TRAMPOLINE PARK-SUPREME COURT
Kentucky’s high court rules in trampoline park injury case
(Information from: Courier Journal, http://www.courier-journal.com)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky’s Supreme Court has ruled that a damage waiver signed by a parent at a trampoline park does not protect the park from liability in the case of an injured child.
The Courier Journal reports that the court said Thursday it reached a unanimous decision in a lawsuit against House of Boom, a Louisville trampoline park where an 11-year-old girl broke her ankle in August 2015.
The girl’s mother had signed a waiver warning of the risk of serious injury, paralysis or death, when she bought tickets for her daughter.
The mother alleged House of Boom failed to adequately supervise customers or follow safety policies. House of Boom cited the waiver in seeking the lawsuit’s dismissal.
The court ruled that the public’s interest in protecting children renders liability waivers at for-profit operations unenforceable.
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MAIL FRAUD INDICTMENT
Former auto plant worker indicted in federal mail fraud case
GEORGETOWN, Ky. (AP) — A federal grand jury has indicted a former Kentucky auto plant worker accused of stealing parts from the facility and selling them online, profiting more than $250,000.
News outlets report the 14 count indictment came down Thursday for Randall Perry.
Court documents state Perry took laser scanners and electronic components from his former job at the Toyota Motor Manufacturing plant in Georgetown. The indictment says Perry sold the parts on eBay between Nov. 2015 and Nov. 2017.
If convicted, Perry would have to forfeit the more than $250,000 he’s accused of obtaining in the scheme, and could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.
Perry is scheduled to appear in federal court in July. It is unclear if he had a lawyer who could comment.
POLICE CHASE-LAWSUIT
Kentucky high court rules police can be sued in deadly chase
(Information from: Lexington Herald-Leader, http://www.kentucky.com)
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky Supreme Court has ruled that police can be sued for damages when their car chases lead to the death or injury of third parties.
The Lexington Herald-Leader reports the court’s 6-1 ruling on Thursday overturned a 1952 decision that had granted police blanket immunity. The ruling will align Kentucky practice with that of most other states where juries are allowed to decide whether police are at fault.
In the case at hand, the children of Luis Gonzalez will be allowed to sue the Scott County sheriff and a deputy for damages related to their father’s death.
Gonzalez died in 2014 when a suspected drug dealer crashed head-on into his vehicle during a chase.
Attorney Barry Stilz, representing the sheriff’s office, said they are disappointed with the ruling.
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OWENSBORO VIOLENCE
Owensboro man wants to stop town’s growing violence
(Information from: Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, http://www.messenger-inquirer.com)
OWENSBORO, Ky. (AP) — An Owensboro man is trying to bring residents together to stop the town’s growing violence.
The Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer reports , in a year that is not quite half over there have been five homicides within the city and two in the county, all gun-related.
That’s already one more homicide than the six for all of 2018.
The most recent occurred on Sunday, when 25-year-old Nicholas Decker was found at home with a gunshot wound shortly after midnight.
Decker’s friend Zachary Miller was one of those who showed up at a Thursday community meeting. He said it is important to bring people together for something positive.
The meeting was organized by Tim Collier, who said the goal is to “win these streets back.”
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OKLAHOMA TEACHERS-EDUCATION
Legacy of teacher walkouts could be more political activism
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Teachers who staged successful walkouts to demand better pay and public school funding in several states last year are showing they’re intent on staying politically engaged.
Teacher unions in Oklahoma, Arizona, Kentucky and West Virginia report increases in membership, and many are recruiting candidates for 2020.
In Oklahoma, teachers ran for and won a number of seats in the Republican-led Legislature last year and have succeeded in getting the state to increase school funding and teacher pay.
Carri Hicks, a Democrat and former elementary school teacher who won what had been a Republican-held Oklahoma state Senate seat last year, says teacher delegations have been so common at the state Capitol on Tuesdays this year that she lovingly refers to them as “teacher Tuesdays.”
Concerned parents are also getting more politically active, with new Parent Legislative Action Committee chapters popping up in school districts throughout the state.
ARMY ANNIVERSARY
Fort Campbell celebrates Army’s 244th birthday
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) — Soldiers and others at Fort Campbell have marked the Army’s 244th birthday with a celebration at the post on the Kentucky-Tennessee state line.
Celebrating Thursday were leaders of the 101st Airborne Division, Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, U.S. Army Garrison Fort Campbell, tenant units and civilian guests.
The post said the ceremony followed tradition, with the senior commander joined by the oldest and youngest soldiers in the division to cut a cake.
After 101st Airborne deputy commander Col. Clair Gill, Lt. Col. John McDonough of Blanchfield received the second piece of cake. McDonough, who was born in 1957, spent years in the Navy and joined the Army in 2010. The post said he passed his slice of cake to Pvt. Justin Davila, who was born in 2001 and joined the Army last year.
