Kentucky News Now

KENTUCKY SENATE-GUNS

Grimes opposes 'gun show loophole'

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes said she disagrees with President Barack Obama's position on guns but would work to close a loophole allowing private gun owners to sell at gun shows without a background check.

Grimes told Matt Jones of Kentucky Sports Radio on Thursday that there should not be different standards for purchasing a gun at a gun show versus a gun store. Her comments come one week after releasing a statewide TV ad showing Grimes shooting skeet and saying she disagrees with Obama on guns.

Closing the gun show loophole was among reforms Obama has proposed.

A McConnell spokeswoman criticized Grimes for supporting Obama's agenda. But Grimes said she disagrees with Obama's attempts to ban assault weapons and make it harder for people to inherit guns.

PATIENT DEATH-CHARGE

Doctor who ordered meds charged with patient death

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A Louisville physician has been charged with prescribing medications that resulted in the death of a patient and multiple counts of unlawful distribution of controlled substances.

A federal grand jury on Thursday also charged 69-year-old George Kudmani with health care fraud and money laundering.

Grand jurors say Kudmani fraudulently submitted claims for medically unnecessary services and dispensed unnecessary prescription drugs to patients from July 2009 through May 3, 2010. Prosecutors say one of his patients died on May 5, 2010.

Kudmani also faces money laundering charges based on the purchase of a 2012 Honda Accord with $15,000 in cash and a $5,971.63 check. Prosecutors say the money came from health care fraud and selling the prescriptions.

MEDICAL HELICOPTER CRASH

Report says chopper pilot probably disoriented

MANCHESTER, Ky. (AP) — The National Transportation Safety Board has determined that a medical helicopter crashed in southeastern Kentucky last year killing three people probably because the pilot became disoriented in patchy fog.

The board's probable cause report this week said it could not determine the visibility the helicopter encountered on June 6, 2013, as the crew returned to Manchester after ferrying a patient to London. But witness statements and reported weather conditions indicated that fog had developed.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reported the NTSB said the pilot probably became disoriented after running into conditions that would have required flying by instruments rather than by sight.

Killed were the pilot, 61-year-old Eddy Sizemore, a former Laurel County sheriff's deputy; 40-year-old flight paramedic Herman "Lee" Dobbs of London; and 28-year-old flight nurse Jesse Jones of Pineville.

GENERAL ELECTRIC-APPLIANCE PARK

Kentucky OKs GE for $40M incentives in Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — General Electric is about to sell its appliance division to Electrolux, but meanwhile it is going ahead with a plan to invest $277 million in its Appliance Park in Louisville.

WDRB-TV reports that a state board on Thursday approved $40 million in incentives to GE if it goes ahead with the investment and retains 5,263 jobs in Louisville.

GE Louisville-based spokeswoman Kim Freeman says the pending sale to Electrolux is still six to nine months away, and GE has to continue moving ahead with the momentum it has started.

A document from the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority says GE is considering investments in Appliance Park that would, among other things, add new advanced manufacturing and research capabilities and maintain employment.

Freeman says the state incentives could be transferred to Electrolux after the sale, subject to state approval.

MOUNTAIN PARKWAY

Officials: Mountain Parkway plan will be cheaper

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — State engineers have changed the design of several road widening projects in Magoffin County that Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear says will save the state about $40 million.

The projects are part of a 10-year, $753 million project to widen a 46-mile stretch of the Mountain Parkway in eastern Kentucky. Once completed, the project would ensure drivers have a 400-mile unbroken stretch of four-lane highway between Pikeville and Paducah.

Beshear said the design changes include changing the route of the road near Kernie while elevating the roadway in two places, one near the intersection of the parkway and Kentucky 30 and the other near the parkway intersections with the Wheelrim and Johnson Creek road overpasses.

State lawmakers approved a two-year, $4.1 billion road construction plan earlier this year that included $123 million to widen the parkway.

BROWN-FORMAN-DISTILLERY

Brown-Forman plans distillery in Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Spirits maker Brown-Forman Corp. is returning to its roots in Louisville to build a distillery to produce Old Forester bourbon, its founding brand.

The company said Thursday it anticipates investing about $30 million to build the production facility and a visitors' center along a stretch of downtown Louisville that was known as "Whiskey Row."

The Old Forester Distillery is expected to open in the fall of 2016.

Brown-Forman says the new distillery will allow it to double production of Old Forester.

The Louisville-based company purchased two historic buildings for the operation. One structure was occupied by Brown-Forman from 1900 to 1919.

The investment comes amid surging growth for Kentucky's bourbon industry. Kentucky distillers have invested more than a half-billion dollars in expansions and startups since 2012, according to the Kentucky Distillers' Association.

COUNTIES-UNEMPLOYMENT

Jobless rates drop in all 120 Kentucky counties

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — An economist says the unemployment rates dropped in all 120 Kentucky counties between August 2013 and 2014.

That's the first time on record the year-over-year jobless rate declined in every Kentucky county at the same time, according to Manoj Shanker, an economist with the state Office of Employment and Training.

Shanker says the drop is another indicator that Kentucky is recovering from the Great Recession.

He says the closest Kentucky had come to a clean sweep was in January 2012, when 116 counties had declines in joblessness.

By contrast, he says the jobless rates rose in all 120 counties for nine straight months in 2009 during the height of the recession.

Last month's lowest jobless rate was 5.1 percent in Owen, Simpson and Woodford counties.

Magoffin County had the highest rate at 13.3 percent.

LOUISVILLE-QUARTERBACK

Louisville's Bonnafon will start vs. Wake Forest

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Louisville coach Bobby Petrino has announced that freshman Reggie Bonnafon will make his first start at quarterback on Saturday against Wake Forest in place of injured sophomore Will Gardner.

Petrino made the announcement after Thursday's practice and said that Gardner "has responded well to treatment" but wasn't cleared by the medical staff to play.

Gardner injured his knee in the third quarter of last week's 34-3 victory at Florida International, which Bonnafon missed to attend his father Wallace's funeral in Louisville.

Bonnafon returned to the team on Sunday and has worked out with the Cardinals (3-1, 0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference). He has played in two games as Gardner's backup and completed 14 of 20 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown. He has also rushed for two TDs.