Kentucky News Now

Gun that student took to Lexington high school was loaded

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — A Lexington high school principal says a gun that a student took to the school was loaded, not unloaded as initially reported.

The Lexington Herald-Leader (http://bit.ly/1KZSsBV) reports that in an apologetic email to families, Paul Laurence Dunbar High School Principal Betsy Rains said that in an effort to get information out quickly, school officials made a mistake.

Rains says officials learned that a clip with ammunition was in the gun when the weapon was found last Wednesday.

The student was taken into custody and charged with unlawful possession of a weapon on school property.

Rains said one student saw the gun in a backpack and told a teacher. The teacher immediately took possession of the backpack and called administrators.

Volunteers few for litter abatement program in Glasgow

GLASGLOW, Ky. (AP) — A year after launching a litter abatement program, a south-central Kentucky city is struggling to find people to participate.

The Glasgow Daily Times (http://bit.ly/1vH32fH) reports only one organization has volunteered so far to pick up litter along city streets: Western Kentucky University's Glasgow campus.

April Russell, director of the Office of Grant Oversight and storm water manager for Glasgow, told a City Council committee this month that the rate of complaints about litter is high, but the number willing to participate in a solution is low.

Glasgow launched Adopt a City Street early last year. It is modeled after the Adopt-a-Highway program and aims to increase environmental awareness and get people involved in keeping their town cleaner.

Participants are required only to volunteer time, as a grant pays for supplies.

College basketball team's plane makes emergency landing

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A plane carrying the Mississippi State men's basketball team has made an emergency landing in St. Louis after one of the engines failed.

The mishap occurred after the Bulldogs defeated the Missouri Tigers 77-74 Saturday in Columbia, Missouri. Mississippi State coach Rick Ray posted on Twitter that the twin-engine plane landed safely. He described hearing a loud noise, then a flight attendant who announced it had "lost an engine" and needed to land.

Team spokesman Gregg Ellis tweeted rooms in St. Louis were "at a premium" due to Mardi Gras and strong winds prevented another plane from leaving Kentucky to pick up the team.

Instead, Ellis says the Bulldogs are spending the night in Festus, Missouri, about an hour away and plan to bus back to Starkville, Mississippi, on Sunday.

Groups push to end routine shackling of juveniles

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — National child advocacy groups are pushing to end the routine shackling of juveniles facing charges in the Louisville court system.

The Courier-Journal (http://cjky.it/1DYyi95 ) reports the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges released a report recently that criticized the Jefferson County policy to chain every juvenile for each court appearance. The group called for judges to make decisions on a case-by-case basis.

Under the current policy, all juveniles — regardless of age or offense — have their hands cuffed to a chain around their stomach. Their feet remain free.

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office opposes any change, saying juveniles pose as much of a danger as adults.

The current policy was put into place in 2011 after an unchained juvenile was able to escape a holding cell.

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