Hal Stopfel of the AARP, which is sponsoring the governors candidate forum, says the Fletcher campaign called him yesterday afternoon to tell him Governor Fletcher would not be attending. Gov. Fletcher's press secretary, Jodi Whitaker, says the governor will be attending a bio-tech conference in Boston today. Fletcher's campaign spokesman, Marty Ryall, says the trip to Boston has been scheduled for months but Fletcher was trying to squeeze in the AARP candidates forum before heading north. Ryall says the logistics just wouldn't work out. Ryall says "there's not a better group I'd rather have the governor in front of". Ryall says Fletcher has worked well with the AARP on aging and health care issues. The AARP forum is being held at the Kentucky History Center from 1-3 p.m.

Whitaker says the bio-tech conference in Boston is the largest in the world with more than 20,000 participants from 60 countries. Kentucky has a pavilion there sponsored by the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development. The trip was not listed on Gov. Fletcher's public schedule which is released to the media and others each week.