NEWS RELEASE FROM WEST KENTUCKY COMMUNITY & TECHNICAL COLLEGE

For Immediate Release

Contact: Janett Blythe

(270) 554-9200, ext. 6030

Federal funding supports West Kentucky Court Reporting program

PADUCAH, KY. (April 29, 2003) - The court reporting program at West Kentucky Community and Technical College was one of four programs recognized recently by U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning during a stop in Paducah.

Bunning presented four oversized cardboard checks, representing more than $7 million in federal funds, to four agencies during a tour of Paducah. Two of the presentations were made at the Fine Arts Center at West Kentucky Community and Technical College.

Marilyn Haywood, coordinator of the Legal Office Technology Realtime Captioning program at West Kentucky Community and Technical College, accepted a $475,000 ceremonial check from Bunning. The funding, which Rep. Ed Whitfield also played a key role in securing, will help to:

·         Develop a new captioning program

·         Recruit students

·         Educate and retrain court reporters to new and exciting careers in broadcast captioning, convention and educational captioning

·         Prepare students to work with individuals or groups representing the hearing impaired or those with hearing losses

·         Expand the program to other Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) colleges

The 1996 Telecommunication Act requires captioning of all programming broadcasts by 2006. Kentucky has the third largest percent (7.59 percent) of hearing impaired and hard of hearing population in the United States.

While at the college, Sen. Bunning also presented a ceremonial check for $3.7 million to Barkley Regional Airport for runway extension and improvements.

The senator also presented a $480,000 ceremonial check to the Paducah Area Transit System for construction of a new bus shelter and repair bay  and a $2.4 million check to Lourdes Hospital for the construction of Dublin Manor, a federally subsidized independent living facility for the elderly and disabled. Construction of the manor, with 29 one-bedroom units, is expected to be completed in spring 2004.

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CUTLINE FOR ATTACHED PHOTOGRAPH:  West Kentucky Associate Professor Marilyn Haywood (left) and President Barbara Veazey accept a ceremonial check from U.S. Rep. Jim Bunning (center).