Kentucky News Now

SEVERE WEATHER-KENTUCKY

6 tornadoes confirmed in Kentucky

PARIS, Ky. (AP) — The National Weather Service has confirmed six tornadoes hit Kentucky during storms that dragged wind and hail across parts of the state.

The weather service reported one woman was injured in Bourbon County when an EF-1 tornado pulled her from her home Tuesday. The weather service said she landed in her driveway and required stitches. Paris City Manager John Plummer told the Lexington Herald-Leader he had spoken to the woman and she was OK.

Four other twisters — two in Bath County, and one each in Scott and Harrison counties — were also designated EF-1, which is next to weakest on the scale and indicates winds were 85 to 110 mph. The remaining tornado was a weaker EF-O, near New Columbus in Owen County.

The weather service said homes, warehouses, roofs, outbuildings, trees and power lines were damaged in the storms. In Bourbon County, a tanker flipped.

SENATE-KENTUCKY-DEBATE

Judge to hear arguments in Senate debate lawsuit

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — A federal judge is scheduled to hear arguments Thursday morning about whether a Libertarian U.S. Senate candidate should be included in a highly anticipated televised debate.

David Patterson sued Kentucky Educational Television because it did not invite him to participate in Monday's debate between Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell and Democratic challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes. Patterson, a police officer from Harrodsburg, is on the ballot as a Libertarian.

Kentucky's Senate race is among the most closely watched in the nation, and Monday's debate will be the only time the two candidates appear together on statewide television.

Patterson argued in court documents that KET excluded him because of his political beliefs. The hearing before U.S. District Judge Gregory F. Van Tatenhove is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.

STORYTELLING FESTIVAL

Storytelling festival is Friday at U of L

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Family-friendly stories and spooky tales are on the program for this year's Corn Island Storytelling Festival at the University of Louisville.

The festival runs from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. EDT Friday on the Natural Sciences Lawn at the university's Belknap Campus. Col. Bob Thompson of the Kentucky Homefront radio program serving as master of ceremonies.

There's also a fall festival for children from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. with arts and craft activities as well as a hay bale maze.

Bring lawn chairs or blankets and flashlights.

The festival is named after Louisville's first settlement. The festival ran for three decades before ending in 2007. Organizers and U of L revived the event last year.

For more information, visit http://uofl.me/cornisland2014.

CONTRACT BRIBERY

Trucker guilty of bribing Ga. military officials

ALBANY, Ga. (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a former driver for a national trucking company has pleaded guilty to bribing officials at the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany for contracting work.

Prosecutors say 54-year-old David R. Nelson of Lucedale, Mississippi pleaded guilty to bribery of a public official and will be sentenced at a later date.

Authorities say Nelson worked for a Louisville, Kentucky-based trucking company and admitting to paying more than $100,000 in bribes to officials in the base's traffic office between 2006 and 2012 in exchange for obtaining freight shipments from the base to the West Coast.

KENTUCKY-RAPE CHARGE

Kentucky player pleads not guilty on rape charge

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky freshman defensive lineman Lloyd Tubman pleaded not guilty Wednesday after being arrested and charged with first-degree rape.

Tubman was released on $10,000 bond from the Lexington-Fayette County jail after a hearing. The Louisville native was arrested Tuesday, five days after an incident in a campus dormitory.

Tubman, who hasn't played this season, has been suspended indefinitely by coach Mark Stoops. The university said in a release that the 6-foot-5, 225-pound Tubman is also subject to discipline under its code of conduct.

According to the arrest warrant obtained by The Associated Press, the woman called campus police Thursday following the incident involving Tubman, who she described as her ex-boyfriend. The AP does not identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault.

UNITED STATES-EBOLA-MILITARY

Pentagon: 100 US Marines heading to Liberia

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon says 100 Marines will go to Liberia on Thursday with helicopters and other transportation to help the military get to locations around the country and help with the Ebola fight.

The Pentagon press secretary, Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby, says the Marines are part of a special air-ground task force out of Spain.

He says this probably will be a temporary assignment, and the Marines will remain until soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, arrive.

The soldiers will get to Liberia later this month.

The Marines will bring four MV-22 Ospreys and two KC-130 refueling aircraft to help get troops and supplies to remote locations. They are part of the up to 4,000 U.S. troops authorized to deploy to Africa in the Ebola fight.