Kentucky News Now – April 3rd 2014

HEALTH OVERHAUL-NONPROFITS-KENTUCKY

Most Kentuckians choose nonprofit for insurance

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A nonprofit health cooperative has sold 77 percent of the private health insurance plans purchased through Kentucky's health insurance marketplace.

Nonprofit health cooperatives have struggled to be competitive with their bigger, for-profit counterparts. But not in Kentucky, where 77 percent of the more than 77,000 health insurance plans were sold by the Kentucky Health Cooperative.

CEO Janie Miller said her company has benefited from a state website that has been immune to the technical glitches that have plagued the federal website.

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, the only other company to offer health insurance plans statewide, has sold 12 percent of the plans. Humana, which did not offer plans statewide, has sold 11 percent of the plans.

INSTANT RACING

Keeneland, Red Mile approved for instant racing

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Keeneland Race Course and The Red Mile have been approved for instant racing and plan to open facilities in July 2015.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission unanimously approved the requests Wednesday.

Keeneland and Red Mile officials expect to reach similar levels of wagering as the only other sites in Kentucky that offer instant racing, Kentucky Downs in Franklin and Ellis Park in Henderson. They collectively take in about $30 million in wagering a month, with Kentucky Downs averaging about $1 million a day.

Approval is pending agreements with horsemen to determine how much revenue they will receive.

Keeneland expects to build a 50,000-square-foot parlor and install 600 terminals, while The Red Mile wants to build a 40,000-square-foot parlor onto its grandstand and install 500 machines.

GEOGRAPHY BEE

Nearly 100 competing in geography bee

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) — Nearly 100 students from around Kentucky are competing Friday in the National Geographic Bee.

The event is state-level competition, and it's being held in Bowling Green.

The winner at the state event goes on to represent Kentucky in the national competition May 19 through May 21 in Washington, D.C., where a $50,000 scholarship is offered.

SEX ABUSE-INDICTMENT

Alleged witch, boyfriend charged in sex case

HENDERSON, Ky. (AP) — A southern Indiana woman and her boyfriend have been charged with committing sexual offenses against children in western Kentucky after prosecutors say they threatened the children with "hexes and curses"

The Gleaner reported that 28-year-old Jessica M. Smith of Evansville, Ind., and her boyfriend, Michael W. Kurtz of Corydon, Ky., each face charges of sexual abuse and unlawful transactions with a minor.

Prosecutors say the couple hosted a party at Smith's house in Henderson where kids between the ages of 6 and 13 were involved in making and viewing pornography as well as live sexual performances.

Police say Smith described herself as a witch and threatened to put "hexes and curses" on the group if they told what had happened.

A grand jury handed up the charges on Tuesday.

KEENELAND SURFACE

Keeneland will switch to dirt surface by the fall

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Keeneland has announced that it will switch its main track surface from synthetic Polytrack material to dirt in time for the fall meet.

Keeneland began using the wax-coated mixture of sand, fiber and recycled rubber in 2006 and has touted the surface's safety record. But track president Bill Thomason said Wednesday in a release that "the landscape has changed" and is making the change to keep pace with owners' and trainers' preferences for dirt tracks.

Thomason added that the move will also help Keeneland compete to attract Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup contenders along with hosting major racing events. Construction that includes a new drainage system will begin May 19 with completion expected by Aug. 15. The fall meet opens Oct. 3.

Keeneland's spring meet opens on Friday.

SEVERE WEATHER-THURSDAY

Forecasters warn of bad weather Thursday

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Forecasters say residents of the Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee valleys should be on alert for severe weather and be prepared to take shelter if it approaches.

The Storm Prediction Center says a severe weather outbreak is possible Thursday afternoon and evening in an area from Arkansas to Indiana. Storms could also be severe from Texas to Ohio.

Moist air could reach into the middle of the country as a low-pressure system and cold front approach from the west. Large hail and high winds will be the main threat early, but supercells could produce tornadoes.

Computer models suggest powerful storms could form in the late afternoon and early evening Thursday. The greatest risk is in Arkansas and adjoining parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee, plus southern Illinois and western Kentucky.

EQUESTRIAN GAMES

Lexington vies for Equestrian Games with Montreal

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

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Lexington and the Bromont/Montreal area in Canada are competing to host the 2018 World Equestrian Games after Wellington, Fla., dropped out of the bid process just before the March 31 deadline.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports Kentucky has submitted a signed host agreement with an undisclosed financial guarantee to the International Equestrian Federation. The group is the governing body for the games, which are held every four years.

Kentucky hosted the games at Lexington's Kentucky Horse Park in 2010, the first time they were held outside Europe.

To win that bid, the state had to put up a $2.5 million financial guarantee that was later repaid by the non-profit group organized to run the games. State officials have said the 2010 games generated more than $200 million in economic activity.