Kentucky News Now – October 8th 2015

FORT CAMPBELL DEATH

Soldier fatally shot at Fort Campbell identified

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) — Fort Campbell has identified a 101st Airborne Division soldier fatally shot during a training exercise.

The post on the Kentucky-Tennessee state line said 22-year-old Pfc. Kevin J. Rodriguez was pronounced dead at about 10:20 a.m. CDT Tuesday at Blanchfield Army Community Hospital at Fort Campbell.

The post said in a news release that Rodriguez was an infantryman with Company A, 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, known as "Rakkasans."

The incident remains under investigation. Lt. Col. Brian DeSantis, spokesman for the 101st, said Tuesday there was no indication the shooting was anything but accidental.

Rodriguez was a native of Barceloneta, Puerto Rico. He enlisted two years ago and completed a nine-month deployment in June.

Survivors include his parents, Daniel Rodriguez and Joan Pino-Caban of Paterson, New Jersey.

MERCY KILLING-PLEA

Kentucky man to be sentenced in wife's alleged mercy killing

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky man who shot his wife to death and told authorities the killing was an act of mercy is set to be sentenced.

Chris Chumbley was charged with murder in the 2013 shooting, but last month, prosecutors reached a deal that would allow him to plead guilty to manslaughter. He faces 15 years in prison when he is sentenced by a judge Thursday.

Chumbley says his wife of two decades, who everyone knew as Jenny, had asked to die because her cancer had spread.

The shooting renewed the debate over mercy killings and the right to die in a nation where five states now have laws that permit terminally ill citizens to seek physician-assisted suicide.

PHARMERICA-SETTLEMENT

Kentucky pharmacy PharMerica agrees to $9.25M settlement

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a Kentucky-based pharmacy has agreed to pay $9.25 million to settle allegations that it solicited and received kickbacks from a manufacturer in exchange for promoting a drug with nursing home patients.

Prosecutors announced Wednesday the settlement with Louisville-based PharMerica Corp. resolves claims that it received kickbacks from Abbott Laboratories in exchange for recommending that physicians prescribe the Abbott-manufactured drug Depakote.

The settlement partially resolves allegations in two whistleblower lawsuits filed in federal court in the western district of Virginia.

In 2012, Abbott pleaded guilty and agreed to pay $1.5 billion over allegations that it promoted Depakote for patients with dementia and autism — uses not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The drug was approved for bipolar disorder and epilepsy.

DEM 2016-CLINTON

Clinton says jail was 'right thing' for Kentucky clerk

MOUNT VERNON, Iowa (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton says that jail was the "right thing" for a Kentucky clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Speaking in Iowa Wednesday, the Democratic presidential hopeful says Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis was "treated as she should have been treated."

Davis spent five days in jail for defying a court order and refusing to license gay marriages. Several Republican presidential candidates have vocally defended Davis.

Clinton says people are entitled to their private beliefs, but that "when you take an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States, that is your job."

Clinton spoke at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, as part of a two-day swing through the leadoff caucus state. She also pledged to fight for gun control measures and immigration reform.

UNIVERSITY CLOSES-THREAT

Eastern Kentucky University cancels classes, cites threat

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Eastern Kentucky University says it has canceled classes for the rest of the week because of an escalating threat after the discovery of graffiti that threatened to "kill all" this week.

The school said Wednesday that it increased police presence around the campus in Richmond, Kentucky.

Officials say classes were canceled midmorning Wednesday on the campus of about 16,000 students.

The school says there's no evidence of imminent danger but reported an escalating threat, originating from social media.

On Monday, campus police issued a public safety alert after a threat was found in a campus bathroom. The graffiti said: "Kill All By 10/8/15."

The action comes in the wake of a recent shooting at an Oregon college. The shooter killed nine people and himself.

BIG RIVERS AUDIT

Outside audit: Big Rivers should 'explore' power plants sale

HENDERSON, Ky. (AP) — An outside audit says Big Rivers Electric Corp. should consider selling power plants that it doesn't need after losing its two largest customers.

Local media outlets report the audit was released Tuesday by the Kentucky Public Service Commission.

The independent review suggests that the company should explore the sale of both the D.B. Wilson power plant in Centertown and the Kenneth C. Coleman plant in Hawesville.

The audit says that Big Rivers will need to "move more aggressively in coming years" to mitigate the loss of the Century Aluminum smelters in Hawesville and Sebree.

In an email, company spokesman Marty Littrel told the Messenger-Inquirer newspaper that Big Rivers couldn't comment on the audit report.

Big Rivers is owned by three distribution cooperatives, which serve about 112,000 customers in western Kentucky.

TENNESSEE TECH-E KENTUCKY-GAME MOVED

Security threat at EKU moves game to Georgetown College

RICHMOND, Ky. (AP) — Eastern Kentucky has moved Thursday night's Ohio Valley Conference game against Tennessee Tech north to Georgetown College after a security threat led school officials to cancel classes for the remainder of this week.

EKU cancelled classes on all of its campuses Wednesday morning to allow law enforcement to investigate "an escalating threat" originating on social media after discovering graffiti that threatened to "kill all" this week. The school's public safety office said there was no imminent danger but increased police presence on the Richmond campus.

Thursday's game moves about 30 miles north to Georgetown's Toyota Stadium, which formerly hosted training camp for the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals. The Colonels (2-2, 1-0 OVC) will try to bounce back against the Golden Eagles (2-3, 1-1) following last week's 34-27 overtime loss at Kentucky.