Kentucky News Now – January 28th 2014

FORD-TRUCK PLANT

Mayor's office: New investment at Ford plant

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A spokesman for Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer says Ford Motor Co. this week will announce a "significant" investment in the Kentucky Truck Plant that will add new jobs.

Spokesman Chris Poynter declined to say how many jobs were expected and told The Courier-Journal any further details would have to come from Ford.

A Ford spokesman declined comment. The company announced in an email Tuesday that it would be holding a tour and news conference at the Louisville plant on Thursday. The release said Ford's president of the Americas, Joe Hinrichs, is to attend along with Gov. Steve Beshear and Fischer.

A spokeswoman for Beshear referred comment to Joe Hall, spokesman for the state's Economic Development Cabinet. Hall said department officials would not comment until the Thursday announcement.

PILL TRAFFICKING CASE

Former pastor, 2 others plead guilty in pill ring

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

ASHLAND, Ky. (AP) — A former church pastor and two other men have pleaded guilty in federal court to participating in a prescription pill trafficking ring that used a church as a stash house.

The Independent reports 42-year-old Scott Gilliam, 38-year-old Michael Scott Logan and his nephew, 28-year-old Brandon Logan, all of Olive Hill, entered guilty pleas last week to conspiracy to distribute oxycodone.

They are scheduled to be sentenced May 12.

Gilliam is the former pastor of Perry's Branch Holiness Tabernacle. Investigators said the church building was used to store drugs. A search there turned up a cache of about 2,400 oxycodone tablets.

The operation was uncovered in June 2012 when officers made a traffic stop near Olive Hill and recovered 28 oxycodone pills from Brandon Logan's vehicle.

MICHIGAN FREEWAY SHOOTINGS

Jury to hear rerun of freeway shooter's testimony

HOWELL, Mich. (AP) — Jurors have finished their first day of deliberations in the case of a Michigan man accused of shooting at other vehicles over a period of days two years ago.

The jury spent four hours Tuesday deliberating the case against Raulie Casteel. He is charged with terrorism and assault with the intent to commit murder.

Jurors will resume deliberations Wednesday by listening to an audio recording of Casteel's testimony from the trial.

Casteel testified that he fired at vehicles because he thought they were part of a government conspiracy against him. He says he was trying to back them off, and never meant to hurt anyone. He now receives psychiatric treatment.

No one was seriously injured, but the shootings terrified those living in the Interstate 96 corridor, where the attacks happened.

KENTUCKY ELECTION

Lineups set for Kentucky election

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Republicans and Democrats have filled out their slates of candidates for federal and state offices to be contested in this year's election.

Topping the crowded ballot will be the campaign for a U.S. Senate seat, but a key battle will be waged for control of the Kentucky House. Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes says about 4,000 Kentuckians filed as candidates for local, state and federal offices ahead of Tuesday's deadline.

Democrats hold a 54-46 advantage in the House, but Republicans are preparing to mount a strong challenge for control of the chamber. The GOP is in firm control of the state Senate.

House Speaker Greg Stumbo is predicting Democrats will pick up as many as seven seats in November.

Republicans say they're hoping to capitalize on President Barack Obama's unpopularity in the state.

COMPUTER PROGRAMMING

Bill seeks to encourage programming skills

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky Senate has passed a bill aimed at enhancing computer programming skills among students.

The measure would allow computer programming classes to count toward fulfilling foreign-language requirements in public schools.

Republican Sen. David Givens says his bill would help prepare more Kentucky students to land high-paying jobs as computer programmers. He says an estimated 1 million programming jobs will be available by 2020.

The bill cleared the Senate on a 28-7 vote Tuesday. It now goes to the House.

Givens says college-bound students are expected to take at least two foreign language credits.

He says foreign language classes will remain a "vital piece" of high school curriculum.

MEDICARE FRAUD-SETTLEMENT

Ky hospital settles fraud case for $16.5 million

A southern Kentucky hospital will pay $16.5 million to the federal government to settle claims that it submitted false or fraudulent Medicare and Kentucky Medicaid claims for a variety of unnecessary heart procedures.

The agreement released Tuesday covers a period from Jan. 1, 2008 through Aug. 31, 2011 at St. Joseph Health System, which runs St. Joseph London Hospital.

Federal prosecutors say several doctors at the hospital performed unneeded coronary stents, pacemakers and diagnostic catheterizations, then billed the federal programs.

Hospitals generally receive between $10,000 and $15,000 for medical procedures such as heart stents.

A spokesman for the University of Louisville Hospital, which runs St. Joseph, said a statement would be released later in the day.

U.S. Attorney Kerry Harvey said a related whistleblower lawsuit and a criminal investigation are continuing.

BISHOPS TRIP-KURTZ

Kurtz, Catholic bishops to visit Philippines

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Louisville Roman Catholic Archbishop Joseph Kurtz is traveling to the Philippines with a delegation to observe recovery efforts and meet victims of a recent typhoon.

Kurtz, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, plans to meet with survivors and relief workers in the Tacloban area beginning on Sunday.

After Typhoon Haiyan struck in November, the bishops conference asked churches to take up collections for victims. A release from the conference says that effort has raised nearly $10 million for humanitarian relief and church rebuilding.

Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, chairman of the Catholic Relief Services board, and Sister Carol Keehan, president of the Catholic Health Association, are traveling with Kurtz.

The visit will last through Feb. 7.