An elementary school in Grant County is on lockdown Wednesday morning as officials search for a man they say attacked six people inside a home where his teenager girlfriend lives.

Crittenden Mt. Zion Elementary School is on lockdown as officials search for 42-year-old Eric Unthank, who they say entered a home on Ten Mile Drive around 7:30 a.m. and attacked six people. One of the victims as young as seven years old.

Grant County Sheriff Chuck Dills says the 42-year-old suspect was dating a 17-year-old girl, whose grandmother lives in the home and fosters special needs children.

Sheriff Dills says the attack may have gone on if it weren't for a school bus driver who pulled up.

"He acted quickly, got off the bus, tried to help the victim," said Sheriff Dills. "He was able to grab the club and then the victim ran."

Unthank is described as Hispanic, 5-foot-7, 175 pounds with an "M" tattoo on his neck.

Three of the victims were taken to the hospital with head trauma.

A man had died and his brother was sent to the hospital after a house fire in Clay County early Wednesday morning.

The Clay County coroner said 49-year-old Matthew Collins died of injuries sustained in the fire at the home in the Curry Branch community in Manchester. 
 
Collins' brother, Warren Collins, was taken to the University of Kentucky Hospital, where he is listed in fair condition. Officials said he suffered burns to his body and smoke inhalation.  

Three others, including a 5-year-old child, were treated for minor burns and smoke inhalation at Manchester Memorial, and have since been released.  

A total of five family members lived in the house along Curry Branch Road, officials said. The house is a total loss. 

The coroner said Collins was pronounced dead at the scene around 5:30 a.m.

Preliminary investigation indicates the cause of the fire was from an electrical fire cooking stove. The sheriff's office is in charge of the investigation. 

TOKYO (AP) - Only small fries with that? McDonald's in Japan is limiting the serving size of fries as stocks run short due to labor disruptions on the U.S. West Coast.

McDonald's began rationing its fries Wednesday morning. It said prolonged labor negotiations with port workers on the West Coast have made it difficult to meet demand despite an emergency airlift of 1,000 tons of processed spuds and an extra shipment from the U.S. East Coast by sea.

Frozen french fries - ready for the deep-fryer - are a leading U.S. export. The spuds are partially cooked and cut before shipping.

Japanese consume more than 300,000 tons of french fries a year, mostly at fast-food restaurants, and largely sourced from imports of frozen, processed potatoes from America, according to U.S. figures. Shipments in December are expected to be just over half the normal level, Japanese newspapers reported.

But demand is rising as convenience stores are increasingly also selling fries.

McDonald's has 3,100 outlets in Japan. It cut prices for set meals to compensate for including only small fries.

Customers expressed disappointment as they left a downtown Tokyo McDonald's outlet on Wednesday.

"The kids like the bigger sizes, like M and L, so it's a shame," said businessman Kenichi Kuniki, 45.

Japan's locally grown potatoes are mostly eaten fresh, rather than as fries, and production has been declining for years. But Japan enforces strict limits on where and how fresh potatoes are imported.

The powerful dockworkers union and multinational shipping lines have been negotiating a new contract for about 20,000 West Coast workers. In the meantime, labor disruptions have slowed shipments and driven costs higher.

Japanese are also facing a shortage of butter that has prompted grocery stores to limit shoppers to one or two packages apiece. That shortage stems from declining domestic production plus trade barriers and other restrictions that limit imports.

The restrictions are meant to ensure that local farmers who face high costs here are protected from foreign competition, to ensure Japan maintains some self-sufficiency in its food supply, but supply doesn't always meet demand.

"It's a bit sad," said Hiroko Inomata, 34, clutching the bag of small fries and a teriyaki burger she bought for lunch. "But it is so that everyone can have some."

___

Associated Press video journalists Kaori Hitomi and Emily Wang contributed.

Elaine Kurtenbach on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ekurtenbach

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) - Pakistanis mourned as mass funerals got underway Wednesday for 142 people, most of them children, killed the day before in a massacre by the Taliban at a military-run school in the country's troubled northwest.

Prayer vigils were held across the nation and in other schools, students spoke of their shock at the carnage in the city of Peshawar, where seven Taliban gunmen, explosives strapped to their bodies, scaled a back wall using a ladder to get into the Army Public School and College in the morning hours on Tuesday.

Students were gunned down and some of the female teachers were burned alive. The attack was the deadliest slaughter of innocents in the country and horrified a nation already weary of unending terrorist assaults. Army commandos fought the Taliban in a day-long battle until the school was cleared and the attackers dead.

The school was a scene of heart-wrenching devastation as media were allowed in for the first time Wednesday. Blood pooled on the floor and the stairs, amid broken window glass and door frames. Torn notebooks, pieces of clothing and children's shoes were scattered about. A pair of child's eyeglasses lay broken on the ground.

After the attackers entered the school, they made their way into the main auditorium where many students had gathered for an event, military spokesman Maj. Gen. Asim Bajwa told reporters during the tour. The militants then made their way to the hall's stage and started shooting at random.

As students tried to flee for the doors, they were gunned down. The military later recovered about 100 bodies from the auditorium alone, according to the spokesman.

"This is not a human act," Bajwa said. "This is a national tragedy."

The government declared a three-day mourning period, starting Wednesday. Overnight, the body of the school principal, Tahira Qazi, was found among the debris from the rampage. Her death raised further the earlier reported death toll of 141.

Qazi, who was inside her office when the militants made their way into the administration building 20 meters (yards) from the auditorium, had ran and locked herself into the bathroom but the attackers threw a grenade inside, through a vent, and killed her. Bajwa said.

Some of the funerals were held overnight, but most of the 132 children and 10 school staff members killed in the attack were to be buried Wednesday. Another 121 students and three staff members were wounded.

"They finished in minutes what I had lived my whole life for, my son," said laborer Akhtar Hussain, tears streaming down his face as he buried his 14-year-old, Fahad. He said he had worked for years in Dubai to earn a livelihood for his children.

"That innocent one is now gone in the grave, and I can't wait to join him, I can't live anymore," he wailed, banging his fists against his head.

The Taliban said the attack was revenge for a military offensive against their safe havens in the northwest, along the border with Afghanistan, which began in June. Analysts said the school siege showed that even diminished, the militant group still could inflict horrific carnage.

The attack drew swift condemnation from around the world. President Barack Obama said the "terrorists have once again showed their depravity."

Pakistan's teenage Nobel Peace laureate Malala Yousafzai - herself a survivor of a Taliban shooting - said she was "heartbroken" by the bloodshed.

Even Taliban militants in neighboring Afghanistan decried the killing spree, calling it "un-Islamic."

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif pledged to step up the campaign that - along with U.S. drone strikes - has targeted the militants.

"We must not forget these scenes," Sharif said Wednesday at a top-level meeting in Peshawar. "The way they left bullet holes in the bodies of innocent kids, the way they tore apart their faces with bullets."

Sharif said he spoke to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani late Tuesday to discuss how both countries could do more to fight terrorism. The two agreed to launch fresh operations on their respective sides of the border, he said, and pledged to "clean this region from terrorism."

In neighboring India, which has long accused Pakistan of supporting anti-India guerrillas, schools on Wednesday observed two minutes of silence for the Peshawar victims at the urging of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who called the attack "a senseless act of unspeakable brutality."

In an email on Wednesday, the Pakistani Taliban spokesman Mohammad Khurasani claimed the attack was justified because the Pakistani army has allegedly long been killing innocent children and families of their fighters.

He vowed more such militant attacks and told Pakistani civilians to detach themselves from all military institution.

___

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Michael Lewis felt some anxiety when he stepped forward as one of Kentucky's first farmers to test the potential of hemp production, but some recent action by Congress has helped set his mind at ease.

The latest federal farm bill allows states to designate hemp projects for research and development. And now, the $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill passed by Congress and sent to President Barack Obama would prohibit federal drug officials from interfering with those projects.

Lewis said Tuesday he sees the latest hemp provision as a way to further legitimize a crop with a multitude of uses. The non-intoxicating plant has been banned for decades due to its family ties to marijuana.

"My name and my reputation are tied up in this," Lewis said. "It's a huge peace of mind to know that we're OK. We thought we should be all along, but now this sort of confirms that. ... It's definitely going to give me an hour or two of extra sleep at night."

Growing hemp without a federal permit was banned in 1970 due to its classification as a controlled substance related to marijuana. Hemp and marijuana are the same species, but hemp has a negligible amount of THC, the psychoactive compound that gives marijuana users a high.

Kentucky has been at the forefront of efforts to revive the crop, prized for oils, seeds and fiber.

Eighteen states have removed barriers to hemp production, according to Vote Hemp, a group advocating for the plant's legal cultivation. Licensed growers secured seeds in Kentucky, Colorado and Vermont this year, but difficulties in obtaining seeds limited production, the group said.

The newest hemp provision aims to prevent a repeat of the standoff that unfolded in Kentucky last spring, when U.S. customs officials detained a shipment of imported hemp seeds bound for fields. The state's Agriculture Department sued to free the seeds, and the shipment was released from confinement after federal drug officials approved a permit for the seeds.

The seeds later sprouted into 10-foot-tall plants that became part of the state's first legal hemp crop in decades.

"Hopefully it will take the DEA off the trail of hemp seeds," U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., said of the latest hemp provision he championed.

The push to revive hemp has a powerful ally in Kentucky Republican Mitch McConnell, the incoming Senate majority leader. McConnell crafted the hemp language inserted into the farm bill and pushed for the language to prevent federal agencies from blocking legal hemp projects.

"These legal pilot programs authorized by my legislation could help boost our state's economy and lead to future jobs," he said.

At least six processors or manufacturers have expressed interest in locating in Kentucky to tap into fledgling hemp production, state Agriculture Commissioner James Comer said. He said the ban on using federal funds to stymie legal hemp projects would advance the crop.

"No one wants to make an investment and no farmer wants to plant a crop with the fear that the Obama administration's going to come in and arrest them or confiscate their crop," said Comer, a Republican who is running for Kentucky governor next year.

Hemp products sold in the U.S. last year had a total retail value of at least $581 million, up 24 percent from the prior year, according to the Hemp Industries Association.

State agriculture officials would still need to obtain federal permits for imported seed shipments for the next crop, Comer said. If seeds can be secured, hundreds of acres of hemp could go in the ground next spring in Kentucky, he said.

Eric Steenstra, president of Vote Hemp, predicted hemp production will spread to several other states next year.

Lewis said he hopes to have a hand in 50 acres of hemp production next year, up from about 2 acres he helped produce in 2014. Statewide, hemp production was under 50 acres this year, according to the state agriculture department.

"We're not doing anything crazy," Lewis said. "We're growing textiles and plastics and food."

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - A new study says Kentucky's public school districts pay workers up to 51 percent more for construction projects because of the state's prevailing wage law, but a divided panel of lawmakers refused to adopt the report during a contentious meeting Tuesday that could set the tone for the upcoming legislative session.

The Legislative Research Commission compared the labor costs of 12 public school projects with comparable projects in the private sector. They found that Kentucky's prevailing wage law caused the districts to pay construction workers about $11.37 more per hour than they would have gotten for a similar job in the private sector. The study also concluded the state government paid construction workers about $8 per hour more than they would have been paid in the private sector.

Republican Sen. Chris McDaniel, who is president of a concrete company that has worked on prevailing wage projects, praised the report as "good as anything I've ever seen." But Democrats said the report was flawed because of its small sample size and because it only examined labor costs and did not determine if the prevailing wage law increased the total cost of construction projects.

The prevailing wage law means Kentucky state officials decide how much money state and local governments pay construction workers for publicly funded projects. The goal is to pay workers a wage that reflects the prevailing wage of the local community. State officials set the wages for 86 of Kentucky's 120 counties by collecting wage information from local contractors in each county. The other 36 counties, mostly the urban ones, use the federal prevailing wage.

The reason Kentucky's prevailing wage is so much higher than the private wage is because it overemphasizes union wages, according to Mike Clark, the Legislative Research Commission's chief economist. Clark said union contractors are the only ones who submit their wage data because they usually are the only ones who bid on public projects.

"Contractors that do not bid on public construction projects have no incentive to participate," Clark said.

State Labor Secretary Larry Roberts said the study "really bothers me" because it did not examine the total cost of construction projects. He argued that higher wages results in higher-skilled workers who can work faster and safer, resulting in lower overall construction costs.

"You can't determine total cost just by comparing wages of workers who worked on a prevailing wage job vs. a non-prevailing wage job," he said. "There are a lot of other factors that kind of come into play."

Democrats and Republicans have been fighting over Kentucky wages for years. The Republican-controlled Senate has blocked efforts by the Democratic-controlled House to raise the state's minimum wage. Likewise, the House has rebuffed the Senate's efforts to repeal the prevailing wage law.

Both issues will likely emerge during the 2015 governor's race. Democrats announced Monday that they have requested the Legislative Research Commission to examine the impact of a higher minimum wage in Kentucky next year. And McDaniel, the Senate budget chairman who is running for lieutenant governor with James Comer in 2015, said he wants to repeal the state's prevailing wage law because "there is no question that it saves taxpayers dollars to do so."

But Rep. Rick Rand, D-Bedford and the House budget chairman, vowed to protect the prevailing wage, prompting a heated exchange that ended with McDaniel using his gavel to declare Rand was "out of order."

"Why shouldn't it be the policy of this state that we put money in the hands of working people?" Rand said. "My business prospers when working people have money to spend, not when the school district has money to spend."

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. )

WAVERLY, Ky. (AP) - State officials say a coal miner has died after being struck by a coal-hauling car at an underground mine in western Kentucky.

The Kentucky Division of Mine Safety has identified the miner as 34-year-old Eli Eldridge of Sturgis.

It was just the second mining fatality in the state this year.

Eldridge was hit by a ram car, a long flat motorized car that hauls coal to the feeder. The accident occurred Tuesday at the Patriot Coal Company Highland No. 9 mine near Waverly around 11 a.m. CST.

The first Kentucky fatality occurred Oct. 8 at a surface mine in Bell County.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. )

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations is scheduled to speak at the University of Louisville next month.

Samantha Power will be a guest of the university's McConnell Center on Jan. 12.

Her free, public talk will begin at 9 a.m. EST in Bigelow Hall on UofL's Belknap Campus.

Power, a member of President Barack Obama's cabinet, has been in her U.N. role since August 2013. She previously served as special assistant to the president and senior director for multilateral affairs and human rights on the White House National Security Council staff.

She is a former journalist who reported from around the world.

Power won a 2003 Pulitzer Prize for her book "A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide."

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Six firefighters were injured when their fire truck crashed in Anderson County.

It happened around 6:30pm on Puckett Road near the intersection with Alton Station Road near Lawrenceburg.

The firefighters were headed to an accident when police believe they ran off the road hitting a large tree.

"We heard this loud crash and come out the back door here and seen the fire truck into the tree down here by the house," who Noal Cotton, who was just sitting down to dinner when the impact of the truck hitting the tree shook his home and others along Puckett Road.

"They hit it so hard it knocked the top out of it," said James Goodlett, who lives nearby.

All six firefighters were taken to the hospital. Their conditions are unknown.

"Three of them got out and they cut the guy in the front passenger side out. He was trapped inside so they had to work about an hour to get him out," said Cotton, who went to help.

Battalion Chief Chris Harrod was on his way to the initial accident when he ran up on the wreck involving his firefighters.

"That's our worst nightmare, something that's always on our minds of how we're going to handle that," said Battalion Chief Harrod.

He now asks for prayers as his crew recovers.

"They put their lives at risk on every run that they make and this is just another example of things that can happen while we're responding,' said Battalion Chief Harrod.

Kentucky State Police continue to investigate the crash.

The battalion chief says the first accident firefighters were responding to was a driver who rear-ended another driver sending a vehicle into a cow pasture. He didn't know about any injuries because his crew never made it to that accident.

A Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife officer killed a Mountain Lion in Bourbon County on Monday. According to a department spokesman, it was the first confirmed sighting of a mountain lion in Kentucky since before the Civil War.

The debate about the animal's death continued on the Internet Tuesday night, as people discussed pictures of two officers posing next to the cat.

As of Tuesday night there were still a lot of questions on Redmon Road as to where a Mountain Lion came from and why it had to be killed?

While it may be Wildcat country, the news of a cougar climbing a tree near Paris, has caused an uproar in the neighborhood and on social media.

"It was pretty scary to know there's an animal that big running around with our kids playing in the yard," said Erin McClure. She heard the news from a neighbor, that a mountain lion had been spotted on Monday.

"One of my neighbors called, she was a bit distraught. Cause like, who sees a mountain lion in a tree?" said Rick Mattox. He called for help after his neighbor stumbled upon the mountain lion while walking her dog. With no tranquilizers on hand and daylight dwindling, KY Fish and Wildlife officers euthanized the cat.

"Being obviously a mountain lion it was a public safety concern. That is an animal that is put on this earth to eat," said Steve Dobey, the Wildlife Program Coordinator of KY Fish and Wildlife.

It's a choice the department said they stand by, but a death that is still debated.

"It was unfortunate though that the animal was euthanized, so there's mixed feelings about that," said John Cox, a UK Assistant Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Biology. "Usually law enforcement is going to err on the side of public safety when a situation like this arises."

Cox said mountain lions don't live in Kentucky, and haven't since the 1850's. He said the big cat could have crossed the country from Florida or Nebraska, but judging by it's health and heavy appearance... "It's possibly a captive raised animal," said Cox.

If that is the case, neighbors said they want to find the exotic pet's owner.

"I just hope they catch whoever has neglected this animal and let this happen to it," said Mattox.

A state veterinarian will examine the results of a necropsy on the cat to determine if it is a wild cat, or a former pet that was either released or escaped. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife officials said it's highly unlikely that there's another mountain lion in Bourbon County.

NEW YORK (AP) - Hackers calling themselves Guardians of Peace made ominous threats Tuesday against movie theaters showing Sony Pictures' film "The Interview" that referred to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The group also released a trove of data files including about 8,000 emails from the inbox of Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton.

The data dump was what the hackers called the beginning of a "Christmas gift." But GOP, as the group is known, included a message warning that people should stay away from places where "The Interview" will be shown, including an upcoming premiere. Invoking 9/11, it urged people to leave their homes if located near theaters showing the film.

The Department of Homeland Security said there was "no credible intelligence to indicate an active plot against movie theaters," but noted it was still analyzing the GOP messages. The warning did prompt law enforcement in New York and Los Angeles to address measures to ramp up security.

"The Interview" is a comedy in which Seth Rogen and James Franco star as television journalists involved in a CIA plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Its New York premiere is scheduled for Thursday at Manhattan's Landmark Sunshine, and is expected to hit theaters nationwide on Christmas Day. It premiered in Los Angeles last week.

Rogen and Franco pulled out of all media appearances Tuesday, canceling a Buzzfeed Q&A and Rogen's planned guest spot Thursday on "Late Night With Seth Meyers." The two stars had just appeared Monday on "Good Morning America" and Rogen guested on "The Colbert Report." A representative for Rogen said he had no comment. A spokeswoman for Franco didn't respond to queries Tuesday.

The thousands of documents leaked Tuesday included banal emails about public appearances, dinner invitations and business introductions. But they also included information about casting decisions for upcoming films and sensitive corporate financial records, such as royalties from iTunes, Spotify and Pandora music services.

The FBI said it is aware of the threats and "continues to work collaboratively with our partners to investigate this matter." It declined to comment on whether North Korea or another country was behind the attack. Speculation about a North Korean link to the Sony hacking has centered on that country's angry denunciation of the film. Over the summer, North Korea warned that the film's release would be an "act of war that we will never tolerate." It said the U.S. will face "merciless" retaliation.

The New York Police Department, after coordinating with the FBI and Sony, plans to beef up security at the Manhattan premiere, said John Miller, the NYPD's top counterterrorism official.

"Having read through the threat material myself, it's actually not crystal clear whether it's a cyber response that they are threatening or whether it's a physical attack," Miller said. "That's why we're continuing to evaluate the language of it, and also the source of it. I think our primary posture is going to be is going to have a police presence and a response capability that will reassure people who may have heard about this and have concerns."

Following a commission meeting earlier Tuesday, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said his department takes the hackers' threats "very seriously" and will be taking extra precautions during the holidays at theaters. Patrick Corcoran, spokesman for the National Association of Theater Owners, wouldn't comment on the threats.

In their warning Tuesday, the hackers suggested Sony employees make contact via several disposable email addresses ending in yopmail.com. Frenchman Frederic Leroy, who started up the yopmail site in 2004, was surprised to learn the Sony hackers were using yopmail addresses. He said there was no way he could identify the users.

"I cannot see the identities of people using the address ... there is no name, no first name," he said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. He said yopmail is used around the world but there are "hundreds and hundreds" of other disposable email sites.

Leroy, who lives in Barr, outside Strasbourg in eastern France, said he heard about the Sony hackers yesterday on the radio but knows nothing more. He said he has not been contacted by any authorities.

Since Sony Pictures was hacked by GOP late last month in one of the largest data breaches ever against an American company, everything from financial figures to salacious emails between top Sony executives has been dumped online.

Separately Tuesday, two former Sony film production workers sued Sony Pictures Entertainment over the data breach. They alleged the Culver City, California company waited too long to notify employees that data such as Social Security numbers, salaries and medical records had been stolen.

The filing comes one day after two other former Sony employees filed a suit accusing the company of negligence in not bolstering its defenses against hackers before the attack. It claims emails and other information leaked by the hackers show that Sony's information-technology department and its top lawyer believed its security system was vulnerable to attack, but that company did not act on those warnings.

Both cases seek class-action status to represent current and former Sony employees whose private data was posted online.

Sony has not responded to phone calls for comments about the hacker threat and the suit.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

WASHINGTON (AP) - Actor Randy Quaid and his wife Evgenia are suing John Kerry and the State Department to recover passports that the government revoked three years ago.

The State Department said it takes U.S. passports for reasons including issuance of a felony arrest warrant, fraud, failure to pay child support or a criminal court order barring departure from the country.

Randy Quaid said the revocation involved an issue over "an insurance policy that we did not take out," but declined to discuss it further.

"We can't go anywhere," Quaid added.

"Randy can't take a film job," said Evgenia Quaid. "He had to turn down the Cannes Film Festival last year. We can't proceed with our life."

The Quaids have had a string of legal problems, including accusations of vandalism of a home they once owned and a California felony warrant issued over an unpaid hotel tab,

Randy Quaid is the older brother of actor Dennis Quaid. He is best-known for his roles in films such as "National Lampoon's Vacation" and "Independence Day." He won a Golden Globe award - which he brought to court during one of his appearances in the innkeeper case - for his depiction of President Lyndon Johnson in a TV movie in the late 1980s. He was also nominated for a best supporting actor Oscar in 1973 for his role in "The Last Detail."

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The seemingly endless quest by Los Angeles authorities to extradite film director Roman Polanski has taken a new twist with the 81-year-old director renewing his fight to be free of his prosecutors.

Polanski, who has been fighting this battle for nearly four decades, took action this week through a new legal team headed by high-profile lawyer Alan Dershowitz. He accuses U.S. and Los Angeles authorities of lying to Polish officials in an effort to extradite him from that country and says a judge secretly planned to put him behind bars if he voluntarily returned to California.

A representative of Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey said she would have no comment on her office's latest efforts to bring Polanski to California to face judgment in a 38-year-old rape case.

Dershowitz's voicemail was full and a message could not be left for him.

In a 1977 deal, the Oscar-winning director pleaded guilty to one count of statutory rape for having sex with a 13-year-old girl during a photo shoot in Los Angeles.

Judge Laurence J. Rittenband then ordered Polanski to undergo a psychiatric study at the state prison in Chino, where he served 42 days.

The prosecutor and Polanski's attorney have said they understood from a private conversation with Rittenband that the time in prison would serve as Polanski's punishment. But they said the judge later reneged on the agreement and suggested Polanski would go back to prison, and the Polish-born director fled to France.

Since then, he has been an international fugitive with Los Angeles prosecutors always on his heels. They have prodded the U.S. Justice Department to continue the so-far futile quest for his return.

In 2009, when Polanski was accepting an award in Switzerland, where he maintains a home, he was arrested and wound up serving 290 days, first in jail and then under house arrest, before Swiss authorities rejected the U.S. request to extradite him and declared he could come there anytime he wanted.

But the Los Angeles authorities have not given up, and they continue to dog Polanski whenever he travels.

In October, another confrontation occurred in Poland when Polanski, 81, attended the opening of the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw before traveling to Krakow, his childhood city. Polish authorities questioned him there because of the U.S. request but refused to arrest him.

An adviser to the Polish president accused U.S. authorities of "absolute ignorance" in seeking the arrest of the filmmaker who is a Holocaust survivor, made his early films in Poland and is admired as a representative of Polish culture.

The failed effort in Poland opened the door for a new legal strategy. Polanski's legal team filed court papers Monday that allege district attorneys and judges carried out "serious misconduct" in the decades-long effort to prosecute the filmmaker and force him to return to the United States.

The new 133-page motion seeks an evidentiary hearing to determine whether "pervasive" misconduct and a "false" extradition request sent this year by the Justice Department to the Polish government requires the case against Polanski to be dismissed.

Polanski's attorneys say the latest extradition request omitted that the director had served 42 days of court-ordered prison time in 1977.

"The DA's deliberate omission in its letter was plainly calculated to deceive the Polish government into believing that Polanski is "extraditable" under the extradition treaty between the United States and Poland, when, in fact, he is not," the filing said.

Polanski's life as a fugitive from America began eight years after his pregnant wife, actress Sharon Tate, was murdered in Los Angeles along with six others by the notorious Charles Manson cult.

Polanski won an Academy Award for best director for his 2002 film "The Pianist" and was nominated for 1974's "Chinatown" and 1979's "Tess."

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

WAVERLY (AP) - State officials say a coal miner has died after being struck by a coal-hauling car at an underground mine in western Kentucky.

The Kentucky Division of Mine Safety has identified the miner as 34-year-old Eli Eldridge of Sturgis.

It was just the second mining fatality in the state this year.

Eldridge was hit by a ram car, a long flat motorized car that hauls coal to the feeder. The accident occurred Tuesday at the Patriot Coal Company Highland No. 9 mine near Waverly around 11 a.m. CST.

The first Kentucky fatality occurred Oct. 8 at a surface mine in Bell County.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Tennessee attorney general is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to let a ruling stand that upheld the state's ban on same-sex marriage.

The November decision by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals marked a rare victory for gay marriage opponents. But because it conflicts with decisions in other circuits, legal observers believe it could push the Supreme Court to take up the issue of gay marriage, possibly as soon as this spring.

In a Monday court filing, Tennessee argues that there is no need for the Supreme Court to review the case because both the 6th Circuit's opinion and Supreme Court precedent recognize the inherent power of the states to define marriage. There is no conflict between the 6th Circuit and the Supreme Court, attorneys argue. As for the conflict between the circuits, the Supreme Court declines to hear cases all the time in which that is the case.

"The decision of the Sixth Circuit thus upholds and affirms Tennessee's 'historic and essential authority to define the marital relation,'" the brief reads, quoting from an earlier Supreme Court decision.

The 6th Circuit's 2-1 opinion affecting Tennessee, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio said states have the right to set rules for marriage. And it said that changing a definition of marriage that dates to "the earliest days of human history" is better done through the political process, not the courts.

Shortly before the 6th Circuit's decision, the Supreme Court unexpectedly turned away an appeal from five states seeking to prohibit gay and lesbian unions. Plaintiff couples in the four states affected by the 6th Circuit's decision as well as defendant states of Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio have all asked the U.S. Supreme Court to decide the question once and for all. That makes Tennessee the only party to the decision to argue against a hearing by the high court.

The National Center for Lesbian Rights, which has helped the plaintiffs in the Tennessee case, issued a statement from senior staff attorney Christopher F. Stoll responding to Tennessee's Supreme Court brief. "We hope the Supreme Court will grant review and decide the case this term so that Tennessee and the other 14 remaining states can join the large majority of states that now allow same-sex couples to marry," the statement reads.
(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

OWENSBORO (AP) - The chief executive of the International Bluegrass Museum is stepping down though she will continue to run its annual music festival.

The museum says in a release Gabrielle Gray is ending a 12-year tenure as the museum's creative leader. She was most recently the executive director.

Gray founded the ROMP music festival in 2004 and will continue as its executive producer and the museum's primary grant writer.

Assistant director Carly Smith will assume the role interim director. The museum's board, chaired by Yale University President Peter Salovey, will conduct a nationwide search for a new executive director.

The museum says Gray "constructed a strong foundation for future excellence at the museum," including leaving an operating endowment exceeding $1 million.
(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

An Anderson County man is behind bars after investigators say he tried to kill his ex-girlfriend Sunday night by running her over with his car.

Chrystal Perry calls it one of the scariest moments of her life. She says her ex boyfriend, Leslie Scott Hatchett, ran her over with his car, dragging her down the road.

"He came all the way down the hill and started down the road and I said 'Scott I'm hurt, I'm under the car' and he wouldn't stop," she said.

She says it all started when she and a friend helped Hatchet, who was having car trouble. Perry says she noticed Hatchett was drunk and although hesitant, she decided to drive him home.

That's when investigators say Hatchett pushed her out of the car and ran her over.

"He's an emotional person. I mean, you can call it emotionally unstable or what but usually I could talk to him, she said.

Perry says her friend knew something was wrong and came looking for her. That's when she says Hatchett followed them to a home and terrorized everyone who was there.

"I just collapsed in the driveway and started shaking really bad and he just started yelling, 'I'm going to run over all you," said Perry.

Hatchett is at the Shelby County jail facing several charges, including attempted murder.

Lexington police are asking for your help to solve a Halloween bank robbery.

This past Halloween, Lexington Police say two black men wearing werewolf masks walked into the Chase bank on Clays Mill. It happened around 4 p.m.

"One of them brandished a gun while the other one goes to work collecting cash, doing the work while the other one just gives orders things of that nature," said Lexington Police Detective Jason Rothermund.

They didn't end up hurting anyone at the bank, but they did get away with some cash.

"After this entire ordeal, they get away with about $2,000 in cash from the bank," said Detective Rothermund.

Now more than a month after the crime, police are hoping someone who knows these masked bandits will be ready to speak up.

"It's one of those scenarios where you get away with one, you do another one. That's a very likely scenario. So, we are hoping if we can knock this one out we can get a few others too," he said.

Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward for information leading to an arrest. Call the tipline at 859-253-2020.

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife stands by the decision to euthanize a mountain lion found in Bourbon County. It was discovered by a homeowner walking her dog that scared the mountain lion, causing it to go up a tree.

Erin McClure found out from a neighbor that a homeowner walking her dog discovered the mountain lion right past her property on Redmon Road.

"They were like, 'when you come home be careful because there is a mountain lion running around," she said.

The mountain lion was spotted close to where McClure's children like to run around.

"Less than a quarter mile and my kids were playing in front of this animal yesterday, so it's pretty scary," she said.

News of Fish and Wildlife officers euthanizing the animal instead of tranquilizing it caused a roar on social media. But according to Fish and Wildlife, the concern was public safety.

"It was almost dark. Nightfall. If it would have left very likely we may not have located it again for some time so it was a safety concern," said Steve Dobey from Ky. Dept. of Fish and Wildlife.

Except for a mountain lion cub sighting in the late 90s, this is the first time they've had proof of the animal in Kentucky.

"When we're presented with evidence like this, this is what we want," said Dobey.

When it comes to debating the perfect solution, all McClure has to do is think of her children.

"I'm glad they took care of it. Maybe not in the way everybody thinks it should've been done, but they did what they thought was best. I appreciate that," she said.

The Department of Fish and Wildlife is still looking if the mountain lion came from the wild or captivity.

It may be a long way from Santa's workshop at the North Pole, but the same kind of Christmas spirit can be found at a workshop right here in the Bluegrass. A local craftsman is using his love of woodworking to give children in need the Christmas they deserve this year.

"I just hope it makes people happy," said John Strickling, the owner of Wild Grace Workshop in Lexington. Strickling spends his days making custom wood and leather products.

"You ask me to make something for you, and I make it," he said.

But this Christmas, his shop resembles something a little more like a Santa's workshop satellite office. For weeks, he's been making as many wooden toys as possible to give to area children who might not otherwise get any gifts on Christmas.

He was inspired when he went in search of a toy box for his own daughter for Christmas, but decided to make it himself. But he didn't stop there.

"Well, if I'm going to make one, I'm going to make 50," said Strickling.

Now dozens of toys in and with a little over a week until Christmas, he's not stopping. Piece by piece, wheel by wheel, he's making a difference one toy at a time.

"I know from personal experience that it's better to give. And I want to give," he said.

Frankfort police say they will most likely not file charges against a driver who hit and killed a pedestrian Monday night. It happened on Versailles Road at the intersection of U.S. 60 and U.S. 460.

Monday was supposed to be a special day for 24-year-old Oquana Washington.

"She was excited. It was her first job that she ever got. And they said this was her first day at work," said neighbor Sherman White.

But her big day came to a sad end. Police say around 8 Monday night, a Lincoln Navigator was heading on U.S. 60 when the driver hit and killed Oquana.

"I had my fiance drive over there, and I seen her laying in the middle of the road," said friend Brittney Tinker.

Tinker says Oquana was close with her family. She recently moved in with her mom to help out, and it wasn't unusual to see them out walking.

"Me and my fiance was walking downtown and her and her mom needed a ride. We didn't want them walking," she said.

Now as friends struggle to cope with Oquana's death, they also have her mother in their thoughts.

"I just wish her the best and hope that she can get through this and move on. She is a very nice lady, as well as her daughter. Her daughter was a reflection of her," said White.

A woman was arrested in Hardin County for breaking into storage units and taking the contents inside.

Police say 43-year-old Stacie Radford broke into several units at the Vine Grove storage facility in Louisville. Officers say they found the stolen items, along with tools she used to break the locks.

Radford is charged with burglary. Now, police are looking for her accomplice.

Lexington police are looking for three people on the run after a shooting, followed by a crash involving five cars. It all happened on Radliff Road near Haggard Lane just after 1 p.m. Tuesday.

Police say a group of people in a stolen black car started shooting at a white car at the intersection, causing several wrecks. After the gunfire started from a black car, police say the white car that was being shot at crashed into a pickup truck.

Then, the black car drove down the street about 200 yards and hit two more cars, one which tried to stop the vehicle and the men inside.

Police say at that point, the two men in the black car took off running. The driver of the white car took off after them.

It was certainly a shocking sight for police and people in this neighborhood.

"All I heard was just a big bang and when I looked out the front door, I seen this car in the middle of the road and police cars were swarmed around it," said a neighbor who wished to remain anonymous.

Police say they aren't sure how many shots were fired, but no one was hurt from the shooting or the crashes.

Lexington police are looking for one of two people connected to a Lexington bank robbery Tuesday afternoon.

Around 2 p.m., police say a man wearing a ski mask walked into the United Bank on Harrodsburg Road and demanded cash from the clerk. Shortly after the robbery, officers found a red Toyota pick-up truck thought to be involved.

"Several officers initiated a stop on that vehicle, and after they stopped the vehicle on Harrodsburg Road they were able to apprehend one of the individuals out of the vehicle. Just after that, the driver of the vehicle fled the scene," said Lexington Police Lt. Clay Combs.

Police say they chased the truck, but eventually lost sight of it on Versailles Road. They say right now, they know only one man came inside the bank and they are trying to figure out the exact involvement of the man in custody.

The Kentucky women's track and field team's 2014 signing class has been ranked as the nation's ninth best in the January issue of "Track and Field News."

The No. 9 ranking is UK's second consecutive top-10 recruiting class, as rated by Track and Field News. UK's 2013 signing class was ranked fifth.

Each of third-year head coach Edrick Floréal's first two full recruiting classes at UK have been ranked in the top 10 as he took over the program late in the summer of 2012.

Before coming to UK, Floréal had four top-five recruiting classes in six seasons at Stanford, including the top-ranked class in 2011, as rated by Track and Field News.

The full group of UK's women's signing class is made up of six state champions that combined to win 26 state titles in their time as prep athletes.

Additionally the class combined to post three top-10 prep times in the nation, broke two state records, had three high-school All-America selections and a U.S.-leading mark.

The "Where Are They Going Section" breaking down the 2014-15 collegiate recruiting classes can be found in the January edition of Track and Field News, which is on newsstands now.

Women's Key Additions: Adriana Brown, Aundrea Busse, Ariah Graham, Jacklyn Howell, Javianne Alissa Oliver, Jasmine Quinn

The Sacramento Kings fired their head coach, Michael Malone on Monday.

DeMarcus Cousins, who has missed 9 games due to viral meningitis, told the Sac Bee that he feels partly responsible for Malone's release.

Per the Sac Bee:

Cousins, the Kings' leading scorer and rebounder, wonders whether his illness contributed to coach Michael Malone's firing Sunday...Philosophical differences were cited, but the Kings have won just two of nine games without Cousins.

"I would be lying if I said I didn't feel like it was partially my fault," Cousins said Monday after practice. "In reality it isn't, but me personally, I feel like it is. Me being out, us losing some games, I feel like I played a part in it."

"I learned a lot from him. I'm very thankful to play for coach Malone," Cousins said. "At the end of the day, we know this is a business. Everything doesn't always work out the way we want it to. I wish nothing but the best for Coach. I hate it had to end this way. But he has my respect, because he's a great coach."

Cousins is expected to return to action on Thursday with a minutes restriction.

It's the season of giving and that's exactly what former Wildcat, Anthony Davis did on Monday with some of his Pelican teammates.
Davis, Jeff Withey and Ryan Anderson gave out gift cards and fill-up shopping carts for local kids at Toys 'R' Us in Metairie, Louisiana.

The New Orleans Pelicans say forward Anthony Davis is expected to return from a chest injury for Tuesday night's game against the Utah Jazz.

The injury caused Davis to leave last Friday night's victory over Cleveland in the first quarter and then sit out Sunday night's overtime loss to Golden State.

Davis, who is averaging 24.3 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.7 blocks, had been listed as questionable before Tuesday's shoot-around.

Davis went from the arena to a hospital Friday and stayed overnight for a series of scans and tests which came back negative, but he remained sore on Sunday, so the team held him out as a precaution.

Team officials remain unsure what caused the injury, which coach Monty Williams had referred to as a "freak deal."

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - After just a few hours of deliberation, a jury in California has found in favor of Apple in a billion-dollar class-action lawsuit over the price of its iPod music players.

The eight-member jury in U.S. District Court rejected a claim by attorneys for consumers and iPod resellers, who argued that Apple's use of restrictive software froze out competing makers of portable music players. Apple had argued that the software provided necessary security protection.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs say they plan to appeal Tuesday's verdict.

The case was filed nearly ten years ago and dates to a time when Apple used anti-piracy software that prevented its iPods from playing songs that were downloaded from online outlets that competed with Apple's iTunes stores.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

NEW YORK (AP) - Two former employees of Sony Pictures Entertainment are suing the company for not preventing hackers from stealing nearly 50,000 social security numbers, salary details and other personal information from current and former workers.

The federal suit alleges that emails and other information leaked by the hackers show that Sony's information-technology department and its top lawyer believed its security system was vulnerable to attack, but that company did not act on those warnings. The plaintiffs are asking for compensation for fixing credit reports, monitoring bank account and other costs as well as damages.

The suit filed Tuesday in U.S. district court in California seeks class-action status.

Highly sensitive material from the entertainment unit of Tokyo-based Sony Corp. has been leaked almost daily since hackers broke into its computer networks last month. New threats from the shadowy group calling itself Guardians of Peace were issued Tuesday.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

MIAMI (AP) - Eighteen poisoned horses are being treated to spa days in their Florida stables, with their young riders brushing their manes and tails, painting their hooves, feeding them hay and petting their noses.

There's nothing else anyone can do for the doomed horses at Masterpiece Equestrian Center in Davie.

A batch of feed tainted by additives safe for other livestock but toxic to horses arrived at the center in September, and all 22 horses there ate the feed for a month before anyone realized something was wrong.

Three horses died in October, and a fourth was euthanized Monday. The rest will die, some possibly as soon as this week.

"There's very little to do other than keep them hydrated, giving them lots of hay, giving them lots of comfort, brushing them, giving them attention and love and baths - it makes the horses happy to be attended to," said Debra Buis of Weston, whose two horses Don Tavia and Ultimatum are among the afflicted. Buis' two teenage daughters, one of whom wears her horse's nickname "Tavi" on a necklace, have aspirations to be elite equestrians.

"It's really quite hopeless, to be honest with you," Buis said Tuesday. "It is hopeless and there are no words."

The first horse died Oct. 15, dragging its back feet and collapsing as it tried to stand. Everyone thought it was colic, a relatively common disorder of a horse's digestive system, Buis said.

Then a second horse suffered similar symptoms and died two days later, and a third horse quickly followed. Necropsies and testing of the horses' feed confirmed monensin poisoning.

Monensin is an antibiotic added to feed for cattle and some poultry to help with growth, but it's toxic to horses' muscles, particularly their hearts, said Serena Craft of the University of Florida Veterinary Diagnostic Lab.

Since October, the horses' owners have sought to keep their animals comfortable and prepare for the inevitable. All riding lessons have been replaced by vigils kept over weakening horses.

Some parents of young riders tried to shield their children from the tragedy slowly unfolding, telling them that the horses were getting ready to retire, Buis said. But the death Monday of Foxy, a pony used for riding lessons for many children, was a reminder that more losses are coming.

The Lakeland-based company that sold the feed to Masterpiece has recalled the product, stopped producing equine feeds and acknowledged that feed delivered to the center contained monensin and lasalocid, another anti-bacterial additive toxic to horses.

Lakeland Animal Nutrition believes the contamination was limited to the feed at Masterpiece, and no other horses elsewhere have been reported ill, general manager Jonathan Lang said in an email.

"Care of the animal and our customers' trust are paramount to us, and we are committed to working with the Masterpiece Equestrian family to bring restoration in the midst of their tragic losses," Lang wrote.

Florida's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is investigating.

The company has been urged to compensate the owners before Christmas, as Masterpiece and the owners of 20 horses consider filing a lawsuit, said the attorney representing them, Andy Yaffa.

The horses ranged from ponies worth $25,000 to $50,000 to elite competitors worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, Yaffa said. Some of the owners have life insurance policies on their horses.

"This has completely stopped my life and my business, and I just want them to make it right so I can move forward," said Danica Pryce, whose parents own the center.

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Follow Jennifer Kay on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jnkay.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Boyd County's infamous duct tape bandit faces a Christmas Eve court date on charges connected to a mugging.

According to the Ashland Daily Independent, 32-year-old Kasey Kazee and his alleged accomplice, Jeffrey Driver, will go before a judge Dec. 24.

The men are accused of assaulting and robbing an Ashland businessman on Dec. 1, taking personal items including cash, credit cards and a wedding band. Both men have pleaded not guilty.

Back in 2007, Kazee robbed a liquor store with his face and head covered by duct tape, with his shirt pulled up over his head.

A suspected serial burglar was busted by police.

30-year old Christopher Miller was arrested Monday night in Nicholasville. According to court documents, he's suspected of breaking into four Lexington businesses, all within the past month.

Those businesses include the Smoke-N-More on Pimlico Parkway, Hibbett Sports on Richmond Road, the China King on Bryan Station Road, and Mi Pequena Hacienda on Landsdowne.

Two people are dead after a morning crash in southeastern Kentucky.

It happened on Highway 30 in Jackson County near the Laurel County line around 6:30 a.m. 

After being shut down for about four hours, that stretch of roadway reopened at about 10:30.

Officials say a truck hauling cattle and a passenger car collided. The one person inside the truck and one person inside the car were killed.

The exact cause of the crash is still being investigated, but some of the officials working the accident said it was probably the worst one they have seen in a couple years. 

"When I got on scene, it was apparent that it was a very violent crash. There didn't seem to be any skid marks in the road that we could see, but as far as what caused this accident, it would just be speculation on my part," said Greg Hayes, Jackson County emergency management director. 

At this time, the names of the victims haven't been released. 

Sex offenders are being checked for compliance in Madison County.

During Operation White Out, several law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Marshals, found out that of 65 sex offenders, four men were breaking the law.

One offender was found in jail and another in possession of a firearm.

"It keeps them not knowing when we're coming, so it's not like we come once a month, on Wednesday... they don't know when we come, so the surprise a lot of the time is when we find out stuff is going on," said Deputy Willard Reardon, with the Madison County Sheriff's Office. 

Police say they are still looking for one man - Wayne Earl Smith, who is supposed to be living on Manna Drive in Richmond. Police say he is a fugitive and is considered dangerous.

Authorities in Bourbon County say they've had to put down a mountain lion spotted in the area recently.

Bourbon County Animal Control says a woman was walking her dog on her farm around 5 p.m. Monday when the dog spotted the mountain lion and chased it. The mountain lion climbed up a tree, where officials later found him. 

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife confirmed some of their officers killed the mountain lion Monday night. They say public safety was a concern and that's why they killed the animal instead of tranquilizing it. They say the incident is rare and extremely isolated. 

The animal's body has been sent to Frankfort for an examination. Officials say the animal was a male and weighted about 125 pounds. 

Officials say the fact that the animal appeared to be healthy could indicate that it might have been captive or a pet, but the investigation continues. 

Officials say it's illegal to own or possess a mountain lion. They are very efficient predators, but generally not a threat to people because they are elusive and secretive. 

If someone comes across one, officials say to make noise, yell, throw objects - similar to a bear encounter. 

This is the first mountain lion Fish and Wildlife has seen since late 90s, officials  said. They have received many calls and photos in the past, but this is the first time they've had physical proof. 

They say it's unlikely that there are other mountain lions in the area.

__ 

This is what Kentucky Fish and Wildlife posted on their Facebook page:

"Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources Monday evening KDFWR officers responded to confirmed sighting of mountain lion in northern Bourbon Co. Officers found & dispatched the animal. KDFWR Wildlife Veterinarian and Wildlife Biologists will conduct necropsy. An investigation is underway."

An increase in gastrointestinal illnesses has the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department encouraging parents, schools, daycare centers, food service workers and healthcare providers to take precautionary actions to prevent its spread

Shigellosis is a highly contagious form of diarrhea caused by Shigella bacteria and is spread through person-to-person contact. Symptoms last 48-72 hours and include severe diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps. 

"With this illness and the flu spreading throughout Lexington and central Kentucky, it's important for people to remember to use good hand-washing practices," said Kevin Hall, LFCHD spokesman.

To prevent Shigellosis, the health department offers the following tips:
•Wash hands with soap carefully and frequently, especially after going to the bathroom, after changing diapers and before preparing food or beverages.
•Do not prepare food for others while ill with diarrhea.
•Sick children and adults should stay home until cleared by a doctor to return to school or work.
•Keep children with diarrhea out of childcare settings and common play areas.
•Supervise hand washing of toddlers and small children after they use the toilet.
•Dispose of soiled diapers properly.
•Disinfect diaper-changing areas after using them.
•Avoid swallowing water from ponds, lakes or untreated pools.

For more information on Shigellosis, contact the epidemiology department of the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department at (859) 899-2437.

You can also keep up with the health department on Facebook. 

WASHINGTON (AP) - It's easy for Congress to meddle with the District of Columbia's decision to legalize recreational use of marijuana, but taking on the states is a different matter.

A massive, catch-all spending bill Congress passed last week contains a provision preventing the District from using federal money to implement any law or regulation that repeals or reduces marijuana-related penalties. The action is in direct response to a voter initiative passed last month that allows possession of up to 2 ounces of pot or up to three mature plants for personal use.

The Constitution gives Congress the power to review and possibly reject all legislation approved by the District's elected officials or its citizens.

Congress has less leverage with the states, and thwarting efforts supported by a plurality of voters back home could prove politically risky at election time.

"That's sort of asking for a head-on collision with states' rights," said Philip Wallach of the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank.

Wallach said the most ready tool at Congress' disposal in persuading states to keep marijuana illegal would be to withhold money for certain programs if state marijuana initiatives conflict with federal law. That's something Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., the chairman of the House Judiciary constitution and civil justice subcommittee, says he's prepared to support.

Franks said the marijuana legalization movement endangers the nation's youth.

"Unfortunately, it will only deepen this country's drug addiction crises," he said.

But many other Republican lawmakers don't seem ready to take such concrete steps.

Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, the likely chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee in the next Congress, said he's not prepared to say which issues his committee will focus on. The committee has jurisdiction over the Justice Department, which enforces federal drug laws and has said it will not stand in the way of states that want to legalize, tax and regulate marijuana as long as there are effective controls to keep it away from kids, the black market and federal property.

Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, the likely incoming chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, has said he would like to hold a hearing on how well marijuana legalization efforts are working, but that's as far as he would commit.

Meanwhile, proponents of marijuana legalization know exactly where they want to go next. The itinerary includes pushes into California, Arizona, Nevada, Maine and Massachusetts. There's money to be raised for campaign ads, ballot initiatives to write and petition campaigns to organize. Four states so far -Washington and Colorado were the first, followed by Oregon and Alaska - have voted to legalize marijuana.

The groups are confident that momentum is on their side and that most members of Congress know they can't do anything about it.

"I think everyone knows it's inevitable. Republican Senate or not, we're going to keep moving forward," said Bill Piper, director of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance, a nonprofit organization that advocates an overhaul of drug policy.

The group points to another section of the just-passed spending bill as evidence that most lawmakers don't want Congress to interfere with state decisions regarding marijuana. That provision prevents the Justice Department from using funds to arrest and prosecute medical marijuana patients or distributors who are in compliance with their state's laws.

Twenty-three states have laws allowing medical marijuana, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The GOP's most consistent backer of the legalization movement, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher of California, said he's simply unsure where a Republican-controlled Congress will take the marijuana issue.

"I can't read my fellow Republicans on this. Behind the scenes, they will tell you, 'Oh, yeah, (prohibition) is stupid, but I'm not going to risk my political career,'" Rohrabacher said.

Republican Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland, an anesthesiologist who has led the congressional effort to halt the District of Columbia's marijuana initiative through September 2015, said prohibiting recreational marijuana use is the right thing to do. He's not worried about the politics.

"If we can educate the public about the hazards, especially given the high unemployment rate among D.C. youth, the problems they have in the educational systems, I think we can convince people the last thing they need in the District of Columbia is legalization," said Harris, who represents Maryland's Eastern Shore.

When asked whether Republican leaders were ready to take on the legalization trend elsewhere, Harris said he would agree the issue is not a top priority for them.

"The plate of leadership is so full with foreign affairs and economic matters in this country, this is just not on their radar screen and appropriately not on their radar screen," Harris said.

Brookings' Wallach said GOP leaders have a good grasp of what their constituents care most about.

"Even the folks that really haven't changed their mind too much (on legalizing pot) at least have to re-evaluate the politics, and say, 'Does going after this from a strong enforcement angle make any political sense?'" Wallach said. "It probably makes political sense for a lot of people to just lay low on this issue."

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. )

One man is dead after an early morning crash in Pulaski County.

Officials say it happened around 5 a.m. on North Highway 1247 just outside of Eubank.

A man lost control of his vehicle and struck a tree, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

He has been identified as 32-year-old Adam Smith of Lincoln County.

OWENSBORO, Ky. (AP) - The chief executive of the International Bluegrass Museum is stepping down though she will continue to run its annual music festival.

The museum says in a release Gabrielle Gray is ending a 12-year tenure as the museum's creative leader. She was most recently the executive director.

Gray founded the ROMP music festival in 2004 and will continue as its executive producer and the museum's primary grant writer.

Assistant director Carly Smith will assume the role interim director. The museum's board, chaired by Yale University President Peter Salovey, will conduct a nationwide search for a new executive director.

The museum says Gray "constructed a strong foundation for future excellence at the museum," including leaving an operating endowment exceeding $1 million.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

SYDNEY (AP) - The Sydney hostages pleaded for help - for those among them who were pregnant, sick and elderly. Also for those who were young and deserved a shot at a decent life.

After a gunman took 17 hostages at a downtown cafe Monday morning, he used them to try to make his strange demands through social and mainstream media: to be delivered a flag of the Islamic State group and to speak directly with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

Video links were quickly removed from YouTube and other conversations went unpublished by newspapers and radio stations while the drama unfolded, lest they compromise the police response.

The 16-hour siege ended early Tuesday in a barrage of gunfire that left the gunman and two hostages dead. Some of the conversations and videos made by the hostages under duress have now been released.

One hostage called The Daily Telegraph newspaper, identifying her captor, 50-year-old Man Haron Monis, as "the brother."

"The brother has looked after us all; we're very, very tired," she told a reporter at the newspaper. "We've got pregnant ladies in here, and we've got sick and elderly, and we are very, very tired, and some very young staff who deserve to have a decent, normal life at this point, so get us the hell out of here, please."

The hostage said the gunman was next to her: "He's sitting right here, I have you on speaker, I can't compromise myself and my fellow hostages," she said, adding that people didn't seem to understand the danger they were facing: "We are not going to walk out of here," she said, later adding, "We just want to get out of here."

In a video message, filmed in front of a black Shahada flag with the Islamic declaration of faith written on it, one hostage said her captor had placed bombs around the city - which turned out to be untrue - and that he couldn't understand why his demands hadn't been met: "He's only asking for a flag and a phone call, and that's it," she said.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. )

WASHINGTON (AP) - The government's annual drug use survey finds that electronic cigarettes have surpassed traditional smoking in popularity among teens.

The National Institutes of Health report says tobacco smoking by teens dropped to new lows. Just 4 percent of eighth-graders said they had smoked a traditional cigarette in the previous month, but nearly 9 percent said they'd used an e-cigarette. And use increased with age. Seventeen percent of high school seniors said they'd used an e-cigarette.

Researchers call the popularity of e-cigarettes surprising. University of Michigan professor Lloyd Johnston leads the annual Monitoring the Future survey. He says he's worried that the progress made over the last two decades to cut smoking "could be reversed" by the introduction of e-cigarettes.

The battery-powered devices often are described as a less dangerous alternative for regular smokers who can't or don't want to quit. They produce vapor infused with potentially addictive nicotine but without the same chemicals and tar of tobacco cigarettes.

The survey didn't ask about repeat use, or whether teens were just experimenting with something new.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. )

CINCINNATI (AP) - Ohio's Hamilton County has adopted a do-it-yourself approach to fix stadium seats in the Great American Ball Park that are unexpectedly falling apart.

Facing costs as high as $5 million, the county hired a local firm to design new seat molds, found a plastics company to make the backs and bottoms and is paying ex-jail inmates and others about $10 an hour to install them in the Cincinnati Reds' stadium.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports Tuesday the cost to taxpayers will be about $1.3 million. The county's lease with the team requires it to maintain the seats.

About 17,000 of the new seats already are in place, and county officials say they're stronger, better looking, more durable and less expensive than the originals.

___

Information from: The Cincinnati Enquirer

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Mike Miller, the dean of Kentucky's county judge-executives and a politically connected Democrat who counted governors and other statewide leaders as friends, collapsed at work Monday and died later at a hospital in Marshall County in western Kentucky.

Miller's career as Marshall County judge-executive spanned 40 years, and he had been re-elected to another term last month. He was 70, according to an online obituary posted by a funeral home in Marshall County.

Democrats and Republicans paid tribute to a local leader whose influence stretched beyond his county tucked in the southwestern corner of Kentucky.

"I can't think of anyone more devoted to his work and to the improvement of his community than Mike," said Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear. "Very few public officials can say they served in the same position for decades, but Mike easily earned the trust and respect of his peers."

Republican U.S. Sen. Rand Paul referred to Miller as a "dedicated public servant" who loved being county judge-executive.

"Mike and I worked well together over the past few years, despite being from different political parties," Paul said.

In 1999, Miller administered the oath of office as Paul Patton was sworn in for a second term as Kentucky's governor.

"I don't know how anybody could have been any closer as a personal friend and as a political ally," Patton said of Miller on Monday. "He was well-respected in all circles dealing with county government in Kentucky. So it's just a terrible loss and a shock."

Miller collapsed in his office Monday morning and died a short time later due to respiratory complications, said Assistant Marshall County Attorney Jason Darnall. Miller died at the Marshall County Hospital emergency room in Benton, according to an obituary on the Collier Funeral Home website.

Miller first took office as Marshall County's top elected official in 1974, according to the Kentucky County Judge/Executive Association.

His career spanned so many years that he saw his role change dramatically. Early in his tenure, the job included the judicial function of presiding over legal proceedings as well as taking the lead in managing county government, said Vince Lang, executive director of the judge/executive association.

Those legal duties were taken away from county judge-executives as a result of judicial reforms enacted a few years into Miller's career, he said.

Miller went on to become a mentor to county officials across Kentucky, Lang said.

"He had lots of charisma, lots of energy and he just had a love of public service," he said.

Last month, Miller received 55 percent of the vote in winning re-election.

Through the decades, Miller played a key role in improving roads, parks, ambulance service and economic opportunities in his county, said Marshall County Clerk Tim York, who was a high school senior when he worked on Miller's first campaign.

"He cared about people," York said. "Anytime somebody came in his office, they felt welcome. And if he could help you, he would."

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. )

VERSAILLES, Ky. (AP) - Longtime educator and administrator George Edwards will assume the role of interim chancellor for the Kentucky Community and Technical College System starting next month.

As the system-level chief academic officer, the chancellor provides leadership for academic affairs, workforce development, distance learning initiatives and professional development.

KCTCS President-elect Jay Box announced Edwards' selection as interim chancellor on Monday.

Edwards retired recently from Big Sandy Community and Technical College, where he served as president for 14 years. Edwards has 35 years of teaching and administrative experience at four community colleges in Kentucky and Virginia.

Edwards begins his interim stint as chancellor on Jan. 26.

KCTCS officials hope to name a new chancellor by April 1.

Box served as chancellor for five years and begins his new role as president on Jan. 16.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Louisville could become the first Kentucky city to enact its own minimum wage law.

Monday, the council's labor and economic development committee approved an ordinance that would eventually increase Louisville's minimum wage to $10.10 per hour from $7.25 per hour over the next three years. The 3-2 party line vote means the full council will vote on the ordinance on Thursday.

The ordinance would exempt certain workers, including farm workers and small businesses like baby sitters. Louisville could become the 16th local government to pass a minimum wage law, according to the National Employment Law Project.

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer vowed to veto the minimum wage increase. Fischer said he supports a smaller wage increase.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

A man has been taken to the hospital after jumping from a moving vehicle on South Limestone in Lexington.

The victim was taken to the University of Kentucky Hospital after police say he jumped while traveling south on Limestone around 2:30 a.m.

Police aren't sure what exactly happened or even why he jumped in the first place.

When emergency crews arrived, they found the man had lacerations to the back of his head. He was transported to UK Hospital and treated. At this, point the extent of those injuries is unclear.

The family of a Knox County man said he was robbed and beaten, before dying on Monday at UK Hospital.

The Fayette County Chief Deputy Coroner said the incident happened to 68-year-old Jim Mills Jr. on Sunday afternoon near Route 11, on Hammons Fork Road outside Barbourville.

Mills' son said his father was walking in the middle of the day when he was attacked near Route 11. He said whoever attacked and robbed his father, knew he carried money, and severely beat him.

Both Mills' family and the Fayette County Chief Deputy Coroner said the details of what exactly happened are unclear. Mills' son said his father was able to give some sort of a description of the alleged crime to the Knox County Sheriff's Department, before being taken to UK Hospital Sunday night.

The coroner said Mills passed away at UK Hospital Monday morning, and likely died from blunt force trauma to the head. However, an official autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday morning.

The Fayette County Chief Deputy Coroner confirms that Mills was pictured on the Sex Offender Registry website, where he was listed as living in Knox County and registered for sexual abuse

A woman has died after being hit by a vehicle Monday night along Versailles Road in Frankfort as she was walking home from work.  

Police said the vehicle was in the eastbound right lane when the driver struck a woman around 8 p.m.  at the intersection of U.S. 60 and U.S 460.

Officers say the driver of a Lincoln Navigator was headed outbound on U.S. 60 when he hit 24-year-old Oquana Washington, who was crossing the road. She was pronounced dead on the scene.

At this stage in the investigation, police say weather does not appear to be a factor. They also pointed out that visibility is low on that busy stretch of roadway.

"There is no crosswalk and it is a fairly dark area. Although there are businesses there, it is not really well lit with street lights," said major Robert Warfel with Frankfort Police Dept. 

The coroner reports Washington sustained multiple blunt force trauma resulting in her death.

Autopsy and toxicology exams are scheduled for later Tuesday morning.

No word yet on whether the driver will face any charges.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Attorneys for a 13-year-old Ohio girl hurt when a stage collapsed at the Indiana State Fair argued Monday that the state's cap on liability damages is unconstitutional and should be thrown out by the Indiana Court of Appeals.

Jordyn Polet of Cincinnati rejected Indiana's offer of $1,690 to challenge the $5 million cap on total damages paid to victims of the 2011 collapse, which occurred when high winds blew down rigging before a concert by the country duo Sugarland. Seven people were killed and more than 100 were injured.

The teen's attorney, Robert Peck, argued the cap on total damages from a single incident means people are unconstitutionally denied equal treatment, WIBC and WISH reported. He said that if she had suffered the same injury but had been the only casualty, she could have sought up to the $700,000 in individual damages.

"The court understands the issues," Peck said after the hearing. "It's now in their hands."

The three-judge panel did not rule immediately after hearing the arguments from the teen's side and Indiana Solicitor General Thomas Fisher, who defended the state cap.

Jordyn, who was 10 at the time of the collapse, sustained leg and ankle injuries and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, court documents state. Her sister and mother sustained more serious injuries and both accepted settlements. The $5 million paid to about 62 victims was supplemented by an additional $6 million for 59 victims approved by the General Assembly in 2012.

Because the maximum amount of money approved under state law already had been paid, Marion County Judge Theodore Sosin ruled in March that the cap is constitutional and the state and other defendants were not liable to pay Jordyn's claims. Her appeal of that ruling was the basis for Monday's oral arguments.

Judges questioned whether the cap violates the law requiring open access to courts. Once the teen turned down the settlement, there was no money left for her to sue for.

Fisher argued Jordyn's offer was equal to everyone else who did not suffer serious permanent injuries: 65 percent of her medical bills, with no compensation for emotional distress. He argued the Indiana Supreme Court has explicitly given legislators the power to limit the state's liability, to ensure a catastrophic incident doesn't bankrupt the treasury.

If the appeals court sides with the teen, other state fair victims could be allowed to file claims for additional compensation. The case could also set new precedent for the amounts of financial damages awarded in tort lawsuits in Indiana.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

It's been five years since two fetuses were found, days apart, in a Lexington cemetery.

Now, after extensive testing, the Fayette County Coroner's Office is now reporting that the two fetuses were siblings. However, there are still many unanswered questions surrounding the disturbing discovery. How did the two wind up in the cemetery and where is their mother?

A woman walking her dog made the discovery on the grounds of Lexington's Hillcrest Memorial Park in 2009.

"It was a fetus, and it was identified as being a human fetus," says Gary Ginn, Fayette County Coroner.

Ginn remembers the scene well. And just four days later, Ginn was back again in the same area. Another fetus had been found just over the cemetery's fence.

Autopsies revealed that both were female around 22-weeks along. Until now, little was known aside from that.

"These two fetuses are related. They are sisters and they are identical twins," says Ginn.

Extensive DNA testing led to that information. Investigators have said the incident is believed to be a concealed birth and not a homicide. Still, the cause of death is "undetermined." Ethnicity of the two is unclear. It's unknown exactly how the fetuses got to the cemetery and what became of their mother.

So, the next step Ginn says will be a funeral. The two sisters will be buried together at "Evergreen Memory Gardens" in Bourbon County. But with DNA for the twins on file, Ginn remains hopeful that someone will come forward with the full story.

"The mom or father might have a change of heart. You just don't know the situation," says Ginn.

Concealing a birth is considered a crime and is punishable by up to one year in jail. So far, a date has not been set for those sisters to be laid to rest.

Funeral arrangements have been announced for the Harrison County teenager killed in a weekend car accident.

Colton Burus was on his way to take the ACT exam Saturday morning. The coroner says the 17-year-old lost control of his truck on highway 3044 near Sadieville around 7:30 Saturday morning. Drugs and alcohol are not considered to be a factor.

Burus was an honor student and high school athlete. He was also involved in ROTC and Color Guard.

Visitation for Burus will be from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Wednesday at Ware Funeral Home in Cynthiana, Ky. Funeral services will be conducted 2:00 p.m. Saturday at Lewis-Gillum Funeral Home in Jackson, Oh. with visitation at 1:00 p.m.

The family asks that memorial contributions be made to the Wounded Warrior Project or Harrison County JROTC.

The Kentucky gymnastics team will begin the 2015 season ranked in the top 25 for the fifth consecutive season, as UK earned a No. 22 ranking in the GymInfo Preseason Coaches Poll.

With the second-highest preseason ranking in program history, the Wildcats have been ranked to start the season in each of head coach Tim Garrison's four seasons in Lexington.

"We believe the No. 22 ranking is just the start for us this season," Garrison said. "I think we are a much improved team from last year, but we still have a lot to prove. We finished 21st last year, and we will go into the season next month looking to earn a higher national ranking."

The Wildcats are one of seven Southeastern Conference teams ranked in the preseason top 25, headlined by top-ranked Florida, the defending co-national champions. LSU is third while Alabama is fourth and Georgia seventh to round out the league's place in the top 10.

Kentucky will face eight teams ranked in the top 25, including each of the nation's top four teams. LSU, Alabama, No. 12 Auburn and No. 13 Arkansas all travel to Lexington to compete in Memorial Coliseum.

UK opens the season at Washington on Jan. 24, while it travels to Oklahoma City to face No. 2 Oklahoma, who also shared the NCAA title in 2014, on Feb. 13.

Season tickets, which are $15, along with single meet tickets, are available now at UKathletics.com/Tickets. Fans can also purchase tickets by calling the UK Ticket Office at 800-928-CATS. More information about tickets can be found here.

The Wildcats are coming off a record-breaking 2014 season, highlighted by a program record NCAA Regional score and a return to the NCAA Championships. UK posted its school-record 195.925 at regionals, senior Audrey Harrison won the beam title and became the first UK gymnast to advance to the NCAA Championships since 2010. Kentucky also notched a school-best 49.650 on floor in an upset win over No. 11 Auburn in the regular season.

For almost two decades in Lexington, church groups have come together to open a Christmas store that provides gifts to every family in need this holiday season.

It's a shopping mall that opens only once a year for three days at the Southland Christian Church location on Richmond Road. But organizers of the Faith and Community Christmas Store say this mall takes the stress out of shopping.

"We don't want this to be a time of worry, a time of depression, a time of stress simply by being able to help in this way we can relieve that stress on the parents who want to have something under the tree for their children," says Ginny Ramsey, the organizer of the event.

More than 4,000 families will come to the store and take home two gifts for each of their children.

They'll also be able to collect books, a game for the family and some winter clothing. The store's organizers say they're here to pick up those families who have been left out by programs like Toys for Tots.

But the program would not be possible without donations.

"Clean out your closets. Clean under your bed. Find those pre-loved gently used toys and gifts that you know will give joy to another child on Christmas morning," says Ramsey.

Ramsey says the shopping experience here isn't just about the gifts about the memories shared.

"It's about human beings connecting and that all of us have the same dreams and hopes for our children... And to be able to share that on Christmas you cant put a price on it," says Ramsey.

Organizers say volunteers are still needed, especially for this Thursday morning. You can read more about the community Christmas store here.

Kentucky women's basketball senior Bria Goss will miss four to six weeks with a broken left thumb sustained in shoot around on Sunday afternoon, head coach Matthew Mitchell announced today.
Goss, a 5-foot-10 guard of Indianapolis, attempted to play in Sunday night's game vs. Belmont with her thumb taped, but only saw three minutes in the first half.

"We are thankful Bria's injury was not season-ending. That would have been quite a blow," Mitchell said. "For our team, this is a great opportunity to develop in the areas of defensive energy, offensive efficiency and leadership, all things that Bria consistently brings to this team. In her absence, our players will have to find ways to strengthen themselves in these critical areas to make up for what we lose with Bria on the sidelines. This will also force us to progress our young post players during the time Bria is out. We hate Bria is out but we all need to work hard so when she returns, we are stronger than ever."
Goss has never missed a game in her Wildcat career, playing in 117 contests with 102 starts, including 17 in a row. She currently averages 7.4 points and 3.1 rebounds per game and has netted 1,140 career points which ranks 21st on UK's all-time scoring list.

After a short break for final exams, the Wildcats will travel to Durham, N.C., Sunday, Dec. 21 to take on their third ranked opponent of the season in No. 13/12 Duke. The game will be televised on ESPN2 at 3 p.m. ET.

LEX 18 is learning more about the man who was killed over the weekend after being hit by a car Saturday.

Jacob Hamilton's girlfriend, Bria Schiferl, knew something was wrong when Hamilton never made it home Saturday night. She remembers the last conversation they had that evening.

"I called him at 6:30 and he said he'd be home soon," says Schiferl. "After two and a half hours I decided to go out and look for him and that's when I saw all the cop cars."

It was there she got the worst news imaginable. Her boyfriend had been rushed to the hospital after he was hit by a car on Liberty Road, but by the time she got to UK, Hamilton was brain dead.

"He was brilliant, young, too young, the most humble man," remembers Schiferl.

Schiferl says Hamilton was walking home from his dad's house. That stretch of Liberty Road is usually very busy, but Schiferl says he was very familiar with it.

"He wouldn't just walk into the middle of the road without looking twice or three times," says Schiferl.

Investigators say the driver fled the scene but later contacted police. That action is little consolation to Hamilton's loved ones.

"He should've at least stayed and checked if he was okay. Panicking is no excuse," says Schiferl.

Hamilton was going to graduate with his bachelor's degree in March. Police tell LEX 18 that charges in this case are likely but have not yet been filed.

NEW YORK (AP) - New York Jets cornerback Josh Thomas says on Twitter that his playbook and passport have been stolen, and he has made a public appeal for the items to be returned.

While Thomas didn't say where or when the theft occurred, a Jets spokesman confirms Monday that Thomas' team-issued tablet - on which his playbook is stored - was stolen in New Jersey. Thomas was with the team but inactive for the Jets' 16-11 victory over the Titans on Sunday in Nashville, Tennessee. The Jets flew back to New Jersey after the game.

"Please return all of the stolen articles," Thomas wrote on Twitter. "At least return my passport and playbook."

Thomas is working with police, the team said, and the Jets have remotely erased the playbook information from Thomas' tablet.

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(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Danny Trevathan is out for the season due to a dislocated kneecap, according to an NFL source.

The Denver Broncos' linebacker suffered the injury on Sunday versus the San Diego Chargers. The injury will require surgery.

The former Kentucky Wildcat had two separate fractures in the left knee area that forced him to miss 11 of the Broncos' first 13 games.

Kentucky took a big loss off the court and responded with another big win on it.

Now the Wildcats (11-0) finally get a bit of a break.

The Wildcats, still the unanimous No. 1 in the AP poll after getting all 65 first-place votes Monday, are the only 11-win team in NCAA Division I basketball. No other team from a major conference has played more games.

Two days after 6-foot-8 junior forward Alex Poythress tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during practice, the Wildcats won 84-70 Saturday over North Carolina, which dropped three spots to 24th in the new poll.

"They were excited about playing the game, but I just think they're - thank goodness we have time between games now to get ourselves right," Kentucky coach John Calipari said after the game. "We played a lot of games in a short period of time. So we have a little (time), in two games in two weeks, which gives us some time."

Kentucky has only two games in two weeks before its SEC opener Jan. 6 against Mississippi. The Wildcats play the next two Saturdays, against UCLA this week and then Dec. 27 at No. 4 Louisville.

LOT OF STABILITY: The top seven spots in this week's poll are unchanged, and the same teams occupy the top 14 slots.

Duke (8-0), Arizona (10-0), Louisville (9-0), Wisconsin (10-1), Virginia (9-0) and Villanova (10-0) are second through seventh. Gonzaga and Texas swapped spots from a week ago while Kansas stayed 10th.

Wichita State and Ohio State started the second 10 again, while No. 13 Iowa State and No. 14 Utah switched places from last week.

Kentucky is the only team to be ranked the same in every poll, from the preseason poll released on Halloween to now.

The biggest move this week was Butler's eight-spot drop to 23rd, back to where the Bulldogs debuted in the poll before an eight-spot jump last week, after a 12-point loss at Tennessee.

No. 20 St. John's and No 21 Notre Dame made the biggest upward moves, each up four spots after poll debuts last week.

STATE OF MICHIGAN: A week after Michigan and Michigan State were both unranked for the first time since the final 2010-11 rankings, the Spartans got back in the poll.

Michigan State was the only new team this week, re-entering at No. 25. Since a one-point overtime loss to Notre Dame, the Spartans (7-3) have lopsided victories over Oakland and Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

As for the Wolverines (6-4), things haven't gotten any better since that stunning 72-70 loss to New Jersey Institute of Technology that knocked them out the poll. They have since lost to Eastern Michigan and then 80-53 at No. 3 Arizona on Saturday.

SECond TO MANY: The Southeastern Conference is on top with Kentucky at No. 1, but is nowhere else to be found in the AP poll.

With one, the SEC has as many ranked teams in the poll as the Mountain West, Missouri Valley and West Coast conferences.

Arkansas and LSU are the only other SEC teams receiving votes. Florida was seventh in the preseason poll, and was ranked two weeks before falling out, while Arkansas spent two week in the poll.

The ACC leads all leagues with six ranked teams, topped by Duke, Louisville and Virginia in the top six. The Big 12 has five teams in the poll.

SHORT STAY: Northern Iowa's first poll appearance in five seasons lasted only a week. The Panthers (9-1) won 65-55 at Denver after getting ranked, but then lost 93-87 in double overtime at VCU on Saturday.

Kentucky women's basketball freshman Alexis Jennings was named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week after leading the Wildcats to wins over Middle Tennessee and Belmont last week.
Jennings, a 6-foot-2 forward/center, averaged 10.5 points and 6.0 rebounds off the bench in helping No. 8 Kentucky improve to 10-1 on the season. She came off the bench and set career highs in points (11), rebounds (7) and blocks (2) in 18 minutes of action in the win over Middle Tennessee State. With the scored tied seven minutes into the first half, Jennings came in the game and provided a spark which helped UK mount a 15-point lead at the break. She scored all 11 of her points and grabbed six of her seven rebounds in just 10 minutes of action in the first half.

The Madison, Ala., native scored in double figures again on Sunday in the win over Belmont with 10 points, while grabbing five rebounds and a block in 14 minute. It marked her first back-to-back double-digit scoring games of the season.

Jennings also hit 100 percent from the charity stripe (8-of-8) for the week, moving to a .769 percentage for the season, second-best on the team.

Overall this season, Jennings has seen seen action in all 11 games and is averaging 4.2 points and 2.7 rebounds in 11.1 minutes per game.
This is UK's second-straight SEC honor as junior point guard Janee Thompson was named SEC Player of the Week last week.

After a short break for final exams, the Wildcats will travel to Durham, N.C., Sunday, Dec. 21 to take on their third ranked opponent of the season in No. 13/12 Duke. The game will be televised on ESPN2 at 3 p.m. ET.

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- University of Kentucky graduate Mosoka Fallah is among the Ebola fighters in West Africa that has been named Time Magazine's Person of the Year.

A native of Liberia, Fallah received his bachelor's degree in his home country and a master's degree from Kent State University in the United States. He studied at the University of Kentucky from 2005 to 2011, obtaining his doctorate in microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics in 2011. He subsequently received a master's in public health from Harvard University.

"For tireless acts of courage and mercy, for buying the world time to boost its defenses, for risking, for persisting, for sacrificing and saving, the Ebola fighters are Time's 2014 Person of the Year," the magazine said in a statement.

Members of the UK College of Medicine's Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics recall Fallah's enthusiasm for learning. Department Chair Beth Garvy, who served on Fallah's doctoral committee, said at the end of every year, Fallah asked members of the department for old textbooks to send home to Liberia.

Fallah, despite the known risk of exposure to the virus, is following a trail of Ebola, instructing neighborhood leaders to report cases of sick victims of the disease and urging cooperation with government officials. After receiving his education in the United States, Fallah returned to his home country to set up a health clinic for women and children. He has also worked on community-based initiatives to stop the spread of Ebola for the United Nations Development Program.

Only ten days until Christmas and a Scott County family has lost everything they own in a fire, including their Christmas presents.

The Downeys had left their home for only around 30 minutes Saturday when their home was engulfed in flames.

Now Oie Downey's home of 16 years has been reduced to a burned pile of wood. The home, which housed Oie, his father and his two children burned in a matter of minutes Saturday, possibly due to a wood stove. There was nothing the fire department could do to salvage much of anything.

Friends and neighbors are giving the family clothes. Northside Christian Church in Georgetown is a drop-off point for donations. Downey is also struggling with the devastating realization that all his childrens' Christmas presents were destroyed too.

Despite the devastation, the family is grateful to the kindness already shown to them. One friend is letting them stay at his home until they can buy a trailer to move back here with all their animals.

"You wouldn't think there would be that many good people. They are willing to do anything we need to help us in any way," says Downey.

If you want to donate to the Downey family, you can drop off donations at Northside Christian Church on North Broadway in Georgetown. The family is still looking for an affordable three bedroom trailer to buy or perhaps be donated to them.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Longtime Marshall County Judge-Executive Mike Miller died at a western Kentucky hospital after collapsing in his office.

Assistant County Attorney Jason Darnall says Miller collapsed at work Monday morning and died a short time later due to respiratory complications.

An obituary posted on Collier Funeral Home's website says Miller was 70. It says Miller died at the Marshall County Hospital emergency room.

The Kentucky County Judge/Executive Association says Miller, a Democrat, had served as Marshall County's judge-executive since 1974.

He was re-elected to another term last month in the western Kentucky county.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. )

SPRINGFIELD, Ore. (AP) - Police in Springfield, Oregon, believe a driver hit a pedestrian and fled with him on top of her car, carrying the man for 11 blocks before removing him and leaving him in the street to die.

The Register-Guard reports that Isabel Gloria McDaniel of Veneta was arrested Saturday.

She's accused of driving the car that struck Daniel Ortiz-Reynaga on Thursday, flipping him on top of the vehicle. Sgt. Rich Scharboneau says investigators believe she took the victim off the car and kept going.

Ortiz-Reynaga was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Isabel McDaniel remained jailed Monday. Scharboneau says McDaniel is scheduled for arraignment Monday afternoon on a felony hit-and-run charge, where she may have a lawyer appointed.

Police say McDaniel's husband, Gary Louis McDaniel, was cited for tampering with evidence.

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(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Jefferson County school administrators are trying to prepare for the dropout age in the district to increase to 18 next year.

Although the move has been applauded, administrators told The Courier-Journal that they expect an increase of about 2,800 more students who will be labeled as habitually truant. In addition, officials will have to bring back students who have already dropped out, but will be too young to stay out of school under the new rules.

Jefferson County officials are working to identify the short-term impacts and bolster responses for at-risk students.

"This has never been done before," said Sam Rich, director of pupil personnel for Jefferson County Public Schools. "The bar just raised."

The increase in dropout age goes into effect statewide in 2017, but it is starting earlier in some school districts including JCPS.

"I have rough ideas of how to deal with this but I won't know until I get in and see it," said Rich, who supports the higher dropout age but noted that it will create logistical issues.

"It's like a home being rehabbed. There will be surprise costs."

JCPS spokeswoman Mandy Simpson said officials are trying to increase awareness of the alternatives and options in already offers including different magnets, career programs and alternative schools.

Simpson said newly created "transition centers" that started this year will aid students who are coming back after dropping out or those who have several absences.

Moreover, the district is piloting "at-risk committees" at three high schools in an effort to find at-risk students and intervene early.

District Court Judge Dee McDonald, who presides over the juvenile delinquency docket, said all the changes are "kind of overwhelming right now when you look at it, but ... we have a lot of people on board who really care about the kids and are committed to making this work."

McDonald said the main question is how to keep students more interested in learning than in skipping class or dropping out.

"I hope there are things to engage these older kids and keep them there," she said.

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Information from: The Courier-Journal

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Kentucky is still the unanimous No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 poll.

The Wildcats (11-0) got all 65 first-place votes in the new poll Monday. The top seven spots are unchanged from a week ago.

Duke, Arizona, Louisville and Wisconsin round out the top five, followed by Virginia and Villanova. Gonzaga and Texas swapped spots from last week and Kansas is 10th.

Kentucky last week lost forward Alex Poythress for the season after he tore a knee ligament in practice. The Wildcats responded Saturday with an 84-70 win over North Carolina, which is down three spots to 24th in the new rankings.

The only poll newcomer is No. 25 Michigan State, ranked again after a one-week absence.

Northern Iowa dropped out after a double-overtime loss to VCU.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

While investigators are still working to piece together a gruesome homicide that spans several counties, the murder victim's son, who is behind bars in Bourbon County for unrelated crimes, spoke about his mother from jail Monday.

Zak Massey says it was at the Bourbon County jail that he learned of his mother's death.

50-year-old Goldia Massey was reported missing in October. Several weeks after she disappeared, came a gruesome discovery - an arm washed up on Henry County riverbank. Then earlier this month, a torso was found in a Jessamine County river.

The Henry County coroner confirmed the body parts belonged to Goldia.

"I would have loved to have seen her alive again someday. I honestly thought I was going to. I don't know. I guess we know that's not gonna happen now," Zak said.  

Zak is facing his own legal trouble after being arrested recently for a string of gas station robberies in Harrison County, which happened close to the time his mom disappeared.

Zak is expected to be arraigned for robbery charges at 1 p.m. Monday. 

SYDNEY (AP) - A swarm of heavily armed police stormed a cafe in the heart of Sydney early Tuesday, ending a siege by an Iranian-born gunman who had held an unknown number of hostages for more than 16 hours.

A police spokesman confirmed "the operation is over," but would not release any other details about the fate of the gunman.

A female hostage was shot in the leg, a hospital official said, and earlier at least two people were wheeled out of the cafe on stretchers. A weeping woman was helped out by police.

The standoff ended when a loud bang was heard from the Lindt Chocolat Cafe and five people ran out. Then police swooped into the building, and there was a flurry of loud bangs.

The gunman was identified by local media as Man Haron Monis, who is facing charges including sexual assault and accessory to murder in separate cases. A police official said "you wouldn't be wrong" in identifying the 50-year-old Monis as the gunman. Under department rules, officials do not identify themselves unless speaking at a formal news conference.

Monis has long been on officials' radar. Last year, he was sentenced to 300 hours of community service for writing offensive letters to families of soldiers killed in Afghanistan. He was later charged with being an accessory to the murder of his ex-wife. Earlier this year, he was charged with the sexual assault of a woman in 2002. He has been out on bail on the charges.

"This is a one-off random individual. It's not a concerted terrorism event or act. It's a damaged goods individual who's done something outrageous," his former lawyer, Manny Conditsis, told Australian Broadcasting Corp.

"His ideology is just so strong and so powerful that it clouds his vision for common sense and objectiveness," Conditsis said.

The wounded hostage, a woman in her 40s, was in serious but stable condition at Royal North Shore Hospital, spokeswoman Jenny Dennis said. She was admitted shortly after police stormed the cafe.

The siege began around 9:45 a.m. in Martin Place, a plaza in Sydney's financial and shopping district that is packed with holiday shoppers this time of year. Many of those inside the cafe would have been taken captive as they stopped in for their morning coffees.

Throughout the day, several people were seen with their arms in the air and hands pressed against the window of the cafe, and two people holding up a black flag with the Shahada, or Islamic declaration of faith, written on it.

The Shahada translates as "There is no god but God and Muhammad is his messenger." It is considered the first of Islam's five pillars of faith, and is similar to the Lord's Prayer in Christianity. It is pervasive throughout Islamic culture, including the green flag of Saudi Arabia. Jihadis have used the Shahada in their own black flag.

Channel 10 news said it received a video in which a hostage in the cafe had relayed the gunman's demands. The station said police requested they not broadcast it, and New South Wales state police Commissioner Andrew Scipione separately asked all media that might be contacted by the gunman to urge him instead to talk to police.

A number of Australian Muslim groups condemned the hostage-taking in a joint statement and said the flag's inscription was a "testimony of faith that has been misappropriated by misguided individuals."

In a show of solidarity, many Australians offered on Twitter to accompany people dressed in Muslim clothes who were afraid of a backlash from the cafe siege. The hashtag #IllRideWithYou was used more than 90,000 times by late Monday evening.

Seven Network television news staff watched the gunman and hostages for hours from a fourth floor window of their Sydney offices, opposite the cafe.

The gunman could be seen pacing back and forth past the cafe's windows. Reporter Chris Reason said the man carried what appeared to be a pump-action shotgun, was unshaven and wore a white shirt and a black cap.

Earlier Monday, network staff counted about 15 different faces among hostages forced up against the windows.

"The gunman seems to be sort of rotating these people through these positions on the windows with their hands and faces up against the glass," Reason said in a report from the vantage point. "One woman we've counted was there for at least two hours - an extraordinary, agonizing time for her surely having to stand on her feet for that long."

"When we saw that rush of escapees, we could see from up here in this vantage point the gunman got extremely agitated as he realized those five had got out. He started screaming orders at the people, the hostages who remain behind," he added.

Reason later reported that staff brought food from a kitchen at the rear of the cafe and the hostages were fed.

As night set in, the lights inside the cafe were switched off. Armed police guarding the area outside fitted their helmets with green-glowing night goggles.

St. Vincent's hospital spokesman David Faktor said a male hostage was in satisfactory condition in the hospital's emergency department. He was the only one of the freed hostages to be taken to a hospital, and Scipione said he was being treated for a pre-existing condition.

Hundreds of police blanketed the city as streets were closed and offices evacuated. The public was told to stay away from Martin Place, site of the state premier's office, the Reserve Bank of Australia, and the headquarters of two of the nation's largest banks. The state parliament house is a few blocks away, and the landmark Sydney Opera House also is nearby.

"This is a very disturbing incident," Prime Minister Tony Abbott said. "It is profoundly shocking that innocent people should be held hostage by an armed person claiming political motivation."

Lindt Australia posted a message on its Facebook page thanking the public for its support.

"We are deeply concerned over this serious incident and our thoughts and prayers are with the staff and customers involved and all their friends and families," the company wrote.

Australia's government raised the country's terror warning level in September in response to the domestic threat posed by supporters of the Islamic State group. Counterterror law enforcement teams later conducted dozens of raids and made several arrests in Australia's three largest cities - Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. One man arrested during a series of raids in Sydney was charged with conspiring with an Islamic State leader in Syria to behead a random person in downtown Sydney.

The Islamic State group, which now holds a third of Syria and Iraq, has threatened Australia in the past. In September, Islamic State group spokesman Abu Mohammed al-Adnani issued an audio message urging so-called "lone wolf" attacks abroad, specifically mentioning Australia. Al-Adnani told Muslims to kill all "disbelievers," whether they be civilians or soldiers.

One terrorism expert said the situation appeared to be that of a "lone wolf" making his own demands, rather than an attack orchestrated by a foreign jihadist group.

"There haven't been statements from overseas linking this to extremist groups outside the country - that is quite positive," said Charles Knight, lecturer in the Department of Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism at Australia's Macquarie University. "The individual or individuals involved didn't kill early, which is part of the pattern of some recent international attacks. ... It seems to be shifting more into the model of a traditional hostage situation, rather than the sort of brutal attacks we've seen overseas."

___

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

After months of minimal progress on Lexington's Centrepoint project, construction crews are back to work on the hole in the downtown area.

On Monday mornig, a crane was being installed so work can begin on the underground parking garage. For the next two days, one lane of Main Street will be closed as they bring in the giant crane piece by piece.

"If you're a pedestrian, you just want to get to where you can, get around better.  I think everyone is very tolerant of the process, but they want to see some development, some action," said Max Conyers who works downtown. 

Signs downtown warn drivers that one lane will be closed until Wednesday.

The underground parking garage is expected to be three stories and have 700 parking spaces.

A Kentucky man arrested for the cold case murder of a woman in Ohio is heading back to the state where he is accused of committing that crime.

It was Daniel French's first court appearance on Monday morning since his arrest last week, and French waived his extradition, meaning he is heading back to Ohio where he is accused of murdering an elderly woman back in 2012.

The 56-year-old was arrested last Wednesday in Rockcastle County, accused of killing 86-year-old Barbara Howe.

Police in Ohio say back in October 2012, Howe disappeared after leaving a retirement center in Monroe, Ohio, and was found four days later dead in the trunk of her car.

French is facing several charges in the case, including abuse of a corpse and murder, with the possibility of the death penalty.

In court Monday morning, he didn't say much to the judge and his appearance was brief. But he did sign a form waiving his extradition to ohio.

And officials in Ohio have 30 days to come here to Rockcastle County to pick French up, it is unclear at this point when they will come but we will continue to follow this story and bring you updates as more information becomes available.

SOUDERTON, Pa. (AP) - Police are surrounding a home outside Philadelphia where a suspect is believed to have barricaded himself after shootings at multiple homes.

Police tell WPVI-TV the man is suspected of killing five people Monday morning at three different homes northwest of Philadelphia.

The television station reports the man is holed up in a Souderton home where police say two people were killed. Police say the man is also suspected of killing a woman in Harleysville and two people in Lansdale.

Officials are referring questions to the Montgomery County district attorney's office, which did not immediately return messages left by The Associated Press.

The Souderton Area School District, citing police activity in Souderton and Harleysville, has ordered students and teachers to shelter in place until further notice.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

A driver was sent to the hospital after an accident in Scott County Monday morning.

A Scott County deputy says a semi was traveling westbound on Cherry Blossom when an SUV heading east collided with semi, ripping the truck's axle off.

The driver of the SUV told police his brakes acted up and the vehicle drove left into the path of the semi.

The driver of the SUV was taken to the University of Kentucky Hospital, but is expected to be OK.

The message that black lives matter resonates at churches across the country, including one in Louisville.

Leaders at many African American churches encouraged worshippers to wear black to services this Sunday to stand in solidarity with the families of unarmed black men who have been killed by police.

"I just want to continue to encourage people to stay engaged. Whatever way they can. Stay engaged. If you can't march, write. If you can't write, engage in conversation. If you can't engage in conversation - if you're in places of influence, talk to people who are in positions of influence and help them to understand the nature of the situation. But to be engaged," said Dr. F. Bruce Williams at Best Memorial Baptist Church. 

The movement came a day after tens of thousands of people rallied across the country, calling for justice and equality.

One person is in custody in Hopkins County after a police chase that ended with a car flipping into a ditch Sunday night.

WFIE obtained a police report, stating the whole thing started when an officer spotted a stolen car. The started to follow the vehicle, but the driver didn't stop.

Police say 44-year-old Jeri Dillingham drove through a yard and ditch and then kept going. Officers used stop sticks, sending the car out of control and overturning into a ditch.

Dillingham was treated for minor injuries. Her two passengers weren't hurt.

She faces multiple charges including driving with a DUI suspended license, possession of open alcohol container, and fleeing police.

The man dubbed the "Duct Tape Bandit" is back behind bars in Boyd County because police say he robbed and attacked a businessman.

Investigators tell the Ashland Daily Independent that 32-year-old Kasey Kazee turned himself in for the crime, which happened about two weeks ago in an alley.

Marcus Woodward said Kazee and another man, 47-year-old Jeffrey Driver, knocked him to the ground and took his cash, credit cards, a watch and his wedding band. Both men are charged with first degree robbery.

Back in 2007, Kazee robbed a liquor store with his face and head covered by duct tape, with his shirt pulled up over his head. He got away with quarters from the register, but an employee tackled him outside and held him until police came.

SYDNEY (AP) - A flurry of loud bangs erupted early Tuesday as a swarm of heavily armed police stormed a downtown Sydney cafe where a gunman had been holding an unknown number of people hostage for more than 16 hours.

Police swooped into the Lindt Chocolat Cafe shortly after five or six hostages were seen running out of the building.

After the police moved in, one weeping woman was helped out by the officers and at least two other people were wheeled out on stretchers.

The dramatic scene unfolded shortly after the gunman was identified by local media as Iranian-born Man Haron Monis, who is facing charges including sexual assault and accessory to murder in separate cases. A police official said "you wouldn't be wrong" in identifying the 50-year-old Monis as the gunman. Under department rules, officials do not identify themselves unless speaking at a formal news conference.

Monis has long been on officials' radar. Last year, he was sentenced to 300 hours of community service for writing offensive letters to families of soldiers killed in Afghanistan. He was later charged with being an accessory to the murder of his ex-wife. Earlier this year, he was charged with the sexual assault of a woman in 2002. He has been out on bail on the charges.

"This is a one-off random individual. It's not a concerted terrorism event or act. It's a damaged goods individual who's done something outrageous," his former lawyer, Manny Conditsis, told Australian Broadcasting Corp.

"His ideology is just so strong and so powerful that it clouds his vision for common sense and objectiveness," Conditsis said.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. )

Investigators say a suspicious device found Monday morning in front of a storage building in Jessamine County was a hoax made to look like a homemade bomb.

The device was discovered after 7:30 a.m. near the storage building on Tococo Court outside of Asbury Seminary.

Wilmore Police asked for assistance from Lexington Police who brought in a robot to examine the device. Officers will take a closer look at the device to try to collect additional evidence.

No one has been charged in the case.

Stay with LEX 18 News and LEX18.com for the developing details.

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (AP) - A case before the state Court of Appeals could lower property taxes for Kentucky homeowners but it would also strip more than half of the funding for most of the state's public library systems.

A three-judge panel from the state Court of Appeals will hear the case in Elizabethtown Monday morning. At issue is what state law public libraries use to set their tax rates. The Campbell County Public Library system says if the court orders it to calculate its taxes differently, it would cut the system's funding by about 60 percent. Another 99 public library systems use the same law to set their tax rates.

Earlier this year, the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives tried to clarify which law libraries should use. But the Republican-controlled Senate did not agree.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Six Kentucky sites have been approved by a state review board for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.

The nominations by the Kentucky Historic Preservation Review Board will be sent to the National Park Service for a final decision on eligibility.

The state review board says a decision on the designation is expected in 60 to 90 days.

The Kentucky sites are Marianne Theater in Bellevue, Charles Young Park and Community Center in Lexington, Lynn Acres Apartments and the Louisville Gas & Electric Co. Service Station Complex in Jefferson County, Hellman Lumber and Manufacturing Co. in Covington and Elkhorn City Elementary and High Schools in Pike County.

The National Register is the nation's official list of historic and archaeological resources deemed worthy of preservation.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) - The father of a slain Auburn football player said his son was a joyous kid who talked about being an FBI agent and scratched plans of going to college in Florida as soon as he met Auburn football coach Gus Malzahn.

Redshirted freshman football player Jakell Lenard Mitchell, 18, died after being shot in the chest early Sunday morning at an off-campus apartment complex.

"Jakell was a fun-loving kid. There were no dull moments around him. His smile, his mannerisms, his personality, he was a good kid. I don't just say that because he was mine," Mario Mitchell said of his son.

"If you met him, you'd loved him," Mario Mitchell said. Jakell Mitchell would have turned 19 on New Year's Day, his father said.

Auburn police on Sunday afternoon arrested 22-year-old Markale Deandra Hart of Camp Hill, Alabama, on murder charges. Police have not released a motive in the shooting. However, Mitchell's girlfriend said Mitchell was arguing with a man outside a party when a third man opened fire on him.

A stream of visitors, including university football players and high school friends, filed in and out of the Opelika home where Mitchell grew up with his two brothers. The youngest, just 13, idolized Jakell, their father said.

Mario Mitchell, who played football for Troy University, said his son had initially planned to go to school outside of Alabama.

"It was, 'Dad I've got to get out of here. I've got to get out of this city.' Then he met Coach (Gus) Malzahn. It was like love at first sight for them two," Mitchell said of his son. He said his son talked of being an FBI agent when he finished school.

Jakell Mitchell lived in an on-campus dormitory but had gone to a party at the Tiger Lodge apartment complex Saturday, his father said. Auburn students had just finished final exams.

Auburn Police Capt. Will Mathews said police answered a call about 12:25 a.m. Sunday of shots fired at the complex, a few miles from the Auburn campus.

Mitchell had gotten into an argument with another man in the parking lot when a third man pulled a gun, his girlfriend said.

"He had his gun like this and was looking at Jakell," Ayanna Hughuley, 17, said of the suspect while holding her hand down at her waistband. She said as her boyfriend and the other partygoer got closer to each other during their argument, the third man opened fire, shooting Mitchell in the chest.

"He just started shooting. Jakell fell on the ground and he tried to get back up and run, and then he fell again. He started shooting at Jakell again while Jakell was on the ground," Hughuley said.

She said she didn't know what started the disagreement and doesn't think that Mitchell knew Hart.

Hughuley said she and others helped a wounded Mitchell into a car to take him to the hospital. She said police stopped them on the way and an ambulance took Mitchell the rest of the way.

Hart was being held Sunday afternoon at the Lee County Jail on $150,000 bond. Police said they don't expect additional arrests.

Mitchell redshirted this season for the Auburn Tigers out of nearby Opelika High School. Able to play both back and tight end, he was expected to contend for a starting spot next season, reports indicated. Mitchell missed his senior season at Opelika as he recovered from an ACL injury. He had rushed for 392 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2013 as a high school junior.

Malzahn said Sunday he was "devastated and saddened" by the death of the player, a halfback described by the team website as versatile on offense with blocking, catching and running skills.

"My thoughts and prayers are with Jakell's family and friends, who are suffering through this senseless tragedy. I know the Auburn Family is hurting, especially our players and coaches, and we are going to love and support them through this difficult time," he said in a statement. "We have lost a member of our family too young, too soon."

Blue spray paint dotted the Tiger Lodge parking lot where police marked possible evidence. Students looked at what was a possible bullet hole in one car. Mitchell's car bearing the license plate "Jakell" was towed from the parking lot late Sunday morning.

Jeremy Johnson, Auburn's backup quarterback, was one of those who drove up before midday Sunday to remember Mitchell. Johnson wasn't present at the time of the shooting, but wanted to come by after learning of his teammate's death.

"I couldn't believe it," Johnson said, growing emotional. "Jakell was a real good kid."

Drake Ledet, an Auburn sophomore who lives in an apartment near the shooting scene, said he heard several gunshots after midnight.

"I'd say it was at least eight (shots)," Ledet said, adding he looked outside to see what was happening. "People were screaming."

It was the same apartment complex where two former football players and a third man were shot to death outside a 2012 pool party. The complex, a few miles from campus, is popular with students.

Jurors convicted Desmonte Leonard of capital murder in the shooting deaths of former Auburn football players Ed Christian and Ladarious Phillips along with DeMario Pitts. Three other people were wounded. A judge will decide next month whether Leonard should receive the death penalty or life in prison.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. )

SYDNEY (AP) - Five people escaped from a Sydney cafe where a gunman took an unknown number of hostages during Monday morning rush hour. Two people inside the cafe earlier held up a flag with an Islamic declaration of faith that has often been used by extremists, raising fears that a terrorist incident was playing out in the heart of Australia's biggest city.

The first three people ran out of the Lindt Chocolat Cafe in downtown Sydney six hours into the hostage crisis, and two women sprinted from a fire exit into the arms of waiting police shortly afterward. Both women were wearing aprons with the Lindt chocolate logo, indicating they were cafe employees.

As the siege entered its 12th hour Monday night, basic questions remained unanswered. Police refused to say how many hostages were inside the cafe, what they believed the gunman's motives might be, whether he had made any demands or whether the hostages who fled the cafe escaped or were released.

"I would like to give you as much as I can but right now that is as much as I can," New South Wales state police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said. "First and foremost, we have to make sure we do nothing that could in any way jeopardize those still in the building."

Police were negotiating with the gunman and said they had no information to suggest anyone had been hurt. Scipione said they had not confirmed whether the siege was related to terrorism.

"Our only goal tonight and for as long as this takes is to get those people that are currently caught in that building out of there safely," he said.

Channel 10 news said it received a video in which a hostage inside the cafe had relayed the gunman's demands. The station said police requested they not broadcast it, and Scipione separately asked all media that might be contacted by the gunman to urge him instead to talk to police.

The drama began around 9:45 a.m. in Martin Place, a plaza in the heart of the city's financial and shopping district that is packed with holiday shoppers this time of year. Many of those inside the cafe would have been taken hostage as they stopped in for their morning coffees.

Television video shot through the cafe's windows showed several people with their arms in the air and hands pressed against the glass, and two people holding up a black flag with the Shahada, or Islamic declaration of faith, written on it.

The Shahada translates as "There is no god but God and Muhammad is his messenger." It is considered the first of Islam's five pillars of faith, and is similar to the Lord's Prayer in Christianity. It is pervasive throughout Islamic culture, including the green flag of Saudi Arabia. Jihadis have used the Shahada in their own black flag.

Seven Network television news staff watched the gunman and hostages for hours from a fourth floor window of their Sydney offices, opposite the cafe.

The gunman could be seen pacing back and forth past the cafe's windows. Reporter Chris Reason said the man carried what appeared to be a pump-action shotgun, was unshaven and wore a white shirt and a black cap.

Earlier in the day, network staff counted about 15 different faces among hostages forced up against the windows.

"The gunman seems to be sort of rotating these people through these positions on the windows with their hands and faces up against the glass," Reason said in a report from the vantage point. "One woman we've counted was there for at least two hours - an extraordinary, agonizing time for her surely having to stand on her feet for that long."

"When we saw that rush of escapees, we could see from up here in this vantage point the gunman got extremely agitated as he realized those five had got out. He started screaming orders at the people, the hostages who remain behind," he added.

Reason later reported that staff brought plates of food from a kitchen at the rear of the cafe and the hostages were fed.

As night set in, the lights inside the cafe were switched off. Armed police guarding the area outside fitted their helmets with green-glowing night goggles.

St. Vincent's hospital spokesman David Faktor said a male hostage was in satisfactory condition in the hospital's emergency department. He was the only one of the freed hostages to be taken to a hospital, and Scipione said he was being treated for a pre-existing condition.

Hundreds of police blanketed the city, streets were closed and offices evacuated. The public was told to stay away from Martin Place, site of the state premier's office, the Reserve Bank of Australia, and the headquarters of two of the nation's largest banks. The state parliament house is a few blocks away.

Workers in the cordoned-off area were asked to stay home Tuesday, indicating police believe the hostage drama could stretch into the next day.

"This is a very disturbing incident," Prime Minister Tony Abbott said. "It is profoundly shocking that innocent people should be held hostage by an armed person claiming political motivation."

Lindt Australia posted a message on its Facebook page thanking the public for its support.

"We are deeply concerned over this serious incident and our thoughts and prayers are with the staff and customers involved and all their friends and families," the company wrote.

Infosys, India's second-largest IT services provider, confirmed that one of its employees was among the hostages. The staffer's family has been informed, it said.

Australia's government raised the country's terror warning level in September in response to the domestic threat posed by supporters of the Islamic State group. Counterterror law enforcement teams later conducted dozens of raids and made several arrests in Australia's three largest cities - Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. One man arrested during a series of raids in Sydney was charged with conspiring with an Islamic State leader in Syria to behead a random person in downtown Sydney.

The Islamic State group, which now holds a third of Syria and Iraq, has threatened Australia in the past. In September, Islamic State group spokesman Abu Mohammed al-Adnani issued an audio message urging so-called "lone wolf" attacks abroad, specifically mentioning Australia. Al-Adnani told Muslims to kill all "disbelievers," whether they be civilians or soldiers.

One terrorism expert said the situation appeared to be that of a "lone wolf" making his own demands, rather than an attack orchestrated by a foreign jihadist group.

"There haven't been statements from overseas linking this to extremist groups outside the country - that is quite positive," said Charles Knight, lecturer in the Department of Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism at Australia's Macquarie University. "The individual or individuals involved didn't kill early, which is part of the pattern of some recent international attacks. ... It seems to be shifting more into the model of a traditional hostage situation, rather than the sort of brutal attacks we've seen overseas."

___

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. )

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - A new documentary being aired in Kentucky will introduce viewers to the colorful characters who craft bourbon.

The documentary draws from oral history interviews conducted by the University of Kentucky's Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History.

The program is called "Kentucky Bourbon Tales: Distilling the Family Business." It features the stories of master distillers and bourbon barons from such distilleries as Wild Turkey, Heaven Hill, Brown-Forman, Woodford Reserve, Maker's Mark, Four Roses, Jim Beam and Bulleit.

It also explains the science and art behind the bourbon-making process and details how the state's signature spirit has become a global phenomenon.

The program will first air Tuesday night on KET and again on the night of Sunday, Dec. 21 on KET2. The program will air several more times this month.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. )