Kentucky News Now – June 20th 2014

FEDERAL JUDGES

Hale, Stivers nominated to federal court bench

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — President Barack Obama has nominated U.S. Attorney David J. Hale and Bowling Green lawyer Greg N. Stivers to fill two vacancies on the U.S. District Court bench.

Obama said in a news release announcing the nominations Thursday that he believed Hale and Stivers would serve "with integrity and a steadfast commitment to justice."

Hale has been U.S. attorney for the Western District of Kentucky since 2010. He previously practiced law in Louisville and was an assistant U.S. attorney.

Stivers has practiced in Bowling Green since 1985.

SMOKING BAN

Supreme Court overturns Bullitt smoking ban

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky Supreme Court has overturned a smoking ban in central Kentucky.

The court ruled Thursday that the Bullitt County Board of Health went too far in passing a smoking ban three year ago. Bullitt Fiscal Court and the county's eight cities sued to stop the countywide ban, and it never went into effect.

Bullitt County Circuit Court found the regulation invalid, but the Court of Appeals reversed the ruling. The case then went to the Supreme Court, which reversed the appellate ruling on Thursday.

The Supreme Court's opinion said health boards are given authority to adopt regulations to protect people's health but that the Bullitt County board exceeded that authority.

The ban would have required bars, restaurants and all places open to the public, including some outdoor areas, to go smoke-free.

PRESBYTERIANS-GAYS

Presbyterian assembly: Gay marriage is Christian

DETROIT (AP) — The top legislative body of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has taken major steps toward recognizing gay marriage.

The General Assembly voted Thursday in favor of redefining Christian marriage in the church constitution as the union of "two people," not just "a man and a woman." The redefinition will take effect only if most of the 172 regional Presbyteries approve it in voting over the next year.

The Presbyterian delegates in Detroit also voted to allow pastors starting this weekend to preside at gay weddings in states that recognize same-sex marriage.

In 2011, the church eliminated barriers to ordaining clergy with same-sex partners. Since then, 428 of the denomination's more than 10,000 churches have left for other more conservative denominations or have dissolved. The church now has about 1.8 million members.

CITY'S TAXES

E. Ky. city trying to resolve tax issues with IRS

(Information in the following story is from: Harlan Daily Enterprise, http://www.harlandaily.com )

BENHAM, Ky. (AP) — Officials of a small city in Harlan County have approved a water rate increase to help raise enough money to pay past due taxes to the Internal Revenue Service.

Officials in Benham were told last year that they owed the IRS nearly $38,000.

The Harlan Daily Enterprise reports City Clerk Jessica Smith told City Council members on Wednesday that the agency placed liens last week on three city bank accounts. She says the action was taken just as the struggling city was about to make a payment.

She said the city is working with the IRS to try to remedy the situation, and one suggestion was temporarily increasing the water and sewer rates.

The council approved increasing the rates for three months.

BLACK LUNG CLAIMS

Kentucky coping with black lung backlog

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky has a backlog of more than 1,000 coal miners who have filed workers compensation claims because of black lung disease.

Department of Workers' Claims Commissioner Dwight Lovan told lawmakers Thursday that as more coal miners lose their jobs more of them are filing black lung claims. The department has had more than 300 claims filed so far this year, and none of them have been processed.

A 2010 Kentucky Supreme Court ruling resulted in the cases being evaluated by a doctor at the University of Louisville or the University of Kentucky. But Lovan said the increase in claims has caused delays. Lovan said he hopes to contract with two private health clinics to speed up the evaluation process.

Lovan said the department could have 500 new claims this year.

KENTUCKY-TOXIC ALGAE

Toxic algae returns to some Ky. lakes

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

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — State and federal officials have posted advisories about elevated levels of toxic algae in some Kentucky lakes.

The Courier-Journal reports the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers in Louisville says it has five lakes in Kentucky with elevated levels while the Kentucky Division of Water has one.

Most of the lakes were put in a "caution" category, which means the water poses a moderate risk of adverse health effects. Exposure could cause skin or eye irritation, nausea and flu-like symptoms.

The lakes with caution advisories include Taylorsville Lake, where a toxic blue-green algae bloom was found for the first time in 2012.