Lisa Autry

Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner James Comer has fired a top official in the department who was hired by his predecessor Richie Farmer. 

Deputy Commissioner Bruce Harper was already on unpaid leave at his request after being charged with three ethics violations. 

Although he declined to say why, Agriculture Commissioner James Comer says Harper was given the option to resign or be fired. Comer’s chief of staff Holly Harris VonLuehrte confirms to the Courier-Journal that Harper was dismissed. 

Harper was hired as Deputy Agriculture Commissioner under Richie Farmer who is facing a record 42 charges stemming from his eight years at the helm of the department. The Executive Branch Ethics Commission found Farmer used state funds and state employees for personal gain. 

The ethics charges were the result of an audit Commissioner Comer ordered when he took office in 2011.

As Barren County Sheriff Chris Eaton prepares to go on federal trial at the end of the month, he is scheduled for trial next spring in an unrelated case. 

According to the Glasgow Daily Times, the lawsuit in U-S District Court names deputies Chris Wyatt, Rodney Sponhouse, and Aaron Bennett as defendants.  The plaintiff is Mark Smith who contends he consented to a breathalyzer, but Deputy Wyatt refused to share the test results and slammed his body against the police cruiser. 

Smith’s lawsuit alleges Deputy Sponhouse pepper sprayed him and locked him in the cruiser for 30 minutes in 90-degree heat during the August 2011 incident. 

Some retired coal miners in western Kentucky are on a mission to protect the retirement benefits they spent years earning. 

Six busloads of miners from western Kentucky will rally Monday outside the West Virginia offices of bankrupt Patriot Coal.  Miners will pressure Patriot to abandon plans to shed a $1.6 billion dollar liability for pensions and health care benefits.  Union leaders claim Peabody Energy and Arch Coal spun off assets and set up Patriot to fail in order to shed retirement obligations. 

A 26-year-old Daviess County native has died serving in Afghanistan. A Department of Defense press release says Sgt. Michael Cable of Philpot came under enemy attack Wednesday while on duty in an Afghan province.  

He graduated from Daviess County High School in 2004. Cross Country Coach Tony Rowe recalls Cable as a talented runner who will be missed by many.

"Especially that group that ran together and his close friends," replies Rowe. "They all kept up with each other after high school.  It's just a big loss."

Cable was based at Fort Campbell. He was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division.

A month after an off-duty Warren County court security officer shot a killed another man, details are being released about what led up to the shooting. 

Attorney Alan Simpson says his client Tommy Brown acted in self-defense when he shot Brandon Bradshaw on February 26th in a parking lot on the 31-W Bypass. 

Wednesday at 5 p.m., Warren County Commonwealth’s Attorney Chris Cohron will release results of the Kentucky State Police investigation and whether charges will be filed against Brown.

WKU Public Radio will be at the announcement, and we will update our website, Facebook page, and Twitter feed with details as soon as we learn them.