Ky. man charged in deaths of man, wife
LONDON (AP) — A Kentucky sheriff says a man has been charged in the deaths of two people whose bodies were found shot to death at the scene of a house fire.
Laurel County Sheriff John Root says in a news release that 34-year-old Bradley Justin Lawson of Corbin was charge Saturday night with two counts of first-degree murder, robbery, arson and tampering with physical evidence.
Root says the bodies of Donnie Jackson and his wife, Sharon Jackson, were found with gunshot wounds at a house fire on March 8 about eight miles south of London. Root says Lawson apparently knew the victims.
The release says Lawson already was incarcerated in the Laurel County Detention Center on unrelated charge
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Ex-Morgan Co. judge-executive’s appeal dismissed
LEXINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals panel has dismissed former Morgan County Judge-Executive Tim Conley’s challenge to his guilty plea and sentence in a corruption case.
The Lexington Herald-Leader reports Conley pleaded guilty in 2014 to mail fraud in a scheme in which he took $130,000 in kickbacks from a contractor in the wake of a March 2012 tornado that killed six people in the county. Conley later asked an appeals court to set aside his plea and prison sentence of seven years and three months.
Conley’s attorney, Jerry Anderson, argued that Conley hadn’t fully understood the crime that he pleaded guilty to.
On June 2, judges with the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed the appeal, saying a prosecutor read the elements of the charge against Conley in “readily understandable words” during his plea hearing.___
WHAS Crusade telethon raises nearly $5.5M for children
LOUISVILLE (AP) — WHAS-TV’s 63rd Crusade for Children telethon has raised nearly $5.5 million for organizations that help children with special needs.
Media outlets report that the telethon, which took place for 30 hours spanning Saturday and Sunday, has raised more than $165 million in contributions since it began in 1953.
Several fire departments and other donors revealed how much they raised for the Crusade, including the Pleasure Ridge Park Fire Protection District, which raised nearly $300,000. Crusade for Children President Dawn Lee says many departments fundraise for the charity year-round, organizing events like trivia nights and golf outings.
The Crusade website says 100 percent of all donations are returned in the form of grants to agencies, schools and hospitals that “make life better for children with special needs.”
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President of Turkey, king of Jordan to speak at Ali funeral
LOUISVILLE (AP) — The president of Turkey and king of Jordan joined the long line of world leaders, religious figures and superstars set to speak at Muhammad Ali’s funeral Friday.
Ali family spokesman Bob Gunnell announced funeral details at a news conference Monday.
California imam and scholar Zaid Shakir will preside over the service at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville.
Speaking at the funeral will be representatives of multiple faiths, including Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Mormonism and Catholicism. They will be followed by Ali’s wife, Lonnie Ali; daughter Maryum Ali; actor Billy Crystal; sportscaster Bryant Gumbel; Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and King Abdullah II of Jordan.
President Bill Clinton will deliver a eulogy.
The Dalai Lama was invited, but sent regrets that he will be unable to attend.
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Animals removed from Edmonson shelter after director charged
BEE SPRING (AP) — About 60 animals have been rescued from a western Kentucky animal shelter where authorities say they were being underfed and not given enough water.
The Daily News of Bowling Green reports that 50-year-old Kim Carroll, of Bee Spring, was charged Friday with second-degree animal cruelty following the discovery of dozens of malnourished animals, as well as one dead dog and three dead cats. Several other animals have since been euthanized.
Owensboro Humane Society humane society member Cheryl Bartlett says she alerted deputies after one of her children discovered a dead dog in an outdoor kennel.
The Edmonson shelter had taken in animals via contracts with governments of Edmonson, Hart, Grayson and Metcalfe counties.
It’s unclear whether Carroll has an attorney.
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Education commissioner to host virtual town hall meeting
FRANKFORT (AP) — Kentucky Education Commissioner Stephen Pruitt says he will host a virtual town hall meeting this week to gather feedback on how Kentuckians define school success.
The event is set for 6:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday. It will be hosted on the Kentucky Department of Education’s media portal and also will be available on demand.
Pruitt held a series of 11 regional town hall meetings across the state this spring.
The department says nearly 3,000 people attended those regional meetings, with more than 260 people voicing comments and more than 200 submitting comments by email.
Pruitt says the virtual town hall meeting offers another chance for participation by people unable to attend the earlier meetings.
Suggestions at the meetings will be used by officials in developing a new accountability system.
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Centre students recording oral histories of WWII vets
DANVILLE (AP) — Students at Centre College are recording the oral histories of World War II veterans.
Students in Sara Egge’s class, America in the World Wars, conducted 21 interviews over the spring with veterans near Danville and are traveling this summer to find more.
Egge told the Lexington Herald-Leader that it is important for her students to record veterans’ stories firsthand as it gives them some experience in a research career.
She said her class is traveling this summer to reach veterans that might not have been able to participate otherwise.
The Kentucky Oral History Commission assisted the project with a $5,000 grant. The histories obtained by the students will be donated to the Kentucky Historical Society and the public will have access to them.
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2 killed in traffic accident in Hardin Co.
SONORA (AP) — Kentucky State Police are investigating the traffic deaths of two people in Hardin County.
State police say in a news release that 51-year-old Betty Gatson and 21-year-old Dashana Mainor of Louisville were killed in Saturday’s accident along Kentucky Route 84 in Sonora.
The release says they were passengers in a car that collided with a flat-bed truck at the intersection of U.S. Route 31.
Gatson and Mainor were pronounced dead at the scene. Two others in the car were taken to University of Louisville Hospital with serious injuries, and the driver of the truck was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.