Ky. gov to lead trade trip to China

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin is leading a delegation on a trip aimed at boosting trade ties with China.

Bevin’s office says the goals include strengthening relationships with Chinese companies operating in Kentucky, as well as developing new business and government connections to promote future growth.

Bevin says he wants Kentucky to be the first state that countries around the world think of when they choose to locate in the United States.

Joining Bevin for the weeklong trip are Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development executive officer Vivek Sarin and Erran Persley, the cabinet’s executive director for international affairs and business development.

Bevin’s office says Chinese-owned companies employ about 8,700 people at facilities in Kentucky.

Last year, Kentucky exports to China hit record levels, with more than $2.8 billion in products and services shipped.

Officials: Woman attacked by her pit bull in Ky. dies

WINCHESTER, Ky. (AP) — Officials in Kentucky say a 45-year-old woman who had been attacked by a pit bull has died.

Clark County Sheriff Berl Perdue says April Collins was discovered unresponsive by her husband Thursday, when he arrived at their home in Winchester. Authorities tell news outlets that Collins died Friday.

The sheriff says no one was in the home except Collins and the dog, which was owned by the woman and her husband. A coroner determined her injuries were as a result of a pit bull attack. The cause of death is pending autopsy results.

Authorities say the dog has been taken to an animal shelter.

2 charged in slaying of man found in burned N.C. home

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Authorities say two men are in custody in connection to the slaying of a man found dead in a burned North Carolina home.

The Winston-Salem Journal reports 38-year-old Ronald Lee Moser was arrested Saturday on charges including first-degree murder and arson. Arrest warrants on those charges also have been issued for 20-year-old Carson Glenn Simmons, who was being held as a fugitive Monday by a Louisville, Kentucky sheriff’s office.

Both are accused in the slaying of 56-year-old Dennis James Vernon, who was found dead in a burned mobile home last month. An autopsy determined he died from an assault and not the fire. The relationship between the men is unclear.

It also is unclear if Simmons or Moser have a lawyer.

ACLU: $337K settlement after deputy handcuffs students

COVINGTON, Ky. (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union says a Kentucky sheriff’s department has agreed to pay $337,000 to settle a federal lawsuit over a deputy’s handcuffing of two unruly elementary school students.

The lawsuit was filed by the parents of two children who were handcuffed in separate incidents at separate schools in 2014 after officials called for assistance from a Kenton County Sheriff’s deputy who served as a school resource officer.

The lawsuit and an accompanying video uploaded to YouTube by the ACLU ignited a nationwide debate about school discipline.

News outlets report the Kenton County Sheriff’s Office didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

The ACLU posted a statement on its website on saying the agreement was reached last week.

Ex-high school coach convicted of child sex charge

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) — A jury in Kentucky has convicted a former assistant basketball coach and instructional assistant at Bowling Green High School of a child sex charge.

The Daily News reports jurors deliberated for more than four hours Friday before returning the verdict for 26-year-old Houston Bunton on charges of sexual abuse and criminal attempted unlawful transaction with a minor. He was acquitted of a sodomy count.

Bunton’s arrest citation said a teenage boy told investigators he was assaulted while visiting Bunton’s home.

Jurors recommended a six-year sentence on the charges. Sentencing was set for Dec. 18.