Kentucky News Now

EBOLA DRUG

Owensboro facility fully focused on Ebola drug

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A spokesman says a Kentucky company is hiring more people and is working around the clock on an experimental medicine that was recently used on American aid workers who contracted Ebola.

Reynolds American Inc. acquired Kentucky BioProcessing in January. Reynolds spokesman David Howard told The Courier-Journal the company has put its full focus on the compound ZMapp. Kentucky BioProcessing was contracted by San Diego-based drug maker Mapp Biopharmaceutical to produce ZMapp and makes the compound using tobacco plants.

Howard says limited supplies of the compound, which takes about three months to make, are available.

The drug is still awaiting approval. The organization Samaritan's Purse says ZMapp was used on American aid workers Nancy Writebol and Kent Brantly while they were still in Liberia. Both recovered, but doctors say it's unclear what role ZMapp played.

FORT CAMPBELL-DEPLOYMENT

Fort Campbell soldiers participating in ceremony

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) — Fort Campbell soldiers are preparing for their upcoming deployment to Africa with a color casing ceremony at the Army post.

Soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division are taking part in the ceremony Tuesday at the post along the Kentucky-Tennessee line.

Members of the 101st will be deploying to the West African nation of Liberia as part of the U.S. military's mission aimed at building Ebola care centers and training hundreds of health care workers. The goal is to stop the spread of the virus.

The virus has infected more than 7,470 in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia and killed more than 3,400, though experts say the actual number is likely much higher.

KENTUCKY SENATE-ADS

Senate rivals in Kentucky release new TV ads

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Democratic challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes have released competing TV ads, coming three weeks before Kentucky voters decide one of the nation's hardest-fought campaigns.

Grimes' ad features former U.S. Sen. Wendell Ford, a Democratic icon in Kentucky. McConnell's commercial focuses on fallout from Grimes' refusal to answer whether she voted for President Barack Obama.

Ford says Grimes would work with Democrats and Republicans if elected to the Senate. Ford refers to McConnell — his one-time colleague — as "Mr. No" because he's "been against everything." Ford has been undergoing treatment for cancer.

McConnell's ad highlights media criticism at Grimes for staying mum on whether she voted for Obama. The five-term Republican senator's campaign constantly tries to connect Grimes with Obama, who is unpopular in Kentucky.

KENTUCKY DEBATE

Kentucky Senate rivals hold solitary debate

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — In a debate at close quarters, Democratic challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes pledged Monday night she would be independent of President Barack Obama if she wins Kentucky's close and costly Senate race, but Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said his rival has consistently tried to deceive Kentucky voters about her intentions.

Side by side for the only time in their race, Grimes offered several possible labels for McConnell — "Senator no-show, Senator gridlock and Senator shutdown."

McConnell countered that as Senate Republican leader, he has been involved in the major bipartisan deals that have been reached in the past four years of divided government.

POLITICAL MAILINGS-COMPLAINT

GOP says Democrats abuse nonprofit mailing permit

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A top Kentucky Republican is asking the U.S. Postal Service to take away the state Democratic Party's nonprofit mailing permit, at a time when political mailings are stuffing mail boxes ahead of next month's election.

State GOP Chairman Steve Robertson filed a complaint alleging the Democratic Party abused its nonprofit permit.

Robertson points to Democratic state Senate candidate Will Cox's campaign in his allegations.

Robertson says mass mailings indicating the material was paid for by Cox's campaign included the Democratic Party's nonprofit mailing permit information and return address. Robertson says candidate campaigns are ineligible for mailing at the lower nonprofit rate.

Cox's campaign consultant declined comment Monday.

State Democratic Party Chairman Dan Logsdon says he'll review the allegations but says he doesn't think there was any abuse of the nonprofit permit.

OBIT-JAZIL

2006 Belmont Stakes winner Jazil, 11, dies

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Jazil, the 2006 Belmont Stakes winner, has died. He was 11.

Shadwell Farm announced Monday in a release that Jazil died from injuries sustained Saturday in a paddock accident. Shadwell vice president Rick Nichols called Jazil "a wonderful horse to be around. He gave us many great memories from his thrilling stretch runs, when he would launch an amazing finish from far back."

Jazil earned $890,532 in 11 starts featuring two wins and five seconds including the Wood Memorial, in which he rallied from far back to finish 1 1-2 lengths behind Bob and John. He tied for fourth in the Kentucky Derby but went to win the Belmont by 1 1-4 lengths.

Jazil sired 11 stakes horses after retiring to stud at Shadwell in 2008.