The Latest Kentucky News

PROPERTY TAX HIKE

School officials propose property tax hike

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Jefferson County Public School officials want to raise property taxes as much as 3.1 percent this year to offset state and federal cuts and save vital educational programs.

According to The Courier-Journal,if the school board approves the new tax rate at its meeting Monday night, it would raise an additional $17 million.

It would also be the sixth straight year the district has raised property taxes.

District officials say the increase will offset growing federal and state cuts.

Chief Financial Officer Cordelia Hardin said about $3.5 million in federal cuts, known as sequestration, will take effect this fall.

She said the state has also cut $1.5 million in educational programs from Jefferson County.

TELEMEDICINE EXPANSION

Telemedicine on verge of steep increase in Ky.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The expanding number of doctors offering appointments through videoconferencing, called telemedicine, is expected to see a sharp increase.

The Courier-Journal reports telemedicine is seen as a way to help deal with doctor shortages, especially in rural areas and especially with another 600,000 people in the state who are expected to join insurance rolls in health exchanges and or through expanded Medicaid coverage.

Dr Greg Jicha, a neurologist at the University of Kentucky's Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, says the technology "is really going to increase access to care."

A recent report from the Kentucky Telehealth Network says there were almost 6,200 video-conference doctor visits in 2011.

Officials say that number is expected to grow as more insurance companies allow telehealth services.

CREATION MUSEUM-EXHIBITS

Ky. creationist museum aims at wider audience

PETERSBURG, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky museum where dinosaurs and biblical characters coexist is trying to reach a wider audience with new exhibits and attractions — some with no religious message.

The Creation Museum has added an insect exhibit, an outdoor zip line course and a display examining whether the dragons of ancient tales were actually dinosaurs.

The museum opened in 2007 and has since drawn nearly 1.9 million visitors. But it also has attracted criticism from scientists for dismissing evolution and asserting that Earth is a few thousand years old.

Museum co-founder Ken Ham said he knew when the museum opened to big crowds in 2007 that new features would need to be added.

Ham said the museum is welcoming of people seeking fun without a creationism lesson.

HEROIN DEATHS-PROSECUTING DEALERS

Dealers now being charged in drug overdose deaths

TOMS RIVER, N.J. (AP) — Law enforcement officials are dusting off rarely used drug laws, changing how they investigate crimes and relying on technology to prosecute drug dealers.

The changes come as the number of heroin overdoses is skyrocketing nationwide.

Prosecutors are starting to hold dealers accountable when a person overdoses and dies. They're using technology and old-fashioned police work to trace the heroin back to a certain dealer.

Those dealers are being charged with local and federal crimes that are rarely used because they can sometimes be hard to prove.

But law enforcement officials say technology is changing that, especially cellphones and texting.

Critics say the crackdown won't stop heroin sales.

Nationwide, the number of people who said they've used heroin in the past year skyrocketed by 66 percent between 2007 and 2011.

CHURCH CLINIC

Needy find care at Newport church clinic

NEWPORT, Ky. (AP) — Tucked inside St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Newport is a modest clinic where the poor and chronically ill find health care and comfort from nurses who ask nothing in return.

The free clinic is a haven for its patients, who have little other choice for medical care. They are mainly from Newport and Bellevue. They cannot afford health care, have limited transportation other than their feet, and until now have found few who will take time to simply hold their hand or listen to their problems.

Founder and registered nurse Tracy Hagood has organized a team of 25 registered nurses who rotate at the clinic to help the folks who have found their way to St. Paul's.

Since the clinic opened March 20, about 70 patients have visited.

ENDURANCE TRAILS

Teen enjoys endurance horseback riding

WINCHESTER, Ky. (AP) — When it comes to riding horses, Paige Taylor is in it for the long haul.

The George Rogers Clark High School junior has logged more than 1,200 miles on the endurance trail since she began riding with her grandmother Janice Taylor in 2005. The younger Taylor is featured on this month's cover of Endurance News and has competed in three events this year with Titan Missel, an Arabian gelding

Paige and Janice are members of Daniel Boone Distance Riders, a non-profit group that promotes distance riding throughout the state.

Some competitions are held in Kentucky, Indiana, West Virginia, Tennessee, Ohio, North Carolina and South Carolina. Florida also is a hot spot for endurance events.