Kentucky News Now – January 15th, 2014

CARGO THEFT CHARGES

Ky man charged with taking, scraping aluminum

OWENSBORO, Ky. (AP) — A western Kentucky man has been charged with picking up three loads of aluminum products from a Virginia company and scrapping the cargo for about $150,000 at an Owensboro recycling center.

Kentucky State Police Trooper Corey King says 30-year-old James Scott Hale of Philpot, Ky., drove to Virginia in December and picked up the loads. King was unsure how Hale was able to pick up all three loads. King says the investigation is ongoing.

Trucking company officials told troopers they received a call from Virginia inquiring about the three loads. The owner of the Owensboro company said they were not contracted to pick up freight from the Virginia business.

Hale is being held in the Daviess County Detention Center in Owensboro. Jail records did not list an attorney.

WINTERTIME RISK

Ky. labor officials warn of carbon monoxide risks

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky labor officials are warning that wintry weather can increase the chance of carbon monoxide poisoning in the workplace.

The Kentucky Labor Cabinet says the risk can come from fuel-burning equipment or tools used in buildings or in semi-enclosed spaces without ventilation. In those cases, the cabinet says workers can become ill or even die from carbon monoxide poisoning.

State Labor Cabinet Secretary Larry Roberts says carbon monoxide is so dangerous because it doesn't have an odor or a taste. He says it becomes an increased hazard when workplaces shut windows and doors to keep out the cold weather.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that each year, carbon monoxide poisoning is responsible for about 450 unintentional deaths in the U.S. and more than 20,000 emergency department visits.

911 CALL CENTERS

911 call centers to share more than $2.9 million

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Gov. Steve Beshear says Kentucky's 911 call centers will receive more than $2.9 million as a result of a ruling on litigation initiated by a state board.

The governor's office said Tuesday the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling that TracFone Wireless Inc. improperly withheld payment of 911 service fees to the state's Commercial Mobile Radio Services Board.

The company disputed the application of the state 911 fee on prepaid cellphone service.

Beshear's office says that in total, the state has recovered more than $4 million in unremitted state-required 911 cellphone fees.

The recovered funds will be divided based on a formula used to distribute funds received by the CMRS Board from a state 911 fee of 70 cents per month on cell phones.

CYBER SECURITY

Bill seeks to enhance cyber security measures

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A bill backed by state Auditor Adam Edelen and a bipartisan group of lawmakers would require state and local government agencies to notify Kentuckians when their personal information is breached.

The bill's backers said Tuesday the measure has drawn more than 60 House co-sponsors.

Edelen said government possesses volumes of private information, from Social Security numbers to tax returns and health records. When government loses that information, he said, citizens have a right to know.

The bill requires state and local agencies to notify individuals affected by a data breach within 35 days of the incident. If a breach affects more than 1,000 people, national consumer reporting agencies must be notified.

Edelen says Kentucky is among four states without a notification law.

BANK ROBBERY PLEA

Ky man pleads guilty to 4 bank robberies

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A Louisville man has pleaded guilty to federal charges of robbing four banks in Louisville during a two week period.

U.S. Attorney David J. Hale says 47-year-old Robert Scott Manley admitted to using force, violence, and intimidation when he robbed the four banks between Dec. 20, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2012.

Hale says Manley absconded with $12,010 in the robberies in which federally insured money was taken from the institutions.

Manley entered the plea Tuesday in federal court in Louisville.

If convicted at trial, Manley faced a sentence of no more than 80 years in federal prison, a fine of $1,000,000. Manley was arrested by U.S. Marshals on January 2, 2013.

BENEFIT CORPORATIONS

Ky. House OKs bill to allow benefit corporations

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky House has passed a bill to allow the formation of benefit corporations — a new class of companies focusing on social progress as well as profits.

The measure cleared the House on a 58-34 vote Tuesday and goes to the Senate.

Democratic Rep. Kelly Flood of Lexington says her bill seeks to have Kentucky join other states in recognizing benefit corporations.

Benefit corporations are intended to allow a portion of a company's profit to be used for social purposes.

Flood says benefit corporations would function within Kentucky corporate law, with additional features. She says such entities would identify a three-pronged commitment to social, environmental and shareholder value.

Skeptics of the proposal said most existing corporations already serve a public benefit.

SHERIFF-COUNTY FIGHT

2 eastern Ky. officials arrested by local sheriff

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — An eastern Kentucky sheriff accused of financial mismanagement has arrested his county's judge-executive and treasurer on corruption charges.

Jackson County Judge-Executive William O. Smith and County Treasurer Beth Sallee were taken into custody Tuesday morning by Sheriff Denny Peyman.

The sheriff and the local fiscal court have been at odds since Peyman took office in 2011.

Jackson County Detention Center administrator Dorsey Creech says both officials were held in the jail for a couple of hours before being released on their own recognizance.

The sheriff charged both officials with tampering with public records, forgery, falsifying business records, abuse of a public trust and engaging in organized crime. Their arraignment is set for Feb. 3.

Phone calls and emails seeking comments from Smith, Sallee and Peyman were not immediately returned.

BASKETBALL STAR'S DOWNFALL

Basketball star Farmer gets 2-plus years in prison

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A federal judge has sentenced former University of Kentucky basketball star Richie Farmer to more than two years in prison for abusing his power while he was the state's agriculture commissioner.

U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove on Tuesday also ordered Farmer to pay $120,500 in restitution at a hearing in Frankfort.

Farmer pleaded guilty in September to two counts of misappropriating government resources. Prosecutors said he hired friends and expected little or no work from them and used state employees for personal errands, including using them to build a basketball court at his home.

Before serving eight years as commissioner, Farmer was a shooting guard for the 1991-92 University of Kentucky basketball team dubbed "The Unforgettables" for their gutsy play.