FUNERAL SERVICES TODAY FOR MURDER VICTIMS
Today the gymnasium at Trigg County High School has been transformed from a place for competition and fun, to a place for a very serious ceremony. Funeral services are being held for three youngsters who met a violent end. Services are being held for 14-year-old Kortney Mcburney-Frensley, 17-year-old Kayla Williams and five-year-old Ethan Frensley. The three were murdered, their mother assaulted and raped and their Trigg County home set on fire. Kevin Dunlap is in custody charged with the crimes.

GRAND JURY WILL REVIEW DEBATE RECORDER INCIDENT
A western Kentucky grand jury will meet after the election to review Republican claims that Democrat Bruce Lunsford's Senate campaign tampered with a GOP digital recorder. Assistant Marshall County Attorney Jason Darnall said the case will go before the panel on Nov. 7 - three days after next week's Senate election pitting Lunsford against Republican incumbent Mitch McConnell. The tape recorder incident flared after the race's final debate last Thursday. A National Republican Senatorial Committee staffer filed a complaint later that day claiming the recorder he placed on Lunsford's podium was taken and the contents were erased. McConnell's campaign enlisted the sheriff's help to get the recorder back a short time after the debate... In another development Tuesday, McConnell called for the resignation of Republican Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska after a day of back-and-forth statements with Lunsford's campaign. Lunsford and his campaign had chided McConnell for not pushing for Stevens' ouster.

MCCONNELL AND CHAO IN MURRAY
Senator McConnell and his wife, Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao campaigned in Murray yesterday. While speaking to supporters, McConnell touted his work on behalf of Calloway County, including $117,500 for the Murray Police Department to purchase communication equipment. He also highlighted his work to bring home $2 million for the Murray-Calloway Industrial Park and $550,000 for the Murray State University/Breathitt Veterinary Center Plant and Animal Health Monitoring Research. McConnell also mentioned his work to secure a buyout for Kentucky's tobacco farmers, meaning that tobacco growers. McConnell said quota holders in Calloway County will receive nearly $43 million over the length of the buyout.

TIGER BAND READY FOR STATE
The Murray High School Tiger Band were named West Regional Competition Class 1A  Champions this past Saturday in Princeton,  Ky., after competing against 13 other regional bands.  The band also received a 87.21 distinguished score. The band advances to the Class 1A State Marching Band semi finals in Louisville this Saturday at Butler Traditional High School along with 15 other semifinalists.   The top four scoring bands in semi finals will compete in the final competition that evening at Papa Johns' Stadium. 

MARSHALL SHERIFF'S AUDIT IS GOOD
State Auditor Crit Luallen today released the routine audit of the 2007 financial statement of the Marshall County Sheriff, Kevin Byars. The audit found that the Sheriff’s financial statement presents fairly the revenues, expenditures, and excess fees of the Marshall County Sheriff in conformity with the regulatory basis of accounting. The Auditor noted no instances of noncompliance and also noted no matters involving internal control over financial reporting and its operation that were considered to be material weaknesses.

FULTON SHERIFF'S AUDIT NOT AS GOOD
State Auditor Crit Luallen was not as kind to Fulton County Sheriff, Robert Hopper. The audit found that the Sheriff’s financial statement fairly presents the taxes charged, credited and paid, for the period April 19, 2006 through April 30, 2007, in conformity with the modified cash basis of accounting. However, the audit found the Sheriff’s office lacks adequate segregation of duties, as the Sheriff’s deputy responsible for preparing the daily checkout sheet also collects money and prepares the daily deposit, and the Sheriff’s bookkeeper also collects money. The audit made rocommendations to address those issues. The Sheriff said that due to the size of the county, two employees are all they can employ. The Sheriff’s responsibilities include collecting property taxes, providing law enforcement and performing services for the county fiscal court and courts of justice. The Sheriff’s office is funded through statutory commissions and fees collected in conjunction with these duties.

DEATH ROW INMATE READY TO DIE
A Kentucky inmate who has pushed to be put to death for killing two children said Tuesday he's mentally prepared to die but fears a legal fight could delay his execution. Defense attorneys this week asked the state Supreme Court to stay the execution for Marco Allen Chapmen, set for Nov. 21. Even though Chapman dismissed his lawyers in 2004 before pleading guilty to murder, public defenders have continued to file motions on his behalf, questioning his competency Chapman said wants to be executed for murdering 6-year-old Cody Sharon and 7-year-old Chelbi Sharon in the northern Kentucky town of Warsaw in August 2002. The Kentucky Attorney General's office asked the state's high court on Tuesday to call off any more competency tests and allow Chapman to be executed.

O'NEILL NOT IN FAVOR OF STIMULUS
President Bush's first treasury secretary says Congress should scrap plans for a new economic stimulus package and instead require that no future home mortgage be awarded without a 20 percent down payment. Paul O'Neill said Tuesday it doesn't surprise him that neither presidential candidate has endorsed his position, but he insisted it is the best way to quickly improve the nation's economic footing. O'Neill, who hasn't endorsed a candidate in the race and says he wouldn't be interested in serving in either administration, made a personal pitch last month to Democratic nominee Barack Obama concerning his idea to mandate down payments. He declined to characterize Obama's response. O'Neill served as treasury secretary for the first two years of Bush's presidency, including leading the financial response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

AG'S SUED BY GENERAL TOBACCO
A North Carolina tobacco company has sued 52 attorneys general and 19 other tobacco makers, accusing them of conspiring to quash competition through the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement. General Tobacco, the sixth-largest tobacco company in the U.S., asked for more than $1 billion in damages. It also asked the court to stop states from penalizing the company for not making payments while the lawsuit is pending in U.S. District Court in Louisville. The company argues that the Master Settlement Agreement between tobacco companies and states is more expensive for new entrants to the industry. The 1998 agreement requires tobacco manufacturers who signed on to make annual payments to the states, partly to pay for billions of dollars in health care costs related to treating tobacco-related diseases under state Medicaid programs.

ALL INVITED TO ELECTION RESULTS PARTY
An election results viewing party will be held in Thoroughbrewed Café in Hart Residential College beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Hosted by Murray State University through the initiative of the Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Activity, the Center for Service Learning and Civic Engagement, and Racer Hospitality Food Services, this event is free and open to the public. Participants will enjoy live news coverage in Thoroughbrewed Café.  As part of the festivities, individuals will be encouraged to make use of the laptops provided for accessing the survey known as Campus Votes Challenge. Campus Votes Challenge is a friendly competition among colleges to determine which schools have the highest rate of student voter turnout this November.

CALVERT WOMAN JAILED FOR FALSE CLAIM
A Calvert city woman is in jail on felony charges after tampering with an insurance letter. Nikki Acuff came to the Marshall County Attorney's Office and presented what she said to be proof that her insurance was in effect. She had recently been cited for no insurance. The County Attorney's office was suspicious of the letter, and after an investigation it was determined that the letter was phony. Acuff was charged with tampering with physical evidence.

PAUPER BURIAL ISSUE IN PADUCAH
The City of Paducah and McCracken County usually split the average $1,000.00 price tag for pauper burials.  During a recent budget review, the city decided to cut funding for the program.  A letter from Paducah's City Manager to the county explains why the city will no longer pay half of the cost.  The letter cites a Kentucky state law which says the financial responsibility for pauper burials falls to the county coroner and the fiscal court.  The county is seeing more burials this year than in past years.  26 in 2006, 20 in 2007 and 46 so far in 2008. 

ACROSS KENTUCKY
The Better Government Association's annual survey of integrity in state government ranks Kentucky 28th.  The BGA survey grades states in areas like whistleblower laws, campaign finance laws and conflict of interest laws.

Secretary of State Trey Grayson says he predicts as 70 percent of Kentucky's registered voters will vote. Grayson says this could cause long lines at polling places. He says how fast the lines move will depend on the polling place, the voting system their using and the number of available machines. He has authorized some additional poll workers to help keep the process moving.

St. Elizabeth Medical Center and St. Luke Hospitals are merging. Together the group has five hospitals with 46-hundred employees. Nky.com reports the combined groups already have about 15 percent of the area medical market.

A team of three attorneys will study the State Police investigation into the Beverly Hills fire and other information to come up with a recommendation for the governor on whether he should re-open the investigation into the tragedy. The 1977 fire took 165 lives at the Beverly Hills Supper Club. The governor has named Cecil Dunn who was the special prosecutor in the Beverly Hills case to lead the review team.

Kentucky State Police and local authorities are continuing their harvest. Operation Fall Harvest is a drug sweep of a number of counties in the Frankfort KSP post operation area. Police have warrants for 48 people by the end of the day yesterday more than thirty were in custody..

Barbara Slatter was fatally injured in an accident outside her Lexington home. She was pinned between a concrete porch and her car door, after she got out of the car and apparently didn't put it in park. She's the wife of Leon Slatter, pastor of the Cadentown Baptist Church.

A man wearing a Halloween mask held up a northern Kentucky bank. A gunman wearing a skeleton masked is on the loose after robbing the Central Bank in Fort Mitchell. There were no injuries. The robber escaped with an undisclosed amount of money.