Kentucky News Now – February 25th 2014

MENTAL RECORDS

Kentucky Senate OKs mental health record exchange

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Mental health records for patients in Kentucky are on their way to meeting federal regulations after a bill passed through the Senate Monday, seeking to bring them up to code.

The measure would allow mental health care providers to participate in an electronic information network in order to meet federal requirements.

The bill's sponsor is Sen. Alice Forgy Kerr, a Republican from Lexington.

Kerr says the bill aims to help people by having mental health care providers practice the same information exchange as practiced by physical health care providers.

The measure passed out of the Senate on a unanimous vote of 35-0. It now moves to the House for consideration.

HOME CARE

Kentucky Senate OKs home care worker bill

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A bill passed by the Kentucky Senate on Monday would exempt home care workers from the state's seven-day overtime law.

Under current Kentucky law, if an in-home caregiver works for seven consecutive days, the employer must pay time and a half on the seventh day.

Bill sponsor Sen. Julie Denton, a Republican from Louisville, says the rule inhibits scheduling flexibility and can drive up employer costs.

The measure received no opposition in its committee hearing or on the Senate floor.

The bill passed out of the Senate on a 34-1 vote. It now moves to the Kentucky House for consideration.

BILL CLINTON

Helping Obama, Bill Clinton takes surrogate role

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Bill Clinton is reprising his role as super surrogate for Democrats in states where candidates will fight to keep their Senate majority. Coincidentally or not, his work could help his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, should she run for president in 2016.

The former president is set to attend his first campaign event of 2014 on Tuesday for Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes. She's challenging Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell.

Clinton is a longtime family friend of Grimes. Her father, Jerry Lundergan, is a former state party chairman.

Clinton could also help Democrats in his home state of Arkansas and in states like Louisiana and Georgia.

PRISON LOCKDOWN UPDATE

Ky. prison with Vt. inmates no longer locked down

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Vermont Department of Corrections Commissioner Andy Pallito says a security specialist who assessed a now-ended lockdown situation at a Kentucky facility housing Vermont inmates has returned but that officials will continue to have a presence in the facility.

The specialist returned over the weekend.

Vermont officials say the lockdown began on Jan. 15 at the Lee Adjustment Center in Beattyville. The Corrections Corporation of America, which runs the facility, says inmates were confined to their cells until Jan. 22 and allowed out only with staff escort.

Officials say the modified lockdown, with inmates having limited access to dayrooms, ended on Feb. 4.

Pallito says approximately ten inmates were moved and that there will be more direct supervision within the units.

FATAL FIRE

Father who survived fire speaks to crowd

GREENVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A western Kentucky man who lost his wife and eight children in a blaze last month says his faith in God is still strong.

Chad Watson made some of his first public comments since the fire on Jan. 30 killed his wife, La Rae "Nikki" Watson, and eight of their children. Officials have said some type of combustible material fell against a baseboard heater in a bedroom. One child, 11-year-old Kylie Watson, survived.

The father and daughter were hospitalized in Nashville, but returned home on Feb. 16.

Media reported that Chad Watson told a crowd in Greenville who gathered Sunday for a Celebration of Life service that he wants people to remember how his family lived, not how they died.

He says they lived with a devout faith in Jesus Christ.

T25-LOUISVILLE-HARRELL

No. 7 Cardinals F Harrell earns AAC weekly honors

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Montrezl Harrell's big role in helping No. 7 Louisville edge first-place Cincinnati on Saturday capped an impressive week that earned the Cardinals forward American Athletic Conference Player of the Week honors.

Harrell had 21 points and 10 rebounds in Louisville's 58-57 win over the then-No. 7 Bearcats, his sixth double-double this season in league play. Before that he had 14 points and four rebounds in the Cardinals' defeat of South Florida, finishing the week averaging 18 points and seven rebounds.

Louisville (23-4, 12-2) jumped four spots in this week's poll to flip positions with Cincinnati. Harrell enters Thursday night's game against Temple averaging 13.9 points and 8.4 rebounds per game in AAC play.