NEWS ROUND-UP -- THURSDAY MORNING 26 JAN

by Michael Monks 
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MAYOR CHUCK SCHEPER TO SPEAK TO BUSINESS COUNCIL

Head right over to the Madison Events Center on Madison Avenue. Mayor Chuck Scheper is to speak before the Covington Business Council in what has been described as a preview of his State of the City address which will also be delivered from the Madison on Tuesday night. At this week's commission meeting, Scheper said that he promised to deliver such an address before his first one hundred days in office, and that next Tuesday will in face be his 99th day. "So I came in just under budget," Scheper joked.

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The River City News will be at The Madison for the speech and will have a full report this afternoon.

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COVINGTON SCHOOLS TO HONOR MENTORS TODAY

Covington Independent Public Schools Superintendent Lynda Jackson has urged more involvement by the community in the way of mentoring the many struggling kids in the district. Mayor Scheper pledged to help Jackson find the roughly four hundred mentors still needed. Today, the mentors that are already working in the schools will be recognized for their important work:

The Covington Mentoring Program is celebrating its mentors at Holmes Middle and Holmes High schools with a Mentor Appreciation Day on Jan. 26. The two schools will host more than 100 mentors throughout the day in the Hartman Room as a way to celebrate National Mentoring Month.
The Covington Mentoring Program matches caring adults with students in its elementary, middle and high schools. Covington Independent Public Schools has at least 75 students still on waiting lists for mentors. The district is always looking for more mentors.

If you are interested in helping a student by becoming a mentor, Call Renee Fisk at 859.392.3188.
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KENTUCKY TEACHERS SHOW LITTLE QUALITY IMPROVEMENT
Kentucky teachers score a D+ from the Washington-based National Council on Teacher Quality. The score ranks Kentucky 41st in the nation:

Phillip Rogers, executive director of the state's education professional standards board, says recommendations made in the report are taken seriously, and have already led to more stringent test requirements for elementary teachers.

A video report is at the link.  
WKYT  
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SEE ALSO: "Undeniable research shows that a child's school success depends on quality teaching." That's how a press release from Thomas More College describes the film the school will show tonight:

"American Teacher" is a feature-length documentary that tells the deeper story of the teaching profession in America today.

Check it out today at the Holbrook Student Center at TMC starting at 4:30PM. The event is free.

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SEE ALSO: Kentucky awards grants to four universities, including NKU, to help bolster college readiness press release
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COVINGTON'S SIKE JONES FEATURES PROMINENTLY IN FOP MAGAZINE
Covington's assistant police chief is the President of the Kentucky Fraternal Order of Police. The state FOP released an electronic version of its magazine, so go check it out and look at all the photos of our own Spike Jones!
KY FOP 
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CHECK OUT THESE COINS HOUSED AT A LOCAL BUSINESS
This one from American Mint is for the Covington PD:

Many more at the American Mint Facebook Page (they are based in NKY).
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KENTUCKY GAMBLING AMENDMENT NOW HAS LANGUAGE
Governor Beshear says an agreement has been reached on how the proposed gambling amendment will read:

“We will spend the next few days laying the groundwork for its introduction,” Beshear said in a statement. “We are hopeful that our senators will give this bill the full consideration it deserves, since repeated polls show that Kentuckians are demanding an opportunity to vote on this issue.”

Courier-Journal/Gregory A. Hall  
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SEE ALSO: NKY's Damon Thayer will probably cosponsor the gambling amendment Herald-Leader 
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KY HORSE PARK IS GOING BROKE?
Says it needs a bailout to balance its books:

In Gov. Steve Beshear’s recommended budget, the Horse Park faces no budget cuts, and instead would receive an additional $3.5 million increase this fiscal year, plus another $1.6 million each year of the next two-year budget.
State officials told lawmakers on Tuesday that the funds are needed to cover operational shortfalls that stem from utility costs for roughly 264,000 square feet of new facilities built at the park in anticipation of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.
Lawmakers said they want to hear more before agreeing to increase the park’s funding.

Herald-Leader  
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KY HOUSE SPEAKER WANTS STATE TO USE ELECTRIC CHAIR AGAIN
And this guy is a Democrat:

“When I was attorney general, we tried to push these cases forward and kept running into judicial roadblocks,” said Stumbo who served as attorney general between 2003 and 2007. “I actually said at one time, why don’t we go back to doing it the old fashioned way and do away with lethal injections.”

Video of this exchange at the link.
cn|2 
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RACE TO REPLACE DAVIS 'IS NOT TEA PARTY VERSUS ESTABLISHMENT'
That's according to Boone Co Judge-Executive Gary Moore who is seeking the GOP nomination to represent Covington and Kentucky's 4th District in Congress. He had to fight off a Tea Party challenge in 2010 to stay judge. Interview at the link.
cn|2 
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KENTUCKY COUPLE MARRIED 73 YEARS DIE WITHIN HOURS OF EACH OTHER
He was 101, she was 99 and they lived in the same Louisville nursing home, dying within hours of each other. Wow.
AP via Local 12 
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TACO BELL FOR BREAKFAST?
The Kentucky-based Mexican fast food chain is ready to give you diarrhea before work:

Taco Bell Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer Brian Niccol says if the launch goes as expected, the chain hopes it breakfast burritos will be on store menu boards nationwide by the start of 2014. The chain's breakfast staples include burritos stuffed with eggs and either sausage, bacon or steak; hash browns; hot or iced coffee; and orange juice.

Yum?
AP via Local 12 
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HOW GOOD IS THE HOLMES BOYS BASKETBALL TEAM THIS YEAR?
Very good. 
NKY Sports Blog 
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REMEMBER THE ABA'S KENTUCKY COLONELS?
Kentucky was once a powerhouse in pro basketball before being screwed by the NBA:

From 1967 to 1976, Louisville was the home of the Kentucky Colonels professional basketball team. The team’s trainer for most of those years was Lloyd “Pink” Gardner, and Gardner, along with Gary P. West, has co-written a book about his experiences. It’s called “Kentucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association.”

Great interview at the link.
WFPL