Image 1 of The Advocate Messenger February 8, 2012

Complete game coverage on B1 The 75¢ | Danville, Kentucky www.amnews.com Wednesday, February 8, 2012 Judge: Revise legislative districts ... again By ROGER ALFORD Associated Press FRANKFORT — The Kentucky secretary of state was ordered Tuesday not to implement newly redrawn legislative districts because a judge found that they don’t meet constitutional muster. Franklin County Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd filed the order Tuesday afternoon in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Kentucky’s new districts. “The current districts are out of balance and must be redrawn to comply with the ‘one person, one vote’ mandate of federal and state law,” Shepherd wrote in a 16-page order. Shepherd’s ruling was “very exciting” for Rep. Kim King of Harrodsburg, one of the Republican plaintiffs who challenged the redistricting plan in court. King was moved from the 55th District — where she won her first term last year — to the 54th District, where she would have had to challenge incumbent Mike Harmon in the May primary. “We feel like we have the facts on our side,” King said this morning in a telephone interview from Frankfort. “I’m cautiously optimistic right now, but we’ve only won one battle. The war’s not over yet.” Shepherd’s ruling restores district boundaries that had been in place throughout the last decade, and extends the deadline to Friday for legislative candidates to file to run in this year’s elections. The ruling means some candidates may have to withdraw in the newly redrawn districts and State cabinet secretary resigns KENTUCKY LOTTERY TUESDAY MIDDAY Pick 3: 6-8-5 Pick 4: 1-3-3-3 EVENING Pick 3: 4-5-2 Pick 4: 4-0-4-8 Cash Ball 01-03-19-31, Cash Ball: 15, Kicker: 9-0-2-5-2 Mega Millions: 17-23-30-37-45, Mega Ball: 4, Megaplier4 Three Line Lotto 04-05-16-25-30-33 TONIGHT 40 percent chance of rain and snow High: 42 Low: 29 Complete weather map, A10 INDEX Advice Classifieds Comics Deaths Local News National News Opinion Scrapbook Seasonings Sports A6 B7-B8 B9 A2 A2-A3 A10 A9 A4 A5, A7 B1-B4, B10 Vol. 146, No. 192 6 05358 12300 7 Printed on recycled paper © 2012 The Advocate-Messenger See DISTRICTS, on A8 High-speed chase ends in crash SO YOU KNOW FRANKFORT (AP) — Health and Family Services Secretary Janie Miller announced Tuesday that she is leaving her job to pursue other opportunities at month’s end. Miller had overseen the state’s social service agency since Gov. Steve Beshear’s first term began in late 2007. She had been on the job through the deep recession that sent about one in every 10 Kentucky workers to the unemployment lines. Beshear said Miller has done “extraordinary work in an especially difficult time” that saw Kentuckians stung by the economic slump and increasingly turning for help to the social services agency. “Secretary Miller found ways to meet those needs despite the challenges of a very lean budget,” Beshear said. “Her efforts to provide health insurance for children, to implement wellness strategies, and move more than half a million Kentuckians to a managed care health system in less than a year were enormous tasks.” file for election in the old districts. Meanwhile, attorneys were considering a quick appeal to the Kentucky Supreme Court. “I favor an appeal,” House Speaker Greg Stumbo said. “It’s obviously By STEPHANIE MOJICA smojica@amnews.com Todd Kleffman/tkleffman@amnews.com Mercer County senior Julie Higginbotham is earning some national recognition for her Project Keep ’Em Warm, which delivers handmade blankets to kids at Christmas time. Keep’em warm Blanket project warms hearts, wins scholarship for Mercer girl By TODD KLEFFMAN tkleffman@amnews.com HARRODSBURG — Over the last three years, Julia Higginbotham has masterminded the fleecing of more than 1,000 Mercer County residents, nearly all of them needy young kids at Christmas time. And for that, she’ll be honored in Washington, D.C. Higginbotham, 17, learned Monday that she’s been selected as the top high school volunteer in Kentucky by Prudential Financial for Project Keep’em Warm, which makes and distributes fleece blankets to warm up kids during the holidays. Along with a $1,000 scholarship and silver medallion, Higginbotham’s good works have earned “I wanted to give something back.” Mercer County senior Julie Higginbotham her a trip the nation’s capitol in May, where she’ll compete with teen representatives from the other 49 states for $5,000 in additional scholarship money and $5,000 for Project Keep’em Warm. “For it to be this big of a deal, I can’t believe it, but I’m glad it did,” Higginbotham said Tuesday during an interview at Mercer Senior High School. e idea for Keep’em Warm was born in 2009 when Higginbotham, then 15, told her parents, Teresa and Chris Higginbotham of Salvisa, that she felt the need to give something back to the community that had supported her as she played youth sports and participated in 4H activities. “I was always selling raffle tickets, candy bars and stuff; I was always asking people for money,” she explained. “I wanted to give something back.” Higginbotham decided making fleece blankets would be her contribution. She learned the craft in 4H as a fourth grader and had enjoyed making them as gifts for family and friends. She can make a two-ply, 4 x 4 foot fleece blanket in A 20-year-old Danville man was hospitalized and faces seven criminal charges after leading police on a Tuesday night high-speed chase through Boyle, Mercer and Anderson counties. Dylan Lemar Naylor was sitting in a classroom at Bluegrass Community College doing “inappropriate things,” according to a press release issued by the Danville Police Department. When he refused to leave campus and instead walked around a parking lot waving his arms, the police were called. By the time a Boyle County deputy arrived at the scene, Naylor had left the campus. A Danville police officer was driving eastbound on Lebanon Road responding to the call when he noticed a 1995 gold-colored Honda Accord traveling in the center median lane to pass other cars. e driver of the Accord, later identified as Naylor, refused to stop and began driving more recklessly at a high rate of speed onto Perryville Road and Maple Avenue, according to the press release. Naylor then allegedly drove onto U.S. 127 northbound toward Harrodsburg and kept driving on the highway. In Anderson County, Naylor lost See CHASE, on A8 INSIDE TODAY See BLANKETS, on A8 Defendants in Begley death appear in court Boyle Circuit Judge Darren Peckler’s courtroom was packed Tuesday as the three public defenders — appointed to represent three Danville residents charged in connection with a death — reported being satisfied that the commonwealth had produced all the evidence re- quired by the discovery process. e three defendants are charged in connection with the death of Michael Dean Begley Jr., 27, of Richmond and are scheduled for another status conference on March 6. Begley’s girlfriend, Gina Priest, 41, and Melissa Jean Luna, 28, both of 103 Aldridge Lane, are charged with tampering with physical evidence. Luna petitioned the court to add “AKA White” to her official records as she said she married co-defendant Jordan Montez White, 24, of 418 Adams St. in December. White is charged with The Advocate-Messenger | www.amnews.com reckless homicide and tampering with physical evidence in the death. Priest and Luna are free on bond. White remains in the Boyle County Detention Center. Begley was found dead the day after anksgiving along Taylor Road east of Danville. Beyond the scoop Old-fashioned French Pot ice cream is incredibly dense, creamy and delicious on its own, but you can put a gourmet twist on a family favorite with these fun and easy recipes from Graeter’s Ice Cream. See recipes on A5