Kentucky News Now – June 25th 2014

DOWNTOWN VIOLENCE

4 who claimed misidentification are cleared

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

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Four men who were arrested on a night of violence in Louisville have been cleared by a grand jury.

The Courier-Journal reported that a Jefferson County grand jury declined to indict the four on a robbery charge Tuesday.

The men, whose ages range from 18 to 21, claimed they were victims of shoddy identification procedures. Two of the men were also cleared of unlawful imprisonment, criminal mischief and assault charges in another case.

Louisville police confronted the men after a woman reported being robbed of her purse and cell phone at gunpoint on March 22.

Defense lawyer Jan Waddell said no evidence was found to link them to the case.

Police Chief Steve Conrad acknowledged officers should have searched the house for the gun, purse and cell phone.

SMALL BUSINESS

Kentucky small business support most improved

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The state says a survey of small businesses across the country shows Kentucky has made the most improvement in supporting entrepreneurs.

Gov. Steve Beshear's office said in a news release Tuesday that Thumbtack.com surveyed more than 12,000 small businesses across the U.S. asking about the friendliness of states and cities toward small business.

Kentucky scored an A rating in the survey by Thumbtack.com, in conjunction with the Kauffman Foundation. The state scored a B-minus last year, and Beshear's office says that means Kentucky was the most improved state in the survey.

Beshear's office says the Kauffman Foundation also ranks Kentucky fifth for entrepreneurial activity during the last two years and that the most recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows Kentucky ranking first in percentage growth of new business establishments.

DORM CONSTRUCTION-FATALITY

2 companies cited after worker death

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Two private construction companies have been cited following the death of a worker at a dormitory being built at the University of Kentucky.

The Lexington Herald-Leader said state officials found a "serious" violation of safety laws in the Feb. 19 death of 24-year-old Isaias Cabrera Ramos of North Carolina.

State officials proposed a $6,300 penalty for Messer Construction Co. and a $4,900 penalty for subcontractor Joseph W. Bates Construction.

Messer spokeswoman Jessie Folmar said company officials will meet with state officials before deciding whether to appeal. Folmar told the newspaper in an email that safety is the Cincinnati-based company's top priority.

Ramos was wearing a hard hat but suffered traumatic head injury when a piece of plywood blew off the roof of Haggin Hall in 30 mph winds and fell 60 feet.

SCARRED CHILD-KFC

KFC: No proof worker asked scarred child to leave

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Fried chicken chain KFC says two different investigations have not found any evidence that an employee asked a 3-year-old girl and her family to leave because injuries she suffered in a pit bull mauling disturbed customers.

KFC spokesman Rick Maynard said Tuesday the company considers the matter closed. He says an investigation by the franchise restaurant in Mississippi and an independent probe were done.

Attorney Bill Kellum, who represents the family of Victoria Wilcher, said a statement would be issued later Tuesday.

Maynard says KFC is still donating $30,000 to help with Victoria's medical bills.

Allegations that the child was asked to leave the restaurant were made earlier this month on the Facebook site Victoria's Victories, which has followed the child's recovery from the April attack.

FACE RECONSTRUCTION

Successful surgery after wrong cancer diagnosis

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky medical team has repaired the gaping hole in the side of a woman's face, caused by radiation treatments for a cancer she never had that turned her into a cast-off in a former Soviet republic.

Lessya (LESS'-uh) Kotelevskaya (Ko-te-lev-SKY'-uh) was recovering Tuesday following a 16-hour surgery the day before at University of Louisville Hospital. Her surgeon, Dr. Jarrod Little, said the procedure to reconstruct her jawbone and cheek went according to plan.

The 30-year-old woman was brought to Kentucky last year by her cousin, Oleg Sennik. He said Tuesday she can't wait to have a normal life again.

The disfigurement made Kotelevskaya an outcast in Kazakhstan. At one point, she lived in the utility room of a car wash. Her husband left her and her business went under after the cancer misdiagnosis.

CARIBBEAN VIRUS

Kentucky confirms first case of Caribbean virus

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — State health officials have confirmed Kentucky's first case of a nonfatal mosquito-borne virus prevalent in the Caribbean, Africa and Asia.

The Kentucky Department for Public Health says it has confirmed the chikungunya (chik-en-gun-ye) virus, or CHIKV, in an Anderson County man who recently traveled to Haiti. Officials expect at least nine other Kentuckians who recently traveled in the same region may also have the virus.

The virus can only spread to humans if an infected mosquito bites someone. It cannot spread human to human. Symptoms include high fever, chills, joint pain and a rash that can last up four days.

State health officials say the virus could become more prevalent in Kentucky because the state is home to both species of mosquitoes that can carry the virus.

TODDLER DEATH

Police investigating death of toddler

DANVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky State Police are investigating the death of a 3-year-old girl in Danville.

State police say Alexa K. Raley died Monday night after being flown to the University of Kentucky Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. She was originally brought to Ephraim McDowell Hospital in Danville and was unresponsive.

Police said in a statement that it appears Raley's injuries were caused by an assault.

The investigation continues. An autopsy was scheduled for Tuesday in Frankfort to determine the cause of death.