Kentucky News Now – September 24th 2015

EDUCATION COMMISSIONER

New Kentucky education commissioner chosen

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky Board of Education has voted to hire Stephen L. Pruitt as the state's next education commissioner.

All but one board member was present Wednesday and voted unanimously to offer the position to Pruitt, a Georgia education and currently senior vice president of an independent education reform organization. Board member Samuel Hinkle did not attend the special meeting.

Pruitt was the only remaining candidate for the job after another finalist withdrew this month.

The Education Department said this week the board plans to ratify a contract for the new commissioner at its Oct. 6 meeting. Pruitt is expected to start in the position later in the month.

Pruitt has served at Achieve Inc. since 2010.

Former Commissioner Terry Holliday retired last month. Associate Commissioner Kevin Brown is serving as commissioner in the interim.

MINE RESCUE COMPETITION

Kentucky mine rescue team member wins national competition

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — A member of the Kentucky Coal Academy Mine Rescue team has taken a top award at a national coal mine rescue competition.

The competition was held in Lexington and attracted rescue teams from a dozen states.

Taber Tichenor was named the Bench BioPak Champion by beating out 43 other competitors. The BioPak competition gives miners 30 minutes to inspect and ensure self-contained breathing devices are working properly.

Tichenor works for Armstrong Coal Co. at its Kronos Mine in Ohio County.

The Kentucky Coal Academy's Mine Rescue program operates out of Madisonville Community College. It is made up of workers from Armstrong, KenAmerican Resources, Pennyrile Energy and Thoroughfare Mining.

The annual four-day competition is administered by the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration.

ELECTRONIC COURT FILINGS

Electronic court filing running in all but 1 Kentuckyh county

FRANFORT, Ky. (AP) — All but one Kentucky county now offers electronic filing in court cases.

The Administrative Office of the Courts says it began Wednesday offering electronic case filing in Adair, Boyle, Casey, Clinton, Cumberland, Green, Marion, Mercer, Monroe, Russell, Taylor, Washington and Wayne counties.

The only county remaining among Kentucky's 120 is Jefferson. The agency says it expects to launch the program there on Oct. 21.

The system allows attorneys with access to file case documents electronically around the clock.

Since the program was launched in December 2013, more than 1,000 attorneys and others have filed more than 52,000 documents electronically.

FORD PLANT

Ford expanding truck plant in Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Ford Motor Co. has revealed that it intends to boost the size of its stamping facility, body shop and materials handling at the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville.

Multiple media outlets report that the company has filed plans with Metro Louisville zoning officials, seeking approval to add a total of 288,715 square feet at a handful of locations on its 413-acre site in eastern Jefferson County. Ford officials declined to discuss the plans.

The company hasn't disclosed how much the planned conversion of its Super Duty models to aluminum frames will cost. The plant manufactures F-250, 250, 450 and 550 Super Duty models, as well as the Expedition and Lincoln Navigator. Officials say they want to produce lighter trucks to boost fuel economy and increase each truck's towing capacity.

CAPSIZED-BOAT-KENTUCKY

Families: Barge caused fatal capsize; company denies fault

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Family members of five people who died when a boat capsized on the Ohio River say in federal court documents that the placement and condition of a construction barge caused the tragedy.

Walsh Construction Company says in court filings that it is the barge's owner. The Chicago-based company says it is not responsible for the crash and asks a judge to exonerate or limit its liability under maritime law.

Nine people, including five children, were aboard a pontoon boat July 4 to watch fireworks. The river's rushing current slammed the boat into a barge.

The boat capsized, and five people drowned. Three children and an adult were able to make it to safety.

MILITARY SCHOOL AUCTION

Kentucky's only military school scheduled to be auctioned

MILLERSBURG, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky's only military school, Forest Hill Military Academy, is in default on loans and is scheduled to be auctioned at a master commissioner's sale on Oct. 1.

Media outlets report a judge recently ruled against the owner, U.S. Army Cadet Corps, and ordered the property be sold to pay the lender, Farmers Deposit Bank. The bank had filed suit against Cadet Corps seeking $535,188 plus interest. Court records say the Cadet Corps had two loans totaling $1 million borrowed from the bank. An affidavit says the school has not made payments since August 2014.

Headmaster Jay Whitehead says he hopes to find an investor to buy the property at the commissioner's sale.

The school was founded in 1893 by Col. C.M. Best, but has recently struggled to make ends meet.

TODDLER KILLED

Trial date set for Kentucky man charged in death of toddler

GLASGOW, Ky. (AP) — A trial date has been set for a man charged in connection with the death of a 2-year-old girl.

Media outlets report that a Kentucky judge set an April 19, 2016 trial date for Anthony Barbour during a hearing Monday.

Authorities have charged Barbour with murder, abuse of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence in connection with the death of Laynee Wallace earlier this year. The girl was reported missing May 19 and police found her body in a well six days later. Police arrested Barbour the day the girl's body was found. Law enforcement believes the girl was killed May 17 or 18.

Barbour's attorney, Ken Garrett, says he may look into a change of venue for the trial because of the media attention the case has received.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT

Arnold says in deposition he 'spanked' Overly's knee

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A former lawmaker who was sued for sexual harassment said in a deposition that he "spanked the knee" of a female lawmaker now running for lieutenant governor and that she told him if he did it again, "she'd knock me out."

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that Louisville attorney Thomas Clay, who represented two female legislative staffers who sued former Democratic state Rep. John Arnold, released Arnold's deposition Wednesday.

Rep. Sannie Overly, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, and former Legislative Research Commission director Robert Sherman had asked that their video depositions not be released. Franklin County Circuit Judge Thomas Wingate denied the motions and noted that Overly was never deposed.

Arnold said in the deposition he couldn't recall ever sexually harassing the two legislative staffers.

The complaint was settled this summer for $400,000 from the Kentucky legislature.