News

KSP: More Than One Suspected in Slaying of Bardstown Officer

Associated Press — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:48:35 +0000

A Kentucky State Police spokesman says it appears more than one person was involved in the ambush slaying of a Bardstown police officer.

State police Master Trooper Norman Chaffins said Tuesday that based on circumstances, investigators believe more than one person had a hand in the slaying of Officer Jason Ellis. The 33-year-old K-9 officer was gunned down on May 25 after he got out of his cruiser to pick up tree limbs on a highway exit ramp.

Chaffins said police have interviewed a woman who drove around the trap before Ellis stopped.

He says police are following up on multiple tips but don’t have a suspect.

State police have set up a special email address for tips in the investigation.

Tips can be sent to EllisCaseEtips@ky.gov.

Proposal Would Give KHSAA Oversight of Kentucky Middle School Athletics

Associated Press — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:41:38 +0000

Kentucky lawmakers are reviewing a proposal that would place middle school athletics under the control of the Kentucky High School Athletic Association, with the regulations going into effect for the 2014-15 school year.

If approved, the measure would mark the first time middle schools fell under statewide oversight.

The state board of education has already signed on to the idea. KHSAA Commissioner Julian Tackett told the Lexington Herald-Leader the lack of statewide oversight over middle school athletics has led to problems that include some schools playing more games during a season than is considered safe and parents holding students back a year simply for athletic reasons.

The regulation was filed with the Legislative Research Commission on Friday. After a month long public comment period and a public hearing, the General Assembly's Administrative Regulation Review Subcommittee and the Interim Joint Committee on Education will give the regulation a final review.

USDA Grant to Help Small Businesses Grow in Southeastern Kentucky

Kevin Willis — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:46:55 +0000

An economic development organization based in Pulaski County is receiving federal grant money to help aspiring small business owners get a leg up.

The nearly $71,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will go to The Southeast Kentucky Economic Development Corporation in Somerset. The U.S.D.A's Doug O'Brien told WKU Public Radio the grant will provide technical assistance to entrepreneurs in southern and southeastern Kentucky.

"Many times a small business can be just one person, or a couple of people who really see an opportunity in that part of the country. But maybe they haven't been through the rigors of the small business cycle of budgeting, or how to deal with their workforce needs," said O'Brien.

The Southeast Kentucky Economic Development Corporation serves the counties of Adair, Casey, Clinton, Cumberland, Garrard, Green, Jackson, Knox, Laurel, Lincoln, McCreary, Metcalfe, Monroe, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Russell, Wayne, and Whitley.

Indiana High Court: Fines Against House Democrats Stand

Rick Howlett and Associated Press — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:44:56 +0000

The Indiana Supreme Court has let stand the fines levied by state House Republicans on Democrats for their walkout over a controversial right-to-work bill.

Justices split 3-2 on an opinion issued Tuesday finding that the constitutional separation of powers bars the courts from interfering in internal legislative decisions. The state's highest court approved a request that the case be dismissed.

Chief Justice Brent Dickson wrote for the majority that it is not the court's role to assess punishments within the legislative branch of government. Justices Loretta Rush and Robert Rucker dissented, writing that the House's "discretion to punish its members" doesn't include withholding pay.

Majority House Republicans ordered the state auditor to withhold the fines from Democrats who spent weeks at an Illinois hotel in protest of the right-to-work bill in 2011, and staged another walkout the following year.

Special Email Account Set Up for Tips on Slain Bardstown Police Officer

Associated Press — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:40:20 +0000

Kentucky State Police have set up a special email address for tips in the ambush slaying of a young Bardstown police officer.

Officer Jason Ellis, who was 33, was killed by shotgun blasts as he stopped to pull limbs from a ramp on the Bluegrass Parkway on May 25.

Tips can be sent to EllisCaseEtips@ky.gov. Anyone with information that could help solve the case is encouraged to email it to that address set up by KSP Post 4 in Elizabethtown.