Bevin to hold community forum in Leslie Co.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Gov. Bevin plans to hold a community forum in Leslie County.

A statement from Bevin’s office says he will visit Hyden on Thursday to have a dialogue about economic development and other issues impacting the state.

The event is being held at noon at the Leslie County Cooperative Extension Office and is open to the public.

Furloughed worker tries to raise money to buy insulin

COVINGTON, Ky. (AP) — A furloughed Kentucky IRS worker with Type II diabetes says she’s struggling to buy insulin because of the shutdown and so has started a GoFundMe to raise the needed cash.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reported Tuesday that Herlean Younce has worked at the IRS office in Covington for nearly 30 years and now says her paycheck is being held hostage. Younce, a married mother of three, says she needs her medication as “that whole staying alive thing is really important.”

Other furloughed area workers and those who are working without pay say they are dipping into savings, asking others for money and relying on payment deferments and plans as the shutdown heads into its second month.

Police called to shutdown protest at McConnell office

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Police in Kentucky were called to a protest by a group of federal government workers at a field office for Sen. Mitch McConnell.

The protestors arrived at the Lexington office in hopes of handing off some letters to the senator’s staff about the government shutdown, said Chon Jung, an organizer. Jung said it was a “peaceful demonstration” though some protesters banged on windows of the office.

He said protesters agreed to leave the building when police arrived. McConnell was in Washington on Wednesday.

Lexington police spokeswoman Brenna Angel said about 50 protesters and media left without incident.

Jung, a retired law enforcement officer, said workers were at the office to “put some pressure on McConnell” to pass legislation to end the shutdown.

He said workers are feeling the pain of the shutdown that has dragged on for over a month.

“They’re hurting,” Jung said by phone from outside the field office.

The American Federation of Government Employees organized the protest to “highlight the effect this shutdown is having on our members, their families, and the nation,” according to a statement.

Workers from the Transportation Security Administration, the Department of Interior, the Census Bureau, and the Department of Veterans Affairs took part in Wednesday’s protest.

The U.S. Senate this week is set to vote on dueling proposals — a Republican one that would give Trump money for the wall and one from Democrats that would re-open government through Feb. 8, with no wall money, giving lawmakers time to talk about it.

Mother urges school to do more after son kills self

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky mother reeling from her 10-year-old son’s death says Louisville’s school district must do more to prevent bullying.

Tami Charles is a local comedian and radio host. She says her fifth-grader, Seven Bridges, killed himself on Saturday.

Jefferson County Schools superintendent Marty Pollio said everyone is devastated by the eighth recorded suicide this year in the district of 100,000 students. The district has provided grief counselors at Kerrick Elementary, and is investigating the reports of bullying.

Charles told the Courier-Journal she wants her son’s death to help start a dialogue about the problems of bullying and what can be done.

Military dog that finds explosives gets ceremony at Ft. Knox

FORT KNOX (AP) — Fort Knox is holding a retirement ceremony for a very special canine that has spent more than a decade sniffing for explosives alongside law enforcement and soldiers.

The post will hold a ceremony for the military working dog Cheyanne on Friday afternoon.

Cheyanne’s main duties over 11 years included searching for explosives, and she was trained to subdue subjects on command in law enforcement situations. Fort Knox says in a release that she got her start in the Army’s Tactical Explosive Detector Dog program. The program is designed to give units a K-9 asset on the battlefield.

She deployed to Iraq in 2016 in support of Operation Inherent Resolve and also worked on various missions around the country.

Following her retirement, Cheyanne will be adopted by one of her handlers.