Man accused of beating infant, causing 27 fractures

RICHMOND, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky man is accused of punching his infant daughter and repeatedly slamming the 3-month-old on the ground, causing 27 bone fractures and other injuries.

News outlets report 24-year-old Sean Dykes was arrested Thursday and charged with abuse of a minor and domestic violence.

An arrest report says authorities responding to a report of a wounded infant last week found the girl with fractures, bruises, bleeding in her eyes and other possible internal injuries.

Richmond Police Assistant Chief Rodney Richardson said “it’s unimaginable that a father could do this to their daughter.”

Dykes also was accused in March of shoving his girlfriend and her mother to the ground and attempting to strangle one of them.

He’s being held without bail. It’s unclear if he has a lawyer.

Appalachian Trail attack prompts safety website revisions

ROANOKE, Va. (AP) — A fatal stabbing on the Appalachian Trail has led the nonprofit that manages the trail to revise its website for reporting safety issues and suspicious incidents.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy redesigned its safety and crime prevention page to include incident reporting resources including a bright red 911 button, a National Park Service phone number and the ability to submit an incident report from a cellphone. Previously, the form was a downloadable PDF that would have to be filled out and emailed back.

Conservancy communications manager Jordan Bowman told The Roanoke Times that the changes prompted by the May slaying make the resources clearer and easier to use.

“The way we designed it now … their eye will immediately jump to the big red 911 if there’s an emergency,” he said.

Hiker and army veteran Ronald Sanchez Jr. was stabbed to death on the trail in southwestern Virginia. James Jordan of West Yarmouth, Massachusetts, is charged with murder and assault with intent to murder in the attack on Sanchez and a female hiker whose identity wasn’t immediately released.

Kentucky seeks to expand school-based health care services

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin says his administration is seeking to amend the state’s Medicaid plan in an effort to provide greater health-care access for students.

Bevin’s office says the proposal would allow Kentucky school districts to utilize federal Medicaid funding to provide Medicaid-enrolled students with increased access to school-based health care. The care includes mental health services, health screenings and asthma management.

Bevin’s administration says the proposal was submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in late April. If approved, the goal is to begin the expansion of services and eligible students during the 2019-2020 school year for school districts choosing to participate.

The proposal was presented to state lawmakers Monday. The Cabinet for Health and Family Services is working with the state education department on the effort.

Kentucky Association of Counties names new director

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky Association of Counties has a new leader at the helm.

The group’s board of directors appointed Jim Henderson as executive director and CEO. The association says Henderson has served as deputy executive director since January 2018 and will assume the new duties immediately.

Henderson was Judge executive of Simpson County in western Kentucky for five terms before his stint with the counties association.

Henderson says he is looking forward to working with county officials, legislators, and executive branch officials “to address the needs of Kentucky at the local level.”

The counties association serves all 120 counties of the Commonwealth by providing insurance, financial services, research and planning, and legislative services for counties and elected county officials.