Federal housing aid to help rebuild from Kentucky storms
April 26, 2023 GMTFRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — An infusion of federal funding will help build hundreds of homes in Kentucky communities devastated by tornadoes and floods in 2021, Gov. Andy Beshear said Wednesday.
Four counties hardest hit by the storms — Graves, Warren, Hopkins and Breathitt — will receive 80% of the more than $123 million in housing assistance allocated by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, the governor said at a news conference.
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Kentucky remembers tornado victims as rebuilding continues
December 10, 2022 GMTFRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Chris Bullock has a lot to be grateful for as she decorates her new home for Christmas, after spending much of the past year in a camper with her family.
One year ago Saturday, a massive tornado obliterated wide swaths of her Kentucky hometown of Dawson Springs, leaving her homeless after a terrifying night of death and destruction.
New lawsuit filed by workers in Ky. factory hit by tornado
December 8, 2022 GMTMAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — A group of workers who claim they were not allowed to leave a Kentucky candle factory before a tornado destroyed the building have filed a second lawsuit against the company.
The suit filed Thursday in Graves County accuses Mayfield Consumer Products and one of its supervisors of false imprisonment and infliction of emotional distress.
Work to begin on Purchase Parkway to extend I-69
December 2, 2022 GMTFRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Work will begin this month on upgrades to the Purchase Parkway in western Kentucky so that Interstate 69 can be extended from Mayfield to Fulton, officials said.
The $33.9 million project by Jim Smith Contracting of Grand Rivers will bring the Julian Carroll-Purchase Parkway up to interstate standards, Gov.
Attorney: Company hit by tornado interfered with OSHA probe
November 18, 2022 GMTMAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — Former workers at a Kentucky candle factory struck by a tornado last year are alleging that the company retaliated against them for cooperating with federal safety inspectors.
An attorney said Friday that he has filed a charge on behalf of 20 workers with the National Labor Relations Board that accuses Mayfield Consumer Products of unfair labor practices.
Former Kentucky congressman Carroll Hubbard dead at 85
November 15, 2022 GMTPADUCAH, Ky. (AP) — Former U.S. Rep. Carroll Hubbard of Kentucky, who served nine terms in the House and gained a reputation for quiet gestures of kindness before his career imploded in a banking scandal, has died.
Candle plant cited for violations after deadly tornadoes
August 24, 2022 GMTMAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — A candle factory where several workers were killed during tornadoes that hit Kentucky in December has been cited for violations of federal labor law.
Seven serious offenses are alleged, carrying potential fines of $40,000.
Youth development center reopens in tornado-stricken town
July 13, 2022 GMTMAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — After more than six months of rebuilding, a youth development center has reopened in a western Kentucky town devastated by a tornado last December.
Gov. Andy Beshear joined officials from the state Department of Juvenile Justice on Tuesday to reopen the doors to the youth development center in Mayfield.
Grain farmers affected by Kentucky tornadoes to get relief
June 27, 2022 GMTFRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Farmers in western Kentucky will get some relief after a grain elevator was damaged by deadly tornadoes in December.
Gov. Andy Beshear announced that up to $3.25 million will help farmers continue to grow and process grains.
Owners of candle factory damaged in tornado plan expansion
June 23, 2022 GMTThe company that operated a Kentucky candle factory leveled by a deadly winter tornado plans to ramp up production with a $33 million investment at a nearby plant, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Thursday.
Governor marks six-month anniversary of Kentucky tornadoes
June 10, 2022 GMTFrom the front porch of a newly built home, a western Kentucky town devastated by a tornado six months ago celebrated another milestone in its recovery on Friday — part of a massive relief effort that Gov.
Beshear announces funding for new homes for storm victims
May 10, 2022 GMTMAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — Five months after deadly tornadoes ripped through western Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear on Tuesday announced $16 million in funding to help provide homes for storm victims.
The money, coming from the Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund, will help provide up to 300 homes for families in 13 counties in the region, the governor said.
More assistance awarded for western Kentucky tornado relief
May 6, 2022 GMTFRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Additional assistance has been announced for western Kentucky to help with recovery from the December tornadoes.
More than $6.1 million from the West Kentucky State Aid Funding for Emergencies fund will go to seven western Kentucky cities, counties and utilities, Gov.
Four months after tornado, Kentucky focuses on rebuilding
April 25, 2022 GMTMAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — Sundays at the Bullock home in rural Kentucky were filled with lasting memories: big family dinners, cornhole, basketball and karaoke.
Deadline approaches for federal relief after Ky. tornadoes
March 10, 2022 GMTPADUCAH, Ky. (AP) — A federal assistance deadline is approaching for western Kentucky residents who suffered damages and losses during deadly December tornadoes.
The deadline is March 14 to apply for aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Small Business Administration, The Paducah Sun reported.
Gov: Kentucky’s death toll from December tornadoes now at 80
February 21, 2022 GMTLEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky’s death toll from devastating tornadoes in December has risen as Gov.
Kentucky governor hands trailer keys to storm survivors
January 28, 2022 GMTKentucky's governor handed over travel trailer keys Friday to a group of families that lost their homes when tornadoes tore through parts of the state in December.
Gov. Andy Beshear visited hard-hit Mayfield and Dawson Springs in western Kentucky as the families moved into trailers providing “medium-term” housing as they recover from the storms.
For tornado-ravaged churches, rebuilding means rethinking
January 28, 2022 GMTMAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — Mayfield First United Methodist Church, a century-old temple with stately columns and stained-glass windows, has long been an anchor in the life of Kathy O’Nan, the city’s 68-year-old mayor.
Fund to preserve, assist Black churches gets $20M donation
January 17, 2022 GMTBIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — A new effort to preserve historic Black churches in the United States has received a $20 million donation that will go to help congregations including one that was slammed during the tornado that killed more than 20 people in Mayfield, Kentucky, last month.
Notice: Destroyed candle factory will shift some workers
January 15, 2022 GMTMAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — A candle factory in western Kentucky that was destroyed last month by a tornado has filed paperwork saying it won't reopen the facility and will lay off some employees.
FEMA representatives available for rebuilding advice
January 12, 2022 GMTFRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — People rebuilding from last month's deadly tornadoes in Kentucky can get free advice from Federal Emergency Management Agency mitigation representatives.
The representatives will be available at Lowe's and Home Depot stores in Bowling Green and Mayfield.
Court operations return in Kentucky county after tornadoes
January 11, 2022 GMTFRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Court operations are returning in Graves County, Kentucky, a month after deadly tornadoes heavily damaged the county courthouse.
Graves County has not accepted any court filings since Dec.
Kentucky police fatally shoot man who fired at them
January 6, 2022 GMTMAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — Police providing security in the aftermath of deadly tornadoes in Kentucky have fatally shot a man who fired at them, state police said.
The shooting occurred early Wednesday as officers from the Frankfort Police Department were in Mayfield helping local agencies patrol the Mayfield-Graves County Fairgrounds after last month's tornadoes, which killed 22 people in Graves County alone and more than 90 people in five states.
Officials to form panel to focus on long-term recovery
December 29, 2021 GMTMAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — Officials in a western Kentucky community devastated by tornadoes said they are working together to create a committee that will focus on long-term recovery.
Kentucky’s death toll from tornadoes rises to 77
December 27, 2021 GMTFRANKFORT, Ky (AP) — Kentucky’s death toll from devastating tornadoes earlier this month rose by one as Gov. Andy Beshear announced Monday that an infant died last week. The state's revised death toll from the storms is now 77.
Contractors must register in tornado devastated town
December 27, 2021 GMTFRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Contractors looking to assist tornado victims in western Kentucky must register with local and state officials beginning on Monday, officials said.
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron joined local leaders on Sunday to announce the emergency contractor registration program.
9 days after tornado, cat found in rubble of building
December 22, 2021 GMTLOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Nine days after a tornado demolished his three-story office building in downtown Mayfield, Kentucky, Sonny “Hoot” Gibson was standing in the rubble when he thought he heard a faint meow.
Pop-up license branch issuing IDs for tornado victims
December 22, 2021 GMTMAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — State officials have set up a temporary licensing office in Mayfield to help western Kentucky storm victims restore important identifications.
The pop-up licensing office opened Monday at 355 Charles Drive near Kentucky 80.
Police urge tornado victims to be wary of possible scams
December 21, 2021 GMTMAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — Several complaints about fraudulent disaster relief workers have Kentucky State Police urging tornado victims to be wary of possible scams.
While there are many legitimate workers in western Kentucky, the state police post in Mayfield said in a statement that residents have reported individuals posing as Federal Emergency Management Agency representatives, American Red Cross workers, insurance adjusters and contractors.
Tornado victims include 7 members of Kentucky family
December 17, 2021 GMTA week after a deadly tornado outbreak, families of the victims are still processing the terrible toll.
Rebuilding tornado-ravaged Kentucky town could take years
December 17, 2021 GMTMAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — Although his birthday is still a few days away, 60-year-old Harley Kelso knows what he's getting from his sister.
Army vet, 3-year-old among the dead in widespread twisters
December 17, 2021 GMTDetails about the fathers and mothers, children, friends and siblings who died during a tornado outbreak that ripped through the Midwest and South are still coming into focus nearly a week after the onslaught.
Tornado-hit factory sued; workers said they couldn’t leave
December 16, 2021 GMTMAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — Survivors of a tornado that leveled a Kentucky candle factory, killing eight workers, have filed a lawsuit claiming their employer demonstrated “flagrant indifference” by refusing to allow employees to go home early as the storm approached.
In tornado’s wake, a church and pastor turn to God, service
December 16, 2021 GMTMAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — After riding out the violent tornado that devastated their town in a tunnel under their church, the Rev. Wes Fowler and his family emerged to devastation stretching for blocks: Crackling power lines, piles of rubble and calls for help they couldn't pinpoint in the darkness.
Kentucky man dies of heart attack during storm cleanup
December 15, 2021 GMTMAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky man suffered a fatal heart attack while cleaning up storm debris at his daughter's home, authorities said as the death toll edged upward from a recent tornado outbreak across multiple U.S.
Nursing home worker, sisters among tornado victims
December 15, 2021 GMTFRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A nursing home worker from Kentucky who had "such a bright personality.” Sisters from western Kentucky who worked at the only funeral home in their small town. A woman who had just recently been elected to a school board seat after years of working as a teacher's aide, school bus driver and finance director.
Worker says she risked discipline if she left job amid storm
December 15, 2021 GMTMAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — An employee of the Kentucky candle factory where eight workers were killed by a tornado said Tuesday that a supervisor threatened her with written disciplinary action if she went home early because storms were approaching.
Tornado victims include former Kentucky school administrator
December 14, 2021 GMTA Kentucky woman who worked her way up from school bus driver to become an administrator and school board member. A grandfather who “stole the show” when he was around his grandchildren. A 2-month-old whose family tried to protect her by putting her in a car seat.
Kentucky governor’s family ties run deep in storm-hit area
December 14, 2021 GMTDAWSON SPRINGS, Ky. (AP) — In the desperate hours after the massive storm struck, Andy Beshear took time out from his duties as governor of the hardest-hit state early Saturday to do what a lot of his fellow Kentuckians were doing.
‘Gone’: MLB umpire Tripp Gibson home in tornado-hit Mayfield
December 14, 2021 GMTTripp Gibson was on the treadmill at his house near Seattle, a solid workout before heading to a holiday party with his wife.
To pass the time Friday afternoon, the Major League Baseball umpire was chatting on the phone with dad, just catching up on things back in his hometown.
In the ruins of Mayfield, a search for hope in what’s saved
December 14, 2021 GMTWINGO, Ky. (AP) — She arrived at the shelter sobbing. Her house was gone, along with everything in it. On the phone, Victoria Byerly-Zuck begged her neighbors to search the wreckage for the one thing she could not bear to lose.
Animal groups clearing shelters in tornado-affected areas
December 14, 2021 GMTLOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky Humane Society in Louisville is coordinating with other animal groups to take pets from shelters in areas affected by last week's deadly tornadoes.
The Humane Society is taking animals that were in the Mayfield-Graves County Animal Shelter before the storm.
Thousands without heat, water after tornadoes kill dozens
December 14, 2021 GMTMAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — Residents of Kentucky counties where tornadoes killed dozens of people could be without heat, water or electricity in frigid temperatures for weeks or longer, state officials warned Monday, as the toll of damage and deaths came into clearer focus in five states slammed by the swarm of twisters.
Tornado victims include infant girl, longtime florist, judge
December 14, 2021 GMTA 2-month-old whose family tried to protect her by putting her in a car seat. A 94-year-old Korean War veteran from Arkansas. A longtime florist in Tennessee who recently “started on her new adventure” as an airport security worker.
Tornado victims find scraps as they sift through destruction
December 13, 2021 GMTWINGO, Ky. (AP) — Victims of the deadly tornadoes in the Midwest and South scoured the debris of what was once their homes, trying to salvage pieces of their lives.
Tommy Jackson’s house in Mayfield collapsed during the storm, and he stayed the first night afterward with his brother.
‘Y’all pray for Mayfield’: Town grieves in tornado aftermath
December 13, 2021 GMTMAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — Judy Burton’s hands shivered as she gazed up at what had been her third-floor apartment. She could see her clothes still hanging in the closet, through the building's shredded walls.
‘Y’all pray for Mayfield’: Town grieves in tornado aftermath
December 13, 2021 GMTMAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — Judy Burton’s hands shivered as she gazed up at what had been her third-floor apartment. She could see her clothes still hanging in the closet, through the building's shredded walls.
Judge, grandma, outdoorsman among those killed by twisters
December 13, 2021 GMTMAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — An Amazon warehouse worker in Illinois who was an outdoorsman and avid motorcycle rider. A Kentucky judge known for his common sense. A “typical" grandmother from Missouri.
These were among the dozens of people killed during Friday night's tornadoes that ripped through five states in the Midwest and South.
Tornado survivor: ‘Not knowing is worse than knowing’
December 13, 2021 GMTMAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — Autumn Kirks said she and her boyfriend, Lannis Ward, had been dating for about a year and were saving money to buy a house. They were both working the night shift at the candle factory for extra money when the tornado struck.
Kentucky tornado toll in dozens; less than feared at factory
December 13, 2021 GMTMAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — Workers on the night shift at Mayfield Consumer Products were in the middle of the holiday rush, cranking out candles, when a tornado closed in on the factory and the word went out: "Duck and cover.”
Planning questions emerge at tornado-destroyed candle plant
December 13, 2021 GMTMAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — The Mayfield Consumer Products factory was the third-biggest employer in this corner of western Kentucky, an important economic engine that churned out candles that lined the shelves of malls around the U.S.
No. 7 Louisville women top rival No. 14 Kentucky 64-58
December 12, 2021 GMTLOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — With No. 7 Louisville needing any spark it could get, Ahlana Smith's clutch sequence on both ends of the floor finally shifted momentum against No. 14 Kentucky.
Smith and Hailey Van Lith each made two late baskets and the Cardinals held off Kentucky 64-58 on Sunday to beat their in-state archrivals for the fifth straight time.
Correction: Midwest Tornadoes story
December 12, 2021 GMTMAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — In a story published December 11, 2021, about deadly tornadoes hitting several states, The Associated Press erroneously reported the name of a researcher on extreme weather at Northern Illinois University.
In storm’s aftermath, Kentucky residents struggle with loss
December 12, 2021 GMTMAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — Jarred Holmes was supposed to have been working inside a candle factory when it was ripped apart by a monstrous tornado that killed an untold number of employees and trapped many others under mounds of debris.
Helen LaFrance, who painted rural memories, dies at 101
November 24, 2020 GMTMAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — A prominent Black Kentucky artist whose painted memories of rural life in Kentucky are featured in U...
NFL draft: Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield at Senior Bowl is game changer
December 22, 2017 GMTThe Senior Bowl is annually the best pre-NFL draft event in terms of attracting the top senior talent from around the country. More than 80 of the more than 110 players who head to Mobile, Alabama, end up being drafted every year, regularly featuring a handful of future Pro Bowl- and All Pro-level players.
Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield named the AP Player of the Year
December 8, 2017 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Baker Mayfield is The Associated Press college football Player of the Year, becoming the fourth Oklahoma quarterback to win the award since it was established in 1998.
Mayfield easily outpointed Stanford running back Bryce Love, who came in second.