9.24.25

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning everybody, and welcome to the reading of the
Lexington Herald Leader. Today is Wednesday, September twenty fourth, and
your reader is Rod Brotherton. And as a reminder, Radio
I is a reading service intended for people who are
blind or have other disabilities that make it difficult to
read printed material. We finally get some rain. We needed it,

(00:24):
so let's see what's going to happen this week. Today thunderstorms,
high seventy nine, low sixty five. Tonight more showers and
thunderstorms and a low of sixty five. Thursday is thunderstorm
in spots and a high seventy five and a low
of fifty eight. Friday clouds and sun. High seventy six,

(00:45):
low fifty eight. Saturday sunshine and nice, high seventy nine,
low fifty nine. Sunday sunny and pleasant, high seventy nine,
low fifty eight. Monday is still sunny and warm from
high seventy five, low sixty one, and Tuesday sun and
clouds with a high of seventy nine and a low

(01:07):
fifty seven. Looking at the almanac, yesterday's high and low
eighty and sixty five. Normal is seventy eight and fifty six.
Last year it was eighty eight and sixty five. The
record high back in nineteen thirty six was ninety seven
degrees and the record low in nineteen eighty three was
only thirty eight Precipitation on Monday one point one three inches. Finally,

(01:32):
month to date now we've had two point one normal
is two point four to seven. Year to date forty
five and a quarter normal thirty seven and two thirds.
Last year we'd had thirty five point nine to three,
And the record for yesterday's date in nineteen twenty nine
was two point twenty nine inches of rain for the
sun and the moon. The sun rose today at seven

(01:54):
twenty eight, it will set tonight at seven thirty two.
The moon will come up this morning at ten to eleven
and set tonight at eight thirty nine. And our weather
trivia for the day in which decade did the greatest
number of major hurricanes hit the US. It was back
in the nineteen forties, with a total of ten. All right,

(02:18):
let's look and see what the headlines say today. The
lead story following upheaval FCPS board approves an eight hundred
and twenty seven point two million dollar budget hours after
three Republican lawmakers on Monday called for Fayette School District

(02:41):
Superintendent Demetriusliggins to resign. The school board approved an eight
hundred and twenty seven point two million dollar working budget
for the fiscal year that began July first. The budget
had a projected sixteen million dollar shortfall in May, but
it is now balanced. Ligans. The district cut four point

(03:03):
three million through eliminated and unfulfilled positions. I can't say
that there won't be things that won't be noticed, Lican said,
but we are certainly doing our best to make sure
that we're impacting student achievement and what's happening in the
classroom very very little. The district also cut more than

(03:27):
five hundred and eighty thousand dollars in costs for traveling
to conferences for professional development, and froze some positions. The
budget of our Fayed County Board of Education will consider
tonight is balanced without raising the tax rate and with

(03:47):
continued support to our classrooms, Licoln said. Lincoln said the
sixteen million dollars was an anticipated budget shortfall. There's no
missing money of sixteen million, district official said. If we
do everything that the board has said they want to
do and keep moving forward, we will be sixteen million

(04:09):
dollars short. Board members Monica Mundy and Amanda Ferguson voted
against approving the budget. Finny Christian Tyler Murphy, and Amy
Green voted to approve it. The board also voted to
ask Liggins to come up with a plan to restore
the district contingency or rainy day fund back to six

(04:31):
percent of the total general fund budget. Earlier Monday, Representative
Matt Lockett, Republican of Nicholasville, Senator Donald Douglas, Republican of Nicholasville,
and Senator Chris McDaniel, Republican of Ryland Heights, chairman of
the Senate Appropriation and Revenue Committee, all called for Liggins

(04:53):
and Murphy's resignation. The three lawmakers calls for Liggins and
Murphy's resignations were the the latest installment and months of
fallout over the district's budget crisis. It tried to pass
a new payroll tax with little public notice, a move
that Attorney General Russell Coleman found unlawful. A citizen's work

(05:17):
group that convened to come up with ideas to solve
the shortfall eventually revealed the district had spent down its
contingency below the district's normal six percent. One of Fayette's
budget directors filed a whizzard blower lawsuit against the district,
saying she was demoted for telling leaders the budget had

(05:37):
to shrink. Liggins was called to testify in front of
a legislative committee last week, where lawmakers questioned him about
travel and other expenses. Monday's hours long school board meeting,
several people who described themselves as taxpayers spoke. Some asked

(05:58):
for a forensic audit, while others pointed out problems with
the budget that was approved. This level of gross mismanagement
would not be acceptable in the best of times, but
in an era where our entire education system is under
attack on an unprecedented level, this failure demands accountability, said

(06:22):
Colin Harris. One of the speakers, Christian Adair, an advocate
and former educator, cited the academic progress and accomplishments in
the school's district, including the graduation rate climbing from eighty
nine point nine percent to ninety two point six percent.
Murphy asked finance director Rodney Jackson how the board could

(06:45):
be assured that the budgeted numbers were not off. This summer,
Lincoln's had to reveal that the budget's beginning balance was
going to be millions lower than anticipated. Jackson said the
process used to developed the budget was thorough. After questioning
from Ferguson, Jackson noted that the district had spent about

(07:07):
fifteen million dollars of its contingency fund and that could
not happen again if the district was to remain financially stable.
It's unfortunate that we don't have more answers as to
where the contingency was spent. Monday said two years ago,
the budget's beginning balance was eighty two and a half

(07:30):
million dollars. Last year it was forty three point two million,
and in the budget the board approved Monday night, it
was twenty six point three million. Murphy said the board
is not going to approve the budget and then not
talk about it again all year, noting that the board

(07:50):
has asked the District Audit Committee to get to the
bottom of everything that has happened and recommend whatever audit
reviews investigation needs to be done. More than one investigation
is underway or proposed to get to the root of
the budget problems. The Kentucky Auditor's office is conducting a

(08:13):
special investigation of FCPS. Christian asked if poor policies were
a problem, and Jackson said, processes need to be improved.
We need to rethink how we operate, he said. Ferguson
noted that she's had concerns about the budget for the
last two years and when she raised him, Liggins told

(08:36):
her that she was playing games and making ridiculous accusations.
I would appreciate not being told what I'm making ridiculous
accusations when I say that I have concerns about the budget.
I'm an elected board member and I represent the same
number of constituents that everybody else here does. I was

(08:59):
told I was playing games and making ridiculous accusations, Ferguson said.
Ferguson said there was much information and questions that Ligan
still has not answered. She said she still hasn't gotten
an explanation for why district officials asked the school board
to approve one tentative budget in May and sent a

(09:23):
different one to the Kentucky Department of Education for approval.
She said she and former board member Tom Jones more
than two years ago asked for a list of district
level positions that were originally paid for my federal COVID
recovery funds that were then absorbed into the budget. School

(09:44):
districts were not supposed to use federal COVID recovery funds
for recurring costs, but Ferguson said fcps did that and
used the funds to create positions. I still contend that
the big problem we have with budgeting is that all
these positions were created with one time funds, and we

(10:08):
told schools not to do it, but we did it
at Central Office, and now we have all these administrators
in this building, Ferguson said. She said she had not
been given a list of names and salaries of employees
at Central Office and next. Judge says Lecture County sexual

(10:31):
abuse case can go to trial. A civil lawsuit accusing
government officials and a small eastern Kentucky town of exchanging
legal leniency for sexual favors may go to trial after
a judge ruled Friday the case could proceed. The suit
dates back to January of twenty twenty two, when Sabrina

(10:53):
Adkins alleged Ben Fields, a former Electer County deputy sheriff,
forced coerced her into having sex with him in a
judge's chambers in exchange for not having to pay her
court monitoring fees. The case has expanded since then. First
another woman, forty four year old Jennifer Hill, joined the suit.

(11:17):
She died in twenty twenty three, and more recently, former
Leccher County Sheriff Shawn Mickey Steins was charged with murder
September nineteenth, twenty twenty four, after he was captured on
video shooting and killing former Leccher County Judge Kevin Mullins
inside Mullins's chambers. The shooting brought renewed attention to adkins lawsuit,

(11:42):
and speculation ran wild about Stein's motive for killing Mullins.
Just days before the shooting, Steins gave testimony in a
tense deposition in adkins case. Jeremy Bartley, Stein's attorney previously
said the position was a crucial part of the events

(12:02):
that led to the shooting. Fields was already sentenced to
and released from prison on criminal charges in Adkins's case,
but Adkin's civil suit could reveal more about what her lawyer,
Ned Pillersdorf's says or systematic problems involving illicit sex, and
the criminal justice system in Lecher County. Adkin suit accuses

(12:27):
Fields of battery and assault, Stein's of improper employee training,
and Eastern Kentucky Correctional Service of negligence. Stein's was deposed
in Adkins case on September sixteenth, twenty twenty four, three
days before he opened fire and Mullen's court chambers. A
deposition is a sworn testimony that parties to a lawsuit

(12:52):
solicit from the other side before trial. In the deposition,
he answered questions about Fields and the tree ding sheriff's
deputies received, according to court transcripts, When asked if Mullins
knew about sexual acts occurring in his chambers, Stein's testified
I couldn't recall, according to the transcripts. After the deposition,

(13:16):
several of Stein's colleagues and other county officials, including Mullens himself,
said they noticed a change in Stein's behavior. Mullins told
Whitesburg lawyer Daniel Dorton that Steins was losing it and
couldn't handle the pressure of the deposition, Dotson told Kentucky
State Police. Dotson said Mullins referred to Atkan civil suitis

(13:40):
some crack expletive wanting money. One day before the shooting,
Steins told his doctor he was stressed about work related matters.
According to court documents the detail the shooting investigation, Dotson
also spoke with Whitesburg Police Chief Tyrone Fields about Stein's

(14:01):
on the night before the shooting, Field's recalled Dotson, saying
Stein's had called him and lost his mind. Piel spoke
with Kentucky State Police after the shooting. It said Stein's
demeanor changed markedly and there was chatter that the sheriff
was off his rocker. According to court filings, one of
Stein's staff members, Christine Bohling, also told investigators that staff

(14:26):
members were concerned about Stein's very strange behavior. Specifically, the
day before the shooting, Stein's told Bowling that Dotson had
given him money to harm himself or else they were
going to kill Stein's wife and daughter. According to court documents,
Stein's defense team submitted several motions this month asking a

(14:48):
judge to dismiss Stein's indictment, decrease his bond, and unseal
his mental health evaluation. The judge has yet to rule
on the motions, and EVIDENTI hearing could be held to
determine whether any of the defense requests are warranted. A
hearing had not been said in Stein's case. As a Monday,

(15:10):
United States District Judge Robert Weir ruled Atkins case could
proceed to trial. Both legal teams have to file a
joint status report by October sixth. The report will outline
the anticipated length of trial, dates of availability, and whether
they will participate in mediation and next. The Oasis Restaurant's

(15:35):
new owner may be liable for twenty five thousand dollars
service dog fine. The Oasis Mediterranean restaurant in Chevy Chase,
which was fined twenty five thousand dollars this week for
discriminating against a disabled veteran with a service dog, is
under new ownership. Sean so Hall, a native of Toronto,

(15:59):
said he bought the left Xington restaurant in April from
previous owner Ahmad Salee, who was shown on video denying
service and ordering patron Sarah van Voorren, accompanied by her
service dog Mooney, out of the restaurant. Salai had been
under investigation by the Lexington Human Rights Commission since the

(16:19):
March twenty twenty three incident. A hearing officer in March
twenty twenty five, issued a ruling finding that Sala's discrimination
against Van Vorren was intentional and severe, meriting the twenty
five thousand dollars fine. The fine was uphill Monday by
the Commission, with Salai's lawyer present. Sohal said Tuesday, Salai

(16:42):
never disclosed the legal issue, and a second incident involving
a woman who uses a seeing eye dog is still pending,
said Ray Sexton, Executive Director of the Commission, that could
result in further penalties. Service animals, which are covered by
the Americans with Disabilities Act as well as by Kentucky

(17:03):
Statute and Lexington Ordinance, are permitted in dining areas, as
are escorted police dogs. They are explicitly exempted from Health
Department regulations that bar pets. Sala can be seen in
the video telling Van Voorn that she should leave and
denying her accommodation, even as she explains that this violates

(17:26):
the eighty A. Now so Hall is left wondering what
this means for his business. Sexton has asked the Commission's
legal counsel for guidance. But if so Hall bought all
the assets and liabilities of the oasis, then so Hall
might be on the hook for the fine, so Hall said,

(17:46):
Oasis is no longer affiliated with Salai. He still owes
me some money too, so Hall said from door dash
revenue that went to Salay's account on Thursday. So Hall
host to the statement on the restaurant's social media saying,
the new owners are devastated to learn of the incident.

(18:07):
We want to make it clear that this does not
reflect our values or the way we operate. According to
the statement, we welcome all guests, including those with service animals,
and are committed to providing an inclusive and respectful dining
experience for everyone. And finally, on the front page, Trump

(18:29):
canceled showdown meeting with Democratic leaders. President Trump abruptly canceled
his meeting with top Democratic leaders that had been planned
for Thursday to search out for a deal that might
have eart a partial government shut down next week. Less
than twenty four hours after agreeing to sit down with

(18:50):
Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York,
and House Minority Leader Hakim Jeffries, also a Democrat of
New York, the President reverse course, saying there was nothing
to discuss until Democrats abandoned their demands for massive spending
and other radical policies. After reviewing the details of the

(19:14):
unserious and ridiculous demands being made by the minority radical
left Democrats in return for their votes to keep our
thriving country open, I've decided that no meeting with the
congressional leaders could possibly be productive, Trump wrote on his
Truth social media platform, scratching the meeting increases the likelihood

(19:36):
that a partial shutdown will be triggered when the new
fiscal year begins on October first. The Senate rejected a
House pass continuing resolution last week, as well as a
Democratic alternative that sought to extend expiring health insurance subsidies.
Jeffreys and Schumer's took turns throwing a bit of shade

(19:59):
at their fellow New Yorker after Trump canceled their meeting.
Jeffries used the newly minted taco phrase Trump's critics have
coined in a post on the social platform x Trump
always chickens out. Trump is running away from the negotiating
table before he even gets there, Schumer said in a statement,

(20:22):
while Americans face rising costs and a Republican health care crisis,
Trump would rather throw a tantrum than do his job.
House Republicans have frowned on opening talks with Democrats after
they passed a seven week funding extension last week in
a party line vote. In hopes of increasing pressure on

(20:44):
the Senate to pass that measure, House leaders canceled the
two days they were scheduled to be in session next
week before the September thirtieth deadline, when the current funding
is set to expire. Before news of the meeting's cancelation broke,
Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican of Louisiana, to Old reporters that

(21:04):
he would attend the White House session if it occurs,
but I'm not certain that the meeting is necessary, he said,
and announcing his sudden reversal. Trump railed against Democrats for
pushing over one trillion dollars in new spending for health care,
opening the country's borders to undocumented migrants, and essentially create

(21:28):
transgender operations for everybody. To the leaders of the Democratic Party,
the ball is in your court, Trump wrote, I look
forward to meeting with you when you become realistic about
the things that our country stands for. Do the right thing.

(21:49):
Next man convicted of killing the UK player in the
nineties is back in court in another new case. The
man convicted of the nineteen ninety four murder of University
of Kentucky football player Trent de Jurio was drunk at
a CVS pharmacy in January when he loudly asked a

(22:10):
woman if she wanted to perform a sexual act on
her court record show. Shane Raglan is due back in
court in December before Franklin District Judge Kathy R. Mansino,
who was monitoring Raglan's mental health and Batterer's Intervention Program treatment.
After Raglan pleaded guilty in February to disorderly conduct and

(22:32):
public intoxication in the drug store case. Ragland was sentenced
to thirty days in jail, twenty of which were suspended
on the disorderly conduct charge. He paid fifty dollars for
the public intoxication charge. Raglan's public defender did not immediately
respond to her request for comment on Sunday. According to

(22:54):
a January twenty ninth rest citation, Raglan was inside a
CVS pharmacy in Franklin when he propositioned the woman, causing
annoyance and alarm that served no legitimate purpose. Raglan smelled
strongly of alcohol, according to the citation. He pled guilty
in February to fourth degree assault for a separate twenty

(23:17):
twenty four incident in which he was accused of running
over his mother and her friend in his electric wheelchair
and threatened to kill him. According to news reports, Raglan
has used a wheelchair since suffering a spinal cord injury
in a twenty twelve traffic crash. Raglan's mother told police

(23:37):
her son had forced her out of the house and
was refusing to let her back in on the day
of the incident, and that he had been threatening her
for months. As part of his guilty pleay in that case,
Raglan's terroristic threatening charge was dropped. Raglan was sentenced to
twelve months in jail, was six months suspended. He was

(24:00):
required to comply with an emergency protective order, get a
mental health assessment, and follow the assessment's recommendations as part
of his most recent guilty plea. A July second report
from Deaton and Deaton, a counseling and consulting firm in Frankfurt,
said Raglan reported a history of mental health struggles that

(24:22):
are currently untreated. A council or recommended Raglan receive individual
and batterer's intervention group therapy and a full psychological evaluation.
Trent Djurio, an offensive lineman for UK, was shot and
killed July seventeenth, nineteen ninety four, while celebrating his upcoming

(24:43):
twenty first birthday outside his home in Lexington. The case
was unsolved until two thousand, when Shane Raglan's ex girlfriend
came forward and said he had killed the Oldham County native. Raglan,
member of a prominent Frankfurt family, allegedly held a grudge

(25:03):
over being blackball from the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Raglan
used a sniper's rifle to kill the six foot two,
two hundred and seventy seven pound de Jurio. According to
a statement from Raglan's ex girlfriend, Amy Lloyd, Raglan lived
a few houses down from Dajerio. Raglin told Lloyd he

(25:26):
saw a party at Dajerio's on the night of the shooting,
put a rifle in a bag, and rode a bicycle
to an area across the street from Desuro's home. Raglan
shot de Zuro in the head while Zerro sat on
the front porch of his home. Lloyd said. Raglan was
sentenced to twenty oh two to thirty years in prison,

(25:49):
but the Kentucky Supreme Court overturned the conviction in twenty
oh six when it was discovered an FBI agent lied
during a pre trial conference. A graduate from UK, Raglan
later pleaded guilty to second degree manslaughter, and he was
released from jail in twenty oh six after receiving credit

(26:10):
for time served. New Zuro's family sued Raglan, and in
twenty oh eight the family was awarded sixty three point
three million dollars, including three point three million dollars in
lost wages. It was the largest amount awarded in Fayette
County and the second largest ever in Kentucky. De Zuro's

(26:31):
murder has been the subject television specials on Oxygen Network
in NBC's Dateline. Raglan has faced several legal cases since
his twenty six release. In addition to the recent guilty
Please Wave TV in Louisville reported in twenty fourteen that

(26:52):
domestic violence charges had against Raglan had been dropped. The
charges were filed after his girlfriend and claimed that he
tried to hit her in the head with a metal rod,
tried to run over her with his wheelchair and repeatedly
threatened to kill her. The station reported. In twenty thirteen,

(27:12):
he was convicted in Franklin District Court of alcohol intoxication
in a public place and possessing an open alcohol beverage
container in a vehicle, according to court records. Acts fifth
death to flesh eating bacteria confirmed in Louisiana. Louisiana health
officials have confirmed a fifth death this year linked to

(27:33):
the Vibrio vulnificus, a rare and dangerous flesh eating bacteria
found in warm coastal waters. The bacteria most common between
May and October, the US Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention set It can lead to severe illness, including neck
residing faciitis, a fast spreading infection that destroys tissue. About

(27:56):
one in five people with the infection do die. It's
not yet clear how the latest victim became infected. In
two of the state's earlier deaths this year, we're tied
to eating raw oysters. Officials noted people can also become
sick if contaminated seawater enters an open wound. It's not
just a golf coast phenomenon any longer. Global warming is

(28:17):
moving infections with Vibrio vulnificus up the East Coast. Cases
are on the rise across the region. Louisiana normally reports
about seven infections and one death each year, and at
twenty twenty five, the state already has confirmed twenty six cases. Now,
after a short pause, I hope you'll rejoin us for
a continuation of the reading of the Lexington Harol Leader

(28:38):
for today. Thank you for listening, and now please stay
tuned for more news right here on Radio I. And
now we continue reading from the Lexington Herald Leader for
this Wednesday, September twenty second, and your reader is Rod Brotherton,
and as always we start with the obituaries. Read only

(28:59):
the name agent locasion if given, and if you would
like further information on any of the obituaries, please see
their website or call us during the weekdays at eight five, nine, four, two,
two sixty three ninety. We'll be glad to read the
entire obituary for you, and I will repeat the number
at the end of the listings. And today's obituary index

(29:21):
starts with Marcia Bottoms seventy seven of Lexington, Robert G.
Sanders eighty nine of Lexington, Harry Sloan eighty eight of
Lexington and William Thomas speaks the third eighty four, also
of Lexington. And if you would like any further information

(29:42):
about any of the listings today, 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'll try to read
them to you over the phone. Now, let's return to
the news and the next story. Kirk honored at Turning

(30:04):
Points first event since his death. More than fifteen hundred
students and other supporters honored Charlie Kirk at the University
of Minnesota, the first college campus event Turning Point USA
is held since Kirk was murdered September tenth. Before his death,

(30:25):
Kirk was scheduled to speak at the university. Conservative author
Michael Knowles headlined the Monday event in his place. There
was simply a light and levity to the man, Knowles
said at the sold out free event, adding that Kirk's
brightness came from his character and from Kirk's savior, Jesus Kirk,

(30:48):
founder of the youth oriented pro Trump Turning Point USA
organization was killed while speaking at a Utah College campus.
He was buried Sunday, and President Trump spoke at his memorial.
An empty black chair sat on the Northrop Auditorium stage
next to Knowles to honor Kirk, who would have been

(31:11):
in the third week of Turning Points American Comeback Tour.
A white T shirt that said Freedom and a forty
seven ball cap referencing Trump's presidency sat on the chair.
The event started with the star Spangled banner, a rendition
of the Lee Greenwood hit God Blessed the USA, and

(31:32):
then a prayer led by local pastor Dale Witherington. When
Knowles took the stage, leading the audience and a prayer
and acknowledging that instead of talking to Kirk on stage
of this evening, now it will be a conversation about Charlie.
The assassination took what Kirk's future might have been, Knowles said,

(31:55):
adding that he believed Kirk would have been president one day.
Many conservatives saw Kirk as a bastion of open debate
and a politically polarized America. On college campuses, Kirk debated
students on traditionally conservative ideals and beliefs. Recent graduate. Ryan

(32:18):
Krauhll twenty four said Kirk's assassination attempted to sty me
the open dialogue Kirk supported on American college campuses, but
his death, Kruel said, has only invigorated his supporters. People
got very mobilized when he died like I've never seen before.
Krall said, even when Trump almost got killed, I've never

(32:41):
seen people go. We need to get out there and
say what we believe and make a difference. With Kirk's
rise to fame, Keen Pfeiffer, a student at the University
of Minnesota, said he felt more open discussing his beliefs
with others, and added that many conservatives, especially at generally
liberal institutions, have felt repressed in their ideals. The beliefs

(33:06):
that I had were very shunned. Pifer said, I felt
like I was wrong until I saw Charlie Kirk and
more people had these ideas. Kirk has been remembered as
the Republican voice of a generation, helping Trump win reelection
and engaging young conservatives. He was also often slammed for

(33:27):
statements his critics called anti immigrant races, misogynistic, and transphobic.
Outside may Day books on Cedar Avenue. Nearly one hundred
people gathered to protest the Turning Point event, holding signs
with messages like say No to Hate and no Place
for Hate. Outside Northropuditorium, Derek Tortensen chanted hey, hey, ho ho,

(33:53):
Turning Point has got to go while people waited in
line for the event. Noelson on stage Monday that while
some people want to return to the American marketplace of ideas,
he believes conservatives must now assert order and that certain
beliefs and ideas should cause people to lose social standing

(34:15):
and sometimes their jobs. We had a marketplace of ideas,
he said, the left shot it up. Then Knowles opened
the floor to questions. The questions range from whether it's
worth it for conservatives to invest politically in Minnesota, or
how to square up some of the New Testament's more
liberal teachings with Conservatism. At one point, when explaining an

(34:38):
element of Islam, Noel said, of Christianity, our religion is
one that makes sense. When asked what is next for
the conservative movement, he said that long term, various conservative
factions will fight for power, but Vice President JD. Vance
seems to be the one force that can unify conservatives.

(35:02):
He said, ext Thomas Massey not ruling out senate bid,
but bullish on Cameron's odds. Representative Thomas Massey certainly in
the spotlight. Could he also be on the statewide ballot.
The congressman is not denying the possibility, telling The Harald

(35:24):
Leader he wouldn't rule it out. Massey said in an
interview Friday he thinks he would win the race for
Senator Mitch McConnell's seat, particularly at former Kentucky Attorney General
Daniel Cameron switched over to run for massy seat. The
possibility Cameron base has thoroughly denied. Massey likes his chances

(35:48):
against the other two contenders for McConnell's seat, Representative Andy
Barr and Lexington entrepreneur Nate Morris. I mean, we've got
till January to decide if you pull that race with me,
Nate Morris and Andy Barr, I'm pretty sure I would
be the winner at this point. But it's kind of
a ridiculous proposition that Daniel Cameron would get out of

(36:10):
a Senate race that he's winning, Massy said. Both Cameron's
campaign and members of President Donald Trump's political team have
denied the possibility that Cameron would drop out and run
for Massy's seat. Candidates running for office in twenty twenty six,
when Senator Mitch McConnell's seat comes open, must file by

(36:30):
January ninth, twenty twenty six. How does MASSI know that
Cameron is winning? He said he's run polling in his
own district, gaging his constituents support for bar Cameron, Morse,
and GOP candidate Michael Ferris. As of an early September poll,
Cameron is wiping the floor with everybody else in the

(36:53):
fourth Congressional district. He said, Cameron's got more than Bar
plus Morris plus Ferris combined, like the three other guys
added up don't equal Cameron's number in Kentucky's fourth district,
Massy said. Massy has previously said he doesn't think he
would run for US Senate and instead hinted at a

(37:13):
gubernatorial bid, often using the line that the Senate would
be the same circus with different monkeys. Though he seemed
less negative about the idea during the Friday interview, Massey
said he doesn't think anything has changed substantially about his calculus.
I don't think I've ever ruled it out completely, so

(37:36):
I'm not saying there's any increased likelihood, Massy said. Meanwhile,
Representative James Comer, a friend of Massy's, has ramped up
his network building efforts advance of a widely expected bid
for governor in twenty twenty seven. In the era of Trump,
Massey has carved out a national role with a dissenting

(37:58):
voice within the GOP on many issues. Those include his
opposition to Trump's recent marquee budget bill, the administration's actions
in Iran and Israel, and, most notably, the administration's handling
of files related to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump

(38:19):
has lashed out at Massey for his actions this year,
and members of Trump's political team are seeking to unseat
him in the May twenty twenty six GOP primary. Massy
has remained confident that he will win against any primary
opponent in his own district. A recent Politico story recounted

(38:41):
a meeting where Trump expressed displeasure at the anti abortion
hard line stance of potential Massy contender, State Senator Aaron Reid,
Republican of Shelbyville. No Trump back candidate has announced candidacy yet.
Massy also shared Friday that is campaign had raised more

(39:01):
than five hundred thousand dollars over the last three months,
a mark it has come close to hitting over the
past three fund raising quarters. And our next story, here's
how much Kentucky Power's latest proposed increase could cost customers.
Kentucky Power has filed a request to the Public Service

(39:25):
Commission to increase electricity rates by fourteen point nine percent
for residential customers, with thirteen to fifteen percent hike expected
for commercial and industrial clients. The August twenty ninth filing
to the Public Service Commission listed several reasons for the
tax hikes, including recovering increased costs and coping with loss

(39:50):
of population and industry, especially in the eastern stretch of
the state where Kentucky Power operates. The Commission is responsible
for regular lating utilities in Kentucky. Hearing date has not
yet been set, as reported by WCHS, but the proposed
increase would take effect in spring of twenty twenty six

(40:12):
if Kentucky Power's request is approved by the PSC. Kentucky
Power's headquarters are in Ashland, and the company serves about
one hundred and sixty two thousand customers across twenty eastern
Kentucky counties. According to its website, it hasn't been long
since Kentucky Power's most recent rate increase. In January twenty

(40:36):
twenty four, the State Commission approved a five point six
six percent increase after the company requested a hike of
about eighteen point three percent. There's no doubt the cost
of providing electricity to homes and businesses has become more
expensive across our nation, but especially in Eastern Kentucky. The

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loss of population an industry here have created real challenges,
pushing costs even higher. Kentucky Power's web page says about
the recently proposed reads in July and other increase hit
Kentucky Power customers in the form of a securitized surcharge.

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This increased customers electricity bills by six point three seven percent.
Our our top priority is to provide safe, reliable service
to all of our customers. This process allows the PSC
to review our plans to address reliability, promote economic development,

(41:42):
and ensure we are meeting the needs of our customers.
Plan proposed investments include strengthening our electric system to betterwistand
severe weather, replacing aging equipment, and preparing for new generation
in our service territory, Kentucky Power official said in an

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August twenty fifth statement. Kentucky Power reports the average base
rate paid by residential customers is fifteen cents per kilowat hour,
while the typical commercial rate is thirteen point two to
two cents and the average industrial base rate is eight
point three five cents. The company says the proposed residential

(42:25):
increase would increase average monthly bills like twenty seven dollars
and thirty cents, while commercial customers would pay an average
of forty dollars and seventeen cents more each month. More
than fifty public comments opposing Kentucky Power's proposed hike have
been submitted to the PSC, with many citing already high

(42:50):
utility bills, low wages, expensive groceries, and more as reasons
they can't afford to pay more for electricity. You can
submit a public comment to the PSC online by entering
in the case number twenty twenty five DASH zero zero

(43:11):
two five seven for Kentucky Power's proposed increase, your contact information,
and then your comment. Our next story. Investigators released cause
of fiery six vehicle Kentucky crash that left three people dead.

(43:32):
Investigators with the Kentucky State Police have released additional details
about a fiery six vehicle interstate crash in central Kentucky
that left three people dead and three others injured. The
crash happened around seven thirty pm September twelfth on Interstate
sixty four in Woodford County, near mile marker sixty one

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between the Midway and East Frankfurt exits. State police previously
said the crash involved four tractor trailers and two cars.
The wreck began when a tractor trailer driven by Matthew Jackson,
forty three of Hamilton, Ohio, struck a Nissan passenger vehicle.

(44:16):
State police said the driver of the Nissan was taken
to a hospital in Georgetown with injuries that were not
life threatening. Jackson's tractor trailer went on to strike another
passenger vehicle and another tractor trailer, according to state police,
The driver of the passenger vehicle, Casey Whitlock, fifty of Georgetown,

(44:39):
and the driver of the tractor trailer, John McBroom thirty
nine of Crittendon, were pronounced dead at the scene. Jackson
was also pronounced dead at the scene, according to state police.
Mick Broomes tractor trailer struck a tractor trailer, which resulted
in one last collision between two tractor trailers. State Police

(44:59):
said I sixty four West was shut down for several
hours Friday night and the interstate was not fully open
until about twelve hours after the crash. Whitlock worked as
an account receivable specialist for Gauls LLC and Lexington. According
to her obituary, she had a daughter and a grandson.

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A GoFundMe web page has been created to raise money
for funeral and travel expenses. The fundraiser has raised more
than four thousand dollars, with the goal of collecting sixty
five hundred dollars. Mc broom worked as a truck driver
for First Group in Walton. According to his obituary, his

(45:43):
hobbies included blacksmithing, three D printing, reading and gaming. The
next story Paduca gets first solar field project construction set
to begin in twenty twenty seven. Paduka is getting its
first solar facility. AES Corporation and American utility and power

(46:08):
generating company and its development company, Community Energy, is building
a one hundred and thirty million dollars sixty megawatt solar
facility in McCracken County. The project's one hundred and fifty
six thousand solar panels will generate enough renewable energy to
power the equivalent of ten thousand homes annually at peak construction.

(46:34):
The company and Greater Paduca Economic Development officials expect the
project will create approximately one hundred and fifty jobs. Work
is expected to start sometime in twenty twenty seven. Over
its lifetime, the facility is projected to generate an estimated
seven million dollars in tax revenue for the county and

(46:55):
the state. AES has committed to investing in a local
nonprofits and schools in the western Kentucky community, said Bruce Wilcox,
Greater Paduca Economic Development President and CEO. Commercial operations at
the solar facility are expected to begin in twenty twenty eight.

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Power generated at the solar facility will be sold to
Big Rivers Electric Corporation and its distribution members. A substation
is being built for the project to connect solar power
to Big Rivers transmission line. According to documents, this power
part of the project's application filed with the Kentucky Public

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Service Commission initially on December third, twenty twenty. This project
represents our vision for our community with new jobs, economic growth,
and a commitment to clean, renewable energy, said Paduca Mayor
George Bray. We look forward to the positive impact this

(47:59):
facility will have on our local economy an environment for
many years to come. The project, called McCracken Solar, is
planned for six hundred and fifteen acres of privately held
land along New Liberty Church Road near Kieval and the
Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant. Greater Paduca Economic Development officials said

(48:23):
the project allows the property's landowner the opportunity to diversify
income while keeping it in family ownership. The McCracken Solar
project will be a great fit for our county in
providing a solar power piece to complement our other power

(48:43):
generation projects now and in the future, said McCracken County
Judge Executive Craig Climber. The solar facility is not expected
to be permanent, and as said, it has decommissioning plans
in place for when the project reaches the end of
its operational life, the property can be restored to pre

(49:05):
project conditions. Returning the property to pre project conditions was
a point of contention during the permitting process. Local Board
of Adjustment members initially voted down conditional use permits based
on concern the project might change the county's landscape and
about the kind of materials the panels are made of.

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The Crack and Solar's lease allows for thirty years of operation,
with an option to extend for an additional ten According
to an FAQ document from Community Energy, the Department of
Energy estimates the operational lifespan of a solar panel is
between thirty and thirty five years, but some may produce

(49:50):
power for much longer. AEES is excited to continue to
collaborate with Greater Paduca Economic Development on the construction of
the McCracken Solar said Joanna kraus Darden, Development director for AS.
This innovative solar facility reflects our commitment to delivering safe, reliable,

(50:15):
and sustainable energy while creating meaningful economic opportunities for McCracken County. Nearby,
the Tennessee Valley Authority, another utility company, is building a
large scale solar field on a closed coal ash site
where waste from coal fired power plants was once dumped.

(50:37):
Once completed and operational. Also in twenty twenty eight, Project
Phoenix will generate one hundred megawatts, enough to power about
fifty eight thousand, five hundred homes annually. Paducah's energy infrastructure
system was in the news again on August fifth, when

(50:58):
General Matter said it would build a one point five
billion dollar facility to rich uranium, a process that makes
the heavy metal more concentrated to be suitable form of
fuel for nuclear power plants. Also in August, the US
Nuclear Regulatory Commission accepted an application from Global Laser Enrichment

(51:23):
to license of planned Paduca facility, where it will also
enrich uranium. The North Carolina based company developed enrichment technology
and has working to commercialize the process as part of
the nuclear energy supply chain since last week. In Lexington,
the Lexington Fayed Urban County Council voted unanimously September eleventh

(51:48):
to approve a zoning amendment regulating the county's solar projects.
Large scale solar farms cannot go on agricultural land, though
the debate is not over and next. Scientists rebuke Trump's
Thailand all autism claim. President Trump's call for pregnant women

(52:13):
to avoid Thailand all is drawing sharp criticisms from researchers
who say the advice ignores decades of evidence and could
endanger mothers and babies. At the White House event Monday,
Trump linked acetaminifin, the active ingredient in Thailand, all to
autism and encouraged women to tough out fevers. The remarks

(52:38):
made alongside Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Junior, a longtime
critic mainstream medicine rattle doctors and drug makers. Maddie Hornig,
a New York physician scientist who has studied pregnancy related
risk factors for autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders for

(53:00):
twenty five years, said the White House's message misrepresents the
science around a seed of menifin, which is also known
as paracetamol in Europe and elsewhere. It seemed like they
had indicated that there was evidence that prolonging a fever
is a good thing. Horning, a visiting scientists at Feinstein

(53:21):
Institutes for Medical Research at Northwll Health, said in an interview,
it's astonishing misinformation. Trump and Kennedy have both sought to
challenge health guidance and practices, sometimes relying on cherry picking evidence.
The US leader also has a record of promoting unfounded

(53:43):
medical theories. The American College of his Obstetricians and Gynecologists
called the latest on evidence and advice on a seed
of menifin irresponsible, while the American Academy of Pediatrics also
said misrepresenting science does a disservice to autistic people. The

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UK's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency said there's no
evidence that paracetamol causes autism and said it remains safe
during pregnancy. Hornig's research, based on the Norwegian Mother, Father
and Child cohort study of over one hundred thousand families,

(54:24):
found that moderate or high fevers in pregnancy were linked
to elevated autism risk, especially in the second trimester. We
found that there was about a forty percent increased risk
in autism without acetam menifhit. She said that went down
substantially with the use of acetamnafit. She stressed that fever itself,

(54:48):
not a single drug, is a key factor. It's clear
that unmitigated fever, particularly where it is of moderate or
high level, is something that has an impact on offspring
to increase the risk of autism, she said. To allow
women to have even a modest fever during pregnancy, which

(55:09):
of itself can potentially cause damage and is associated in
many studies with risk is very worrisome. In preliminary unpublished work,
Hornings team also hints that sidamnifin taken for pain may
carry different risks. There seems to be some pattern that

(55:30):
suggested that for pain it may not be the drug
to use, she said, although she costs the funding and
the findings needed more study. A small number of two
men reported using ibropoffin for fever during pregnancy. None of
their children developed autism, though Hornig stressed the number were
too small to draw conclusions. The findings underscore what scientists

(55:54):
have long said autism doesn't have a single cause. Timing
and environment all interact hoarding SID citing factors such as
perimental age gaps, exposure to wildfire, smoke and heavy metals,
seasonal immune shifts, and infections that trigger fed fever. The

(56:19):
idea that it's going to be a singular cause is
really kind of fool hardy, and it doesn't go along
with the things that we already know. Hoarning also urge
more precision and research common genetic differences and enzymes that
help break down a staminifin may influence how safely a
pregnant woman can metabolize the drug. Some labs are testing

(56:40):
newborn's buconium for toxic byproducts of acetamenefin, metabot metabolism, and
a potential bio marker that could guide safety choices in
the future. Our future generations deserve a personalized approach that
looks at genetic risk, environmental exposures, and safety alternatives, she said.

(57:02):
For now, she said, context matters. A scene of meniphin
remains widely recommended because of aspirin's risk of ryse syndrome
and ibewprofen isn't considered safe later in pregnancy, but Horning
warned that discouraging treatment altogether, especially with respiratory viruses like
the flu in COVID nineteen still circulating, could leave women

(57:26):
more vulnerable. And this concludes the reading of the lex
Con Hero Leader for today, Wednesday, September twenty fourth. Your
reader's been Rod Brotherton. Thank you for listening, and now
please stay tune for sports news right here on Radio
I