Toddler missing for 3 days is found safe

SALYERSVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky State Police say a 22-month-old boy has been found safe, almost three days after disappearing from his rural Kentucky home.

State police said in a tweet the boy was found just before 2 p.m. Wednesday in Floyd County in the area of a stripe mine. He was taken by emergency medical services to be examined.

News outlets reported earlier that Magoffin County Emergency Management Director Robert Prater said the original search area was a half-mile radius from the home but widened to about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) and included an old, overgrown mining operation.

Magoffin County Search and Rescue Chief Carter Conley said crews were using dogs, ATVs, helicopters and drones with thermal cameras to search the rugged terrain.

Kentucky State Police spokesman William Petry said earlier there was no evidence of foul play. The boy’s father offered a $5,000 reward for the child’s safe return.

State starts appeal of ruling striking down abortion law

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin’s administration has started its appeal of a federal judge’s ruling that struck down a state abortion law that would halt a common second-trimester procedure to end pregnancies.

The Republican governor’s legal team filed a notice of appeal Wednesday with the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

U.S. District Judge Joseph H. McKinley Jr. ruled last week that the 2018 law would create a “substantial obstacle” to a woman’s right to an abortion, violating constitutionally protected privacy rights. Bevin, who opposes abortion, immediately vowed to appeal.

The law takes aim at an abortion procedure known as “dilation and evacuation.”

According to state statistics, the procedure was used in 537 of 3,312 abortions in Kentucky in 2016.

A consent order suspended the law’s enforcement pending the outcome of last year’s trial.

Lexington temporarily stops recycling paper

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — The city of Lexington, Kentucky, is suspending paper recycling due to “changes in the global marketplace” for recycled materials.

City officials say there is an overabundance of material in domestic markets and Lexington’s recycling center cannot store the paper long term.

Residents are being told to put office paper, newspaper, magazines, cereal boxes, paper towel rolls and similar products in the trash. Residents can continue to recycle corrugated cardboard, like moving and shipping boxes.

Nancy Albright, Lexington’s Commissioner of Environmental Quality and Public Works, says the city is seeking new recycling outlets for paper. She says at least three new nearby mills are expected to begin receiving materials by late fall.

A city news release says recycling markets across the country are under strain due to increased standards in China.

Trial starts for man accused in 4-year-old’s death

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky man accused of killing his 4-year-old foster son is now on trial for the boy’s death.

The Courier Journal reports the trial of 34-year-old Billy Embry-Martin started Wednesday.

Hunter Payton died two years ago from head injuries. He was removed from his parents’ home by the state just two months earlier over alleged drug abuse and neglect.

Embry-Martin’s lawyer, James Hafley, says Hunter was eating at his foster home’s kitchen island when he fell and struck his head. He was hospitalized and later died. A state medical examiner ruled the injuries were inflicted and not accidental. An investigation by Radcliff police and Child Protective Services led to Embry-Martin being charged with murder last year.

Hardin Circuit Judge Ken Howard says he expects the trial to last a week.