Kentucky News Now – November 8th, 2013

OFFICER KILLED

KSP release video seeking help in solving slaying

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky State Police have released a YouTube video in hopes of generating fresh leads in the ambush slaying of a Bardstown police officer.

The video was filmed at the rural highway exit ramp where Officer Jason Ellis was killed. It asks for the public's help in solving the May 25 slaying.

Ellis was hit with multiple shotgun blasts after he got out of his cruiser to pick up tree limbs strewn on the exit ramp as he was headed home. Police think the limbs were put there intentionally so he would stop.

In the video, state police Lt. Jeremy Thompson says whoever committed such a "heinous crime" needs to be apprehended.

He asks anyone with any information about the shooting to contact state police.

The reward in the case has surpassed $200,000.

WILDLIFE EDUCATION CENTER

Ky. wildlife education center to close for winter

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A wildlife education center at Frankfort is preparing to close for the winter.

Visitors have until Nov. 27 to visit the Salato Wildlife Education Center before the wintertime closing. The center will reopen March 1.

The seasonal closure allows the staff to do maintenance work and upgrade exhibits.

The center draws about 75,000 visitors each year. It features a variety of native animals, including a black bear, an eagle, a bobcat, elk, deer, bison, snakes and fish. The center features indoor exhibits and miles of hiking trails open to the public.

The center is operated by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.

The center is open Tuesdays through Saturdays but is closed on Sundays, Mondays and state holidays.

MISS AMERICA-ROAD

New stretch of highway named for ex-Miss America

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A stretch of road in northern Kentucky has been named for former Miss America Heather French Henry.

Gov. Steve Beshear joined other officials on Thursday to dedicate the U.S. 68 Maysville Southern Loop in honor of Henry, a Maysville native.

The new four-mile loop formally opened in February. The stretch is already being credited with easing traffic congestion.

Henry was crowned the 2000 Miss America. She has been known as a strong advocate for veterans' issues, including homelessness, housing and health care. She's also written numerous children's books covering various educational topics.

Henry lives in Louisville with her husband, former Kentucky Lt. Gov. Steve Henry, and their two daughters.

SCHOOL INSURANCE

Insurance Department seeks to manage school funds

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky Department of Insurance is asking to be allowed to manage funds used for school board workers' compensation and property and liability claims.

The Public Protection Cabinet said the Insurance Department's lawyers filed petitions Thursday in Franklin County Circuit Court seeking to have the funds placed in rehabilitation due to serious financial problems. The cabinet said in a news release that the plan would save at least $21 million over earlier proposals.

The cabinet said the Kentucky School Boards Insurance Trust has been operating under a deficit that has become increasingly worse.

The petitions seek to have $48.5 million in assessment plans approved. The cabinet said members of self-insured funds sign agreements and are responsible for resolving the deficits through the assessments.

PATRIOT BANKRUPTCY

Patriot eyes bankruptcy emergence next month

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Patriot Coal Corp. says it's still on pace to emerge from bankruptcy by the end of the year now that a judge has given it the go-ahead to send its reorganization plan to creditors for a vote.

The terms approved Wednesday by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Kathy Surratt-States include a previously announced deal with former Patriot corporate parent Peabody Coal Corp. that settled a drawn-out legal dispute over health care benefits for thousands of Patriot retirees.

It was not immediately clear how soon creditors may vote on the reorganization plan. But Patriot's president and CEO, Bennett Hatfield, called Wednesday's court action an important milestone in the St. Louis-based company's quest to emerge for bankruptcy next month.

Peabody spun off Patriot in 2007, and Patriot filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year.

CHURCH ABUSE-SCHOOK

Judge says dying Ky. priest fit to stand trial

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A judge has ruled that a terminally ill Catholic priest accused of abusing two boys at a Louisville church in the 1970s is not too sick to stand trial on sodomy charges.

A state doctor called by prosecutors testified Thursday that she examined the Rev. James Schook in July and concluded that he can "rationally participate in his defense."

Schook is suffering from skin cancer and other ailments and doctors have said the disease is terminal. He appeared in court Thursday but did not speak during the two-hour hearing.

Schook's attorney, David Lambertus, said the priest's health has steadily degraded since he was examined over the summer and relatives testified that Schook requires round-the-clock care.

Jefferson County Circuit Judge Mitch Perry set a trial date for March 31.

NATION'S REPORT CARD-KENTUCKY

Report: Ky. students show little academic growth

A new report shows fourth- and eighth-graders in Kentucky have made little academic growth in math and reading.

Commonly known as the "Nation's Report Card," the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, is given every two years to a sample of fourth- and eighth-graders.

This year's results, compared with results in 2011, show average incremental gains of about one or two points on a 500-point scale in math and reading in both grades, although the one-point gain in fourth-grade reading was not considered statistically significant.

In Kentucky, there was no change in fourth-grade math, but there was a one-point decrease in eighth-grade math. As for reading, the report showed a one-point decrease for the fourth grade, and a one-point increase for the eighth grade.