Archive for May, 2011

Mongiardos expecting their second child

FRANKFORT – Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo and his wife, Allison Patrick Mongiardo, are expecting their second child.

Mongiardo spokeswoman Valeria Cummings Swope said Tuesday that the child, a boy, is due this fall. Mongiardo is scheduled to leave office in December.

Daniel Mongiardo, 50, and Allison Mongiardo, 25, had their first child, a daughter named Kathryn, on Dec. 22, 2009. The Mongiardos married June 21, 2008, after an 18-month engagement.

Mongiardo decided in 2009 not to seek re-election as lieutenant governor. Instead, he ran unsuccessfully last year for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.

Before the Mongiardos’ daughter was born, the last child born to a couple in the state’s lieutenant governor’s office came in 2003, when former Lt. Gov. Steve Henry and Heather French Henry had their second daughter. Their first daughter was born in 2000 while he was in office.

Before then, the last child born to a couple in the state’s second highest elective office was in 1901, when John Crepps Wickliffe Beckham and his wife, Jean Raphael Fuqua Beckham, had a daughter.

–Jack Brammer

Gov. Beshear unveils new cultural districts

By Beth Musgrave
bmusgrave@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT — Gov. Steve Beshear and the Kentucky Arts Council want Kentucky communities to apply for cultural district designations.

Cities and counties have until July 1 to submit an initial application or an intent to apply for the designation. Beshear said during a press conference on Tuesday that areas eligible for the new designation range from arenas to farmers markets to outdoor music venues.

The designations will help attract tourists and improve communities, Beshear said.

Former state Rep. Eddie Ballard dies at 81

FRANKFORT – Former state Rep. Joseph Edward “Eddie” Ballard, D-Madisonville, died Tuesday morning at Regional Medical Center in Madisonville. He was 81.

Ballard was a member of the state House from 1987 to 2010. He also was chairman of the House Tourism Development and Energy Committee and vice chairman of the State Government Committee.

Ballard, a self-employed businessman, decided last year not to seek re-election from the 10th House District in Hopkins County.

He served in the U.S. Air Force and was a member of the Madisonville Community College Advisory Board and Academic Boosters Board. He was Hopkins County Democratic chairman for 12 years.

Health care industry tops lobbying spending in Kentucky

FRANKFORT – The health care industry in Kentucky spent more than any other industry — $1.5 million — in the first four months of this year to lobby state lawmakers, the state Legislative Ethics Commission said Friday.

A total of about $7 million was spent on lobbying for the four months – about $6.5 million by 660 employers of lobbyists and $445,000 by lobbyists.

More than $6.1 million of the employers’ total was for pay to nearly 630 lobbyists.

Reports filed by employers and legislative agents are compiled at the Legislative Ethics Commission’s website at http://klec.ky.gov/reports/employersagents.htm.

Health care spending was led by hospital operators, who spent about $300,000, including Kentucky Hospital Association ($56,000), Norton Healthcare ($44,631), Baptist Healthcare System ($42,800) and St. Elizabeth Healthcare ($28,182).

The second leading component of health care spending was pharmaceutical companies and pharmacies, which spent about $281,000, including Consumer Healthcare Products Association ($67,333), Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America/PhRMA ($23,362), Amgen ($19,389), Glaxo SmithKline ($18,500), American Pharmacy Cooperative ($18,000) and Pfizer ($15,000).

‘Comment’ will discuss race for governor

The quick start to this fall’s governor’s race will be one of the topics on this week’s “Comment on Kentucky,” a public affairs show of the Kentucky Educational Television network.

Joining substitute host Bill Bryant of Lexington’s WKYT-TV will be three Frankfort reporters: Roger Alford of the Associated Press, Ronnie Ellis of CNHI News and Jack Brammer of the Lexington Herald-Leader.

The 30-minute show airs Friday at 8 p.m. EDT on KET1. It also will be broadcast at 6:30 a.m. Saturday on KET KY, 7:30 a.m. Sunday on KET KY, 12:30 p.m. Sunday on KET 1, 8 a.m. Monday on KET KY and 7:30 p.m. Monday on KET KY.

It was taped Thursday night because Friday is a furlough day for most state workers, including KET employees.

The show’s permanent host, Ferrell Wellman, is to return next week after recuperating since February from a knee injury.

–Jack Brammer

Caregiver sentenced to nine years for abuse of mentally handicapped

By Beth Musgrave
bmusgrave@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT — A former caregiver convicted of abusing three mentally handicapped people at a Carter County group home was sentenced to nine years in prison Thursday, according to Attorney General Jack Conway’s office.

Robert Thompson, 55, of Ironton, Ohio, was an employee at Community Presence in Carter County.
Thompson is just one of 11 former employees of the community-based provider for the handicapped who have been charged in relation to widespread abuse.

Community Presence has since been shut down.

Emails raise questions about Richie Farmer’s reporting of personal mileage

By John Cheves
jcheves@herald-leader.com

Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer racked up 2,645 personal miles on his state vehicle in the last three years while his office was telling the state that he only drove it for business purposes, according to public records.

Email exchanges as early as 2008 between the Department of Agriculture’s payroll office and the state Personnel Cabinet raise questions about the explanation Farmer offered earlier this month for not reporting his personal use of a state-owned sport utility vehicle. The personal use is part of his compensation and is taxable.

Earlier this month, state Auditor Crit Luallen notified the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and the Kentucky Revenue Department about Farmer’s “failure … to report fringe benefits.” Luallen cited the lapse in three consecutive annual audits, including one released this year.

A spokesman for Farmer, who is the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, said again Thursday that the commissioner began to fill out personal mileage reports in 2008 after the Personnel Cabinet told him to. But a woman in Farmer’s office failed to submit his reports until Luallen’s most recent audit, spokesman Bill Clary said.

Legg concedes Secretary of State primary to Johnson

By Beth Musgrave
bmusgrave@herald-leader.com

FRANKFORT — After only picking up six votes in a recanvass in the Secretary of State’s race, Hilda Legg on Thursday conceded the Republican primary to Todd County businessman and teacher Bill Johnson.

Johnson will now face Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes, a Lexington lawyer, in the November general election.

Legg asked for a recanvass after the May 17 primary when Johnson edged out Legg by less than 1,100 votes, or about 1 percent of the vote.

A recanvass — which is a retabulation of voting machine totals — was conducted Thursday morning. The recanvass showed that Legg picked up nine votes in Martin County and two votes in Pulaski County. Johnson picked up four votes in Martin County and one vote in Pulaski County, leaving Legg with a net gain of six votes.

Hearing canceled in Richie Farmer divorce case

FRANKFORT – A court hearing Thursday in Rebecca Farmer’s divorce petition against her husband, Republican lieutenant governor nominee Richie Farmer, was canceled at the agreement of both sides.

No reason for the cancellation was given in a notice filed in Franklin Circuit by her attorney, Brian A. Logan of Frankfort, and his attorney, Richard M. Guarnieri of Frankfort.

The one-sentence notice filed Wednesday said, “By mutual agreement, the parties have agreed to cancel the evidentiary court hearing scheduled for May 26, 2011, and the pending motions are hereby remanded.”

GOP wants investigation of calls by Beshear’s office to pension agency

By John Cheves
jcheves@herald-leader.com

State Republicans called for an independent investigation on Wednesday into phone calls made by Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear’s office to Kentucky’s main pension agency to suggest meetings with political supporters working on behalf of private investment companies.

Meanwhile, Democratic State Auditor Crit Luallen will examine the matter as part of an ongoing audit of business practices at the Kentucky Retirement Systems that is scheduled for release next month, spokeswoman Janet Cantrill said.

Beshear spokeswoman Kerri Richardson suggested Republicans need to find “some real issues.”

“It’s obvious that the silly season has arrived when the Republican Party seeks to create something out of nothing,” Richardson said.