Kentucky Right Now – February 21, 2014

ADULT ABUSE

Senate OKs bill to form adult protection registry

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky Senate has passed a bill aimed at creating an adult protection registry to list people found to have abused the elderly or disabled.

The goal is to provide more assurances that the state's most vulnerable adults receive quality care.

The measure cleared the Senate on a 36-0 vote Thursday and now goes to the House.

Even before the vote, the proposal was endorsed by House Speaker Greg Stumbo.

The measure would require care providers for vulnerable adults to check the registry to make sure potential employees don't have a history of abusing the elderly or disabled.

The checks would be with the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

Those on the list would be the subject of a "substantiated finding" of adult abuse, neglect or exploitation.

CORVETTE MUSEUM-SINKHOLE

Museum plans to display sinkhole-damaged cars

Curious to see the damage that a huge sinkhole inflicted on eight classic cars at the National Corvette Museum? The Kentucky attraction plans to give visitors a close look.

Museum spokeswoman Katie Frassinelli says the cars will go on display before they're taken to Michigan for repairs. She says the museum has heard from people wanting to see the damage.

The vehicles were consumed when the earth opened up last week beneath a display area when the Bowling Green museum was closed. No injuries were reported.

Frassinelli says work to retrieve the cars nearest the surface could start in a couple of weeks.

She says the museum plans to display the damaged cars from April through July.

More cars will be added when recovered. Chevrolet is in charge of restoring the cars.

LOUISVILLE COACH-LAWSUIT

Ky. high court to take up sex harassment case

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A former University of Louisville assistant track coach will get a chance to argue that she deserves a $300,000 judgment and that the school fired her because she filed a sexual harassment complaint.

The Kentucky Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear the case of Mary Banker. The Kentucky Court of Appeals in February 2013 threw out the judgment, saying Banker couldn't prove she was dismissed because she filed the complaint.

Banker sued the University of Louisville Athletic Association in 2008. Banker worked on track coach Ron Mann's staff from September 2007 through June 2008. Banker was informed her contract would not be renewed around the same time she filed a sexual harassment complaint in April 2008.

The court did not immediately set a hearing date.

BOATING OFFICERS

Boating bill passes Kentucky Senate

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky Senate has passed a bill that would require law enforcement officers of Kentucky's waterways to meet stricter standards before stopping and boarding recreational boats.

Marina operators, testifying before legislators, have recently reported a growing wave of complaints from boaters about overzealous officers.

The bill's sponsor is Republican Sen. Chris Girdler of Somerset, whose district includes the Lake Cumberland region, a boating and fishing haven.

Girdler says that the bill will also be an important protection for the tourism-based economy in the state's boating areas.

The bill passed out of the Senate on Thursday on a 35-0 vote. It now moves to the House for consideration.

GUNS IN BARS

Kentucky Senate OKs concealed guns in bars

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky Senate has passed a bill that would allow concealed deadly weapons to be carried into bars and alcohol-serving establishments, so long as the carrier does not drink.

The bill's sponsor, Republican Sen. John Schickel of Union, says that while the bill strictly prohibits those carrying concealed weapons from drinking, the bill does not contain a provision that would allow a bartender to know whether a patron is concealing a weapon.

Opponents of the measure, such as Democratic Sens. Reggie Thomas of Lexington and Morgan McGarvey of Louisville, say that while some of the bill's clauses on gun safety training are admirable, they are concerned about alcohol and gun safety.

The bill passed out of the Senate on a 30-4 vote.

POWER PLANT UPGRADE

East Kentucky Power plan to upgrade unit gets OK

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A plan to let a coal-burning unit at the East Kentucky Power Cooperative J.S. Cooper Generating Station in south-central Kentucky has won approval from the state Public Service Commission.

The agency said the project is "relatively inexpensive" at $15 million and the least costly of options the co-op examined.

The agency also approved a plan to recover the cost through the co-op's environmental surcharge, passing on the cost to customers of the 16 electric distribution cooperatives that buy power from East Kentucky.

The project at the plant near Burnside will add ductwork to redirect emissions from the 116-megawatt Unit 1 to emission control equipment already in place to handle emissions from the 225-megawatt Unit 2. The project will bring Unit 1 into compliance with stricter federal air quality standards.

GRANDMOTHER SENTENCED

Grandmother sentenced to life without parole

WINCHESTER, Ky. (AP) — A central Kentucky woman who pleaded guilty to murdering her daughter and toddler granddaughter has been sentenced to life without parole.

Clark County Circuit Judge William Clouse sentenced 49-year-old Lillie Stanton of Winchester on Thursday. The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that Stanton made no comment during the sentencing, which took less than 30 seconds, and declined a request by the newspaper for an interview.

Stanton lived with her daughter, 23-year-old Danel Korrey Stanton, and granddaughter, 22-month-old Kaydence Ray Miers. Court records indicate Lillie Stanton told police she slashed the victims' throats because she feared that Kaydence's father was about to gain more visitation time. Police said she also said she cut her own throat and wrists after the May 20, 2012, killings.