Kentucky News Now – August 10th 2015

SEX OFFENDEERS

Sex Offenders having hard time finding places to live

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Advocates for sex offenders who need medical care say a state law that requires them to have a legal residence to go to before they're released from prison is keeping them behind bars because they can't find places to live.

Kentucky law says that 180 days before sex offenders are to be released from prison, they must provide in writing their planned residence during a five-year period of conditional release.

But offenders like Michael Blaine Wolfe, who needs medical care, are having a tough time finding places to stay.

Public defender Melanie Lowe told The Courier-Journal that it is unfair to hold inmates after they've done their time solely because they can't find nursing care at a legal address. Sex offenders cannot live within 1,000 feet of a school, day care center or publicly owned playground.

BRIDGE AWARD

Milton-Madison Bridge receives regional award for innovation

MILTON, Ky. (AP) — A project to replace a deteriorating Ohio River bridge between Milton, Kentucky, and Madison, Indiana, has been given a regional award for use of innovation.

Kentucky and Indiana transportation agencies say the Milton-Madison Bridge project will also be considered for inclusion in the national top 10 projects, to be announced later this month.

Finalists will compete for the grand prize and People's Choice Awards. The winning state transportation agencies each earn a $10,000 prize to support a nonprofit organization.

The award was given last week at the Southern Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' annual meeting in Nashville, Tennessee.

The bridge was built using a method called "truss sliding," in which a new 2,400-foot-long truss constructed atop temporary piers was slid into place atop the rehabilitated old piers.

SOCIAL STUDIES STANDARDS

Education Department seeking feedback on social studies standards

FRANKFORt, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky Department of Education wants the public to provide feedback on proposed social studies standards for the next generation.

The department says the standards address the knowledge, skills and competencies that K-12 students should have to be ready for college, career and civic engagement.

The standards were revised after input and feedback from more than 2,000 people in focus groups and an open online survey conducted last fall. About 30 percent of the proposed standards were modified to better capture the vision and outcomes for each grade level.

Standards refer to what students should know and should be considered a minimum benchmark for all students. Curriculum decisions are made by each school-based decision making council.

Feedback may be given at http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/kyss2015. The deadline is Sept. 30.

STUDENT REGENTS

2 chosen as student regents of Kentucky Community and Technical College System board

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Two students have been selected to serve on the Kentucky Community and Technical College System Board of Regents.

Owensboro Community and Technical College student Lacey Parham of Owensboro and Somerset Community College student Venus Evans of Corbin will serve one-year terms on the board.

The college system says Parham and Evans were chosen by college student body presidents or their designee at the annual student body presidents' meeting last week. The terms begin immediately and continue through next August.

Parham is pursuing associate's degrees in criminal justice and arts and plans to pursue a bachelor's degree in pre-law at the University of Louisville.

Evans is studying for a physical therapy assistant associate's degree. She has worked for 26 years in hardware and industrial supplies.

DEPUTY COMMANDER

Ceremony set for new deputy commanding general for support

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) — Fort Campbell and the 101st Airborne Division are welcoming a new deputy commanding general for support this week.

An Honor Eagle ceremony for Brig. Gen. John E. Novalis II is set for Wednesday afternoon outside the 101st Airborne headquarters building at the post on the Kentucky-Tennessee state line.

Novalis comes to the 101st from Washington, D.C.

He was executive assistant to the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff before being selected for the Fort Campbell post.

APARTMENT MURDER

Woman arrested in death of Frankfort man found in apartment

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Authorities have arrested a woman in the death of a man whose body was found in his apartment.

According to WKYT-TV, 28-year-old Meisha Nichols was arrested Sunday and charged with murder in the death of 66-year-old Thomas Ellison of Frankfort.

Police were called to an apartment on Friday after a neighbor discovered Ellison's body.

Nichols is also charged with tampering with physical evidence.

Details have not been released about the case.

Nichols was being held on $25,000 bond in the Franklin County Regional Jail. It's unclear if she has an attorney.

OBIT-CHARLOTTE-RATLIFF

Charlotte line Coach Phil Ratliff, a Kentucky native, dies after cardiac problem

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Charlotte offensive line coach Phil Ratliff died Sunday, six days after suffering cardiac trouble. He was 44.

The school's associate athletic director Tom Whitestone says he was informed of Ratliff's death on Sunday by the coach's wife, Jenni.

Ratliff became the 49ers' offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator on Jan. 1, 2012.

A native of Louisa, Kentucky, Ratliff received his bachelor's degree in elementary education with a specialization in special education from Marshall in 1994. Ratliff played at Marshall from 1989-92 and later coached there. He also coached at James Madison, helping the school win the 2004 NCAA I-AA national championship.

PHOENIX (AP) — Keyvius Sampson earned his first major league victory, Cincinnati hit three home runs and the Reds beat Arizona 4-1 Saturday on the night the Diamondbacks retired new Hall of Famer Randy Johnson's No. 51.

All the Cincinnati runs came on homers by Eugenio Suarez, Brandon Phillips and Marlon Byrd, whose solo shot in the ninth was his 150th career home run.

Sampson (1-1) gave up a first-inning run and the Diamondbacks never scored again. He went six innings and allowed four hits, struck out four and walked three.

Robbie Ray (3-7) pitched six innings for Arizona, allowing three runs and five hits. He matched his career high with eight strikeouts and walked one but fell to 0-3 in his last five starts.