Thursday’s Kentucky News – January 2nd, 2014

NEW SENATOR

New senator from Lexington to be sworn in

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — The newest member of the Kentucky Senate will be sworn in on Thursday.

Lexington lawyer Reggie Thomas will be sworn in by Kentucky Supreme Court Justice Mary Noble at the Lyric Theater in Lexington.

Thomas was elected last month from the 13th District in Lexington to succeed retiring Sen. Kathy Stein, who was appointed to a judicial position. Thomas and Stein are both Democrats.

Republicans outnumber Democrats 23-14 in the Senate.

The General Assembly convenes in regular session on Tuesday.

JUDGES COLLEGE

College offers continuing education for judges

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Circuit Court judges from around the state gathered in Frankfort recently for an educational session.

The 2013 Circuit Judges Fall College offered updates on case law and legislation. Judges also attended sessions on court technology, bail, e-discovery and court interpreting during the November meeting.

Jefferson Family Court Judge Stephen George was elected president of the Kentucky Circuit Judges Association at the college.

George says the college meeting is valuable because certain aspects of being a judge can change while in office.

The college also offered sessions specifically for family court judges. They included information about child traumatic stress and recent federal legislation on child abuse and neglect and foster care.

T25-LOUISVILLE-TEMPLE

Taylor, Schimmel lead Louisville over Temple

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Asia Taylor scored 18 points and Shoni Schimmel had 15 to help No. 7 Louisville beat Temple 77-68 on Wednesday in an American Athletic Conference game.

The Cardinals (14-1, 2-0) turned a close game into a rout by going on a 21-4 run spanning the half. Schimmel had 10 points and Taylor six during the burst that made it 40-21 with 18:02 left.

After trailing by double digits following that run, Temple (7-5, 1-1) got within 77-68 with 16 seconds left, but that's as close as the Owls could get.

Natasha Thames scored 24 points to match her career high while Monaye Merritt added 14 points for Temple.

It was the Cardinals' seventh straight win since losing to intrastate rival Kentucky in early December.

PRIEST SUSPENDED

Owensboro police asked to investigate priest

(Information in the following story is from: Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, http://www.messenger-inquirer.com )

OWENSBORO, Ky. (AP) — The Commonwealth's Attorney's office has asked the Owensboro Police Department to investigate allegations against a priest accused of inappropriate conduct with a minor.

The Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer reports the Catholic Diocese of Owensboro on Tuesday announced the temporary suspension of the Rev. John Meredith following an investigation.

A letter from Diocese of Owensboro Bishop William Medley says the Diocesan Review Board unanimously judged the allegation to be credible and urges compassion for the person who brought the matter to light.

Meredith has been a priest at Blessed Mother Catholic Church since 2008.

A call to the church seeking comment from Meredith was not immediately returned.

Commonwealth's Attorney Bruce Kuegel said the diocese referred the matter to the prosecutor's office. He declined to identify the alleged inappropriate conduct.

EX-MAYOR INDICTED

Ex-Martin mayor accused of voter intimidation

(Information in the following story is from: Lexington Herald-Leader, http://www.kentucky.com )

MARTIN, Ky. (AP) — A former Floyd County mayor already charged with defrauding the Social Security Administration and misapplying federal funds now faces charges of conspiring to intimidate voters.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports former Martin Mayor Ruth Thomasine Robinson and five others are accused of using bribes and threats to try to get people to vote for Robinson in November 2012.

According to court records, they approached people who lived in city-run public housing and rental housing owned by Robinson. They are accused of offering some people better apartments and threatening others with eviction. They also are accused of paying some voters.

Robinson ultimately lost her bid for another term as mayor of the city of 600.

A federal grand jury indicted the six in mid-December. Their initial appearance is Jan. 7.

HEALTH CARE ENROLLMENT

More than 116K enroll for insurance through kynect

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Gov. Steve Beshear's office says more than 116,000 Kentuckians have enrolled in health insurance through the commonwealth's kynect website.

Since Thanksgiving week, enrollments are up nearly 93 percent overall and 169 percent for private health insurance. More than one out of every four signups on the site are for private health insurance.

Dec. 23 was the enrollment deadline to ensure coverage would be effective New Year's Day, but open enrollment continues through March 31. Those who apply over the next couple weeks can have coverage activated as soon as Feb. 1.

Those who have enrolled in private insurance plans are strongly encouraged to pay their first premium by the Jan. 10 deadline to ensure coverage begins promptly.

SCREENWRITER GRANT

Hollywood screenwriter to hold workshop in Ashland

(Information in the following story is from: The Independent, http://www.dailyindependent.com )

ASHLAND, Ky. (AP) — Ashland-born Hollywood screenwriter Allison Anders has agreed to teach a screenwriting class at the Grayson Gallery and Art Center in her hometown.

The Independent reports Anders worked on the Emmy-nominated "Ring of Fire: The June Carter Cash Story" and is developing a new AMC-TV series called "Ashland." The series depicts a family fleeing Hollywood during the "red scare" and seeking refuge in Ashland, which is depicted as a tiny mining town.

Anders' weekend-long workshop will take place this spring. The goal of the class is to promote feminist art in Carter County.

The class is made possible thanks to a grant from the Kentucky Foundation for Women, which hopes to use the workshop as a way to transform the Grayson gallery into a regional hub for feminist artwork.

CRAFT SCHOOL

Kentucky School of Craft has new focus

(Information in the following story is from: Lexington Herald-Leader, http://www.kentucky.com )

HINDMAN, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky School of Craft is hoping for a rebirth as it prepares for dozens of students this month.

Students taking a class in making handcrafted jewelry will be at workstations that haven't been used in two years.

The school in Hindman was originally envisioned as part of a strategy to diversify and improve the economy. However, it has struggled to maintain staff and funding.

Hazard Community and Technical College, which oversees the school, says its focus has changed.

Community college Dean Leila Sandlin Smith told the Lexington Herald-Leader the focus for the craft school now will be to turn out graduates with associates' degrees who can then transfer elsewhere for a higher degree.

She says a total of 40 to 50 students are enrolled for spring classes.