Kentucky News Now – March 21st 2016

BURGIN, Ky. (AP) — State officials say the Kennedy Mill Bridge over Herrington Lake in central Kentucky is scheduled to reopen on April 1, nearly seven months after closing to traffic.

Kentucky transportation officials closed the 804-foot span that connects Mercer and Garrard counties on Sept. 3 due to the deterioration of steel supports. Repair work on the 92-year-old bridge began on Feb. 22.

The Advocate-Messenger (bit.ly/1Lvf0Bf) reports the span is the only major crossing for miles. According to data from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, daily traffic across the bridge averaged about 1,438 vehicles.

John Webb with Marine Works said that businesses near the lake are looking forward to the bridge reopening.

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Information from: The (Danville, Ky.) Advocate-Messenger, http://www.centralkynews.com/amnews

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Gov. Matt Bevin says a workforce training initiative has expanded into northeastern Kentucky.

A statement from the governor's office says the Kentucky Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education is now available through Maysville Community and Technical College. After participants enroll in the program, they take classes two days each week and work at a sponsoring manufacturer three days a week. The five-semester program allows students to get an associate degree while also obtaining hands-on, paid experience.

Officials say the program addresses a need for more skilled workers in advanced manufacturing.

Programs are already in place in several areas of Kentucky. The statement says officials hope that it will eventually be available in all regions of the state.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Louisville police are investigating the deaths of four people found in a home after firefighters responded to a house fire.

Louisville Metro Police Department spokesman Dwight Mitchell tells local media outlets that the fire Sunday was caused by arson, but wouldn't comment on how the four people died. At least one child was among the dead.

Mitchell says the Jeffersontown and McMahon fire departments responded to a fire call Sunday afternoon in southeast Louisville. Investigators quickly determined the fire was arson.

Jeffersontown Fire Chief Sean Dreisbach says there were multiple fires set on different floors of the home.

Homicide detectives are investigating. A possible motive or suspects have not been announced.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jameson T. Hazelbower — an Army private — went AWOL after learning he was suspected of raping a 15-year-old girl.

Despite the potential threat to the public that he posed, the self-described sex addict roamed free for nearly three months before local police collared him.

And that was only by chance.

The case is a window into an obscure but significant aspect of the military's legal system.

Deserters suspected of serious crimes are to be prioritized for capture based on the severity of the offenses. But the Army never searched for Hazelbower. The U.S. Marshals Service wasn't called in, even though marshals have arrested more than 200 deserters over the past five years alone.

The Army declined to discuss the case and why service officials chose not to pursue Hazelbower.