Kentucky News Now

CONWAY ENDORSEMENT

Grimes endorses Democrat Jack Conway for governor

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes has endorsed Jack Conway for governor.

Grimes declined to endorse Conway on Monday, when she announced she would seek re-election. She had been considered a potential Democratic candidate for governor following her unsuccessful attempt to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell last year.

The deadline to file for governor was Tuesday, and Conway is the only major candidate seeking the nomination. Former congressional candidate Geoff Young is also on the ballot.

In a news release, Grimes said she has known Conway for more than 10 years and said he is a tireless defender of Kentucky farmers and coal miners. Conway campaigned heavily for Grimes during her Senate campaign last year.

SCHOOL DROPOUT AGE

All 173 Kentucky school districts raise dropout age

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky's 173 public school districts have approved policies that increase the dropout age to 18 from 16.

The state legislature passed a law in 2013 giving school districts the option of raising the dropout age. Once 55 percent of districts did so, it would trigger a four-year deadline for everyone else to raise the age. Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear said districts beat that deadline by one year. The law does not apply to private schools.

All but seven public school districts will have the new policy this fall. The rest will begin the policy in the 2017-18 school year.

Beshear credited First Lady Jane Beshear for her work to pass the bill in 2013. The Beshears said they hope the new dropout age will help increase the state's graduation rate.

COUNTY UNEMPLOYMENT

Jobless rates down in all 120 Kentucky counties

FRANKFORT, KY. (AP) — State officials say unemployment rates fell in all 120 Kentucky counties between December 2013 and December 2014.

The Kentucky Office of Employment and Training says that's the fourth time in the last five months that Kentucky has had a year-over-year unemployment drop in all counties.

The officials say Scott and Woodford counties had the lowest jobless rates in the state at 3.7 percent each this past December. Fayette County was next at 3.8 percent. The rate was 3.9 percent in four counties — Hancock, Jessamine, Madison and Owen.

Magoffin County had the state's highest unemployment rate at 11.5 percent. Jackson County was next at 11.3 percent, followed by Letcher County at 9.9 percent, Russell County at 9.5 percent, Harlan County at 9.4 percent and Lewis County at 9.2 percent.

BOURBON TOURISM

Tourism booming at Kentucky bourbon distilleries

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Tourism is booming along with production at Kentucky's bourbon distilleries.

The Kentucky Distillers' Association says the 18 participating distilleries along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour had nearly 725,000 visits from tourists last year. The record number was up 14 percent from 2013.

A recent study showed tourists generally spend hundreds of dollars while visiting Kentucky.

Distilleries have spent tens of millions of dollars on new or expanded visitors' centers in recent years to cater to tourists.

KDA President Eric Gregory said Thursday the group projects tourist visits will reach 1 million in 2018 if double-digit growth continues.

Gregory says distillery officials are hoping state lawmakers will relax some restrictions in an effort to further boost tourism. He says the changes being sought include allowing visitors to sample more bourbons.

AUTO SUPPLIER

Ky. auto supplier adding jobs in expansion

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — An automotive supplier is planning to expand its operations in Lincoln County in central Kentucky.

Gov. Steve Beshear's office says Lincoln Manufacturing USA LLC is expected to create up to 20 more jobs and invest $400,000 into the project.

LML manufactures and stamps parts for the auto industry and is a supplier to some of the world's largest manufacturers.

Due to steady growth and plans to create new products, LML expects to hire more workers to keep pace with demand. The governor's office says the new workers will allow the company to start a third shift at its facility in Stanford.

To encourage the investment and job growth, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority preliminarily approved the company for tax incentives up to $225,000 through the Kentucky Business Investment program.

KENTUCKY WEATHER

Truck dumps hazardous material after slipping on roadway

MAYSVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A truck driver has been injured and part of a load of hazardous cargo dumped when the driver lost control on an ice-covered roadway in northeastern Kentucky and the truck turned over into a creek.

Kentucky State Police say 43-year-old Russell R. Leach of Duff, Tennessee, was northbound on Springdale Road in eastern Mason County delivering a blasting agent, ammonium nitrate fuel oil mixture. The Ledger-Independent said the delivery was headed to a lime and stone mine.

The newspaper said the driver suffered a broken arm and other injuries and was treated at a hospital and released.

Police said the Kentucky Department of Environmental Response was sent to direct cleanup. Springdale Road was expected to be closed into the night.

The truck was operated by Austin Powder Co. of Cleveland.

INMATE ASSAULT

Kentucky inmate stabbed at penitentiary, in stable condition

EDDYVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A 58-year-old inmate at Kentucky State Penitentiary is hospitalized after a stabbing at the western Kentucky facility.

The Kentucky Corrections Department said Herbert Eades was stabbed multiple times Thursday in a dormitory. He was taken to Caldwell Medical Center, where he's in stable condition.

The Corrections Department said in a news release that 46-year-old inmate Sean Noakes was placed in segregation and will face administrative charges.

Kentucky State Police are investigating and criminal charges are pending.

Noakes is serving a life sentence for murder and criminal attempt to commit murder from Boone County.

Eades is serving a life sentence for sodomy and sexual abuse from Ohio County.

MAN KIDNAPPED

2nd suspect arrested in Kentucky after Missouri carjacking

RADCLIFF, Ky. (AP) — The FBI says a second person has been taken into custody in connection with a carjacking and kidnapping last week in Missouri.

The agency says the person was picked up without incident in Radcliff on Thursday, a week after the carjacking in the Kansas City area. The victim was able to get away after a struggle and was found near St. Louis.

The FBI said the person taken into custody Thursday is a juvenile and the agency isn't releasing further information.

On Tuesday, police arrested 25-year-old Robert Caldwell of Danville, Kentucky, in Lincoln County. Police said he was booked on charges including kidnapping, robbery and auto theft. He is accused of taking a Jeep from Casey County with a teenage boy who was released a short time later.

KENTUCKY DAM

Work at Kentucky Dam lock hits milestone

GRAND RIVERS, Ky. (AP) — Crews have marked a milestone in the construction of a new navigation lock at Kentucky Dam.

The Paducah Sun reports a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contractor topped out the first massive concrete pillar for the addition on Wednesday. It is a significant step in finishing the 1,200-foot-long lock. The entire project is expected to be completed in 2023.

The purpose of the lock is to relieve bottlenecked marine traffic caused by the current 600-foot-long lock.

The newspaper reports the size of the current lock coupled with the high traffic on the Tennessee River causes delays of seven to nine hours at times for commercial tows.

LOUISVILLE-2015 SCHEDULE

Auburn opens 2015 Louisville schedule featuring 7 bowl teams

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Louisville will face Auburn in Atlanta to open the 2015 schedule featuring seven bowl participants and five schools that won at least eight games last season.

The Cardinals and Tigers will meet for just the second time on Sept. 5 in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff at the Georgia Dome. Houston visits Louisville a week later to begin a six-game home schedule highlighted by a Sept. 17 showdown against Clemson in its Atlantic Coast Conference opener.

Louisville's other home opponents include FCS school Samford, Boston College, Syracuse and Virginia.

The Cardinals' five-game road schedule begins Oct. 3 at North Carolina State, followed by a meeting at defending ACC champion Florida State on Oct. 17. Louisville also visits Wake Forest and Pittsburgh before closing the season at in-state rival Kentucky in renovated Commonwealth Stadium.