Regional

The Louisville chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police is planning a fundraiser to help the family of a slain Bardstown police officer.  Jason Ellis was gunned down on the Bluegrass Parkway on May 25, leaving behind his wife and two young sons. 

"All the proceeds from the benefit will go to the Ellis family just for every day expenses like food, lights, the mortgage," says River City FOP Lodge President Anita Simkins.  "In the case of Jason's  family, his wife doesn't work and they have a special needs child."

The benefit is scheduled for June 22 at the River City FOP Lodge in Louisville.  The FOP is requesting donations of items to be auctioned or raffled.

The George Patton Museum and Center for Leadership at Fort Knox is set to be rededicated Friday after a three-year renovation. The museum will open its doors with a new focus following a $5 million overhaul.

Gone are the days when the facility was dedicated to a collection of tank artifacts, something that was appropriate when Ft. Knox was home to the Army’s Armor School.

Instead, the Patton Museum will now focus on interactive features teaching lessons in military leadership from 1775 to the present. The museum will also soon be home to a fire truck that was used in the response to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the Pentagon.

The museum’s focus on leadership dovetails with the presence of the U.S. Army Cadet Command at Ft. Knox. That organization is responsible for commissioning the Army’s future officer leaders.

Gov. Steve Beshear and Ft. Knox Commanding General Jeff Smith will speak at Friday's rededication ceremony, which begins at 10 a.m. eastern.

A historical marker that tells about a Union Army officer who led a mass prison escape will be dedicated Saturday in Morgantown, where he was murdered in 1895.

The marker tells the story of Maj. Andrew Graff Hamilton of Pennsylvania. The Kentucky Historical Society says Hamilton joined Company A of the 12th Kentucky Cavalry in 1862 and was captured at Jonesboro, Tenn., a year later and sent to Libby Prison in Richmond, Va.

Hamilton and Col. Thomas Rose led the escape of 109 Union officers in 1864, but Rose and 47 others were recaptured.