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We now know the name of the man shot and killed Sunday morning in rural Clark County. We also know the name of the man who shot him. Kentucky State Police tell us the victim was 45-year-old Rodney Mann of Lexington. The shooter is Charles Steppe. Police say Steppe saw Mann slashing the tires of his vehicle when he confronted him. The two men then fought over a handgun. Steppe got the gun, and says Mann came at him with a knife. That’s when Steppe says he shot Mann in self-defense. No charges have been filed, but KSP says their...

London, July 02(ANI): Johnny Depp is keen on teaching his children to handle guns. The 'Pirates of the Caribbean' star, who learnt shooting at the age of six in Kentucky where he grew up, wants to pass on his experience to his kids. "We would just go out and line up a bunch of cans and shoot with rifles, handguns and at times, submachine guns," the Daily Star quoted him as saying...

A possible bid for the 2010 Republican Senate nomination in Kentucky certainly won't enable eye surgeon Rand Paul to rake in the mega-millions in campaign donations procured by his much better-known father -- Texas Republican Rep. Ron Paul -- when he campaigned for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination on his strongly libertarian-tinged platform.

PETERSBURG, Kentucky (AFP) – For a group of paleontologists, a tour of the Creation Museum seemed like a great tongue-in-cheek way to cap off a serious conference. But while there were a few laughs and some clowning for the camera, most left more offended than amused by the frightening way in which evolution -- and their life's work -- was attacked. "It's sort of a monument to scientific illiteracy, isn't it?" said Jerry Lipps, professor of geology, paleontology and evolution at University of California, Berkeley.

Tamaki Sato was confused by the dinosaur exhibit. The placards described the various dinosaurs as originating from different geological periods -- the stegosaurus from the Upper Jurassic, the heterodontosaurus from the Lower Jurassic, the velociraptor from the Upper Cretaceous -- yet in each case, the date of demise was the same: around 2348 B.C... [H]ere in the Creation Museum in northern Kentucky, Earth and the universe are just over 6,000 years old, created in six days by God. The museum preaches, "Same facts, different conclusions" and is unequivocal in viewing paleontological and geological data in light of a literal reading...

(MYFOX NATIONAL) - Some gun owners proudly wore their weapons into a Louisville, Ky., church Saturday. The "Bring Your Gun to Church Day" was an idea to celebrate guns and God. Brian Thomas, like others at the church was in compliance with Kentucky law as he wore his 1911 Springfield Operator on his belt -- openly. He brought his family to join about 125 other gun owners to celebrate their second amendment rights inside New Bethel Assembly of God Church. "They go together ... you need to protect yourself and God would want you to protect yourself," said Thomas. "Unfortunately...

CATLETTSBURG, KY (WSAZ) -- Elliott County Jailer Charles Howard will spend 12 years in prison after being convicted late Monday afternoon on a charge of 1st degree rape. The sentencing phase of his trial concluded early Monday evening with that decision. Howard was convicted by a jury in Boyd County Monday after a week long trial in which a jail inmate testifed that Howard took her to a remote area and assaulted her.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — For one day, at least, it was OK to pack heat in church. More than 200 people answered gun-toting Pastor Ken Pagano's call to celebrate the Second Amendment at New Bethel Church in Louisville on Saturday. There was just one rule for the several dozen who brought their guns along: No bullets. ---------------------------cut---------------------------- "I just believe in the right to protect ourselves," said Liz Boyer, who had a bright pink Glock in a black holster at her side. The 41-year-old isn't a member of the church but teaches a class on gun safety for women at a...

A pastor in the US state of Kentucky has told his flock to bring handguns to church in what he says is an effort to promote safe gun ownership. Pastor Ken Pagano told parishioners to bring their unloaded guns to New Bethel Church in Louisville for a service celebrating the right to bear arms. He said he acted after church members voiced fears the Obama administration could tighten gun control laws. When the service began, some 200 people were present, AP news agency said. "We are wanting to send a message that there are legal, civil, intelligent and law-abiding citizens...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - A gun-toting Kentucky pastor says it's OK to pack heat at church _ at least for one day. Ken Pagano asked his flock to bring their unloaded handguns _ in holsters _ to New Bethel Church in Louisville for a celebration of the Second Amendment. When the event got under way a little after 5 p.m. Saturday, about 200 people _ many carrying small firearms _ sat in the Pentecostal church sanctuary. "We are wanting to send a message that there are legal, civil, intelligent and law-abiding citizens who also own guns," Pagano said in greeting...

Bringing new meaning to the term "wearing your Sunday best," a pastor in Kentucky is encouraging his parishioners to strap a holster to their church clothes today and proudly display their weapons. Pastor Ken Pagano of the New Bethel Church in Louisville has declared today -- June 27 -- as "Open Carry Celebration" day, to promote responsible gun ownership. Pagano told ABCNews.com: "As a Christian pastor I believe that without a deep-seeded belief in God and firearms that this country would not be here. I'm not ashamed of that fact. I'm proud of it." Pagano said no one will be...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Ken Pagano, the pastor of the New Bethel Church here, is passionate about gun rights. He shoots regularly at the local firing range, and his sermon two weeks ago was on “God, Guns, Gospel and Geometry.” And on Saturday night, he is inviting his congregation of 150 and others to wear or carry their firearms into the sanctuary to “celebrate our rights as Americans!” as a promotional flier for the “open carry celebration” puts it. “God and guns were part of the foundation of this country,” Mr. Pagano, 49, said Wednesday in the small brick Assembly of...

LONDON, KY—Chester Jones, age 65, of Hazard, Ky. and Sherman Neace, age 68, of Bonnyman, Ky. were indicted today on mail fraud charges and conspiracy to buy votes relating to the 2008 General Election in Perry County. The Indictment alleges that Jones and Neace defrauded the Perry County Democratic Executive Committee by disguising their diversion of Get Out The Vote funds from the Kentucky Democratic Party to their own campaigns. James A. Zerhusen, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Timothy D. Cox, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Rodney Brewer, Commissioner, Kentucky State Police and...

June 24, 2009 Note: The following text is a quote: June 24, 2009 Illegal alien pleads guilty to fake document conspiracy charges LOUISVILLE, Ky. - An illegal alien from Mexico pleaded guilty Monday to conspiracy charges for his role in a local fraudulent document ring. This guilty plea resulted from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Louisville Metro Police Department. Juan Manuel Calderon-Santana, 34, pleaded guilty June 22 to charges he conspired to possess document-making implements and false identification documents with the intent to illegally transfer them. The documents included: Permanent Resident Alien Cards (green...

He Wants Us to Believe Mediocrity is a Sign of Success One must wonder what Mitch McConnell paid or did to have the Washington Post’s Perry Bacon, Jr. write this total fluff piece on Mitch McConnell. When he was fighting campaign finance reform a decade ago, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was dubbed Darth Vader by his critics. He embraced the nickname, even announcing “Darth Vader has arrived” at a news conference.Well, when the article starts out with a gross distortion of the facts, we can only conclude that McConnell is desperate to hang on to power and distract from his...

(CNN) -- In the 1960s and 1970s, Big Tobacco was widely viewed as the model for effective special-interest lobbying. "My own view is that in many ways, the tobacco industry invented the kind of special-interest lobbying that has become so characteristic of the late 20th- and earlier 21st-century American politics," said Allan Brandt, dean of Harvard's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The industry was known for its giant spending on political campaigns and effective lobbyists. The industry's representatives often had experience in politics or close ties to major power players. "Today obviously, that lobby is much less powerful and...

AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq, June 18, 2009 – For five brothers from a small town in Kentucky, serving in the military is a family tradition. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Chris Roberts holds a photo of him, his four brothers and his son, a Marine, while taking a break from his duties in the battalion's steel shop at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, June 3, 2009. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Katesha Washington   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Chief Petty Officer Chad Roberts, Petty Officers 1st Class Jody and Dwayne Roberts, and Petty Officer...

LEXINGTON, KY—A Scott County emergency management captain was arrested today pursuant to a federal criminal complaint that charges him with possessing images of child pornography. According to an affidavit submitted by a detective from the Georgetown Police Department, Eric Dwayne Westerfield, 35, from Georgetown, Ky. admitted he used the file sharing program LimeWire to download images of child pornography. The affidavit alleges that a DVD seized by authorities from Westerfield’s residence in March contained approximately eight images of children as young as 10 years old engaged in sexually explicit conduct. In addition, a Kentucky State Police (KSP) detective conducted a...

While celebrations are on-going this year to mark Charles Darwin's bicentenary, there's at least one place that won't be toasting his memory - a creationist museum in Kentucky, US.

19-year-old Bryan Daniel was back in a Wayne County Courtroom for his preliminary hearing. He faces both murder and manufacturing meth charges, following his 20-month-old son's death. Police say they were called to a Wayne County hospital emergency room after a baby died. Police say they spoke with both Daniel and the baby's 14-year-old mother. Police testify Daniel gave them several conflicting stories before finally admitting the child swallowed liquid fire, a chemical used to make meth. Officers say the liquid fire was in a coffee mug on a bedside table in the child's bedroom. Officers say 20-month-old Kayden had...

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Sunday said Senate Republicans are reserving their right to filibuster the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. McConnell acknowledged on CBS’s "Face that Nation" his own past stance against filibustering judges, but he said Democrats paved the way for a possible Sotomayor filibuster by filibustering appeals court nominee Miguel Estrada during the Bush administration. “I have consistently opposed filibustering judges – did it during the Clinton years – but I lost that fight,” McConnell said. “The Senate will filibuster judges. That precedent was established – ironically enough – on a...

With black bear populations rising, run-ins have become almost commonplace... Canadian bear researcher Hank Hristienko, who conducted the survey in January, found that 18 Eastern states were seeing more encounters with bears. In a 2006 attack, a 210-pound male bear killed a 6-year-old girl and mauled her 2-year-old brother as well as her mother who tried to fend off the animal. The attack occurred during a family outing in Tennessee's Cherokee National Forest. near Prestonsburg, Ky., last year, a bear held tourists at bay inside a cabin until rangers arrived to chase it away. The U.S. bear population more than...

WASHINGTON — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell may have a tepid relationship with fellow Kentucky Republican Sen. Jim Bunning, but he's giving GOP rising star and 2010 Senate candidate Florida Gov. Charlie Crist a thumbs up. According to Crist's Web site, McConnell gave the governor a full-throated endorsement. "Decisions are being made every day in Washington that have a direct impact upon the lives of all Americans and we need Charlie Crist in the U.S. Senate to ensure that those decisions will benefit the citizens of Florida.” Crist, McConnell and other party luminaries are slated to attend a campaign fundraising...

Florida’s Republican Governor Charlie Crist is getting a big boost for his U.S. Senate bid from a bevy of GOP A-listers. Helping to raise money for Crist in Washington are Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) chairman Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and 2008 GOP presidential nominee Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. The power trio will be on hand – along with yet other Republican luminaries – to help attract major donors at an event for Crist slated for June 22 at the NRSC, according to a report in The Hill, which obtained an invitation. The week...

Dr. Ron Paul’s son, Rand Paul, has formed an exploratory campaign for U.S. Senate from Kentucky. Rand Paul is similar to his father in ideology; he favors a strict application of the Constitution to federal government matters, thus opposes the Federal Reserve Bank and the U.S. Department of Education and supports lower taxes and less spending. A grass-roots movement formed several months ago to draft Dr. Rand Paul to run for the U.S. Senate after incumbent Republican Senator Jim Bunning. Bunning has left hints he may not run for reelection. Bunning, who had a career spanning 15 years in Major...

It's one thing to pack for a picnic. A church picnic. It's quite another, to pack...heat. The pastor of a church near Louisville, Kentucky has triggered quite a controversy after encouraging his flock to carry firearms, at a church picnic scheduled for tomorrow, "Honestly, I would really like to see this mushroom into a Thunder over Louisville, where we are just inundated with civil-minded responsible gun owners." Pastor Ken Pagano is a former Marine weapons instructor who says he wants to promote responsible gun ownership. He says without the Second Amendment, the right to bear arms, there would be no...

Pastor asks members to bring guns to church Says it's a good way for his Ky. flock to celebrate Independence Day Ken Pagano, pastor of New Bethel Church in Louisville, Ky., says America wouldn't exist without God and firearms. Thurs., June 4, 2009 LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A Kentucky pastor is inviting his flock to bring guns to church to celebrate the Fourth of July and the Second Amendment. New Bethel Church is welcoming "responsible handgun owners" to wear their firearms inside the church June 27, a Saturday. An ad says there will be a handgun raffle, patriotic music and information...

VALLEY STATION, KY (WAVE) - Church shootings have been in the headlines for the past few years, so when a local church announced that it is asking people to bring guns to church we wanted to know why. Most people consider church a sanctuary, a place of peace. But recently, church shootings have been in the headlines. Last Sunday, Kansas abortion Dr. George Tiller was shot and killed while ushering at his church. In March, an Illinois pastor was killed and two parishioners injured after a gunman opened fire during Sunday services. In July 2008, a gunman killed two people...

Open Carry Celebration, June 27th 2009 In Celebration of July 4 and our rights as Americans, New Bethel Church will be hosting an OPEN CELEBRATION CHURCH service for all who support 1st and 2nd Amendment rights. It will be held on Saturday June 27th, the weekend before July 4th. It will begin at 5PM and picnic food will be served. We are asking responsible handgun owners to attend this service openly wearing their sidearm. This will be a Cold Range Carry meaning handguns must be unloaded and in a secure holster. Area gun store/firing range owners will be invited to...

There’s a church in Valley Station that is promoting Independence Day by encouraging its members to bring a gun to church, and to bring a friend with a gun to church. You can enter a raffle, for just a dollar, to win your very own handgun. And local gun shops are invited to come, TO CHURCH, and stand before the congregation and do a commercial about their stores. Now all this activity is being promoted through a mail campaign that an alert South End reader told us about. You can find details on the New Bethel Church website. Is anyone...

ELIZABETHTOWN – Fire damaged a Lincoln landmark at Freeman Lake Park in Elizabethtown early Friday morning, and police are baffled as to the motive behind the what they believe to be intentional damage to the historic site. According to Elizabethtown Police Department spokesman Virgil Willoughy, Kenneth R. Bennett, a 34-year-old Elizabethtown resident, is believed to have started the fire. Willoughby said police deduced from investigation that Bennett lit a container of trash and placed it inside the Lincoln Heritage House Friday morning while taking his regular walk. “He walks this area frequently,” Willoughby said. “We can only guess as to...

A U.S. soldier convicted of murdering an Iraqi family spoke out for the first time Thursday, issuing a public apology for his crimes. Former U.S. soldier Steven Green got life in prison after being convicted of murdering four Iraqis. Steven Green, who escaped the death penalty this month, told relatives of the victims that he is "truly sorry for what I did in Iraq." "I helped to destroy a family and end the lives of four of my fellow human beings, and I wish that I could take it back, but I cannot," Green said, reading a statement at a...

FORT CAMPBELL, Kentucky (CNN) -- The 101st Airborne's senior commander in effect ordered his soldiers Wednesday not to commit suicide, a plea that came after 11 suicides since January 1, two of them in the past week. "If you don't remember anything else I say in the next five or 10 minutes, remember this -- suicidal behavior in the 101st on Fort Campbell is bad," Brig. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend told his forces. "It's bad for soldiers, it's bad for families, bad for your units, bad for this division and our army and our country and it's got to stop...

FORT CAMPBELL, Kentucky -- At Fort Campbell, an installation on the Kentucky-Tennessee line, at least 11 Soldiers have committed suicide this year - the most at any Army base. Commanders have set aside routine duties for three days to find and help Soldiers at risk of killing themselves as they struggle with the stress of war. From January to March, the base averaged one suicide per week, Brig. Gen. Stephen Townsend said Wednesday,.... "But last week we had two. Two in a week," Townsend said. "This is not a place where Fort Campbell and the 101st Airborne Division want to...

Kindred Hospital and its corporate bosses in Kentucky got a lesson in patriotism Wednesday. After a thorough roasting in the blogosphere, Kindred officials decided to let hospital supervisor Debbie McLucas put an American flag back on her office wall. "We have invited the employee (McLucas) to put the flag back up," Kindred said in a brief press release. McLucas did not return phone calls from The Dallas Morning News on Wednesday but she told her story on KRLD radio’s early-morning talk show. She said her husband spent 24 years in the U.S. Army. One son is an ex-Marine and a...

"The state is the great fiction by which everyone seeks to live at the expense of everyone else." Frédéric Bastiat The question is, "How long can that great fiction continue?" For too long Washington has told us that we can live at the expense of future generations -- that we merely "owe it to ourselves." But if the current crisis has taught us anything it is that our decisions have long-term implications and we cannot continue to ignore economic reality. Yes, we owe it to ourselves. But we also owe it to our children. We owe it to them to...

WASHINGTON, (AP) -- A federal appeals court on Friday largely agreed with a landmark ruling that found cigarette makers deceived the public for decades about the heath hazards of smoking. The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington upheld the major elements of a 2006 ruling that found the nation's top tobacco companies guilty of fraud and violating racketeering laws. The ruling said manufacturers must change the way they market cigarettes. It bans labels such as "low tar,""light,""ultra light" or "mild," since such cigarettes have been found to be no safer than others because of how people smoke them. It also...

Letitia and Beth work the counter at the Smoke Stack on chapman highway, a store that's owned and managed by women. Women who are packing heat to protect themselves. "I started working here about six years ago and i got my permit like a year after i started working here," said Letitia Dugger. "If my manager were here she would have a gun too. There's usually always at least two people here with one." The area's been hit by several recent convenience store robberies, and these women say having a handgun provides them a fair amount of security. "We have...

A Knox Central High School Math Teacher, 28-year old Jason Davis was arrested Tuesday for 2nd Degree terroristic threatening. He is accused of threatening to kill 500 people and put his school in the national news on the last day of school. Superintendent Walter Hulett says he didn't want to take the accusations lightly, sparking the investigation. Davis sat down with 27 NEWSFIRST and says this was all a misunderstanding. He says he was stressed but not threatening

Where can you connect with 200 free-market conservatives from the Midwest, the South and across the Plains at one single event? On June 3 - 4, 2009, in St. Louis, Missouri, the Conservative Heartland Leadership Conference (CHLC) will bring together fiscal and social conservatives in a two-day conference focused on Transparency, National Security, Judicial Elections, Messaging and Term Limits Review. We are anticipating a broad group of policy advocates from across the mid-west, south and plains states. As you can see from the tentative schedule here, we have a first class line-up of speakers such as Former Missouri Governor Matt...

WASHINGTON — Sen. Jim Bunning acknowledged Tuesday that during a meeting in December, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told him that "I was too old and I couldn't win" a re-election battle in 2010. Bunning, 77, went on to call McConnell a "control freak." He also said he'll fare well in Kentucky without McConnell's endorsement in the Republican primary, since during the senior senator's tenure as a member of the GOP leadership the Republicans have lost several seats and could lose more in 2010. "If Mitch McConnell doesn't endorse me that may be the best thing that could happen to...

KYWORDSMITH has confirmed that Dr. Rand Paul of Bowling Green will be taking the next step towards becoming a candidate for US Senate by forming an exploratory committee this week. Christopher Hightower, Paul’s spokesperson, tells KYWORDSMITH that Paul – a 46-year- old ophthalmologist – will appear on MSNBC on the Rachel Maddow Show this evening to discuss his plans in detail and make the announcement official. He will follow upon Friday morning with a series of national media appearances. Earlier this week, KYWORDSMITH sat down with Dr. Paul to learn more about why he’s exploring a run for the U.S....

Charlie Crist is a popular candidate best positioned to keep a Senate seat in Republican hands. But he has also broken with party orthodoxy on environmental and voting rights issues. BY PETER WALLSTEN Washington. With the Republican Party diminished in power and embroiled in debate over whether to broaden its ideology or adhere to core ideals, top GOP officials today took the unusual step of inserting themselves into a party primary, picking a moderate U.S. Senate candidate over a conservative in Florida. In endorsing Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sen. John Cornyn of Texas,...

During an appearance in Paducah on Friday evening, Dr. Rand Paul told a crowd of about 50 people that they could expect to hear something definitive regarding his candidacy for the US Senate by this Thursday, May 14th. Moments later, Paul used langauge that was a bit more straighforward:"I'm going to give this a go...It's a long shot at this piont, but I wouldn't do this unless I think it was a possibility."  After Paul's speech, Christopher Hightower, Paul's right-hand man, confirmed that national media coverage has already been scheduled for next Thursday. Paul, who considers himself an "outsider" from...

He admits ripping off Hispanic motoristsA former Slidell police officer was put on probation for five years after pleading guilty to pulling over Hispanic motorists and stealing money from them while on duty. Jonathan Lutman, 26, of Slidell, admitted to 12 counts of malfeasance in office in state court in Covington, the district attorney's office reported Wednesday. Lutman became the target of an investigation last summer after a pair of men came forward with allegations that he had stolen cash from them during traffic stops. He was arrested by members of his own department July 11 after an internal investigation...

When it comes to Kentucky Sen. Jim Bunning, everyone’s a critic. With the formation of Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson’s exploratory committee, national media has started a “Bunning Campaign Death Watch” of sorts: outlets everywhere have cranked up the speculation on when Bunning will drop out of the race, even though the Senator says he has no plans to retire. Now, the snarky political blog Wonkette has weighed in. The editors are no fan of Ron Paul, and the story focuses on the possible candidacy of the Texas Congressman and former Republican Presidential Candidate’s son, Bowling Green eye doctor...

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Kentucky's embattled junior senator is blaming GOP leader Mitch McConnell for losing Arlen Specter to the Democrats and costing the party Senate seats. Sen. Jim Bunning has been at odds lately with McConnell, Kentucky's senior senator. McConnell hasn't publicly asked Bunning to retire but hasn't endorsed him for re-election next year. Bunning says he's still in the race but Republican leaders have been sending not-so-subtle messages that he should retire rather than face a strong Democratic challenge.

FORT KNOX, Ky., May 4, 2009 – A drill sergeant with two Iraq tours under his belt continued to show his mettle in the Senior Leaders Course at Fort Gordon, Ga. Army Staff Sgt. Mark Gomez shows soldiers in training at Fort Knox, Ky., how to improve their holds during a combatives exercise. U.S. Army photo by Maureen Rose   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Staff Sgt. Mark Gomez finished as the honor graduate by maintaining a grade-point average of 97 percent, in addition to passing his physical training and field training exercise with flying colors. On top...

Chrysler said April sales were down 48 percent compared to April 2008 moments ago, only hours after the troubled automaker opened its bankruptcy hearing. Car sales were down a staggering 61 percent, while sales of SUVs and trucks were down 44 percent. Chrysler sold 43,138 vehicles in April. In its bankruptcy filing, the automaker said it has an inventory of 336,913 vehicles, a 114-day supply. Chrysler idled its plants today for the duration of the reorganization. Chrysler hopes to emerge from government-backed bankruptcy in 30 to 60 days, a target many bankruptcy specialists believe is unrealistic. -- General Motors, which...

Rand Paul, son of former Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, says he is poised to enter the race for U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning's seat. Paul, who has been stumping across Kentucky, told The Associated Press that "every bone in my body says there is going to be a race." But the Bowling Green physician said he won't run unless Bunning opts out. Paul is a fan of Bunning's conservative fiscal philosophy and said he simply wants to be ready to jump into the race quickly if the 77-year-old senator decides to retire instead of seeking re-election next year. Bunning has...