Kentucky News Now

ELECTIONEERING CHALLENGE

Judge sets hearing in challenge to Kentucky law

COVINGTON, Ky. (AP) — A federal judge in Covington will hear a challenge to Kentucky's law banning campaign signs within 300 feet of a polling place.

U.S. District Judge William O. Bertelsman set the hearing for Oct. 13 — three weeks before the state holds a U.S. Senate election and multiple local offices appear on ballots before voters.

Businessman John Russell of Cold Spring sued the state over the law, saying it violates his First Amendment rights. Russell sought to put up signs backing candidates at his business, Campbell Auto Body, but had been told to remove them.

The state's law creates a buffer zone from the door of the polling place and is designed to prevent interference with the voting process.

Russell is seeking a preliminary injunction stopping enforcement of the statute.

PARK-CHILD DEATH

Arrest made in death of child found in park

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Louisville police have charged a man in the slaying of 12-year-old boy who was stabbed in a popular public park.

Detectives said Thursday that 21-year-old Joseph Cambron has been charged with murder and evidence tampering.

A park-goer found Ray Allen Etheridge unresponsive in a wooded area in Cherokee Park Tuesday. He later died at a hospital of multiple stab wounds.

Louisville Police say they found surveillance video of Cambron with the victim before the attack. Etheridge attended school in southern Indiana's Clark County, but he and his family were homeless and often visited the park and a nearby shopping center.

Police say Cambron had a camp in the park near where the attack occurred.

Police say Cambron contacted police on Wednesday, saying he knew something about the killing.

SCHOOLS-VIRTUAL HEALTH

Bracken schools try virtual health program

BROOKSVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A northeastern Kentucky school district is launching a virtual health program that will allow doctors to diagnose sick students while they are at school.

Bracken County School Superintendent Jeff Aulick told The Ledger-Independent (http://bit.ly/1rP0at7) that the district expects to launch the Tele Health program next week.

Health department Director Tony Cox says a high definition camera and monitor has been installed in the nurse's office at Taylor Elementary School and Primary Plus health facility near Augusta has a similar set up, allowing a physician to examine a student at the school.

The service also will be open to other students in the district to use as needed.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE GRANT

Old phones used for domestic violence prevention

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — State officials are asking Kentuckians to donate their old cellphones and accessories to raise money for domestic violence programs.

The Kentucky Commission on Women's Statewide HopeLine Drive runs through Oct. 31. People can drop off old cellphones and accessories in one of more than 430 collection boxes located at 18 state agencies across the state or at one of 13 University of Kentucky sororities.

Verizon Wireless will refurbish the phones and sell them, donating the money to WorkSafe, a domestic violence prevention training program for Kentucky businesses. The drive accepts phones from any carrier in any condition. Phones that cannot be refurbished will be disposed of in accordance to Verizon's zero-landfill policy.

The HopeLine drive was established in 2001 and has given grants of more than $108,000 for domestic violence prevention programs in Kentucky.

MARINE-SUICIDE LAWSUIT

Judge: VA botched handling of suicidal Marine

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A federal judge in Kentucky has found that a Veterans Affairs hospital mishandled a suicidal Marine who went to a medical facility seeking help before killing himself.

U.S. District Judge David Bunning concluded that the VA had a duty to help 21-year-old Cameron Anestis of Georgetown when he went to one of two locations in Lexington.

Anestis, a lance corporal in the Marine reserves, went to a Lexington VA medical center for evaluation and treatment on Aug. 16, 2009, but was turned away after being told treatment wasn't available there. Anestis went to a second VA center in Lexington the next day and again was rejected for not having a form showing he was a combat veteran.

Bunning said there are several issues to resolve before damages can be considered.

CATHOLIC FUNDRAISING

Trinity-St. X luncheon has record fundraising

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Louisville's Catholic Education Foundation says it has set a fundraising record for its annual luncheon ahead of the Trinity-St. Xavier high school football game.

The luncheon at the Galt House attracted 1,300 guests and raised about $225,000, surpassing last year's total of $202,000.

The rivalry football game will be played Friday at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, and it annually attracts thousands of fans.

Guests at the Tuesday luncheon heard a keynote speech from Kirk Herbstreit of ESPN's "College Gameday."

The foundation raises money for Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Louisville.

COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION

Computer coding event announced at IdeaFestival

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky science and education leaders have announced an effort to promote the value of computer science education.

The idea is to encourage students to participate in learning computer code through exercises available online and other places. The effort is in conjunction with national Computer Science Education Week Dec. 8 to Dec. 14.

Code.org is sponsoring the Hour of Code global campaign. Representatives of the Kentucky Science and Technology Corp. and Kentucky Department of Education announced Kentucky's participation on Wednesday during the IdeaFestival in Louisville.

Organizers say coding stations are available daily at the IdeaFestival at the Kentucky Center. The KentuckyCoders.com website is also open to anyone, and the goal is to have 1 million coding activities registered.