By Associated Press - Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Paul: Bevin’s credibility hurt by bailout issue

LEBURN, Ky. (AP) - Republican Senate challenger Matt Bevin’s credibility was damaged by revelations he praised the 2008 federal bank bailout years before turning it into a campaign issue, railing against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for voting for it, Sen. Rand Paul said Monday.

Paul, who gained national prominence as the favorite of tea party groups that Bevin has courted with some success, wouldn’t say how much the contradiction had hurt Bevin in his upset bid against McConnell in the May 20 GOP primary.

Meanwhile, McConnell drew the wrath of some Kentucky tea party groups for his role in persuading some of his GOP colleagues to accept legislation lifting the nation’s borrowing authority with no concessions from President Barack Obama.

One group, the United Kentucky Tea Party, which endorsed Bevin last year, called on the five-term senator to drop out of the Senate primary. The group predicted McConnell would likely lose the fall election to the Democratic front-runner, Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes.

“Senator McConnell’s recent vote with (Democratic Senate leader) Harry Reid to hand President Obama a blank check for the next year has further degraded his support in Kentucky,” the tea party group said Monday.

Paul, who is considering a run for the presidency in 2016, long ago endorsed McConnell’s bid for a sixth term this year.

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Ky. ag commissioner reveals 5 pilot hemp projects

LEBURN, Ky. (AP) - Industrial hemp’s comeback in Kentucky will start with at least five pilot projects to gauge the potential of the versatile crop that flourished until marijuana was banned decades ago, the state’s top agriculture official said Monday.

“Hemp will go into the ground in Kentucky for the first time since World War II this year,” Agriculture Commissioner James Comer said during a Knott County event to announce a series of steps to increase agriculture in the hilly terrain of eastern Kentucky.

The initiatives include a new Appalachia Proud brand to promote the region’s fruits, vegetables, honey, meats and other farm products.

Hemp’s reintroduction will have a statewide reach, with test plots expected to be planted this spring from Appalachia to the western Kentucky grain belt. Hemp cultivation will be tied to research.

University of Kentucky researchers will study basic production questions - which hemp seeds grow best, best times to plant and harvest and what equipment can be used. In another project, the university will look into the crop’s potential medical benefits. Eastern Kentucky University will study hemp’s potential as an alternative energy source. Other research partners include Murray State University and Kentucky State University.

“We hope these pilot projects prove that it actually does have a future,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who along with his Kentucky colleague, Sen. Rand Paul, played key roles in pushing for hemp’s reintroduction.

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Sinkholes common in south-central Kentucky

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) - While sinkholes as big as the one that swallowed eight Corvettes in Bowling Green last week aren’t typical, smaller ones are common in the area.

Western Kentucky University geology professor Ken Kuehn told The Daily News (https://bit.ly/1gbObNn) that it is “a very typical feature of the karst environment.”

Kuehn says that environment extends from around Elizabethtown to Tennessee.

“It’s not just a Bowling Green problem. It’s a regional problem,” he said. “But Bowling Green is the largest city in the area.”

Warren County Public Works Director Mac Yowell says his department gets calls weekly about sinkholes. He says the sinkhole at the Corvette Museum was one of at least five recorded in the area last week.

Yowell described the collapse at the museum as “one of the granddaddies of them all.” He said the only other significant collapse he remembers is when a large section of Dishman Lane in Bowling Green gave way in 2002.

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Transylvania University names new president

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - Transylvania University has named Seamus Carey as the 26th president at the institution in central Kentucky.

Carey comes from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn., where he serves as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. He was named a finalist for the position last month along with three others, including former Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson.

“Dr. Carey was chosen from a strong pool of candidates because of his dedication to the liberal arts and his academic and administrative experience, first as a philosophy professor and most recently as dean,” Transylvania Board of Trustees Chairman William T. Young Jr. said in a statement.

Media report that Carey is expected to start in the role on July 1.

“I am honored to receive this appointment,” Carey said in a statement from the school. “I look forward to joining the Transylvania community.”

The liberal arts college in downtown Lexington was founded in 1780. It has 1,100 students.

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