State News

Graham named chairman of House Education Committee

Fri, 24 May 2013 15:56:22 -0400

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Democratic state Rep. Derrick Graham has been named chairman of the House Education Committee.

Graham, a retired teacher from Frankfort, replaces former state Rep. Carl Rollins who resigned to lead the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority and the Kentucky Higher Education Student Loan Corp.

House Speaker Greg Stumbo announced the appointment on Friday, saying Graham has dedicated his life to education and has a deep understanding of Kentucky's educational issues.

Graham has served the Frankfort area in the Legislature since 2003.

Feds pull plug on Paducah plant; 1,000 jobs lost

Fri, 24 May 2013 15:08:26 -0400

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Energy has rejected a proposal that would have extended operations at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant.

Friday's decision means more than 1,000 employees will lose their jobs, drawing immediate reactions from Kentucky's top political leaders.

U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and Democratic Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear were among those who lamented the DOE's decision in statements released Friday afternoon.

Beshear called the news disappointing and painful.

The plant had been scheduled for closure last year, but it got a reprieve under a temporary deal to enrich depleted uranium for Tennessee Valley Authority and Energy Northwest, a utility in Washington state.

Some employees at the plant had already received layoff notices.

Glasgow aims to turn methane into electricity

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:21:39 -0400

GLASGOW, Ky. (AP) — A south-central Kentucky city is hoping to capture methane gas from a regional landfill and turn it into electricity.

The Daily News (http://bit.ly/18oeey2) in Bowling Green reports officials in Glasgow have partnered with Farmers Rural Electric Cooperative in seeking a $1 million loan to help pay for the project.

Farmers CEO Bill Prather says it could take up to 90 days to hear whether the loan has been approved.

Glasgow Mayor Rhonda Trautman says officials are trying to be "proactive" with the initiative.

The landfill serves 16 counties in the region.

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Information from: Daily News, http://www.bgdailynews.com

Analysis finds 'structurally deficient' bridges

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:21:22 -0400

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. (AP) — A newspaper's analysis has found that almost 100 bridges in the northern Kentucky-Cincinnati region need attention due to age or defects.

The Kentucky Enquirer (http://cin.ci/13358Dz ) reports information from a national bridge database shows there are 24 "structurally deficient" bridges in the northern Kentucky counties of Boone, Campbell and Kenton and 72 such spans in four southwest Ohio counties.

"Structurally deficient" means the bridge has a defect that requires a weight or speed limit.

The region's most traveled span, the Brent Spence Bridge, is not structurally deficient but is described as functionally obsolete meaning it does not meet current design standards.

The Enquirer analyzed the 2012 bridge database after the collapse of an interstate bridge late Thursday in Washington state.

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Information from: The Kentucky Enquirer, http://www.nky.com

N. Ky. fire department honored with Medal of Valor

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:04:21 -0400

SOUTHGATE, Ky. (AP) — The state fire marshal's office is presenting a northern Kentucky fire department with the Medal of Valor for its response 36 years ago to the Beverly Hills Supper Club blaze.

The Kentucky Enquirer (http://bit.ly/12SmuEb) reports the Southgate Fire Department will receive the award for the gallantry and courage shown by firefighters, who saved about 2,000 people from the blaze. Another 165 died.

Dick Riesenberg, who was chief of the department at the time of the fire, said he has thought about recognizing the efforts of firefighters before, but rejected the idea because firefighters take an oath saying they don't do the job for awards or recognition.

However, he says he decided to push for an award this year because the timing seemed right.

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Information from: The Kentucky Enquirer, http://www.nky.com

Tenn. couple killed in central Ky. crash

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:17:38 -0400

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (AP) — Emergency responders in central Kentucky had cleared the scene of a crash that killed a Tennessee woman when they found the body of her husband nearly 1,000 feet away.

According to The News-Enterprise (http://bit.ly/12B2DHU ) in Elizabethtown, Kentucky State Police identified the victims as 75-year-old Claire R. Kahane and 78-year-old Charles S. Kahane of Nashville, Tenn.

Troopers said the couple's car was southbound on Interstate 65 on Thursday when it ran off the road, struck a tree and landed in a creek. Investigators said Charles Kahane had gotten out of the wrecked car and walked along the creek bank.

Hardin County Coroner Bill Lee said the cause of the crash was likely medically related. The driver was belted in and tire tracks indicated no effort to swerve or stop.

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Information from: The News-Enterprise, http://www.thenewsenterprise.com

Million dollar Cash Ball ticket sold in Georgetown

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:01:46 -0400

GEORGETOWN, Ky. (AP) — Lottery officials say a Cash Ball ticket worth $1 million has been sold at a Georgetown gas station.

The ticket matched the all the winning numbers picked during the May 22 drawing. The numbers were 2-5-7-11 and the Cash Ball was 18.

The Georgetown News-Graphic (http://bit.ly/12SbF56) reports the ticket was sold at Clark's Pump N Shop, and the retailer will receive $10,000 for selling the ticket.

Lottery officials say the winner should sign the back of the ticket immediately. The ticket holder has 180 days to claim the prize.

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Information from: Georgetown News-Graphic, http://www.news-graphic.com

Man dies after being hit by train

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:01:30 -0400

ELIZABEHTOWN, Ky. (AP) — Police say a central Kentucky man who was killed after being hit by a train was standing on the tracks when he was struck.

Elizabethtown Police Sgt. Tim Cleary told The News-Enterprise (http://bit.ly/199UHT7) that CSX Transportation called officers Wednesday night to report the collision.

Hardin County Coroner Bill Lee says a preliminary autopsy report shows 53-year-old Harold Haire died at the scene from massive trauma. He said it would take several weeks for a full report that includes the results of toxicology tests.

Cleary says it is unclear why Haire was on the tracks, but that his death appears accidental.

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Information from: The News-Enterprise, http://www.thenewsenterprise.com

Young mother critically hurt, SUV rolled onto her

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:01:16 -0400

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky State Police say a young Elizabethtown mother has been critically injured when her vehicle overturned as she was pushing it.

State troopers said the accident occurred Thursday night after 25-year-old Shannon Gales ran out of fuel. Gales and her passenger were trying to push the sport utility vehicle when it began rolling backward. Gales' two-year-old daughter was inside and Gales kept hold of the steering wheel, trying to stop the vehicle.

The SUV rolled down an embankment and overturned, on top of Gales. Two troopers were able to lift the vehicle enough to free her and performed CPR until an ambulance arrived.

Gales' daughter was strapped into a restraint seat and wasn't hurt. The passenger also escaped injury.

Effort to restore Ky. bridge wins award

Fri, 24 May 2013 06:39:15 -0400

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky's Transportation Cabinet and a Laurel County resident have been recognized for their efforts to restore rather than replace a landmark bridge.

The cabinet and London resident Jim Hayes on Thursday were joint recipients of the 2013 Ida Lee Willis Project Preservation Award.

They were cited for their roles in the Rockcastle River Bridge rehabilitation.

The bridge connects Laurel and Rockcastle counties. It's a 1921-era steel truss structure. It was designated for replacement in 2006, but Hayes championed the bridge's restoration instead.

The initial estimate for replacing the bridge was more than $1.8 million. The cost to rehabilitate the bridge was about $465,000.

The award that Hayes and the cabinet received recognizes outstanding examples of restoration or rehabilitation projects.