Kentucky News Now – May 16th 2014

PRIMARY ELECTION-TURNOUT

Grimes predicts turnout of 30 percent or less

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky's top election official expects less than 30 percent of registered voters will vote in Tuesday's primary elections.

Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes said history shows officials should expect at least 32 percent of registered voters to vote on Tuesday. But voters have requested fewer absentee ballots this year, most likely because there are no local option questions on the ballot.

More than 39,000 people voted absentee in 2010. So far this year, more than 21,000 people have voted absentee or had ballots mailed to them.

Grimes predicted a low turnout despite Kentucky having more people registered to vote than ever before. Kentucky added 125,000 new voters before the April 21 registration deadline for Tuesday's primary. More than half of the state's 3.1 million registered voters are women.

SEVERE WEATHER

Weather service reports 2 tornadoes in Kentucky

SHEPHERDSVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The National Weather Service says two tornadoes caused damage in Kentucky on Wednesday, but no injuries were reported.

The stronger tornado hit about 5 miles north-northeast of Hopkinsville in Christian County at about 4:30 p.m. CDT, causing minor damage to buildings and trees. The weather service classified it as an EF2 with 125 mph winds.

Earlier, another tornado hit 5 miles southeast of Shepherdsville in Bullitt County at about 2:30 p.m. EDT. That twister was classified as an EF0, the mildest.

The forecast calls for cloudy conditions to continue through the weekend with a chance of rain overnight and Friday.

KENTUCKY-HEMP

Hemp planting delayed in Kentucky amid legal fight

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky's agriculture commissioner says a hemp planting has been postponed because of a standoff between his agency and federal officials over a detained shipment of imported hemp seeds.

A hemp plot was scheduled to be planted Friday in Rockcastle County as the long-banned crop makes a limited comeback in Kentucky.

The seeds were shipped in from California for a project involving a group of military veterans interested in farming.

Agriculture Commissioner James Comer said Thursday his office delayed the planting due to the legal standoff with federal drug enforcement officials. The state agriculture department sued the federal government Wednesday, seeking the release of hemp seeds from Italy being held by customs officials.

Comer says he's disappointed by the delay but hopes the seeds will go in the ground soon.

DEMOLISHED BRIDGE

Closed Kentucky bridge to be demolished

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky transportation officials have arranged for emergency demolition of the old U.S. 60 bridge over the Tennessee River in western Kentucky.

The Old Ledbetter Bridge between McCracken and Livingston counties has been closed to traffic since last July. The bridge has become unstable because of land slippage along the McCracken County river bank following heavy rains on April 29.

Transportation officials say a joint venture of Haydon Bridge Co. and Kay and Kay Construction Co., which built the new U.S. 60 Tennessee River Bridge, will carry out the demolition. The negotiated price for demolition will be $5.62 million.

Officials say the main truss spans of the old bridge are stable, but two approach spans have dropped about 2 feet.

The Old Ledbetter Bridge opened to traffic in 1931.

CIVIL WAR EXHIBIT

Jefferson Davis site to feature cavalry exhibit

FAIRVIEW, Ky. (AP) — A Civil War cavalry exhibit will go on display next week at the Jefferson Davis State Historic site in southern Kentucky.

State parks officials say the exhibit features personal items belonging to Confederate Gen. John Hunt Morgan.

The items will be displayed from Thursday through July 15 at the museum at the state historic site at Fairview.

The exhibit tells the story of the horse soldiers during the Civil War. Among the items on display will be the door from the cell block of Morgan's imprisonment in Ohio, the saber Morgan used following his prison escape and a revolver presented to Morgan by his uncle.

Morgan, a successful businessman in Lexington before the war, was killed in action in Tennessee in 1864.

The exhibit will move to Columbus-Belmont State Park later this year.

COAL POND LEAK

Sierra Club: Coal ash pond at risk for disaster

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The Sierra Club says a coal ash storage site in central Kentucky near Herrington Lake is at risk for a potential disaster.

State officials responded Thursday that ground water near the E.W. Brown Generating Station is being evaluated and the ash site is in the process of being cleaned up.

The LG&E-owned power plant near Harrodsburg stores about 26 million tons of coal ash in a 126-acre pond. Ash is no longer dumped at the site.

The Sierra Club included the Kentucky site on a report on hazardous coal ash sites around the country. State officials said Thursday that tests have shown elevated levels of arsenic coming from nearby springs.

Chris Whelan, a spokeswoman for LG&E, says the utility has submitted a cleanup plan that is pending state approval.

CLINTONS

Clintons pushing back against Republican critics

WASHINGTON (AP) — Bill and Hillary Clinton are fighting back against critics and helping fellow Democrats as the former Secretary of State considers a 2016 presidential campaign.

The steps offer the most overt signs yet that Hillary Clinton may be preparing to seek the White House again.

The former first lady was attending a New York fundraiser Thursday for Pennsylvania congressional candidate Marjorie Margolies, who is the mother-in-law of Clinton daughter, Chelsea. It's Clinton's first political event of the year.

Bill Clinton has been a top fundraiser for Democrats this year, helping candidates in his home state of Arkansas and campaigns in Florida, Kentucky, Michigan and Maryland.

The Clintons quickly rebuffed suggestions by Republican strategist Karl Rove that Hillary Clinton may have suffered health problems more serious than they acknowledged in late 2012.