Kentucky News Now – August 7th 2014

KENTUCKY SENATE-MCCONNELL

McConnell campaign kicking off 10-county bus tour Thursday of eastern Kentucky

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell will kick off a two-day, 10-county bus tour through eastern Kentucky on Thursday, campaigning for coal country votes a day after former President Bill Clinton rallied with Democratic challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes in the state.

McConnell is being joined by veteran Republican U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, who has represented that part of the state for more than three decades. Rogers has partnered with Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear to create the Shaping Our Appalachian Region program, or SOAR, designed to lift eastern Kentucky out of poverty.

On Wednesday, Clinton rallied with the Democratic contender in Kentucky. Grimes went with Clinton to Hazard, eastern Kentucky, where she shared the stage with more than a dozen retired and active coal miners.

McConnell has focused his campaign on tying Grimes to President Barack Obama, who remains unpopular in Kentucky over his energy policies. But Grimes has tried to distance herself from the president by condemning those policies.

KENTUCKY SENATE-CLINTON

Bill Clinton rallies Kentucky Senate race voters

HAZARD, Ky. (AP) — U.S. Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes turned to Bill Clinton on Wednesday to help insulate her from an unpopular Democratic president who is dragging down her support in the Democratic stronghold of eastern Kentucky.

"I love Kentucky," Clinton told the crowd of nearly 1,000 people in the heart of coal country. "You've been good to me. You voted for me twice."

Grimes, who is challenging Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in one of the country's closest Senate races, has had to run a campaign distancing herself from President Barack Obama and his policies on coal, which have angered many longtime Democrats in the eastern part of the state.

Clinton subtly acknowledged Grimes' struggles with Obama's popularity, saying that McConnell is trying to make the race a protest of the final two years of Obama's term.

GAY MARRIAGE

Federal appellate judges weigh gay marriage cases from Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee

CINCINNATI (AP) — Three federal judges weighing arguments in a landmark gay marriage hearing Wednesday peppered attorneys on both sides with tough questions, with one judge expressing deep skepticism about whether courts are the ideal setting for major social change.

The judges of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals considered arguments in six cases from Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. The hearing sets the stage for historic rulings in each state that would put more pressure on the U.S. Supreme Court to decide the issue once and for all. Wednesday's hearing in Cincinnati was the biggest so far on the issue.

The cases pit states' rights and traditional, conservative values against what plaintiffs' attorneys say is a fundamental right to marry under the U.S. Constitution.

While questions and comments from two of the judges all but gave away how they'll rule, one in favor of gay marriage

The judges didn't indicate when they would rule in the cases.

FIRE TRUCK CRASH

Police: Firefighter killed in interstate crash

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — State police say a firefighter helping put out a vehicle fire was killed when a semitrailer slammed into a fire truck along an interstate highway in Kentucky.

Trooper Jeff Gregory says a second firefighter was injured and taken to a hospital with what appeared to be non-life threatening injuries. Gregory says the firefighters were with the Glendale volunteer fire department.

The crash occurred along southbound Interstate 65 about 3:30 a.m. EDT Wednesday about a mile north of Glendale in central Kentucky.

The names of the firefighters and the tractor-trailer driver were not immediately released.

Gregory says it appeared the two firefighters were getting equipment off the fire truck when the tractor-trailer hit the truck and the firefighters.

He says the investigation is continuing and no charges have been filed.

FLOATING RESTAURANT

Floating eatery is sinking into Ohio River

COVINGTON, Ky. (AP) — A famous floating restaurant on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River is sinking.

It's the latest bit of bad luck for owner Jeff Ruby's Waterfront restaurant, which is docked at a marina across the river from Cincinnati. Part of it is submerged and already resting on the shallow bottom of the river.

Ruby tells The Cincinnati Enquirer that he doesn't know what happened, but he intends to find out. Ruby has said he plans to rebuild the restaurant on dry land.

The restaurant has been closed since March 2011 when it became partially unmoored from its spot and drifted about 100 feet downriver with 84 diners on board. In February, a large chunk of ice hit the restaurant and again knocked it free of its moorings.

FERRY CLOSING

Western Ky. ferry closing for repairs

HICKMAN, Ky. (AP) — A Mississippi River ferry that connects western Kentucky to Missouri is ceasing operations for repairs.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet says the Dorena-Hickman Ferry is heading to a dry dock for barge repairs.

Ferry Capt. Ed Floyd says he doesn't know how long the repairs will take. The ferry connects Kentucky 1354 at Hickman, Kentucky, with Missouri Route A and Route 77 near Dorena, Missouri.

The ferry is a transportation link for commuters but also serves as a tourist attraction for the region.

The Transportation Cabinet says Missouri and Kentucky are the only border states in the U.S. that are not directly connected by a road. The ferry is the only connection.

HEALTH GRANT

Grant to promote disease prevention

HAZARD, Ky. (AP) — A $1.5 million grant will be used to promote disease prevention in eastern Kentucky.

The five-year project was announced Tuesday during a health forum in Hazard convened by U.S. Rep. Harold "Hal" Rogers.

Funding for the grant is coming from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Appalachian Regional Commission.

The project will set up a network of advocates who will help connect patients with needed health services.

Dr. Thomas Frieden, the CDC's director, says the advocates can help Kentuckians get cancer screenings that can save lives.

Frieden says the goal is to help people live longer and healthier lives.

The announcement was made by the CDC, the ARC and the University of Kentucky.

Kentucky's Appalachian region is plagued by high rates of cancer and heart disease.

SHOT IN HOUSE

Eastern Kentucky man arrested in slaying

MANCHESTER, Ky. (AP) — An eastern Kentucky man has been arrested and charged with killing a man whose body was found inside a home last fall.

Kentucky State Police said 26-year-old Danny W. Stewart of Manchester was charged Wednesday with murder and theft under $500 and lodged in the Clay County Detention Center. He was being held without bond.

Stewart is accused of killing 59-year-old Carl House of Manchester. His body was found inside a residence near the Laurel County line last Oct. 2, and police said at the time he was the victim of an apparent gunshot wound.

Jail records online did not indicate whether Stewart is represented by a lawyer.

PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

Woods ready to tee it up in the PGA Championship

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Despite his back pain, Tiger Woods is ready to tee it up in the PGA Championship.

Woods finally arrived at Valhalla on Wednesday, leaving him enough time to play nine holes on a golf course he has not seen since he won the PGA Championship 14 years ago. He says the back injury that caused him to withdraw Sunday at the Bridgestone Invitational was not related to the pain that required surgery on March 31.

He says his trainer was able to fix the problem, and once he felt he had full range of motion, he was ready to tackle the final major of the year.

Woods easily slipped into golf shoes, and he played nine holes with Davis Love III, Steve Stricker and Harris English without showing a trace of pain. Barring a victory, this likely will be his last tournament for at least six weeks.