CAMPBELLSBURG (AP) Four people killed in a fiery car crash in north-central Kentucky during the weekend were identified Wednesday as former schoolmates from Tennessee. The four were southbound on Interstate 71 in Henry County on Sunday night when their vehicle crossed the center line and hit a tractor-trailer going the other way. Police say both vehicles erupted into flames after the collision. The county office said three of those who died were from Nashville: the driver, Jackson Scott Harris, 19; Caitlin R. Currey, 18; and Caitlin Christine Lee, 20.
The fourth was Ryan Keith Williams, 19, of Pegram, Tenn. The victims were recent students of East Literature Magnet School in Nashville, where they had become friends. Principal Frances Stewart said her staff was terribly upset to learn of the deaths, saying the youngsters were what we want students to She said Jackson enjoyed wrestling and running. Lee was a first-year counselor at a YMCAcamp in Nashville. The YMCAset up a memorial fund in her name, and a grief counselor was talking with her colleagues at the camp.
ANashville State Community College instructor told WSMV-TVthat Williams had computer talent, and the station quoted a friend of as saying Currey was going to the University of Tampa in Florida this fall. The high school was planning a candlelight vigil later this week. Trial date set in park accident By BRETT BARROUQUERE The Associated Press LOUISVILLE Ajudge has set a trial date and settlement deadline in a lawsuit against Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom filed by the family of a 14-year-old girl whose feet were severed on a ride last summer. Jefferson Circuit Judge Barry Willett scheduled the case for trial on Jan. 5, 2010.
Willett also set a Nov. 23, 2009, deadline for attorneys for the family of Kaitlyn Lasitter and the amusement park to mediate a settlement in the case. Cables on the Superman Tower of Power ride snapped on June 21, 2007, shearing off legs. Doctors reattached right foot, but she had to have some of her left leg amputated and subsequent surgeries. Lasitter and her family are suing Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, claiming the park failed to maintain the ride and equipment and ensure In court filings, the amusement park has denied liability in the accident.
Willett expects the trial to last between four and six weeks, which may cause Kaitlyn to miss some school to either watch the trial or testify. may well be that Miss Lasitter is not required to be here for the whole duration of Willett said during a hearing Wednesday. Willett routinely requires mediation in civil cases. He said meeting the November 2009 deadline is important in this case because if it is settled, the six weeks being held open for the trial can be used for other cases. The lawsuit has been pending for more than a year.
Attorneys for both the Lasitters and Six Flags agreed that the pretrial work is moving along smoothly. More than 15,000 pages of documents have been exchanged and the ride has been examined by experts five times, said Jennifer Barbour, an attorney for the Lasitters, who were not in court Wednesday. John Hanley, who represents Six Flags, said there are 77 more depositions to take 35 by the Lasitters and 42 by the amusement park. Six Flags may also seek to add a defendant to the case, Hanley said, declining to say who he was speaking of. a lot of work left to be Hanley said.
AKentucky Department of Agriculture report released in May placed blame for the accident on a faulty cable and slow response by an amusement park ride operator. Jane Mitchell MORGANTOWN Jane Mitchell, 61, of Morgantown died July 29, 2008, at The Medical Center of Bowling Green. The Green County, native was an licensed practical nurse and a member of Mount Vernon Missionary Baptist Church. She was a daughter of the late Erma Lacer Harper and Carl Roy Harper. She was preceded in death by her mother-in- law, Falsom Mitchell; her father- in-law, Clarence Mitchell; and a sister, Hazel Ann Summerville.
Funeral is at 2 p.m. Friday at Jones Funeral Chapel, with burial in Mount Vernon Cemetery. Visitation is from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. today at the funeral home.
Online condolences may be made at www.jonesfuneralchapel Survivors include her husband, Gil Mitchell; a daughter, Rhoda Chism and her husband, J.D., of Morgantown; a son, Eric Mitchell and his wife, Jennifer, of Colorado; six grandchildren, Danielle and Joshua Mitchell, Miranda and Craig Heiser and Lauren and Trenton Chism; and two sisters, Karenell Johns of Missouri and Jean Harper of Morgantown. Gilbertine D. Moore FRANKLIN Gilbertine Douglass Moore, 94, of Franklin died at 8:30 a.m. July 30, 2008, at her residence. The Simpson County native was a former owner of Franklin Seed Lab and a philanthropist.
She was a graduate of Franklin High School and the recipient of the R.H. Moore Loving Cup, awarded to the best all-around student. She attended Ward-Belmont College and graduated from Vanderbilt University. She was a member of First United Methodist Church, a founder and member of the Friends of Gladys Taber, an author, artist and an avid supporter of the arts and the opera. She was a daughter of the late Randolph Gilbert Moore and Essie Douglass Moore.
She was the granddaughter of the late R.H. Moore, founder of R.H. Moore Drug Co. Expressions of sympathy may take the form of contributions to First United Methodist Church Building Fund, Hospice of Southern Kentucky or Friends of the Shelter, P.O. Box 910, Franklin, KY42135.
Survivors include three cousins, Roland Willock of Bowling Green and King and Robert Rogers, both of Memphis, and several close friends. Sarah J. Mullins FRANKLIN Sarah Joyce Mullins, 61, of Franklin died July 31, 2008, at her residence. Funeral arrangements, which are incomplete, are under the direction of Crafton Funeral Home. Lorene M.
Philpott MUNFORDVILLE Lorene Mae Philpott, 79, of Hodgenville died at 1 a.m. July 30, 2008, at her residence in Magnolia. The Hart County native was born Feb. 10, 1929. She was a homemaker and a Baptist.
She was a daughter of the late Berry Mauldin and Mary Dennis Mauldin and the wife of the late William C. Philpott. She was preceded in death by a son, Charles Philpott; three sisters; and four brothers. Funeral is at 2 p.m. Friday at Brooks Funeral Home, with burial in Center Point Cemetery.
Visitation is from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. today and begins at 9 a.m. Friday at the funeral home. Survivors include a daughter, Christine Morrow of Louisville; three sons, James Hester of Magnolia, William Philpott of Hardyville and Edward Philpott of Hodgenville; and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
James H. Pike Jr. James Henry Pike 49, of Bowling Green died July 29, 2008, at his home. The Logan County native was an employee of Weyerhauser and an Army veteran. He was a son of the late James Henry Pike Sr.
and Betty Jean Pike of Bowling Green, who survives. Cremation was chosen. Memorial service is at 7 p.m. Friday with visitation at 6 p.m. at Heritage Funeral Services.
His ashes will be scattered at Lake Barkley at a later date. Other survivors include his wife, Sophia Love Pike; a daughter, Tori Shawntae Pike of Bowling Green; a sister, Shelia Todd of Bowling Green; a brother, Danny Pike of Russellville; a nephew, Marcello Todd; two nieces, Danielle and Gabriella Pike, both of Bowling Green; and his father-in-law and mother- in-law, Robert and Nita Love of St. Louis. DAILY NEWS, BOWLING GREEN, KENTUCKY THURSDAY, JULY 31, 2008 PAGE 5A Finest in Flowers Since PHONE 843-4334 861 Fairview Ave. 832 BROADWAY 820 LOVERS LANE BOWLING GREEN, KY Let our experienced staff help you in your time of need.
832 Broadway 820 Lovers Lane Bowling Green, KY J.C. IRBY ON UNERAL HAPELS I NC AND REMATORY (270) 843-3111 820 Lovers Lane Bowling Green, KY MARY KING Johnson Vaughn Phelps FUNERAL HOME, INC. John Phelps Owner Gene Vaughn Owner Pre-Need Cremation Services EST. 1952 901 Fairview Ave. Green 270.843.4338 DEATHS By BRETT BARROUQUERE The Associated Press LOUISVILLE DNAfrom multiple people has been found on evidence in a 1990 double slaying, but it has not been tested against a man on death row for the killings.
Ahat used as evidence in the case of Thomas Clyde Bowling had DNAfrom three people and a jacket had DNAfrom two, according to preliminary tests described in court filings. Bowling, 54, was convicted of the murders of Eddie and Tina Earley outside their Lexington dry cleaning store, Early Bird Cleaners. Their young son survived the attack. The DNAevidence has not been compared to a sample from Bowling because prosecutors have objected to the tests. lawyers are asking Fayette Circuit Judge Kim Bunnell to vacate his conviction based on preliminary test results.
The test results were made public in court filings Monday and Tuesday in Fayette Circuit Court in Lexington. attorney, assistant public advocate David Barron, said the preliminary results are enough to throw conviction in the case into question. Awitness identified the shooter as wearing the hat and jacket and prosecutors said at trial that both items were found near Bowling when he was arrested. The presence of DNAfrom multiple people invalidates the prosecution theory that Bowling was the only person involved in the killings and the testimony of the eyewitness who identified the hat and jacket, Barron said. on it, it definitely helps Barron said.
if his DNAis on it, it still helps Fayette County Attorney Ray Larson said DNAtesting in the case is useless because multiple people have probably handled the evidence in the 18 years since the murders. somebody that has breathed on it and saliva has dropped on it could produce that Larson said. just trying to throw something up against the wall and see what Bowling was originally scheduled for execution in November 2004 for the slayings. He has pre- viously lost appeals claiming he is mentally retarded and that he is ineligible for execution because his mental age falls below 18. DNAtesting was granted on the hat, jacket and other evidence taken from a car prosecutors say was used as a getaway vehicle.
Kentucky law allows condemned inmates to request genetic testing of evidence in cases that predate the use of DNAtesting. Another death row inmate, Brian Keith Moore, 49, has been granted a DNAtest on evidence stemming from a 1979 murder. The results in his case are pending. law is similar to statutes in 39 other states. It allows death row inmates to request DNAtesting on evidence so long as there been previous tests and they can convince a judge that the evidence would have affected the outcome of their trial.
Similar tests have resulted in more than a dozen people around the country being freed from death row. Athird Kentucky death row inmate, Roger Epperson, convicted of the June 1985 slaying of Tammy Acker in Letcher County, has applied for DNAtest- ing. DNAtests were inconclusive in the case of death row inmate Victor D. Taylor, convicted of the September 1984 kidnapping, robbery and murder of two high school students in Louisville. Kentucky has executed two inmates since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976.
VW: New plant may produce two vehicles By LUCAS L. JOHNSON II The Associated Press NASHVILLE Volkswagen is already considering adding production of a second automobile to the plant it plans to build in Chattanooga, according to a company spokeswoman. Volkswagen AG, which announced its plant site selection just two weeks ago, is thinking about production of a second vehicle the foreseeable spokeswoman Jill Bratina told The Associated Press on Wednesday. She described the addition as part of the German forward-looking in this country. Chattanooga plant will give us flexible local production in the Bratina said.
line with this flexibility, a second automobile in addition to a sedan specifically designed for the USAis conceivable in the foreseeable The automaker announced July 15 that it would build a plant in Chattanooga making a new midsize sedan for the U.S. market. It said it expected to employ 2,000 workers. It plans to start production in 2011. The automaker is aiming to produce an initial 150,000 vehicles, with a capacity for as many as 250,000.
But it hopes to triple U.S. sales by 2018. Beyond possible growth, Matt Kisber, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, said state officials expect the new plant will attract six to 10 top-level auto supply companies to locate in the same industrial park. The state is still working on the economic impact the suppliers would have but expects them to provide as many as 2,000 additional jobs, according to Mark Drury, assistant commissioner of communications for ECD. Drury said neighboring states would also benefit.
Chattanooga previously lost out on the $1.3 billion Toyota Motor Corp. plant that is being built near Tupelo, and the $1.2 billion Kia Motors Corp. plant that went to West Point, Ga. Volkswagen executives have said the new plant in the U.S., in addition to factories in India and Russia, is part of the strategy to become the No. 2 automaker.
By TRAVIS LOLLER The Associated Press NASHVILLE Nissan North America Inc. said Wednesday it will offer buyouts to about 6,000 employees at the two Tennessee plants and eliminate a night shift at one plant because rising fuel prices and the economic downturn have slowed sales of trucks and sport utility vehicles. The technicians and salaried employees at the assembly plant in Smyrna and power- train plant in Decherd will be offered a lump sum of $100,000 or $125,000 depending on tenure, as well as medical and car purchase benefits, the company said. Company spokesman Fred Standish said that even though the unit of Nissan Motor Co. is ending night shift truck production effective Aug.
11, it does not plan any layoffs. never laid off anybody in Smyrna and we intend to do it he said. Standish said employees on the shift that is being eliminated are expected to either take buyouts or move into jobs made vacant from other workers taking the buyouts. going to be a lot of movement and he said. The two plants have about 1,200 more employees right now than they need, he said.
About 775 employees at the two plants took a buyout offered last year. That package included a $45,000 lump sum payment and $500 for every year of service. Of the more generous package being offered this year, Standish said, incentive speaks for itself. We need to get our size of employment right vis-a-vis the Many automakers are seeing sales slump this year as gas prices have surpassed $4 a gallon and the housing decline has squeezed consumer spending. U.S.
auto sales were down about 10 percent in the first half of this year, with SUVs and other light trucks posting an 18 percent drop. General Motors Corp. said this week that it will cut shifts at plants in Ohio and Louisiana as part of its plan to reduce truck and SUVproduction by 300,000 units this year while adding boosting output of the fast- selling Chevrolet Malibu and Cobalt cars. Standish said Nissan has no immediate plans to increase car production in Smyrna, about 20 miles southeast of Nashville, but he added, plants are very, very flexible. If everybody wants an Altima tomorrow we can certainly crank it Last week, Ford Motor Co.
announced plans to retool two U.S. plants to make small, fuel-efficient vehicles instead of trucks and SUVs. Toyota Motor Corp. is shutting down production at U.S. plant and has laid off 700 temporary workers in recent months.
Employees who accept buyout offer before the Sept. 12 deadline can chose whether they would like to participate in 2008, 2009 or 2010, according to a news release from the company. Employees will also have the opportunity to sign up again in 2009 and in 2010 but the benefit levels will not be as generous. Nissan employs about 5,500 hourly and salaried employees at its Smyrna plant, which builds the Altima coupe, sedan and hybrid, the Frontier pickup, Xterra SUV, Pathfinder SUV, and Maxima sedan. Between 4,500 and 5,000 workers there are eligible for the buyouts, Standish said.
About 1,000 of the 1,100 hourly and salaried employees work at the powertrain assembly plant in Decherd, about 60 miles northwest of Chattanooga, are eligible. The announcement comes a week after Nissan dedicated its new North America headquarters in Middle Tennessee. New DNA found on murder evidence Mark AP ANissan Xterra comes down the final inspection line at the Nissan plant in Smyrna, Tenn. Nissan North America Inc. said Wednesday it will offer buyouts to about 6,000 employees at the two Tennessee plants and eliminate a night shift at one plant because rising fuel prices and the economic downturn have slowed sales of trucks and sport utility vehicles.
Nissanoffers Tenn. workers buyouts JANE MITCHELL Authorities identify four people killed in Kentuckycrash on I-71.
