Wednesday’s Kentucky News – October 23rd, 2013

POLICE CHIEF-INDICTED

Police chief pleads not guilty in federal case

(Information in the following story is from: The Courier-Journal, http://www.courier-journal.com )

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A police chief has pleaded not guilty to a federal charge of lying to an investigator about moving a meth lab from an elected official's property.

Hillview Police Chief Glenn Caple entered the not guilty plea Tuesday. The Courier-Journal reported Caple is scheduled for trial Dec. 16.

The indictment alleges that Caple and other officers from Hillview, in Bullitt County, were contacted by an elected official in January 2012 regarding a backpack suspected of containing a mobile meth lab. The indictment says Caple ordered an officer to move the backpack off the official's property when he learned it was a mobile lab.

The indictment alleges Caple denied during an interview by FBI agents that the lab had been found on the official's property and moved.

KENTUCKY LEGISLATURE

Filing papers in for open seats in Senate, House

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Democrat Reggie Thomas and Republican Michael Johnson have filed candidacy papers to run for an open state Senate seat in Lexington.

Thomas, a lawyer, and Johnson, a minister, won't be the only candidates in the running for the seat previously held by Democrat Kathy Stein, who resigned to accept a judicial appointment. Richard Moloney, a former member of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council, is running as an independent.

Gov. Steve Beshear scheduled the election for Dec. 10.

Also that day, Republican Suzanne Miles and Democrat Kim Humphrey will square off for a western Kentucky House seat vacated by former Rep. John Arnold, who resigned after being accused of sexual harassment.

CANCER SCREENING

UK promotes its ovarian cancer screenings

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — The University of Kentucky's Markey Cancer Center is promoting its ovarian cancer screening program as a way for the disease to be detected early.

Kentucky first lady Jane Beshear and female lawmakers are among those urging women to take advantage of the screenings.

UK says the free examinations have been given to more than 41,000 Kentucky women, including women from every county in the state.

Through the screenings, the university says 558 ovarian tumors and 86 malignancies have been detected.

Screenings are currently being performed in Lexington, Elizabethtown, Somerset, Prestonsburg, Maysville, Paducah and Greenup.

The program is an ongoing, 26-year research study showing that annual screening continues to detect ovarian cancer at an earlier stage than is possible with a clinical examination. Ovarian cancer is ranked fifth among cancer killers for American women.

FELONS VOTING

Advocates hopeful about restoring voting rights

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Advocates who have pushed unsuccessfully for years to restore voting rights to convicted felons after they've completed their sentences are hopeful that support from Republican U.S. Sen. Rand Paul will provide a needed boost.

Tayna Fogle, a Lexington resident who had her voting rights restored by former Govs. Paul Patton and Ernie Fletcher, said Tuesday that the initiative seems to be energized heading into a legislative session set to begin in January. She said Paul's comments last month in favor of restoring voting rights will be helpful.

Fogle testified Tuesday before the Task Force on Elections, Constitutional Amendments and Intergovernmental Affairs.

Kentucky, Florida and Iowa are the only states that require felons to apply for restoration of rights in order to vote even after they've completed their sentences.

SCHOOLS AUDIT

Report: Ex-school leader's wife got inflated pay

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky's auditor says a former school superintendent assigned his wife to a job with an inflated salary, costing Martin County schools an extra $200,000 over four years.

The report released Tuesday by Auditor Adam Edelen also says the ex-superintendent awarded a privately funded scholarship to two of his children.

Edelen says the review shows the need for school boards to properly oversee superintendents.

Edelen's office identified the former superintendent as Mark Blackburn.

Current Martin County schools Superintendent Steven Meadows says the district will create or strengthen policies to avoid a repeat of such incidents.

Blackburn works in the school system as an elementary school teacher.

Blackburn says he's disappointed at how the auditor has portrayed the findings and says his children earned the scholarship money on their own.

PAWN SHOP SHOOTINGS

Minister indicted in Danville pawn shop shootings

(Information in the following story is from: The (Danville, Ky.) Advocate-Messenger, http://www.centralkynews.com/amnews )

DANVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A south-central Kentucky minister has been indicted on three counts of murder in the shooting deaths at a Danville pawn shop last month.

The Advocate Messenger in Danville says 48-year-old Kenneth Allen Keith was also charged Monday with first-degree robbery and burglary in the Sept. 20 shootings at ABC Gold Games and More.

Arraignment is scheduled Nov. 5 in Boyle County Circuit Court. Keith pleaded not guilty last week in Boyle District Court, and his lawyer has said the wrong person was arrested.

Keith, a Baptist minister from Burnside, is accused of killing Mike and Angela Hockensmith of Stanford and Daniel Smith of Richmond.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.