Leaking M55 rocket overpacked into ‘leak-proof’ container

The M55 rocket discovered to be leaking Thursday at the Blue Grass Army Depot was packed into a “leak-proof container Friday morning, according to depot spokesperson Dick Sloan.

“The igloo containing the rocket is undergoing continuous filtration and being monitored daily,” Sloan said. “This will continue for at least three days to ensure that no agent vapor, if present, can escape to the outside atmosphere.”

After three days of negative agent readings, the overpacked rocket will be moved to a separate igloo which contains only overpacked chemical munitions. That igloo is monitored each workday and BGCA physical scientists have never detected any agent leaking from an overpacked munition, Sloan said.



‘Swift Solution’ to be completed next year

The destruction of three containers holding a nerve agent mixture that began Wednesday at the Blue Grass Army Depot is predicted to be completed by early February, according to military personnel.

A Chemical Agent Transfer System (CHATS) will be used to destroy the 157 gallons of toxic chemical mixture being stored in the three stainless steel containers. The project is estimated to cost about $3.5 million.



Case of short dress in circuit court next month

Madison Circuit Court Judge Jean C. Logue will hear a motion Dec. 11 from two corporations being sued over an August incident where a mall patron was allegedly escorted out of the mall because of her clothing.

Bush Realty Richmond Mall LLC, the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based owner of the mall, and Eagle Security LLC, based in London, filed a motion to dismiss the complaint made by 20-year-old Eastern Kentucky University student Kymberly Clem who is being represented by Richmond attorney Wes Browne.

Clem wore a dress to the Richmond Mall on Aug. 9 after purchasing at the DEB clothing store in the mall the day before.

According to Clem’s complaint, she had only been in the mall for about 10 minutes when she was approached by a security guard who was concerned that her dress was too short.

The guard reportedly told Clem that her dress was too short and other mall patrons were complaining.

“He made me turn all the way around while he stared me up and down,” Clem said. “The only thing he said was that other people didn’t like the way I looked, so he wanted me to leave.”

The guard then escorted Clem out of the mall.

An official lawsuit was filed in September against the Richmond Mall and its security company.



Bank robbery sentencing postponed until January

LEXINGTON — A Richmond man was scheduled to be sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court in Lexington for robbing a Lexington bank, but the sentencing was postponed until January.

Joe Bernard Riley, 35, pleaded guilty July 23 to armed bank robbery and the use, carry and brandish of a firearm during a crime of violence.

An indictment against Riley claimed that on April 12, Riley entered a Central Bank with a Hi-Point, 9 mm pistol and used “force, violence and intimidation” to take approximately $7,321.

The indictment said the deposits of Central Bank “were then insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and in committing such offense, (Riley) did assault and put in jeopardy the life of another person by the use of a dangerous weapon. ...”

News reports of the bank robbery said the incident occurred just before 1 p.m. at the Central Bank location at the intersection of Man ‘o War and Maple Leaf Drive in Lexington.

Riley reportedly escaped before police arrived, but was tracked down in a traffic stop after police observed a vehicle matching the get-away car’s description.

The sentencing in federal court was rescheduled for Jan. 8, according to Kyle Edelen, public information officer with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Lexington.



Outpatient sues St. Joseph-Berea alleging malpractice

A Richmond woman and her husband filed suit Oct. 31 against St. Joseph Hospital-Berea alleging medical malpractice.

The suit filed in Madison Circuit Court gives few details but claims that Iona Roberts, treated on an outpatient basis Nov. 16, 2007, suffered “serious physical injury” from “negligent, careless and reckless nursing or medical care and treatment” at the hospital.

She seeks both compensatory and punitive damage for alleged “impaired body function” and for past, present and future pain and suffering.

She also requests payment of medical and legal expenses and a jury trial.



Rockcastle County woman sues White House Clinic, dentists

A Rockcastle County woman filed suit Oct. 30 in Madison Circuit Court claiming that two dentists who examined her four times from March 9 to Oct. 15, 2007, failed to diagnose a developing cancer.

According to the suit, Carolyn Klotz claims she made the dentists of “an oral lesion or ulcer that was painful and would not heal.”

While clinic personnel conducted a cancer screening, the suit claims they failed to diagnose her condition because they did not use “the skill and care ordinarily used by a licensed dentist or dental clinic.”

The alleged failed diagnosis allowed the cancer to reach an advanced stage, and Klotz was forced to undergo a long course of treatment, the suit claims.

She seeks a jury trial and a judgment “exceeding the jurisdictional threshold” of circuit court.



Berea College Theatre presents ‘Troy Women’ Nov. 19-22

BEREA — The Berea College Theatre will stage Karen Hartman’s “Troy Women,” 8 p.m. Wednesday through Friday in the Jelkyl Drama Center. The Friday performance will be signed for the hearing impaired.

Directed by Berea senior Sam Jenkins, the play is adapted from Euripides’ “Women of Troy.”

According to a release from the college, the play “contains adult language and situations and is not suitable for children.”

Tickets, $5 to $10 may be reserved by calling 985-3300.