Associated Press

Tobacco Farmers Notch Legislative Victory

Kentucky Public Radio and Associated Press — Fri, 24 May 2013 18:09:48 +0000

Federal subsidies to tobacco farmers in Kentucky and elsewhere will continue next year, even though a majority of U.S. Senators believe they should not. The Senate voted Thursday 52-44 to cut off the payments, but the measure required 60 votes for passage.

California Senator. Diane Feinstein led the effort to end taxpayer subsidies, suggesting that tobacco farmers, particularly in Kentucky, have done quite well over the past decade.

"A 2012 University of Illinois study found that productivity on Kentucky tobacco farms increased by 44% in the last ten years," asserted Feinstein. "At the same time, tobacco farmers are seeing some of their best pay days since the 2004 buyout began."

Feinstein argued the payments need to stop because tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death in the nation. Other critics claim the payments are too generous.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky called the measure’s defeat a big victory for tobacco growers. The commonwealth is the nation’s top burley tobacco producer.

Kentucky Needs More Doctors Ahead of Medicaid Expansion

Associated Press — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:41:47 +0000

The planned expansion of Kentucky's Medicaid program coupled with a push to help the uninsured obtain health coverage could exacerbate the state's shortage of physicians, according to a report released Wednesday.

Deloitte Consulting, a technology firm that's helping to set up the Kentucky Health Benefit Exchange, unveiled the report showing Kentucky's 10,475 primary care physicians and specialists are far short of the actual need.

However, the firm concluded that Kentucky would need to find ways to increase the number of doctors and other medical professionals even if it didn't expand medical coverage to more than 600,000 new patients.

NTSB: Ship's Crew Ignored Warnings Before Western Kentucky Bridge Collapse

Associated Press — Tue, 14 May 2013 21:03:14 +0000

Federal investigators have concluded that the crew of a cargo ship ignored radioed and visual warnings about lights being out on a western Kentucky bridge in the moments leading up to a wreck.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators said on Tuesday that the crew of the Delta Mariner used only visual cues and went under the wrong span of the Eggner's Ferry Bridge near Aurora, Ky., in January 2012. The wreck tore down a 322-foot span of the bridge over the Tennessee River.

Investigators also concluded that white warning lights on the bridge had been out for several years and other lights shorted out before the wreck. The missing span halted traffic on U.S. 68 between the western shore of Kentucky Lake and the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area.

Survivors of Infamous Drunk Driving Crash to Attend Anniversary Service

Associated Press — Tue, 14 May 2013 18:02:52 +0000

Survivors of the nation's deadliest alcohol-related highway crash are expected to attend a public memorial service in a central Kentucky town on the 25th anniversary of the tragedy.

The service is set for Tuesday evening at North Hardin High School at Radcliff.

Twenty-seven people died when the church bus they were in was hit by a drunken driver on May 14, 1988, along a rural stretch of Interstate 71 near Carrollton, Ky.

Forty people, mostly youngsters, escaped the burning bus. The group had spent the day at Kings Island amusement park in Ohio and was headed home to Radcliff when their bus was hit by a pickup truck driven by Larry Mahoney.

Mahoney survived and was convicted of assault, manslaughter and wanton endangerment. He was released from prison in 1999.

Glass Door Maker Opening Facility in Todd County, Adding 100 Jobs

Associated Press — Tue, 14 May 2013 17:14:29 +0000

A company that makes glass doors will create 100 full-time jobs when it opens its manufacturing plant in western Kentucky.

Glass Door Solutions LLC is a new company that plans to lease a facility in Elkton in Todd County with an investment of $3.5 million.

The state has given preliminary approval to tax incentives of up to $1.95 million for the project.

Gov. Steve Beshear helped announce the plan on Monday.

Beshear's office said Glass Door Solutions will make glass doors for display cases in grocery and convenience stores.