Kentucky News Now – April 28th 2016

BEVIN-OVERSEAS TRIP

Bevin traveling to Germany, France, Belgium this week

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Gov. Matt Bevin is traveling to Germany, France and Belgium this week as part of his first overseas trip as governor.

Bevin is scheduled to arrive in Hannover, Germany, on Tuesday to attend the Hannover Messe Fair, a trade show of industrial technology. A news release from the governor's office says Bevin will meet with prospective businesses and companies that already have Kentucky facilities.

He will spend the rest of the week meeting with executives in Germany, France and Belgium. Bevin says the trip is an "incredible opportunity" to sell the benefits of Kentucky to manufacturers.

Bevin spokeswoman Jessica Ditto said the governor's trip will not prevent him from issuing vetoes of the state's two-year operating budget. State lawmakers approved the budget on April 15. Bevin has until Wednesday to issue vetoes, if any.

KENTUCKY GOVERNOR-INVESTIGATION

Beshear seeks investigation of Bevin as feud escalates

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky's Democratic attorney general has asked the Executive Branch Ethics Commission to investigate whether the Republican governor has used campaign contribution records as grounds for firing state workers.

The request is the latest escalation in the feud between Attorney General Andy Beshear and Gov. Matt Bevin.

Bevin took office in December and replaced Beshear's father, two-term Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear.

Beshear's letter to the commission requesting an investigation came days after Bevin announced he would hire a private law firm to investigate whether the former governor violated procurement laws and coerced state workers to donate to campaigns. Andy Beshear's letter asked the ethics commission to take over that investigation.

Bevin spokeswoman Jessica Ditto said the administration would welcome a parallel investigation. She did not respond directly to Andy Beshear's allegations.

FATAL FIRE

Sister of state representative dies in Ashland house fire

ASHLAND, Ky. (AP) — The sister of a Kentucky state representative has died after a fire broke out in her Ashland home.

News outlets that 59-year-old Melanie Sinnette was found unresponsive by her roommate Monday morning after the roommate was woken up by a smoke detector.

Sinnette was confirmed dead by Boyd County Coroner Mark Hammond.

The Independent of Ashland reports that Sinnette was the sister of state Rep. Kevin Sinnette, who represents Boyd County.

Kevin Sinnette said his sister was "genuine" and "always there" for him and their family.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. The victim's body was taken to Frankfort on Monday for an autopsy.

HIT AND RUN CHARGE

Man accused of fleeing crash that killed 2 turns himself in

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Louisville police have arrested a man who they say left the scene of a car crash that killed two people.

Louisville Metro Police Department spokesman Dwight Mitchell tells local media that 19-year-old Malik Caldwell turned himself in to police Monday afternoon. He has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident.

Mitchell says that April 19, Caldwell and three passengers were inside a gray Kia that was traveling south on Poplar Level Road in Louisville. Caldwell lost control of the car and hit a fire hydrant.

Caldwell walked away from the scene. Two of the passengers in the car — 17-year-old Ellisa Lucas and 18-year-old Christian Smith — died in the wreck.

A third passenger was injured.

It wasn't immediately clear if Caldwell has an attorney.

LUMBER COMPANY

Lumber operation to locate in Nelson County

BOSTON, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky officials say a lumber company plans to create at least 30 full-time jobs in Nelson County to produce hardwood for export to Asia.

Gov. Matt Bevin's office said Monday that Legend Lumber Lee Corp. plans to open the operation in a shuttered hardwood lumber concentration yard in Boston, Kentucky.

The company intends to invest nearly $3.5 million in the operation.

The governor's office says the facility is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2017. The company will bring in green lumber for kiln and air drying, sorting, grading and shipping.

The company is taking over at a facility that closed in 2009.

JAILED PARENTS

Report: 135K Kentucky kids have had parent in jail

(Information from: The Courier-Journal, http://www.courier-journal.com)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A new report has concluded that Kentucky has the highest percentage of children in the nation who have had a parent in jail.

Citing a report released Monday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, The Courier-Journal reports that 13 percent of Kentucky children — 135,000 — reported in 2011-12 that they had a parent incarcerated at some point in their lives. That percentage is nearly double the national average of 7 percent.

Kentucky Youth Advocates Executive Director Terry Brooks says parental incarceration exacts a devastating toll on families and society at large by creating an "unstable environment" for children, with the effects being long-lasting.

The report uses data from the 2011-12 National Survey of Children's Health, the latest available.

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