At their state convention Friday and Saturday, Democratic leaders identified some of the Republican legislators they hope to defeat in the 2008 election. Rep. Jim Kreuser, D-Kenosha, the Assembly minority leader, said Democrats will target the Assembly seats of Republicans Karl Van Roy of Green Bay, Terry Moulton of Chippewa Falls, Brett Davis of Oregon, J.A. "Doc" Hines of Oxford and Jim Ott of Mequon, among others. Democrats are three seats shy of controlling the 99-member Assembly, "We're going to fight tooth and nail to get those three seats," Kreuser said. [continues 694 words]
Other Witnesses Include Bushey FRANKFORT, Ky. -- The special grand jury investigating state hiring heard from employees of the Office of Drug Control Policy and other witnesses yesterday. And the state Personnel Board, conducting its own investigation into allegations of illegal hiring, elected as chairman a man whom Gov. Ernie Fletcher appointed to the board in June after its investigation began. Heather Wainscott, a branch manager in the drug policy office, and Berry Hammermeister, a staff assistant, declined to comment on their grand jury testimony. But Wainscott's lawyer, John Baughman, said, "She had no reason to plead the Fifth (Amendment) or otherwise not testify. [continues 605 words]
Franklin Woman Supported Fletcher FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Gov. Ernie Fletcher has named the head of Democrats for Fletcher during the 2003 election to direct his drug-control campaign. Teresa Barton, Franklin County's judge-executive, said yesterday that, while she has little background in drug policy, her experiences qualify her to run the Office of Drug Control Policy. She cited her administrative experience as judge-executive and said she is interested in the job as the sister of an alcoholic and recreational drug user who died in 1989. [continues 548 words]
Driver From Iowa Arrested At I-65 Weigh Station An Iowa truck driver who law-enforcement authorities said was carrying 57 pounds of cocaine valued at $850,000 was arrested yesterday morning in what they called the biggest drug bust ever on Kentucky's highways. James M. Wall, 57, of Cedar Rapids, was traveling north on Interstate 65 near Franklin, Ky., just across the border from Tennessee, when he pulled his semi into a state weigh station. Officers there became suspicious, and a drugsniffing dog led them to two suitcases filled with 57 pounds of cocaine, said Lt. Randal Jenkins of the Kentucky Division of Vehicle Enforcement, part of the state Transportation Cabinet. [continues 460 words]
Schools Caution Numbers Can Be Misleading FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Alcohol and drug violations topped the list of 1999 crimes and disciplinary actions on Kentucky campuses, according to a Courier-Journal analysis of data reported to the federal government. The four-year public universities also reported numerous assaults and burglaries. And there were occasional cases of rape, arson, robbery, auto theft and hate crime. But since there are differing interpretations of the federal reporting requirements, observers said students and their families should look beyond the numbers. For example, University of Kentucky officials read the regulations narrowly and reported no campus alcohol arrests or disciplinary action. [continues 743 words]
