DELAY GRANTED IN COOPER CASE
Special prosecutor G.L. Ovey was granted additional time to review the case against Murray police officer John "Andy" Cooper. Ovey appeared Monday before Calloway Circuit Judge Dennis Foust who set a pretrial conference for December 19. Cooper is charged with reckless homicide stemming from a March 18 wreck that killed Ray Walker of Murray. The police car struck Walker's car whild Cooper drove west on Main Street responding to what turned out to be a false alarm. Rick Lamkin represents the Walker estate and filed an Open Records request seeking video, the wreck report and the "black box" recordings. State Police denied those requests, and the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office upheld the police denial, citing that the case is pending against Cooper. Lamkin has not ruled out suing to try to force the state police to release the records.

ACCUSED HIT AND RUN DRIVER TURNS HIMSELF IN
One person has been arrested after three occupants of a car left the scene of a three vehicle accident in Calloway county Friday night. Yesterday afternoon, 31-year old William J. Spann of Murray turned himself into Trooper Trey Green at the Calloway County Jail. According to State Police, Spann admitted to being the operator of the vehicle causing the accident Friday night on 641 near Green Plains Church Road. Police said the driver of the SUV was traveling south when it tried to pass a car driven by Lawrence Murray of Hazel, who was also traveling south. While passing Murray, the SUV hit another car head-on, which was traveling north causing the SUV to overturn several times before landing on its side, just off the road. All occupants of the vehicle left the scene before state police arrived. Spann was charged with Leaving the Scene of an Accident, Possession of an Open Alcoholic Beverage in a Motor Vehicle, Failure of Owner to Maintain Required Insurance and 3 counts of felony Wanton Endangerment.

GARLANDS PLEAD NOT GUILTY AT ARRAIGNMENT
Calloway County Coroner Mike Garland and his wife, Michelle, were arraigned in Calloway County Circuit Court yesterday and pleaded not guilty during a court appearance that lasted less than a minute. Mike Garland was indicted on eight drug and firearm charges. Michelle Garland faces two drug and firearm charges. The Garlands are scheduled to appear in court for a pretrial conference on January 16.

CONWAY INVESTIGATING PENDLETON EMPLOYMENT BY MSU
According to the Lexington Herald Leader, Attorney General Jack Conway has declined to release records about State Senator Joey Pendleton's employment record at Murray State University, citing an "open investigation." Conway revealed the investigation, which relates to the employment documents of Pendleton, in a letter to State Republican Party Chairman Steve Robertson on Nov. 5, the day after Pendleton was re-elected to the Senate. Robertson is accusing Conway of "a political cover-up." Allison Martin, a spokeswoman for Conway, said the attorney general has handled open records requests from Robertson about Pendleton "according to protocol." In late October, Robertson asked Conway to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate allegations that Pendleton got unauthorized pay from the university while in Frankfort on legislative business. Pendleton was the projects manager of Murray State's farm operations from July 1998 until June 30 and reportedly lost his job because of budget cuts. Conway denied Robertson's open records request. On Oct. 30, Robertson asked Conway for records showing that Conway had referred the Pendleton matter to another investigative or law-enforcement agency. Conway again denied Robertson's request on Nov. 5, saying "the records you have requested relate to an open investigation that involves this office."

VETERANS DAY CEREMONIES TODAY IN MURRAY
American Legion Post 73 will conduct a ceremony to honor all Veterans for their service to our country on Veteran's Day. The ceremonies begin at 10:30am today at the American Legion Veterans Hall at 310 Bee Creek Drive. Free chili and hot dogs will be served from 11:15am-12:30pm, and the On The Road With Joe Pat James show will broadcast live at a special time of 11:30 this morning on 1340 WNBS. All veterans and the public are invited to attend. To find out more, call 759-9838. Also today, Murray will host the annual Veteran's Day Parade, organized by Veteran's of Foreign Wars, on Main Street beginning at 3:30 p.m., with a ceremony on the Court House lawn.

HERNDON RECEIVES PLATE
During ceremonies at the ROTC Headquarters at Murray State University, Donna Herndon accepted the Gold Star Mother license plate from Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Les Beavers, commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs on behalf of her son. Cadet Roger Herndon died in an airplane crash while training at the U.S. Military Academy. Roger Herndon died on Aug. 2, 1991. The family donated his West Point ring back to the school where it now rests alongside the rings of President Dwight D. Eisenhower and retired Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf. Since the inception of the Gold Star Mother license plate in 2006, Kentucky has presented more than 40 personalized plates to mothers of fallen soldiers.

MCCH BLOOD SHORTAGE
The Murray-Calloway County Hospital Blood Donor Center announced yesterday that there is a shortage of A-negative, A-positive, and O-negative blood.  They are asking area residents to stop by the Blood Donor Center, or call to make an appointment, to give these much-needed blood types.  A blood donor must be at least 18 years of age (or 17 with parental consent), be in good health, weigh at least 110 pounds, and pass the brief physical and health history exams given prior to donation. The need for A-negative, A-positive, and O-negative blood is critical.  If you are unable to stop by the Donor Center, the next Blood Drive in the community will be Wednesday from 5:30 to 8:30 at First Baptist Church in Murray. To make an appointment to donate blood, or to find out where the next blood drive will be, contact the MCCH Blood Donor Center at 762-1119. 

DEBERRY PLEADS NOT GUILTY IN DOG CASE
Joanal DeBerry of Hickory, who is believed to be involved in a dog fighting ring, pleaded not guilty Monday to 30 counts of animal cruelty. Almost 70 dogs were seized from DeBerry’s home and another property last week with signs of mutilation typical of fighting dogs. A preliminary hearing is set for next week in Graves District Court.

GRAVES CHEERLEADERS ADVANCE
The Graves County High School Co-ed Cheerleaders won the Universal Cheerleading Association's Bluegrass Regionals this past weekend in Lexington. The competition is one of several regionals held across the country that qualify teams to compete at the UCA National High School Championships in February in Orlando, Fla. Graves County beat out teams from Bowling Green, Ky., and Plymouth-Salem High School from Canton, Mich.

WALL PLEADS GUILTY IN BANK FRAUD CASE
A West Tennessee man has pleaded guilty to bank fraud and other charges involving loans obtained from a Kentucky bank and the Tennessee Valley Authority. Prosecutors said Monday that 66-year-old Neal Gordon Wall of Newbern, Tennessee obtained a $500,000 loan from the TVA five years ago and a $5 million loan from Citizens Bank of Hickman a couple of months earlier. The loans restricted the use of the proceeds to expenditures related to the operation of a textile plant that Wall and co-defendant Lloyd Aaron Smith opened in Hickman, but some of the proceeds were allegedly used for unrelated businesses. Wall pleaded guilty to bank fraud, mail fraud and money laundering charges and is to be sentenced Feburary 11 in federal court in Paducah.

HELP FOR DISPLACED CADIZ WORKERS
Kentucky Education and Workforce Development are going to offering assistance the dislocated employees of Johnson Controls in Cadiz. Officials announced the West Kentucky Workforce Investment Board will receive $840,000 in Workforce Investment Act Rapid Response funds. They plan to provide dislocated workers a transition service center that will offer services and information needed to succeed in a fast-changing labor market.

ACROSS KENTUCKY
There are numerous events in Kentucky today to observe Veterans Day. Some people will gather at the Vietnam Memorial in Frankfort. There is a special observance at the Kentucky Veterans Cemetery North in Williamstown and the National Military Cemetery at Camp Nelson. There are many less formal events, like a free lunch for veterans at the Walton Senior Center.

Kentucky State Police report they have recovered a truck that belonged to James Duckett. The 43-year-old Duckett was found murdered on Monday in his Shelby County home and his truck was missing. Investigators are not saying where they found the truck or if that leads them to suspects.

Three Shell service stations have been robbed in Lexington in the past three days. The latest robbery was early this morning and it was the most violent. WLEX TV reports the robber demanded money, then when the clerk hesitated, the robber fired several shots into the floor. There were no injuries. Police say there are similarities in the three robberies but they don't know if they are related.

Zappos.com is cutting jobs in Bullitt County. The online shoe retailer is cutting 16 jobs at its distribution center in Shepherdsville. Zappo's employs more than 700 workers in Kentucky.

Toyota is building its new Venza at the Georgetown plant. Roll off ceremonies were held at the sprawling Scott County plant Monday. Toyota officials say the vehicle is a cross between a passenger car and small SUV. It will be built exclusively at the Georgetown Plant. The plant is capable of building tens of thousands of Venzas a year.
Kentucky State Police report more than twenty people lost their lives on Kentucky roadways last week. According to the KSP 22 people died in 19 separate crashes. The weekly report indicates twenty-one of the fatalities involved motor vehicles and one pedestrian was fatally injured.

Using a special process, workers will neutralize 157 gallons of the deadly nerve agent sarin by March. The Army discovered the gas leaking from canisters inside special igloos at the Blue Grass Army Depot back in 2007. The canisters were secured to pose no danger to the community, but now they will be neutralized using a special chemical process. Plans are underway to eventually destroy the tons of chemical weapons stored at the depot in Madison County.