Kentucky News Now – October 1st 2015

KENTUCKY GOVERNOR-RAND PAUL

Rand Paul to campaign for Matt Bevin on Saturday

FRAKNFORT, Ky. (AP) — Republican Presidential candidate Rand Paul will campaign with Kentucky's Republican nominee for governor in Frankfort on Saturday.

The U.S. senator from Kentucky is scheduled to speak at a rally for Matt Bevin at Kentucky State University. The rally comes before a forum at the university focusing on minority issues that Bevin and his running mate are scheduled to attend.

According to a news release, Paul will talk about federal government overreach and how a Republican administration can push back against Democratic President Barack Obama's policies.

Democratic nominee Jack Conway has said he opposes Obama's energy policies and would push back against them as governor.

U.S. Reps. Andy Barr and Hal Rogers are also scheduled to attend the rally.

KENTUCKY-CONGRESS

Comer runs to replace Whitfield in Kentucky's 1st District

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky's Republican Agriculture Commissioner James Comer says he'll run for Congress to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield.

Whitfield announced Tuesday he would not seek re-election after spending 20 years representing Kentucky's 1st Congressional District in Washington. The heavily Republican district consists of 35 counties in western Kentucky that includes Comer's hometown.

Comer lost the Republican nomination for governor by just 83 votes in May. But he won the 35 counties in the 1st District with 55 percent of the vote in the Republican primary.

Other Republicans who've shown interest in the seat include Michael Pape, who was Whitfield's district director, and Hickman County Attorney Jason Batts. A spokesman for the Kentucky Democratic Party said party officials are focused on electing Jack Conway for governor in November.

GAY MARRIAGE-KENTUCKY

Clerk jailed over gay marriage says pope encouraged her

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky clerk who was jailed for refusing to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples says Pope Francis told her to stay strong when the two met briefly during his visit to the United States last week.

The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, didn't deny the encounter took place but said Wednesday in Rome he had no comment on it.

In an interview with ABC, Rowan County clerk Kim Davis says they hugged during the meeting last Thursday and the pope thanked her for her courage.

Davis, an Apostolic Christian, spent five days in jail earlier this month for defying a federal court order to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. In the ABC interview, which aired Wednesday morning, Davis said knowing the pope agreed with her validates her efforts.

KENTUCKY EDUCATION

College-career readiness rate increases among Ky. graduates

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky's public high schools continue to produce more graduates deemed prepared for college or careers.

State education officials say nearly seven out of every 10 members of this year's statewide graduating class met the key benchmark. It's a big jump from three years ago, when less than half of Kentucky's graduates met college or career readiness standards.

The assessment and accountability report shows the statewide college/career readiness rate rose to 66.8 percent this year, up from 62.5 percent in 2014. In 2012, just 47.2 percent of graduates were prepared for college or careers.

The report shows the state's four-year high school graduation rate inched upward to 87.9 percent, compared with 87.5 percent the prior year.

Swings in the percentage of students receiving marks of "proficient" or "distinguished" varied, depending on grade level and subjects.

PLANT SHOOTING-KENTUCKY

1 killed, 1 injured in shooting at western Kentucky plant

PRINCETON, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky woman has died of what police say appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound and another person was injured in a shooting at a ConAgra Foods plant.

Princeton police said in a news release Wednesday that 37-year-old Nellie Renee Nichols of Dawson Springs went to the factory to confront her mother and began firing from a semi-automatic pistol. Police said a male bystander suffered a hand injury not believed to be life-threatening from one of the shots.

Police said Nichols was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

A statement from ConAgra said the company is aware of "an incident" outside of its plant involving three people. The statement said the people were not employees and the plant has been secured. ConAgra said it is working with police.

According to its website, ConAgra Foods, Inc. produces packaged foods.

CLIMBING DEATH

Aspen climbing fatality identified as Kentucky man

ASPEN, Colo. (AP) — A climber who died while bouldering near Aspen has been identified as 41-year-old Travis Boyle of Union, Kentucky.

Authorities say Boyle was bouldering on Christiana Peak near Aspen and fell about 200 feet to his death when a piece of rock he was using as a hold flaked off.

The Pitkin County Sheriff's Office says Boyle was not using a rope when he fell Monday afternoon. The Aspen Times reports that after the fall, his climbing partner became stranded on the cliff band at 12,751 feet and was lowered to safety about 11 p.m. Monday after members of Mountain Rescue Aspen reached him.

Boyle's body was recovered Tuesday.

TRAFFIC CASES

Judge sets court date for fate of 2,300 traffic defendants

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A district court judge is challenging a county attorney's revenue-generating traffic school in Kentucky.

Kentucky news outlets report Judge Sean Delahanty is opposed to the operation of Jefferson County Attorney Mike O'Connell's traffic school which allows traffic violators to get their cases dismissed without having to pay court costs.

A state Supreme Court ruling filed in June allows drivers to get their citations dismissed if they pay a fee and take O'Connell's online program. But Delahanty has declined to dismiss charges against roughly 2,300 defendants who have graduated from the program. Delahanty argues the county attorney's office has no right to dismiss charges without court costs also being applied.

Delahanty set a Thursday hearing for five representative defendants. Delahanty says any order he issues will apply to all 2,300 cases.

FERRY CLOSED

Ferry closed between Kentucky, Missouri for up to 2 weeks

HICKMAN, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet says the Dorena-Hickman Ferry between western Kentucky and southeastern Missouri has been closed down for up to two weeks to allow for dredging.

The cabinet says an Army Corps of Engineers dredge is working in the Hickman harbor to maintain navigation and harbor access. Limited space at the mouth of the harbor prevents the ferry from accessing the Kentucky landing at Hickman while the dredge is working.

The ferry across the Mississippi River connects Kentucky 1354 at Hickman, Kentucky, with Missouri Route A and Route 77 near Dorena, Missouri.

Missouri and Kentucky are the only border states that are not directly connected by a road. The ferry is the only direct connection between the two states.