison and Clark Counties, which has built 160 homes for people in need since 1992, is seeking applicants for partner families, according to Judy Flavell, executive director of the organization.
“We really need applicants right now,” Flavell said. “More people can qualify for Habitat homes than people realize.”
Eligible applicants must have lived in Madison or Clark counties for at least one year, have a stable income, be able to pay a modest monthly mortgage and be able to demonstrate that their current housing is overcrowded, physically substandard, too expensive, unsafe, or they are living in subsidized housing, according to Habitat.
For more information about eligibility, or to apply, call Habitat for Humanity at 625-9208 or visit its office at 1417 East Main Street in Richmond. Visit online at habitatmadisonclark.org. -
Occupational therapy dept. at EKU offers program for adults with memory loss
For local adults who are experiencing memory loss related to dementia or Alzheimer’s, the Department of Occupational Therapy at Eastern Kentucky University has provided “The Place to Be” for the past two decades.
The department will again sponsor the free eight-week program on Thursdays and Fridays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., beginning Feb. 9. Participants can attend Thursday and/or Friday. Applications still are being accepted (call 893-0653) for the free service, which is offered in Room 100 of the Dizney Building on EKU’s campus. -
Bible Belt towns in state consider going ‘wet’
In this Appalachian college town where socially conservative views are bedrocks of life, some people want to do what was once unthinkable: legalize liquor sales.
Supporters say passing the measure in Tuesday’s special election in Barbourville would tap a new revenue source in a place where hundreds of jobs are evaporating as one plant shuts down and another cuts its workforce in half. But from the pulpits to the courthouse square, opponents have been pressing their case that uncorking liquor sales would irreparably harm the town of about 3,200. - More Local News Headlines
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