News Around the State

Published 9:40 am Monday, December 17, 2018

Ky. restricts transport of deer killed in Tenn.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Wildlife officials have placed restrictions on the transport of deer from Tennessee into Kentucky in response to the detection of chronic wasting disease.

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources says in a news release deer can only be brought from Tennessee into Kentucky if the brain and spinal column have been removed first.

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The statement says the move is in response to the preliminary detection of chronic wasting disease in 10 white-tailed deer in Tennessee. It’s meant to further safeguard Kentucky’s deer and elk population.

Chronic wasting disease attacks the nervous systems of deer and elk and leads to death. There’s no treatment or vaccine for the disease.

There is no evidence to suggest the disease poses a risk to humans or domestic animals.

Second earthquake in 4 days centered in eastern Tenn.

MASCOT, Tenn. (AP) — An earthquake centered in eastern Tennessee also was felt in three other states.

The U.S. Geological Survey website says the epicenter of the magnitude 3.0 earthquake early Sunday was about two miles (four kilometers) southeast of Mascot, near Knoxville. It also was felt in parts of Georgia, Kentucky and North Carolina.

Geologists say the earthquake was recorded at a depth of 12 miles (20 kilometers).

No injuries or damage are reported. Geologists say damage isn’t likely in temblors below magnitude 4.0.

It’s the second earthquake in eastern Tennessee in the past week. A magnitude 4.4 earthquake on Wednesday was centered near Decatur.

According to the USGS, the Eastern Tennessee seismic zone is one of the most active in the Southeast. The zone extends across parts of Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama.

Electronic filings available statewide in small-claims cases

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky officials say people representing themselves in small-claims cases can now avoid trips to the courthouse by filing documents electronically.

The Administrative Office of the Courts says it has expanded the availability of eFiling for self-represented litigants in small-claims cases.

The AOC first offered small claims eFiling for such litigants in pilot programs in Fayette, Hardin and Kenton counties. Officials say it’s now available statewide.

AOC Director Laurie K. Dudgeon says most people represent themselves in small-claims cases, so accepting electronic filings in those cases is the “logical first step” in expanding use of eFiling.

To begin eFiling for small claims, users must register as first-time users.

EFilings are received by offices of circuit court clerk, which maintain records for circuit court and district court and operate in all 120 Kentucky counties.

Ky. AG opposes ruling striking down health care law

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky’s Democratic Attorney General says he will oppose a recent federal court ruling that struck down the federal Affordable Care Act.

Former President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law in 2010. The law allowed Kentucky to expand its Medicaid program to give health coverage to more than 400,000 people.

Friday, a federal judge in Texas ruled the law was invalid. But the law will remain in place while the ruling is appealed. The case was brought by a group of state attorneys general. Beshear and another group of state attorneys general intervened several months ago to fight the lawsuit.

Beshear is running for governor in 2019. Asked about it on Monday, Republican Gov. Matt Bevin told a Lexington radio host everything Beshear does is for political reasons.

Places considered for National Register of Historic Places

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky Historic Preservation Review Board is considering 10 nominations for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.

The panel meets Monday in Frankfort to review nominations before they are sent to the National Park Service, which issues a final decision on whether to list the locations.

This year’s nominations include an area in Danville that encompasses 13 African-American residences dating from 1814 to 1950 that reflect an evolution of housing styles; the Puritan Apartment Hotel in Louisville, which was constructed in phases between 1914 and 1958; and the Captain Benjamin Johnson River House in Boone County, which was built in 1818.

Nominations for the National Register can include buildings, objects, structures, districts, and archaeological sites that have significance in architecture, engineering, American history, or culture.