Kentucky News Now – May 20th 2015

GOP GOVERNOR-KENTUCKY

Heiner concedes in Kentucky, but race too close to call

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Former Louisville city councilman Hal Heiner is conceding in Kentucky's Republican primary for governor.

But the race remains too close to call, with early returns Tuesday showing businessman Matt Bevin with a narrow lead over Agriculture Commissioner James Comer. Former state Supreme Court Justice Will T. Scott lagged far behind.

The campaign was marked by allegations that Comer abused an ex-girlfriend in college in the 1990s. Comer denied the allegations and was never charged. He accused opponent Hal Heiner of scheming with a blogger who was promoting the abuse story.

Heiner later publicly apologized.

Heiner said Tuesday that he had called to congratulate Bevin. He says voters should stay involved and support the Republican Party.

DEMOCRATS-GOVERNOR-KENTUCKY

Jack Conway wins Democratic nomination for Kentucky governor

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Attorney General Jack Conway has easily won the Democratic nomination for Kentucky governor.

Conway faced little opposition in Geoff Young, a former state engineer who did not raise money and was shunned by the state party. It was the first time in four decades that Kentucky Democrats have not fielded a competitive primary, allowing Conway to skip dozens of candidate forums and raise more than $2.3 million.

Conway will face a Republican nominee battered from a brutal primary campaign that will force him to spend much of his time replenishing nearly empty campaign coffers.

Democrats have won nine out of the last 10 elections for governor. But Republicans have made gains in voter registration and have had success by tying Kentucky Democrats to President Barack Obama, who remains deeply unpopular throughout the state.

KENTUCKY ELECTION-FRAUD

Election Fraud Hotline fields 16 calls during primary voting

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky attorney general's Election Fraud Hotline has closed for the day after receiving a total of 16 calls during primary election voting.

The attorney general's office reported the hotline opened at 6 a.m. EDT Tuesday as the first voters headed to the polls and closed at 7 p.m., when polls closed in the western half of the state.

Five of the calls came from Jefferson County, including four procedural questions and one legal question. Two calls were fielded from Christian County, with one media call and one procedural question. Producing one question each were Franklin, Johnson, Knox, McCreary, Meade, Mercer, Nelson, Oldham and Robertson counties.

The Meade County question concerned electioneering near the polls, while the others were procedural or legal questions or matters concerning an election official or voting machine.

NSA SURVEILLANCE

McConnell: Senate to vote on bill to end NSA bulk collection

WASHINGTON (AP) — Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says the Senate will vote on a bill that ends the National Security Agency's bulk collection of millions of Americans' phone records.

The Kentucky Republican has opposed the measure that the House overwhelmingly passed last week, 338-88. McConnell prefers renewal of the post-Sept. 11 Patriot Act with no changes.

But faced with the law's expiration on June 1, McConnell told reporters on Tuesday that the Senate will have a chance to vote on the House bill, known as the USA Freedom Act, before lawmakers break for the Memorial Day recess.

The House bill would replace bulk collection with a system to search the data held by telephone companies on a case-by-case basis.

He said letting the law expire would be irresponsible.

BEQUEATHED BODIES PROBLEMS

University of Kentucky overhauls body bequeathal program

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto is apologizing for problems found in the school's handling of bodies donated to science.

After the Lexington Herald-Leader published a story in January about a backlog in burials of remains of people who gave their bodies for research, Capilouto ordered an internal audit. On Tuesday, the university said it is overhauling the program.

It said numerous problems were found with administration and oversight of the program, including a three- to five-year delay in burying remains.

The position of program director Gary Ginn was eliminated. Ginn, who also is the Fayette County coroner, did not immediately respond to a message left with the office's answering service Tuesday. He previously said budget problems were to blame, then said he'd been off work with an illness.

MARATHON-CLEAN AIR SETTLEMENT

Marathon Petroleum settles allegations over air emissions

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department says Marathon Petroleum Corp. will pay a fine of nearly $3 million and spend another $2.8 million on pollution controls at its distribution terminals in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio.

It's part of a settlement announced Tuesday over allegations of Clean Air Act violations against Marathon at 10 different facilities.

The federal government said that Marathon had failed to comply with some fuel quality emissions standards along with record keeping, sampling and testing requirements.

An agreement filed in U.S. District Court in Ohio says Marathon will make changes to reduce emissions at fuel storage tanks.

Marathon Petroleum is based in Findlay in northwest Ohio. The company says most of the alleged violations happened several years ago, and that it's taking steps to prevent them from happening again.

MILL SPRINGS BATTLEFIELD

Mill Springs conservation being celebrated this weekend

SOMERSET, Ky. (AP) — The Civil War Trust and the Mill Springs Battlefield Association are making an announcement during a Memorial Day weekend ceremony in south-central Kentucky.

The Civil War Trust says U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers of Kentucky's 5th District will attend the event Saturday at Mill Springs Battlefield in the Nancy community, west of Somerset. The trust says the event is being held to celebrate recent land conservation achievements at the battleground.

The event begins at 10 a.m. EDT at the battlefield's Visitor Center on Kentucky 80. The Eighth Regiment Band will perform and officials from the Civil War Trust and the Mill Springs Battlefield Association are expected to attend.

U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell's office said he was recognized last month by the National Parks Conservation Association for his support of preserving the battlefield.

The Battle of Mill Springs was fought in January 1862.

OFF-GRID COUPLE

'Off-grid' couple fighting to regain custody of children

GARFIELD, Ky. (AP) — A spokesman for a Kentucky couple who blog about their "off-the-grid" lifestyle says a judge has ruled that they cannot yet regain custody of their 10 children.

Media outlets reported that deputies removed Nicole and Joe Naugler's children from their home May 6 after a confrontation between Nicole Naugler and a Breckinridge County sheriff's deputy. The deputy went to the Nauglers' home for a Child Protective Services welfare check.

The Nauglers' 27-acre homestead is constructed under tarps and has no wired electricity, running water or toilets. The children do not attend formal schools.

The couple's spokesman, Pace Ellsworth, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the Nauglers are making improvements to their property and doing everything they can to be reunited with their children.

He says another custody hearing will be held in June.

BKC-KENTUCKY-CALIPARI

Calipari: 'Not interested' in vacant Pelicans coaching job

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — John Calipari says he's not interested in the New Orleans Pelicans' coaching job and is happy at Kentucky.

The Pelicans fired Monty Williams a week ago and the team's NBA roster features former Kentucky star Anthony Davis and Tyreke Evans, who played for Calipari at Memphis.

Calipari said in a statement issued Tuesday by the school that, "Even though Anthony and Tyreke are in New Orleans, I have no interest in coaching the Pelicans or any other coaching position."

A person close to the situation said last week that Calipari and Kentucky are negotiating a one-year contract extension through 2022 that would pay him $54 million over seven years. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no details of the talks have been publicly released.