Kentucky News Now – December 2nd, 2013

INFANT-DEPARTMENT STORE

Mother says she wanted to keep baby in trash can

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

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A Bullitt County woman charged in the death of a newborn baby found in a Louisville department store trash can told police she had wanted to keep the little girl.

The Courier-Journal reports Jessica Price told police she believed she was still in the first trimester when she went into labor on Aug. 8 in the bathroom of a Kohl's department store where she worked.

The police interview was recently filed in court records.

Price has pleaded not guilty to murder, abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence. She has told police the baby was not breathing when she was born.

Police have said the girl was born at full term, and an autopsy found air in the infant's lungs, which suggested it would have been breathing.

ANIMAL SHELTER FIRE

Dogs saved from shelter fire have found homes

WOODBINE, Ky. (AP) — A volunteer with the Knox-Whitley Animal Shelter that burned down on Friday night says all of the 21 dogs that made it out have found a home. But the nonprofit that runs the shelter could use donations to help rebuild.

Theresa Martin said they do not yet know what caused the fire that killed one dog and 34 cats. Another dog is missing and presumed dead.

Martin said the dogs were penned in a horseshoe shape around the edge of the building. The cats were in an interior room and firefighters had just begun to bring them out when the shelter roof collapsed. They were able to rescue only 3 cats.

Martin said those wanting to donate to the shelter should do so through the group's official Facebook page.

GED AT 87

87-year-old Ashland man earns GED certificate

(Information in the following story is from: The Independent, http://www.dailyindependent.com)

ASHLAND, Ky. (AP) — An 87-year-old Ashland resident has earned his GED certificate.

The Independent reports Bob McGinnis was enjoying a comfortable retirement from CSX, where he had worked for 41 years, but he felt that something was missing.

He had never graduated from high school. So a year ago he began studying for the GED test and attending adult education classes.

Ashland Community and Technical College Adult Education Director Penny Qualls said that McGinnis was more than 60 years older than most students, but he was an inspiration to them.

Now that he has finally graduated from high school, McGinnis says he is thinking about giving college a try, especially because his age qualifies him to take the classes for free.

DRUG EPIDEMIC

Eastern Ky. drug epidemic has reshaped communities

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

HARLAN, Ky. (AP) — Kateena Haynes has seen how prescription drug abuse has reshaped Eastern Kentucky.

The director of the Harlan County Boys and Girls Club told The Lexington Herald-Leader that two winters ago, the parents of 13 children in her after-school club died of drug overdoses in one six-week stretch. In eleven of those cases, the children saw a parent die.

And the drug abuse hurts the communities in many other ways as well.

In 2010, inpatient and emergency room charges related to drug overdoses totaled $78 million, much of it paid by taxpayers.

This fiscal year, the state budgeted $35.5 million for substance-abuse treatment.

Officials say drug abuse is behind many domestic violence and child abuse cases. And it plays a role in why most people end up behind bars.

RODEO TEAM

UK rodeo team needs help getting started

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

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — A group of University of Kentucky students is starting a rodeo team. So far they don't have a stadium, a formal schedule or much funding, but there is a lot of enthusiasm among supporters.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports the team plans to become part of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association in 2014. Kentucky's public universities have only one other rodeo program.

Fees at Murray State University include $250 for a National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association card, $500 to rent a barn stall, $65 for the first event entered with $45 per additional event.

Because UK's team hasn't staged its first season, dues start at $25 a semester. A UK news release said additional fees could be anywhere from $150 to $500 a semester, depending on the events students choose.

BASKETBALL HALL

Fundraising going well for basketball museum

(Information in the following story is from: The News-Enterprise, http://www.thenewsenterprise.com)

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (AP) — Officials touting a High School Basketball Hall of Fame in central Kentucky say work on the first phase of the project could begin as early as next year.

Mike Pollio, who is leading a fundraising effort, told The News-Enterprise that the project planned for downtown Elizabethtown has attracted $350,000 in less than four months. Another $750,000 in requests is pending.

Pollio says if fundraising keeps meeting its goal of raising $100,000 a month, construction could begin in late 2014. He said at least $1 million is needed before construction can start.

The hall is envisioned a place where people can learn about how high school basketball has evolved through the years.