Author: Associated Press

Kentucky passes 50,000 cases with third-highest daily total

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky has shot past 50,000 COVID-19 cases after reporting its third-highest one-day total. Gov. Andy Beshear says the increase indicates people are “probably being a little more lax” than they should be heading into the long holiday weekend. He announced 906 new cases statewide and said 95 of Kentucky’s 120 counties reported at least one coronavirus…

In Breonna Taylor’s hometown, 90-day protest becomes family

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Demonstrators arrived at the nondescript park in Louisville, Kentucky, months ago to demand justice for George Floyd and for Breonna Taylor Both were Black people killed by police. The demonstrators were strangers to each other then. They were faces in a sea of humanity, unaware that their devotion to this square would soon tether them together….

Distillers funding scholarship program to promote diversity

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky Distillers’ Association says it will fund scholarships at the University of Kentucky in a push to increase diversity in the distilled spirits industry. The association said Wednesday that its scholars program fund will support full tuition each year for up to four students in UK’s distillation, wine and brewing studies program. KDA President Eric…

McConnell chides mayors for response to destructive protests

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has chided some big-city mayors for their handling of protests. The Kentucky Republican said Tuesday they’ve shown a reluctance to “enforce the law” when protests have turned destructive. McConnell spoke about protests after receiving an endorsement from the Kentucky Fraternal Order of Police. McConnell consistently says he supports the rights…

Kentucky’s governor will watch Derby from home this year

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — For Kentucky governors, presenting the trophy to the Kentucky Derby winner is a coveted perk. But Gov. Andy Beshear won’t be in the winner’s circle at Churchill Downs Saturday. Instead, the Democratic governor says he’ll watch the race from home, just like all the race fans who won’t be able to cram into the track because…

Wildlife panel sues state over commissioner’s contract

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The board that oversees the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources has filed suit against Gov. Andy Beshear’s administration in an effort to keep the agency’s commissioner. The Lexington Herald-Leader reports the lawsuit filed Monday in Franklin Circuit Court asks a judge to rule that the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission has sole authority to…

Lawyer: Plea offer implicated Breonna Taylor in drug ring

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A lawyer for Breonna Taylor’s family says a plea deal was offered to an accused drug dealer that would have implicated Taylor in a drug operation weeks after her death. Louisville’s top prosecutor Tom Wine acknowledged the existence of the document but says it was part of preliminary plea negotiations. Wine says the plea offer posted…