Here’s more on the illegal towing shenanigans going down in Louisville with Dave’s Towing. All kinds of nastiness. Someone needs to file lawsuits and complaints with the Office of the Attorney General! [The ‘Ville Voice]

Don’t miss all the terrifying shenanigans involving the Hotel night club at Louisville’s Fourth Street Live! on New Year’s Eve. Cordish Group is trying to cover up a terrible situation and the LMPD has filled us in with more details. Cluster you-know-what, ladies. Total cluster. Not the least of which is Cordish Group employees impersonating patrons. [Total Nightmare]

Jaison Gardner at the University of Louisville takes a look back at the year that was 2008. [C-J]

Yes, it IS time to bring back the consumer czar. [Consumerist]

Ruh ro! Roland Burris is crazier than Rod Blagojevich! Looks like old Rollie may have had his business partner help Patti Blagojevich land her latest job. [Huffington Post here & here]

Some stories you may have missed over the holiday:

A hypocrite of a Democratic member of the State House is alleged to have knocked a young girl up and tried to get her an abortion. [Page One]

Newly elected State Representative Kelly Flood killed her political career before ever taking office. [Page One]

The State House leadership races have turned into a clusterfuck of epic proportions and Mary Karen Stumbo is adding fuel to the fire. [Page One]

And more on why Greg Stumbo just isn’t fit for office, let alone leadership in the State House. [Page One]

We hear through the gayvine that Amy Mischler has faxed every member of the State House urging them not to support Greg Stumbo. She’s apparently including copies of her lawsuit. Should be an interesting couple days in Frankfort. [Emailed Tip]

Oh, wait! Here’s the first of the 49 pages she faxed to legislators:

Dear House of Representatives Members,

My name is Amy Mischler. If you only listen and read from individuals who have money and political influence; then throw this away. I have neither. But if you value the integrity of this Commonwealth you will take the time to read this.

I am strongly encouraging you not to vote for Greg Stumbo tomorrow. Attached to this fax you will read an ongoing lawsuit against Mr. Stumbo by me. As attorney general Greg Stumbo abused his political office to benefit his campaign contributors and political allies. Further, he even covered up criminal acts by these same people.

Yes, I am the same individual who filed for Mr. Stumbo’s and Howard Keith Hall’s impeachment with the House. I outlined the criminal acts by Mr. Hall which Mr. Stumbo used the OAG’s office to cover up. Unfortunately, former Representative Kathy Stein decided to play old boy politics and refused to give copies of the impeachment petition to her committee. You can even go into the legislative history and find that there is no legislative record that I even filed the petition with the House of Representatives.

Read the rest after the jump…

[Read more →]

Is this really the image of Kentucky we want New York Times readers to have?

On Saturday, the paper did a lengthy story about Tom Riner’s efforts to incorporate his religious beliefs into everything he does in state politics.

Tom Riner looks for God everywhere, and in places he does not find him, he tries to put him there.

For more than 30 years, Mr. Riner’s singular devotion has been to inject God into the public arena. It has guided him as he preached the Bible in the countryside of Nicaragua and Jamaica. And it steers him as he proselytizes the formerly homeless and drug-addicted people who live with him at his ramshackle church in one of the poorest sections of this city.

But this unrelenting mission has also frequently taken Mr. Riner and the Kentucky legislature, where he has been a Democratic representative for 26 years, across the constitutional barrier between church and state.

Not surprisingly, his efforts have cost the Commonwealth of Kentucky a ton of money in legal fees over goofy issues. Issues like requiring state law to acknowledge God’s role in protecting us.

Next up, Riner will turn his family of eleventy billion children into an army that will eat every small child in his gerrymandered House district. Then his wife will rig another legislative district election, in a van, with a bunch of white people who probably aren’t even from her district.

Here’s Obama’s weekly address from Saturday:

Yeah, Joe, Democrats are still mum on who will run for the United States Senate against Jim Bunning in 2010. But it’s only January 5. We expect Attorney General Jack Conway to announce his candidacy later in the month.

Crit won’t do it– she always postures. Abramson won’t do it because he can’t. Paul Patton can’t keep it in his pants, so he won’t do it. Daniel Mongiardo’s staff has all abandoned him, so that’s up in the air. It’s doubtful that he’d primary Conway. Ben Chandler won’t do it because he’s in a super-sweet spot… and the DSCC doesn’t want him.

So stay tuned.

Some still don’t believe he’s going to run. We’ll take him at his word. But there are other Republicans waiting if Bunning rethinks his decision. Secretary of State Trey Grayson is most often mentioned, but there are other names floating out there, including U.S. Reps. Ed Whitfield, R-1st District, and Geoff Davis, R-4th District.

We’re with you, there. We don’t believe crazy Jim Bunning will run, either. And every Republican we speak to is trying to figure out a way to get him out of the race.  But Ed Whitfield?  Really?  Hahahaha.  And Geoff Davis?  Oh, we can’t contain the laughter.

And Trey Grayson? The only way he could win is against someone other than Jack Conway. We don’t expect him to take a stab at federal office until his daughters are a bit older, anyway.

Meanwhile, Marcus Carey is busy spinning out of control. Guess he has no short-term memory or he’d surely remember that Bunning has like zero cash on-hand and isn’t bothering to raise any.

UPDATE: Cordish Group is impersonating patrons in an attempt at damage control. Check out the comments section!

And why are people afraid to talk about it?

We received a report from an attendee of the New Year’s Eve party at Hotel night club at Louisville’s Fourth Street Live! complex that has us scratching our heads.

According to them, they were part of a stampede situation shortly after 1:30 A.M. (and for nearly a half-hour) in which people were trampled and some nearly suffocated. Allegedly more than 150 people were involved.

Entrance and exit doors were locked, there was only one way in, one way out. People were screaming that they couldn’t breathe, they were fainting, crying.

Our source says it was a problem of overcrowding, lack of security and zero staff helping the situation. Along with emergency exits that were not clearly marked– they were blocked by curtains.

Here’s what our source had to say about the situation:

I am happy to be alive and un-injured. But I was really shaken up.

It was horrible. Hardly what I imagined what my New Years Eve would look like.

We’re not sure how this has slipped by the local media and we’re not sure why no one will fill us in on what happened. We’re totally puzzled.

So, if you were at Hotel on New Year’s Eve or know someone who was there? Get in touch with us.

Hotel folks? Call us back. Give us an explanation.

P.S. Two people now tell us that the DJ for the evening announced a fire hazard that night, which alarmed the crowd of nearly 1,000.

UPDATE #2: According to LMPD spokesman Phil Russell, someone called LMPD from inside the club to complain about the overcrowded conditions at both Hotel and Angel’s Rock Bar.

A police supervisor was dispatched to the scene, and met with club management to discuss concerns about the crowd. Russell said that the club agreed to voluntarily shut down about 1:30 a.m.

So much for Cordish trying to cover this up!

Okay, so maybe those other 25 pages weren’t so boring after all.

All kinds of documents that provide additional information regarding the Catalano investigation. Incident reports from the Hinesville Police Department, investigation transcripts, and memoranda from the HPD’s Criminal Investigation Division. If you’re a geek like we are, you’ll get a kick out of these. But let’s be clear: not for the faint of heart.

Sent from Holland+Knight via FedEx on July 2, 2007, get a load of this giant PDF:

CLICK TO READ - PDF LINK

I’d like to point you to this comment I left yesterday about why Greg Stumbo is not fit for leadership:

Greg Stumbo is not fit for leadership. He’s so corrupt that it took a private citizen to spend over $15,000 on attorneys and legal feels to get the Office of the Attorney General to open an investigation re: Steve Henry.

And for the next year, Greg and his cronies (not the KSP folks or others in the OAG, but Greg and his personal friends) pressured me to destroy any evidence I had on Henry and tried to prevent me from speaking with investigators. And he still thinks he has what it takes to be in leadership after covering up corruption of a friend.

Further, on the night of the primary in May 2007, one of Stumbo’s cronies– a prominent political consultant in Kentucky and someone I consider a friend– tried to coerce me into shredding documents at Stumbo’s request. (No worries, I’d already handed everything over.)

I’m sure Greg’s gonna love it when this finally gets to court. And isn’t that just what the Commonwealth needs? A Speaker of the House who tries to muzzle a corruption investigation?  Yeah.  Just what we need.

Why is Jody Richards the right pick? What Diane says.

Goodness, ladies. This week is going to get interesting. Rumors of a certain governor’s chief of staff pulling people aside to tell them they’re “for” Greg Stumbo and really need him to win. Rumors of, well, they’re not rumors– but Stumbo’s people defecting and supporting Jody Richards. The fur will surely fly tomorrow in Frankfort.

And speaking of tomorrow, Greg Stumbo’s entire crew is out trying to defend him. From former employees to his annoying wife, they’re all leaving comments on the site. You’ll probably just roll your eyes, but maybe you’ll get lucky and laugh a little bit at the absurdity of Mary Karen constantly meddling. [Clicky Clicky]

References to my personal friendship with Diane Brumback aside, here’s what she has to say about Greg letting Mary Karen spout off uncontrollably: “Mary Karen Stumbo decided to leave a most disturbing comment. I honestly read and reread her comment wondering how a person even begins to think like she does. And equally disturbing is that Greg is OK with her spouting off whether it’s on weblogs or radio talkshows. People have told me that Greg “needs to muzzle her,” and “she will be his downfall,” and “Greg can’t control her but can’t do anything to stop her.” … Geez…. Mary Karen is a smart gal. She needs to figure this out on her own and realize the damage she is doing. … There was a time when I thought so highly of Mary Karen and Greg Stumbo; that no longer holds true. I find them both to be extremely self-serving. Mary Karen attacked me with a comment she left here on KY Women in the past and I was shocked.” [Kentucky Women]

Does anyone else laugh uncontrollably when Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell come together to preach unity? Haha. We can’t even deal. Those two. Hahaha. [Politico]

Are we crazy for liking this Republican tax plan, kinda? [H-L]

It’s kind of hilarious watching Republicans sit in denial about Mitch McConnell. Can’t be objective and avoid rushing to judgment for a Democrat, but they sure can for Mitch McConnell. [KY Progress]

For all of you Robert Felner aficionados, check this fancy Felner bio that just re-hit the web. Someone at the State Education Department at the University of the State of New York must have edited this page, triggering a fresh Google alert. [NYSED]

Governor Bill Richardson won’t be Commerce Secretary. He pulled his name from nomination yesterday. [NY Times]

What on earth are the governor and his handlers thinking? They’re still trying to push this budget mess without trying to work with the House at all. No calls made, no meetings, no effort. It’s a shame, really, to think these folks still believe bullying is the best way to do business. [C-J]

Sorry, no matter how much you try, you can’t tell us it’s not silly to limit Secret Service protection for former presidents to just 10 years! We need to change this law. It’s not right. Should be a lifetime thing. [McClatchy]

No, it’s not true that both candidates to be Speaker of the State House have traveled the state. Only Jody Richards has done so. Greg Stumbo gave up long ago while he and Mary Karen spent weeks upon weeks in Florida on his fancy new boat. Even his friends like Jerry Lundergan have stopped helping push him toward a position of leadership and are openly backing other candidates.

And this?

And it’s only gotten more intense in the final days. For instance, incoming Democratic freshman Rep. Kelly Flood of Lexington, was criticized last week on one political blog** for outwardly backing Stumbo.

Flood, one of the rare lawmakers to publicly pick a side, said she decided to announce her pick to her colleagues because “I chose to start my legislative career by moving in as straightforward and transparent a way as possible.”

What Kelly Flood, the new hypocrite in the State House who has killed her career early neglected to say? She neglected to say that she had guaranteed her support to Jody Richards, Joni Jenkins and the rest of that slate and said she couldn’t go back on her word because she’s a minister. Then– you guessed it– she went back on her word. She’s allegedly now telling legislators that she can’t go back on her new promise to support Stumbo and homophobic woman-hater Bob Damron because she gave them her word as a minister.

More on the Kelly Flood front: Keep your eyes on her. No one from the Stumbo side or the Richards side trust her at this point. Prominent supporters of hers are asking for the return of their campaign contributions. And her former staff members are slowly cutting ties. It’s going to be a terrible couple of years for her.

Oh, and Kelly? The more you attack the messenger instead of the message, the more likely we are to have interns following you around 24/7 for the rest of your term. Your entire neighborhood and district has turned against you. You don’t need the entire Commonwealth to stand up against you.

And Stumbo has chastised Richards for doing little to advance proposals from Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear, whose major proposal for allowing casino gambling died in the House without making it to a floor vote.

What Stumbo doesn’t say is that he doesn’t “negotiate” with David Williams– he gives in 100%. He doesn’t work for the benefit of the Commonwealth, he works for the benefit of himself. See: That big boat of his, his fancy golf course and home (that he doesn’t live in, the toilets don’t even work), that fancy condo in Lexington, the Ernie Fletcher debacle, yadda yadda. Greg doesn’t negotiate with David Williams OR stand up to him. He gives in 100%. That’s what he does. And he’s said– in print– that he’d like to concede more to Republicans (like there’s anything left to concede).

Long story short, Jody Richards has a comfortable majority of votes and will remain as Speaker of the House. Regardless of what Greg Stumbo’s lobbyist buddies and his wife would have you believe.

The real race in the House, though, is between Joni Jenkins and hack Larry Clark for Speaker Pro-Tem. We’re obviously aligned with Joni Jenkins and think this quote from her sums things up perfectly:

“I’m very low-pressure,” she said. “I don’t make promises I can’t keep and I don’t try to threaten anybody.”

Larry Clark? Well, just read about him on this website. There’s plenty of reason to toss him to the curb along with Greg Stumbo. And now, along with Kelly Flood.

After speaking with nearly every State Rep in the Commonwealth since Kelly Flood made her flip-flopping apparent, we’ve gotta say that for one of the first times in a decade, divisive and ignorant politics like those of Bob Damron are going to be tossed aside. No one wants to be bogged down with wedge issues and scare tactics. People are tired of threats like those that come from Larry Clark. No one wants to deal with Greg Stumbo as he rattles on about supporting a governor who hasn’t once bothered to communicate with anyone in the House. And no one in the House plans on doing anything for the governor until he starts working with the house.

** - Haha. What’s with still being afraid to name that elusive “political blog” ? It’s understandable for publications like the LA Times to… oh, wait, even they cite us appropriately. You’d think our own friends and colleagues here in the Commonwealth would get over the taboos of being afraid to identify us by name.

Don’t forget - the Public Service Commission will hold a series of public meetings to hear your comments on requests for rate increases from Kentucky Utilities and Louisville Gas & Electric.

The meetings are scheduled for:

Louisville
Monday, Jan. 5, 2009, 5:30 p.m. EST
Kentucky Fair & Exposition Center
South Wing – Room B 101
NOTE: THERE WILL BE NO CHARGE TO PARK

Madisonville
Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009, 5:30 p.m. CST
Madisonville Community College
Health Campus – Auditorium
750 North Laffoon St.

Middlesboro
Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009, 5:30 p.m. EST
Middlesboro Community Center
705 North Petersborough Ave.

Lexington
Monday, Jan. 12, 2009, 5:30 p.m. EST
Bryan Station High School – Auditorium
201 Eastin Road

Written comments also will be accepted at the meetings. Written comments also may be mailed to the PSC at P.O. Box 615, Frankfort, KY 40602, faxed to 502-564-9625 or e-mailed from the PSC website.