Kentucky News Now

KENTUCKY-SENATE-DEBATE

Judge denies Libertarian's debate request

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A federal judge has denied Libertarian U.S. Senate candidate David Patterson's request to force a public broadcaster to include him in Monday night's debate between Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell and Democratic challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes.

U.S. District Judge Gregory F. Van Tatenhove ruled that Kentucky Educational Television did not exclude David Patterson from the debate solely because of his political views. Patterson argued KET had discriminated against him based on thousands of pages of emails where KET officials discussed tightening the criteria to participate in the debate so as to exclude non-serious candidates.

Libertarian Party of Kentucky chairman Ken Moellman says he was not happy with the decision but says the state party does not have enough money to appeal the ruling. McConnell and Grimes are scheduled to appear on KET at 8 p.m. Monday.

POLICE POLICIES

Wrongful conviction spurs new police policies

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

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Louisville's police department has adopted policies to prevent false confessions and eyewitness misidentification in a move that comes two years after the city paid $8.5 million to a man wrongly convicted of homicide.

Metro Police Col. Ozzy Gibson, who led a review of the policies, tells The Courier-Journal that the new policies are designed to give officers some flexibility and may be subject to additional review.

He says the department has trained detectives on the new policies.

The New York-based Innocence Project says the changes are positive. But its state policy advocate says they fall short because they "merely suggest, instead of require," the use of best practices to reduce the likelihood of wrongful convictions.

NO BIRTHDAY CAKE

Ky. school bans food at student celebrations

(Information in the following story is from: The Kentucky Enquirer, http://www.nky.com)

BURLINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Students celebrating a birthday at a northern Kentucky elementary school will have to do without birthday cake — or any kind of food for that matter.

The Kentucky Enquirer reports Burlington Elementary School recently revised its wellness policy to address the growing childhood obesity rate nationwide.

It's among a few schools that have a no-food-for-birthdays rule.

Kathy Reutman is in charge of making sure the wellness policies for Boone County schools meet federal guidelines.

She says about 37 percent of the county's children are at risk of being obese.

The federal government doesn't necessarily have a food ban, but it does encourage healthy eating and has made a series of rule changes and recommendations in the past few years toward that end.

BODY FOUND

Body identified as missing Harlan County man

(Information in the following story is from: WYMT-TV, http://www.wkyt.com/wymtnews)

HAZARD, Ky. (AP) — Authorities say a body found in a stream is that of a missing Harlan County man.

According to WYMT-TV, 40-year-old Willis A. Dixon walked away from his home around 2 a.m. on October 8.

Three days later, Kentucky State Police received a call that a body had been found in a stream in the community of Nolansburg. Detectives confirmed it was Dixon.

The body is being sent to the State Medical Examiner's Office in Frankfort for an autopsy. Authorities don't suspect foul play.

JANITOR CONVICTED

Jury recommends life sentence for former custodian

(Information in the following story is from: The Kentucky Enquirer, http://www.nky.com)

BURLINGTON, Ky. (AP) — A jury in northern Kentucky has recommended life in prison for a former Burlington custodian convicted of murder.

The Kentucky Enquirer reports that David Dooley was found guilty Thursday of the 2012 murder of his former co-worker Michelle Mockbee. Dooley was also found guilty of tampering with evidence, but not guilty of kidnapping.

The jury made its sentence recommendation on Friday. A judge still has to confirm the recommendation.

Mockbee's body was found near the office area of Thermo Fisher Scientific, a laboratory equipment distributor in Boone County, in May 2012. Police say Dooley performed janitorial services at the company.

Mockbee had worked at Thermo Fisher for 16 years.

TEACHER CHARGED

Jury recommends 10-year sentence for ex-teacher

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A Jefferson County jury has recommended a 10-year prison sentence for a former teacher convicted of raping one of his teenage students.

Media reports say the jury on Friday recommended the maximum possible sentence for Casey Kays.

Formal sentencing is scheduled for later this month for the former Academy @ Shawnee teacher.

Kays would be eligible for parole after two years, provided he completes a sex offender treatment program.

The jury found Kays guilty on rape and sodomy charges.

Kays was a teacher and volleyball coach when he was charged with having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl.

AGRICULTURE TEACHERS

Group promotes ag education in Ky. schools

(Information in the following story is from: Lexington Herald-Leader, http://www.kentucky.com)

FLEMINGSBURG, Ky. (AP) — Fleming County residents in northern Kentucky started a non-profit group a few months ago to raise money to pay for an agriculture teacher position.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that the group called A Better Community Foundation raised $48,000 for Fleming County Schools to fully fund an Agriculture Education teacher for the 2014-15 school year.

The group's president, Adam Hinton, Hinton, says agriculture touches almost every part of the county's economy.

Hinton, a fourth-generation owner of a farm supply business, says members have turned the initial effort into a volunteer-based grassroots fundraising and advocacy organization for agriculture education in Kentucky.

He says the idea to widen the group's reach statewide came at a state FFA convention when he realized that other school districts had lost agricultural education teaching positions.