GOVERNOR-BULLYING

Beshear appoints anti-bullying task force

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear has appointed a 22-person committee to study bullying and how to stop it.

The committee members include 11-year-old Morgan Guess of Paducah, who was diagnosed with clinical depression after being bullied as an 8-year-old. The experience prompted Guess and her mother, Susan, to start the Guess Anti-Bullying Foundation.

The Kentucky legislature passed anti-bullying legislation in 2008 that made it a crime to bully someone online and required school districts to have anti-bullying policies.

But Beshear said he appointed the task force because bullying is still a problem in Kentucky schools. The Kentucky Department of Education reported 15,520 incidents of bullying during the 2013 school year, or one incident every four minutes of the school day.

KNOTT WATER

Former Knott water manager charged

HINDMAN, Ky. (AP) — An eastern Kentucky grand jury has indicted the former manager of the Knott County Water and Sewer District on a theft charge.

Attorney General Jack Conway says 67-year-old Reva Campbell of Hazard was indicted by a Knott County grand jury on Thursday on one count of theft by deception over $10,000.

An investigation by Conway’s office alleged that from 2009 through 2013, Campbell allowed about $85,000 in questionable charges to be made on a credit card issued to her by the water and sewer district.

Campbell is scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 25.

EBOLA APP

Western Kentucky student develops Ebola tracker

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) — A Western Kentucky University student has developed a way to track the Ebola virus outbreak.

Armin Smailhodzic developed a smartphone app that uses Twitter data to track the virus. Western says the app could predict the spread of the virus.

Smailhodzic began working on the app as part of his master’s thesis in the homeland security program at Western.

Initially he wanted to track Twitter data to gather information about political unrest in the Middle East. Then, Western chemistry professor Cathleen Webb suggested using the idea to track Ebola.

Smailhodzic, a Bosnia native, says they were surprised to find so much information being shared on Twitter.

The Ebola Project app is available in the App Store for iOS and the Google Store for Android devices.

NEW PLANT

T-shirt maker plans new plant in northern Kentucky

HEBRON, Ky. (AP) — A company that makes custom T-shirts used for organizations and fundraising campaigns is opening a new plant in Hebron, where it plans to create up to 299 new jobs and invest nearly $22 million.

Gov. Steve Beshear's office says Teespring Inc. will locate in a 105,000-square-foot facility and is expected to be up and running early next year.

Northern Kentucky was chosen over Texas for the project. Kentucky has given preliminary approval for tax incentives of up to $2.5 million for the project.

The California-based Teespring was created in 2011 to meet demand for small- to medium-order custom T-shirts. The company has used suppliers to fill orders, but the new facility will allow it to make more of its product in-house.

KENTUCKY LAKE BRIDGE

Work underway on new Kentucky Lake bridge

AURORA, Ky. (AP) — A new four-lane bridge is officially under construction in western Kentucky to replace the Eggners Ferry Bridge over Kentucky Lake at Aurora.

Eggners Ferry Bridge was built in 1932 and has two 10-foot lanes with no shoulders. It underwent repairs after a cargo ship hit it in January 2012, tearing down a 322-foot section.

The bridge carries traffic from Aurora to Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area.

Gov. Steve Beshear broke ground for the bridge on Wednesday during a ceremony at Kenlake State Resort Park. The new bridge will carry U.S. 68/Kentucky 80 over Kentucky Lake and will be the western entrance to Land Between The Lakes.

The new bridge will have four 11-foot travel lanes, plus 4-foot shoulders and a 10-foot-wide pedestrian/bicycle path.

BOURBON HALL OF FAME

Margie Samuels gains Bourbon Hall of Fame honor

BARDSTOWN, Ky. (AP) — The woman behind the Maker's Mark name and red wax on its bottles is taking her place among Kentucky's bourbon greats.

Margie Mattingly Samuels will be inducted next Wednesday into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame.

The Kentucky Distillers' Association says Samuels is the first woman directly connected with a distillery to receive the honor.

She's the fifth woman inducted.

In 1953, Mrs. Samuels collaborated with her husband, Bill Samuels Sr., to create Maker's Mark, a new kind of bourbon using wheat instead of rye as a secondary grain. She came up with the brand's name and created the iconic red wax that drips down the neck of the bottles she designed.

Whiskey author Fred Minnick says Mrs. Samuels might be the most underrated bourbon figure of all time.

Mrs. Samuels died in 1985.

PEDESTRIAN-TRAIN DEATH

Eastern Kentucky man dies after being hit by train

WHITLEY CITY, Ky. (AP) — An eastern Kentucky man has died after being hit by a train as he tried to walk across railroad tracks.

Kentucky State Police say 75-year-old Edward Murphy of Marshes Siding in McCreary County was hit by a northbound Norfolk Southern train around 10 a.m. EDT Thursday in Whitley City.

Police said Murphy was pronounced dead at the scene.

The case remains under investigation. Police say preliminary investigation indicates all crossing signals were working.

BARBECUE FESTIVAL

Barbecue festival set this month in Paducah

PADUCAH, Ky. (AP) — Western Kentucky is gearing up for the 20th Barbecue on the River in Paducah later this month.

The event from Sept. 25 to 27 features 16 teams slow cooking pork and chicken to try to win the Grand Champions trophy, all in the name of charity. Each team represents a local charity, and at the end of the three days, they will divide up an estimated $450,000.

Organizers expect 80,000 pounds of meat will be cooked in an attempt to feed 40,000 expected guests.

The festival also features music, farmers market, beer and wine garden, arts and crafts booths, children’s activities and a 5K run.

 

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.

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