WKDP – WCTT Local News

As outdoor winter temperatures drop and the risk for carbon monoxide poisoning increases, the Kentucky Department of Public Health (DPH) urges Kentuckians to be aware of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning due to improper use of heating or cooking devices.

Items such as kerosene and propane gas stoves and ovens have been used as alternative heat sources indoors, sometimes with tragic results. 

According to the DPH, there were 206 emergency room visits in KY in 2010 related to carbon monoxide exposures.

DPH advises Kentuckians to follow the following steps to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning:

-          Install a battery-operated carbon monoxide detector in your home and replace the battery each spring and fall.

-          Don’t use gasoline or charcoal-burning devices inside your home, basement or garage or outside near a window.

-          Don’t run a car or truck inside a garage attached to your home, even with the door open.

-          Don’t use a fireplace that isn’t properly vented.

-          Carefully follow manufacturers’ instructions for kerosene heaters.

For more information about carbon monoxide poisoning, visit the Centers for Disease Control website at www.cdc.gov.

Agriculture Commissioner James Comer has formally requested an audit of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture to examine the previous administration.

Comer said that employees have come forward with several potentially troubling allegations involving the administration of his predecessor, Richie Farmer.

Some issues of concern include time sheets, travel vouchers and state credit card purchases. 

Comer met with Auditor of Public Accounts Adam Edelen this week to discuss the details of the examination, which he hopes can be completed within 60 days.

The Auditor’s office plans to report the examination’s findings and recommendations as it is complete.

The rare gold coin that was dropped into a Salvation Army kettle last month in northern Kentucky sold $2,001 this week at auction.

The Herald-Leader reports the successful bidder is from eastern Kentucky, but wishes to remain anonymous.

The 131-year-old coin was dropped into a bell-ringer’s bucket outside the Cynthiana Wal-Mart.

The proceeds from the auction will help people who need assistance with utility bills, food or prescription medication this winter.

Kentuckians binge drink more frequently than any other state in the U.S., according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control.

The CDC defines binge drinking as consuming four or more drinks for women and five or more drinks for men in one occasion.

In the report, the CDC analyzed data from a 2010 telephone survey on alcohol consumption where about 458,000 adults reported their drinking habits for the last 30 days.

While Wisconsin reported the highest percent of binge drinkers with 25.6 percent, Kentuckians reportedly binged most often, with 6 binges per month.

The researchers noted the actual amount of binge drinking may be higher because people tend to admit to drinking less than they actually do.

To view the entire report, visit the CDC’s website at www.cdc.gov.

A community forum about secondhand smoke is planned for  Williamsburg at 6 p.m. Thursday at Williamsburg City Hall.

Kathy Lay, a tobacco cessation specialist with the Whitley County Health Department told the Williamsburg City Council Monday that the goal of the forum is to have the community express their opinions on secondhand smoke.

While a ban on smoking has never been discussed before the council, Mayor Roddy Harrison told a local newspaper that he believes a vote on the issue is inevitable given recent bans in surrounding areas.

The forum comes as city officials in Somerset again consider a smoking ban.

Officials in Somerset passed the first reading of an ordinance this week that would ban smoking in public areas that are enclosed, including stores and restaurants.

Many businesses in the area have chosen to voluntarily go smoke-free, though several establishments that allow smoking indoors still remain.

Somerset City Council members told the Commonwealth Journal they have yet to decide how they will vote on the second reading of the ordinance, which they expect to include lots of discussion and changes to the proposal.

Gov. Steve Beshear Tuesday recognized the sacrifice of a Kentucky soldier who died while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

According to the Department of Defense, Pfc. Dustin P. Napier, 20, of London, KY, died Sunday in Afghanistan of injuries sustained from enemy small-arms fire.  He was assigned to the 1^st Battalion, 24^th Infantry Regiment of the Stryker Brigade at Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

Napier graduated from South Laurel High School in 2010.  He joined the army that July and arrived at Fort Wainwright in November.  He deployed to Afghanistan last April for a one year tour of duty. 

Friends and family of Napier have set up a memorial page on Facebook and are planning a memorial service this Saturday at South Laurel High School.

The Governor will order that flags at all state office buildings be lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset on the day of Napier’s interment for which arrangements are still pending.

Sheriff’s deputies in Laurel County were dispatched to a shoplifter complaint at the London Wal-Mart Tuesday afternoon where two women were detained for shoplifting.

During their investigation, deputies discovered a large amount of items that had been stolen from Belk’s in Corbin, including clothing, bed linens and draperies valued at more than $500.

Arrested were 23-year-old Sarah Daniels and 22-year-old Rindy Flannery, both of Middlesboro.

The two were lodged in the Laurel County jail.

Another fire burned through a Pulaski County business early Wednesday morning.

The blaze broke out around 1:30 a.m. at Barron Pallets Incorporated on Old Cuba Road just off US 27.

There is no word on the cause of the fire, but the business sits just four miles away fom the East Anderson Lumber Company, the site of two suspicious fires in recent weeks.