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East Jessamine soccer coaches DeAngelo Wiser and Tom Morgan have resigned. Wiser coached girls' soccer at East for five season and previously coached at West Jessamine and Jessamine County High School. Early last season, Wiser won his 200th career match and has 223 victories. Morgan has coach boys' soccer at East for four seasons with a combined record of 38-36-11.

Dear Editor, I find the implication that someone who has dedicated his or her life to serving America lacks patriotism utterly unpalatable. But reading Nedra Pickler of the AP's Sunday smear piece against Senator Barack Obama, it appears that some in the media do not share this opinion. No doubt that as the campaign season heats up we will hear ever more despicable attacks from conservatives desperate to retain their grip on power. I do not feel that it is the media's place to trumpet these substance-less attacks, and I hope that in the future we can expect reporting that focuses on the candidate's positions rather than trying to call into question how much they love the country they tirelessly serve.

Bucking a trend of layoffs that has left hundreds here without jobs, at least one company in Winchester is announcing plans for a large-scale hiring. Electronic Data Systems (EDS), a global information technology firm with a branch on Bypass Road, plans to accept applications this week with a goal of filling 100 positions. According to communications sent to local officials, EDS is screening applicants with the help of an Indianapolis consulting firm, Bucher and Christian Consulting.

LOUISVILLE - Kentucky coach Joker Phillips touched on a number of subjects during his talk to the Louisville Quarterback Club on Friday. Here are some of the tidbits he shared: Senior Morgan¿Newton, one of four UK¿players to have a perfect 4.0 grade-point average last semester, will play quarterback and not change positions. Sophomore¿Maxwell Smith goes into the season No. 1 at quarterback, a spot he gained last season when¿Newton injured his shoulder and ankle. “Morgan could be a Wildcat guy, but I think it is way too late in his career for him to change positions,” Phillips said.

Clark County Fiscal Court approved $15,000 of salary increases for three top county positions Wednesday along with setting a salary for the recently created director of finance position. The court upped the pay for the Clark County treasurer and the Clark County road supervisor positions from $1,153.85 bi-weekly to $1,346.16 bi-weekly while the salary for the Clark County Animal Shelter director was increased from $751.15 bi-weekly to $943.46 bi-weekly. Fifth District Magistrate Pam Blackburn criticized the decision to only increase salaries for three positions instead of an across the board increase for employees.

Former Boyle County all-state lineman Travis Leffew is back home for a short break from his training with the Kansas City Chiefs. Leffew has been with Chicago, Green Bay, Dallas and Atlanta during his NFL career and hopes to earn a spot on the Chiefs' active roster this year. He talked about his career and other things after speaking at the Boyle County Youth Football Camp last week: Question: What exactly is going on with you and the Chiefs now? Leffew: "We just finished organized team activities.

Dear Editor: One of the bigger lies that we have been subjected to in this presidential campaign is that John Kerry has changed his position on Iraq many times, while George Bush has been a rock of constancy. Actually the reverse is true. President Bush first told us we had to invade Iraq because of the threat of looming "mushroom clouds. " When weapons of mass destruction could not be found, his story switched to a supposed link between Iraq and al-Qaida. When the 9/11 Commission Report shot that down (no "credible evidence")

LOUISVILLE - The selection of leaders for two important advisory committees was announced at the 86th Kentucky Farm Bureau annual meeting in Louisville. Cathy Pleasants of Stanford was re-elected chair of the Women's Advisory Committee and Daniel Smith, Stamping Ground, is the new chair of the Farm Bureau Young Farmers Advisory Committee. Smith replaces Greg Goode, Liberty, who served in the young farmer post one year. The new vice chair and secretary of the young farmers group are Daniel and Amy Gaston from Russellville.

STANFORD - While the Lincoln County School District is cutting the equivalent of seven positions from its general fund budget for next year, state and federal funding cuts are causing substantial staffing cuts for the district's special education and preschool programs, too. Based on preliminary estimates from special education and preschool administrators, there could be as many as 22 full-time positions and one part-time position cut. ...

Clark Regional Medical Center announced today that it will eliminate 24 positions due to lower volumes and declining demand. "Like most hospitals in the area, Clark Regional has been negatively impacted by declining economic trends. Higher area unemployment has resulted in loss of health benefits. Consequently, people are delaying and, in some cases foregoing, health care services which they would normally obtain in a more positive economic environment," said Bob Fraraccio, hospital CEO, in a prepared statement.

A new initiative in Jessamine County schools' world-language program aims to begin Spanish instruction in third grade and aim for Spanish proficiency in district students by the eighth grade. Director of secondary schools Maurice Chappell presented the plan to the Jessamine County Board of Education at a work session Monday, telling board members that having a half-time position at each elementary school and two full-time positions at each middle school would not add any additional cost.

STANFORD - While the Lincoln County School District is cutting the equivalent of seven positions from its general fund budget for next year, state and federal funding cuts are causing substantial staffing cuts for the district's special education and preschool programs, too. Based on preliminary estimates from special education and preschool administrators, there could be as many as 22 full-time positions and one part-time position cut. ...

STANFORD - Lincoln County's Economic Development Director Matt Belcher is stepping down from his position at the beginning of May to assume the duties of city manager for Winchester. Belcher, who worked as assistant city manager in Paris for three years before beginning his three-year stint here in Lincoln, will be returning to familiar job duties. "It's kind of what I had been doing," he said. "I've been in the local government realm ever since I got out of grad school. " Belcher submitted a formal letter of resignation to his board of directors on Tuesday.

LEXINGTON - Head coach Mark Stoops and offensive coordinator Neal Brown both agree that UK's defense is ahead of the offense based on what they saw in Friday's spring practice scrimmage, the first of the Stoops' era. "I think the defense, just like you would expect, is further along because if the defense just gets lined up right and makes them execute the offense is always a little bit harder to get started,” said Stoops. Yet Brown was not discouraged, or at least said he found positives.

The executive director of the Boyle County Senior Citizens Center was officially given the all-clear Wednesday by the board and moved from a probationary period to permanent position, with members noting that she had more than proven herself at the job. Sheila Cain became the interim director during a tumultuous time last March and had been serving in the capacity for the past year, which she said had been a “positive move” for herself. “I don't mind getting out of bed and going to work in the mornings,” Cain said after the meeting, explaining that she loved her job. During the meeting, board member Bob Rowland credited Cain for her work, saying it is good to see things that were being talked about actually happening.

Editor's note: Under the tentative plan approved by the board, the student-to-teacher ratio for kindergarten and grades 1-3 would remain at its current level. This fact was not noted in the original version of this story. STANFORD - Lincoln County's Board of Education has approved a tentative plan to save $270,000 next school year by cutting the equivalent of six full-time teacher positions. The move is the first step in a larger plan to cut $500,000 from next year's budget and a total of $1 million from the budget over the next three years, Superintendent Karen Hatter said.

Jessamine County's state representative no longer holds a leadership role in the House as a result of voting on the first day of the General Assembly session.   State Rep. Bob Damron, D-Nicholasville, lost his position Jan. 8 as majority caucus chairman when Democratic members elected Rep. Sannie Overly, D-Paris.Damron had held the position since 2008. The caucus chairman is one of five leadership roles in the House. Representatives who hold those positions are responsible for a lot of the major decisions in the House, and they sit on the conference committee for the budget, Damron said.

A pillar of soccer in Jessamine County stepped down from his coaching position Wednesday as East Jessamine High School saw both of its head soccer coaches resign. DeAngelo Wiser had coached the girls' program at East High for the past five seasons after coaching at Jessamine County High School and West Jessamine High School from 1992 until 2006. Tom Morgan stepped down as the coach of the boys' team after his fourth year. Wiser said his decision was influenced by “family considerations” and that it was the right move for him at this time.

LEXINGTON - Guards Ryan Harrow and Julius Mays likely will not be 100 percent when Kentucky opens the season Friday night against Maryland. Before the Wildcats left Thursday for New York, Calipari said that Harrow, the starting point guard, missed Wednesday's practice “with some sort of flu” and that Mays “took the day off to make sure his leg” was OK after straining his knee Monday in the Wildcats' exhibition win over Transylvania. “There was nothing structurally or anything wrong, but he didn't practice,” Calipari said of Mays.