Kindred Hospital finds American flag offensive

Supervisor Asks Woman To Take Down American Flag

Debbie McLucas is one of four hospital supervisors at Kindred Hospital in Mansfield. Last week, she hung a three-by-five foot American flag in the office she shares with the other supervisors.

When McLucas came to work Friday, her boss told her another supervisor had found her flag offensive. "I was just totally speechless. I was like, 'You're kidding me,'" McLucas said.

McLucas' husband and sons are former military men. Her daughter is currently serving in Iraq as a combat medic.

Stifling a cry, McLucas said, "I just wonder if all those young men and women over there are really doing this for nothing."

McLucas said the supervisor who complained has been in the United States for 14 years and is formerly from Africa. McLucas said the supervisor took down Debbie's flag herself.

Contact Us

Kindred Healthcare
Corporate Headquarters
680 South Fourth Street
Louisville, Kentucky 40202
502-596-7300
800-545-0749

Letter from the Administrator

On behalf of our team of staff and employees, thank you for considering our hospital. Our objective is to provide innovative, integrated care to you or your loved one in the event of a catastrophic illness. We strive to earn our reputation for leadership in quality care each and every day, working to offer the highest level possible of expertise and experience in the name of healing. Our guiding principle is simple – to provide quality through people.

We have designed this web site as an informational resource for you and your family. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please call my office or any department listed in the site’s phone directory.

Rhonda Y. Williams
Administrator

Kindred Hospital - Mansfield
1802 Highway 157 North
Mansfield, TX 76063
Phone: (817) 473-6101
TX TDD/TTY# 800-735-2988
Fax: (817) 473-5538

http://kindredmansfield.org/contactus.asp

I think Kindred will regret this.

Night Stalkers honor their fallen

Col. Clayton N. Hutmacher, right, and retired Master Sgt. Tim Cash lay a wreath at the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment memorial Wednesday. (Jake Lowary/The Leaf-Chronicle)

160th adds one name to its memorial wall

The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment added just one name to its memorial wall this year, but that soldier's death affected the unit just as any other casualty.

On Wednesday at Fort Campbell, the 160th, commonly known as the Night Stalkers, paid respect to its fallen comrades just a few days before the Memorial Day holiday.

Pfc. Blaine Adams died Nov. 28, 2008, during a water survival training exercise and was the only Night Stalker added to the wall this year. Five names were added to the wall in 2008, six in 2007 and eight in 2006.

Col. Clayton Hutmacher, regimental commander, called Adams "a highly motivated young man" and "an example of courage and sacrifice" in his remarks during the memorial ceremony attended by hundreds of family members and fellow soldiers.

"It's personal for all of us when we lose somebody," Hutmacher said.

Staff Sgt. Benjamin "Levi" Pigman, 25, a native of Hamilton, Mont., and engine mechanic for the 160th, also died this year after finishing the Country Music Half Marathon in Nashville on April 25.

Since its creation in 1981, 81 names have been added to the memorial wall at Fort Campbell, 33 of those since 9/11. Twenty-six of the deaths have come in Afghanistan and two in Iraq.

Hutmacher said he struggled to find a way to properly recognize the sacrifice of those who have died, and came up with four words, or "simple thoughts": honor, remembrance, grief and thanks. "They were dedicated and gifted soldiers," Hutmacher said. "Their service and contribution as soldiers have had a lasting impact."

Later Wednesday, the regiment dedicated six new buildings on the 160th compound to the honor of six of their fallen comrades.

Staff Sgt. Kerry Frith, Chief Warrant Officer 5 Jamie D. Weeks, Sgt. Thomas Allison, Maj. Stephen Reich, Master Sgt. James "Tre" Ponder and Maj. Matthew Worrell all had buildings named in their honor.

"We are who we are as Night Stalkers because of them," Hutmacher said.

Kentucky now has 24 confirmed swine flu cases

Four more flu cases confirmed in state

Kentucky health officials confirmed four new swine flue cases in the state Thursday, including a Fayette County man who became ill on a trip to Nevada.

The Lexington patient remains in Nevada and is being treated there with anti-viral medicine, according to the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department. Officials think he picked up the flu virus in Nevada, not Kentucky.

The other three other new cases confirmed Thursday are in Lincoln, Mercer and Jefferson counties, state health officials said.

That brings the state total to 24 confirmed cases.

Meanwhile, Jefferson County health and education officials held a joint press conference Thursday to reassure the public after a middle school there recorded two confirmed and two probable cases of flu.

Swine flu confirmed in Daviess County Kentucky

Second swine flu case confirmed in Ky.

One of Kentucky's five probable swine flu cases has been confirmed as actual swine flu, state health officials said Tuesday.

Officials initially reported the Daviess County man's case as probable swine flu last weekend. Further testing by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the diagnosis.

The young man is receiving anti-viral drugs and is doing well, state health officials said.

He is the state's second confirmed case of H1N1 swine flu, the other being a woman from the Bowling Green area who was hospitalized in Georgia after becoming ill on a trip.

No new flu cases were reported in Kentucky Tuesday.

Kentucky health officials are still awaiting confirmation on four other probable cases: a Fayette County man; an infant in Western Kentucky, a toddler in Hardin County, and a child in Montgomery County.

Speculation Bunning may announce retirement Saturday

Bunning skips Kentucky Derby

Grayson has said he would run only if Bunning retired, and many Republicans saw the move as a precursor for Bunning to announce his retirement — possibly as soon as Saturday, when the state Republican Party holds its annual dinner.

Probable swine flu case reported in Daviess County, Ky.

Probable swine flu case reported in Daviess County, Ky.

A Tri-State resident has come down with what officials believe to be swine flu, the Kentucky Department for Public Health said today.

The case marks the fourth probable instance of H1N1, known commonly as swine flu, in Kentucky. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will conduct further testing on the specimen.

"In Kentucky and nationally, we are still in the early stages of identifying cases of H1N1 swine flu, and determining how widespread it might become," Department of Public Health Commissioner William Hacker said in a news release. "While we have not identified many probable or confirmed cases, we continue to encourage individuals to stay informed as this situation evolves and to continue practicing basic health habits to prevent illness."

The new case involves a young Daviess County man who has since received antiviral treatment and has recovered, health officials said. The Green River District Health Department will check close contacts for the illness and offer preventive treatment.

Kentucky officials are coordinating investigation of the case with Massachusetts health officials because the man attends college there, said Gwenda Bond, a spokeswoman for the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

Bond said the man, whose name and age are not being released, came down with symptoms in the middle of last week shortly after he came home from Massachusetts.

"But it is possible to spread the virus before the symptoms appear," Bond said.

Senator Bunning to retire?

Bunning poised to retire

Kentucky Sen. Jim Bunning, the most endangered Republican up for reelection in 2010, appears headed for retirement after giving his leading GOP rival the blessing to prepare to run for his seat next year.

Bunning’s retirement would be a huge victory for national Republicans who have grown increasingly nervous that the 77-year-old two-term senator would lose a critical race as the party tries to cling to its diminished minority in the Senate.

On Thursday afternoon, Kentucky GOP Secretary of State Trey Grayson announced that he would form an exploratory committee to run for Bunning’s seat — a move that Kentucky GOP operatives say is a precursor to Bunning's retirement. Grayson's entry will come as a relief to Kentucky Republicans and Senate GOP leaders, who may now have reason to believe their party could hold on to this seat.

“He told Trey to do this,” one senior congressional official said of Bunning. “Why else would he tell his main rival to prepare for a run?”

Added one senior Senate GOP aide: “For the first time, we now know who the Republican nominee will be next November and that’s Trey Grayson. He’s by far the best-positioned Republican to be competitive and hopefully win in the fall. It’s not even close.”

I find it laughable that the Kentucky Democrats still think they can win this seat in a state that gave McCain 58% of the vote. Obama and Congress hasve done nothing but piss people off with their out of control spending.

As for the GOP heir to Bunnings seat maybe we should just let the people decide for themselves as I think Rand Paul may have a surprise for them.

Swine flu comes to Kentucky

One Confirmed, One Probable Case Of Swine Flu In KY

Gov. Steve Beshear announced that the Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH) will report one confirmed case and one probable case of swine flu to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Thursday.

"Like the rest of the nation, we are concerned about the spread of this new strain of swine flu," said Beshear. "I want to assure Kentuckians that health officials here are responding aggressively to detect possible cases of swine flu and respond with the appropriate preventive measures. Individuals should continue to monitor this situation as it develops and practice basic measures to stay healthy, such as hand washing and staying home when sick."

The confirmed case involves a woman from Warren County who had recently traveled to Mexico. The patient is currently hospitalized in Georgia, and samples were submitted to CDC for confirmation by Georgia health officials. Officials from the Barren River Health District are actively investigating the circumstances of this case to determine whether any contacts of the patient may be ill or need preventive treatment.

The probable case that is being reported involves an infant from another area within the Barren River Health District who had been in close contact with an individual who recently traveled to Mexico. It is unrelated to the confirmed case. The child's family and other close contacts are being evaluated for illness and possible preventive treatment. The child has not been hospitalized. A sample from the patient has been sent to the CDC for further testing to determine whether swine flu is the cause of illness. The name of the county in which the patient resides will be released if the case is confirmed.

Small town Kentucky Tea Party

Madisonville's T.E.A. Party

Sounds like there were as many fed up Democrats as there were Republicans. So much for the theory that this was orchestrated by the GOP and FOX news.

Only the Hopkins County Attorney showed up? Where was the Mayor and County Judge Executive during all this?

Dr. Rand Paul at Bowling Green KY Tea Party

Related media coverage: Bowling Green Tea Party Draws Hundreds

Dr. Rand Paul on Foreign Policy

Dr. Rand Paul speaks at the 2009 Knob Creek Kentucky Machine Gun Shoot.

Rand Paul to speak in Lexington 3/19/09

Kentucky Progress: Possible Senate candidate coming to Lexington

Hopefully we will learn more at that time.

Rand Paul thinking about running for Sen Bunnings seat?

From Kentucky Progress

Facebook group is here

Life returns to normal

13 days without power and just over a month without internet and cable. Now to just get caught up on what I missed.

Still waiting on Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear to ask for individual FEMA aid. I wont hold my breath he got his money for the state and local govt I am sure he is done.

Blogging will be spotty due to armageddon in Kentucky

Most of Kentucky got hammered with an ice storm a few days ago. Will likely be without power for 2-3 weeks minimum. Best way to describe it is pics of WWI battlefields where only tree trunks remain standing.

Thanks to good advice from some Quiet Professionals a few years ago we slowly stockpiled enough food and supplies to last 3 months off grid. We have back up heat sources and a generator so we should be set.

Posting from the iPhone is tedious so it will be infrequent.

Maybe before Kentucky cuts services or raises taxes it should collect on some of its debt

Pay up! State's tax liens are big money

The state of Kentucky has a budget deficit forecast to be $456 million by June 30, but most of that would disappear if people paid their taxes.

As of mid-January, the state had outstanding liens that totaled more than $380 million, which breaks down into $280 million owed by individuals and $100 million by businesses.

Kentucky Listing of Delinquent Debtors

Kentucky Office of Homeland Security hires PR rep

Homeland Security hires a P.R. man

The Kentucky Office of Homeland Security, the subject of some recent controversy, has hired a spokesman to coordinate its public relations.

Michael Embry, 60, of Frankfort, started at Homeland Security Jan. 5. He is a non-merit employee with a $39,000 salary.

Embry said Thursday that he will write news releases and communicate with the local governments seeking grants. Embry has written for Kentucky newspapers and was the editor of Kentucky Monthly magazine until 2006, when he left to study special education at Eastern Kentucky University.

I bet it was his training in special education that made him an ideal candidate for working for Homeland Security. Our tax dollars at work.

h/t Bluegrass Politics

Bill proposed to end Kentuckys Early Release Program

Bill to end early inmate release would cost millions

As legislators scramble to plug a $456 million hole in this year's state budget, Senate Republicans are pushing a bill that would cost the Department of Corrections an additional $8.7 million through the next fiscal year.

Senate Bill 11, sponsored by Sen. Jack Westwood, R-Crescent Springs, would end the controversial early-release program that has let nearly 2,000 inmates out of prison early since May.
................
House Speaker Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, said in a statement that "we would probably be more receptive to Sen. Westwood's proposal if he gave us an idea of how we could make up the savings to the corrections budget."

Sen Westwood needs support for this. $8.7 million to keep criminals in prison is nothing compared to the money our state government wastes each year on pet projects.

Get the cigarette and beer tax rolling that will help with the Medicaid shortfall. Next item is getting the expanded gaming bill passed so the horse parks can compete with the Indiana and Illinois river boat casinos.

Kenielle Finch who killed 5-year-old Claudia Wadlington and 4-year-old Riley Lawrence in a hit and run this summer in Louisville befitted from this program. I blogged about that a few months ago in How could the punishment ever fit the crime? Maybe if Stumbo needs help cutting the budget to find that $8.7 million he should put this picture on his desk.

Recon the bank BEFORE you rob it

Would-be robber leaves empty-handed after mistaking water office for bank

About 1 p.m. Tuesday, a man entered the office of Jessamine South Elkhorn Water District at 802 South Main Street — formerly a branch of Farmers Bank — showed a revolver and demanded money, Nicholasville police spokesman Scott Harvey said.

Harvey said an employee told the man, "We really don't have any money."

Harvey said the robber responded: "I know you have money. It's a bank." But he was told, "No, sir, it's not a bank any more."

"He looked around, realized it wasn't, and he left with nothing," Harvey said.

Witnesses told police that the robber was a heavyset black man in his mid-30s and was wearing a black parka with a hood lined with brown fur. Police were looking for a van that might have been involved in the attempted robbery.

What kind of parka? Was it genuine aardvark fur?