Author: Associated Press

Distillery filling first new warehouse on site in decades

BARDSTOWN, Ky. (AP) — The Barton 1792 Distillery in Kentucky has started filling the first new storage warehouse to be built on its site in over 50 years. The bourbon producer says the first barrels of whiskey were rolled into Warehouse 33 last week. The facility was built behind the Bardstown distillery as part of a $25 million warehouse investment….

Kentucky State Park campgrounds to reopen March 12

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky State Parks are preparing to open campgrounds across the state this month. The agency said in a statement on Monday that campsites at 30 parks will be available beginning on March 12. The statement says that guests will be required to adhere to restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, including wearing a mask and maintaining…

Heavy rains lead to rescues, road closures in Appalachia

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Officials say heavy rain across Appalachia has led to water rescues, mudslides, road closures and power outages. In Kentucky, officials in Magoffin and Pike counties declared a state of emergency Sunday due to damage from the flooding and a nursing home was evacuated to keep residents safe. Multiple water rescues were reported in Kentucky, Tennessee and…

Nearly 600 Kentucky farm projects to share $5.9M

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Officials say a total of $5.9 million in tobacco settlement funds will go to nearly 600 farm projects across Kentucky. A statement from Gov. Andy Beshear and Energy and Environment Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Goodman says the Kentucky Soil and Water Conservation Commission selected 592 projects in 86 counties to receive the funding. The statement says funding…

McConnell says he’d support Trump if he wins 2024 nomination

WASHINGTON (AP) — Less than a month after excoriating Donald Trump in a blistering floor speech, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell now says he would “absolutely” support the former president again if he secured the Republican nomination in 2024. Speaking to Fox News on Thursday, the Kentucky Republican said there’s still “a lot to happen between now” and the next…

Fort Campbell soldiers head to Florida in vaccination effort

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) — Some soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division are heading to Florida to help with the vaccination effort there. Fort Campbell on the Kentucky-Tennessee border says about 130 soldiers are expected to deploy Friday. The soldiers are deploying to Orlando as part of the Army’s effort to support Federal Emergency Management Agency vaccination centers. The Biden…

Foster care review boards seeking volunteers around Kentucky

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Officials say volunteers are being sought in nearly half of Kentucky’s counties to review cases of children in the foster care system. A statement from the Administrative Office of the Courts said that Citizen Foster Care Review Boards want people who can review cases to ensure that foster children are placed in safe, permanent homes as…

Bill continuing early in-person voting clears House panel

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A House panel has approved a bill to make early voting at polling places a fixture in Kentucky’s elections. The measure would allow three days of no-excuse, early in-person voting — including a Saturday — ahead of Election Day. But it wouldn’t continue a pandemic-related accommodation that allowed widespread mail-in absentee balloting in 2020. The bill…

Man sentenced to 36 years for sex trafficking, other charges

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Authorities say a federal judge has sentenced a Kentucky man to 36 years in prison on charges that included the sex trafficking of three victims. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement on Wednesday that 41-year-old Prince Bixler of Lexington also was ordered to have 10 years of supervised release and to pay $333,100 in…

Man pleads guilty to improper shipping of nuclear waste

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky man charged with illegally dumping low-level nuclear waste at an Estill County landfill has pleaded guilty in federal court to two charges of shipping the waste without the proper labeling. The Lexington Herald-Leader reports Cory David Hoskins faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 after entering the…