MURRAY HOTEL ROBBED
Murray Police are investigating the robbery of the Best Western Hotel on 641 North. Police responded to the scene at 8:45 last night. Hotel clerk Josh Abel told them that a white male armed with a pistol entered the lobby and demanded money. The suspect is described as a white male, 5'8" tall with dark curly hair. Nobody was injured. State Police assisted. Anyone with information regarding the incident can contact Murray Police at 753-1621.

SOLDIERS COMING HOME SUNDAY
A welcome home ceremony for 110 Soldiers of the 438TH Military Police company will take place at 11 a.m. Sunday at the Calloway County High School. The Soldiers left home one year ago in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. While in Iraq they performed area security missions in the city of Ramadi. This is the second overseas deployment for the 438TH MP Company in support of the Global War on Terror. The unit also supported the detainee mission in Guantanamo Bay Cuba, in 2002-2003. Since Sept. 11, 2001, more than 10,000 members of the Kentucky Army and Air National Guard have deployed worldwide in the Global War on Terror.

MEN ARRESTED MAY FACE DOG FIGHTING CHARGES
Last night Graves County Sheriff's Deputies seized six malnourished pit bulls believed to be part of a dog fighting ring. Deputies also arrested Jonal DeBerry and Thomas McClellan on cocaine charges. Deputies say DeBerry owns the dogs. He could face animal cruelty charges as early as Thursday.  McClellan could also face more charges. An investigation turned up more than 70 pit bulldogs.

HERNDON TO GET GOLD STAR MOTHER PLATE
Seventeen years after Roger Herndon died in a plane crash while serving the country, Donna Herndon will receive a Gold Star Mother license plate honoring her son. Cadet Herndon's mother and father were both former members of MSU’s staff and requested the ceremony take place at MSU's ROTC program. The ceremony will be Monday at 1on the second floor, west end of the Blackburn Science Building on the MSU campus . The public is invited to attend. Please respond to Rose Wyatt in the ROTC Department at 809-5061 as soon as possible to ensure adequate seating and parking for the event.

MOTHER AGREES TO PLEA IN SON'S DEATH
The mother of a 2-year-old who died after her boyfriend abused him pleaded guilty Wednesday to manslaughter and abuse. JeTina Baker, 27, had been charged with murder. She was to be tried Nov. 17 in McCracken Circuit Court. Baker pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter and first-degree criminal abuse. In exchange, prosecutors recommended she receive seven years’ incarceration on the manslaughter charge and five years on the abuse charge to run concurrently for a total of seven years. Because the state does not consider second-degree manslaughter a violent felony, she could be out of prison after serving 20 percent of her sentence, 1.4 years. She will also receive credit for time served since her arrest Jan. 4.

MCCONNELL TO BECOME NATION'S TOP GOP
With the election of Democrat Barack Obama as president, U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky next year will become the highest-ranking Republican in the country. McConnell, in a telephone conference call with Kentucky reporters, said his colleagues will re-elect him as the Senate Republican leader, a post he has held for two years. He wouldn’t speculate on what his high-profile role will mean for him or for Kentucky. The level of McConnell’s clout will depend on the outcome of tight Senate races in Alaska, Georgia, Minnesota and Oregon. Republicans currently hold those seats, and if the Democrats win all four, they will have a majority of 60-40 that would help them in defeating filibusters and controlling the flow of legislation.

LYONS TO SPEAK AT MSU
Dr. Pearse Lyons, founder and president of Alltech Biotechnology, will speak at Murray State University on Monday. The event includes an Alltech-sponsored meal 11:30 a.m., in the Curris Center Ballroom, followed by a presentation by Dr. Lyons at noon.One of the leading animal health companies in the world, Alltech headquarters are located in Lexington with additional bioscience centers and distributors located in 113 countries. In order to get an accurate meal count, anyone planning to attend is asked to contact Amy McKinney at 809-3936.

WKU STUDENTS EXPELLED
Western Kentucky University has expelled two students and disciplined others after fights that caused a campus lockdown. University spokesman Bob Skipper confirmed two people were removed from the campus and another was removed from a residence hall and banned from student activities. He said five others were banned from taking part in student activities. The disciplinary measures come after incidents last month on the Bowling Green campus in which there was a lockdown after unfounded reports of shots fired.

PADUCAH MAN ARRESTRED ON SEX ABUSE CHARGES
Wendell Green of Paducah man was arrested Wednesday after turning himself in for allegedly sexually abusing his granddaughter. Green told investigators that that he had touched his 11-year-old granddaughter inappropriately at least three times, beginning when she was 10. Green has been charged with three counts of first degree sexual abuse.

ELECTION FRAUD UPDATES
Two-hundred-seventy-one election fraud hotline calls from fifty Kentucky counties were received Tuesday statewide. The most that has been received was in 2006 with 82 calls. Complaints totaled 292; the number of calls totaled 271 with some calls containing multiple complaints. State Attorney General Jack Conway says every complaint will be reviewed.

SANDERS CHARGED WITH LONE OAK ROBBERY
A Thomas Sanders of Memphis has been arrested in connection with the October 11 robbery at Taco Bell on Lone Oak Road. A Taco Bell employee, O’Ryan Broady, told police that he was robbed by an unknown black man, wearing dark clothing when he sprayed pepper spray in Broady’s face and reached for his pockets. The man did not take anything from him. After interviewing a co-worker, which was sanders cousin it was found that the incident may have been the result of an earlier altercation.

ACROSS KENTUCKY
People voted in Greenup County on Tuesday for the school board, but it took a coin toss yesterday top settle the race. Donald Nicholls and Jane Kincaid tied for the second most votes in the Raceland-Worthington Board of Education race. Yesterday, they flipped a coin, Nicholls won. Kincaid called heads, it was tails.

Police have arrested two women in connection with a Danville bank robbery. WKYT TV reports police say a woman dressed like a man held up the Lawrenceburg National Bank in Danville. A short time later police arrested 32-year-old Becky Metcalfe and 31-year-old Retta Dennis both live in Frankfort.

A milestone day in the careers of a more than two dozen Kentucky State Police officers. This afternoon promotion ceremonies will be held in Louisville. Officials say 30 KSP troopers are being promoted.

Rabbit Hash Kentucky has a new mayor. Former major Junior Cochran, a black Labrador retriever died in May. People across the country voted on the Rabbit Hash General Store's website. The winner of this honorary title is Lucy Lou, a female border collie. She defeated Toby the springer spaniel, Travis the cat and Higgins a miniature donkey.