Kentucky News Now – July 13th 2015

GAY MARRIAGE RESISTANCE

Resistance to gay marriages travels a well-worn path

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The first test of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling legalizing gay marriage begins Monday in a Kentucky courtroom, where a county clerk plans to argue that her Christian faith prevents her from issuing same-sex marriage licenses.

The case is reviving memories of the Supreme Court's 1967 ruling in Loving vs. Virginia striking down laws across the country forbidding interracial marriage. Waves of resistance that rippled across the South then took years to dissipate.

Legal experts suggest history might hint at how the coming months will unfold, as some defiant clerks refuse to abide by the gay marriage ruling.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis. Other clerks have rallied behind her, demanding the government protect Christians from having to issue gay marriage licenses.

HEALTH AGENCY SETTLEMENT

Health agency official to pay more than $1M in settlement

(Information in the following story is from: WLEX-TV, http://www.wlextv.com)

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — The executive director of Lexington home health agency has agreed to pay more than $1 million to settle allegations she paid doctors to refer patients to her agency then submitted Medicare claims for services provided to those patients.

WLEX-TV reports the Stark Law prohibits submitting claims that are the result of referrals from doctors an agency is compensating.

The settlement is between the U.S. government and Vicki House, of Scott County, who was the secretary and an executive director of Nurses' Registry and Home Health Corporation. Litigation against Nurses' Registry and the estate of its former owner and Chief Executive Officer, Lennie House, is ongoing.

Those defendants are scheduled for trial in August.

DANGEROUS DRUG

Lewis County battling dangerous synthetic drug

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

VANCEBURG, Ky. (AP) — A synthetic drug known as "flakka" or "gravel" is wreaking havoc in some Kentucky communities, but law enforcement officers say there's little they can do about it. That's because possession of Alpha-PVP is only a misdemeanor, no matter how much of it a person has.

Lewis County Sheriff Johnny Bivens told The Courier-Journal deputies recently arrested the main dealer there, but others soon sprang up to take his place.

Bivens said he wants the legislature to stiffen the penalties for possession. But in the meantime he has had to get creative. Although his office has never charged anyone with organized crime, that's what they are hoping to do.

To that end, the sheriff's office is working with federal government agencies to track Alpha-PVP into and out of Lewis County.

LAKE DEATH

Coroner: Man, 18, drowns at Lake Cumberland

(Information in the following story is from: WLEX-TV, http://www.wlextv.com)

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Officials say an 18-year-old man has drowned at Lake Cumberland.

According to WLEX-TV, the drowning took place at the Cumberland Point area of the lake on Saturday.

The Wayne County Coroner said the victim, who died just before 2:30 p.m., was a Lexington resident who was visiting the area with his family. His name has not been released.

The drowning is under investigation.

BOWLING GREEN POLICE

Feds investigating hiring practices of Bowling Green police

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice says it is investigating hiring practices at the Bowling Green Police Department.

Media reports say the Justice Department has sent a letter to Bowling Green Mayor Bruce Wilkerson saying it is looking into whether the city "is engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination against African-Americans with respect to employment opportunities."

The letter says the city should have more black officers based on its population. Out of 113 sworn police personnel, six, or 5.3 percent, are black. The 2010 U.S. Census showed the city is made up 13.9 percent black residents.

Wilkerson says the department has used a pre-employment exam from McCann Associates since at least the 1970s. He says the city "clearly thought we had a colorblind hiring process at the police department."

VETERANS TRANSITION CENTER

Center in SW Ohio to help veterans return to civilian life

CINCINNATI (AP) — A center to help veterans successfully transition back into civilian life has been established at a Cincinnati social services site to assist veterans in a tristate area that includes portions of southwest Ohio, northern Kentucky and southeast Indiana.

The new veterans section of the CityLink Center in Cincinnati is being formally launched Saturday.

The veterans center was created by the Tristate Veterans Community Alliance in collaboration with Major League Baseball's Welcome Back Veterans initiative and the Cincinnati Reds. It offers various resources including financial planning and job readiness preparation. The center also refers veterans and their families to other assistance services in the community.

The CityLink Center is an integrated social services site started by a group of social service agencies and supported by faith-based groups, corporations, foundations and individuals.