The Greater Hardin County Narcotics Task Force will pull its belt half as tight as expected this year.

The task force, funded by a federal justice assistance grant awarded to Elizabethtown, was expecting a roughly $78,000 cut for the 2005-06 year. However, a one-time grant from the state's Office of Drug Control Policy will pump $42,317 back into its coffers.

This week, the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet passed out nearly $4 million in grants, including federal justice assistance grants and money generated through DUI fines.

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It is the lot, duty really, of elected officials to worry about money. It is called being fiscally responsible. But it is also their responsibility to weigh the risks and be willing to say yes to worthy projects.

A $4.38 million Recovery Kentucky substance abuse treatment center is one such worthy project for the Owensboro-Daviess County community. The facility will require Daviess Fiscal Court to allocate $200,000 from its "wellness fund" account to match a Community Development Block Grant of $831,000. The Kentucky Housing Corp. will contribute $1.13 million to the project.

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LIBERTY - School officials have been asked to consider a "no-nit" policy after results from a new study indicate that most nits do not develop into lice.

Casey County Board of Education is considering a change in its policy that will keep students in school rather than send them home when there is evidence of nits.

Other changes for this school year include that students may be subject to search by a bus driver, see different foods in vending machines and on school menus, a decrease in unexcused days allowed for truancy, a change in regulations on the use of cellular phones, and may be expelled on the first offense of trafficking in illegal drugs and alcohol.

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City Should Find Funds To Continue Program

The non-profit Hope Center operates a drug-rehabilitation program at the Fayette County jail that needs $175,000 to stay open for another year.

The Urban County Council should find the money to help. The state has allocated $57,000 for the program, but it can be awarded only if the city government matches it. A council committee is scheduled to consider that contribution next month.

At less than three years old, it's too early to deem the drug-treatment program an unqualified success.

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Finding Meaning In Statistics Is Difficult

FRANKFORT - Crime was down in Kentucky in 2004. Or crime was up in Kentucky. It depends on perspective and the interpretation of the statistics provided in the annual report compiled by the Kentucky State Police.

KSP Capt. Lisa Rudzinski cautioned against drawing too many conclusions from the report, despite its volume and detail.

"I don't think you can say anything about a crime trend based on one year," Rudzinski said.

But there is a snapshot that can be viewed and while parts of it might seem encouraging, the overall view is of a state troubled by crime, especially drugs.

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LOUISVILLE -- The mining industry and states should decide whether they want to drug test miners, the nation's top mine safety regulator said.

David Dye, head of the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration, said last week that he is not urging Congress to pass a law allowing MSHA to test miners for drugs. Instead, the federal government will try to educate miners about the dangers of using drugs at work, he said.

"We're looking at using all our authority and resources that are appropriate to deal with the issue," Dye told the Louisville Courier-Journal. "A change of law at the federal level is always a long and arduous process."

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FRANKFORT -- Crime was down in Kentucky in 2004. Or crime was up in Kentucky. It depends on perspective and the interpretation of the statistics provided in the annual report compiled by the Kentucky State Police.

Kentucky State Police Capt. Lisa Rudzinski cautioned against drawing too many conclusions from the report, despite its volume and detail.

"I don't think you can say anything about a crime trend based on one year," Rudzinski said.

But there is a snapshot that can be viewed, and while parts of it may seem encouraging, the overall view is of a state still troubled by crime, especially drugs.

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In Some Counties, They Use Up 20% Of Budget, Luallen Says

LOUISVILLE - Kentucky's county jails are a rapidly growing expense eating up increasing amounts of local resources, state Auditor Crit Luallen said Thursday.

Luallen, speaking to a gathering of county executives in Louisville, said some counties are contributing as much as 20 percent of their general funds to jails. The crisis has reached grave proportions in some areas with the state taking over jail management or advising closure of some facilities, Luallen said.

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The addiction recovery program at Lexington detention center is in trouble.

The Hope Center, which has been operating the program with little financial support from either the city or the judicial system, needs $175,340 yearly to keep the recovery program going.

Already stretched to the limit by other demands for its services, the Hope Center has notified the mayor, the Urban County Council and Lexington judges that it will no longer provide addiction recovery assistance unless new funds come available.

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This week, the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration kicked off a "Make the Right Decision" safety awareness campaign that it hopes will further reduce mining deaths and injuries, the numbers of which remain too high.

But, at the same time, MSHA chief David Dye refused to embrace the idea of federal drug testing, saying that any such initiative should be run by the coal industry and state regulators. MSHA-administered tests for the use of controlled substances by miners would require passage of new federal law, which Mr. Dye described as "always a long and arduous process."

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The nation's top mine-safety regulator said yesterday that federal authorities will try to educate miners about the dangers of using drugs at work but that the industry and states should be responsible for drug testing.

David Dye, head of the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration, said he would not urge Congress to pass a law allowing MSHA to test miners for drugs.

"We're looking at using all our authority and resources that are appropriate to deal with the issue," Dye said in a telephone interview. "A change of law at the federal level is always a long and arduous process."

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Reporter Gets Lortabs Without Answering Any Diagnostic Questions

WINCHESTER - Sometimes an investigative reporter's work goes down the toilet.

In an effort to determine how easily narcotics can be purchased online, The Winchester Sun authorized me to buy prescription drugs that would be delivered to my door.

All it took was a simple Internet search to find a list of cyberpharmacies offering pain medication. Twenty-four hours after speaking on the phone with the pharmacy's "doctor," 90 Lortabs -- a potent prescription painkiller that is commonly trafficked illegally - -- were delivered to my home in a nondescript package.

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MIDDLESBORO, Ky. - Faced with staunch opposition from local residents, a company has withdrawn its application to open a methadone clinic in Middlesboro.

Rehabilitation Drug Services sent a letter to that effect on Thursday, said Steve Shannon, director of the Kentucky Division of Mental Health and Substance Abuse.

After receiving the letter, the State Narcotic Authority canceled a meeting set for Friday to consider whether to allow the methadone clinic to open. Dr. Ronald Dubin, head of Middlesboro Against Drugs, said he expected several hundred people opposed to the proposed clinic to drive to Frankfort to attend the meeting.

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Middlesboro Residents Had Been Set To Take Protest To Frankfort

MIDDLESBORO - Faced with staunch opposition from residents of the Bell County town, a company has withdrawn its application to open a methadone clinic in Middlesboro.

Rehabilitation Drug Services sent a letter to that effect yesterday, said Steve Shannon, director of the Kentucky Division of Mental Health and Substance Abuse.

After receiving the letter, the State Narcotic Authority canceled a meeting set for today to consider whether to allow the methadone clinic to open. Dr. Ronald Dubin, head of Middlesboro Against Drugs, said he had expected several hundred people opposed to the proposed clinic to drive to Frankfort to attend the meeting.

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MIDDLESBORO (AP) -- Residents are expected to learn this week whether a methadone clinic will be allowed to open in their southeastern Kentucky town.

The State Narcotics Authority will meet Friday in Frankfort to consider the matter.

Dr. Ronald Dubin, head of Middlesboro Against Drugs, said he expects several hundred people opposed to the proposed clinic to drive to Frankfort to attend the meeting.

Middlesboro residents are upset because the proposed clinic would be within three blocks of two schools and because residents weren't told about plans for it, Dubin said. Residents didn't find out about the clinic until its owners had a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

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State Needs Full-Scale Campaign Against Damaging Drug

In Daviess County, otherwise known for barbecue, a new product has taken hold: methamphetamine.

Daviess County Sheriff Keith Cain told the National Sheriff's Association in Louisville last week that about 700 meth labs have been discovered in his county since 1997.

Keep in mind, the verb here is "discovered." Presumably, because small, highly mobile meth labs are hard to track down, many more existed in that one county.

A survey released yesterday by the National Association of Counties indicates Daviess County's meth production is probably closer to the rule than the exception. Meth was defined as the No. 1 illegal drug in 58 percent of the counties surveyed, where it contributes to increases in burglary and robbery.

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The pictures are heartbreaking: frightened toddlers covered in sores, burns and bruises; baby bottles on counters next to chemical-crusted jars; needles in nurseries.

About 80 of Muhlenberg County's concerned residents -- including from law enforcement, social services and schools -- were hit Thursday with the grim images and startling statistics that tell the story of drug-endangered children.

Methamphetamine production puts children at risk of injury from explosion or fire. Exposure to the toxic chemicals used to make meth can cause serious respiratory problems, skin irritation and sores, watery eyes and concentration problems.

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Law restricts sales of cold medicines

INDIANAPOLIS -- The state is producing millions of posters, cards, shopping bag inserts and other materials to educate Hoosiers about a law that takes effect today restricting their purchases of some cold and allergy medicines to combat the spread of methamphetamine use.

The Indiana Criminal Justice Institute began sending out packets of the materials -- created by an outside firm -- to 5,000 grocery stores, pharmacies, discount retailers and convenience stores yesterday.

"You can imagine how many questions pharmacists will get every day about this change," said Heather Bolejack, executive director of the agency. "These materials will answer those frequently asked questions."

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This week, Kentucky joined more than a dozen other states across the nation to wage a more aggressive fight against the manufacture and use of illegal methamphetamine drugs.

Senate Bill 63 -- the "Meth Bill" as it and similar bills have become known -- took effect last Monday. The new law changes the way many cold, allergy and other such drugs containing psuedoephedrine, ephedrine or phenylpropanolamine may be purchased.

These medications, with brand names like Sudafed, Claritin, Nyquil and others that previously were sold over-the-counter, now only can be stocked behind the counter by licensed pharmacies. Customers are required to be at least 18 years of age, present identification and sign their names, addresses and birthdates in a logbook to purchase the medications. Purchases are limited to three or fewer packages of the medication per transaction and no more than 9 grams may be bought within any 30-day period.

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Tossed Wrappings Of Drug's Ingredients Can Lead To Hidden Labs

LOUISVILLE (AP) - The message about methamphetamines was simple for sheriffs from around the nation who gathered yesterday to exchange ideas about curbing production: Law enforcement needs help.

"Methamphetamine is not just another drug. It's not just a passing fad that will be taken over by another," said Daviess County Sheriff Keith Cain. "It's not a law enforcement phenomenon. It's a community problem."

About 700 meth labs have been discovered in Daviess County since 1997, Cain told about a dozen sheriffs during a session on clandestine meth labs at the National Sheriffs Association's annual conference.

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