Woman sentenced after police chase, hitting child with car

BARBOURVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A woman who led police in a chase and ended up hitting her own child with her car has been sentenced to eight years in prison.

The Times-Tribune reports 34-year-old Jennifer Marie Gray was sentenced on five charges, including wanton endangerment, fleeing or evading police and resisting arrest.

In November 2017, someone called police to report an intoxicated woman. Authorities say Gray drove away and police chased her. Authorities said Gray had two passengers in her car, including her 12-year-old daughter. The daughter escaped the car while Gray was still driving it, but was then struck by the car. She had minor injuries.

The newspaper reported Gray remains in jail.

Parents charged with neglect after baby’s meth-related death

MADISON, Ind. (AP) — Two southern Indiana parents are charged with neglect after authorities determined that the July death of their 3-month-old son was due to methamphetamine ingestion.

Indiana State Police say 32-year-old Deven G. Frisque and 28-year-old Tara L. Savage were arrested this week the death of Eben Frisque. Police say Deven Frisque was arrested in Jefferson County, Indiana, while Savage is awaiting extradition after being arrested in Bedford, Kentucky.

Court records don’t list lawyers for them.

Police say the baby was found unresponsive July 15 inside a Madison apartment and pronounced dead. Investigators say they learned that the couple, who lived at the apartment with Eben and another child, had both used meth and other drugs recently while caring for the children.

An autopsy found Eben had methamphetamine in his system.

Dental clinic offers help to those in drug recovery programs

BEVERLY, Ky. (AP) — A dental clinic in Kentucky is offering help to people in drug recovery and treatment programs.

The Courier Journal reports Red Bird dental clinic staffers and University of Louisville dental students are extracting diseased teeth and providing dentures for center patients. Red Bird is a mission of the United Methodist Church.

Red Bird Dental Director Dr. Bill Collins says many treatment center patients suffer from advanced dental decay. He says the Beverly clinic aims to build their self-confidence and put them in a better position to get jobs. The development director at Red Bird, Tim Crawford, says the clinic has signed up about 50 people so far.

Patients may pay up to $25 a visit, and the clinic has a mobile dental van that visits several centers across eastern Kentucky.

Officials aim to install system to block invasive fish

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky officials say they are aiming to install a riverbed bubbler and sound system in Lake Barkley early next year as an environmentally friendly way to block the spread of an invasive fish.

The Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet said the technology will be tested below Barkley Dam in western Kentucky. Several agencies in Kentucky and Tennessee are combining funding, technology or staff to move forward with the project to stop Asian carp.

The agency says the Asian carp is a concern throughout the Mississippi River basin, including the Tennessee River, which forms Kentucky Lake, and the Cumberland River, which forms Lake Barkley.

The agency says the Bio-Acoustic Fish Fence creates a curtain of bubbles, which, along with a powerful sound signal, produces a “wall of sound” underwater.

GE Appliances to add 400 jobs at plant

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky-based home appliances business says it will add 400 jobs as part of a $200 million investment at its sprawling Louisville operation.

GE Appliances on Monday announced plans to expand its laundry and dishwasher production at Appliance Park, its largest manufacturing facility and headquarters.

The GE Appliances business is owned by Haier, a Chinese appliances giant.

Kevin Nolan is CEO at GE Appliances. He says the investment in Louisville will accelerate the company’s ability to introduce new products.

GE Appliances has manufacturing plants in Kentucky, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama. It employees about 6,000 people in Louisville and about 12,000 in the U.S.

Since May, GE Appliances has announced more $475 million in investments in products, manufacturing and distribution, creating more than 1,000 new jobs.

Utility company seeks rate increase

OWENSBORO, Ky. (AP) — A utility company has asked permission to raise rates for about 176,000 customers in Kentucky.

The Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer reports Atmos Energy Corp. has asked the Kentucky Public Service Commission to approve a rate increase that would an extra $4.41 to the average residential natural gas bill.

The company had previously requested a rate request, but abandoned it after Republican President Donald Trump signed a law making changes to the country’s tax code. Instead of raising rates, the company cut rates by about $2 for the average customer.

Atmos Energy Vice President Mark Martin said after the company passed its savings from the tax bill to its customers, it must raise rates so it can make improvements to the system. The new rates would generate an extra $14.5 million this year.

Teens sentenced for school shooting threat

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — A federal judge has sentenced two Kentucky teenagers to federal prison for posting threats about a school shooting days after 17 people were killed at a Florida high school.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports 19-year-old Cody T. Ritchey and 19-year-old Tristian H. Kelly pleaded guilty to one count of cyberstalking. Prosecutors say the two posted a photo on social media of a boy with a handgun with the caption: “Jessamine County Schools, be ready Monday.”

Court documents show the two sent the image to a female student, telling her they would let her live if she sent them pictures of herself naked.

Kelly told the judge what he did was wrong and was sentenced to 21 months in prison. Ritchey did not speak in court and was sentenced to 27 months.

Police investigating thoroughbred shooting

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Police in the heart of Kentucky’s horse farm country are investigating after a thoroughbred was found shot with a rifle.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports the horse was found shot at Springhouse Farm near Lexington. The horse was euthanized Friday morning.

Jessamine County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Allen Peel said the shooting happened sometime between 11 p.m. Thursday and 2 a.m. Friday. Authorities found multiple shell casings near where the horse was shot.

The sheriff’s office has no suspects and has asked anyone with information to contact them.

Judge: Lawsuit over firing can go to trial next month

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — A judge has ruled that a lawsuit filed by a former public health dentist at the University of Kentucky who said he was fired for publicly criticizing Republican Gov. Matt Bevin’s plan to overhaul the state’s Medicaid program can go to trial.

Raynor Mullins lost his job with the university’s College of Dentistry last year after more than 40 years with the university. In a federal lawsuit against the dean of the UK College of Dentistry, Dr. Stephanos Kyrkanides, Mullins says he was punished for publicly criticizing the governor’s Medicaid plan.

The Courier-Journal reports U.S. District Judge Robert Weir found Mullins established evidence of a potential violation of his constitutional right to free speech. Kyrkanides has disputed the claims, but Weir’s order says “a jury will decide what actually happened.”

The trial is set to begin Nov. 6.