Thursday’s Kentucky News

SEXUAL HARASSMENT

Overly wants review of sexual harassment policies

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — State Rep. Sannie Overly is calling for an independent review of the Legislature's policies regarding workplace behavior in the wake of sexual harassment complaints against a western Kentucky lawmaker.

Overly, chairwoman of the House Democratic Caucus, said Wednesday she intends to file a bill next year to mandate the review and create a new personnel system that would ensure a harassment-free workplace.

The move is in response to sexual harassment complaints filed by two legislative staffers against Democratic state Rep. John Arnold of Sturgis.

A special legislative committee has been appointed to investigate those complaints. That committee could ultimately recommend Arnold's censure or expulsion from the Legislature.

FOOD PLANT

Food plant expanding, plans to add 200 jobs

OWINGSVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A food company in northeastern Kentucky is expanding and planning to add 200 jobs.

Custom Food Products says it is investing $44 million in the expansion project at its Owingsville plant in Bath County.

The company, which is a subsidiary of Idaho-based CTI Foods, processes meats, soups, sauces and tacos for food manufacturers and foodservice chains. CTI acquired the plant last year.

Company CEO Bobby Horowitz says CTI had been planning to grow its operations, and company officials spent time in Owingsville before deciding on the expansion.

A statement from Gov. Steve Beshear's office says the state Economic Development Finance Authority has preliminarily approved the company for tax incentives up to $3 million.

NATIONAL GUARD CEREMONY

Ky. National Guard to hold responsibility ceremony

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky National Guard will have a ceremony to bring on a new top-ranking non-commissioned officer to oversee the training, welfare and morale of the enlisted corps and act as the adjutant general's principal adviser on such matters.

The change of responsibility ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday at the State Capitol Building Rotunda in Frankfort.

Adjutant General Edward W. Tonini will honor outgoing State Command Sgt. Maj. Greg Armstrong and incoming State Command Sgt. Maj. Thomas Chumley.

A veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, Armstrong has served as the state command sergeant major since 2009.

Chumley enlisted in the service during the Vietnam War and recently returned from the Horn of Africa in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

EMERALD ASH BORER

Ky. officials plan public meeting about ash borer

CARROLLTON, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky parks and forestry officials are planning to meet with the public to discuss the impact of the emerald ash borer.

The meeting set up by the Kentucky Department of Parks and Kentucky Division of Forestry will be Monday at General Butler State Resort Park.

The emerald ash borer is an invasive species from Asia that was first discovered in the U.S. in 2002 and arrived in Kentucky in 2009. The insect feeds on and kills ash trees. The insect was found in Carroll County this year.

General Butler State Resort Park has a large number of ash trees.

The meeting will be at 7 p.m. at the park's conference center.

METH LAB SEIZURES

APNewsBreak: Meth lab seizures down in 2012

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Figures obtained by The Associated Press show that methamphetamine lab seizures and arrests declined nationwide in 2012, but the illicit and dangerous drug continues to hit hardest in the nation's heartland.

The Drug Enforcement Administration provided statistics to AP showing 12,694 meth lab incidents in 2012, down 5.5 percent from 2011. Experts say it's too early to know why the numbers dropped, and some say preliminary 2013 numbers are on the rise. Still, it was the second straight year of decline.

Missouri, the leader in meth lab incidents every year but one since 2003, again topped the list, followed by Tennessee, Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois. The top 16 states for meth lab incidents were all in Middle America or the South.

PERMIT CHALLENGE

Judge says Ky. power plant permit must be reworked

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A Franklin County judge is ordering state officials to rework a water permit for a Trimble County power plant that discharges into the Ohio River.

The ruling by Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd says the state's Energy and Environment Cabinet failed to conduct the correct analysis for scrubber wastewater at the plant.

Environmentalists had challenged the Trimble County Generating Station's permit, saying it did not properly control toxic pollutants like arsenic and mercury going into the river. The power plant is owned by LG&E in Louisville.

A spokesman for the state cabinet said Wednesday that officials are reviewing the complaint and deciding how best to proceed.

The case against the state and LG&E was brought by the Kentucky Waterways Alliance, the Sierra Club, Valley Watch and Save the Valley.

SCIENCE STANDARDS

Legislative panel finds science standards lacking

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A legislative panel has rejected the state's proposed new science education standards, citing a groundswell of opposition across Kentucky.

The Administrative Regulations Review Subcommittee voted 5-1 on Wednesday to find the standards deficient. That doesn't necessarily mean they'll be tossed aside. Gov. Steve Beshear could implement them anyway.

Robert Bevins, president of Kentuckians for Science Education, said rejecting the new standards would be a horrible embarrassment for the state.

Martin Cothran, spokesman for The Family Foundation, said the standards should not be approved because they neglect basic science knowledge in favor of some of the hottest new theories about global warming and evolution.

The standards, developed through a consortium of states with input from educators and scientists across the nation, were adopted by the Kentucky Board of Education in June.

OBIT-HENDERSON

Master distiller Lincoln Henderson dies

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A master distiller who helped create the Woodford Reserve brand for Brown-Forman and came out of retirement in 2006 to help launch Angel's Envy has died.

A statement from Angel's Envy says 75-year-old Lincoln Henderson died late Tuesday. It did not give a reason.

Henderson was well-known and respected in the industry and was named as an inaugural member of the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame.

A statement from Brown-Forman said Henderson worked for the company nearly 40 years and was a "titan of the Kentucky bourbon industry." It said he tasted more than 430,000 barrels of bourbon to determine whether they were ready for bottling.