Kentucky News Now – October 6th 2015

OIL SPILL DEAL

Judge says deal over environmental damage can't be sealed

(Information in the following story is from: The Courier-Journal, http://www.courier-journal.com )

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A Franklin County judge says he's inclined to approve the terms of a settlement between the state Energy and Environment Cabinet and an eastern Kentucky oil company over a diesel fuel leak but can't allow it to be sealed.

Franklin County Circuit Judge Thomas Wingate said at a hearing Monday that the final resolution of a case brought by the state over environmental damage is not one of the circumstances in which a court can seal a record.

The Courier-Journal reports the lawyer representing the cabinet, Kathleen Saunier, told the judge she took responsibility for the way the settlement was handled.

Saunier said the cabinet stands by the agreement for Childers Oil Co. of Whitesburg to pay $47,057 to pay for the emergency response team and a fine.

Wingate asked for a new settlement to be submitted.

SEMINARY-TRANSGENDER CONFERENCE

Reparative therapy criticized by Southern Baptist theologian

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A leading Southern Baptist theologian spoke out against psychological counseling aimed at turning young gays straight, saying homosexuality cannot be turned off like a switch.

The Rev. R. Albert Mohler Jr. said Monday that conversion or reparative therapy can't bring about redemptive change.

Mohler is president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He spoke to reporters at the start of a conference entitled "Homosexuality: Compassion, Care and Counsel for Struggling People."

Mohler was unwavering in the belief that marriage is only between a man and a woman.

Mohler believes homosexuals can change by accepting biblical teachings. But he said Christians have sinned against gays by "reducing a massive human struggle to simplistic explanations."

Gay rights advocates denounced the conference. Their protest included a prayer for love, inclusion and respect.

BOWLING GREEN POLICE

Committee created to help recruit more minority officers

(Information in the following story is from: Daily News, http://www.bgdailynews.com )

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) — Bowling Green officials have tweaked how they hire police officers and have formed a committee to help recruit more minorities after the U.S. Department of Justice announced an investigation into the police agency's hiring practices.

The Daily News reports officer candidates no longer have to take a written test after passing a background check.

Meanwhile, the Workforce Recruitment and Outreach Committee is trying to recruit more local minorities, but finding the process is complicated by several factors including a decline in interest.

Committee member Chuck Glass said many high school students don't want to pursue careers in law enforcement. Instead, they seek jobs in athletics, in business or in the medical field.

The committee is reaching out to the minority community to determine how they can attract more qualified candidates.

CHILD HANDCUFFED-LAWSUIT

Justice Department weighs in on suit over handcuffed child

(Information in the following story is from: The Kentucky Enquirer, http://www.nky.com )

COVINGTON, Ky. (AP) — The Department of Justice has issued a statement of interest in a federal lawsuit over children being handcuffed by a school resource officer in northern Kentucky.

The American Civil Liberties Union and the parents of two students sued Kenton County Sheriff's Deputy Kevin Sumner and the sheriff's department in August over the handcuffing.

Covington Independent Public Schools Superintendent Alvin Garrison has said Sumner complied with the district's policies, "which are designed to ensure that students do not injure themselves or others."

The Kentucky Enquirer reports the Justice Department statement says the Americans with Disabilities Act applies to resource officers and that school policies should dissuade the "school-to-prison pipeline" created by criminalizing misbehavior. The Justice Department said the statement isn't meant to take sides on the merits of the case, but to help assess claims made by the families.

JAIL LAWSUIT

Former inmate sues Boyle County jail over injuries

(Information in the following story is from: The (Danville, Ky.) Advocate-Messenger, http://www.centralkynews.com/amnews )

DANVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A former inmate at the Boyle County Detention Center has filed a lawsuit, saying he received "significant bodily injuries" while being detained at the jail.

The Advocate-Messenger reports that Jack C. Hill II filed the complaint last week in Boyle Circuit Court naming the detention center, Boyle Fiscal Court, Jailer Barry Harmon and unnamed deputy jailers as defendants.

The lawsuit does not state how Hill was injured but claims his injuries occurred during his time of incarceration at the jail, which ended Oct. 31, 2014.

Hill says jail personnel ignored his repeated requests for medical attention following his unspecified injuries, which he says got worse because aid was not rendered in a timely fashion.

None of the defendants has yet responded to the lawsuit.

GAY RIGHTS ORDINANCE

Versailles to consider drafting LGBT Fairness ordinance

(Information in the following story is from: Lexington Herald-Leader, http://www.kentucky.com )

VERSAILLES, Ky. (AP) — Versailles might be the next central Kentucky city to consider an ordinance prohibiting discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations based on sexual orientation or gender identity

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that the Versailles City Council on Tuesday will hear from a member of the Versailles-Midway-Woodford County Human Rights Commission who will encourage the city to adopt the ordinance.

Versailles Mayor Brian Traugott says he will ask the city's administrative and legal committee, chaired by council member Carl Ellis, to draft the ordinance.

On June 1, Midway became the eighth city in the state to adopt an anti-bias ordinance. Other cities that have passed similar laws are Lexington, Louisville, Covington, Danville, Frankfort, Morehead and Vicco in Perry County.