Kentucky News Tuesday

GOP-OBAMACARE-MCCONNELL

Conservative group presses McConnell on health law

WASHINGTON (AP) — A conservative group is launching a radio ad challenging Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell to refuse to fund President Barack Obama's health care law even if it means triggering a government shutdown.

The Senate Conservatives Fund is spending nearly $50,000 on the ad that will begin airing on Tuesday in Kentucky. The ad calls on McConnell to lead the fight on the issue that has divided Republicans.

The Associated Press obtained a text of the ad in advance.

The Senate Conservatives Fund is an organization that was founded by former South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint. It has been running similar ads pressing other Senate Republicans on the issue.

The group said in July that it would be open to backing McConnell's GOP primary challenger, Matt Bevin.

EDUCATION GRANT

Ky. governor announces $41M education grant

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Twenty-two Kentucky school districts will share a $41 million grant in the U.S. Department of Education's Race to the Top-District Competition.

Gov. Steve Beshear said Monday that the consortium of Kentucky districts snared the largest grant in the national competition for district-level awards.

State officials gathered with education leaders at Simpsonville Elementary to discuss how the federal money will be used.

Beshear says the money gives Kentucky a chance to be a national leader in classroom innovation. He says it will better prepare youngsters for kindergarten and bolster college and career counseling.

The grant will reach districts with about 60,000 students combined. More than half of those students live in impoverished, rural areas.

The winning grant proposal was a joint effort by the Green River Regional and Ohio Valley educational cooperatives.

TAILGATING-UNDERAGE DRINKING

Drinking being watched at football games, tailgating events

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Workers in one state office plan to go to as many tailgating events this fall as possible as college football season gets started, but they aren’t going for fun.

Alcoholic Beverage Control Enforcement Division investigators will be working to deter underage drinking, too much drinking and related problems.

The Kentucky Public Protection Cabinet says investigators will be in student sections and stadiums as well as campus perimeters to watch for sales to minors, adults providing for minors and used of fraudulent identification. Investigators have full police powers to enforce state laws.

Enforcement Director Mike Razor says underage alcohol consumption has gone up with the popularity of tailgating events.

OFFICER KILLED

FBI announces up to $50K reward in officer death

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The FBI has announced it is offering a reward of up to $50,000 in the death of a Bardstown police officer three months ago.

Officer Jason Ellis was ambushed and shot to death when he stopped to pick up tree limbs as he was driving home on May 25.

Kentucky State Police Trooper Jeff Gregory said rewards in the case now total $218,000.

The FBI was holding a news conference Monday to announce the reward for information leading to identification, arrest and conviction of whomever is responsible for Ellis' death and to release a revised poster seeking information in the case.

The 33-year-old officer had a K-9 partner, Figo, who was retired after Ellis' death and now lives with Ellis' family. Ellis was survived by his wife and two sons.

The shooting remains under investigation, and no suspects have been identified.

INFANT-DEPARTMENT STORE

Woman pleads not guilty in baby's death

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A Bullitt County woman has pleaded not guilty in the death of a newborn girl found dead in a Louisville department store trash can.

The 29-year-old Shepherdsville resident, Jessica Price, is charged with murder, tampering and abuse of a corpse. The Courier-Journal said she is scheduled for a pretrial hearing in October.

Price is being held in Louisville on $100,000 cash bond. The newspaper said her lawyer didn't return a call seeking comment after she pleaded not guilty on Monday.

She is accused of leaving the Kohl's store, where she worked, and going home after giving birth in a bathroom and hiding the baby in a trash can. An employee who went to empty trash discovered the baby on Aug. 8.

PIZZA PLACE SHOOTING

Police investigate fatal shooting at pizza place

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) — Police say a southern Kentucky man is dead after an attempted robbery of a Domino's Pizza.

Media report that officers were called to the Bowling Green store early Monday and spokesman Ronnie Ward said they found 51-year-old Harold Dean Johnson fatally shot outside the restaurant.

Police say the shooting occurred as the result of an attempted armed robbery after the facility closed. There were others inside the building at the time, but no one else was injured.

Police are asking anyone with information about the shooting to call Crime Stoppers at 270-781-CLUE.

LEXINGTON-ECITY

Lexington is Kentucky's eCity, Google says

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — The city of Lexington has been designated a Google eCity for the online presence of businesses located there.

Lexington is one of 50 cities across the country, one from each state, to receive the designation.

Google says the cities were chosen after analysis by an independent research firm to look at the online strength of local small businesses. The city with the highest scores in each state was designated a 2013 Google eCity.

Lexington Mayor Jim Gray says the award confirms what people in Lexington already believe — that the city has a high level of digital innovation.

Google Small Business Engagement Director Scott Levitan says 97 percent of Internet users are seeking products and services online. He says businesses that use the Web are growing twice as fast.

T25-LOUISVILLE-PERRY

Perry named as Louisville's starting RB vs. Ohio

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Louisville coach Charlie Strong said senior running back Senorise Perry will start Sunday's season opener against Ohio while stressing that the ninth-ranked Cardinals will use all of their ball carriers against the Bobcats.

Louisville's second-leading rusher last season with 705 yards and a team-high 11 touchdowns, Perry will see his first action since a season-ending right anterior cruciate ligament tear on Nov. 10 at Syracuse.

One of three competing to be Louisville's starter along with junior Dominique Brown — also returning from a knee injury — and former Auburn product Michael Dyer, Perry got the call following an impressive recovery and camp that Cardinals coaches have compared to NFL MVP Adrian Peterson, who rushed for 2,097 yards and 12 TDs last year after tearing his ACL in December 2011.