Author: Associated Press

Authorities: Kentucky family of 4 found dead in home

MAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — Authorities say a couple and their two children have been found dead in their western Kentucky home. Kentucky State Police said in a statement that troopers responding to a call of a shooting Sunday morning found four bodies in the Mayfield home. Autopsies were scheduled for Monday. Graves County Coroner Brad Jones told news outlets the…

Anonymous donor pays layaway balances at Hazard Walmart

HAZARD, Ky. (AP) — Some eastern Kentucky residents got an early Christmas present last week when their layaway items were paid off by an anonymous donor. WYMT-TV reports a Facebook post from a Hazard Walmart says the person gave $21,000, which paid the layaway balances for 96 families. Courtney McIntosh says a family member’s balance was paid off, making their…

Rock slide derails coal train, shuts down rural road

HARLAN, Ky. (AP) — Officials say a boulder slid off a mountain and rolled onto Kentucky Highway 2007, derailing a CSX coal train Thursday morning. Harlan County Judge-Executive Dan Mosley told the Lexington Herald-Leader that no injuries were reported. CSX says two locomotives and eight cars loaded with coal derailed around 2 a.m., after the rock slide. It’s unclear when…

Pilot project aims to help at home learners without internet

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Educational Television says it has partnered with the Kentucky Department of Education to launch a pilot project that aims to give stronger support to at-home learners without internet access. A statement from KET says it plans to use datacasting technology to send learning materials through its existing broadcast network to small receiver boxes in homes….

Man sentenced for killing woman who was missing for months

LANCASTER, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky man has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for killing a young mother whose remains were found buried in a shallow grave six months after she disappeared. Twenty-five-year-old David Sparks pleaded guilty earlier this month to murder and other charges connected to the death of 23-year-old Savannah Spurlock. A judge handed down the…

New welcome center opens in southern Kentucky

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A new welcome center has opened in southern Kentucky. Gov. Andy Beshear announced on Wednesday that the center on Interstate 75 in Whitley County had officially opened. It’s located at the 1.5 mile marker. Although state officials have advised people to limit travel due to the coronavirus pandemic, a statement from the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and…

Man convicted of killing 2 at Kentucky store gets life term

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A white man convicted of fatally shooting two Black shoppers at a Kentucky grocery store has been sentenced to life in prison without parole. Gregory Bush was sentenced Tuesday. He pleaded guilty but mentally ill to two counts of murder and other charges. The charges stemmed from a shooting at a Kroger in suburban Louisville in…

University says text books free next year for undergraduates

RICHMOND, Ky. (AP) — Eastern Kentucky University has announced an initiative that will allow undergraduate students to receive free text books during the next school year. The school says the EKU BookSmart program was developed by the university and is possible due to its partnership with Barnes & Noble College Booksellers. Officials say the program will provide required textbooks and…

Ky. school superintendent suspended over blackface photo

PADUCAH, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky school board has suspended a superintendent after a photo of him in blackface surfaced on social media. News outlets report that Paducah Public Schools Superintendent Donald Shively must take 40 unpaid leave days for additional training. The school board voted on the suspension last week after the Paducah-McCracken County NAACP called for Shively’s resignation….

GE Appliances starts new dishwasher line in Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — GE Appliances says it is starting a new dishwasher line in Kentucky and increasing production for other products. The company said in a news release Monday it will invest $80 million and add more than 280 jobs. The redesigned extra-large capacity dishwasher will be produced at the company’s Appliance Park in Louisville. The announcement follows plans…