Kentucky News Now – February 13th 2014

WINTER WEATHER-KENTUCKY

Snow falling in southeast Ky., motorists stranded

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky State Police in far southeastern Kentucky said snow was falling hard overnight, with several motorists stranded near the Virginia border.

Police at the Harlan post say roads were slick Wednesday night, and some motorists on U.S. 421 south were stranded.

Police said around an inch or a little more of snow had fallen by about 8 p.m. EST, and road crews were out treating highways.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for Bell, Harlan, Letcher and Pike counties and said it would be in effect until noon Thursday. Snow was expected to taper off from west to east between about 6 a.m. and noon Thursday.

Total accumulation of 2 to 5 inches was expected, with heavier amounts more likely near the Virginia border.

GAY MARRIAGE-KENTUCKY

Judge: Ky. must recognize same-sex marriages

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that Kentucky must recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states, striking down part of the state ban.

In 23-page a ruling issued Wednesday, U.S. District Judge John G. Heyburn II concluded that Kentucky's laws treat gay and lesbians differently in a "way that demeans them." The constitutional ban on same-sex marriage was approved by voters in 2004. The out-of-state clause was part of it.

The decision came in lawsuits brought by four gay and lesbian couples seeking to force the state to recognize their out-of-state marriages.

Heyburn did not rule on whether the state could be forced to perform same-sex marriages.

The question was not included in the lawsuit.

GUN CONTROL CHALLENGE

19 states to help challenge New Jersey gun law

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming is leading a coalition of 19 states that are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to allow them to submit a brief supporting a New Jersey man challenging that state's concealed weapons law.

A three-judge panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last summer ruled against the challenge from John M. Drake and others. Drake objected to a provision in New Jersey law that says people seeking permits to carry a concealed firearm must prove to police that they have a justifiable need.

The Wyoming attorney general's "friend of the court" brief says Wyoming and other states are concerned that if the appeals court ruling stands, it could threaten their less-restrictive concealed carry laws.

DEBT LIMIT-CRUZ

Cruz's demands ensnares GOP leaders on debt vote

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Ted Cruz sat with eyes glued to his mobile device as the chaos he provoked ensnared his Republican leaders on the Senate floor.

Legislation to increase the nation's borrowing authority with no strings attached was short of the 60 votes it needed to advance. Without a few conversions, the measure would fail and Republicans would be blamed. The stock market was watching.

After what seemed like an eternity, a grim-faced Sen. Mitch McConnell finally voted yes. The Senate's Republican leader faces a tea party challenge back home.

An equally grim-faced Sen. John Cornyn changed his vote to yes.

Cruz showed no mercy in exposing Republican leaders to widespread criticism from their primary challengers on the debt limit after their pronouncements about the imperative of spending cuts.

WINTER WEATHER-LIVESTOCK

Harsh winter hard on livestock in Ky.

(Information in the following story is from: Richmond Register, http://www.richmondregister.com )

RICHMOND, Ky. (AP) — The bitter cold this winter is making survival difficult for some livestock in central Kentucky.

Madison County solid waste coordinator Scott Tussey told county officials on Tuesday that his staff has removed 200 head of dead livestock from farms in the last 27 working days. The Richmond Register reports the cold weather is the cause of many deaths.

Madison County extension agent Brandon Sears says the harsh winter has been especially hard on calves.

He says that animals are in danger from freezing temperatures as well as getting stuck in pockets of mud when there's a warming trend.

He advised farmers to play close attention to when births are due and to try to move mothers and calves inside barns.

DEER SMUGGLING-INDICTMENT

La. company, 3 men charged in deer smuggling case

(Information in the following story is from: The Sun Herald, http://www.sunherald.com )

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) — A Louisiana business and three men have been indicted on federal charges alleging they conspired to import white-tail deer from other states into wildlife enclosures in Pearl River and Lamar counties.

The indictment was made public Wednesday.

The Sun Herald reports those named in the indictment are Omni Pinnacle LLC, and three individuals — Brian Reine, Ronald Reine and Bruce Swilley.

State and federal laws prohibit importing white-tailed deer into Mississippi to protect the local white-tail deer population and the public from the effects of chronic wasting disease and bovine tuberculosis.

Omni Pinnacle is a disaster debris-management company based in Pearl River, La.

The three men are accused of conspiring to smuggle deer onto wildlife enclosures in Mississippi in 2011 and 2012.