10.10.25

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning everybody, and happy Friday, and also welcome to
the reading of the Lexington Herald Leader. Today is Friday,
October tenth, and your reader is Rod Brotherton. And as
you know, RADIOI is a reading service intended for people
who are blind or have other disabilities that make it
difficult to read printed material. Little chilly this morning I

(00:24):
walked out of the door. Is forty five degrees.

Speaker 2 (00:27):
But here's our.

Speaker 1 (00:27):
Seven day forecast, which still is going to be a
nice week. Today plenty of sunshine, high seventy two. Tonight
partly cloudy and a low forty nine. Saturday sunshine and nice,
high seventy two, low fifty one. Sunday again sunny and pleasant,
high seventy four, low fifty one. Monday still mostly sunny

(00:49):
and nice, high seventy four, low fifty six. Tuesday ditto,
sunny and nice, high seventy four, low fifty six. Wednesday sunny,
hi seventy two, low fifty two, and Thursday also the same, sunny,
high seventy four, low fifty Let's get out and enjoy
it if you can. This will not last. Looking at

(01:12):
the almanac, yesterday's high and low sixty nine and forty
eight normal seventy two and fifty last year seventy three
and forty five. The record high for esdy in twenty
oh seven was ninety one degrees and the record low
in two thousand whoa twenty nine precipitation on Wednesday. A
trace month to date five point oh three. That big

(01:35):
grain we had earlier normal is point ninety six y're
to date we've had fifty one point four to four
with a normal of thirty nine point five seven, and
last year we'd had forty one point one five and
the record for yesterday's date three point seven three inches
in twenty seventeen. For the sun and the moon, the

(01:56):
sun rose this morning at seven forty two, It will
set tonight at seven o eight. The moon will rise
today at nine to twenty four this evening and set
tomorrow at twelve six pm.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
Our weather trivia for the day.

Speaker 1 (02:13):
A warm spell after autumn's first freeze or frost is
called what well, we're not too far away and it
will happen, and it's called Indian summer. All right, let's
look at the headlines and maybe a history changing event.
Israel Hamas deal paves way for Gaza ceasefire Israel and

(02:38):
Hamas on Thursday edged closer to ending their devastating two
year war, agreeing on the initial terms of a deal
that could pave the way to an eminent ceasefire in
bringing relief to the families of Israeli hostages and two
million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The two sides were

(03:00):
preparing for an exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners
this weekend after reaching an agreement overnight, the culmination of
sustained pressure from President Trump and Arab mediators. Trump suggested
that he would travel to the region over the weekend,

(03:21):
and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Natanyahu said he had invited
him to address Israel's parliament, the Kanesset. Though details were
scarce and the text of the agreement had not been
made public, it promised a cease fire, if not a
permanent end to a conflict that has set off a

(03:42):
humanitarian catastrophe and widespread hunger in Gaza, battered Hamas militarily
and left Israel exhausted and isolated internationally. It is also
fueled an alarming rise and anti Semitic violence across the world.
Netanyahu was convening his cabinet on Thursday to sign off

(04:05):
on the agreement, which an Israeli official briefed on the
matter said would mark the start of a formal cease fire.
The deal's first phase requires Israel to pull back its
troops to an agreed uponline in Gaza. The Israeli military
said it was preparing to lead the operation for the

(04:27):
hostage's return and to transition to adjusted deployment lines soon.
Hamas called on Trump and others to compel Israel to
fully implement the agreement's requirements and not allow it to
evade or delay carrying them out, but some of the
most difficult issues between Israel and Hamas appeared to have

(04:51):
been left to a future phase of negotiations, including who
would rule post war Gaza and whether how to degree
and how Hamas would lay down its weapons in Gaza,
where food shortages have led to international experts to declare
famine in parts of the territory. Aid workers expressed hope

(05:14):
that they could soon begin speeding supplies to the Hungary.
Hamas and Cutter, one of the countries brokering the negotiations,
also indicated in statements that the agreement would allow for
the entry of aid into Gaza. Hours after Trump announced
the historic deal, the Israeli military reminded residents of Gaza

(05:39):
in a statement that its troops continued to occupy the
territory and were still fighting war. Explosions and smoke rose
from Gaza on Thursday morning, indicating that Israeli military operations
were continuing even as a cease fire was expected to
begin soon. Here's what else to know the unclear details.

(06:04):
Officials didn't elaborate on the specifics of the hostage for
prisoners exchange or the lines to which Israeli police's forces.

Speaker 2 (06:13):
Would pull back.

Speaker 1 (06:15):
It was also uncertain that the agreement would translate into
a permanent end to the war. One important sticking point
is that Hamas has publicly rejected net Tanyahu's insistence that
it disarmed next the toll of the war. The war
in Gaza started in October of twenty twenty three, when

(06:39):
Hamas led a murderous attack on Israel, murdering about twelve
hundred people, most of them civilians, and taking about two
hundred and fifty hostages. The Israeli military has since killed
more than sixty seven thousand Palestinians, including civilians and combatants.
But that's according to the Gaza Health Ministry, and reduced

(07:01):
the territory's infrastructure to ruins. Then there's hope in Gaza.
Palestinians in Gaza welcomed the announcement, but many had questions
about what it will mean for them, their loved ones,
and their devastated communities. The situation had not changed in
any material way Thursday morning. Food, water, and medicine remained scarce,

(07:25):
and their city scapes remained ruined, but there were reasons
to hope the relief in Israel. Israel believes that about
twenty living hostages are still being held in Gaza, along
with the remains of twenty eight others who have died
in captivity. A sense of elation swept Israel on Thursday

(07:48):
as news of the deal broke, and many rushed through
so called Hostages Square in Tel Aviv to celebrate. And finally,
the pressure on Israel. Israel Timber ninth strike targeting Hamas
representatives and Cutter motivated an angry Trump and his advisers
to push net to Yahou to support a framework for

(08:10):
ending the war, which Trump unveiled late last month.

Speaker 2 (08:18):
And the next.

Speaker 1 (08:18):
Story why Ronald Extantas was released after less than ten years.
A combination of good behavior, credit for time served before trial,
and a Kentucky law intended to help inmates reintegrate in
society led to the recent release of a man who

(08:40):
stabbed a six year old boy to death ten years
ago in Woodford County. Ronald Exantus, forty two, was released
from prison October first, after serving less than half of
his twenty year prison sentence for assaulting the sisters and
father of six year old Logan Tipton in twenty fifteen.

(09:04):
A jury found him not guilty by reason of insanity
and Logan's stabbing death. Word of Exantus' release spread quickly.
Matt Walsh, an influential right wing commentator, called it one
of the most heinous miscarriages of justice in American history.
Caroline Levitt, White House Press secretary, said it was wholly

(09:29):
unacceptable and the White House was looking into it. Stephen Miller,
the White House Deputy chief of staff, described it as
a tragedy, and on Monday, Kentucky State Police said they
were investigating multiple threats against the Kentucky Parole Board.

Speaker 2 (09:47):
Even though the board voted.

Speaker 1 (09:49):
Against releasing Exantus from prison. So how exactly was Exentist
released from prison after serving only nine years, nine months,
and twenty five days. On December seventh of twenty fifteen,
Exantus drove from Indiana to Kentucky and broke into the
Tipton's unlocked home on Douglas Avenue. He had never been

(10:12):
in the Versailles neighborhood before, and he did not know
the Tipton family. According to court documents, Exantus stabbed Logan
in the head with a butcher knife as he laid
in bed, and he assaulted Logan's sisters and father. He
was still at the home when police arrived, and he
was arrested and charged with murder. Keith Benedict, a psychologist

(10:36):
from North Carolina, was the only mental health expert to
testify at Exantus's trial. He said Exantis' actions were the
result of a major mental illness marked by the presence
of mania and psychosis. According to the court documents, Exantus
continued to display psychotic behavior while incarcerated. Exantus underw went

(11:00):
a mental health evaluation at the Kentucky Correctional Psychiatric Center
and was prescribed respedriol An antipsychotic medication and his condition improved.
That helped his state of mind immensely.

Speaker 2 (11:15):
Kim Green, the.

Speaker 1 (11:16):
Lawyer who represented Exantas, said in an interview Monday with
The Herald Leader. At trial, we presented correction officers to
who talked about how his behavior was night and day.
Exantis was deemed competent to stand trial after his evaluation
at KCPC, but he was still found not guilty by

(11:37):
reason of insanity in Logan's fatal stabbing. Green said the
burden to prove insanity rested on her defense, and she
thought Benedict's testimony proved Exantus was legally insane when he
killed a Logan. Benedict evaluated Exantus twice in November of
twenty sixteen, several months after his KSEPC evaluate. Court documents

(12:02):
say Benedict believed Exantist underwent a psychotic episode during the killing.
We had to show by preponderance of the evidence that
he was suffering from a mental illness at the time
of the crime to such a degree that he either
did not know right from wrong or could not conform
his condition to conduct to the law. Green said, when

(12:27):
a defendant is found not guilty by reason of insanity.
Kentucky law requires an involuntary hospitalization proceeding, and court records
are unclear if that proceeding happened. Xantis was also found
not guilty by reason of insanity for a first degree
burglary charge. According to court records, he was convicted of

(12:51):
two counts of second degree assault and one account of
fourth degree assault for attacking Logan's sisters and father. Xanders
was sent in in April of twenty eighteen to twenty
years in prison, with an initial release date of twenty
thirty five, but under certain conditions, he could be released

(13:11):
in a little less than ten years. Green explained in
an interview Monday with The Herald Leader that inmates can
earn up to ten days of credit per month for
good behavior, with even more time served credit offered from
meritorious and exceptional service. Inmates can also earn up to

(13:32):
ninety days of credit for completing education or life skill
programs while incarcerated.

Speaker 2 (13:38):
According to Kentucky law.

Speaker 1 (13:41):
Green said Exantus' behavior was good while he was in prison,
and he participated in multiple educational and work programs, which
contributed to so much time being cut off the back
end of his sentence. You only earn it per year,
so the serve out date kind of checkges as someone
progresses through their sentence because they're earning more credits. Green

(14:05):
said he also began his incarceration in December of twenty fifteen,
following his arrest after the stabbing meeting. By the time
he was sentenced in April of twenty eighteen, he had
already served more than two years of his sentence. Keith Ardly,
the prosecutor in Exantus's case, did not respond to a

(14:26):
request for comment on Exantus' release. Morgan Hall, spokesperson for
the Kentucky Department of Corrections, did not immediately provide specifics
about the credits Xantis earned while incarcerated. As part of
Exantus's relief, he is on mandatory supervised release until June

(14:48):
of twenty twenty six, at which point he will be
freed from custody as long as he hasn't violated the
conditions of his release. Mandatory supervised release Kentucky law that
took effect in twenty twelve, is granted to qualified inmates
who are within six months of their estimated sentence completing date.

(15:10):
Inmates on mandatory supervised release are considered to be on
parole and can be sent back to prison for violating
the terms of the release. Exantus was released despite objections
from the Kentucky Parole Board.

Speaker 2 (15:27):
The Board, a.

Speaker 1 (15:28):
Group of nine people who determine the parole eligibility for inmates,
denied Exantus proll on several occasions, including the most recent
one on September thirtieth at Hall, the spokesperson for the
Kentucky doc Eight of the nine board members were appointed
by Democratic Governor Andy Basheer, and the ninth was appointed

(15:52):
by former Republican Governor Matt Bevin. But Kentucky law supporting
mandatory supervised release proceeded the Parole Board's recommendation, an Exantus
was released. The outrage was swift all the way to
the White House. Green said she has not directly heard

(16:14):
from the White House, but she encouraged officials to look
into the case and find that the law was upheld.
Those jurors deliberated for a long time, and this was
an incredibly emotional and difficult process, and I think they
took their jobs very seriously. Green said, I do believe

(16:37):
that the law was followed, that they did what they
took an oath to do, which was uphold the law.

Speaker 2 (16:47):
And next the.

Speaker 1 (16:49):
Robertson County sheriff is charged with his third DUI in
two years. Robertson County Sheriff Terry Gray was large Tuesday
evening with his third DUI in less than two years,
after police say he drove more than one hundred and
ten miles an hour and nearly flipped his car multiple times. Gray,

(17:12):
who was forty eight, was arrested near Kentucky Rout eleven
in May's Lick. He told Mason County Sheriff's deputies, who
was looking for a vehicle he had last seen near
the Mason Robertson County line on US Route sixty eight,
and that he was trying to find him. According to
court documents, members of the May's Lick Volunteer fire Department

(17:34):
saw Gray speeding in a pickup truck with flashing blue
lights activated and reported it to the Sheriff's office.

Speaker 2 (17:42):
A deputy also.

Speaker 1 (17:43):
Spotted Gray speeding with lights and sirens activated from his
home on Helena Road. Gray almost hit the deputy's vehicle
as the deputy pulled out of the driveway. According to
court documents. The deputy followed Gray, who was driving more
than one hundred and two ten miles an hour at
times and almost overturned into an embankment off the right

(18:05):
side of Helena Road. Gray eventually stopped in a field
by a private driveway after nearly flipping a second time.
Court documents say Gray was wearing an official Robertson County
Sheriff's Office uniform and had.

Speaker 2 (18:22):
A gun and handcuffs.

Speaker 1 (18:24):
The deputy smelled alcohol coming from Gray, according to court documents.
Another deputy later found a miniature bottle of Fireball whiskey
in Grey's pocket. Gray initially declined to perform field sobriety
tests and take a preliminary breath test, and he was
taken to the Mason County Detention Center. Court documents say

(18:45):
he later took a breath test and had a blood
alcohol content level of point two two six, nearly three
times the legal limit oft point eight percent to drive.
Gray told a drepardy he was not that drunk. Court
documents say, in addition to aggravated DUI, Gray was charged
with first degree official misconduct, first degree wanton endangement, and

(19:10):
reckless driving. He remained at the Mason County Jail on
Wednesday morning. According to jail records, Governor Basher sent Gray
letter Wednesday demanding that he resigned within five business days.
Basheer said he would move to remove him from office
if he didn't. We value the sanctity of law enforcement

(19:30):
and the duty to uphold the law and serve to
protect the communities that put their trust in their peace officers,
Basheer wrote. In his two earlier DUI cases, Gray received
two years of probation. He entered Alfred pleas in both cases,
a type of plea where a defendant does not admit
guilt but acknowledges that prosecutors have enough evidence to convict

(19:54):
if the case proceeds. Gray's first DUI arrest happened in
December of twenty twenty three. Court documents that Grave drove
his official marked cruiser while intoxicated and got into an
argument with Robertson County School employees. In a second DUI
eight months later, Gray overturned a tractor and acted radically.

(20:16):
According to his arrest citation, Gray got the tracker back
upright and then was arrested after a traffic stop on
Main Street and Mount Olivet Gray was appointed sheriff in
twenty twenty one and was re elected the following year.
Robertson County is the smallest county in Kentucky, home to
about twenty four hundred residents, and it's about fifty five

(20:40):
miles northwest of Lexington. And finally from the front page,
federal unions worry about workforce erosion mid the shutdown. Federal employees.
Union leaders and members say being furloughed or still working
but without pay has created personal hardship. Says the government

(21:01):
sets largely idle during the second week of the shutdown,
and for any the shutdown over funding has deepened concerns
about the long term erosion of the federal workforce. Agencies
already operating with limited staffing could face additional strain as
employees decide public service is not worth the stress and leave.

(21:24):
It's my opinion that we have functionally been in a shutdown,
or at least a partial shutdown, for eight months now,
said James Kerwin, legislative affairs director at the National Labor
Relations Board union. Since January, one eighth of the federal
workforce is gone. That's over three hundred thousand federal workers

(21:48):
who were either fired or pressured to take the deferred
resignation program. As a result, a lot of programs are
dealing with much smaller capacities. Kerwin, who is furload, spends
his days meeting with congressional representatives to advocate for federal
worker protections in future budgets. The National Labor Relations Board,

(22:11):
where he works overseeing private sector union disputes, is almost
entirely shut down. I think ninety nine point eight percent
of the National Labor Relations Board is furload, he said.
If you are an employee claiming you've been fired because
of anti union discrimination, there's nothing you can do right now.

(22:33):
There's no legal mechanism at your disposal to get your
job back. Kerwin said he remains committed to his role
at the NLRB, but fears for the future of federal service,
noting that while government jobs have never been the highest paying,
they historically offered stability, union protections, and flexibility, but now

(22:57):
these benefits are eroding. Collective bargaining agreements, laps and layoffs continued.
Twenty percent of the federal workforce is GS seven or below,
which basically means that they make less than thirty to
thirty five thousand dollars a year. We're talking upwards of
two hundred thousand federal employees, he said, for them not

(23:22):
receiving a paycheck as potentially devastating because it means that
they have to take out more credit card debt, loans,
things like that that can put them in a financial jeopardy.
While Kerwin is grounded in Washington, others feel the effects
of the shutdown across the country. James Jones, based in Boone,

(23:42):
North Carolina, a representative of Local four four six with
the American Federation of Government Employees, works for the National
Park Service. He said the shutdown hit one of the
worst possible times. The fall season in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Speaker 2 (23:59):
It's the fall color season.

Speaker 1 (24:01):
Our park gets very busy at this time of the year,
probably the busiest time of the year for us. We
don't have enough maintenance folks to really keep up with
the amount of traffic that's coming into the park each day.
Jones told UPI that one or two Park service workers
visits the park each day to clean the bathrooms and

(24:23):
take out the trash, but it's not enough. With parks
remaining open without proper staffing, he said, a bigger mess.
We'll await them when they eventually do return if they do.
We work for Americans. We serve the American public, and
the longer we're out of work, the larger the toll

(24:44):
it's going to take on these public services, Jones said.
An Army veteran, Jones has been through several shutdowns and
shared frustrations regarding the constant political gridlock, and it's where
on morale. It kind of makes me angry because I'd
rather be at work, not just collecting a paycheck. But

(25:07):
I'm pretty committed to the National Park Service and its
ideas and mission, and I'd like to be there doing
my job, he said. He added that the frustrations lie
deeper than just financial uncertainty, but it affects other means
of living as well. It's not just the back pay,
it's all your benefits. It's the longer the shutdown lasts,

(25:31):
We're losing annual leave, we're losing sick leave, we're losing
retirement benefits. Our healthcare premiums aren't being paid, Joan said.
And next, the Kentucky educator who connects math to the
real world is named Teacher of the Year. A middle
school teacher who wants students to see how math connects

(25:53):
to the real world. Is the twenty twenty sixth Kentucky.

Speaker 2 (25:56):
Teacher of the Year.

Speaker 1 (25:57):
Michelle Gross, a mathematics teacher at Spencer County Middle School,
was honored Tuesday night in Frankfort. Spencer County is about
an hour west of Lexington. The Teacher of the Year
receives ten thousand dollars in a cash prize and the
opportunity to spend a six month sabbatical with the Kentucky
Department of Education as an ambassador of the teaching profession.

Speaker 2 (26:20):
I want to.

Speaker 1 (26:21):
Build a culture of learning throughout the state of Kentucky,
and that's rooted in community, Gross sid in a news
release announcing her win. I want to see every voice uplifted.
I want to expand it beyond a single classroom or
a single year. Gross, who's been a math teacher for
twenty two years, engages her students with an annual project

(26:42):
called Dream Home Rama, in which they design their dream homes,
build a three D model of it, and present their
plans to professionals such as architects, contractors, interior designers, real
estate agents, and community members. According to the news release,
Melanie Howard especially education, Moderate and several disability teachers in

(27:03):
Corman Primary School in the Corman Independent School District was
the elementary school's finalist, and Kara Byrne Dowdy, an English
teacher at Mayfield High School in the Mayfield Independent School District,
was the finalist at the high school level. Both Howard
and Dowdy have twenty one years of teaching experience. Three

(27:25):
teachers each from Kentucky elementary, middle and high school were
honored Tuesday night at the twenty twenty six Kentucky Teacher
Achievement Award winners and competed for the honor of Teacher
of the Year. Among the nine was the one Fayette
County Public School teacher, Whitney M. Walker, who teaches at
Lafayette High School. Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher said the

(27:46):
nine twenty twenty six Kentucky Teacher Achievement Award winners, all
of whom received cash awards, represent more than forty thousand
fellow teachers who give themselves every day to help our
students achieve success. I want to be the first person
to say thank you to these nine exceptional teachers for
all you do. Not just on behalf of the Kentucky

(28:08):
Department of Education. But on behalf of your students, your schools,
your communities, and the education profession, Fletcher said in a
news release. We appreciate you and your dedication to teach
every student. The Education Department set a panel of veteran
educators from across the state selected the winners from among

(28:29):
seven hundred and fifty three nominations of forty two percent increase.

Speaker 2 (28:34):
Over last year.

Speaker 1 (28:35):
And now, after a short pause, I hope you'll rejoin
us for a continuation of the reading of the Lexington
Herald Leader for today.

Speaker 2 (28:42):
Thank you for.

Speaker 1 (28:43):
Listening, and now please stay tuned for more news right
here on RADIOI. And now we will continue reading from
the Lexington Herald Leader for this Friday, October tenth. Your
reader is Rod Brotherton, and as always, we start with
the obituaries and read only the name, age, and location

(29:03):
if given. If you would like further information on any
of the obituaries, please see the website or now you
can call us during the weekdays at eight five, nine, four,
two two sixty three ninety and we'll be glad to
read the entire obituary for you. I'll repeat the number
at the end of the listings and today fortunately we

(29:23):
only have one obituary, and it is Beverly and Graves Osser,
who was seventy and lived in Wintergreen, Florida. If you
would like any further information, please visit legacy dot com,
slash obituary, slash Kentucky or as I said, you can
call us at Radio I at eight five nine four
two two sixty three ninety and we will try to

(29:45):
read it to you over the phone. Now let's return
to today's news. And here's a question for the ages
twenty twenty seven when Lexington roadwork on I seventy five,
Newtown Pike and New Circle Road will end. While there

(30:07):
may be a headache for commuters, several ongoing state road
projects in and around Fayette County could ultimately ease the
area's growing pains by improving traffic capacity, safety, and even.

Speaker 2 (30:22):
Some pedestrian infrastructure.

Speaker 1 (30:24):
That's the chief takeaway from state officials who recently spoke
to The Herald Leader about construction progress on portions of
Interstate seventy five, New Circle Road, and Lee'stown Roads along
with Newtown Pike. Reducing the congestion on these highways is
going to increase safety, and help people get to where

(30:46):
they need to go, said Alan Blair, the Kentucky Transportation
Cabinets Deputy director of Public Affairs. Here's what to know
about each project, including the scope and when state officials
act expect them to be completed. The construction on I
seventy five is expected to continue until late twenty twenty six.

(31:09):
Work on a two phase project to widen Fayette County
segments of I seventy five from six to eight lanes
will likely not conclude until the fall of twenty twenty six.
Logan Murphy, a state engineer supervising the project, told.

Speaker 2 (31:26):
The Hair Leader in a recent interview.

Speaker 1 (31:29):
The first phase of the project targets a two mile
stretch of the interstate extending from the new Town Pike
to Paris Pike interchanges. The second phase is for the
segment that continues from the Paris Pike Interchange down the
I sixty four I seventy five split. Phase one work

(31:51):
began in September of twenty twenty two, according to a
project description in the KYTCS website, It was originally expected
to be completed by November of twenty twenty four. State
officials now say the northern section of the I seventy
five project will remain an active construction zone until the

(32:15):
second phase is complete four logistical and safety reasons. Both
portions will be open at the same time, which means
the reduced speed limit of fifty five miles an hour
will remain in effect. Other traffic controls include shifted or
narrowed lanes and barrels or temporary barriers, but neither phase

(32:39):
involves l enclosures. State officials said the existing three lanes
will remain open in both directions. While most of the
work has been completed for phase one, Murphy said there
are some smaller job workers that still need to be completed.
There will still be some ongore in construction that still

(33:01):
keeps it in a construction zone, Murphy said, adding workers
aren't keeping that segment an active work zone for no
good reason. We're still working through some new additions to
that project. We still ask people to slow down and
be careful.

Speaker 2 (33:18):
Blair said.

Speaker 1 (33:20):
Along with the additional lanes, the scope of the I
seventy five project also includes ramp improvements and noise reducing
walls along the corridor. The new Circle Road Lee'stown Road
project will eventually bring major traffic shifts targeted for completion
in the summer of twenty twenty seven. State officials say

(33:42):
this project is part of a larger push to boost
traffic capacity on New Circle Road between for Sales Road
and Newtown Pike, converting it to three lanes in both directions.
The scope of the project includes the following. Add one
lane in each direct of New Circle Road from Leestown

(34:03):
to the Norfolk Southern Railroad, taking it from four to
six lanes. Convert the Leestown Road New Circle Road interchange
to a double crossover diamond pattern. Widen Leestown Road from
Greendale Road to the Lyle Industrial Avenue, Widen bridges at
Leestown Road and the Norfolk Southern Railroad. Add sidewalks along

(34:28):
both sides of Leedstown Road at the interchange, add a
sound reducing wall on the inner loop of the double
crossover diamond from Leestown Road to Norfolk Southern Railroad bridge,
and add more than thirty seven hundred feet of noise
reducing walls along the Metathorpe neighborhood. Converting the Leestown New

(34:49):
Circle Road interchange into a double crossover diamond is a
major change, as explained by the KYTC. A double crossover
diamond or DCD is an interchange with two signals intersections
where traffic between the intersections crosses over to the left
hand side of the road, then back over to the

(35:12):
right as it exits. It's going to be a double
diamond intersection like we have at Harrodsburg Road underneath the
New Circle there, Murphy said. According to KYTC, these types
of interchanges offers several benefits, including fewer delays because the
traffic signals they used operate with fewer phases. They're also

(35:35):
known to improve safety. Dcd's decrease potential crash points, prevent
wrong way ramp entries, and reduce speeds to minimize the
severity of crashes that do occur. Then, the Newtown Pipe
project includes pedestrian underpass and other upgrades. According to KCTC,

(35:57):
approximately forty four thousand vehicles use Newtown Pike daily, and
by twenty thirty that number is expected to rise to
seventy thousand, five hundred. The Newtown Pike widening project will
add an additional lane in each direction from New Circle
Road to I seventy five. It's going to go from

(36:19):
a two lane stretch to a three lane stretch of
road from New Circle to the Interstate, Murphy said. He
said workers have been out at night because there are
limited hours for lane closures. The latest progress on the
project includes drainage and sewer work. The plan is to
still remain maintain two lanes in each direction through every

(36:42):
phase of the project as they continue.

Speaker 2 (36:44):
To work through it, Murphy added.

Speaker 1 (36:46):
Along with the widening, this project also includes several improvements
for those passing through the area on foot. That includes
twelve hundred feet of new trail connecting Newtown Court to
the Legacy Trail, which will route bike traffic off Newtown
Pike at Newtown Court. New sidewalk and trail improvements will

(37:08):
also provide.

Speaker 2 (37:08):
Accessible and safe connections.

Speaker 1 (37:10):
According to the project's description. Additionally, the work includes a
new underpass to allow pedestrians and runners to avoid the
busy Newtown Pike. It's an underpass for the Legacy Trail
to get underneath Newtown Pike.

Speaker 2 (37:26):
Murphy said.

Speaker 1 (37:27):
The Newtown Pike project is expected to be completed in
the spring of twenty twenty seven. And the next story,
What killed Kentucky Owls Bourbon deal The judge says bourbon
barrel market is dismal. How bad is the current dismal

(37:48):
bourbon barrel market? According to testimony in the Kentucky Owls
ongoing bankruptcy It's frozen. Last week, US bankruptcy Judge Scott W.
Everett and Texas tossed Kentucky Owl and Stoley's group planned
to pay off seventy eight million dollars in bankruptcy did

(38:09):
to Fifth Third Bank with, among other things, thirty five
thousand barrels of bourbon. Fifth Third had objected to the proposal,
which had said would leave them holding the bag for
more than sixty million dollars. The distiller was sent back
to negotiations to devise a better plan for exiting bankruptcy.

(38:32):
Here's what went into the judge's decision to reject Kentucky
Owl's plan. Over several days of hearings in September, both
sides presented expert testimony about the value of the whiskey
and how it could be maximized. In his October third
oral ruling, Judge Everett took great pains not to give

(38:54):
away information that either party considered confidential. When he pulled
back the curtain enough to paint a vivid picture of
the current financial environment of the bourbon industry. The judge
said he was persuaded by experts that attempting to sell
that many barrels of Kentucky Awl bourbon stock over the

(39:16):
next two years would not be feasible. The judge said
he considered the experts reports from Chuck Morton of Whiskey Advisors,
Terry Thome of JB. Thome and Company, Michael Howard, president
of the Stoley Group, and Donald Snyder of Time and Tasks.
The judge said that Snyder's detailed testimony, more than any

(39:40):
other witnesses, really brought home to the court the dismal
state of the barrel market. Among the insights, the current
barrel market has a surplus of inventory that exceeds demand,
making it very challenging to sell this inventory without considerable
disc cant According to Snyder, part of this is due

(40:03):
to changing consumer preferences. People are just drinking less spirits,
the judge said, but also companies such as Diagio, Pirano,
Ricard and Constellation are no longer buying large quantities because
they have too much already. The company previously would buy

(40:25):
sourced spirits made by someone else and then use it
for their own brands. Now those large strategic buyers have
their own distilleries and they are actively selling their surplus. Ever,
it said, summarizing experts. So instead of buying in a
market with way too much inventory, they're adding to it,

(40:47):
and very few strategic buyers are buying any sort of
volume because they have all the inventory they need. New
distilleries have made it even harder. Staghorn, also known as
Garrett County Distilling, Whiskey House, Eastern Light, Jackson Purchase, log
Still and others that have opened in the last five

(41:11):
years can make one hundred thousand barrels a year, which
is adding more inventory than the market actually needs, creating
a race to the bottom. Everett said, some of the newcomers,
such as Garrett County and Luca Mariano are paying the price.
Garrett County is in receivership and Luca Mariano is in bankruptcy,

(41:33):
the judge noted. The experts all agree.

Speaker 2 (41:37):
The judge said.

Speaker 1 (41:38):
That the market for zero to three year old boerban
is completely frozen. Unfortunately, seventeen thousand barrels in the Kentucky
all inventory are under four years old, the judge said,
according to mister Snyder, it will be darn near impossible
to sell that inventory.

Speaker 2 (41:58):
In any sort of a reasonable time.

Speaker 1 (42:01):
Instead of offering to fill new barrels for nine hundred
and fifty dollars like a few years ago, they're trying
to fill at five hundred and fifty barrels just to
keep the lights on. The market is so oversaturated. Judge
Everett said, again quoting Snyder, that one online barrel marketplace
called the barrel Hub has one hundred and seventy five

(42:24):
thousand barrels for sale, but Snyder testified that only two thousand,
three hundred barrels have sold in eighty three transactions over
the last two years through the site. Moving thirty five
thousand barrels of whiskey into an oversaturated market over the
next two years would be very, very.

Speaker 2 (42:46):
Very difficult.

Speaker 1 (42:48):
The judge quoted Snyder as saying the only transactions moving
are micro transactions, meaning small, small quantities for small craft brands.
Storage costs are also rising as bonded warehouse space becomes
more limited due to the glut of barrels. Ever, it said,

(43:08):
and things may be about to get much worse in
terms of the market. A lot of inventories are sitting
on their zero to four year old barrels, and at
some point they're going to try to unload those barrels,
making the market over the next two years very speculative,
Snyder told the judge. And if risky investment funds that

(43:30):
brought the new barrels filled with a hope to flip
them get nervous and start unloading, the market will get
even worse. Investment funds potentially on the verge of dumping
even more barrels will only increase the market uncertainty, the
judge said, and contribute to the devaluation of that Kentucky

(43:52):
owl stock that fifth third would be trying to sell.
Snyder told the judge it's already happening. One investment firm
on the West coast called waksh Kentucky, has seventy thousand
barrels there trying to unload. He testified wash Tucky's holdings
invested in large quantities of bourbon. In twenty twenty three,

(44:16):
the investment firm Washtucky sued Wilderness Trail Distillery after it
was purchased by Campari, alleging that the sale blocked twelve thousand,
five hundred barrels that were contracted to them. The suit
was dismissed at Washtucky's request one month later. Next, Kentucky

(44:37):
Court of Appeals reverses judge ruling that allowed felons to
have guns. A Kentucky law that bans people convicted of
felonies from carrying firearms will remain on the books, the
state Court of Appeals ruled in a fifty eight page
decision announced October third. The Kentucky court reversed trial court's

(45:00):
opinion that said a convicted felon could not be prosecuted
for firearms charges because it violates their constitutional rights. The
question arose when Jacorey Lamont Fraser, forty one, requested his
felon in position in charge be dismissed by a Jefferson

(45:21):
County judge in October twenty twenty three, saying Kentucky's law
violated his Second Amendment right. Frasier cited a three year
old United States Supreme Court case president made in New
York that State Rifle and Pistol Association versus Bruin, and
that ruling struck down New York's strict handgun licensing law,

(45:44):
which required a proper cause to carry a handgun. In
public given individuals the right to carry a loaded handgun
in public for self defense.

Speaker 2 (45:56):
The case allowed state's further.

Speaker 1 (45:58):
Protection for gun ownership, as long as they are consistent
with federal regulations. The Jefferson County Trial Court judge agreed
with Fraser and dismissed his indictment in March of twenty
twenty four, but the State Court of Appeals said the
judge aired in her historical analysis and that Congress has

(46:20):
a right to disarm those that it deems as dangerous.
The appellate court said historical analysis has always maintained the
convicted felons were not among the people to whom the
right to bear arms in the Kentucky Constitution applied. Jefferson
County Commonwealth's Attorney Jerina D. Weathers, said, there is a

(46:41):
difference between having law abiding citizens exercise their constitutional rights
and enabling the most dangerous of criminals to run the
streets armed. We respect that the Court of Appeals also
recognizes this distinction. Whether's said of Appeals ordered that Frasier's

(47:03):
charges be reinstated and the next story, Brooks Halc appeals
his conviction in the Crystal Rogers case to the Kentucky
Supreme Court. Lawyers for a man recently sentenced to life
in prison for the disappearance and presumed death of Bardstown
woman Crystal Rogers have requested an appeal to the Kentucky

(47:25):
Supreme Court. Brooks Halc, forty three, on Monday, filed an
appeal to the state's highest court to reconsider five orders
issued by Judge Charles Simms, who presided over Halke's trial.
Halck was sentenced on Pender seventeenth to life in prison
on charges of murder principal or accomplice and evidence tampering

(47:49):
in the disappearance of his former girlfriend Rogers, who's thirty five.
Her body has never been found. A jury convicted Halck
in July after a ten day trial. He was tried
alongside Joseph Lawson, thirty four, who was convicted of conspiracy
to commit murder and ever evidence tampering. He was sentenced

(48:12):
to twenty five years in prison, and Lawson has filed
an appeal. Lawson's father, Steven laws In fifty four, was
also convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and evidence tampering.
He received a seventeen year prison sentence in August. Hawke's
appeal as five orders issued by SAMs as the grounds

(48:33):
for his appeal. Sims orders include September twenty second, twenty
twenty five, the final judgment order and denial of a
direct verdict. July seventh, twenty twenty five, a written order
that allowed testimony of Rebecca Grier to be considered by
a jury. June thirtieth, twenty twenty five, a written order

(48:56):
that allowed the testimony of Stacy Cranmer to be present
presented a trial. November fifth, twenty twenty four, an order
that ruled Halck and Lawson be tried together, and on
November twenty second, twenty twenty three, an order that denied
Sims be recused of this judge on the case. The

(49:17):
appeal did not outline the defense's arguments against each other,
but previous motions have. The most recent order denied Hawke's
requests for a direct verdict after prosecutors made their case
at trial. Hawke's lawyers argued that prosecutors did not have
sufficient evidence to prove Haucks guilty beyond a reasonable doubt,

(49:40):
but SIMS denied the request and before the trial, defense
attorneys argue that testimony from Rebecca Greer Stephen Lawson's ex
wife should not be considered by a jury. Greer testified
during the trial that she was previously married to Stephen
Lawson and her daughter the former girlfriend of Joseph Lawson.

(50:03):
All four lived in the same house for a while.
She told jurors she heard Joseph Lawson discuss moving Lawson's
car for fifty thousand dollars, and that while Joseph and
his father were fighting, Joseph Lawson threatened to tell about
Stephen Lawson's car involvement. Judge Simms also allowed the testimony

(50:26):
of Stacy K. Cranmer to continue in front of a jury.
Cranmer testified she spoke with Stephen Lawson at a job
site and said he rode around with Halck to discuss
taking care of a woman with five kids.

Speaker 2 (50:41):
Rogers had five kids.

Speaker 1 (50:44):
Last year, Sims ruled that Halck and Joseph Lawson be
tried together, going against the request of the defense, which
argued doing so violated how sixth Amendment rights. Sims ruled
Stephen Lawson betrial separately because of statements he made that
were not admissible in court, and lastly, the defense appealed

(51:07):
Sims's first ruling where he denied to recuse himself from
the case. Sims argued he didn't have an appearance of
lack of impartiality and antagonism toward mister Halk, as Halk's
lawyers asserted, and their main argument for having sins removed
because Halk's prison sentence is greater than twenty years. His

(51:30):
appeal is sent directly to the Supreme Court.

Speaker 2 (51:37):
And next.

Speaker 1 (51:38):
Hungarian Laslow Krasnahorkai wins the Literature Nobel Prize. The Swedish
Academy awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Literature to Hungarian
writer Laslow Korkai, known for bringing apocalyptic terror to his work. Karasnahrkai,
who's seventy one, is known for his long sentences and

(52:01):
dark subjects. The Swedish Academy said they chose him for
the prize for his compelling and visionary auview that in
the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art.
Several of his books have been adapted into movies by
Hungarian director Belatar, including Saint Tango and The Melancholy of Resistance,

(52:25):
which are his two popular novels. Karaisno Horkai was born
in Guilia, Hungary in nineteen fifty four, just two years
before the Hungarian Revolution, which was violently suppressed by the
Soviet regime. He had said that he grew up in
a predicament in a country where a person accused with

(52:46):
a heightened at heightened esthetic and moral sensitivity like me
simply cannot survive. His work is known for long sentences.
His nineteen eighty nine novel The Melancholy of Resistance Is
won three hundred page sentence. He once said that the
period does not belong to human beings, it belongs to God,

(53:09):
and because of that his work is a slow lava
flow of narrative, said his translator, George Zirtis. Winners receive
a one point one seven million dollar prize. The winner
in twenty twenty four was South Korea's Hang Kang. The
committee said Kang was honored for her pretensible poetry prose

(53:31):
that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life.
In twenty twenty three, the winner was Norway's Yan Fosse
for his innovative plays and prose which give voice to
the unsayable. The academy said French novelist Annie Enno won
it in twenty twenty two for the courage and clinical

(53:52):
acuity with which she uncovers the roots, estrangements and collective
restraints of personal memory, the committee said. Tanzanian English author
Abdul Razak Guernai won it in twenty twenty one for
his uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism

(54:14):
and the fate of refugees in the Gulf between Cultures
and Continents. And Finally, the Kentucky Attorney General sues Robolock's
gaming platform citing child's safety risks. Kentucky Attorney General Russell
Coleman announced Tuesday that the Commonwealth is suing popular gaming
platform Roadblocks over concerns it is unsafe for children. Roadblocks

(54:39):
knowingly has created a playground for predators to distribute child
sexual abuse material and.

Speaker 2 (54:46):
Groom juvenile victims.

Speaker 1 (54:47):
Colman alleged in a news conference on October seventh. Roablocks
is an online platform and game creation system that establishes
a virtual universe, allows protistants to create avatar in play
games with themselves and other users. Nearly two thirds of
all US children between ages nine and twelve play games

(55:08):
on the Roadblocks platform. According to Coleman, Kentucky's civil lawsuit
file Monday accuses Roadblocks of violating the state's Consumer Protection
Act through deceptive and unfair practices by misrepresenting the platform
safety and concealing risks. Coleman likened Roadblocks to a playground

(55:28):
with sexual predators hanging off every jungle gym. Existing report
show Roadblocks has become an environment for predators and other
bad actors through social features such as chat and friend request.
For example, so called assassination simulators were created on the
site after the killing of Charlie Kirk. Extremist sex tortation

(55:53):
groups have used the platform to extoll, threaten, and conspire
to kill children as young as eight, Coleman said during
the press conference. Get your kids off Roadblocks, Coleman said,
and do it today. Louisiana's attorney general was the first
to file a lawsuit against Roadblocks in August. Florida's attorney
general has opened a child safety investigation to Roadblocks as well.

(56:18):
More than twenty federal lawsuits accused Roadblocks of allowing child exploitation,
according to online court records. In twenty twenty three, Bloomberg
reported that more than thirteen thousand instances of child's exploitation
or links to Roadblocks by using the chat functions to

(56:38):
gain children as trust and encourage conversations on the site.
This was the case for fifteen year old Ethan Dallas
of San Diego, who died by suicide in April of
twenty twenty four.

Speaker 2 (56:50):
The New York Times reported Ethan.

Speaker 1 (56:52):
Who had autism, had used Roadblocks since he was seven. There,
he met someone he thought was another miner by the
name of Nate. According to the Times, Nate and Ethan
formed a friendship, and Nate convinced Ethan to disable parental controls,
send sexually explicit pictures, and eventually moved to another chat platform, Discord.

(57:15):
Law enforcement later believed that Nate was eventually and actually
a thirty seven year old man named Timothy O'Connor, and
earlier this month, Ethan's mother, Becca Dallas, sued Roadblocks for
wrongful death. This concludes the reading of the Lexington Herald
Leader for today, Friday, October tenth. Your reader has been
Rod Brotherton. Thank you for listening, and now please stay

(57:36):
tuned for sports news right here on Radio I