Image 1 of The Independent April 28, 2012

The Independent APD hosting drug take-back event today REGION, PAGE A2 W W W . D A I LY I N D E P E N D E N T . C O M SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 2012 ASHLAND, KENTUCKY 41101 © 50 CENTS DAILY/$1.50 SUNDAY 400 Court upholds drug conviction WILCOX HONORED FOR VICTORY MILESTONE ASHLAND BEATS PORTSMOUTH / HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL, PAGE B1 10-year sentence for dealing in Ashland public housing complex prison sentence for dealing drugs in one of Ashland’s public housing complexes. FRANKFORT The Kentucky Court In an 10-page ruling handed of Appeals has upheld an Ashland down recently, the appeals court man’s 2010 conviction and 10-year unanimously affirmed a jury’s deBy KENNETH HART The Independent cision to convict Reecola T. Butler of first- and second-degree drugtrafficking. The charges stemmed from Butler selling crack cocaine and oxycodone tablets to an informant working for the Ashland Police Department. The transactions took place in July 2009 in Scope Towers. Jurors recommended Butler be sentenced to 10 years for first-degree trafficking, which was for the FINAL FRIDAY: Installment No. 1 First event of season sets stage for more to come in downtown Greenup By SHANNON MILLER The Independent Lost ring may be fish food Newlyweds getting attention for mishap By TIM PRESTON The Independent ASHLAND Bonnie Taylor thinks she knows what happened to an heirloom wedding band which bounced into the pond at Central Park during her wedding to husband Mike Taylor on Easter Sunday, and why the golden band may never be found. “A fish probably ate it,” the new bride said with a chuckle this week after learning that the story of her lost ring “has gone global,” earning the newlyweds calls from interested people in Missouri, Colorado, Michigan and upstate New York. The Taylors, who live in Rush, decided to have a wedding rehearsal in the See RING / Page A10 Thousands of trees handed out By SHANNON MILLER The Independent PHOTOS BY KEVIN GOLDY / THE INDEPENDENT ABOVE: Faith Spurlock and Meg House, both 6, use glow in the dark paint to decorate cake drawings during Final Friday in Greenup. The art will be displayed during a Relay for Life event. TOP AND BELOW: A crowd of people view the car show entries. the car show. “For the first cruise-in of the year, this is pretty successful. We’re real tickled at the turnout,” he said. Warrick said he hopes Final Friday cruise-ins will Page designed / edited by Adam VanKirk avankirk@dailyindependent.com To subscribe to The Independent call 326-2674 or (800) 955-5860 Your Hearing Loss Team of Experts.. See DRUGS / Page A10 NATIONAL ARBOR DAY INDEX GREENUP People strolled the sidewalks as they looked at antique cars, ate hotdogs and listened to live music in downtown Greenup at the season’s first Final Friday. Anne Stephens, president of the Main Street Board of Directors, said a couple Final Friday events were held last summer, but this year the monthly street festival will be expanding. Friday’s event was much larger and more successful than Final Fridays last year, and Stephens said she hopes it will continue to grow each month. Like last year, the festival featured live music and a car show, but unlike last year, a few organizations set up booths, offering door prizes and even art activities for children. “So many come to Greenup because they have to — to pay taxes or go to the courthouse — things they have to do,” Stephens said. “But we want to have things for them to do here because they want to, not just because they have to.” One of the purposes for Final Friday is to show people what Greenup has to offer and to bring more traffic to downtown businesses, she said. Final Friday events give families and neighbors a chance to spend time together in the community. “We want to give people a chance to enjoy hometown family time outside,” Stephens said. Steven Warrick, member of the Greenup County Cruisers, said about 15 of its 45 members brought cars of their own, but there were about 50 cars total in crack deal. The jury also gave Butler one year on the second-degree trafficking charge, to be served concurrently with the longer sen- expose younger generations to car culture and past eras. For him, Final Friday is mostly about hanging out and having a good time with people who share the same interests, BUSINESS................................A5 CLASSIFIED ........................B7-10 COMICS....................................B5 DEATHS....................................A3 NATION ....................................A4 B. Joseph Touma, MD Ear & Neurotolgy Specialist Joseph B. Touma, MD Ear & Balance Specialist he said. Brenda and Lundi Meadows, both of Greenup, said they enjoyed the chance to hear live music and socialize with their neighbors. Mr. Meadows said he also enjoyed the car show, which had several more cars than at Final Fridays last year. Both said it is an event the whole family can enjoy. “My granddaughter — she’s 6 — we brought her last year and turned her loose to look at the cars. She loved it,” Mrs. Meadows said. Final Friday also seems See FRIDAY / Page A10 REGION ....................................A2 OPINION ..................................A8 SPORTS..................................B1-3 TV/ADVICE ..............................B4 WORLD ....................................A5 Marie Divita • Complete Hearing Evaluations Graziani Au.D., CCC-A, Doctor of Audiology Barbara Danford Au.D., CCC-A, Doctor of Audiology • Medical Treatment • Hearing Aids • Surgical Treatment • Balance & Inner Ear Lab ASHLAND Members of the Ashland Tree Board and volunteers from Ashland Community and Technical College gathered in Central Park Friday afternoon to give away 10,000 tree seedlings in honor of National Arbor Day. “We have 10,000 seedlings to give away, but they're going fast,” said Joyce Welch, member of the Ashland Tree Board. Residents from Ohio and West Virginia, along with Kentucky, came out to pick up seedlings, Welch said. Some took several while others only wanted one, but everyone See TREES / Page A10 KEVIN GOLDY / THE INDEPENDENT Sarah Carmon holds a bag for white pine seedlings being pulled from their bucket by Greg Evans. TODAY’S WEATHER HIGH ....68 LOW ....50 FULL FORECAST, PAGE A10 1290 MONTGOMERY AVENUE ASHLAND, KY • (606) 329-8400 1616 13TH AVENUE • SUITE 100 HUNTINGTON, WV • (304) 522-8800 800-955-3277 • www.rivercitiesent.com We are a proud provider of Phonak Hearing Aids.