Kentucky News Now – September 22nd 2015

GAY MARRIAGE-KENTUCKY

4 deputy clerks: No eligible couples denied marriage license

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Four of the six people who work for Rowan County, Kentucky, Clerk Kim Davis told a federal judge that no eligible couples have been denied marriage licenses.

Davis spent five days in jail after she cited "God's authority" in refusing to obey a federal judge's order to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Davis' deputy clerks issued the licenses while she was in jail. U.S. District Judge David Bunning then released Davis and ordered the deputy clerks to report back to him every two weeks.

Four deputy clerks filed their reports on Monday. Deputy Clerk Kristy Plank noted the only person turned away was a man who said he wanted to marry Jesus. Plank said the man was denied because "both parties were not present."

RAPE KITS

More than 3,000 rape kits go untested in Kentucky

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A new report from the state auditor says more than 3,000 rape kits across Kentucky have never been tested, with some languishing in evidence lockers for more than 40 years.

Rape kits contain physical evidence from victims collected in the hours after a sexual assault. Testing the kits can identify DNA and other evidence that can help authorities identify and prosecute suspects.

Auditor Adam Edelen said the number of kits submitted to the Kentucky State Police Forensic Laboratory has been increasing, but the police have not made testing them a priority. State law does not require police departments to submit kits for testing. And 61 percent of hospital emergency rooms that responded to the survey said they do not have nurses trained to perform the exams.

Edelen recommended state law and police policy changes to address the backlog.

JUDGE SUSPENDED-KENTUCKY

Pike circuit judge agrees to 6-month, unpaid suspension

PIKEVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A Pike County judge has agreed to a six-month, unpaid suspension during a hearing on 13 ethics charges against him.

The charges against 55-year-old Circuit Judge Steven D. Combs were administrative, not criminal. The hearing Monday was being conducted by the Kentucky Judicial Conduct Commission.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports Combs also agreed to an evaluation of whether he has an alcohol problem. His lawyer, Richard A. Getty, says Combs was evaluated earlier and doesn't have an alcohol abuse problem.

Combs was accused of making inappropriate calls to Pikeville police and with telling a police captain that the next officer to pull him over would get a "bullet in the head."

Combs said he didn't recall making some of the derogatory remarks but that the commission had a good-faith basis for the charges.

US SENATOR-MARIJUANA

US senator addresses cannabis industry NY summit

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand says the federal government should reform laws affecting medical marijuana — allowing states to set policies for its use.

The New York Democrat told members of The National Cannabis Industry Association on Monday that she's pushing for reforms she introduced last March with Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey.

Gillibrand says more families would benefit from medical uses of marijuana if they didn't have to fear federal prosecution. Marijuana use is illegal under federal law, but allowed in some cases in dozens of states.

Cannabis industry professionals are in New York for their annual meeting on subjects such as patient care and marijuana policy reform the senator says would spur more research and development.

DIET DRUG-CHESLEY

Former lawyer Chesley suing former clients over judgment

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A former Cincinnati lawyer who was disbarred in Kentucky over taking excessive fees in a $200 million settlement involving the diet drug fen-phen has sued five former clients seeking to collect their share of a $42 million judgment and their lawyer.

Carol Boggs of Ironton, Ohio, is one of the former clients. She told The Courier-Journal in Louisville that she was forced into bankruptcy and to sell her jewelry while she waits for her share of the judgment.

Kentucky courts ordered Chesley and three others to pay more than 400 former clients in the case. Chesley sued Lexington lawyer Angela Ford, who now represents the former clients, to block her from trying to collect in Ohio.

A judge in Cincinnati has barred Ford from collecting against Chesley so far. Ford asked that the lawsuit be dismissed.

KENTUCKY GOVERNOR-AD

Ads on both sides of Kentucky governor's race feature Obama

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky's candidates for governor are both airing TV ads about President Barack Obama.

Republican nominee Matt Bevin released his first TV ad of the general election campaign on Friday. It criticizes Democratic nominee Jack Conway for supporting Obama's policies, including the federal Affordable Care Act and a proposal that would have limited environmental emissions for businesses.

Conway said he has never supported the emissions law. He released an ad on Monday saying he stood up against Obama to protect Kentucky jobs. The ad touts Conway's lawsuits against the Environmental Protection Agency over its proposed emission standards for coal-fired power plants.

Obama is deeply unpopular in Kentucky, a factor most political experts agree led to Republican U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell's landslide victory against Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes last year.

CIVIL RIGHTS TRAIL

New Louisville trail marks downtown civil rights locations

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A trail that marks the locations of historical civil rights demonstrations in downtown Louisville is set to be dedicated.

WAVE-TV reports a dedication ceremony for the Civil Rights Overview trail will be held on Monday. The trail consists of 11 markers that recount marches and sit-ins that protested segregation at city businesses. It also marks the voter registration campaign that set a precedent for southern cities.

Louisville-area schools will have resource guides to help teachers incorporate the trail into their lessons. The guides can be found online at the University of Louisville's website and at the Louisville Visitors Center.

Former dean of the University of Louisville College of Arts and Science J. Blaine Hudson first created the project.