Author: Associated Press

Kentucky’s 8 presidential electors cast votes for Trump

FRANKFORT, Ky (AP) — Kentucky’s eight presidential electors have cast their votes for President Donald Trump Monday, formalizing his overwhelming victory in the Bluegrass state last month. In order to accomodate social distancing guidelines , the hour-long ceremony was held in the Kentucky Capitol’s senate chambers instead of the Kentucky Supreme Court. Following the vote, Secretary of State Michael Adams,…

2 escaped Tennessee prison inmates found in Florida

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities say two inmates who escaped a northwest Tennessee prison have been found in Florida. The Tennessee Department of Correction says law enforcement officers arrested Robert Brown and Christopher Osteen in Pompano Beach, Florida, on Sunday. They escaped Friday from Northwest Correctional Complex in Lake County, Tennessee. Authorities say the escapees kidnapped a Kentucky highway employee…

Ex-Kentucky teacher sentenced to 30 years for child porn

(Credit: Pixabay)LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — A former Kentucky teacher has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for his guilty plea to producing child pornography. News outlets report 49-year-old Larry Dale Foley Jr. of Berea was sentenced last week in federal court in Lexington. According to court records, based on a tip to the National Center for Missing and…

Kentucky doctor, wife sentenced in opioid sales scheme

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky doctor has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for illegally distributing pain pills. Dr. Scotty Akers of Pikeville, Kentucky, was sentenced last week in federal court in Lexington. News outlets report his wife, Serissa Akers, who served as his office manager, was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison. The…

Snow leopard at Kentucky zoo tests positive for coronavirus

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Federal officials say a snow leopard at a Kentucky zoo is the first in the U.S. to test positive for the coronavirus. The Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories said in a statement Friday that two other snow leopards at the Louisville Zoo are undergoing testing to confirm the virus. The statement says officials took…

Former bank president sentenced for embezzlement

CORRECTION: An image attached to an earlier version of this story was not the Thomas Hinkebein identified in this story.  LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — A former Kentucky bank president has been sentenced to a year in federal prison after pleading guilty to embezzlement in federal court. News outlets cite a statement from the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of…

Kentucky plant expanding, adding 40 jobs in Maysville

MAYSVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Officials say a Kentucky manufacturing plant is adding 40 jobs with a nearly $20 million expansion. Gov. Andy Beshear’s office says EnviroFlight LLC opened its facility two years ago in Maysville, where it plans to expand the current 112,500-square-foot plant by more than 173,000 square feet. The company expects the project to begin in January and…

Sen. Rand Paul delays defense bill vote over troop drawdowns

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Senate vote on a wide-ranging defense policy bill is being delayed by Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul. The Republican objects to a provision in the bill that would limit President Donald Trump’s ability to draw down U.S. troops from Afghanistan and Germany. Paul’s objection raises the slim prospect of a government shutdown if a short-term spending bill…

Courier Journal editor Rick Green to step down

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Veteran journalist Rick Green will step down as editor of the Courier Journal months after the Kentucky newspaper won a Pulitzer Prize under his leadership. The newspaper reports Green is taking a buyout offered by Gannett, the Courier Journal’s parent company. He was named editor in May 2018 and the paper won a Pulitzer Prize in…

Holiday messages being sent to long-term care facilities

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Employees of the Legislative Research Commission have launched a campaign to send hand-written holiday cards to every long-term care facility around Kentucky. They say the goal is to send at least one card to each facility, but some have asked for cards for each resident. There are around 250 facilities. Commission Director Jay Hartz said social…