LIGHTING UP THE SKY: Perseid meteor shower tonight will be big. | 5A

-?
£‡nää‡Î{x‡xÓÇÎ̜w˜`> ˆ>À`½ÃÃ̜Ài˜i>Àޜհ

after being randomly selected to take part in the role-playing scenario illustrating the splitsecond decisions an officer must make about firing. It was part of a popular citizens academy attended by 35 people, including her 75-year-old husband, and the police chief. Her son, Steve Knowlton, said his father was “devastated.” The younger Knowlton said in an interview Wednesday at his parents’ home that, on his mother’s behalf, he was forgiving the officer who fired. “There’s too much hate in this world, in America, we always feel like we need revenge and it doesn’t solve anything,” he said. “I obviously can’t say it’s easy to forgive, but it needs to be done. She’s watching me now.” Punta Gorda Police Lt. Katie Heck said officers in such demonstrations normally use “simunition guns,” which are real-looking weapons that fire a non-lethal projectile with reduced force. But Knowlton was mistakenly struck with a live round, officials said.

6A • Thursday, August 11, 2016 • The Paducah Sun

paducahsun.com

Nation/From Page One

paducahsun.com

Virginia man climbs Trump Tower Associated Press

NEW YORK — A man who wanted an “audience” with Donald Trump spent three hours scaling the glass facade of Trump Tower on Wednesday using large suction cups, climbing as high as the 21st floor before police officers grabbed him and hauled him to safety through an open window. The climber, identified by police as a 20-year-old Virginia man, wore a backpack and used a har-

ness and rope stirrups to fasten himself to the side of the 68-story Manhattan skyscraper. For a long time, the climber played a slow-motion cat-andmouse game with would-be rescuers. Officers smashed windows and broke through ventilation ducts to block his progress. Police also lowered themselves toward him using a window washer’s platform. The man kept his distance by

methodically working his way back and forth across the facade, repeatedly repositioning suction cups resembling a type commonly used by window washers to remove big panes of glass. The chase ended dramatically just after 6:30 p.m. Police had deployed large, inflated crash pads at the scene, but it was unclear how much protection they would have offered if the climber fell.

Environmental Protection Agency to no avail. Some of the complaints deal with large puddles of standing waste water they say are left on the site’s grounds, which has also brought an increase in insects and scavenging animals and birds to the area. The men said they are further concerned the smell may cause a property values to drop and have negative affects of the health of people living in the area. In an effort to get the ball rolling, the Jones brothers and Jackson said they’ve started a petition demanding the plant be made to take action to alleviate the stench. They’ve collected about 100 signatures. They’ve also discussed bringing the issue up at a city commission meeting or taking legal action, they said. “Something needs to be done,” Lucious Jones said. “This is a residential area, and we don’t need to put up with this.” “We would like for the EPA to address the issue and set standards for the plant,” Jackson said, adding they’d like to see the plant held accountable through regular air-quality testing. “We want checks and balances in place so they can be made to follow the guidelines and are held accountable,” said Bill Edmondson, another neighbor who lives North 10th Street. The Sun reached out to Paducah

City Manager Jeff Pederson and to Darling Ingredients Inc. for comment but received no reply. Paducah Mayor Gayle Kaler said her office has received “numerous complaints” about the odor coming from the plant. “We’re aware of the problem there,” she said. Kaler said the city had no hand in recruiting Dar Pro Ingredients to the area. No incentives were offered or given, and the building was sold by its previous owner in a private sale, she said. “We had nothing to do with it, it was a private sale,” she said. “The building met the zoning requirements, and there really wasn’t anything we could do to either help or hurt the sale of the property.” But that doesn’t mean the city plans to do nothing, Kaler said. Since the issue came to light, the mayor said city officials have visited the plant and the surrounding neighborhood, and have been in contact with the plant’s corporate management and the EPA. Kaler said a meeting has been set up for the company’s managers to meet with her, the city manager and other city officials to discuss what can be done to remedy the problem. “I just want to assure the people that live along there that we are working on a solution to the problem, and we understand the impact it has on their quality of life,” she said.

ODOR CONTINUED FROM 1A

Now the brothers said, they believe they know why. Shortly after the plant began production, the brothers said they noticed a foul smell in the air. The stench they said is worse in the mornings and evenings, and since the weather has warmed up, being outside has become unbearable at times. In the past, the men said they enjoyed sitting outside on their porches, socializing with neighbors in their yards and being outside. Now, both said, it “just stinks.” “I used to come out here, sit on my front porch, drink coffee and thank the Lord,” Joe Jones said. “But now, you can’t even come out here and sit in the yard. It is bad. It just smells like rotten waste.” “We are all outdoor people,” Lucious Jones said, gesturing to a group of neighbors gathered at his brother’s house Wednesday. “We like to sit outside, have a drink, barbecue and socialize, and with that smell you don’t even want to go outside. We are confined inside.” But even inside the smell can be pervasive, he said. Over the past few months, the Joneses and neighbor Dennis Jackson, a retired Paducah Public Schools teacher who lives on North 10th Street across from the plant, said they have lodged complaints with city officials, lawyers and the

PLANT

is to potentially make another deal to have a long-term contract. We already have a contract to sell some of the peaking plant capacity. This, we hope, could provide additional value to PPS.” Last month, the PPS board approved a 10year contract to sell peaking plant capacity to a group of Kentucky communities, worth between

$22.5 million and $41.5 million, depending on how much power is ultimately sold. According to Carroll, the previous Black & Veatch study examined whether the peaking plant could be used to create steam that might attract an industry that uses steam as part of its manufacturing process.

“They (Black and Veatch staff members) have a lot of information about the infrastructure at the plant, so their education level is further along,” he said. While PPS knows the general equipment that would be needed for a conversion to a combined cycle plant, the new study would answer questions such as whether the gas supply is sufficient, what the water requirements would be and the approximate costs of the project, Carroll said. According to Zheng, the interested party is looking for a power supplier beginning in 2022. Among the factors that could be in PPS’ favor, he said, is the higher cost of constructing a brandnew combined cycle facility versus the cost to convert an existing plant. “It’s really up to them to make a decision,” he said. “The choice is us or another potential party.”

2001. The group carried out massive attacks against Iraq’s Shiite Muslim majority, fueling tensions with al-Qaida’s central leadership. The local group’s thenleader, Jordanian-born Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was killed in 2006 in a U.S. airstrike but is still seen as the Islamic State group’s founder. Trump’s accusation — and his use of the president’s middle name, Hussein — echoed previous instances where he’s questioned Obama’s loyalties. In June, when a shooter who claimed allegiance to IS killed

49 people in an Orlando, Florida, nightclub, Trump seemed to suggest Obama was sympathetic to the group when he said Obama “doesn’t get it, or he gets it better than anybody understands.” In the past, Trump has also falsely

suggested Obama is a Muslim or was born in Kenya, where Obama’s father was from. The president, a Christian, was born in Hawaii. Trump lobbed the allegation midway through his rally at a sports arena, where riled-up sup-

CONTINUED FROM 1A

a boiler, generate steam and use that steam to turn another turbine generator...” The conversion of the plant on Schneidman Road would change the primary way the plant would be used. “It’s still a gas unit (if converted),” said Dave Carroll, PPS director of finance and operations. “It moves it from a peaking plant (to meet peak demand) to more of a baseload-type plant ... so it’s high efficiency. It would run a majority of the time.” According to Zheng, the idea is being explored as a way to enter into a potential long-term agreement with a third party, not to generate power for PPS. “We are not looking at this for ourselves, I want to make that clear,” Zheng said. “We (PPS) really don’t need it. This

Paducah Power

Paducah Power System began generating electricity at its peaking plant on Schneidman Road in May 2010. The PPS board has approved a study by the firm Black & Veatch to determine the feasibility of converting the gas-fired plant into a combined cycle plant, if a long-term arrangement can be made with a potential third party.

The Paducah Sun • Thursday, August 11, 2016 • 7A

REPORT CONTINUED FROM 1A

when they catch you.” The Justice Department looked at hundreds of thousands of pages of documents, including internal affairs files and data on stops, searches and arrests. It found that one African-American man was stopped 30 times in less than four years and never charged. Of 410 people stopped at least 10 times from 2010 to 2015, 95 percent were black. During that time, no one of any other race was stopped more than 12 times. With the release of the report, the city agreed to negotiate with the Justice Department a set of police reforms over the next few months to fend off a government lawsuit. The reforms will be enforceable by the courts. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and Police Commissioner Kevin Davis acknowledged the longstanding problems and said they had started improvements even before the report was completed. They promised it will serve as a blueprint for sweeping changes. Six officers, three white and three black, were charged in Gray’s arrest and death. The case collapsed without a single conviction, though it did expose a lack of training within the department. Calvin Void, 45, said Wednesday that he was once tackled by a police officer who was convinced he had just participated in a drug deal. But when the officer checked his pockets, he found no cash or drugs. Still, Void was arrested.

RECORD CONTINUED FROM 1A

non-Hodgkin lymphoma. “To have all these people to back you up, it makes you feel good,” Lampe said. “The people at this club are especially supportive.” Supporters patted him on the back and congratulated him on what he did accomplish — 6.5 hours of non-stop golfing and the completion of 100 holes in that time. Belt began his bid just before 6 a.m. Wednesday, as the sun began rising above the course with a group of supporters following along in golf carts. He sought to break the record of American Karl Meltzer, who completed 230 holes in a 12hour period. Belt had set his goal at 235 holes. This meant Belt would have to complete multiple rounds as fast as possible, with few to no breaks. “I was doing fine in the beginning,” Belt said, saying he finished the first 18 holes in 47 minutes. The second 18, he finished in 50 minutes. As he continued his run, and the heat climbed toward the 90s, he knew he had to stay hydrated. “You couldn’t stop to take a drink of water,” Belt said. “There’s not time. I had to drink while I was running to the next hole.” As he plowed through more rounds of 18, he started to feel pain in his legs. Before long, he thought he would have to crawl to each hole.

“I told myself even though I was in a lot of pain, I was going to finish the last hole,” Belt said. “I realized that it was my 99th hole, and I told myself I would finish 100 holes even if I had to crawl.” After finishing, he joined his supporters outside The Patio Grill, where the celebration would continue regardless of the outcome. Belt trained by doing speed runs through 18 holes of the golf course, and when he couldn’t golf, he would jog up to 8 miles to condition his body for the challenge ahead. He spent nearly every day at the golf course preparing. Golfing remains mostly a hobby for him, as his work schedule doesn’t allow for him to make the longterm weekend plans he would need for tournaments. He has, however, won several titles at the course when he was able to compete. While Wednesday may have not been his day, he said he would not be giving up on his goal. “I just need to train more, to concentrate on conditioning my legs,” Belt said. “They checked my blood pressure, it’s perfect, and my heart rate is good.” Aside from conditioning, Belt said he would be choosing a much cooler date in October next year to make another attempt. The distance Belt covered fell just short of a marathon at 23 miles. “I’d say that’s pretty good, along with playing golf,” Belt said.

TRUMP CONTINUED FROM 1A

east policies that created a power vacuum in Iraq that was exploited by IS, another acronym for the group. He’s sharply criticized Obama for announcing he would pull U.S. troops out of Iraq, a decision that many Obama critics say created the kind of instability in which extremist groups like IS thrive. The White House declined to comment on Trump’s accusation. The Islamic State group began as Iraq’s local affiliate of al-Qaida, the group that attacked the U.S. on Sept. 11,

Detailing & Car Wash

$

4000WASHHAND& WAX *Outside only

2270-933-0408 1001 Broadway PPaducah, KY 42001 *Open year round

FULL DETAIL $ 00

60

porters shouted obscenities about Clinton and joined in unison to shout “lock her up.” He railed against the fact that the Orlando shooter’s father, Seddique Mateen, was spotted in the crowd behind Clinton during a Monday rally in Florida,

adding, “Of course he likes Hillary Clinton.” Sitting behind Trump at his rally on Wednesday was former Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., who resigned in 2006 after allegations he sent sexually suggestive messages to former House pages.

Neighbors

8A

The Paducah Sun | Thursday, August 11, 2016 | paducahsun.com

Mayfield police host Cops and Bobbers event Staff report

MAYFIELD — The Mayfield Police Department recently held its third annual Cops and Bobbers fishing event at Energy Lake. Officers spent the day fishing, swimming and bonding with youth from the Mayfield community. Twelve participants caught and then released a collective 36 fish, while fishing with three police officers and two firefighters. MPD officers grilled hamburgers and hot dogs and provided chips, drinks, and candy for each participant, who then received a fishing pole of their own and a participation ribbon. Trophies were awarded for the biggest, smallest, and most fish caught to Aerial Holmes, Mycah Turner and Mary Page Pagatpatan.

Officers spent the day fishing, swimming and bonding with youth from the Mayfield community. The program helps community youth and officers bond over a fun, non-threatening environment in hopes the youth will see officers in a positive light. The Mayfield Police Department thanked Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, Paducah Police Officer Austin Guill, and Mayfield firefighters David White and Steve “POPS” Jackson for their assistance and Ken Ten Outfitters, which provided the fishing poles.

Submitted photo

The Mayfield Police Department recently held its third annual Cops and Bobbers fishing event at Energy Lake.

4-H Youth place in statewide contest Staff report

TeleTech representatives (left to right) Tom Payne and Tiffany Gartley present a $3,000 grant to Tornado Alley Youth Services Director Lakilia Bedeau and Rodney Hill, Tornado Alley Advisory Council chairman.

TeleTech grant will help at-risk students with mentoring efforts Staff report

Tornado Alley Youth Services recently received a $3,000 grant from TeleTech to assist mentoring efforts for at-risk students. TeleTech representatives Tom Payne and Tiffany Gartley presented the grant to Tornado Alley YSC Director Lakilia Bedeau, Tornado Alley Advisory Council

Chairman Rodney Hill, and members of the Advisory Council at its July 28 meeting. “With the assistance of partners like TeleTech, I am confident that our efforts to increase mentoring services will continue to succeed,” said Bedeau. “This grant will help us will not only continue providing school

supplies and necessity items, but will also help us improve the confidence of at-risk students.” TeleTech is a global provider of analytics-driven, technology-enabled services. The company offers an integrated platform that combines analytics, strategy, process, systems integration, technology and operations.

Civic Beautification Board announces Home of the Month The home of Spurgeon and Deborah Hodges, 225 Valor Court, has been chosen the Home of the Month for August by the McCracken County Civic Beautification Board.

McCracken County 4-H Youth competed in the Kentucky 4-H Communications Day Contest held recently in Lexington at the University of Kentucky. These youth won at their school, county, and area contests prior to the state competition. Participants from all 120 counties competed. The following area youth received blue ribbons that signify top awards in their respective categories. In addition to the blue ribbons, some youth earned grand champion, second, or third place honors in their category: Cecelia Kaler (Blue) 10year Speech; Maggie Smith (Blue) 12-year Speech; Ryan Chua (Blue and 3rd Overall) 13-year Speech; Maddie Kerr (Blue) 14-year Speech; Noah Watson (Blue and 1st Overall) Jr. Demonstra-

Evie Dukes won 2nd Place Overall in the Poetry Categor y at  the recent Kentucky  4-H Communications Day Contest in Lexington. tion; and Evelyn Dukes (Red Rosette - 2nd Place Overall) Poetry Writing.

Education Notes Elizabeth Dean Katz, a sophomore at New York University’s Tisch School of Drama, was named to the Dean’s List for the 2015-2016 academic year. Katz is a Musical Theater major, and a 2015 honors graduate from Paducah Tilghman High School. She is the daughter of Brian and Mary Katz. ■■■

Joshua Hampton of Paducah has been named to the Dean’s List for the spring 2016 semester at the University of Dallas in Irving, Texas. Hampton is a biochemistry major and earned a semester GPA of 3.5 or higher.

Modern Woodmen donate new American flag Graves County Central Elementary School representatives gratefully accepted a new American flag for the 2016-17 school year. Shown are (left to right) Ricky Willis of the Modern Woodmen, Camilo Nunez, Luisa Nunez, Brooke Howry, Assistant Principal Alecia Ladd, Jaelyn Thompson, and Travis Emmerson of the Modern Woodmen.

Obituaries/Nation

paducahsun.com

Funeral notices

Kenneth Helm

Paid obituaries furnished to The Paducah Sun by mortuaries.

Dorothy ‘Dot’ Cochran AUSTIN, Texas — Dorothy “Dot” Cochran passed away Monday, August 8, 2016, after a prolonged battle against aging. She was 96. S h e was born April 7, 1920, in Calvert C i t y , K e n tucky, to George a n d Cochran Sarah Humprey. Dorothy and her 12 siblings were raised in a rural setting with a love of the outdoors. After moving to Paducah, Kentucky, she met and married Herman “Sox” Cochran in 1939, who became a Minister of Music in the Baptist Church. Their daughter Sally was born in 1940, and the three spent many years traveling through the South, as Herman continued his religious education and worked in many churches. After settling in Lexington, Kentucky, Dot worked as a secretary in the Agriculture Department at University of Kentucky. She pursued her life-long love of gardening and service in the church.

Dot is survived by her son-in-law, Donald Paul and wife, Barbara of Austin; one grandson, Mark Paul and wife, Amy Leftwich of Austin; one granddaughter, Ann Karnes and husband, David of Cedar Park; and two great-grandchildren, Amelia Paul of Austin and Andrew Karnes of Cedar Park. She is preceded in death by her devoted husband, Herman; one daughter, Sally; and all of her siblings. In lieu of flowers the family requests contributions be made to The Sally C. Paul Fellowship in the College of Communications Department at UT Austin, Hospice Austin, or a charity of choice. A celebration of life will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, August 14, 2016, at Cook-Walden Funeral Home 6100 North Lamar Blvd., Austin, TX. Reception will immediately follow in the Austin Room at the funeral home. Private burial will be at Austin Memorial Park Cemetery. To share condolence with the family, please visit cookwaldenfuneralhome.com.

Esther Chambers METROPOLIS, Ill. — Esther Chambers, 92, of Metropolis died Wednesday, August 10, 2016, at Baptist Health Paducah. Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, August 13, 2016, at AikinsFarmer Funeral Home. The Revs. Shalom Renner and Jon Cockrel

will officiate. Burial will follow in Metropolis Memorial Gardens. Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, August 12, 2016, at the funeral home. Other arrangements were incomplete at Aikins-Farmer Funeral Home in Metropolis.

GRAND CHAIN, Ill. — Kenneth Robert Helm, 88, of Grand Chain died at 1:05 p.m. Tuesday, August 9, 2016, at the Southgate Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Metropolis. Mr. Helm was an Army veteran of World War II and had worked as a chief engineer for American Commercial Barge Line. He attended the Ohio Chapel Church. Survivors include his wife of 66 years, Phyllis Easter Helm; two daughters, Debbie Williams of Clarksville, Tennessee, and Tammy Horn of Grand Chain; two granddaughters, Amy Marshall and Karen Houston; and five great-grandchildren. Mr. Helm was preceded in death by one

son, Scott Helm; two infant twin daughters, Pamela Helm and Peggy Helm; three brothers; and three sisters. His parents were Thomas McDonald Helm and Mary Eunice Fisher Helm Medley. Services will be at 1 p.m. Thursday, August 11, 2016, at the Ohio Chapel Church in Grand Chain. Burial will be in the Ohio Chapel Cemetery, with military graveside rites conducted. Tammy Horn and Steve Heisner will officiate. Expressions of sympathy may take the form of contributions to the Ohio Chapel Church. Wilson Funeral Home in Karnak is in charge of arrangements.

The Paducah Sun • Thursday, August 11, 2016 • 9A

Corine Walker BENTON — Corine Walker, 90, of Benton died at 8 p.m. Tuesday, August 9, 2016, at Lake Way Nursing & Rehabilitation Center. Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, August

13, 2016, at FilbeckCann & King Funeral Home. Burial will follow in Sharpe Cemetery. Friends may call from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home.

Doris Jones

FOLSOMDALE — Do- Blytheville, Arkansas; ris Virginia Jones, 90, of three grandchildren; Folsomdale died at 3:58 seven great-grandchila.m. Wednesday, August dren; and eight great10, 2016, at Heritage great-grandchildren. Manor Healthcare FacilShe was preceded in ity in Mayfield. death by one brother. Mrs. Jones was a Her parents were Will member of Liberty Bap- Brown and Modena tist Church. She retired (Langston) Brown Peelwith 22 years of service er. at Roman Ceramics. Services will be at 2 She is survived by her p.m. Friday, August 12, husband, Will H. “Bill” 2016, at Brown FunerJones; two daughters, al Home in Mayfield. Donna Dodson of May- The Rev. Wayne Berry field and Teresa Rogers and Mitchell Toon will of Houston; one son, officiate. Burial will folLarry Ahart of Hicko- low in Liberty Cemetery. Friends may call at 11 ry; two sisters, Nadine Lois Hamlett Goodwin of Houston, a.m. Friday at the funerBENTON — Lois 13, 2016, at Filbeck- and Sue Forrester of al home. Maxine Hamlett, 92, Cann & King Funeral of Benton died at 12:15 Home. Burial will folHelen Elder p.m. Wednesday, Au- low in Bondurant Cemgust 10, 2016, at Mar- etery. CALVERT CITY — death by one daughter, shall County Hospital. Fiends may call from Helen Elder, 77, of Cal- Tammy Elder; and one Services will be at 10 a.m. to noon Satur- vert City died at 9:16 sister. Her parents were noon Saturday, August day at the funeral home. a.m. Tuesday, August 9, Corbit Birdsong and Ruth 2016, at Oakview Nursing Dew Birdsong. Home in Calvert City. Services will be at 1 Lucille Bennett Mrs. Elder was of the p.m. Saturday, August Baptist faith. 13, 2016, at Hughes FuCALVERT CITY — in Tucson, Arizona. She is survived by four neral Home in Paducah. Lucille Crabtree BenArrangements nett, 88, of Calvert City were incomplete at Col- brothers, Gyster Birdsong Julie McClure will offidied Thursday, July 28, lier Funeral Home in of Hopkinsville, Arvel ciate. Burial will follow Birdsong of Murray, Ev- in Maplelawn Cemetery 2016, at her son’s home Benton. erett Birdsong of Cadiz, in Paducah. and Ronald Birdsong of Friends may call from Ricky Smith Paducah; two sisters, Nell 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday Birdsong of Cadiz and at the funeral home. BENTON — Ricky Paducah. Contributions may be Frances Clark of West D. Smith, 38, of BenA r r a n g e m e n t s Paducah; and several made to Lourdes Hospice, ton died Wednesday, were incomplete at nieces and nephews. P.O. Box 7100, Paducah, August 10, 2016, at Collier Funeral Home She was preceded in KY 42002-7100. Lourdes hospital in in Benton.

Ginger Washam BOAZ — Ginger Lou Washam, 61, of Boaz died Monday, August 8, 2016, at Lourdes hospital

in Paducah. Arrangements were incomplete at Lindsey Funeral Home of Paducah.

Zachary Navaroli WICKLIFFE — Zachary Navaroli, 21, of Wickliffe died Tuesday, August 9, 2016, at his home in Bowling

Green. Arrangements were incomplete at Milner & Orr Funeral Home of Wickliffe.

Source: Boy decapitated on slide Report says alleged BY JIM SUHR Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The 10-year-old boy killed during a ride on the world’s tallest waterslide was decapitated in the accident, a person familiar with the investigation said Wednesday. Authorities have yet to explain how it happened. The person was speaking on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak publicly about the death of Caleb Schwab Sunday on the “Verruckt” raft ride at the Schlitterbahn WaterPark in Kansas City, Kansas. Two women who are not family members were also in the raft at the time and were treated for facial injuries. The boy’s parents — Republican state Rep. Scott Schwab and his wife, Michele — have not spoken publicly since the death. His funeral is scheduled for Friday. Verruckt — which in German means “insane” — featured multi-person rafts that make a 168foot drop at speeds of up to 70 mph, followed by a surge up a hump and a 50-foot descent to a finishing pool. Since the accident, investigators have removed netting that was held in place by supports above the 50-foot section from the hump to the finishing pool. Riders, who must be at least 54 inches tall, were harnessed with two nylon seatbelt-like straps — one that crossed the

Jill Toyoshiba/The Kansas City Star via AP, File

Schlitterbahn’s Verruckt speed slide/water coaster in Kansas City, Kan.  The 10-year-old boy killed on the ride was decapitated in the accident, a person familiar with the investigation said Wednesday. rider’s lap, the other stretching diagonally like a car shoulder seatbelt. Each strap was held in place by long Velcrostyle straps, not by buckles. Riders would hold ropes inside the raft. The park reopened Wednesday except for a large section that includes the waterslide, although its towering profile greeted visitors when they drove through the entrance. Access to the Verruckt was blocked by a 7-foot-high wooden fence. On a hot, midweek day, the park was doing a steady business although there were no lines for other rides. Schlitterbahn spokes-

woman Winter Prosapio told The Associated Press outside the park’s entrance Wednesday that the company was not discussing Sunday’s tragedy out of respect for the family. She also said that she could not offer immediate perspective about how Wednesday’s turnout compared with typical attendance. “We didn’t know if we’d get five people, 15 people. But this is affirming,” she said. Pulling a cooler behind her, 42-year-old Sara Craig said she was a bit uneasy bringing her 14-year-old son, Cale, and one of his 13-yearold friends to the park Wednesday.

“I feel guilty having fun when a family is hurting so badly,” she said. She said the family rode Verruckt twice in one day a couple of weeks ago. She remembered a short video they were required to watch, though she didn’t recall that it included any caveats about peril. Craig said that during her first trip down the ride with her son and one of his friends, her shoulder restraint came off, something she opted not to report to park workers. “I didn’t think much about it,” she said. “You don’t think you’re gonna die.” So they rode it again, only to see the restraint on her son’s friend also come loose by the time it was over. She said the ride’s operators sent them down the slide even though their combined weight was 393 pounds — shy of the 400 weight minimum the park advertises as a requirement. Craig described the ride as “very, very rough,” so much so that “when I got off, my head hurt.” The water park passed a private inspection in June that included Verruckt, according to a document released by a Kansas state agency. The Kansas Department of Labor provided to The Associated Press on Wednesday a copy of an insurance company inspector’s June 7 letter saying inspections had been completed.

lottery fixer acted without assistance BY RYAN J. FOLEY Associated Press

IOWA CITY, Iowa — An internal investigation into a national jackpot-fixing scandal has concluded that a single former lottery employee was responsible for any drawings that were manipulated, but it failed to uncover proof of his guilt. The report for the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) found that the group’s former security director, Eddie Tipton, worked independently to commit any fraud without help from current or former employees. But investigators also said they failed to determine how he pulled it off and found no smoking gun of criminal activity, such as the manipulation of computers used to pick numbers or ticket-buying by insiders who are prohibited from playing. “The team’s extensive review did not locate ‘proof’ of ‘fraud or any other wrongdoing’ such as ‘manipulation’ or ‘prohibited play,’” according to the four-page report dated April 29 and obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press. Tipton was found guilty last year of tampering with a 2010 Hot Lotto drawing for a

$16.5 million jackpot, after he was caught on surveillance video buying the winning numbers at a Des Moines gas station. The ticket was passed to Tipton associates who unsuccessfully tried to collect the jackpot. Tipton, his brother and a friend are awaiting separate trials on allegations that they conspired to buy winning tickets and collect jackpots worth more than $2 million cash in Colorado, Wisconsin, Oklahoma and Kansas. At last year’s trial, prosecutors theorized that Tipton secretly installed a root kit that allowed him to control a random number generator that conducts drawings at the association’s suburban Des Moines office before it disappeared without a trace. But they now say those machines had an algorithm that allowed Tipton to predict winning numbers on specific days of the year — Nov. 23 and Dec. 29. All six jackpots linked to the alleged fraud were drawn on those dates between 2005 and 2011. Tipton is appealing his conviction, and an appeals court recently threw out one of two fraud charges against him.

Nation

10A • Thursday, August 11, 2016 • The Paducah Sun

paducahsun.com

Ex-Somali refugee could win office in Minnesota BY STEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS — Ilhan Omar spent four years in a Kenyan refugee camp as a young girl, fleeing with her family from civil war in Somalia. Two decades later, after forging a new life in Minnesota, she appears on the brink of becoming the nation’s first Somali-American state legislator. Omar, a 33-year-old community activist, cried as she delivered victory speeches in English and Somali after defeating a 44-year incumbent in the latest sign of the Somali community’s growing influence in the city and state. Her victory in a heavily Democratic Minneapolis district makes her a strong favorite in the general election — where her Republican opponent is also a Somali immigrant. “Tonight we made history,” Omar told supporters after her win late Tuesday. “Tonight marks the beginning of the future of our district, a new era of representation.” A seat in the Legislature would be a new high-water mark for

Carlos Gonzalez/Star Tribune via AP

Somali activist Ilhan Omar (center) speaks to supporters Tuesday at Kalsan in Minneapolis. Omar defeated 22-term Rep. Phyllis Kahn in Tuesday’s nominating contest in the heavily Democratic Minneapolis district. policing reform,” and making sure that minority women entrepreneurs are given the help they need to succeed. The city’s Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, popularly known as Little Mogadishu, was glowing Wednesday over her victory. Bashir Egal, a local banker, said he was eager to see someone from his community at the Capitol. He said he knows Omar from her work on local events, and she knows firsthand about the Somali community’s challeng-

compasses the University of Minnesota’s Minneapolis campus and Augsburg College. She said she hopes her victory sends a message to young women of color who are thinking about running for office that they can raise money, shatter stereotypes and win big. “I hope our story is an inspirational story to many people,” Ilan said. She said her priorities would be “closing the opportunity gap in our educational system, working on criminal justice reform, taking on

Minnesota Somalis, who in recent years have won seats on the Minneapolis school board and City Council. First drawn in the early 1990s by welcoming social programs, they’re now estimated by the census to number around 40,000, though community advocates say the figure is much higher. In an interview Wednesday, Omar said her campaign set out to build a broad-based coalition of not only East Africans, but longtime residents and students in a district that en-

Paducah 5-Day Forecast Today

Tonight

89° 73°

Partly cloudy, warm and humid

A t-storm in spots in the p.m.

Almanac Paducah through 6 p.m. yesterday Temperature High Low Normal high Normal low Record high Record low

Saturday

74°

89° Humid; a p.m. t-storm in spots

Friday

83° 71°

Showers and a heavier t-storm

6:09 a.m. 7:51 p.m. 2:20 p.m. 12:22 a.m.

The higher the AccuWeather.com UV Index™ number, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.

6

7

4

8 a.m. 10 a.m. Noon 2 p.m. 4 p.m. 0-2 Low; 3-5 Moderate; 6-7 High; 8-10 Very High; 11+ Extreme

Regional Forecast Kentucky: Humid today with periods of sun; an afternoon thunderstorm in spots. Partly cloudy tonight. Illinois: Partly sunny today; a thunderstorm in the area in the south and eastern parts. Indiana: Partly sunny and humid today with a thunderstorm in spots, except dry in the west. Missouri: Partly sunny today. Very warm;

Cape Girardeau 89/75

Blytheville 91/76 Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

Owensboro 91/76

Paducah Cadiz 89/74 88/74

thunderstorm in spots, but dry in the north and west.

Tennessee: A thunderstorm in spots this

91/75/pc 88/75/pc 91/70/pc 89/75/pc 89/75/pc 87/72/pc 93/75/pc 87/74/pc 91/74/pc 88/75/pc 96/78/pc 87/75/pc 88/75/pc 86/72/pc 89/74/pc

Nashville 90/75 Pulaski 88/74

Jackson 89/74

Today Fri. Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W

Belleville, IL Bowling Gn., KY Bristol, TN C. Girardeau, MO Carbondale, IL Charleston, WV Chattanooga, TN Clarksville, TN Columbia, MO Evansville, IN Ft. Smith, AR Hopkinsville, KY Indianapolis, IN Jackson, KY Jackson, TN

Clarksville 87/74

Union City 90/74

Memphis 92/77

City

89/73/t 89/75/pc 93/70/c 88/73/t 88/73/t 89/74/t 94/75/c 86/74/pc 88/71/t 88/74/t 97/75/t 87/75/pc 89/74/t 88/73/pc 88/74/t

City

Today Fri. Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W

Joplin, MO Kansas City, MO Knoxville, TN Lexington, KY Little Rock, AR London, KY Louisville, KY Memphis, TN Nashville, TN Owensboro, KY Peoria, IL St. Louis, MO Springfield, IL Springfield, MO Terre Haute, IN

95/77/pc 93/74/pc 93/74/pc 88/74/pc 94/77/pc 87/73/pc 89/76/pc 92/77/pc 90/75/pc 91/76/pc 92/76/pc 95/78/pc 93/77/pc 92/76/pc 88/73/pc

92/71/t 84/68/t 94/74/pc 89/74/pc 93/77/t 89/74/pc 90/76/pc 90/76/t 90/75/pc 91/76/t 84/72/t 91/75/t 87/73/t 90/72/t 88/73/pc

National Summary: Showers and thunderstorms with the potential to produce flash flooding will impact the central Gulf Coast today. Tropical moisture will also produce spotty showers and thunderstorms farther north into portions of the Northeast. Severe thunderstorms will impact Minnesota and Wisconsin. Dry weather will prevail across the West Coast. Today Fri. City Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W Albuquerque 91/63/pc 91/64/pc Atlanta 87/73/t 89/73/pc Baltimore 90/76/pc 93/77/pc Billings 81/56/pc 81/56/pc Boise 87/60/s 92/61/s Boston 91/75/pc 93/76/pc Charleston, SC 90/76/pc 90/76/pc Charleston, WV 87/72/pc 89/74/t Chicago 92/76/pc 85/72/t Cincinnati 87/73/pc 88/74/pc Cleveland 90/76/t 90/75/t Dallas 103/82/s 103/79/pc Denver 89/58/t 81/55/pc Des Moines 91/75/pc 83/67/t Detroit 90/75/t 90/74/t El Paso 89/71/pc 94/73/pc Fairbanks 70/53/c 68/53/pc Honolulu 86/75/pc 85/76/pc Houston 100/79/pc 100/79/s Indianapolis 88/75/pc 89/74/t Jacksonville 92/73/pc 93/73/pc Las Vegas 100/79/s 103/82/s

Ohio River Paducah Owensboro

Through 7 a.m. yesterday (in feet) Flood 24-hr Mississippi River

stage 39 38

Stage Change

13.22 14.90

-1.44 +0.80

24-hr Full Pool Elevation Change Smithland Dam 40 11.00 Lake Barkley 359 358.75 Kentucky Lake 359 358.57

-1.44 +0.05 none

Flood stage Stage Cairo

Today City Hi/Lo/W Little Rock 94/77/pc Los Angeles 81/65/pc Miami 89/77/pc Milwaukee 90/74/t Minneapolis 86/73/t New Orleans 84/76/t New York City 90/76/pc Oklahoma City 98/74/s Omaha 94/74/pc Orlando 91/75/t Philadelphia 93/77/pc Phoenix 98/81/t Pittsburgh 87/73/pc Portland, OR 88/63/s Salt Lake City 88/64/pc San Antonio 101/79/s San Diego 75/65/pc San Francisco 72/55/pc San Jose 81/58/pc Seattle 81/59/s Tucson 91/73/t Wash., DC 92/78/pc

Fri. Hi/Lo/W 93/77/t 82/66/pc 90/78/pc 85/70/t 86/66/c 84/77/t 92/79/pc 92/70/t 86/66/t 91/75/t 95/79/pc 103/83/pc 87/74/t 94/65/s 91/64/s 101/79/s 76/67/pc 72/55/pc 82/59/pc 87/61/s 94/74/pc 94/80/pc

Around the World

Lakes and Rivers

humid.

Arkansas: Partly sunny today; a shower or

afternoon. Partly cloudy tonight.

Humid with rain and a t-storm

Mayfield 89/75

UV Index Today

4

83° 67°

Carbondale 89/75

Sun and Moon

First Sept 9

Shown are today’s noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.

Evansville 88/75

Precipitation

1

82° 69°

St. Louis 95/78

24 hrs ending 6 p.m. yest. 0.00” Month to date 6.06” Normal month to date 0.99” Year to date 39.13” Last year to date 39.75” Normal year to date 30.84”

Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today

Monday

Around the Region

92° 73° 90° 67° 98° in 2010 55° in 1989

Full Last New Aug 18 Aug 24 Sept 1

Noor by a wide margin in the district’s heavily Somali Cedar-Riverside neighborhood. Johnson said it showed her support was far from onedimensional. “She has widespread support across the district, whether it’s singlefamily homeowners, or students, or Somali residents,” he said. “It was very broad.” As the Somali community has become more established in the state, its political influence has grown. Minneapolis voters elected a Somali emigre, Hussein Samatar, to the school board in 2010, a few years after then-Mayor R.T. Rybak had appointed him to the library board. Noor was appointed to the school board to fill out Samatar’s term after he died. And Abdi Warsame, another Somali, was elected to the City Council in 2013 Somali-American leaders say they know of no other Somali state legislators across the country. In Lewiston, Maine, which has long had one of the largest Somali communities in New England, no Somali candidate has risen above the school board.

Around the Nation Sunday

Partly sunny, a t-storm; humid

es, including housing, unemployment and security issues. “She can take that to mainstream America,” the 27-year-old said. “She’s not someone who is taking the information from a third party — she lived it.” After coming to the United States when she was 8 years old, Omar’s family first settled in Arlington, Virginia, before moving to Minneapolis in 1997. A longtime political and community activist, she now works as director of policy initiatives for the Women Organizing Women Network, a group that counsels East African women on civic involvement and leadership. Her political background includes work as a senior policy aide and campaign manager for Minneapolis City Council Member Andrew Johnson. Omar won 41 percent of the vote, easily beating incumbent Rep. Phyllis Kahn and another Somali-American, Mohamud Noor, who had lost to Kahn two years earlier. In a sign that Omar’s appeal stretched beyond the immigrant vote, she won despite losing to

40

24.47

24-hr Change -1.80

Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice. Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2016

Athens Beijing Berlin Buenos Aires Cairo Hong Kong Jerusalem London Manila Mexico City

96/79/s 94/79/t 66/53/pc 63/51/s 95/78/s 89/80/t 85/68/s 71/58/pc 85/78/t 75/55/t

94/73/s 92/78/t 67/59/sh 65/55/s 95/78/s 88/80/sh 86/69/s 78/59/s 85/79/t 76/54/t

Moscow Paris Rome Seoul Sydney Tokyo Warsaw Zurich

80/63/c 73/55/pc 83/64/s 93/78/s 65/46/s 86/75/c 66/46/pc 66/52/sh

73/51/t 81/56/s 83/63/s 96/78/s 63/47/s 87/73/pc 68/53/pc 72/53/pc