Kentucky News Now

TEACHER-SEX CHARGES

Former Jefferson County teacher pleads guilty to sex charges

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

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A former Jefferson County middle school teacher has pleaded guilty to multiple criminal charges stemming from her relationship with a 13-year-old boy.

According to The Courier-Journal, 26-year-old Jessica Boyers accepted a plea agreement last week in Jefferson Circuit Court to serve 10 years on charges of second-degree rape, second-degree sodomy and first-degree sex abuse.

Court records show she also pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the same student relationship and agreed to serve 12 years. The sentences will run concurrently for a total of 12 years. She will be eligible for parole after serving two years.

The former teacher was arrested in April 2013 after police say she was found in her car with the boy in a local park. She soon resigned from her teaching position at Highland Middle School.

SCHOOL FUNDING

Fewer school districts raising property taxes by 4 percent

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

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — More school boards are opting not to increase property taxes as high as they can to help educate students.

That's according to a Lexington Herald-Leader analysis of state data going back to the economic recession in the 2007-08 academic year.

State law allows school boards to increase the tax rate annually so that it provides 4 percent more revenue than the previous year without being subject to a voter recall.

In the 2007-08 academic year, 107 of the state's 173 school district's voted for the 4 percent increase. During the 2012-13 academic year, that number had fallen to 76.

For districts that didn't approve the increase, the automatic default is the compensating rate, which means taxes are adjusted to bring in the same amount as the previous year.

LEXINGTON ROBBERIES

Lexington police ask public to help solve robberies

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

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — A string of 15 robberies in Lexington in the past two months has spurred police investigators to seek the public's help in identifying the culprits.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that police issued surveillance photos on Friday of one or two people entering businesses with a gun and demanding money from employees or individuals.

In some cases, the people jumped over the counter, approached the employees, opened the cash register and took money.

The amount of money stolen is unknown.

Authorities say the series of robberies began Jan. 23 and include several gas stations, restaurants, a hotel and a grocery store. One restaurant was robbed twice, once in January and again in February. The most recent robbery was Thursday evening.

HEROIN

Lawmakers battle disease, death in legislature's final week

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — How much time drug dealers should spend in prison and whether to give addicts clean needles are two issues dividing state lawmakers heading into the final week of the legislative session.

The House has passed a bill to allow local governments to set up needle exchanges, enabling addicts to swap dirty needles for clean ones. And it would preserve the state's system of lighter sentences for those dealing less than 2 grams of heroin while increasing penalties for major traffickers.

The Senate has passed a bill that does not include a needle exchange and would increase penalties for all heroin dealers regardless of how much they were dealing.

Heroin overdose deaths in Kentucky have soared 945 percent since 2011. The state has the highest hepatitis C rate in the country.

TRAFFIC DEATHS-SENTENCE

Indiana man sentenced to 10 years in interstate deaths

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

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — An Indiana man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison in connection with the deaths of two people who tried to help other motorists after a series of collisions in Kentucky last year.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports 57-year-old Bryan Mangan of South Bend, Indiana, pleaded guilty in December to two counts of wanton endangerment, evidence tampering and driving under the influence.

Police say a wreck involving Mangan's SUV triggered the deadly collision on Interstate 75 in Madison County.

The people who died were 22-year-old Meredith L. Buscher of Richmond, Kentucky, and 30-year-old Jeffrey R. Campbell of Louisville.

Kentucky State Police say Buscher and Campbell left their cars to help others involved in collisions when they were struck by a vehicle driven by a northern Kentucky man. No charges were filed against the driver.

AILING FATHER-PRE-WEDDING

Pre-wedding allows ailing father to walk daughter down aisle

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

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Albert "Hugh" Campbell walked his daughter down the aisle and had their dance at a pre-wedding ceremony, just in case he isn't at her fall wedding.

The Courier-Journal reports Campbell removed his oxygen tubes before taking his 22-year-old daughter, Emily, down the aisle. The 54-year-old Campbell needs the tubes to breathe more often as the breast cancer he has been fighting for seven years spreads.

Doctors have given him six months, but Campbell isn't so sure the timeline will stick. He tells his daughter daily that he'll make it her Oct. 10 wedding.

But he agreed to a doctor's suggestion of the pre-wedding ceremony, held Friday at Norton Cancer Institute.

That way, he says there will be something to remember him in case he's not around in October.