COMING UP SPORTS Skates & slams NCAA tourney Vette City Top-seeded UK cruises past holds its season opener Iowa State to advance; at The Skate Box. Indiana awaits in next round. See Monday’s Living. Page 1B Today Park City Isolated showers. SUNDAY 83/60 MARCH 18, 2012 Details, Page 2A DAILY NEWS Year 157 – No. 78, 382 Pages, 24 Sections www.bgdailynews.com Bowling Green,

GENERAL ASSEMBLY Bill would fund local road work House approves plan; Senate up next

By KATIE BRANDENBURG joint resolution laying out projects The Daily News for the last four years of the state’s [email protected] six-year road plan. If the bill were 783-3242 approved in the Senate, funding The Kentucky House has would be in place for the 2012-14 approved the 2012-2014 Biennial projects, but not for projects in the Highway Construction Plan, last four years of the plan. which includes 15 projects with a Richards said several projects total estimated cost of about $98 in the bill are good for Bowling million in Warren County. Green and Warren County, though Corbin Pate (from left), 11, and Justin Green, 9, both of Boiling Springs, and Christina Colovos, 7, of Bowling Green, check out the The bill, which the House he’d like to see other projects movie selections Saturday during the new Smiths Grove library’s grand opening. passed Friday in Frankfort, still added to the list or moved up in must go through the Senate, and the timetable. details of the plan probably will “It’s positive, and it’s a good have to be hashed out through a start, but I will be working as oth- conference committee, said Rep. ers will be to try to enhance the Jody Richards, D-Bowling Green. plan a little bit more before it is “These projects have made the completed,” he said. first hurdle,” he said. A new interchange on Interstate The House passed the construc- 65 for the Kentucky Transpark Smiths Grove residents, others celebrate new facility’s grand opening tion plan along with a bill funding would be a big boon for the area, the state Transportation Cabinet ebbie Ward is no stranger operations and projects, and a See INTERSTATE 65, 4A to the library. After years of carting her children to the library, the TAX SEASON Smiths Grove woman final- ly has a local book hub that’s big, bright and welcoming, she said. Ward was one of hundreds of Free preparation residents who attended the new Smiths Grove library’s grand opening Saturday. The $1.4 mil- lion library has been in the works service expecting for more than two years, and it’s the result of public persistence, said Lisa Rice, director of the Warren County Public Library. record numbers “It wouldn’t have happened if More than 1,000 filed can go for the free service as well the community hadn’t demanded as advice on how to manage it,” she said. returns through Monday finances. The Second Street library is As of Monday, 1,144 people bigger and sleeker than the old By JUSTIN STORY have filed electronic tax returns The Daily News library, which was located in a through BRABC, according to Main Street storefront and is now [email protected]/783-3256 With about a month left before program coordinator Ryan Braber. closed. The new library has a chil- Of those filers, 513 have been able dren’s area Ð complete with the tax deadline, Barren River shelves of books and a craft area Ð Asset Building Coalition offi- to claim the Earned Income Tax a total of 10 computers, a staff Above: The Wulfe Brothers of Louisville cials are anticipating a record Credit. perform for the crowd Saturday during the number of people taking advan- Overall, the nine Volunteer room and an anticipated 22,000 new Smiths Grove library’s grand opening. items to check out. tage of the free tax preparation Income Tax Assistance sites have Left: Karma Cline, 15, of Bowling Green, been responsible for $867,265 in The old library had about reads at the library. service it offers to low-income 15,000 items, a couple of comput- taxpayers. EITC money and more than $2 ers and no special program or staff A community partnership million in total refunds. areas. The Smiths Grove formed from local nonprofit agen- Braber said the number of filers Woman’s Club opened that library STORY BY JENNA MINK cies, BRABC operates nine sites thus far is almost the same as the • THE DAILY NEWS • in the Barren River area, includ- number of people last year who See SMITHS GROVE, 4A PHOTOS BY PETE RODMAN ing three open to the public in had filed before April 1, 2011. Bowling Green, where people who earn low to moderate income See NUMBER, 4A

Western Kentucky Vino’s seeks expanded alcohol sales University students Wade Sunday beer sales currently Why can’t his restaurant serve on So would he be open to a change in Johnson (from Sundays when other restaurants in town city ordinance? “I’m never closed- left) of Hazard, prohibited at small restaurants can? minded about listening to anything,” Sarah Bonner of Bowling Green’s ordinance requires Wilkerson said. “But I’m not going to Russell Springs, By ROBYN L. MINOR Courtney Pitts restaurants to have an indoor seating push for any ordinance.” of Adairville and The Daily News capacity of 100, a regulation that at the Wilkerson said it would be up to the [email protected]/783-3249 Emily Dickey time mimicked what state law allowed Board of Commissioners to bring such of Indian Head, Blake Leucht wants the city to for cities of Bowling Green’s size. an idea forward. Md., eat lunch change its alcohol laws so his business “That law has changed, though,” Leucht said he had been working with Friday at Vino’s can serve beer with pizza on Sundays. Leucht said. “Owensboro has changed City Commissioner Melinda Hill to on Kentucky Leucht and his business partner, its ordinance.” bring the issue to the commission but Street in Bowling Teresa Hilliard, own Vino’s next to Mayor Bruce Wilkerson said at first hasn’t heard from her in a while. Hill Green. Western Kentucky University. The he thought Bowling Green was doing all couldn’t be reached for comment Friday. Pete Rodman restaurant seats just 49 people inside that state law allowed, but after some Daily News and considerably more outside. research found that the law had changed. See CITY, 4A

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