Awww

Lexington teen with rare aging disease dies

I remember when he was featured on the local news years ago. My heart goes out to his family.

Yes!

New form of public transit presented to Lexington

Highlighting the city I've called home for 39 years

The 'Horse Capital of the World' Is an Underrated American City With Beautiful Nature Trails, Craft Beer and Bourbon, and a New Luxury Hotel

Mostly showing off our new luxury hotel, the Manchester, but a nice write-up by Travel+Leisure on Lexington itself, as well.

Prologue - Act One

So, I'd done lots of things to get prepared for the trip, but I had lots of little things to do beforehand, everything from taking the trash out, returning a library CD, and doing a libation to the Gods for safe travel, but knew I needed some sleep. So I went to bed at 8 pm Wednesday night, determined to get up at 1:30 so I'd have a couple of hours to do everything I needed before I'd normally be up. And it worked. I didn't sleep well, as I was worried I wouldn't get up in time, but I actually got all the plants watered and the rest of my list at home completed, left a little earlier than what Google told me to so I could return the CD, get gas, put a cheque in the bank--that sort of thing. While at the gas station getting gas for $1.93 in Lexington per gallon (It's $2.69 or so here), I got a drink and a blueberry cheese danish sort of thing. Not ideal, but I didn't want something heavy, and it was cheap, and I'm trying to go as cheaply as possible. Then I drove around a good portion of the city (I live on the opposite end of town from the airport), parked in oeconomy parking, and went through security. I'd checked in using the Delta mobile application, and so spent the day scanning my phone rather than a piece of paper, which was convenient, but, I had to have my phone out an awful lot, and it was hard to juggle. I may just check in tomorrow the old-fashioned way, particularly as I have something to hold the ID and boarding pass to make it easier to keep up with.

It's always a joy to be behind me at a TSA checkpoint, as I have to take out liquids, CPAP, laptop, take off my shoes, and load my various bags (I had three, as one didn't count as it was medical supplies only). When I went through the body scanner, I guess they couldn't see my lower left arm well in the image, because they patted down just that lower arm. Weird. I gathered my stuff, put my shoes back on, and went to the gate, where I gate-checked my rolling bag for free when they requested volunteers. I noticed many people were not volunteering. It's a small plane, and I like gate-checking, although I didn't realise they would check it on to my final destination, and my liquids and other minor conveniences were in there, so I spent the day without a comb, eye rewetting drops, or lip balm, for example, something I'll keep in mind tomorrow when I pack.

The flight was pleasant and went off without a hitch. It was very dark, as they fly with the cabin lights down and no one really turned on their own personal lights. We arrived in Atlanta about the time the sun finally got up. I had a soda and a cookie packet there in the dark. Once we disembarked, I grabbed a drink and some pretzels and went to the next concourse, where I had an hour and a half layover until the Chicago-bound plane left. There was a mechanical delay, but we left on time and arrived at Chicago on time. I learned that one person can charge their phone (my seatmate did) while on the flight, at least on the 717 we were on. I was in the O'Hare airport, and meant to call YKWIA to let him know I made it okay, but then got distracted redistributing things into my purse and purchasing my 1-day (24 hour) transit pass, wound up taking the train to Division, where I lugged bags up many stairs to a world of newspapers blowing everywhere, oriented myself by the sun to be heading south on Ashland, and then caught the bus to a stop right across from my hotel. I got here at noon, conveniently, as that was when I could check in, and my meeting was at 12:45 CST.

I checked in, actually was able to use the key they gave me for the elevator (I had trouble the last time I stayed at this hotel, and had had to rely on the kindness of strangers to get me to the room then). I washed my face, located my comb, used it, and called YKWIA briefly to let him know I was alive. He was concerned, and had called the hotel already. I hadn't expected it to take two hours to get from the airport gate to the hotel (quite a while, yes, but not quite that long), so I apologised for not contacting him sooner. Then, somewhat more presentable, I took just my purse, put on a light jacket (it's all about the layering, as many Chicagoans are wearing their winter coats today; I had a heavy sweater over a thinner shirt, and had been sweltering in the airports and on transit, so it felt good. But I was happy to have that little layer of jacket.

We had lunch before our meeting, and it included sandwiches with mozzarella, arugula, and roasted pepper. We had an absolutely wonderful meeting, mostly on outreach, and I had a brilliant outreach idea that wouldn't work in my present position, but I might be able to partner with someone to do. I was afraid it would fade; I wrote it all out. It would be easily fundable as well. Part of the meeting could have been webconferenced, but the participatory exercise really couldn't have been. I'm very glad I came, even though it wasn't a direct flight.

After the meeting, a few of us walked to an Italian restaurant a few blocks away called Francesca's, which was excellent. I was tempted to get the salmon, but instead went for a lentil salad and a Napoleatano pizza. None of us could do desert. We walked back. Throughout my stays here, my rock of a landmark has been the St Basil Greek Orthodox Church, which is on the corner of Ashland and Polk. The library we had our meeting at is on Polk; the hotel is at Harrison and Ashland. So it really has helped me get my bearings. A couple of years ago they were using all this scaffolding, but now it seems in much better shape. It's beautiful. [I love the varied architecture in Chicago, and not just the stuff downtown. On the way over on the train I saw an esquisite Turkish bath.]

We got back to the hotel, grabbed some complimentary hot chocolate, and I've already told you the rest. I guess tomorrow will be Act Two. Wish me luck. I've got to get up at 5 am, eat breakfast when they open at 6 am, check out, catch a bus by 6:30 to get to Midway Airport by 7:30. My plane leaves for Detroit at 9:19 am CST, on a smaller plane. Then I'll have another hour and a half layover there before arriving home sometime around 3 pm our time. Whew!

Here we go again

The latest for our area from the weather service:

Issued by The National Weather Service Louisville, KY - Tue, Mar 3, 2:56 pm EST ... WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM EST /NOON CST/ WEDNESDAY TO 1 PM EST /NOON CST/ THURSDAY... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LOUISVILLE HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW... WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM EST /NOON CST/ WEDNESDAY TO 1 PM EST /NOON CST/ THURSDAY. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT. * TIMING: RAIN CHANGES TO SNOW WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON... BECOMING HEAVY AT TIMES WEDNESDAY EVENING AND NIGHT. SNOW ENDS THURSDAY MORNING. * ACCUMULATIONS: 8 TO 12 INCHES OF SNOW ACROSS CENTRAL AND NORTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY. 5 TO 10 INCHES ACROSS SOUTHERN INDIANA AND ALSO SOUTHERN KENTUCKY. LOCALIZED HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE. * MAIN IMPACT: MAJOR TRAVEL DISRUPTIONS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING. PLAN ON SNOW COVERED ROADS AND DANGEROUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS. SNOW RATES MAY BE INTENSE... RESULTING IN RAPID ACCUMULATIONS. * OTHER IMPACTS: NORTH WINDS GUSTING UP TO 20 MPH WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THIS COMBINED WITH THE WEIGHT OF THE SNOW COULD RESULT IN SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES AND DOWNED TREES. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... TRAVEL WILL BE HAZARDOUS... TRAVEL ONLY IF NECESSARY. SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES MAY OCCUR. TRAVEL WILL BE TREACHEROUS WITH SOME ROADS NEARLY IMPASSABLE. HAVE AN EMERGENCY KIT OF BLANKETS... FOOD... WATER AND FLASHLIGHTS IF YOU MUST TRAVEL. POWER OUTAGES ARE LIKELY.

It is now 60 degrees Fahrenheit in Lexington. By Friday morning, it's expected to be around zero.

I cry uncle. The last few weeks have seen abysmal amounts of snow and low temperatures. I am tired of Old Man Winter. On the other hand, the long-range forecast for my Chicago trip at the moment has Lexington at partly cloudy and the lower 50s, with Chicago the same, except for lower to mid-40s. I can live with that. Let's hope that forecast holds.

With temperatures nosediving, let's hope they decide on something soon

Lexington may set aside $200,000 for homeless shelter in city-owned building on Industry Road

Even if all the parties come to agreement on Dec. 3, HUD must sign off on the agreement, Ramsey said.

The council allocated $1,237,850 of the $2.2 million last week. It has a little less than $1 million left to allocate. Hamilton said the $200,000 would be used to add bathing and bathroom areas at the Industry Road building.

Ramsey said the two sides need to come to a resolution soon. The Community Inn is operating at capacity as temperatures plummet. Twenty-eight people stayed overnight at the Catholic Action Center, a day shelter, on Sunday night.

"We are seeing a lot of new homeless people," Ramsey said. "We aren't sure why. There are a lot of elderly and disabled. Many have come here looking for jobs because of our low unemployment rate. About 45 percent of the people who stay at the Community Inn work full time."

Here's to anything that can serve our homeless population, get people back on their feet, and out of danger.

A couple of things of interest related to the history of public health

Lexington's 1833 cholera epidemic chronicled in new book

The stricken died quickly, sometimes within hours.

Others hung on a few days, but they were so dehydrated they no longer looked like themselves, but rather like skin stretched taut over bones and tendons. Their brains still worked, even as their bodies died all around them.

People passed one another in the street without greeting, fearful that their friends and neighbors would contaminate them. Orphaned children wandered the streets, seeking food and shelter from strangers. Those with means fled to the countryside.

Ebola in 2014?

No. Cholera in Lexington — in summer 1833.

Terry Foody, a public health nurse who has lectured about cholera for the Kentucky Humanities Council for the past decade, has written a book about the 1833 epidemic in Lexington: The Pie Seller, The Drunk, and The Lady: Heroes of the 1833 Cholera Epidemic in Lexington, Kentucky (Self-published; $18.33).

Terry Foody is signing her book at the Woodford County Public Library, 115 North Main Street, Versailles, KY, from 1-4 pm on Saturday, November 1st. She did a signing recently at the Morris Book Shop, which is an independent bookseller here in Lexington. I'll check with them tomorrow to see if I can get a copy.

Also, today is the 100th anniversary of polio-vaccine pioneer Jonas Salk's birth. Google honoured him with a Doodle, but there was also this, which I think is dead on--with the restrictions we have today (many to protect research subjects) and with the anti-vaccine nuts out there, such a large double-blind trial (of 2,000,000 school children) would not happen today.

Jonas Salk's Polio Vaccine Trials Would Be Hard To Repeat Today

Wow

Dozens injured, nine dead in bloody holiday weekend in Chicago

The Fourth of July holiday weekend brought an explosion of gunfire to Chicago, with roughly 50 people shot and nine killed, authorities said on Monday.

The violence was so widespread in the nation's third-largest city during the period from Thursday through Sunday that police were still tallying the dead and wounded on Monday, but a Chicago Police Department spokesman said the current count was 49 shooting incidents with nine dead. The spokesman did not give details on the number of people shot.

At a news conference Monday morning, Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy called the violence "unacceptable," blaming it in part on a "proliferation of firearms."

Police said five people were shot by officers, and at least two of them were killed.

In three of the incidents, the victims had pointed weapons at officers when they were shot, the Chicago Police Department said in a statement. A fourth man was shot and seriously wounded by police after he told them he had a weapon, police said. There were 21 shooting incidents alone on Sunday, police said.

The tallies vary, some including those shot by the police, including two teenagers who apparently refused to put down guns. But it's not just Chicago. Here in Lexington, shootings have seemed to be happening almost daily as of late.

Woman killed at Lexington house is city's 11th homicide

She is Lexington's 11th homicide victim of the year.

The woman was shot just before 3 p.m. Sunday in the 200 block of Race Street, and police found her lying on the porch of a small frame house.

She had been shot multiple times, according to initial reports.

She was the fourth person to die in Lexington in a series of shootings in various parts of town since late June. At least 12 people have been wounded by gunfire during that time.

Lexington recently beefed up its robbery-homicide squad to deal with several open murder cases and is looking into ways to combat the violence. We have very weak gun laws in Kentucky (you are required to have a concealed carry licence to do so, but I don't think guns must be otherwise registered or gun owners licensed. Now, Chicago's population is nearly 10 times ours--2,718,782 estimated in 2013 to our 308,428 in the same year. But it seems like both cities are starting to feel like violence is out of control.

I'll admit it: I don't like guns. I've shot rifles and shotguns in 4-H, but have never owned a gun. I grew up with a gun in the house (every military person has a service pistol, as far as I know, or at least had one at the time I was growing up, and I grew up on military bases). I never bothered it, knew not to. But I wouldn't have one in the house with children, even locked both cabinet-wise or the gun itself. I am much more likely to get hurt by having a gun than not, and I know it. I don't think the 2nd Amendment guarantees the right to own personal handguns, although if you're into muskets and joining militias, I think you're covered. I see no reason to own a fully automatic rifle, as it is only good for killing people and perhaps an unsporting kill when hunting (real deer hunting, as far as I'm concerned, is done with bows). But I live in a gun-rich country with many, many people who are ready to have their guns pried away from their cold, dead fingers. I also, unfortunately, live in a society where people can shoot unarmed black teenagers because they fear for their lives and get off entirely. I believe that's terribly wrong. I recognise that other people feel differently and have a right to their opinion. But I think they're wrong, and I'm not particularly interested in arguing with them, because that usually degenerates into a free for all where neither side is going to budge, with a lot of emotion that undermines any reason.

And the shootings go on, and it's tragic--so many families touched by violence, and I seriously doubt that anyone with the power to do anything will. Sigh.

Ahhhh...

In Lexington, at home, in my own bed, in the right time zone. Still a little pumped from the trip. And hot. I was hot in Chicago, where it was sunny and 70 degrees, I was hot on the plane and used the fan. Now, even though it's only April, it was stuffy when I got home so I put on the air conditioner and am in front of a fan. And they tell me my hormones are normal and I'm not hitting menopause yet. Maybe it's all that insulation I have. Anyway, I'm glad I'm back. I really appreciate the beauty of Lexington and the Bluegrass now. And I missed knowing where on earth I was going, too. :) Now I'm listening to music (James Blunt). I accidentally checked my headphones, so I couldn't listen to my phone's music at the airport, at least without raising the ire of my fellow passengers. I think I'm going to put my feet up and if I fall on to sleep, so be it. I've been up for hours, I've done a lot of walking, and I'm tired.

A little scary, I must say

Woman Stabbed While Shopping At Grocery Store

It happened at the Nicholasville Road Kroger this afternoon. An elderly woman was stabbed and they do have a suspect in custody. It appears to have been a random attack. Scary, though, and in a neighbourhood normally considered 'good' (for whatever worth that really has; crime can strike anywhere). I hope the lady recuperates quickly.

I've been up and down all night

and finally decided to stay up at 5 am. It's about 11 degrees outside, and the wind chill is already below zero. I've been monitoring the local news for weather and road conditions. This isn't the worst I've experienced here. There was this:

Windchill Factor Hits 85 Below Zero in Spots : Records Topple as Bitter Cold Grips U.S., where it says: 'The windchill at Lexington, Ky., was calculated at 60 below zero.'

I remember that clearly. It was January, 1985. I was a freshman at the University of Kentucky and managed to make it to class, but of course I was walking from one side of the campus to the other. They were saying more than 10 minutes outside was dangerous, and it took 20 to make the walk. I think I had seven layers of clothes on. The wind was blowing people across an icy Patterson Office Tower Plaza. Brrr...I hope it doesn't get quite that bad.

PS True to form, with all the school closings going on, the University of Kentucky has stated it will remain open and on schedule. :) On, on, U of K, right? Dress in layers, guys.

You know it's almost Halloween in Lexington when...

Perennial zombies enrich Lexington's downtown 'Thriller'

2013 Thriller & Halloween Parade

They've been doing it for thirteen years. I've never actually been, but it's become a great Lexington tradition. I think Brandon and family went down for the Halloween parade and Thriller performance tonight. Hope they all had fun! Okay...shelves are in place. Now to put those books up.

Nice

It's always nice when Kentucky (and Lexington, in particular) gets good national coverage...

Washington Post: The Impulsive Traveler roams the public square of Lexington, Ky.

What a terrible shame

Lexington woman dies in crash on I-64, trying to avoid bicycle in road

Kawthar Suleiman, 23, had just completed her first year of medical school at the University of Louisville. She and a cousin had planned a trip to Palestine, and she was interested in volunteering with refugees. It's a shame her life was ended over something as innocuous as a bicycle lying in the freeway. My condolences to her family.

Disturbing

Taxi Driver Found Shot To Death In Cab

A woman made a gruesome discovery Sunday morning in Lexington when she found a taxi driver shot to death in his cab. Several people who live on Hedgewood Court say they feared the worst when they heard gunshots just before one o'clock Sunday morning. They later noticed a cab just sitting in the back of a parking lot.

It's in the Woodhill-Codell area, about halfway between where I live and where I work. I take the bus through there when the combo Woodhill-Richmond Road route runs late at night. It's gotten rougher over the last few years.

For all I know, I may have had this driver before on one of my cab rides home. He was from Morocco, and I've ridden with several cab drivers from Arabic countries. He leaves behind a wife and four-year-old daughter. I feel so sorry for them.

I do not think I could ever drive a cab for a living. You literally never know who you have riding behind you, what kind of weapon they may have, etc. It makes me nervous, as a woman riding by herself, to take cabs home at times, but at least they are required to display ID, etc. No one knows who a fare really is. The cab company has whatever name the person gives and a phone number, which could be public. Also, it may not have been a fare robbing him, but rather some sort of drive by shooting, etc.--someone heard a car speed off at the time of the gunshots. Unfortunately, he wasn't found until this morning, although people heard gunshots around 1 am, which makes me wonder if anyone even dialed 911 that night. It might have saved his life.

Years ago I lived in the Richmond Road-Lakeshore Drive area, and I heard gunshots come from that direction. We could hear them all across New Circle Road. I got away from the windows and called, as did several others in my apartment complex. They were tracing the gunshots by the location of the callers. I can't imagine not calling 911. The woman who found him thought what she heard was fireworks, and only recalled them after she found the body. But others knew the sound of gunshots. Why didn't they call?

It's sad. I'm not sure how many murders Lexington is up to this year. It's actually a fairly safe city, but such shootings are troubling.

Productive

Today was my last half-day of work, so I:

1. Went to an appointment with my optometrist. Because of the data entry work, we are going with multifocal contact lenses and gradated bifocal glasses (I don't care about lines in terms of vanity, but the no-line ones are supposed to be better for dealing with the different distances of book, computer, and driving than simple bifocals). I'm using my insurance for the glasses, and paying for the contact lenses through my flexible spending account. I had to have new glasses--my last pair broke at the hinge and I'm using a very old backup pair that I can barely read through (thank goodness I'm not driving today; I left the old glasses on after they did the dilation and even with the little bendy shades they give you, could barely make my way around as a pedestrian.) I got Transitions again on my lenses, so with the insurance that came to $211 (it was $445, whew!) The lady took my old glasses and will try to repair them as a backup for around the house (the temples won't match). I have the trial pair of multifocal contacts now; the glasses should be in withing 7-10 business days. I have an appointment in the morning a week from now to check and make sure the contacts work for me, and if so, I'll order the new ones then.
   
2. Got my hair cut, a bob right at the nape of the neck/chin length.
   
3. Caught a bus downtown to the main public library, which had a book on hold for me. I asked the lady at the desk (they've totally changed the circulation area with the new self-checkouts) if there was any way to route the other hold to Eagle Creek (I'd forgotten to designate it as my home library, so it defaulted to Central). She was able to and also changed my default to Eagle Creek. Still, I'm glad I went down there. The sidewalks around downtown are being worked on all over so it's a bit of a pain, but the library looked nice and they had a version of Horse Mania, with foals decorated by schoolchildren. A full-sized encore of Horse Mania (the original was in 2000) is being produced for unveiling as of tomorrow in advance of the World Equestrian Games, which will be hosted by Lexington. Anyway, several of the foals were in the library and were well done. Plus there's the Foucault pendulum to enjoy. So it was fun.
   

Must admit I'm a bit tired. I've come home, eaten, and I'm tempted to take a nap, although it's a bit late for one.

25 somber miles, hundreds of vehicles, and many people who stopped their day to pay tribute to a fallen officer

Officer's last ride allows Lexington to say thanks and goodbye

As people began gathering along Main Street to wait for the funeral procession of Lexington police Officer Bryan J. Durman to pass, I asked why they were there.

The answer was always the same: "I just wanted to pay my respects."

That's why Brad Morris was there, too, along with his wife, Jessica, and their daughters, Grace, 3, and Lucy, 1. But their reason for being there was more personal than most.

Morris had met Durman, 27, the morning of the night he was killed by a hit-and-run driver while investigating a noise complaint on North Limestone.

"We met at the barbershop," Morris said. "I got a haircut in the chair beside him, and 10 hours later he was dead."

A Lexington firefighter for 11 years, Morris knows all too well the ever-present dangers faced by uniformed public safety workers.

Morris was driving an ambulance on Feb. 13, 2004, when he and other firefighters responded to a domestic violence call on Adams Lane in rural southeast Fayette County. A deranged gunman opened fire on them. When the shooting stopped, firefighter Brenda Cowan was dead. Morris took cover behind the ambulance until police officers could escort him to safety.

Officer Durman's procession covered a path 25 miles long, bringing the cortege around Man O' War, down Richmond Road/Main Street past the main police station and the memorials for fallen police and firefighters, and then back down Harrodsburg Road to be buried. All in all, that meant going through over 100 intersections and covering over a quarter of the city along main roads. About 2,000 attended the funeral; 600-1000 vehicles from all over Kentucky and beyond crept along the road, the entire passage taking about forty minutes from beginning to end for an observer at the side. It began shortly before 2 pm and lasted until until 3:30.

I was there. I originally intended to watch from the front lawn of the hospital, but decided I should take an earlier bus to my next job (down Richmond Road) so as not to be caught in the traffic. I had just arrived at the parking lot of the gas station when I heard the first siren. A man near me had brought a large flag to hold during the procession. We lined up along the sidewalk someberly at attention as the first vehicles began.

There were many of them--hundreds, from all over, from cities and counties I recognised and those I did not. But I teared up when the Lexington contingent came by, and by the time the hearse arrived I was crying openly. One of the state trooper cars drove by and I heard my name. One of the officers I see regularly at the store had called to me. I saw the widow as they went by (her son was apparently sick and could not attend the funeral). After the family had passed, I went back up the hill because it was almost time for work. The bus I had been in was still stuck on the other side of Man O'War. I just barely made it. But I'm glad I was able to pay my respects. Later, an officer and his girlfriend or wife, who was still dressed for the funeral, came in. I said I knew it had been a very long day and was very gentle with them. It was so important to honour this young man, but I'm sure it took a toll on those who did.

He was also an Air Force Veteran and was buried with military honours. But the last call from the police radio that they play in one of the videos below choked me up even more than 'Taps' or a gun salute.

The only mar to the thing was that one of the cars across the road which was stopped in traffic was playing its bass a little too loudly. I think they really should have either turned the music down or off out of respect, especially as Officer Durman was killed during a routine noise complaint.

Here's some video about today:

The funeral

During the procession

After the procession

After the burial

Officer Bryan Durman, please rest in peace. And to other officers, like Grace, who called to me, or to my neighbour, let me just say that we appreciate what you do and your willingness to sacrifice so much in order to serve and protect. And you are very much in my thoughts tonight.

A logistical nightmare, but a fitting tribute

Funeral procession for Lexington officer will travel down Main Street

Services will be at noon Tuesday, also at Southland Christian Church, in Building E. Graveside services will follow at Bluegrass Memorial Gardens.

After the service, the procession will leave the church, proceed north on Harrodsburg Road, turn onto Man o' War Boulevard, then go to Richmond Road and proceed into downtown Lexington.

The procession will travel down Richmond Road/Main Street before turning onto Broadway to travel back to the cemetery in Jessamine County.

Lexington police spokeswoman Sherelle Roberts says the department has been contacted by dozens of agencies — including from Ohio and Tennessee — that want to pay their respects. Roberts said that Louisville police would be sending its mounted unit and that there will be 14 different honor guards. She said neighboring agencies, including Georgetown, Harrodsburg and Clark County, would be assisting with traffic control.

If people want to watch the procession, Roberts said the department is asking that they park at the old Lexington Mall and stand along Richmond Road/Main Street to reduce congestion.

For those of you unfamiliar with Lexington, Southland Christian Church is way out beyond Man O' War, which is the outermost of two belts around the city. The procession will proceed around a full quarter of the city. Richmond Road is the same thing as Main Street (Lexington roads change names at major intersections, and all of the main roads going out of town are named for the towns they go towards). I heard from someone that when a police officer dies, his body is escorted by his assigned station, so I'm assuming the one on Main Street is what he worked out of.

The procession will be going by the hospital I work at sometime tomorrow afternoon. I want to pay my respects by going out to the sidewalk. I'll ask the security guard if he can tell us when the procession is approaching.

Eerie

Brandon and I were talking about the slain police officer last night after one of our regular cops came in and we'd expressed our condolences. I asked Brandon when he graduated high school; Officer Durman and he were the same age, graduated at the same time. They each have a child about the same age. He said he thinks that's why, when he first heard the news in the early morning yesterday, it hit him oddly, even though he didn't know that particularly officer. It turns out there's another parallel; they each have a twin sister.

Slain Lexington officer remembered for his efforts to save lives

To officer Durman's wife, son, mother, sisters, and colleagues, let me just again express how sorry I am that he died on a routine call by someone else's senseless act.

Also, more on the suspect:

Man charged has long history with law

He sounds troubled, like his life spun out of control.

I am so sorry to hear

Police officer is killed
I don't think I've met Officer Durman (I see several police regularly who stop in by the store, for which I am grateful.) He was responding to a noise complaint and speaking with one of the passengers in the offending car when someone in possession of drugs and with outstanding warrants struck him, the car he was near, and the one in front of that. The suspect then sped off but Glenn Doneghy was later found and charged with murder, leaving the scene of an accident (a felony), 4 counts of assault 3rd Degree, 1 count of assault 2nd Degree, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a controlled a substance suspected to be cocaine, plus two counts of failure to appear in court unrelated to the incident.

Durman is the first Lexington police officer to be killed in the line of duty since 1985, (a sherriff's deputy was killed in 1987).

Ironically, the last uniformed officer I saw was Wednesday night, in honour guard uniform, who had spent all day doing casket duty. Officer Durman was killed last night, Thursday. I'm afraid there will be more of those somber uniforms as his body is laid to rest.

My heartfelt condolences to his family, colleagues, and friends.