Police seek identity of man hit by train

        ELSMERE — Police are trying to identify a young man hit by a train Tuesday morning in this Northern Kentucky city.

        A Norfolk Southern train heading northbound hit a man in his late teens or early 20s at 9:48 a.m. near the New Buffington Road in Elsmere.

        Police said the man appeared to be sleeping between the tracks when the train whistle blew and woke him up. The man staggered right into the path of the train, police said, and the force knocked him off the track.

        Police said the man was wearing jeans and a red jacket but did not have any identification on his body.
       

Deadline near to buy Erlanger library bricks

        ERLANGER — Residents have until June 1 to purchase commemorative bricks and pavers at the new Erlanger branch library.

        Bricks and pavers will be placed in the Erlanger branch library's new reading garden, a spot for reflection, meditation and reading. The Kenton County Public Library is making lasting tributes available for anyone who wants to remember a loved one, celebrate a special occasion or show their support for the library.

        Commemorative bricks are $25 and offer three lines of text. Granite pavers are $150 and offer up to six lines of text. Purchase of a brick or paver is tax deductible. Order forms are available on the library's Web site at www.kenton.lib.ky.us or by calling (859) 491-7610.
       

Educators, parents sought for audit team

        FRANKFORT — The Kentucky Department of Education is seeking active or retired teachers, administrators, university faculty and parents to be members of scholastic audit teams.

        Audits are part of the state's mandated assistance for lagging schools. An audit team conducts a comprehensive review of a school's learning environment, organizational efficiency and student academic performance.

        Results help determine what is needed to improve student academic performance in schools that score poorly on state tests. Nearly 50 schools were audited during the state's most recent accountability testing cycle.

        Participants will undergo training through the department. Each team member receives a daily stipend of $150 during training and $300 during the audit process, a department statement said.

        Applications are available by calling the Office of Leadership and School Improvement at (502) 564-2116. The application deadline is May 29.
       

Kentucky man escapes drowning; friend dies

        PETERSBURGH, N.Y. — A man hunting turkeys apparently drowned Tuesday in a river swollen by heavy recent rains, authorities said.

        William Peace, 34, of Deerfield, N.H., died after his canoe overturned in the Little Hoosick River at 7 a.m. Another man, Benedict Bryan, 37, of New Haven, Ky., made it to shore, but Mr. Peace was swept away in the quick-moving river, Rensselaer County sheriff's deputies said.

        His body was recovered downriver.

        Steady rain throughout the state for the last few days has caused several creeks and rivers to crest or overflow, the National Weather Service said.
       

Well-known bookmaker dies at 98 in Lexington

        LEXINGTON — Ed Curd, credited with developing point-spread betting as it's known today, died Sunday at his Lexington home. He was 98.

        In his heyday, Mr. Curd was known throughout the United States for his bookmaking. He was famous in the 1940s for his Mayfair Bar on East Main Street, where an upstairs phone room handled high rollers from across the country.

        His specialty was sports betting, but he also had been involved in betting on elections.

        “I think he would gamble on about anything that came along,” said Kilbern Cormney, owner of Lexington's Campbell House Inn and a friend since 1932.

Five more file suits claiming priest abuse

        LOUISVILLE — The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville was sued Tuesday by five more people claiming they were sexually abused as youths by priests and that the church concealed the misconduct.

        The latest plaintiffs include four men and one woman. The filings bring to 54 the total lawsuits against the archdiocese since April 19.

        Two of the newest plaintiffs claim they were sexually abused by the Rev. Louis E. Miller. Two others say they were molested by the Rev. Daniel C. Clark.

        The other plaintiff accuses the Rev. Arthur L. Wood.

        The priests are not named as defendants in the suits, filed in Jefferson Circuit Court.

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