LEX18.com - Lexington, KY

Posted 18 minutes 46 seconds ago

LOUISVILLE (AP) - Rick Pitino asked a longtime aide to give $3,000 to a woman now accused of trying to extort millions from the Louisville men's basketball coach after she claimed Pitino got her pregnant in a one-night fling at a restaurant, the aide testified.

Tim Sypher told jurors on Thursday that Pitino asked him to take his now ex-wife Karen Cunagin Sypher to get medical aid and counseling in August 2003. Sypher ended her pregnancy with an abortion in Cincinnati and pock… Click to Read More

Tagged As: Pitino, extortion trial, testimony

Posted 41 minutes 18 seconds ago

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Incoming BP CEO Bob Dudley is set to outline his company's long-term efforts to help the Gulf of Mexico recover from the oil spill and will be getting help from a Clinton administration-era emergency management official.

The oil giant says Dudley will be in Biloxi, Miss., Friday to announce that former Federal Emergency Management Agency head James Lee Witt will support its recovery efforts. Local officials, especially in Louisiana, have been clamoring for … Click to Read More

Tagged As: BP, incoming CEO, plans to clean up Gulf

Posted 1 hour 5 minutes ago

Crews battle a fire early Friday morning in Boyle County, and officials say the blaze could be arson.

Firefighters were called to a Junction City home along Groves Lane around 1:45 a.m. The house was completely engulfed in flames at that point.

No one was living there, but Junction City fire chief Jimmy Gipson says the homeowner asked to burn the house down a week ago, but he denied that request, saying that burning down the home was a safety hazard

"They call… Click to Read More

Tagged As: Junction City, house fire, arson

Posted 1 hour 8 minutes ago

Nicholasville police are investigating after a man says he was robbed at knife point late Thursday night.

The incident happened at some apartments on Southview Drive. The victim told police he was walking between buildings, when a man approached him and asked for a cigarette, then pulled out a knife.

The suspect fled with his cash. No one was injured.

Tagged As: man robbed, knifepoint, Nicholasville

Posted 1 hour 11 minutes ago

One person was taken to the hospital after a tractor trailer and car collide in downtown Lexington late Thursday night.

The accident happened just after 10:30 p.m. at the intersection of Main and Broadway. Police believe the semi struck the car after the car ran a red light.

Because of the crash, debris from the sidewalk came loose and damaged DeShea's restaurant.

The woman driving the car suffered minor injuries. The driver of the semi was not hurt.

Tagged As: accident, downtown Lexington, DeShea's

Posted 1 hour 23 minutes ago

DANVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Centre College has been named one of the best colleges in the nation to work for.

The Chronicle of Higher Education gave the private liberal arts college in Danville the distinction this week.

A news release from Centre says the school was recognized among small institutions with 2,999 or fewer students.

The school said it won honors in job satisfaction; tenure clarity and process; collaborative governance; teaching envir… Click to Read More

Tagged As: Centre College, best colleges to work for

Posted 2 hours 33 minutes ago

FRIDAY!

Crews investigate a fire at a home in Boyle County. We'll show you the damage.

Also, the death penalty handed down to a convicted killer in a Fayette Courtroom.

A jury in California gets ready to hear a case connected to Anna Nicole Smith's death back in 2007.

And, let's talk about human foods that your dog can eat?!

Join Chris, Nicole, Tom & Lee for "LEX 18 News at Sunrise" starting at 5AM.

Posted 7 hours 35 minutes ago by Mary Jo Perino

Joker Phillips picked up another commitment for the class of 2011.

Nile Daniel of Griffin, Georgia tells the CatsPause he is heading to Kentucky.

Daniel is a 6'0", 185 pound wide receiver.

He says he picked UK over Maryland, South Florida and Alabama.

Daniel runs a sub 4.4 forty yard dash.

He says his grandmother prayed about his college choice and saw him playing for a blue team and that just gave him the extra push that he needed to dec… Click to Read More

Tagged As: Kentucky football, recruiting, Joker Phillips

Posted 7 hours 52 minutes ago by Chief Meteorologist Bill Meck

We've got a terrific day on tap for Friday as a cool front has passed through and introduced a much more comfortable brand of air. It will still be plenty warm to be at the lake and out enjoying the day. It just won't be as oppressive outside.

With our humidity at a much more tolerable level and plenty of sunshine we'll see our high temperatures top out in the mid 80's.

The weekend will see the humidity creep back in as well as some thunderstorm chances.

Posted 8 hours 3 minutes ago

A jury has handed down the death penalty for a man convicted of killing two of his alleged accomplices in a Louisville bank robbery.

Carlos Ordway was convicted of the murders Wednesday. In the last 30 minutes, the jury decided he should die for the killings.

Complete coverage on LEX 18 News at 11:00. And check back on www.lex18.com for further updates.

Posted 8 hours 9 minutes ago

A natural gas leak in downtown Mount Sterling forced 16 people from their homes for hours Thursday afternoon, but some returned to find utility crews had fixed one thing and broken another.

Mount Sterling police say while working to repair the broken four inch gas pipe, Columbia Gas crews hit a water line.

It started around 11 a.m., when Watts Brothers Cable Construction struck an unmarked gas line on the corner of Ronameki and West Main Street. Firefighters say the con… Click to Read More

Posted 8 hours 51 minutes ago

A Lexington jury deliberates for hours over the punishment for convicted killer, Carlos Ordway.

A gas leak leads to evacuations, and for two families another worry.

And the search for the man who tried to solicit two young girls for sex.

Posted 9 hours 53 seconds ago

FRANKFORT (AP) - A Louisville businessman with tea party ties announced Thursday he will run for governor in Kentucky.

Phil Moffett, president of the information technology firm CCS Partners, is the first of a potentially crowded field of Republicans to enter the 2011 race.

Running as a political outsider, Moffett said his political philosophy is closely aligned with Republican Rand Paul, the firebrand running for U.S. Senate in Kentucky. Moffett also has
hired Paul… Click to Read More

Posted 9 hours 9 minutes ago

BOISE, Idaho (AP) - A panel of federal judges is deciding where to consolidate several lawsuits against Google Inc. that allege the company violated wiretapping laws.

At least nine lawsuits seeking class-action status have been filed in the United States so far contending that Google collected fragments of e-mails, Web surfing data and other online information from unencrypted wireless networks as it photographed neighborhoods for its "Street View" Google Maps feature. Google… Click to Read More

Posted 9 hours 22 minutes ago

NEW YORK (AP) - Mortgage rates are the most affordable in decades for those who can qualify for a loan.

For many, the opportunity to buy a home or refinance at this time is lost because of the tough economy and tight credit standards. But those who have secure jobs, superior credit and strong finances could do even better than the 4.54 average rate that Freddie Mac reported Thursday, according to experts.

The latest rate is the lowest for a 30-year fixed loan since Fredd… Click to Read More

Posted 10 hours 18 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Ellen DeGeneres is dancing off "American Idol" after one season, leaving Fox's hit show with two vacancies on its judging panel.

If the singing contest intends to revamp itself to stem a ratings slide, it has the opportunity to bring in two new faces for season 10 in January.

Fox has yet to announce a replacement for Simon Cowell, who left after the season finale in May to start a new talent show for the network.

"A couple months ago, I let Fox and t… Click to Read More

Posted 10 hours 22 minutes ago

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - The widow of one of the 49 people killed in a 2006 Kentucky plane crash will have to wait until next year to learn whether the airline must pay her family potentially tens of millions of dollars in punitive damages.

U.S. District Judge Karl Forester told The Associated Press on Thursday that he has rescheduled for Feb. 1 a civil trial between Comair and Jamie Hebert, the widow of Comair 5191 victim Bryan Keith Woodward. That trial had been set for last week, but … Click to Read More

Posted 10 hours 30 minutes ago

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - On a leafy cul-de-sac in a gated Texas community, a man walked inside his stepfather's home with a briefcase. A teenage boy at the house didn't recognize him but could tell he was angry. He took his young siblings outside, and moments later heard gunfire.

There were no signs of an argument before the man, identified by police Thursday as 69-year-old Joseph Ray McDonald, took two guns from the briefcase and fatally shot his 88-year-old stepfather,

another man… Click to Read More

Posted 10 hours 31 minutes ago

GEORGETOWN, Ky. (AP) - Terrell Owens arrived fashionably late, still got several rounds of applause, and his favorite number was waiting, too.

The Cincinnati Bengals' newest receiver missed an overnight flight that would have brought him to town early Thursday, allowing for a proper introduction. Instead, he got a later flight, rolled in less than an hour before an evening practice and decided to suit up.

That's what a few thousand fans came to see.
… Click to Read More

Tagged As: Terrell Owens, Cincinnati Bengals, Chad Ochocinco, Marvin Lewis

Posted 10 hours 36 minutes ago

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Defense lawyers for the man charged with kidnapping Elizabeth Smart have argued that the case should be moved out of Utah so he can get a fair trial.

Attorneys for Brian David Mitchell said during a hearing Thursday that inflammatory pretrial publicity from news media has tainted the jury pool, and that survey data show potential jurors in states such as Colorado and Kansas have fewer prejudices.

Federal prosecutors argued against a change, saying the cas… Click to Read More

Posted 13 hours 30 minutes ago

The bomb squad has been called to the campus of EKU. A container of dried picric acid was found in a vacant office in Miller Hall . This is not unusual to find on a college campus, but officials want to investigate just as a precaution. The quad area at University Drive and Lancaster Avenue has been evacuated. Stay with LEX 18 News for updates throughout the evening.