Kentucky News Now – May 13th 2014

MINE IDLED

Mine complex near Henderson idled for repairs

HENDERSON, Ky. (AP) — Highland Mine complex near Henderson is being idled while repairs are made to a preparation plant damaged by a structural failure last week.

Patriot Coal Corp. announced Monday that the complex was stopping all coal production and expects full production to be restored by June 30.

Patriot said in a statement that limited production may resume earlier when sufficient repairs have been made to the preparation plant to resume partial coal processing operations.

More than 500 people work at the complex at full operation. It ships approximately 3.8 million tons of coal annually.

A portion of the preparation plant was damaged in the failure on Tuesday.

Patriot Coal produces and markets coal in the eastern U.S. and has 10 active mining complexes in Appalachia and the Illinois Basin.

KENTUCKY-HEMP

Comer: Hemp seeds blocked by federal officials

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner James Comer says federal customs officials are blocking the arrival of imported seeds brought in as part of the state's first hemp crop in decades.

Comer said Monday the delay is "government overreach at its worst."

The 250-pound shipment of hemp seeds from Italy has been in limbo for days in Louisville. Comer's chief of staff, Holly Harris VonLuehrte, says the department is prepared to go to court unless customs officials release the seeds.

Hemp production was banned when the federal government classified the crop as a controlled substance related to marijuana.

The crop's comeback began with passage of a new federal farm bill. It allows state agriculture departments to designate hemp pilot projects for research in states such as Kentucky that allow the growing of hemp.

PRIEST SUSPENDED

Catholic priest accused of sexual abuse

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

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A Catholic priest who leads two parishes in central Kentucky has been placed on administrative leave after a report that he sexually abused a boy in the 1970s.

The Rev. Joseph Hemmerle is pastor at St. Francis of Assissi and Holy Cross parishes in Marion County.

Archbishop Joseph Kurtz wrote in a letter to parishioners that the archdiocese was contacted by someone who alleged the abuse by Hemmerle. The archdiocese referred it to law enforcement in Meade County, where the abuse allegedly occurred.

The Courier-Journal reports Hemmerle was also put on leave in 2002 after another man alleged he was molested in the mid-1970s. Hemmerle was allowed to return to ministry after investigations by police and the archdiocese could not substantiate the accusation.

Hemmerle declined to comment when reached by the newspaper.

KENTUCKY SENATE-AD

Outside group hits Grimes on coal, Obama

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A new ad from an independent political group is giving voters a peek of an unrelenting barrage of negative ads linking likely Democratic Senate nominee Alison Lundergan Grimes with the as-unpopular-as-ever President Barack Obama.

The ad from Kentuckians for Strong Leadership criticizes Grimes on Democrats' health care law and energy policies that favor renewable sources. The outside ad also says Grimes would be an ally for Obama in the Senate.

The ad — which cost $552,000 — began running on Friday and will continue through Kentucky's May 20 primaries.

Of the $3.3 million Kentuckians for Strong Leadership has raised, just $172,000 has come from Kentucky addresses. Most of that — $125,000 — is from health insurance giant Humana founder David A. Jones Sr.

PREAKNESS

California Chrome checks into Pimlico's Stall 40

BALTIMORE (AP) — Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome has arrived at Pimlico Race Course, where he will try to keep his Triple Crown bid alive in Saturday's Preakness.

After being transported on a chartered flight from Kentucky, California Chrome settled into prestigious Stall 40 at Pimlico.

Stall 40 is the traditional home to the Kentucky Derby winner. Listed above the stall is a list of horses that have stayed there, including Secretariat and Seattle Slew.

Alan Sherman, assistant trainer of California Chrome, says, "It's awesome. I was looking at the list of horses that have been in that stall. It's quite unbelievable."

Sherman says the horse had no problems with the flight and is ready to resume his bid at becoming the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978.

BENGALS-RUNNING BACKS

Bengals look for more well-rounded running backs

CINCINNATI (AP) — Jeremy Hill watches NFL running backs and knows their value, even as they become a lesser commodity in the draft.

For the second year in a row, a running back wasn't taken in the first round of the draft last week. That hadn't happened since the NFL and AFL merged in 1967.

The Bengals took Hill from LSU in the second round with the 55th overall pick. Bishop Sankey was the first running back picked, going to Tennessee one slot earlier.

Coach Marvin Lewis says the proliferation of spread offenses in college has changed the position. Hill point out that they're still valuable in the NFL, which continues to evolve as a pass-dominated league.