CRESTVIEW HILLS — Thomas More College has announced a $500,000 grant from the James Graham Brown Foundation.

        The money will be used for classroom renovation, creation of a language lab and addition of a computer resource classroom.

        Remaining items in the Lifelong Learning Initiative will cost $1.75 million.

        The foundation, in Louisville, has been a significant supporter of the Roman Catholic college for more than 20 years.
       

Officers serving warrant
shoot man to death

               LOUISVILLE — A 23-year-old man shot by police after a chase in southwest Jefferson County died of gunshot wounds, a coroner said.

        Michael James Crain of Louisville died from gunshot wounds about 7:04 p.m. Friday at the University of Louisville Hospital, Jefferson County deputy coroner Jeff Moody said.

        Mr. Moody, who conducted an autopsy Saturday on Mr. Crain, wouldn't say how many gunshot wounds he had sustained, but said one was to the head.

        Officer Robert Biven, Jefferson County police spokesman, said police had been looking for Mr. Crain since Nov. 27 so they could question him in connection with a homicide. He also was wanted on outstanding felony warrants, Officer Biven said.

        When the officers tried to serve him a warrant about 3:30 p.m. Friday, he fled on foot. The chase continued for about five blocks when Mr. Crain turned, waved a handgun and threatened the eight officers in pursuit. Four of the officers then fired their guns, Officer Biven said.

        The four — Sgts. Steven Green and Leon Jones Jr. and Officers William Thornsberry and Anthony Crush — were placed on routine administrative leave, Biven said.
       

Group on a drive
to preserve parkways

               LOUISVILLE — A nonprofit group is launching a plan to preserve Louisville's nearly century-old parkways, which were designed by noted landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.

        Mr. Olmsted, who designed New York's Central Park, laid out the parkways in the late 19th century. He meant for them literally to be parks, and for a time they were, with residents strolling down the tree-lined streets as children played in grassy areas along the roadway.

        Today, some expanses of parkway green space have been lost to road widening or turned into parking areas for churches, businesses and homes.

        The Louisville Olmsted Parks Conservancy, formed with the help of the city in 1989, has made about $10 million in improvements in three of the city's 16 Olmsted parks.

        The challenges to preserve the rest of them are numerous.

        The parkways — Eastern, Southern, Cherokee, Southwestern, Northwestern and Algonquin — cover 14.5 miles and run through 23 neighborhoods and 11 of the city's 12 aldermanic wards. In addition, nine government agencies and three utility companies either do work on the parkways or make decisions that affect them.
       

Assistant principal
killed by train

               FRANKLIN — The assistant principal and athletic director at Franklin-Simpson High School died Sunday morning when a CSX freight train collided with his pickup in Simpson County, authorities said.

        William “Bill” Murphree, 46, of Franklin was driving his 13-year-old daughter, Katie, to a school function when the crash occurred about 9:17 a.m. CST, Deputy Coroner Gary Crafton said.

        Mr. Murphree's truck skidded on ice and onto the tracks at the gated crossing on Peden Mill Road, Mr. Crafton said. Mr. Murphree apparently put the truck in reverse, but could not back the truck off the tracks, Mr. Crafton said.

        Mr. Murphree pushed his daughter to safety and got out of the truck himself. But when the train hit the truck on the driver's side, the truck's back end whipped around and hit Mr. Murphree, Mr. Crafton said.

        He was flown to The Medical Center in Franklin where he was pronounced dead about 10:50 a.m. CST, Mr. Crafton said.

        His daughter was not injured, he said.

        Funeral arrangements were incomplete.
       

Va. wants two men
on murder charge

               WILLIAMSBURG — Virginia officials are trying to extradite two men from Kentucky to face murder charges in the stabbing of a gun-store employee in Bristol.

        Dennis Bryan and David Baumann, both from suburban Detroit, were arrested Nov. 22 in Williamsburg on charges of robbing a Super 8 Motel.

        Police say the two former pizzeria workers began a crime spree in August that covered 37 states and included a score of robberies and at least two killings in Virginia and Florida.

        Prosecutors in Bristol sent a request to the Virginia governor's office Friday asking that the two men be extradited to stand trial for the killing there.

        If convicted, the two could face the death penalty.

        From the Virginia governor's office, the request will go to Kentucky Gov. Paul Patton, who could grant the request.

        In Williamsburg, police found Mr. Baumann, 20, sitting in the front seat of a car with a gun and nearly $300 in stolen money in his lap. Police arrested Mr. Bryan inside a restaurant.

        In the car, police said they found 13 guns, clothing, masks, fake identification cards, stolen license plates and four knives.
       

Pay issue in search
for new UK president

               FRANKFORT — A president that could catapult the University of Kentucky onto the list of the nation's top 20 public universities may need a higher salary than the state law allows to do it.

        By law, the base pay of public university presidents in Kentucky must be lower than the pay to the president of the Council on Postsecondary Education, the state's coordinating agency for higher education.

        That man, President Gordon Davies will earn $284,650 this year. UK President Charles T. Wethington, who is stepping down in June, earns $241,000 in base pay.

        Billy Joe Miles, chairman of UK's board of trustees, said he thinks the next UK president will have to be paid more than Mr. Davies because the new president will be charged with making UK a top-20 public research university and helping improve the state's economy.

        Although pay for some public research university presidents is well below Dr. Wethington's, the going rate for newly hired presidents at such schools hovers near $300,000.

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