Meanwhile beer sales continue.
Danville doctor detained in Zimbabwe while on medical mission trip
While on a medical mission trip with his wife in the bush of Zimbabwe, retired urologist Ed Montgomery of Danville was arrested July 5 by that country's government on the dubious charge of practicing without the proper license.
After spending a cold night in jail, Montgomery was released, but his passport was withheld for several days and at one point he faced arraignment on the charges. During the ordeal, the couple's family in the United States was left in the dark, as details were often sketchy and days old.
Montgomery obtained the proper paperwork and was eventually released weeks later. At that time, both Dr. Montgomery and his wife, Sara Jane, returned home safely. They both agreed they wanted to return to Zimbabwe and finish the work they started.
A legend comes to a close in Harrodsburg
A 42-year tradition came to an end in Harrodsburg in 2004 when members of the board that produces "Daniel Boone: The Man, the Myth, the Legend" decided the production had to be suspended.
In October, Fort Harrod Drama Productions Board of Directors decided declining attendance and a growing debt made it impossible to continue.
"We felt we were in no position to put on the production because of the money," said board Chairman Chuck Dedman. The decline in the number of people purchasing tickets over the last several years plus the failure to receive a $41,000 grant promised by the state was pushing the board into more debt.
Dedman said this month that he thought the debt was more than $100,000. Some of that may be repaid through the sale of some of the equipment used to stage the production in the outdoor amphitheater.
The state has come through with the grant money the board had expected.
That money will go toward the continued production of a children's program in the fall and "Frontier Tales," a play put on for the state's fourth-graders. The day trip brings in pupils who see a production in the "Black Box," an enclosed theater with no windows and the interior walls and ceiling painted a dark color. The youngsters also get a tour of Old Fort Harrod.
Dedman, innkeeper at Beaumont Inn, says the absence of the drama will hurt tourism in Mercer County.
Police shoot, kill suspect after Lincoln County standoff
STANFORD - State police shot and killed a Lincoln County man April 13 after a tense standoff when he began walking toward a residential area with a firearm.
Richard Blakey, 29, was driving a stolen car the night of April 12 when a Lincoln County deputy sheriff began chasing him. Blakey brandished a firearm during the pursuit, police said.
Blakey had barricaded himself in his residence where police found him early the next morning, and Kentucky State Police's special response team unsuccessfully negotiated with him to turn himself in.
Upon leaving the trailer five hours later with a firearm, Blakely could not be subdued with non-lethal force. KSP Sgt. Phil Crumpton said Blakey continued walking in the direction of a residential area, and police had no choice and fired on him.
Blakey was taken to Danville hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Lincoln approves countywide P&Z; Garrard deadlocks on planning
Lincoln County Fiscal Court approved countywide planning and zoning by a one-vote margin, but Garrard County Fiscal Court deadlocked on goals and objectives recommended by a county planning commission.
Lincoln County's P&Z vote was decided by Judge-Executive Buckwheat Gilbert after magistrates reached a 2-2 tie. Of the three main cities in the county, only Hustonville has no form of planning and zoning, after city officials declined to join with the county on the movement.
In Garrard County, the specially-formed planning commission sent its recommended goals and objectives for the guidance of growth in the county to magistrates in August. At that time, there was some question as to the possibility of an adult entertainment store looking into purchasing property in the county, due to the lack of planning or zoning.
After more than a year of debate and heated discussion, the planning committee's recommendations were put to a vote by the Fiscal Court Sept. 27. The outcome was a 3-3 deadlock..
