Kentucky News Now

KY SENATE RACE-BILL CLINTON

Bill Clinton returns to Kentucky on Tuesday to campaign with Grimes

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Former President Bill Clinton returns to Kentucky on Tuesday to campaign with Democratic Senate hopeful Alison Lundergan Grimes two weeks before the election.

Clinton is scheduled to hold campaign rallies in Owensboro and Paducah on Tuesday. It will be Clinton's third visit to Kentucky this year, and it follows a visit last week from Hillary Clinton in Louisville in front of thousands of people.

Large crowds have also flocked to Bill Clinton’s appearances, a sign the Clintons are still popular in a state that has voted for them a combined three times for president. Grimes has used her association with the Clintons to distance herself from Democratic President Barack Obama.

Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell is scheduled to have six campaign stops in five eastern Kentucky counties on Tuesday.

ATTORNEY SENTENCING

Disbarred attorney set for sentencing in cash case

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A disbarred attorney is scheduled for sentencing on federal charges of structuring financial transactions to avoid reporting the money.

U.S. Magistrate Judge James D. Moyer in Louisville will hand down the punishment Tuesday for William Otto Ayers of Louisville.

Ayers pleaded guilty in March to three counts of structuring transactions to avoid reporting the money to federal authorities.

Ayers had previously been convicted in state court and sentenced to three years in prison for tax evasion.

The IRS has also pursued Ayers, filing a petition in federal court in 2010 to force him to turn over documents related to his income from 2004 through 2006. Ayers eventually surrendered the documents.

The sentencing had been set for Oct. 3, but delayed because of a scheduling conflict.

BRANDY DISTILLERY

Brandy distillery officially opens in Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A new spirits distillery that produces craft brandy has opened in Louisville.

Copper & Kings celebrated a grand opening ceremony on Monday at its distillery near downtown on East Washington Street. It is owned by Lesley and Joe Heron, who began producing the brandy earlier this year.

Joe Heron says the distillery will be open to public tours. The facility has custom-made pot stills from a Louisville company and repurposed shipping containers that serve as a gift shop and tasting room. It also has an outdoor courtyard and art gallery space for events.

Public tours will begin Nov. 1 and take place on the hour each Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The cost is $10 per person and includes a brandy tasting and souvenir glass.

FORT CAMPBELL-SCHOOL CLOSING

School to close at Fort Campbell in 2015

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) — An elementary school at Fort Campbell will shut down at the end of the 2014-15 school year to clear the property for a new school facility on the same spot.

The Department of Defense Education Activity will replace Marshall Elementary School with a new 647-student capacity building for the 2016-17 academic year.

Kentucky District Superintendent Frank Calvano said in a statement that the construction will allow for the completion of supporting roads and parking areas around the 26 acre site.

The nearly 500 students from Marshall Elementary will be moved to the five remaining elementary schools. Some redistricting of students and changed bus routes will result from the changes. Parents and sponsors will be provided with school assignments and detailed school bus routes and schedules in the spring of 2015.

FUNERAL BURGLARIES

Man to be sentenced for burglaries during funerals

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A Louisville man who pleaded guilty to burglarizing homes based on funeral listings in a newspaper is set to face a judge for sentencing.

Judge Audra Eckerle is scheduled to hear the case of 34-year-old Michael Bryant Bennett on Tuesday in Jefferson Circuit Court.

Bennett pleaded guilty to burglarizing multiple homes around Louisville while the residents were attending funerals.

Bennett told prosecutors he up funeral times in the obituary section of The Courier-Journal and would use the White Pages as well as Google Maps to find the addresses of the victims. Bennett agreed to serve seventeen years burglary case and to be revoked on three other cases that he was on probation.

Prosecutors expect a total sentence of 27 years in prison.

JOCKEY KILLED

Jockeys to honor late teenage rider Juan Saez

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Jockeys nationwide will honor the 17-year-old apprentice who was killed in a riding accident recently.

The Jockeys' Guild says jockeys will wear a patch during Breeders' Cup weekend with the initials of Juan Saez on their pants or boots as well as a black band to recognize him and other riders who have been killed during a race or as a result of race-related injuries.

All jockeys will be asked to donate at least one losing mount fee on Oct. 31 or Nov. 1 to a fund established to help Saez's family.

The Lexington, Kentucky-based guild said Monday that it is partnering with Race Track Chaplaincy of America to set up the fund.

Saez was killed last week when he fell from his mount during a race at Indiana Grand in Shelbyville, Indiana.

The Panama native is survived by his parents Carlos and Laurentina Ramos Saez, and five brothers and sisters, including nationally known jockey Luis Saez.

DETECTIVE CHARGED

Trial set in February for Bedford County detective

SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A February 2015 trial date has been set for a former Bedford County detective charged with theft after investigators say she took more than $10,000 from sex offenders.

The Commercial Appeal reported that Senior Judge Don R. Ash of Murfreesboro set the date and a Jan. 23 deadline for any negotiated plea in the case.

A trial for 58-year-old Rebecca Hord of Shelbyville had been scheduled to begin Tuesday. She's charged with theft over $10,000, official misconduct and four counts of forgery.

Investigators say Hord took the funds from convicted sex offenders who paid their registration fees and were issued generic receipts.

She was fired in 2012 for allegedly driving her county patrol car to Nashville and Kentucky for non-work related reasons and other non-specified violations of department policy.

COLD CASE-FAMILY

Family rallies at Louisville police department

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The family of a Louisville man killed two years ago says they want to make sure police keep up the search for the killer in the case.

Family and friends of 21-year-old Bryan Lewis gathered outside of the Louisville Metro Police Department on Sunday to mark the anniversary of the death.

Lewis died on Oct. 20, 2012 while staying at his mother's house. Police say someone broke in, shot him four times in the face and also killed his dog Champ.

Lewis' father, Steve Lewis, told WDRB-TV in Louisville he'd like to get police and city leaders involved in resolving the case.

Police have said Lewis might not have been the intended target because his record was clean.

PADUCAH PLANT CLOSING

Former Paducah plant workers may be rehired

PADUCAH, Ky. (AP) — The roughly 300 remaining employees at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant are expected to be laid off this week, but official say they may be rehired quickly by the deactivation contractor.

Centrus Energy Corp. Vice President Steve Penrod says the potential rehiring of the employees by Fluor Federal Services is part of the process of turning the plant back over to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Fluor spokesman Jack Williams told The Paducah Sun the company has hired about 375 people and sent out more than 400 offers.

Williams says that 73 percent of those currently being hired are former employees of United States Enrichment Corp., the former name of Centrus Energy.

In its last report to Congress, the DOE indicated deactivation and decommissioning would be completed by 2040.