School system gets extra security post-threats

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky school system says state and local authorities are providing extra security following the arrest of a man who state police say made “credible and imminent” threats.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports the Anderson County school district will have extra security throughout Monday. Authorities say they believe they saved lives by arresting a heavily armed man named Dylan Jarrell last week on charges including terroristic threatening.

The 20-year-old Jarrell is accused of threatening schools and having a detailed plan of attack. He was arrested while leaving his home Thursday. State police Commissioner Rick Sanders has said Jarrell “was caught backing out of his driveway with the tools he needed to commit this heinous act.”

Police have said evidence suggests he was heading to a school. Classes were canceled Friday.

Police pursuit ends in crash that kills 2

RADCLIFF, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky State Police say two teenagers have been killed when a pursuit ended with a suspect’s vehicle striking a car.

State Police spokesman Trooper Scott Sharp says in a news release several police departments were pursuing the pickup on Saturday night when it struck the car at a U.S. 31 intersection south of Radcliff.

The statement says the car’s driver, 18-year-old Jacob Barber of Elizabethtown, and a 17-year-old passenger were killed.

Sharp says the pickup’s driver, 36-year-old Shawn Welsh of Fairmont, West Virginia, was treated at a hospital before being released into custody of the Meade County Sheriff’s Office. It wasn’t immediately clear if he faced charges. The sheriff’s office was closed Sunday.

His passenger, 36-year-old Laura Neville of Morgantown, West Virginia, was charged by state police with possession of methamphetamine and on a fugitive warrant.

Animal shelter worker contributes to volunteer kit

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky animal shelter worker has helped create a toolkit available to other shelters nationwide that allows dogs to get out in the community and meet people who may want to adopt them.

Foster coordinator Stephanie Jackson of Louisville Metro Animal Services said when dogs go out, it’s easier to see their needs and get them prepared for a new home. Jackson said in a news release from the group Mutual Rescue that seeing the dogs having fun also helps energize the shelter’s staff, and volunteers report their own stress relief from the outings.

Mutual Rescue said the Louisville shelter’s euthanasia rate has also dropped since asking volunteers to take homeless dogs out for short field trips in the community.

The national program is called Doggy Day Out. The toolkit is available online .

Officials say more than 1,000 acres of land conserved

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky officials say more than 1,000 acres of land have been conserved in Bullitt and Hancock counties.

The Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves’ Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund said in a statement that 494 acres were added to Bernheim Forest and 496 acres were added to Knobs State Forest, which are both in Bullitt County. The statement says both additions are part of an effort to create a wildlife corridor in the area.

The organization said 136 acres conserved in Hancock County created Jeffrey’s Cliff Natural Area. The area is located on a sandstone cliff system that is unusual in western Kentucky and plans call for adding hiking trails.

Kentucky Nature Preserves Director Zeb Weese said the projects are examples of compatible habitat conservation and ecotourism.

State parks using partnerships to make needed repairs

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky State Parks are suffering from $240 million in deferred maintenance, but a partnership with local communities is helping to turn things around.

Kentucky Today reports Parks Commissioner Donnie Holland told state lawmakers about the improvements at a committee meeting on Friday.

Holland said the partnerships began in 2010. They include My Old Kentucky Home, where Nelson County Fiscal Court made repairs to the amphitheater, which had been closed for structural and electrical problems.

Other partnerships include Kentucky Dam Village, where Calvert City took over the airport and made improvements to win federal approval, and Lake Malone, where a local charity paid to replace a dilapidated dock.

Holland noted that Kentucky is not the worst for deferred park maintenance — some states’ needs come to more than a billion dollars.