Kentucky News Now – September 30th 2015

KELLEY PAUL-SOUTH CAROLINA

Kelley Paul files husband Rand's S. Carolina primary papers

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Rand Paul is now officially a candidate in South Carolina's presidential primary.

On Tuesday, Paul's wife, Kelley, stopped by South Carolina's Republican Party headquarters in Columbia to file her husband's papers to participate in the GOP nominating contest.

South Carolina is home to the first Republican presidential primary in the South. Nearly all candidates remaining in the race have officially handed in their paperwork and filing fee to participate.

Kelley Paul told The Associated Press that her husband is committed to continuing his campaign and that it's too early to rely on polling data. She says endorsements like the one from U.S. Rep. Mick Mulvaney show Rand Paul's conservative credentials.

KENTUCKY-CONGRESS-1ST DISTRICT

GOP US Rep. Ed Whitfield will not seek re-election

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Republican U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield says he will not seek a 12th term.

Whitfield made the announcement in a news release Tuesday afternoon. The Hopkinsville Republican has been in Congress for 20 years. His term ends in January 2017.

Whitfield was a Democratic member of the state House of Representatives in the late 1970s before switching to the Republican party to run for Congress in 1994. Whitfield said he is most proud of helping establish a federal health benefit program for the workers of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant and creating a national forest at the Land Between The Lakes.

Whitfield is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee on allegations he allowed his wife to lobby his staff on behalf of her employer, The Humane Society. Whitfield has denied the allegations and called them politically motivated.

ZOO TRAIN DERAILING

Louisville reaches $6M settlement over zoo train derailing

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Louisville has reached a $6 million settlement with five people injured in a 2009 derailing of a small train that carries families around the city's zoo.

The open-air, small-engine train was carrying about 30 passengers when it went off the rails near the Louisville Zoo's gorilla exhibit. Several children were on board.

The Jefferson County attorney's office announced the settlement Tuesday. The office did not name any parties to the lawsuit but said in a release that all legal actions related to the June 1, 2009 crash are complete. The city had previously settled with 26 other riders for a total of $662,499.

Zoo officials say that since the crash, they have invested in new equipment and training to improve train safety. The zoo resumed train tours in 2013.

SCHOOL BUS FATALITY

5-year-old mourned after being fatally hit by school bus

MORGANTOWN, Ky. (AP) — Police have identified a south-central Kentucky kindergarten student who was killed when he was hit by a bus in front of his home.

Kentucky State Police in Bowling Green said the boy was 5-year-old Jayden Hawkins of Morgantown. He was killed Monday afternoon.

The Daily News in Bowling Green reported the Butler County school district brought in grief counselors Tuesday for students and teachers at Morgantown Elementary School, which has nearly 700 students.

Police said the bus driver was 54-year-old Janine Dockery of Morgantown. The school system said in a news release that Dockery is an 18-year veteran of the district with an "exemplary" driving record.

Superintendent Scott Howard said Dockery asked for voluntary leave and will remain on leave pending an investigation.

SCHOOL BUS CRASH

13 students taken to hospital after school buses collide

SHELBYVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A school official says 13 students in Shelby County had to be taken to a hospital after two buses crashed near a high school.

Ryan Allan, who is the spokesman for Shelby County Public Schools, told media that the crash happened Tuesday morning near the entrance to Shelby County High School when there was confusion about which bus had the right of way.

Allan said both buses were travelling at a low speed when they collided. One bus was empty except for the driver. The other was carrying about 20 students to the Area Technology Center.

Allan said 13 students were taken to Jewish Hospital to be checked out. He said none of the injuries were serious.

Both bus drivers were also taken to the hospital.

BESHEAR-UOFL BOARD

Beshear plans to appoint another minority to UofL board

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear says he plans to appoint an African-American to the University of Louisville Board of Trustees following an attorney general's opinion that said Beshear's administration violated state law with appointments that left minorities underrepresented on the board.

In a chain reaction of events Tuesday, Beshear's office announced the resignation of Steve Wilson from the UofL board.

The announcement came soon after the opinion from Attorney General Jack Conway's office.

The opinion says that based on the state's minority racial composition, there should be at least two racial minorities serving on the UofL board.

The lone minority member of the board is Paul Diaz, who is Hispanic. He was chosen by Beshear to replace the Rev. Kevin Cosby, who was the only African-American on the board when his term expired.

LOUISVILLE-CONVENTION

Renovation design unveiled for Louisville convention center

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Events are already being booked for the renovated Kentucky International Convention Center even before construction work begins.

Gov. Steve Beshear led state and local officials Tuesday in unveiling designs for the $180 million renovation project set to begin in August 2016.

The sprawling convention center spanning a couple of downtown city blocks will close for two years during the work.

The redesigned convention center is expected to greatly strengthen Louisville's pitch in luring conventions and conferences.

Beshear says 21 events have already been booked in the renovated facility from August 2018 through July 2023. Many are new events for Louisville or conventions that are returning only because of the new extra space at the convention center.

State lawmakers approved $56 million in state-backed bonding for the project.

PADUCAH POWER SYSTEM

Paducah power considers sale of excess capacity

PADUCAH, Ky. (AP) — The Paducah Power System board is looking into the possibility of selling capacity from its gas-fired peaking plant into a major power market in the northeast United States.

The Paducah Sun reports that the board recently approved a $50,000 deposit on a study to be conducted by PJM Interconnection, a Valley Forge, Pennsylvania-based regional transmission organization that coordinates the movement of wholesale electricity in 13 states and the District of Columbia.

Board chairman Hardy Roberts says he hopes the power system will be able to sell excess capacity to markets in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland.

Paducah Power System Director of Finance and Administration Dave Carroll says the board has not made up its mind yet on whether selling the capacity is a viable choice.