Kentucky News Now – November 24th 2015

MISSING GIRL-HOMICIDE

Not guilty plea entered for man in death of 7-year-old Kentucky girl

SCOTTSVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The man accused of kidnapping and killing a 7-year-old Kentucky girl has pleaded not guilty.

Gabriella Doolin's mother, Amy Doolin, sobbed and held her hand over her mouth as a judge on Monday read the charges against 38-year-old Timothy Madden of Scottsville. Allen County District Judge Martha Blair Harrison's voice appeared to shake with emotion as she read the counts: murder, kidnapping, first-degree rape and first-degree sodomy.

Madden is being held on $1 million full cash bond. A preliminary hearing was set for Dec. 2. His attorney, Travis Lock, said it was too early in the case to discuss any evidence.

Kentucky State Police arrested Madden on Friday, six days after Gabriella Doolin disappeared during a youth football game. She was found dead in a creek less than a half-hour later. Gabriella was at the game Nov. 14 to cheer on her brother. The arrest warrant said she died of manual strangulation and drowning.

LOUISVILLE REFUGEES

Mayor of Louisville asks residents to join rally welcoming refugees

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Louisville's mayor is asking residents to join a community rally to show the city's solidarity with victims of recent terrorist attacks while welcoming immigrants fleeing those same extremist groups.

The Courier-Journal reports Mayor Greg Fischer is lending his voice to the event in the wake of Congress' bipartisan vote last week to halt the resettlement of refugees from Syria and Iraq to the U.S. The rally is scheduled for Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Jefferson Square Park

In a statement, Fischer said that "on the week of Thanksgiving, we must celebrate and give thanks that we are a nation of immigrants."

According to Fischer's office, the rally is being organized by the city's Compassionate Louisville campaign along with Pakistani Americans for Compassion and Education and local Islamic centers.

TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT

State police focusing on traffic enforcement around holidays

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky State Police say they are targeting drivers who are aggressive, impaired and distracted in the upcoming holiday season in an effort to save lives and reduce injury-related crashes.

Director of Operations Lt. Col. Michael Crawford said in a statement that every region will have a different enforcement plan that may include more visible enforcement, especially in crash-prone areas; more patrols; an increase in safety checkpoints and nighttime seatbelt enforcement details.

According to the statement, the number of fatal crashes in Kentucky is up this year compared to last year. Through Nov. 19, there had been 652 people killed in traffic crashes in 2015. During the same period in 2014, 585 died in crashes.

Citizens can aid the initiative by reporting aggressive or erratic drivers to KSP at 1-800-222-5555.

SUSPICIOUS FIRE-DEATHS

Man charged in deaths of 4 relatives after Kentucky fire

MURRAY, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky man has been charged with murder and other crimes in the deaths of four relatives whose bodies were found after a fire.

Kentucky State Police said Monday in a news release that 21-year-old Pascasio Y. Pacheco Arellano of Mayfield is charged with four counts of murder and one count each of first-degree burglary, first-degree arson and tampering with physical evidence.

Arellano is a nephew of 29-year-old Bulmaro Arellano, who was found dead inside the home that burned Tuesday in Murray. Bulmaro Arellano was found with his wife, 24-year-old Marisol Hernandez, and their two children, who were about 5 and 1½ years old.

Police say preliminary autopsy results indicate Hernandez and Arellano died as a result of gunshot wounds, while it's believed the children died of smoke inhalation.

CAPITOL EDUCATION CENTER

Capitol Education Center to be named after first lady

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A visitor center at the Kentucky Capitol has been renamed as the Jane K. Beshear Capitol Education Center.

Gov. Steve Beshear said in a statement that the Capitol Education Center will carry the first lady's name because it wouldn't exist without her foresight and drive.

The center, which opened in February 2013, welcomes visitors to the Capitol including students and teachers.

The facility promotes Kentucky government, geography and energy conservation, and Beshear said it represents his wife's "commitment to education and the people of Kentucky."

The energy efficient center is insulated with recycled denim and includes a viewing platform on the roof with solar panels, a wind turbine and a rooftop garden. It includes interactive and multimedia kiosks that have information about sustainability, history, geography and tourism in the state.

GORGE-VISITOR CENTER

Gladie visitor center closing for winter

WINCHESTER, Ky. (AP) — The Daniel Boone National Forest says the Gladie Visitor Center in the Red River Gorge is closing on Wednesday for the winter and will reopen early March.

Anyone needing visitor information for the gorge such as maps, passes and firewood permit can find them at the forest's nearby Stanton office, Morehead office and Winchester office.

District Ranger Jon Kazmierski of the Cumberland Ranger District says there aren't many visitors at the Gladie center during the winter and the road there can be hazardous to travel in winter weather.

The Stanton office is located at 705 W. College Ave. in Stanton across from Powell County High School. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays. For more information, call (606) 663-0576, extension 150.

TVA FINANCES

TVA surpasses 3-year cost reduction goal by more than $100M

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) — The Tennessee Valley Authority says it surpassed its $500 million goal for reducing operation and maintenance costs over a three-year period. Officials say the utility beat the goal by more than $100 million.

CEO Bill Johnson told board members Friday in Bowling Green that ratepayers also benefited from lower fuel and purchased power costs in fiscal year 2015. The result was an 8 percent decrease in operating expenses for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30. That meant a $760 million savings.

Also that year, TVA helped attract and retain more than 76,200 jobs and a capital investment of more than $7.8 billion.

The Tennessee Valley Authority is the nation's largest public utility. It supplies power to about 9 million people in Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia.

T25-COLLEGE BKB POLL

Kentucky is No. 1 in men's AP poll after Tar Heels loss

UNDATED (AP) — Kentucky is back in a very familiar spot — on top of The Associated Press college basketball poll.

The Wildcats, who were No. 1 every week last season, moved up one spot Monday following North Carolina's loss to Northern Iowa. Kentucky (4-0) beat then-No. 5 Duke in the Champions Classic last week and the Wildcats received 59 first-place votes from the 65-member national media panel.

Maryland (3-0) moved up one spot to second and received the other six first-place votes.

Michigan State, which beat then-No. 4 Kansas in the Champions Classic, jumped from 13th to third. The Spartans were followed in the top 10 by Iowa State, Kansas, Duke, Oklahoma, Villanova, North Carolina and Gonzaga.

Miami entered the poll at No. 15 after wins over Utah and Butler in taking the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. The other four newcomers are No. 23 Xavier, No. 24 Cincinnati and co-No. 25 Texas A&M and SMU. Utah, Baylor, Butler and Michigan dropped out.