Kentucky News Now – July 29th 2015

KENTUCKY GOVERNOR FORUM

Candidates for governor propose privatizing parks

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky's two major nominees for governor said Tuesday the state should consider privatizing at least some of its public parks as a way to save money to deal with upcoming budget issues.

Republican nominee Matt Bevin and Democratic nominee Jack Conway agreed the state's park system is decaying and private companies could do a better job of running the facilities and attracting tourists.

Kentucky has 49 state parks and spends about $83 million a year maintaining them, according to the most recently approved budget. Kentucky has several issues putting pressure on upcoming budgets, including a $14 billion unfunded liability in the teachers retirement system and paying for the expansion of the state Medicaid program.

The two candidates spoke to the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce's annual meeting in Louisville.

INTERSTATE CLOSED

Crash closes northbound I-65 near Elizabethtown

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (AP) — Northbound Interstate 65 lanes north of Elizabethtown are closed following a wreck.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said the multiple-vehicle crash occurred Tuesday afternoon near mile marker 97 or 98.

Drivers heading to Louisville are advised to consider taking U.S. 31W or U.S. 31E as long delays are expected.

Crews are cleaning diesel from the crash site, and the work is expected to continue until around 9 p.m. or later.

PLANE CRASH-WISCONSIN

Victims of SE Wisconsin plane crash ID'ed as Kentucky men

BRISTOL, Wis. (AP) — Authorities have identified the two Kentucky men found dead in a plane crash in southeast Wisconsin over the weekend.

The Kenosha County sheriff's office says 69-year-old William Lester Lanman of Louisville, Kentucky, was the pilot. Lanman was a U.S. Army veteran and a longtime pilot.

The passenger was 43-year-old James Dan Arnold of Crestwood, Kentucky. Authorities say Arnold was a friend of Lanman and was studying to be a pilot.

The men were flying to the Experimental Aircraft Association convention in Oshkosh, about 125 miles to the north, when the small, homebuilt plane crashed in a field. The wreckage was found Sunday.

Federal aviation officials are investigating.

ELIZABETHTOWN SHOOTING

1 killed, 1 injured in Elizabethtown shooting

(Information in the following story is from: The News-Enterprise, http://www.thenewsenterprise.com)

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (AP) — One man has been killed and another injured in an Elizabethtown shooting.

Hardin County Coroner William Lee told The News-Enterprise that the dead man was found inside a home and was pronounced dead at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds.

The injured man was found in the front yard of the home. He was sent to University Hospital in Louisville.

Police haven't released the men's names.

The shooting happened shortly before 1 a.m. Tuesday.

SNAKE HANDLING DEATH

Sheriff's office: Man dies from snake bite at church service

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky sheriff's office says a man has died from a snake bite suffered during a church service.

The Bell County sheriff's office said Monday that 60-year-old John David Brock of Stoney Fork was handling the snake during a Sunday service at a Pentecostal church in Jenson.

Authorities say Brock was bitten on his left arm and refused medical treatment. The sheriff's office says Brock went to his brother's home, where he later died. The local coroner pronounced Brock dead.

Snake handling at religious services is most common in Southern Appalachian states. The basis for the practice is a passage in the Gospel of Mark.

GOVERNOR'S RACE-ADS

Ads in Kentucky governor's race focus on Obama

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — New TV ads in Kentucky's race for governor focus not on the candidates but on Democratic President Barack Obama.

An ad from Democratic nominee Jack Conway says he was the only Democratic attorney general in the country to sue the Obama administration over proposed emission standards for coal-fired power plants. In the ad, Conway says he will stand up to anybody to keep people working in coal mines.

An ad from the Republican Governor's Association supporting GOP nominee Matt Bevin criticizes Conway for not joining other states in a lawsuit trying to overturn the federal Affordable Care Act. The ad says hospitals are struggling financially and insurance premiums have increased since the act was passed.

Polls show Obama is unpopular with a majority of Kentucky voters.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT LAWSUIT

Former Ky. officials paid to settle sexual harassment suit

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

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A former Kentucky lawmaker and the former head of the Legislative Research Commission made payments to settle sexual harassment and hostile workplace lawsuits from three female legislative staffers.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports House Speaker Greg Stumbo on Monday revealed the payments by John Arnold, a former Democratic representative from Sturgis, and Robert Sherman. Stumbo said he does not know how much each man paid.

The payments are in addition to a $400,000 settlement from the legislature.

Lawmakers have pledged to make the settlement document public, but it's not clear if agreements with Sherman and Arnold will be made public. Both have resigned from their government posts.

Sherman was not available for comment; Arnold's attorney did not return a call to the newspaper.

BENGALS-THE PAST

Mike Brown says Bengals might finally honor their past

CINCINNATI (AP) — Bengals owner Mike Brown has changed his mind and is finally willing to honor some of the franchise's best players at a stadium where there is virtually no trace of the past.

Brown says he's never been nostalgic and doesn't care for paying tribute to past stars. The only nod to the Bengals' history at Paul Brown Stadium is that it's named after his father, something that left him with mixed feelings. There is no Bengals Hall of Fame.

Other NFL teams have rings of honor or statues honoring figures from the past.

During the team's annual training camp luncheon on Tuesday, Brown said the team is considering ways to recognize previous players at the stadium.