Kentucky News Now – October 21st 2015

FATAL APARTMENT FIRE

Police identify 5 killed in Kentucky fire

MAYSVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The fire chief in the northern Kentucky town of Maysville says a woman, three of her children and a neighbor were killed in a row house fire early Tuesday.

Maysville police identified those killed as 35-year-old Lori Doppelheuer, 10-year-old Christopher Kearney, 3-year-old Eagan Hargis, 20-month-old Kieran Hargis and 68-year-old Larry R. Brickels.

A neighbor, 61-year-old Ruth Austen, says the mother went back inside to try to save her kids and that the father tried to go back inside, too, but authorities stopped him.

Maysville Fire Chief Kevin Doyle says the father and two other children escaped the blaze early Tuesday. Doyle says the home where the children were didn't have working smoke detectors.

Officials believe the fire started on a back porch.

CSX CLOSURES

CSX abruptly closes rail shops in Corbin citing coal decline

CORBIN, Ky. (AP) — About 180 CSX employees will be furloughed or relocated after the company abruptly closed its Corbin rail shops.

The Times-Tribune reports the company closed its locomotive shop, locomotive service center and car shop Tuesday morning.

A news release from the company says employees will receive at least 60 days of pay and benefits and many furloughed employees will be eligible for jobs elsewhere with CSX. Management employees will be offered relocation opportunities or severance benefits.

The closed shops were primarily used to maintain, inspect and service locomotives and rail cars for coal trains. An announcement from CSX cites the declining coal industry as a main factor in closing the shops.

CSX will keep open the Corbin rail yard and train operations will continue.

DOCTOR INDICTED

Attorneys for cardiologist want fraud charges dismissed

ASHLAND, Ky. (AP) — Attorneys for a doctor accused of performing unnecessary heart procedures say the charges should be dismissed.

The Independent reports Dr. Richard Paulus is accused of performing unnecessary procedures on hundreds of patients from 2008 until he retired in 2013. The indictment also said the Ashland cardiologist billed Medicare for more heart catheterization and stent procedures than any other cardiologist in Kentucky.

Paulus has pleaded not guilty to charges of health care fraud and making false statements.

In court documents arguing for dismissal of the charges, Paulus' attorneys say the angiograms that government prosecutors are relying on for their case are difficult to read and subject to differing interpretations. They also say the angiograms prosecutors have are not the originals but degraded versions retained for hospital records.

POLICE SHOOTING

Police: Suspect fatally shot after robbery in Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Police in a Louisville suburb have fatally shot a man they say robbed a customer outside a sandwich shop.

Jeffersontown Police Chief Rick Sanders says officers encountered the man near a Jimmy John's restaurant on South Hurstbourne Parkway and ordered him to put his hands in the air.

Sanders told media at a news conference Tuesday that the man pulled a gun from his waistband and was shot by two Jeffersontown officers.

The man's identity has not been released. He was taken to University of Louisville Hospital and pronounced dead at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Sanders says the customer was walking into the store around noon when he was robbed. The customer gave a description to police, and they located him at a nearby hotel. The officers, whose identities haven't been released, are on administrative leave.

HIGHWAY HONOR

Portion of highway to be renamed for slain female officer

HARRODSBURG, Ky. (AP) — A portion of U.S. Route 127 in Mercer County will soon be designated as "Officer Regina Nickles Memorial Highway," in honor of Kentucky's first slain female officer.

Mercer County Sheriff Ernie Kelty tells local media that a sign unveiling ceremony will be held Sunday afternoon in honor of Nickles, who was shot and killed in October 1998 while responding to a call of a suspicious person outside of an automotive parts factory in Harrodsburg. The man who shot her is serving a life sentence.

The designation of the memorial highway will be from the city limits of Harrodsburg north to the Anderson County line.

The road was designated by action of the Kentucky General Assembly.

The dedication ceremony is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday at the McAfee Fire Station.

YUM BRANDS-SPLIT

Louisville-based Yum Brands plans to spin off China business

NEW YORK (AP) — The Kentucky corporate owner of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell plans to spin off its China business into a separate, publicly traded company.

Shares of Louisville-based Yum Brands Inc. gained more than 4 percent in Tuesday premarket trading.

Yum Brands said that it believes the China business, called Yum China, could grow from its current 6,900 restaurants to more than 20,000 restaurants in the future.

The remaining Yum Brands business will concentrate part of its efforts on becoming more of a franchisor, with the goal of having at least 95 percent of its restaurants owned and operated by franchisees by the end of 2017. It currently has more than 41,000 restaurants globally.

The separation of the businesses is expected to be complete by the end of next year.

AMERICAN PHAROAH-WORKOUT

American Pharoah works 6 furlongs at Santa Anita in BC prep

ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) — Triple Crown champion American Pharoah had a six-furlong workout at Santa Anita as part of the preparation for his final career race in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic next week.

With jockey Martin Garcia aboard, the colt was timed in 1:10.80 for the distance Tuesday.

Trainer Bob Baffert calls it the "last serious drill of his life." He says American Pharoah "looked fantastic."

In his previous start, American Pharoah finished second in the Travers at Saratoga on Aug. 29. Baffert says the colt needed a 60-day break before the Classic because he runs well off a long layoff.

The colt is scheduled to work again Monday at Santa Anita before being flown to Keeneland on Tuesday. Among his expected rivals in the Classic at Keeneland on Oct. 31 is Santa Anita-based Beholder.

American Pharoah is set to retire to stud duty after the BC Classic.