CONTRACTOR FRAUD CHARGES

Grand jury adds charges to Fort Knox

FORT KNOX, Ky. (AP) — A federal grand jury has added charges against a former federal military contractor accused of writing a federal contract and creating a job with a private company at Fort Knox that ultimately worked to his financial benefit.

Prosecutors say 67-year-old Gary T. Meredith of Leitchfield orchestrated Nolin Rural Electric Cooperative<s overbilling the Army in the amount of $423,523 in unapproved projects. Grand jurors also charged Meredith with fraudulently billing the Army for his $190,401 salary.

The new indictment came Wednesday on the heels of a critical audit of Fort Knox<s energy program by the U.S. Defense Department inspector general.

The inspector general concluded that Fort Knox officials did not properly award and administer 108 task orders, valued at about $270 million, for energy savings projects.

OLDHAM EXPLOSION

Gas line break injures 2, closes highway

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A natural gas line break east of Louisville has injured at least two people and closed down a stretch of U.S. 42 in Oldham County.

Oldham County dispatch shift supervisor Tom McCane says about 15 nearby homes had to be evacuated and a nearby highway closed for hours.

McCane says two people were transported to hospitals. He did not know their conditions.

McCane says the incident was reported around 5 p.m. EDT Wednesday. He says Louisville Gas and Electric Co. was dispatched.

LG&E spokeswoman Liz Pratt says the people injured were excavating with a contract crew with Southern Pipelines. Pratt says the line break did not result in an explosion but a release of pressurized gas.

INTERSTATE 65 DELAYS

Prep work expected to slow traffic on I-65 south of Elizabethtown

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky transportation officials say people traveling south on Interstate 65 in central Kentucky may find some short delays for the next four or five nights.

Construction crews will begin south of Elizabethtown setting a temporary barrier wall along the inside lane to prepare for a widening project and will be paving the outside shoulder. Once that work is done, traffic will use the outer lane and shoulder for the next few months.

When the crews reach Munfordville, the same process will be repeated on northbound lanes, back to mile marker 82. The northbound work will also take four to five nights and reduce the interstate to one northbound lane.

The speed limit is reduced to 55 mph through the work zone.

Workers will be present from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. CDT, with all lanes open during the day.

COLD CASE-TODDLER

Man arrested in California in 1971 Kentucky case

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A grand jury in Louisville has charged a man with murder in the death of a toddler more than 40 years ago.

Media reported 65-year-old Lawrence Beck was arrested Tuesday in Los Angeles and faces extradition to Kentucky.

The case involves the 1971 death of 20-month-old Michael Sanders, the son of Beck's girlfriend.

Police say Beck took the boy to a doctor's office on Dec. 15, 1971, saying the child was ill. He could not be revived.

Louisville police Detective Brenda Wescott said testimony and scientific advances led police to accuse Beck in one of the cold case unit's oldest unsolved murder cases.

Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Diane Arnold said further details will be released after Beck returns to Kentucky and is arraigned.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER MAYORS

Mississippi River mayors: new development fund

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The mayor of Dubuque, Iowa, says a new fund will help with seed money for sustainable waterfront development in cities and towns all along the Mississippi River.

Roy Buol (BYOO-uhl) spoke Wednesday as co-chair of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative: mayors of 65 riverfront cities and towns in 10 states. Twenty-five of them are meeting in New Orleans.

American Water, of Voorhees, (VOOR-heez) New Jersey, gave $15,000 to start the fund.

Initiative director Colin Wellenkamp says the fund will provide money for early planning, engineering and environmental assessments. He says that's often the hardest part of getting money for a project.

Buol also says Home Depot — one of the nation's largest container importers — has joined the group's push to bring container barges back to the Mississippi River.

MISSING MAN

Man reported missing in Ky. found dead in Tenn.

MURRAY, Ky. (AP) — A man reported missing from western Kentucky has been found dead in northern Tennessee.

The sheriff's office in Henry County, Tennessee, told WPSD-TV that a homicide investigation has been opened into the death of 80-year-old Bobby J. Dozier.

The sheriff's office in Calloway County, Kentucky, requested help from the public on Tuesday in locating Dozier, who was last seen on Sunday.

No further information was immediately available.

VIETNAM WAR-COMMEMORATION

Vietnam War commemoration planned in Frankfort

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Vietnam War-era veterans and their families are being invited to Kentucky<s first major event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the war.

The Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs says the event is set for 2 p.m. EDT Sept. 25 at the Kentucky Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Frankfort. The names of Kentucky<s 1,103 fallen soldiers in Vietnam are carved into the base of the memorial.

Guests will include Gov. Steve Beshear, Medal of Honor recipient Don Jenkins and Joe Galloway, author of "We Were Soldiers Once."

The event is part of the national 50th Anniversary Vietnam War Commemoration, which runs from 2013 to 2025.

PARKS-GEO TOUR

Geocaching event planned at Kentucky parks

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The sport of geocaching is coming to the Kentucky State Parks system.

A GeoTour at all 49 state parks will start on Sept. 27, which is National Public Lands Day.

The event will allow participants to explore the parks. Geocaching is a real-world outdoor treasure-hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then try to find the geocache hidden at that location.

State parks officials say the GeoTour features 49 new geocaches. The caches for the tour will be in place for one year.

The cache containers each have trade items for those who find them. Parks officials say some of the caches will have prizes, including certificates for free lodging, camping or museums.

 

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.

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