Supporters of economic, social justice rally in Louisville
LOUISVILLE (AP) — Supporters of women’s rights and social justice gathered Saturday in Louisville and Lexington in solidarity with others around the world who have marched on city streets in a show of empowerment after President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
The rallies in Kentucky came in conjunction with the Women’s March on Washington, where hundreds of thousands gathered to send Trump a message that they won’t let his agenda go unchallenged over the next four years. More than 600 “sister marches” were planned around the world.
WAVE-TV reports that The Rally to Move Forward in Louisville included a long list of speakers and performers. People held signs with slogans in support of economic, social and environmental justice.
In Lexington, WLEX-TV reported that the goal of the march was to push for protection of women’s rights and safety, and to recognize that vibrant and diverse communities are the strength of the country.
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Report: Police violated open-records law in bodycam case
LOUISVILLE (AP) — The Kentucky attorney general’s office says state police violated the state’s open-records law by refusing to turn over a copy of bodycam video from the fatal shooting of a suspect by municipal police.
In the opinion Monday, the AG’s office sided with Kathy Harris, whose son Joseph Harris was fatally shot by police from the city of Russellville in March.
As is customary, state police investigated the shooting, but refused to turn over the bodycam video, saying it contained “extremely graphic images” that could “irreparably harm” Harris’ family and survivors from the shooting spree.
The opinion says Harris’ family did not object to the video’s release and the shooting of two others was not shown on the video.
The AG’s opinions are legally binding in disputes involving Kentucky’s open-records law but can be appealed.
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Attendance up in 2016 at National Corvette Museum
BOWLING GREEN (AP) — A Kentucky museum devoted to Corvettes had its second-highest attendance numbers in 2016.
The National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green says it welcomed 228,363 visitors last year, up 3.5 percent from 2015.
Museum officials say the only year when the facility drew more visitors was in 2014, when attendance surged after a massive sinkhole swallowed eight prized sports cars. The sinkhole became an Internet sensation.
The giant hole was eventually plugged, but the museum has an interactive exhibit about the sinkhole. Museum executive director Wendell Strode says the Corvettes swallowed by the sinkhole are still on display.
The museum says attendance also increased last year at the nearby NCM Motorsports Park, which opened in 2014. It says the park drew more than 57,000 visitors last year.
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2 Louisville-area power plants cut toxic air pollution
LOUISVILLE (AP) — New data from the Environmental Protection Agency shows Louisville’s two largest power plants have dramatically cut air pollution through tighter smokestack controls.
The Courier-Journal reports the pollution reductions at Louisville Gas & Electric’s Mill Creek and Cane Run power plants follow enforcement of the Clean Air Act during the Obama administration.
In 2015, LG&E reported the Mills Creek plant emitted 1.7 million pounds of sulfuric acid mist into the air — a 57 percent decrease from 2014. The Cane Run plant lowered its sulfuric acid pollution about 70 percent in the same time period.
Both plants also reported big reductions in nitrogen oxides.
Louisville city officials are working to ensure the area is added to the EPA’s list of cities that meet clean-air standards.
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Man pleads guilty in June 2016 death of ex-wife
COVINGTON (AP) — A northern Kentucky man has admitted in court to killing his ex-wife.
Media outlets report 61-year-old Timothy Rigg pleaded guilty to a murder charge last week in Kenton County Circuit Court in the June 2016 death of Shelagh Goodridge.
Her body was found in a bed at the home the couple shared.
Prosecutors say an autopsy showed she had been beaten and strangled.
Rigg faces up to 30 years in prison. Sentencing is set for Feb. 20.
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Community college to offer historic preservation classes
COVINGTON (AP) — A community college in northern Kentucky plans to start offering historic preservation arts courses next month.
A statement from Gateway Community and Technical College says the community-based, non-credit classes will begin on Feb. 2 at the Covington campus as part of a pilot program to determine whether there’s enough interest for a larger program in the field.
There will be six courses that focus on different areas including learning about the basics of historic preservation, planning and artistic skill.
The programming was developed through a grass-roots effort led by Progress with Preservation, a group of advocates for the preservation of the region’s architectural heritage.
Gateway President Fernando Figueroa says students taking the courses will learn an important skill while helping to “preserve the heart and soul of our community.”
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Businessman pleads guilty in jail expansion kickback scheme
PADUCAH (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a business owner has pleaded guilty for his role in a conspiracy that included kickbacks and concealment of costs associated with work performed on the Fulton County Detention Center expansion project.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky says 79-year-old Michael Homra pleaded guilty Friday to wire fraud.
Prosecutors say Homra’s company, The Leader Store, sold building materials to Fulton County for the detention center expansion project in 2015.
According to a plea agreement, Homra allowed then-Fulton County Jailer Ricky Parnell to use The Leader Store as a middleman company for building supplies ordered during the project and paid Parnell cash kickbacks while the project was ongoing.
Parnell and three other people also face charges as part of the alleged kickback scheme.
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Horse Park museum director working on black jockey exhibit
LEXINGTON (AP) — The director of a museum at the Kentucky Horse Park is working to open a permanent exhibit dedicated to the history of black jockeys.
The Lexington Herald-Leader reports the exhibit “Black Horsemen of the Kentucky Turf” is scheduled to open in 2018.
Bill Cooke is director of the International Museum of the Horse at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. He’s also envisioning the production of a database to document and recognize black horsemen. Cooke says access to their stories is disappearing.
He says fundraising for the digital project still needs to be worked out.
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Police: About 100 pounds of marijuana found in home
LOUISVILLE (AP) — Police say a Louisville man is facing a drug trafficking charge after officers found about 100 pounds of marijuana at his home.
The Courier-Journal reports that 40-year-old Reynel Garcia was arrested after a search warrant was served at his home Friday.
An arrest citation says after detectives entered the house, they recovered marijuana that was vacuumed sealed within two 50-gallon drums. The citation says detectives also found a large, undetermined amount of cash, digital scales and other drug paraphernalia.
Garcia was arrested and charged with one count each of trafficking in marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
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World cornhole championships set for Ky. in July
OWENSBORO (AP) — Cornhole, a game made popular in backyards and at football tailgate parties, is holding its world championships in Kentucky this summer.
The Messenger-Inquirer reports the American Cornhole Organization will hold the title event in Owensboro from July 26 to 30.
The world championships were held in Knoxville, Tennessee, the past two years and in Charleston, West Virginia, in 2014.
Cornhole involves tossing one-pound bags filled with plastic pellets into a hole in a slanted board 27 feet away. Players earn points depending on whether the bags land in the hole or on the board. The first one to 21 points wins.
The American Cornhole Organization was formed in 2005 in Milford, Ohio. According to the group’s website, more than $30,000 in prize money will be available at the world championships.
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Allen Co. to vote on whether to allow liquor sales
SCOTTSVILLE (AP) — An upcoming election will determine whether liquor sales will be allowed in Allen County.
The Bowling Green Daily News reports that the wet-dry vote will be held Tuesday.
Several locales in the area have held wet-dry votes since state law changed last year to allow cities of any population to hold a local option election regarding alcohol sales. The cities of Morgantown, Woodbury and Rochester, among others, have elected to go wet.
Proponents of going wet, such as Andrew Hogue of Citizens for Economic Growth, say doing so would bring in new businesses and additional local tax revenue.
Russell Mills of Concerned Citizens and others who oppose alcohol sales question whether they will have a noticeable economic effect and express concerns about a possible increase in alcohol-fueled crime.