Thursday’s Kentucky News

EBAY EXPANSION

eBay company expanding in Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — An eBay Inc. company, eBay Enterprise, plans to create more than 150 full-time jobs at its Louisville operation.

Gov. Steve Beshear's office says the company will invest up to $45 million in the expansion near its existing facility in southwestern Jefferson County.

eBay Inc. acquired eBay Enterprise in 2011. The Louisville operation specializes in building and running online shopping sites. The company already has 500 employees in Louisville.

Beshear's office says the state has given preliminary approval for tax incentives up to $1.5 million.

VETERANS NURSING HOME

New nursing home for veterans under construction

RADCLIFF, Ky. (AP) — Construction is under way on the Radcliff Veterans Center, a nursing facility being built in a region that's home to Kentucky's largest concentration of veterans.

Gov. Steve Beshear toured the site on Wednesday.

The facility will provide 120 veterans with a private room and bath and family-style living room, dining room, kitchen and patio. A separate building will be used for recreation, physical therapy and other services.

It will be Kentucky's fourth such facility for elderly veterans.

Construction began in July and the facility is scheduled to open in June 2015. It is being paid for with a $21.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and $18.6 million from the state of Kentucky.

The U.S. Department of Defense donated 194 acres from Fort Knox for the facility.

KAGAN-KENTUCKY

Justice Kagan visiting University of Kentucky

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — University of Kentucky law students will get to spend some time hearing insights from the nation's newest member of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Justice Elena Kagan is scheduled to speak on the Lexington campus Thursday evening.

Kagan, at age 53, is the youngest member of the nation's highest court. She was appointed in 2010 by President Barack Obama. She previously served as solicitor general of the United States and dean of Harvard Law School, among other accomplishments.

Her visit is part of a UK College of Law lecture series.

Justice Clarence Thomas spoke at UK last year.

FALL TRAVEL

Website tracks Kentucky's fall foliage season

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky is offering a website that tracks the fall foliage season for people wanting to view the state's autumn colors.

The ColorFall website includes reports on stages of leaf changes from naturalists at parks across the Bluegrass state.

The website also lists special fall events and a link to a Facebook page where people can upload digital photos of their own fall travels.

The ColorFall program, including the website, runs Sept. 23 through Oct. 31.

ColorFall is offered by the Kentucky Department of Travel and Tourism and the Kentucky Department of Parks. The program is in its 28th year.

Dean Henson, park manager at Big Bone Lick State Historic Site, says brilliant fall colors are the result of crisp, sunny days with no evening frost.

KENTUCKY SENATE-ABORTION

McConnell gets endorsement of anti-abortion group

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has been endorsed by the anti-abortion group National Right to Life.

The endorsement was announced Wednesday in Louisville.

Carol Tobias, head of the national group, said McConnell has been "among the most effective legislative champions" in the fight against abortion.

Tobias said McConnell has been a key supporter of every major anti-abortion initiative to come before the U.S. Senate during his nearly three decades in office.

Kentucky Right to Life also endorsed McConnell on Wednesday.

McConnell is seeking election to a sixth term. He faces Louisville businessman Matt Bevin in next year's GOP primary. The winner will likely face Democratic front-runner Alison Grimes in the general election.

HEALTH CARE-AD

Outside group airing TV spot in favor of McConnell

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell is getting support in his re-election bid from an outside group that's spending $325,000 to air a TV ad statewide.

The Kentucky Opportunity Coalition is airing the 30-second spot statewide for the next week to focus attention on McConnell's opposition to the Affordable Care Act. The ad stands in contrast to one aired by a national tea party group that criticized McConnell for not pledging to defund the health care reforms, even if that means a government shutdown.

The coalition's senior adviser, Scott Jennings, said McConnell has been relentless in his opposition to the health care reforms. The new TV ad calls for Kentuckians to "stand with Mitch against Obamacare."

McConnell faces opposition from a GOP challenger and a top Democratic contender.

PILL MILL

Former W.Va. pain clinic worker sentenced

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — The former office manager of a Mingo County pain clinic has been sentenced to six months behind bars for conspiring to misuse a physician's U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration registration number.

Myra Miller pleaded guilty to the charge in March. U.S. District Judge John T. Copenhaver gave her the maximum possible sentence in federal court in Charleston on Wednesday.

Miller has said she played a reluctant role in what prosecutors say was a conspiracy to sell narcotic prescriptions to people who didn't need them.

As part of her plea agreement, Miller already has agreed to forfeit her interest in the clinic building and an adjoining office as well as $475,000 in assets seized at the time of the raid.

Most of that amount reflects cash found in her Kentucky home.

CORPS-CHANGE OF COMMAND

USACE to hold change-of-command ceremony

VICKSBURG, Miss. (AP) — The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers will hold a change of command ceremony Sept. 24 for the Mississippi Valley Division.

Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick will oversee the transfer of command from Maj. Gen. John W. Peabody to Brig. Gen. Duke Deluca.

Deluca comes to Vicksburg from Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo., where he was led the Army Engineer School, U. S. Army Manuever Support Center of Excellence.

Peabody will become deputy commanding general for Civil and Emergency Operations for the Corps of Engineers in Washington, D.C.

The Mississippi Valley Division responsible for water resource programs in a 370,000-square-mile area that includes portions of 12 states.

DeLuca also will be president-designee of the Mississippi River Commission. It oversees the Mississippi River and tributaries flood control and navigation project.