Local News
Execution sought for murderer convicted here
Attorney General Jack Conway has requested that Gov. Steve Beshear set an execution date for a Harlan man on death row for six murders, four of which were tried in Richmond.
Robert Karl Foley, 53, was sentenced to death in Madison County on April 27, 1994, for the 1989 killings of Kimberly Bowersock, Lillian Contino, Jerry McMillen and Calvin Reynolds, all of Ohio.
The four were killed because Foley believed one of them had reported him to his parole officer for a violation, according to testimony at his trial, which was moved to Madison County from Laurel County.
Foley was on parole for another murder when those killings were committed, according to the letter.
A jury deliberated for three hours in the case before returning guilty verdicts on all four murder charges, according to a 1994 report in the Richmond Register.
He already had been sentenced to death on Sept. 28, 1993, for the Aug. 17, 1991, killings of Rodney and Harry Lynn Vaughn in Laurel County when the Madison sentences were handed down.
Conway’s letter to Beshear states that Foley’s appeals have been denied multiple times, including three petitions for review that were rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The letter seeks to have an execution date set for the Vaughn killings, and notes that litigation is still pending on the sentences handed down in the Madison County trial.
“Litigation in that case continues but is not a legal impediment to execution for murdering the Vaughn brothers,” the letter states.
Foley is being held in the Kentucky State Penitentiary in Eddyville, where all death row inmates are housed.
Conway also issued similar letters seeking execution dates for two other men, Ralph Baze Jr. and Gregory Wilson.
“In requesting these death warrants, I am performing my solemn duty as attorney general to enforce the laws of the commonwealth,” Conway said in a news release. “The horrific crimes these men committed have taken an enormous toll on the victims’ families, for whom this may bring closure.”
Brian Smith may be reached at bsmith@richmondregister.com or at 624-6694.
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Berea men arrested for robbery
Berea police arrested two men in connection with a March 8 robbery at a check-cashing business, a spokesman said Monday.
Shawn Burns, 32, was charged with first-degree robbery and misdemeanor receiving stolen property, while Bradley Lamb, 21, was charged with complicity to first-degree robbery and misdemeanor receiving stolen property, said Capt. Ken Clark, Berea Police Department spokesman. -
City seeks proposals for Gibson Bay Cafe
The operation lease for Gibson Bay Cafe expires at the end of May, and the City of Richmond will be accepting bids for the operation of the restaurant from the public until Friday, March 26.
Gibson Bay Cafe, which is located at Lake Reba Recreational Complex on the Gibson Bay Golf Course, is owned by city commissioner Bill Strong and his wife Jeanie Strong. -
Reports of home burglaries keep Richmond police busy
The new owner of a mobile home on Bradbury Pointe reported to Richmond police Friday that appliances had been stolen from the home.
A stainless steel refrigerator, a white stove, a white microwave and a three-ton Trane heating and air conditioning unit were discovered to be missing from the home on March 7, said Chief Larry Brock. -
Parents upset about test scores, deficiencies
The frustration was evident in the voices of a number of Berea Community School parents who spent more than an hour Monday night addressing the Berea Independent Board of Education.
The parents spent most of the evening talking directly to middle school/high school principal John Masters about a lack of communication with school personnel and asking for answers about how the district intends to correct a number of deficiencies identified by the state in a December audit. -
Time to stand up, be counted
Madison County households will be receiving questionnaires in the mail today through Wednesday from the U.S. Census Bureau which is carrying out it constitutional mandate to count all U.S. citizens every 10 years.
Letters were mailed last week advising household to be watching for the census questionnaire, according to J.C. Barbour, the bureau’s media specialist for Kentucky. -
‘Sunshine Boys’ dedicated to Kerby’s memory
The late Dr. Clifford Kerby, former mayor of Berea, was a longtime supporter and often an actor in community theater.
One of his favorite plays, in which he played one of the two lead roles for the old Berea Community Theater back in 1977, was “The Sunshine Boys,” said his wife Diane. -
Two chances to meet, hear candidates
“You can’t tell the players without a program,” vendors at old minor league baseball games used to yell.
With so many local candidates in the running for election this year, voters may know too little about them to make an informed choice, some observers have remarked.
However, two Madison County organizations have scheduled events for Thursday evening to help clarify who the candidates are and what they stand for. -
Local group to meet on skate park on Tuesday
A local group seeking to build a public skateboard park in Richmond will conduct a public meeting next week in downtown Richmond.
Skate Richmond, KY is a non-profit group founded in 2007, according to group member and local attorney Wesley Browne, and is interested in constructing a public skateboard park in downtown Richmond. -
Lots of ‘energy’ at expo Saturday
Gloomy weather and college basketball did not keep people away from Saturday’s Madison County Home Energy Expo at the Perkins Building on Eastern Kentucky University’s campus.
The second-annual event, hosted by Madison County’s University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension office, moved to the EKU campus this year after last year’s event was conducted at Glenn Marshall Elementary School. -
Kentucky Blood Center collection Tuesday in Berea
Kentucky Blood Center will conduct a blood drive on Tuesday from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. at Union Church in the Community Room, 200 Prospect St., Berea.
Every volunteer who presents to donate blood with the Kentucky Blood Center (KBC) will have a chance to win a trip to the 2010 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four games. One winner will receive a package for two that includes hotel stay April 2-6 and tickets to the Final Four (April 3) and Championship Games (April 5) in Indianapolis. The drawing will be conducted on April 1. - More Local News Headlines
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Berea men arrested for robbery
