Morning News – 02/16/15

WEATHER

...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 AM EST
/MIDNIGHT CST/ TUESDAY...

A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 AM EST /MIDNIGHT
CST/ TUESDAY.

* TIMING: HEAVIEST SNOWFALL EXPECTED...7 AM TO 3 PM WEST OF
  INTERSTATE 65...9 AM TO 6 PM EAST OF INTERSTATE 65.

* MAIN IMPACT: DANGEROUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS...ESPECIALLY DURING THE
  DAY WHEN THE HEAVIEST SNOW IS OCCURRING.

* ACCUMULATIONS: 5 TO 9 INCHES IN SOUTHERN INDIANA. 6 TO 10 INCHES WITH
  LOCALIZED 12 INCH AMOUNTS NORTH OF THE BLUEGRASS PARKWAY AND WEST OF
  INTERSTATE 65 IN KENTUCKY. 10 TO 15 INCHES NEAR A LINE FROM
  ELIZABETHTOWN TO RICHMOND. 6 TO 10 INCHES WITH LOCALIZED 12 INCH
  AMOUNTS NEAR THE TENNESSEE BORDER.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TRAVEL WILL BE TREACHEROUS WITH SOME ROADS NEARLY IMPASSABLE.
HAVE AN EMERGENCY KIT OF BLANKETS...FOOD...WATER AND FLASHLIGHTS
IF YOU MUST TRAVEL.

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Heavy snow will continue to overspread the area during the morning rush hour. Snow will accumulate 1 to 2 inches per hour for several hours, with totals of a foot or more possible in parts of central Kentucky. Travel will become dangerous or even impossible today!
https://web.archive.org/web/20170211163338/http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/lmk/pdf/Feb162015_400AM.pdf

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CYNTHIANA / HARRISON

The Harrison Co. Circuit Clerks office will be closed, and Court cancelled, on Monday 2/16/15.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=921615467848732&id=190071621003124

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Due to the potential inclement weather, there is no school in Harrison County today, Monday, February 16, 2015

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10152567148791607&id=296254501606

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Kids Club is also be closed today, Monday, February 16, 2015.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10152567202446607&id=296254501606

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Due to the extreme cold temperature and the impending forecast we are opening an emergency warming shelter at the old County Clerks office on Oddville Ave. Special thanks to ReJeana Estes Craft and Rowena Gayle Velat for making it happen. If anyone needs assistance or a ride call me at 588-5428. Please remember to check on your pets and the elderly over the next several days.

https://www.facebook.com/alex.barnett.92/posts/914262321940836

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HARRISON COUNTY SPORTS

Fillies Basketball:

Monday, 2-16-15 Harrison vs Scott High at Scott JV/Var. 6/7:30
Friday, 2-20-15 Harrison vs Montgomery at home Var only 6:00 DH

Breds Basketball:

Tuesday, 2-17-15 Harrison vs Franklin Co at Franklin 6/7:30 JV/Var.
Friday, 20-20-15 Harrison vs Montgomery at Home Varsity only 8:00 DH

Track:

Sat. 2-21-15 Harrison at Mason County

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KENTUCKY

Gov. Steve Beshear’s decision to expand Kentucky’s Medicaid program will cost taxpayers more than $1.1 billion by 2021, according to a new state study released Thursday.  But the study says Kentucky’s next governor won’t have any trouble finding money to pay for that expansion because the explosion of new health care spending it caused will generate $1.7 billion in savings during that same time period.

The expenses account for the cost of new enrollees and federally mandated benefit changes beginning in 2017, the first year Kentucky taxpayers have to begin paying for the expansion. Beshear said the study removes the final reason critics have for not supporting the federal Affordable Care Act.

State officials paid $140,000 for the study by Deloitte Consulting and the University of Louisville’s Urban Studies Institute.

http://wuky.org/post/study-health-reform-costs-11-billion-saves-17-billion

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A man and woman died after a shooting Saturday morning at a residence on Cherry Hill Drive in Georgetown.

Scott County Coroner John Goble said Fred Scott “Scotty” Caldwell, 40, shot and killed his wife, Rebecca Caldwell, 42, then turned the gun on himself.

The state medical examiner’s office will conduct an autopsy Sunday in Frankfort. Funeral arrangements are pending.

Goble said Rebecca Caldwell worked at Toyota. He said Scotty Caldwell’s father, mother, sister and brother-in-law died in a 2012 Christmas Eve crash in which they were hit by a drunk driver in Knox County.

According to a 2012 Herald-Leader article, Caldwell’s parents, Gary and Patricia Caldwell, of Harlan County, had just picked up his sister and brother-in-law, Brent and Julia Robinson, at the airport and were on their way home to have Christmas dinner when the crash occurred.

Scotty Caldwell was detoured around the crash scene but figured out what had happened when he arrived at his parents’ home and found no one there.

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Kentucky State Police want to make sure they’re prepared.

Teachers had some hands-on practice, on what to do if there is a school shooting.

State police set up scenarios inside Providence Christian Academy to show teachers and administrators how to protect their students in case a violent incident happens.

Providence Christian Academy Administrator Rick White wants school shooting responses to be as ingrained into his teacher’s minds as are other emergency related situations.

“We do a fire drill once a month. We do our tornado drills regularly, an earthquake drill. And we have certain procedures that we follow,” White said, “very seldom are you familiar with an active shooter in your building. And so today, that’ll be a process.”

His teachers participated in KSP’s Safe Schools Initiative, scenario-based training that puts teachers in high-stress situations, as true to life as possible, forcing them to come up with ways to react to protect students.

“We want them to understand that they do have the power to win in these circumstances. They need to know that they’ve got that inside of them, and that’s what it comes down to. Training, training, training,” KSP Trooper Kendra Wilson said.

Trooper Wilson says they will also work with other organizations requesting help.

https://web.archive.org/web/20150914223152/http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/School-holds-Active-Shooter-Training-in-Georgetown–291911721.html

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The Kentucky House has passed its version of legislation to combat the state’s growing heroin problem.

With the 98-0 vote Friday on the sweeping anti-drug bill, the attention now turns to trying to resolve differences between the House and Senate versions.

The state’s top lawmakers say combating the heroin scourge is one of the top issues of the legislative session that ends in March.

Much of the House debate focused on a provision that would let local governments create a needle exchange program for heroin users, allowing them to swap out dirty needles for clean ones.

An effort to remove the needle exchange provision was defeated.

The Senate’s heroin bill does not allow for local needle exchange programs.

The House bill also would toughen penalties for high-volume traffickers.

http://wuky.org/post/house-gives-unanimous-support-heroin-bill

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The Kentucky House has endorsed a statewide smoking ban in public buildings and most workplaces in a landmark vote in a state with historic ties to tobacco.

Lawmakers on Friday debated individuals’ right to light up versus public health concerns in a state with some of the nation’s highest smoking, cancer and heart disease rates.

The lead sponsor, Rep. Susan Westrom, said about 950 people die every year in Kentucky due to secondhand smoke exposure.

The measure passed the Democratic-led House, 51-46. It now goes to the Republican-run Senate, where it faces tougher odds. Senate Majority Leader Damon Thayer has said there’s not much sentiment in the chamber to pass a smoking ban.

Several dozen Kentucky communities have smoke-free ordinances, but broad swaths of the state have no such restrictions.

http://wuky.org/post/ky-house-passes-statewide-smoking-ban-fate-uncertain-senate

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With dangerous winter weather bearing down on Kentucky, the Public Service Commission (PSC) is urging residents who lose power to exercise caution when using portable generators or clearing storm debris. The National Weather Service is forecasting heavy snow – a foot or more in places – over much of Kentucky tomorrow, making this the heaviest snowfall in several years. The snow will be followed by bitter cold, with sub-zero temperatures forecast for Wednesday and Thursday. Together, the snow and extreme cold may lead to power outages as limbs or trees fall onto electric lines.

The PSC is reminding Kentucky residents to stay away from all downed lines. Downed lines should be reported to the local utility company. If the lines are sparking, on fire or otherwise creating an emergency, call 911. Customers who lose power should follow proper safety precautions if they use portable generators or heating devices, PSC Chairman David Armstrong said.

The PSC also is reminding electric customers who use a portable generator of electric safety guidelines that will protect them and those working to restore power.

http://kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-Stream.aspx?viewMode=ViewDetailInNewPage&eventID=%7bF36355B1-7149-48E0-8F75-E1C43FED4C02%7d&activityType=PressRelease

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Kentucky Emergency Management (KYEM) has activated the State Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in response to a powerful winter storm that is expected to bring heavy snowfall across the Commonwealth. Emergency Management officials have been briefed by the National Weather Service (NWS) offices serving Kentucky on the winter storm system that is predicted to include heavy snow and bitter cold. Emergency Management officials are most concerned with the amount of predicted snowfall. NWS computer models indicate accumulations that vary from 6 to 16 inches across the Commonwealth.

KYEM recommends all Kentuckians know the risks and review winter emergency plans. Check batteries in flashlights, radios and other devices. If you have a generator, make sure it is working properly and you are familiar with using it safely. Road conditions throughout the state can be found on the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s website at www.511.ky.gov, by calling 511 in Kentucky or 1-866-737-3767 for out-of-state callers. Complete weather forecasts by region can be found at www.weather.gov.

Additional winter safety tips, including winter driving tips, can be found on the KYEM website at www.kyem.ky.gov. Kentuckians can also follow KYEMPIO on Twitter and ‘like’ on Facebook.

http://kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-Stream.aspx?viewMode=ViewDetailInNewPage&eventID=%7bC86AFE0F-E293-4C3F-9812-14EA832DD03D%7d&activityType=PressRelease

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NATION

House Speaker John A. Boehner said Sunday that he is prepared to let the Department of Homeland Security shut down in less than two weeks and that Democrats would be to blame.

“The House has acted. We’ve done our job. Senate Democrats are the ones putting us in this precarious position,” Mr. Boehner said on Fox News Sunday.

The House passed a bill that would keep the Homeland Security Department running, but defunds the president’s executive amnesty that many Republicans said was an unconstitutional executive overreach. The Senate, however, has failed to overcome multiple Democrat-led filibusters and doesn’t look able to pass the House bill.

With the clock ticking on funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which will expire Feb. 27 at midnight, the House and Senate left Washington for a weeklong break for President’s Day.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/feb/15/john-boehner-homeland-security-shutdown-over-amnes/#ixzz3Ru973Dc3

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WORLD

Egypt’s air force bombed Islamic State targets inside Libya on Monday, a day after the group released a video showed the beheading of 21 Egyptians there, marking an escalation in Cairo’s battle against militants.

It was the first time Egypt confirmed launching air strikes against the group in neighboring Libya, showing President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is ready to expand his fight against Islamist militancy beyond Egypt’s borders.

Egypt said the dawn strike, in which Libya’s air force also participated, hit Islamic State camps, training sites and weapons storage areas in Libya, where civil conflict has plunged the country into near anarchy and created havens for militia.

https://web.archive.org/web/20151115172105/http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/16/us-mideast-crisis-libya-egypt-idUSKBN0LJ10D20150216

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ENTERTAINMENT

“Fifty Shades of Grey,” capitalizing on the fall of Valentine’s Day on a Saturday, will take in about $90.7 million between Thursday night and Monday, according to Rentrak, which compiles ticketing data. The movie, which cost $40 million, attracted an audience that was 68 percent female, Universal said. R-rated movies tend to perform best in big cities and other politically liberal areas. But “Fifty Shades of Grey” was enough of a cultural force — whipped up in part by Universal marketers — that crowds turned out in traditionally conservative places like the Carolinas, Kentucky and Tennessee, Mr. Carpou said. The response to the film, which is expected to spawn two sequels, could have a ricochet effect in Hollywood, which for decades has been operating under an assumption that sex — at least, the most blatant sort — is multiplex poison.

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THIS DAY IN HISTORY

• 1852 – Studebaker Brothers wagon company, precursor of the automobile manufacturer, is established.
• 1862 – American Civil War: General Ulysses S. Grant captures Fort Donelson, Tennessee.
• 1874 – Silver Dollar becomes legal US tender.
• 1940 – World War II: Altmark Incident: The German tanker Altmark is boarded by sailors from the British destroyer HMS Cossack. 299 British prisoners are freed.
• 1943 – World War II: Red Army troops re-enter Kharkov.
• 1943 – World War II: Insertion of Operation Gunnerside, Norway.
• 1945 – World War II: American forces land on Corregidor Island in the Philippines.
• 1957 – The “Toddlers’ Truce”, a controversial television close down between 6.00 pm and 7.00 pm is abolished in the United Kingdom.
• 1959 – Fidel Castro becomes Premier of Cuba after dictator Fulgencio Batista was overthrown on January 1.
• 1960 – The U.S. Navy submarine USS Triton begins Operation Sandblast, setting sail from New London, Connecticut, to begin the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe.
• 1961 – Explorer program: Explorer 9 (S-56a) is launched.
• 1968 – In Haleyville, Alabama, the first 9-1-1 emergency telephone system goes into service.
• 1978 – The first computer bulletin board system is created (CBBS in Chicago).
• 1987 – The trial of John Demjanjuk, accused of being a Nazi guard dubbed “Ivan the Terrible” in Treblinka extermination camp, starts in Jerusalem.
• 1999 – In Uzbekistan, a bomb explodes and gunfire is heard at the government headquarters in an apparent assassination attempt against President Islom Karimov.
• 1999 – Across Europe, Kurdish rebels take over embassies and hold hostages after Turkey arrests one of their rebel leaders, Abdullah Öcalan.
• 2005 – The National Hockey League cancels the entire 2004-2005 regular season and playoffs.
• 2006 – The last Mobile army surgical hospital (MASH) is decommissioned by the United States Army.