Kentucky

COLCHESTER, Vt. — Miss Vermont will be wearing a green dress when she walks out on stage at the Miss America Pageant on Jan. 24, but Ashley Ruth Wheeler is not talking about the color of her dress.

Wheeler will don an eco-friendly frock made from hemp, organic cotton and silk — and all of the lace and beads are recycled, Plattsburgh television news station WPTZ reported.

Miss Vermont To Flaunt Eco-Friendly Frock

“I really feel like I’m carrying the state of Vermont with me,” said Wheeler.

The dress was crafted by a Northeast Kingdom designer.

Wheeler said she wants the dress to be a conversation starter, and said she wants to talk about going green and environmental responsibility. (Read the full post about ‘Miss Vermont Dons ‘Green’ Gown’…)

FREEPORT, Bahamas — Actor John Travolta said he and his wife, actress Kelly Preston, are “heartbroken” that their time with their son was so brief.

Sixteen-year-old Jett Travolta was found unconscious in a bathroom at the family’s Bahamas vacation home Friday. He later died at a Freeport hospital. Authorities plan an autopsy Monday.

The police superintendent in the Bahamas has said a caretaker found Jett Travolta unconscious in a bathroom Friday morning. The teen was later pronounced dead at a Freeport hospital. In a statement, the superintendent also said Jett had last been seen entering the bathroom Thursday.

But Travolta’s attorney said that leaves “the impression that the boy was unsupervised.” Michael McDermott said he doesn’t believe that Jett was in the bathroom for a substantial amount of time. (Read the full post about ‘Travolta ‘Heartbroken’ Over Son’s Death’…)

Each week Amber Phillpot introduces us to a child in Central Kentucky on the waiting list for a big brother or sister.
This month she is sharing stories of successful matches and how easy it is to become a mentor.
These two gals think they are a perfect match.
Patty Cobb was matched with 10 year old Chetera two years ago.
It was her job at Lexmark that encouraged her to volunteer with big brothers big sisters.
Each week patty visits Chetera at school and is constantly amazed by her little sister.
Patty and Chetera spend time working on school work, talking and having a lot of fun.
Both agree that their weekly visits go too fast, but are well worth it.
If you would like to volunteer your time and learn more about becoming a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bluegrass, check out our web site for more information.

Tim McAlpin is holding tightly to the memories he has of his son, 27-year-old Robert Jay McAlpin. The younger McAlpin was found shot to death inside his home on Southpoint Drive early New Year’s morning.

The elder McAlpin believes his son was murdered by 28-year-old Steven Wigginton. Police arrested Wigginton and charged him with 2nd degree manslaughter. They say McAlpin died after a gun was “mishandled.” But Tim McAlpin says there was tension between his son and Wigginton and insists the two were not friends and actually did not like each other. He says Wigginton called his son about ten minutes before he called 9-1-1 saying he had accidentally shot his friend in the head.

(Read the full post about ‘Father Thinks Son Was Murdered’…)

A man has been rescued from the Red River Gorge after a rapelling accident.

Menifee County search and rescue personnel tell NEWSFIRST that they were dispatched to the Frog’s Head Rock area near Indian Staircase at about 3:30 Saturday afternoon. They discovered that a man had fallen about 180 feet while rapelling.

It took rescuers nearly eight hours to pull the man to safety. They were hampered by rain throughout the afternoon.

The injured man was transported to UK with what rescuers say appear to be broken bones. His identity has not been released.

NEW YORK — Filmmaker George Butler wants his friends to know he’s very much alive. That’s after a premature obituary on “The Charlie Rose Show.”

During Rose’s annual New Year’s Eve tribute to notable figures who passed away during the year, he included Butler, whose 1977 film “Pumping Iron” featured a then-unknown bodybuilder named Arnold Schwarzenegger. The screen even flashed a Butler tombstone, 1943-2008.

The PBS show had confused him with another George Butler, a longtime jazz record executive who signed Wynton Marsalis, who died April 9.

What’s odd about the mistake is that Rose and Butler are old friends.

Butler said it was “very disconcerting” but that Rose did a good job of retracting “the huge error.”

Butler noted that at least he was in good company since he was featured with Paul Newman, Tim Russert and William F. (Read the full post about ‘Filmmaker Butler Mistakenly Declared Dead’…)

NORMAL, ILL. — Police in Illinois said actor and playwright Sam Shepard has been arrested on preliminary charges of speeding and drunken driving.

Police Lt. Mark Kotte said officers stopped Shepard early Saturday in the central Illinois town of Normal.

Kotte said the 65-year-old Shepard was driving 16 mph over the 30 mph speed limit.

Kotte said a breath test indicated Shepard’s blood-alcohol level was double the legal limit.

Shepard told police he had been at a tavern in nearby Bloomington and was heading to a hotel. He said he was on his way to his home in Kentucky from Minnesota.

Shepard won the 1979 Pulitzer Prize for drama for his play “Buried Child.”

He posted bail in Bloomington. (Read the full post about ‘Actor Sam Shepard Arrested On Suspicion Of DUI’…)

NEW YORK — The final note of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s presidential campaign may very well be sung by Jon Bon Jovi.

The musician is performing at a fundraiser for the former presidential candidate as she tries to close out her campaign debt, which stood at $6.3 million as of last month.

The Jan. 15 performance at Manhattan’s Town Hall is being billed as “a final evening in support of Hillary Clinton for President Debt Relief.”

Ticket prices range from $75 to $1,000.

The former first lady and New York Senator has been working to pay down her debt to clear the way for confirmation as President-elect Barack Obama’s secretary of state.

Federal ethics rules prohibit Cabinet officials from actively soliciting campaign contributions.

Clinton wrote off $13.1 million in personal loans to the campaign. (Read the full post about ‘Bon Jovi To Play Hillary Clinton Fundraiser’…)

LOS ANGELES — It looks like the old Dead are gettin’ on.

Surviving members of the Grateful Dead said that they’ll regroup for a 19-city tour, their first since 2004, beginning April 12 in Greensboro, N.C.

The group, which now just calls itself The Dead, announced its plans Thursday.

Original band members Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann have toured sporadically since the 1995 death of guitarist Jerry Garcia, but struggled to get along personally and artistically.

They told Rolling Stone in November that they’ve worked out their differences, aided by a successful October benefit concert in Pennsylvania for then-presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Warren Haynes joins the Dead on lead guitar, and Jeff Chimenti will play keyboards. (Read the full post about ‘Grateful Dead To Regroup For Tour’…)

NASSAU, Bahamas — Authorities in the Bahamas said an autopsy will be conducted on the body of Jett Travolta Monday.

The 16-year-old son of actor John Travolta was found dead inside a bathroom at his family’s vacation house Friday morning. A police officer said he apparently hit his head on the bathtub. (Read the full post about ‘Autopsy Planned In Death Of Travolta’s Son’…)