Regional

By Dan Modlin/AP

Frankfort, KY – Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher says this weekend's
Kentucky Derby offers some good opportunities to
talk about business in the state. Fletcher says some
key business executives have been invited to Derby
activities, including a special dinner to be held
Friday night.

The state dinner will be held in the Capitol building in
Frankfort. The Governor says he got the idea for
holding such gatherings in the building while he
served as a member of Congress.

By AP

Washington, D.C. –
The U-S Commerce Department reports that new home
sales in the South set a record last month, at a seasonally-adjusted
613 thousand homes. That figure marks a twenty percent
increase from the same time last year.

Nearly half of all the new homes sold in the United States
last month were in the Southern region, which includes
seventeen states. Experts say relatively inexpensive land,
mortgage rates, nice weather, and jobs are factors contributing
to the sales performance in the South.

By Dan Modlin

Bowling Green, KY – The Special Judge assigned to the Katie Autry murder
case in Bowling Green is admonishing attorneys in
the case not to talk to the media. At a pre-trial hearing
in Bowling Green, Judge Tom Castlen said the case
has already drawn plenty of media attention. The Judge
urged defense and prosecution attorneys to "try the case
in the courtroom."

By AP/Dan Modlin

Gilbertsville, KY – Former Democratic Congressional Candidate Brian Roy
has appealed the state's intent to fire him as Manager of
Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park. Roy's
attorney, Kerry Harvey, says his client has requested
a "pre-termination" hearing to reply to allegations made
by the Fletcher Administration.

By AP

Lexington, KY – After being upheld by a recent decision of the
Kentucky Supreme Court, a smoking ban in
Lexington goes into effect today. The ban prohibits
smoking in most public buildings
in a city which is located in the heart of the burley
tobacco belt.

The new ban does not apply to private dwellings,
rooms used for social functions, retail tobacco
stores, or facilities operated by private organizations.
The ban also does not apply to indoor smoking areas
in government buildings.