Kentucky News Now – September 23rd 2015

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky residents will be able to register to vote online beginning with the 2016 presidential election.

Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes announced the new voter registration system on Tuesday. It is similar to a system that allows soldiers and others living overseas to register to vote. Grimes said more than 700 people have used the existing system since it went live last year.

The National Conference of State Legislatures says 23 states allow voters to register to vote online while another five plus the District of Columbia have not yet implemented their systems. The Lexington Herald-Leader reports the state Board of Elections says it will cost about $45,000 to implement the electronic voter registration system, with the money coming from the federal Help America Vote Fund.

GAY MARRIAGE-KENTUCKY

Kentucky clerk who refused to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples says she's not a homophobe

MOREHEAD, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky county clerk who has refused to issue marriage licenses to gay couples says she's not a homophobe and has never said anything hateful.

In an interview that aired Tuesday on ABC's "Good Morning America," Rowan County clerk Kim Davis said she's just a normal person. It was the first interview she's given since her refusal to grant same-sex marriage licenses gained her national attention. Her stance has made her a hero to some and a hypocrite to others, who mock her for being on her fourth marriage.

Davis told ABC she's not a hypocrite because she's been forgiven.

Davis' defiance landed her in jail for five days after a federal judge found her in contempt of court. According to the interview, Davis said she's prepared to go back to jail for her beliefs if necessary.

PROJECTED POPULATION

Western Kentucky's growth in population to trail state's

PADUCAH, Ky. (AP) — Officials predict that the population of the Jackson Purchase region in western Kentucky will steadily rise over the next 15 years but then fall over the subsequent 20 years because of an aging population.

The Paducah Sun reports that officials at the Kentucky State Data Center at the University of Louisville have used recent demographic data from the U.S. Census Bureau to project the state's population in five-year increments to the year 2050.

Data center Director Matt Ruther says the Purchase region has many Baby Boomers and will experience a population decline from 2030 to 2050.

Of the eight Purchase counties, only Calloway County shows projected population increases in each five-year increment estimate.

Overall, Kentucky's population over the next 35 years is expected to steadily rise in each five-year increment.

TROOPER KILLED-KENTUCKY

Father of slain trooper asks Kentucky to upgrade patrol cars

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The father of a slain Kentucky State trooper has urged state lawmakers to retrofit the fleet of patrol cars with bullet resistant glass.

Cameron Ponder was shot and killed in his patrol car last week following a high speed chase in western Kentucky. The shooter, Joseph Johnson-Shanks, was later shot and killed after officials said he raised his weapon at another state trooper and ignored orders to lower it.

Joe Ponder, Cameron Ponder's father, told reporters Tuesday he believed his son would still be alive had his patrol car been outfitted with bullet resistant glass. Kentucky Democratic House Speaker Greg Stumbo pledged to find money in the upcoming budget to retrofit all of the Kentucky State Police's 600 front line patrol cars.

Stumbo said he hoped the program could also be extended to other law enforcement agencies.

PATRIOT COAL-AUCTION

Bankrupt Patriot Coal proceeds with sale to Blackhawk Mining

SCOTT DEPOT, W.Va. (AP) — Bankrupt Patriot Coal says it's proceeding with a partial sale to Blackhawk Mining LLC after an auction.

In a news release Tuesday, Patriot says Lexington, Kentucky-based Blackhawk Mining won an auction Monday for a substantial amount of Patriot's assets.

The transaction and Patriot's reorganization plan both still need approval in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Richmond, Virginia. Scott Depot, West Virginia-based Patriot will seek the sale's approval at an Oct. 5 bankruptcy hearing.

Patriot says Coronado Coal LLC participated in the auction and was designated the backup bidder.

Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia environmental officials have expressed concerns about mine pollution cleanup in Patriot's plan.

The Virginia Conservation Legacy Fund is looking to acquire Patriot's other mines and mining permits for purposes of water quality improvement and reclamation.

INMATE ESCAPE-BED SHEETS

Prisoner uses bed sheets in escape, falls when knot slips

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Two inmates at a Louisville jail facility could have used a course in knot-tying when they plotted an escape using bed sheets.

The men escaped to the roof of a minimum-security building Monday night, and used a rope made of bed sheets to climb down about four floors. Metro Corrections Director Mark Bolton says 29-year-old Matthew Johnson was climbing down when a knot on the sheets came loose, dropping him about 20 feet.

Police learned of the escape around 9 p.m., when a hospital worker saw Johnson climbing down.

A second inmate, 37-year-old Christopher Cornelius, didn't risk the climb and was found hiding on the roof.

Johnson was found hiding in a car early Tuesday morning. He injured his ankle and back and remained hospitalized Tuesday.

Both men were in jail on drug charges.

POLICE-PATRIOTIC DECALS

Sheriff adding 'In God We Trust' decals to patrol cars

LONDON, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky sheriff says he is adding decals that say "In God We Trust" to all marked patrol cars.

Laurel County Sheriff John Root said in a statement on Tuesday that he is paying for the patriotic decals with his own money. He says the move is a response to recent violence against law enforcement officers around the nation.

Sheriff's spokesman Gilbert Acciardo said Root spent $150 on the decals, which will be placed on the department's 27 marked cruisers.

Root said the decal is "a symbol of moral values in Kentucky and Laurel County."

TACO BELL

Taco Bell in Chicago debuts with beer and sangria

CHICAGO (AP) — Taco Bell customers in Chicago can now have beer with their burritos and sangria with their soft tacos.

The chain opened a location that serves wine, beer, sangria and frozen mixed drinks in Chicago on Wednesday. It's a first in the U.S. for Taco Bell, which is owned by Louisville, Kentucky-based Yum Brands Inc.

A similar location will open in San Francisco later this month.