With less than a week before her trial was scheduled to begin, a Bardwell woman accused of killing her husband and shooting another man, accepted a plea agreement Tuesday in Carlisle Circuit Court. Originally charged with murder and four counts attempted murder, Martha Ligon, 68, pleaded "guilty but mentally ill" to amended charges of first-degree manslaughter, second-degree assault and second-degree wanton endangerment. With the plea, Ligon acknowledged she was guilty of criminal acts but contends she was not in control of her mental faculties at the time the crimes were committed.
It's an event that could rival Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus for the "Greatest Show on Earth" title -- the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse that will sweep across 14 states, including 10 Kentucky counties. With Paducah in the path of the eclipse, state and local agencies are preparing for a massive influx of visitors. They are urging area business to take steps now to prepare for traffic issues that may affect routine food and fuel deliveries, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet spokesman Keith Todd said in a news release.
The state fire marshal's office has completed its portion of the investigation into the Feb. 8 fire at Harper Country Ham in Clinton and still lists the cause as "undetermined," according to Elizabeth Goss Kuhn, executive director for the Office of Communications at the state Public Protection Cabinet. Although the fire marshal's work is finished, Kuhn said the office continues to assist other parties still conducting investigations.
Hotter air gets thin, making it harder to take off and land safely, mostly for smaller jets. That's what has kept some planes grounded in Phoenix this week where temperatures have been pushing 120 degrees.
The effects of Tropical Storm Cindy in the Gulf of Mexico will hit Kentucky starting Thursday but should trickle off toward the weekend. According to the National Weather Service in Paducah, there is a 50 percent chance of rain Thursday. The chance increases to 80 percent on Friday.
