News

A Kentucky lawmaker has filed a bill that would block automatic utility rate increases for power plants that use natural gas.

The Courier-Journal reports Democratic Rep. Jim Gooch of Providence, the chairman of the House Natural Resources and Environment Committee, is sponsoring the measure that would prevent utilities from utilizing a provision in state law called the "fuel adjustment clause", which allows utilities to adjust what it charges customers based on changes in cost of fuel or purchased power.

In an interview with the newspaper, Gooch called the measure a "consumer protection bill."

Gooch represents a House seat that covers Daviess, Hopkins, McLean, and Webster counties.

Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner James Comer says an increasing number of state legislators are lining up in support of legalizing the growing of hemp as a cash crop for Kentucky farmers.

Bills have been filed in both the Kentucky House and Senate to allow the growing of industrial hemp after licensing through the agriculture department.

Speaking before the Kentucky Commodities Conference in Bowling Green Friday, Comer told WKU Public Radio hemp is a crop with potential uses for industry, clothing, paper and more. The biggest problem, he said, is overcoming the opposition of law enforcement agencies that fear growing hemp could lead to an increase in marijuana growing. The two plants are almost identical and police say hemp would serve as a cover for marijuana plots.

Bowling Green police are investigating after an unidentified man robbed Service One Credit Union on the 31-W Bypass in the city Friday afternoon and made off with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Police say the man waited in line behind at least one other customer. When he got to the teller window, he implied he had a gun, demanded money and walked out of the credit union with the cash just before 3 p.m.

He was last seen on foot running south on the bypass.

The suspect is described as a white male in his mid-40s, unshaven and wearing a gray pullover hooded sweatshirt, a blue knit cap and black sunglasses. Police say they do not have any suspects at this time.

This is the second bank robbery this month in Bowling Green. The First Security Bank on Chestnut Street was robbed January 3rd. No arrest has been made in that case.

The state Attorney General's Office says Friday is the last day for Kentuckians to file a claim to receive a payment under the national mortgage settlement.  Thousands of borrowers who lost their homes between 2008 and 2011 may be eligible to receive a payment.

The nation's five largest mortgage servicers agreed to the settlement with the federal government and 49 state attorneys general last year. 

"Basically this settlement settles claims by the attorneys general that during the housing crisis and foreclosure crisis in the United States, these banks had allegedly engaged in fraudulent behavior which included robo signing documents that it filed with the court," said Allison Martin, a spokeswman for the Kentucky Attorney General's Office.

Kentucky’s Centre College is creating a new summer program this year for Kentucky juniors and seniors to learn more about the world outside state.

The Global Leadership Academy will take place over two weeks in the middle of June this summer; the goal for Centre is to get Kentucky’s high school students more in line with global leadership and cultures.

It’s the first attempt at such a program for the private college in Danville, Ky., which is leveraging its reputation as a strong study abroad college to start the program.

Milton Reigelman, the director of global citizenship at Centre College, said the goal is to help high school students get a taste of college life, as well as new subjects.

“But it will also sort of teach them about global issues that are not very widely covered in high schools or even in colleges,” he said.