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District impact: Democrats debate Colonels complete in Hopkinsville sweep of Blazers LOCAL/STATE A4 SPORTS B1 WEDNESDAY Wednesday, May 9, 2012 | 75 cents, 51 cents average home delivery cost WWW.KENTUCKYNEWERA.COM 24 pages, 2 sections | Volume 125, Number 125 | Hopkinsville, Ky. Est. 1869 Burke gets life without parole Shortly after the verdict, the court began wife was killed. the sentencing hearing. As opposed to a A child therapist testified that Brent and Jury finds former soldier guilty of murders civilian court, where final Tracy Burke’s son, Eion, suffers from post BY BENJAMIN JOUBERT possibility of parole. sentencings are often traumatic stress disorder. He often has NEW ERA STAFF WRITER When the verdict was announced to the scheduled weeks after a nightmares and flashbacks of the night his packed courtroom, friends and family of verdict, a court martial mom was murdered that will most likely After nearly two and a half hours of de- Tracy Burke and Karen Comer gasped, jury decides the sentence continue for the rest of his life, she said. liberating, a Fort Campbell jury found Sgt. “Thank God” and “Finally.” They cried and that day. Tracy Burke’s brother, David Wilburn Jr., Brent Burke guilty of killing his estranged hugged each other. The prosecution called a said his sister “loved her kids more than wife and her former mother-in-law. Those who were there in support of string of witnesses that anything. … It was apparent in everything Burke was convicted Tuesday morning Brent Burke quietly wept on the opposite had close relationships she did.” on all counts, which included premeditated side of the room. with Tracy Burke and Burke Wilburn was the first family member to murder, felony murder, burglary, child en- Burke sat calm and straight-faced, show- Comer. discover Tracy Burke had been murdered. dangerment and obstruction of justice. He ing no emotion when the decision was Comer’s husband, Kurt, “How do you react to that?” he said. was sentenced to life in prison without the read. said it felt like “a hole was left” after his SEE BURKE, PAGE A8 Long-time local DIVE TEAM FINDS MAN, VEHICLE IN QUARRY radio personality Leo Wilson dies FROM NEW ERA STAFF REPORTS Leo Wilson, a local radio engi- neer and broadcaster, died Sun- day at Massey Springs Retirement home in Bowling Green. He was 91. A memorial service will be at 7 p.m. Thursday at Lamb Funeral Home. Visitation will be from 5 p.m. until time for Wilson the service. A native of Sullivan and reared in Cerulean, he was born July 31, 1920, the son of the late NICK TABOR | KENTUCKY NEW ERA Robert and Verdya Shanks Wil- Police say T'Marcus Hall drove a Dodge Charger through this closed gate behind Rogers Group, Inc. and rolled the Dodge off the road, into the water. Divers whom police com- son. missioned found the car around 8:45 p.m. with Hall's body inside. He graduated from National Radio School in Los Angeles in 1939 and began work with radio Murder suspect found dead in quarry station WHOP as an announcer and engineer on Jan. 8, 1940, the first day the station started BY NICK TABOR Autumn Rollings and took her car. She was Hall and Rollings had lived together, broadcasting. NEW ERA STAFF WRITER 24. though Hall’s mother, LaRhonda Hall, said Following Pearl Harbor, he vol- Hopkinsville police were called to 208 E. her son had stayed with her occasionally. unteered for the Navy and Detectives believe that T’Marcus Hall 18th St. at 5:01 p.m. and found Rollings’ body. served from 1942 until 1945, The couple had domestic disputes related to drove a car into a quarry full of water Sun- During the investigation, detectives infidelity, LaRhonda Hall said. earning the rank of chief petty day after stabbing his child’s mother to began suspecting Hall would drive the car She said her son told her right after officer. He was recalled to active death. into a quarry, according to an HPD news re- Rollings’ death that he’d killed her. duty during the Korean War and A dive team commissioned by police lease. They believed he was suicidal. served from 1950 until 1952. found him dead in the woman’s car Monday Just after 11 p.m., police found a section A neighbor took Hall and Rollings’ child He attended the Navy’s first morning. of fence on the quarry’s property broken, from their home before the attack, police schools for radar technicians Investigators had been looking for Hall said HPD spokesman Paul Ray. They called said. and worked on radar and sonar since late Sunday afternoon. They believe for a dive team to search the water, and SEE WILSON, PAGE A8 that, between 4:30 and 4:55 p.m., he attacked divers found Hall dead in the car, Ray said. REACH NICK TABORat 270-887-3231 or [email protected]. Report honors local farmers market for accepting food stamps, highlights anti-obesity programs BY NICK TABOR It also presents many models cent of men are overweight or be duplicated. NEW ERA STAFF WRITER Hopkinsville could likely imi- obese, according to the report. Because Kentucky ranks 48th On the Web: tate. Many involve collaboration “This epidemic took many nationally in consumption of A new report from a Kentucky between local government, View the report online at: years to develop, and it will take fruits and vegetables, the food www.kentuckynewera.com nonprofit highlights initiatives schools, private businesses and many years to reverse,” the re- stamps option at the Hop- from all over the state to promote volunteers. port said. “The task is daunting. kinsville-Christian County markets in a few other counties. healthy lifestyles in large and Foundation for a Healthy Ken- The important thing is to start, to Farmers Market matches this re- Holly Boggess, downtown renais- small communities. tucky compiled the report. It fo- fight back whenever and wher- port’s guidelines perfectly. sance director at Community The report recognizes Hop- cuses on programs aimed at ever possible.” In 2009, the Kentucky Farmers and Development Services, kinsville for accepting food reducing obesity rates. Across To stimulate local efforts across Market Association offered to let worked with the state association stamps at the farmers market in Kentucky, 33 percent of children, the state, the report highlights 14 Hopkinsville test the food stamps Founder’s Square. 60 percent of women and 80 per- creative programs that can easily program along with farmers SEE MARKET, PAGE A8 INDEX WHO WE ARE: Jody Rogers, 25, Crofton MORE INSIDE OBITUARIES A2 For her art projects, Jody she de- work. But for now she works www.facebook.com/ LOTTERY, OUT ‘N’ ABOUT A3 Rogers often chooses materi- signed the at the family farm in the sum- kentuckynewera LOCAL/STATE A4 als she finds most easily at farm’s mail- mers and at Swisher Interna- or follow us on Twitter: MY ANSWER A6 hand. box. tional, a tobacco warehouse, twitter.com/kentuckynewera OPINION A10 At her family’s livestock She also in the winter. She gives her WEATHER, ASK AMY A12 farm, Coker Valley Farm, has a tattoo artwork to family members of stars on FOOD B5 Rogers grows gourds and and posts photos of her proj- paints them with acrylics. She her left TV B7 ects on Facebook. has a photo in her smart- shoulder GOP blocks loan bill CLASSIFIEDS B7 phone of a vivid green and and a dragonfly on her wrist Is there someone you know who deserves PUBLIC NOTICES B10 pink gourd that depicts a that she designed herself. attention? We’d like to know. Contact us at 270- Student loan interest rate HOROSCOPES B10 bleeding heart. She aspires to one day sup- 887-3238 or visit kentuckynewera.com. We’ll bill blocked in the Senate. COMICS B11 She paints mailboxes, and port herself by selling her art- take it from there. NEWS A9 70 12 A2 Wednesday, May 9, 2012 | OBITUARIES/IN THE NEWS | www.kentuckynewera.com KENTUCKY BRIEF LOCAL/AREA DEATHS n n 3 men plead not guilty ELOISE A. STOKES LEO WILSON ALLEN LIVINGSTON HERSHEL WORD ELSEWHERE Eloise A. Stokes, 80, Services for Leo Wilson, Allen Blair “A.B.” Liv- Hershel Everett “Red” in death of Ky. man Sands Drive, died at 6:20 91, Hillaire Drive, who ingston, 86, Greenville Road, Word, 77, Hopkinsville, died KENNETH R. STRATTON LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) a.m. Monday, May 7, 2012, at served many years as chief died at 8:40 p.m. Sunday, May around 8 a.m. Saturday, — The son of a sheriff Western State Nursing Fa- engineer and broadcaster 6, 2012, at his home of natu- May 5, 2012, of injuries suf- Kenneth R. Stratton, 77, and the son of a former cility following a long ill- for radio station WHOP, ral causes. fered in a traffic accident in Manheim Township, Pa., jailer are among those ness. died at 5 p.m. Sunday, May Graveside services will be Todd County. died Friday, April 27, 2012, facing charges after po- Services will be at 10 a.m. 6, 2012 at at 2 this afternoon at Ken- Services will be at 2 p.m. at Manor Care, Lancaster, lice in Frankfort found a Thursday at Lamb Funeral Massey tucky Veterans Cemetery- Thursday at Maddux- Pa., of natural causes. Springs Re- body alongside Interstate Home with the Rev. Dr. West. A service tirement Fuqua-Hinton Funeral 64. Howard Willen officiating. Hughart and Beard Fu- Home with the Rev. Earl was May 1 The State Journal re- Home, neral Home, Hopkinsville, is Burial will be in Green Grace officiating.