Kentucky News Now – July 8th 2014

KENTUCKY GOVERNOR

Heiner gave his campaign $4 million

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Hal Heiner donated $4 million to his campaign for governor last quarter as he seeks to give himself a huge cash advantage over his potential Republican rivals.

Heiner's campaign announced Monday it had raised $106,000 from individual donors in the quarter that ended June 30. The campaign says it has $3.9 million available to spend.

Candidates had until midnight Monday to file their fundraising reports for the three months that ended June 30. A spokesman for Heiner confirmed his numbers, but Heiner's report wasn't immediately available on the state's website.

Heiner's biggest challenger will most likely be state Agriculture Commissioner James Comer. On Monday, Comer accused Heiner of trying to buy the governor's race.

Heiner spokesman Joe Burgan said it will take a political outsider to change state government.

EASTERN KENTUCKY GRANT

Eastern Kentucky gets $1 million grant

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A national community service organization is investing $1 million in eastern Kentucky to help the region recover from the downturn in the coal industry.

The money from the Corporation for National and Community Service will hire 52 full-time workers to recruit volunteers for 16 nonprofit groups on issues ranging from education and poverty.

It is one of the first initiatives of the Shaping Our Appalachian Region, an initiative founded by Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear and Republican U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers to help eastern Kentucky. Beshear and Rogers also announced Monday $312,000 in technical assistance from the U.S. Economic Development Administration.

Eastern Kentucky has lost more than 7,000 direct coal mining jobs since Jan. 1, 2012.

ABRAMSON-KCTCS PRESIDENCY

Abramson: No interest in KCTCS top job

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Lt. Gov. Jerry Abramson says he won't pursue the presidency of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System.

Abramson on Monday told the Lexington Herald-Leader that the job isn't one that he's interested in right now. The former Louisville mayor has 18 months left on his term and says he hasn't made a decision about what will come once he leaves office.

KCTCS is searching for a successor to Michael McCall, who announced last year that he will retire Jan. 15, 2015, after 16 years of leading the system that oversees Kentucky's community and technical colleges.

Abramson said last August that he would not run for governor in 2015.

The 14-member KCTCS Board of Regents hopes to review finalists Sept. 18 and 19 and announce McCall's successor in October.

CHILD KILLED-PAROLE

Parole hearing set for Ohio man in child's death

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — A man convicted of killing a 6-year-old in Kentucky while driving drunk will get a chance to argue for his release from prison.

The Kentucky Parole Board is scheduled to take up the case of 50-year-old Joseph Paul Shreve, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the death of 6-year-old Branson Warner Cummins in Anderson County in 2004.

WLEX-TV in Lexington reported that House Bill 463 that passed in 2011 gave Shreve another chance at freedom by making his original parole decision void. When the parole board met last time in 2009, they ruled that because of the seriousness of the crime, Shreve would have to serve out his time until 2022.

Cummins' family says they'll oppose Shreve's release.

SLAYING-DEATH PENALTY

Prosecutor: Death penalty possible in slaying

SCOTTSVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A prosecutor says the death penalty is still an option for a southern Kentucky man who pleaded guilty to killing a pregnant woman during a robbery.

Commonwealth's Attorney Clint Willis says a jury could opt to sentence 36-year-old Charles Copass to death for killing 22-year-old Chelsey Mahaney on June 11, 2012 at her Scottsville home.

Copass entered the guilty plea in February without an agreement with prosecutors to killing Mahaney. Mahaney, who was about four months pregnant at the time.

At the time, Copass explained that he did not want to put anyone through a trial, which would have been in Simpson County.

Willis told The Daily News that the Mahaney family has expressed a preference that Copass be sentenced to life in prison when the sentencing starts this week.

BODY FOUND

Police: Body of missing man located in car

VICCO, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky State Police say they've found the body of an eastern Kentucky man last seen five days ago.

Troopers say 62-year-old Coy David Banks of Vicco appeared to have been driving a 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier when he lost control of the vehicle and traveled over an embankment, where the car overturned before coming to rest. Troopers say Banks was partially ejected from the vehicle, and did not appear to be wearing a seat belt.

Perry County Deputy Coroner John Collett pronounced Mr. Banks deceased at 4:15 p.m. Sunday. No foul play is suspected.

Banks had been reported missing by his wife on Wednesday.

FAKE ZOO PASSES

2 charged with selling fake Louisville Zoo passes

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A husband and wife have been charged with selling counterfeit passes to the Louisville Zoo.

Police say they arrested 30-year-old Christopher Bayens and 30-year-old Amanda Bayens on Sunday morning in the zoo's parking lot after an employee notices several patrons had used counterfeit passes to get in.

WDRB in Louisville reported that the couple had at least 53 sheets of passes in their possession, with each sheet worth $42.90 — for a total of $2,273.70 in passes.

Police say they were selling the $42.90 sheets for $10 apiece.

Police say the zoo lost at least $95.70 from counterfeit admissions coupons that had already been redeemed.

Both are charged with theft by deception and criminal possession of a forged instrument.

Jail records did not list an attorney for either person.

JACK DANIEL'S-COOPERAGE

Jack Daniel opens Alabama barrel making facility

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The maker of Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey is celebrating the opening of a new cooperage in Alabama to supply its distillery with the American white oak barrels that are toasted and charred to give the spirit its distinctive flavor and color.

The facility located in Trinity, Alabama, is about 60 miles southwest of the Jack Daniel's distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee.

Within the next few weeks, the cooperage is expected to make about 700 barrels per day out of wood from nearby stave mills owned by the company. It is projected to employ more than 200 workers when it reaches full capacity.

Under a state law enacted last year, distillers must age their sprits in unused American oak barrels if they want to label their product Tennessee whiskey.