Kentucky News Now – January 27th 2014

KENTUCKY-COLD WEATHER

Ky. residents brace for below freezing temps

JACKSON, Ky. (AP) — Weather officials are urging residents to prepare for an arctic blast expected to affect most of Kentucky this week.

Temperatures were expected to start dropping Sunday night, and forecasters predicted some parts of the state could see wind chills down to 15 below over the next three days. They say most of the state should see lows near or slightly below zero till Thursday, when temperatures are expected to be in the low teens.

Meteorologist Chuck Greif with the National Weather Service in Jackson says residents should wrap exposed pipes and make sure pets and livestock are cared for.

Greif says there will be some precipitation in parts of the state, but little accumulation is expected.

MANSION'S BICENTENNIAL

200th anniversary planned for historic mansion

(Information in the following story is from: The Winchester (Ky.) Sun, http://www.centralkynews.com/winchestersun)

WINCHESTER, Ky. (AP) — The Winchester-Clark County Heritage Commission is making plans to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the historic James Clark mansion.

Heritage Commission representative Debbie Barnes told the Winchester Sun that festivities will begin Feb. 14 with an art show.

Other celebrations will be planned for the summer and fall.

Barnes said tentative plans have been made to open the house, also known as Holly Rood, during the Daniel Boone Pioneer Festival Labor Day weekend. Barnes said she hopes to have guides in period costume sharing the history of the house with visitors.

CORRECTIONS OFFICERS-PAY

Group of corrections officers lobbies for pay hike

(Information in the following story is from: The Paducah Sun, http://www.paducahsun.com)

PADUCAH, Ky. (AP) — A group of current and retired corrections officers are planning to lobby state lawmakers during the current legislative session for a pay raise.

The Paducah Sun reports officers from the Kentucky State Penitentiary in Eddyville and the Western Kentucky Correctional Complex in Fredonia met last week to discuss the campaign, which will include letters and phone calls.

Larry Bland, who is president of the Lake Barkley Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, said the effort is necessary to retain staff and ensure the workforce is highly trained and competent.

He says Kentucky ranks 49th in the nation in median hourly wages for correctional officers.

HOPE APP

Hope: There's an app for that

MOREHEAD, Ky. (AP) — Some mobile apps are used for entertainment, created by developers looking to make their mark with the next great trend. For three Morehead men, their app will give hope for brain cancer patients.

When Lowell Thompson's sister, Teresa Mason, was suddenly diagnosed with the most rare and deadliest form of brain cancer, he knew their time together was limited.

With a wide support group behind her, Lowell and his friends, Wesley Mason and David Boarman, collaborated to try to help Mason hang onto her brain function as long as possible.

And so, SeeWord was conceived.

Boarman said Wesley had graphic and web design contacts in Los Angeles that agreed to help with coding overall design of the game and within a few months, the group had created a word game available to anyone in the world for free plays and downloads.