Image Source: WikipediaGATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) — Great Smoky Mountains National Park is starting to reopen parts of the park, beginning with many roads and trails this weekend. The park has been closed since late March in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The park said in a news release that new safety measures will be implemented in facility operations and services…
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — About 80,000 Kentucky residents applied for unemployment benefits last week. That’s down from the prior week but shows economic disruption from the coronavirus continues to spread. The U.S. Labor Department reported the figures Thursday. The report shows the number of Kentuckians filing for jobless assistance last week was down about 11,000 from the prior week. The…
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Former Wake Forest center Olivier Sarr says he’s transferring to Kentucky. The move gives the Wildcats a veteran 7-footer after the team’s entire starting lineup declared for the NBA draft. Sarr is a 255-pounder from France who was the Demon Deacons’ leading rebounder and second-leading scorer last season. He announced his decision to play for the…
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky Department of Education is asking school districts to be flexible as they plan calendars for the next school year. Interim Education Commissioner Kevin C. Brown told superintendents during a webcast this week that they should plan for multiple scenarios. Brown said possibilities include an early start, possibly in July; a traditional start in August…
VERSAILLES, Ky. (AP) — Officials have decided that Kentucky community college students will be offered a variety of formats for classes in the fall. The Kentucky Community and Technical College System said in a statement that beginning on Aug. 17, classes will be offered online, face-to-face and some will be a mixture of both. Face-to-face classes will include an online…
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Gov. Andy Beshear says a Kentucky prison has been hit by hundreds of additional coronavirus cases. He said Tuesday that testing of inmates and staff at Green River Correctional Complex revealed more than 300 additional virus cases. When factoring in previous cases, the governor says the infection rate has reached about 40% at the western Kentucky…
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky’s governor has removed a member of the state’s Emergency Medical Services board who is accused of posting a message criticizing the arrest of a woman who broke coronavirus quarantine orders. Gov. Andy Beshear took Robbie Smither off the board in an April 30 executive order. The order states that Smither made a Facebook post on…
CENTREVILLE, Ala. (The Birmingham News) — Kidnapping charges have been filed against an Alabama girl’s mother and three other women who are accused of trying to take the child to Ohio. AL.com reports 22-year-old Jasmine Crutchfield and the three others will be transported from a Kentucky jail to face charges in Alabama. Authorities say 6-year-old Miy’Angel Crutchfield was abducted from…
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Eric Friedlander has led Kentucky’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services during the coronavirus pandemic. Now he has accepted the job on a permanent basis. Gov. Andy Beshear made the announcement Monday at his daily coronavirus briefing. Friedlander was hired as acting secretary of the vast state agency at the start of Beshear’s term last December….
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Louisville has received a notice of allegations from the NCAA that accuses its men’s basketball program of committing a Level I violation with an improper recruiting offer and extra benefits and several Level II violations that accuse former Cardinals coach Rick Pitino of failing to promote an atmosphere of compliance. The notice is the completion of…
