Messenger-Inquirer from Owensboro, Kentucky • 15

City editor: Mike Alexieff, 691-7306 Assistant city editor: Sam Adams 691-7294 THURSDAY Coming Friday in Good Times: Hollywood makes death look good NOVEMBER 12, 1998 LOCAL NEWSSTATE NEWSDAILY RECORDS MESSENGER-INQUIRER1 YTT Regional Roundup on donor easy other fund-raiser, wouldn't you?" Kelley said jokingly. But there are seven real parties. And they're proving to be popular. Invitations went out to symphony members on Thursday. And two of the eight parties have already sold out Saturday night's "Historic Harvest" at the 150-year-old home of Bill and Leslie Hughes and the March 7 "Asian Curry Event" at the home of Allen Holbrook and Forest Roberts.

The remaining parties include: E2 Tricks and Treats," a bridge "Phantom Philharmonic," one of eight fund-raising parties being planned by The Owensboro Symphony Orchestra Auxiliary. Tickets for the Christmas Day nonevent range from $25 to $500. Basically, Jamie Kelley, chairperson of the "Celebration of Food and Friends" parties, says that's just a cute way of asking for donations for the auxiliary. You send in your contribution and you get to stay home with family and friends that day. "I'd pay to not have to go to an Symphony to raise money with nonevent By Keith Lawrence Messenger-Inquirer How much would you pay to not have to get dressed up and go to another fund-raiser? That's the premise behind the 1" ni-iii i-i i A "iihmiitfriiiiinir ----ff luncheon for 24 people at 11:30 a.m.

on Jan. 15 at 2429 Farrier Place. Tickets are $20. "Fall In Love with Bridge," a luncheon for 16 people at 10 a.m. on Feb.

5 at 1412 Heritage Cove. Tickets are $20. "Just Horsin' Around," a baby shower for a foal at 3 p.m. on March 20 at 1401 Reid Road. Admission is a donation of any amount to the symphony in honor of the foal.

There is no limit on the number of tickets. "Mother and Daughter Tea," a looking for support. Mostly, that means time. Owensboro Mercy Health System adopted the class of 2010. Lipton has committed to the class of 2011 for the next 13 years.

"It's a commitment worth making," said Wayne Strawn, technical manager at Lipton. Strawn said the program gives businesses the opportunity to have a direct impact on kids. "This is our future," he said. Strawn said more than 25 Lipton employees will visit children in the schools this year. Over the years, those organizations that adopt classes will become a network of support for all students.

Philpot Principal Emma Crowe said community involvement is vital to school success. "That's what it takes to give our kids a quality education," Crowe said. "To try to remove me from office because of this (challenge) is just incredibly bizarre." Ricky Cox state representative accused of violating provision against challenging anyone to a duel Robert Bruck, Messenger-Inquirer After participating in several activities, Lipton Company internal consul- gymnasium floor at Philpot Elementary School on Wednesday. The compa-tant Yuvetta Crowe, center, talks with students while sharing lunch on the ny has adopted the Class of 2011 in the Daviess County School System. From staff and wire reports Newton Parrish looking for parent representative Nominations for a new parent representative on the Newton Parrish Elementary School Council will be accepted through Friday.

Candidates must be parents of current Newton Parrish students. Candidates may not be school system employees or relatives of school system employees. Parents may nominate other parents or themselves. Nominations must be submitted in writing to the school. Parents will choose the new parent representative during an election at 6 p.m.

Nov. 19 at the school media center. Parents must attend to vote. Big Rivers remaking image Wholesale electricity supplier Big Rivers Electric Corp. has launched a new marketing campaign in an effort to remake its image after going through a bankruptcy and resolving many long-standing financial problems.

The Henderson-based corporation Wednesday unveiled a new slogan, 'The switch is on!" and a new logo featuring four "arms" signifying the four rural electric cooperatives it serves: Green River Electric Henderson Union Electric Cooperative, Jackson Purchase Energy and Meade County Rural Electric Cooperative Corp. The new logo is designed to focus on movement and change. The green color of the logo is intended to signify the company's new look and attitude. Baesler reports cattle missing LEXINGTON U.S. Rep.

Scotty Baesler has reported 19 cows missing from his Lexington farm. Police say it is a case of cattle rustling. Baesler, a Democrat from Kentucky's 6th District who lost his bid to succeed Sen. Wendell Ford to Republican U.S. Jim Bunning of the 4th District last week, declined to comment on the case.

Police contacted the owners of local stockyards and talked with area farmers to try to find the missing cows. 1 Today Muhlenberg Fiscal Court, 3 p.m. at the courthouse, Greenville. Greenville City Council meets at 6 p.m. at city hall.

Ohio Fiscal Court, 7 p.m. at the Ohio County Community Center, Hartford. McLean County Board of Education, 7:30 p.m. at McLean County Courthouse. Livermore City Council, 7:30 p.m.

at city hall. Owensboro Metropolitan Planning Commission, 6 p.m. at city hall. Utica Elementary School Council, 4:45 p.m. at the school.

Lottery numbers Wednesday's lottery numbers: Ky.Pick3: 6-9-1 Ky.Pick4: 8-1-4-4 Ky.Cash5: 4-7-16-30-35 Ky. Lottery: 6-10-16-29-34-39 Estimated jackpot $3.5 million Ind. Daily 3: 1-0-9 Ind. Daily 4: 2-1-4-5 Ind. Lucky 5: 7-8-25-28-33 Ind.

Lottery: 4-12-14-20-38-46 Estimated jackpot $2.5 million Cash 4 Life: 46-51-78-89 Powerball: 10-14-25-36-48; The Powerball was 2 Estimated jackpot $1 4 million tea party for 20 people at 2 p.m. on May 1 at WeatherBerry Bed Breakfast, 2731 W. Second St. Tickets are $40, which includes a photo. "Game-Set-Match Dinner," tennis, drinks and dinner for 12 at 6 p.m.

on May 22 at 3106 Oakridge Court. Tickets are $50. Kelley said the auxiliary hopes to raise $10,000 with the parties. For reservations, call Kelley at 684-6756 or send checks to Elegant Symphony Parties, Owensboro Symphony Auxiliary, 849 Parkway Drive Owensboro, KY 42303. Family finds truth decades later Internet helps locate where soldier died Technology that was too farfetched for even science-fiction novels when he died in 1944 has led a Breckinridge County man's family to the approximate spot where he fell in World War II.

And because of the Internet, a thousand French students were studying this week about Maurice O'Con-nell and other Americans who died on the Brittany Peninsula in August 1944. Ifs a Veterans Day story that says to those still searching for answers that the information is out there. Just don't give up. Perry Ryan, a Keith Lawrence Messenger-Inquirer lawyer in the Attorney General's office, is a man who lives and breathes the history of his native Breckinridge County. And it was his research that set this week's events in motion.

The story begins in September 1944. A telegram from Uncle Sam came to the home of Alfred and Marie O'Connell in the Clover Creek community near Hardins-burg, regretting to inform them of the death of their son, Maurice, in France on Aug. 27. But it didn't tell them what battle: he died in. How he died.

Did he suf- fer? The little things a family wants to know so they can hold them in their hearts during the long years ahead. O'Connell was buried in the U.S. Military Cemetery at St. James, France. In 1948, he was finally brought home to Hardinsburg for final burial.

Helen Taul O'Connell, widowed after barely 11 months as a wife, began writing the government, trying to find out the answers to the family's questions. But the government was busy. It didn't have time for a young widow's questions. And so, in time, she quit writing. For half a century, the answers lay silently in government files.

Then, on May 27, 1996, New Clover Creek Baptist Church dedicated its new library in honor of O'Connell, the only member of its congregation to die in battle. Helen Taul O'Connell Murrell returned home from Louisville for the ceremony. Fifty-two years after O'Connell died in France, U.S. Rep. Ron Lewis presented the family with seven military decorations the government hadn't gotten around to bestowing on the soldier.

And with Lewis' help, Ryan was able to dig out many answers from government files. He learned that O'Connell died near Guilers, France, as Americans fought to capture Brest Apparently, Ryan says, it was a mortar blast that killed O'ConnelL An embalmer noted a fractured skull when the body was exhumed for reburial. Ryan wrote a 65-page biography of O'Connell. And in June 1997, when New Clover Creek Baptist got its own Web site, the biography was included. See TruthPage 3C ipton sponsors class of 2011 In addition to general skills, students are exposed to the arts beginning in kindergarten.

All students learn to play a musical instrument. All learn a foreign language. The idea behind the curriculum is to increase the children's capacity for learning. Daviess County Public Schools are believed to be the only public schools in the nation to incorporate the most recent research about neurological development into its daily curriculum. Daviess County Public Schools Superintendent Stu Silberman said community partnerships are a vital part of Graduation 2010.

"The more partnerships you have, the stronger the support system you have for kids," Silberman said. Local businesses and organizations have adopted classes. Silberman said the school system is not know that Graduation 2010 is a nationally recognized program. They may not know that it is based on new research about expanding their learning capacity. But they were happy to see the visitors from Lipton.

"I think it's good, because they want to help us," Morgan said. Lipton has already visited many classes and will visit many more over the next several weeks. At Philpot on Wednesday, the children and their new friends played with hula hoops and shared lunch. The Lipton representatives brought T-shirts proclaiming the children as the class of 2011. "It's right here on my shirt," 5-year-old Jeremy Bennett said, when asked when he would graduate from high school.

Graduation 2010 begins in kindergarten and continues through high school. Graduation 2010 spurs community involvement By Tracy McQueen MesSenger-lnqulrer Kindergartners at Philpot Elementary School made some new friends Wednesday, friends who will be with them for the next 13 years. The Lipton Co. has adopted the class of 2011 as part of Daviess County Public Schools' Graduation 2010. Lipton representatives are visiting elementary schools across the county to introduce themselves.

"They want to see us and teach us," said 5-year-old Morgan Katchuk. Children such as Morgan may Challenge to duel may cause battle over oath mum rum --J LLdC LmX because of this is just incredibly bizarre," he said. But Stein charges that Cox purposely flouted state law and should suffer the consequences. Although the oath "might seem quite antiquated, the General Assembly has not done away with it, and any elected official must take that oath," said Stein, who intends to file a formal complaint against Cox. The hubbub is over a letter Cox wrote to the Central Kentucky News-Journal in Campbellsville before his re-election, challenging publisher Richard Robards to a duel over an unfavorable column he wrote about Cox.

"I offer him a choice of the following: pistols, knives, fists and skulls, wet corncobs or banjos," Cox wrote in the letter, which the newspaper published. Cox says his mention of "corncobs and banjos" is proof that his letter was a joke. Stein said that might be up to their fellow legislators to decide. "It could come to a vote" by House members on whether to seat Stein says letter to editor violates state constitution Associated Press FRANKFORT A challenge to a duel made by state Rep. Ricky Cox that he said was a joke may turn out to be no laughing matter.

Another state legislator said she will attempt to block Cox from taking the oath of office in January because lawmakers must swear they have never taken part in a duel or even challenged anyone to take part in a duel. Rep. Kathy Stein, a liberal Democrat from Lexington who has battled Cox, a conservative Republican from Campbellsville, on several social issues, contends that Cox has violated the 107-year-old Kentucky Constitution, which contains the oath. Cox was incredulous when told of the potential challenge on Tuesday. To try to remove me from office Kathy Stein Ricky Cox him, she said.

The will of the body will say what happens." Robert Ireland, a history professor at the University of Kentucky, said he doesn't know of anyone having been denied office for violating the dueling provision since it first appeared in the 1850 state constitution. It was based on a law passed 35 years earlier. House Speaker Jody Richards, D-Bowling Green, said other House members also have discussed taking action against Cox. "If it comes up, the first thing we would do is contact the attorney general and ask his advice on it," Richards said. "If it was shifted back to us, we'd have to develop a procedure.

It could come to a vote. But there could be some middle ground some reprimand or censure or something of that sort." Minority Leader Danny Ford, R-Mount Vernon, said he thinks it's absurd that Stein has raised the issue. "Kathy's off on one of her tangents," Ford said. "Anybody who knows anything about that knows that Ricky Cox was doing it in jest If Kathy doesn't have anything more important to do than that, then let her go to it" ,4.