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Free hazard surveys available for business owners to help avoid penalties

State officials are encouraging employers to take advantage of free resources to help make their workplaces safer.

According to a release from the Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet, the Kentucky Occupational Safety and Health Program, also known as KYSAFE, offers free safety and health surveys which help employers pre-emptively identify potential workplace hazards.

Surveys are performed by consultants with KYSAFE. The surveyors “identify hazards such as machine safeguarding, electrical safety, fire prevention and protection, confined space entry, indoor air quality, respiratory protection, hearing protection, and more.” The surveys identify potential workplace hazards that may be subject to enforcement penalties, allowing employers to avoid fines if they correct the issues identified.

The Education and Labor Cabinet says Kentucky employers requested 531 surveys through the program in 2024. These surveys identified 4,927 safety risks that would have exposed more than 96,000 Kentucky workers to potential hazards, saving employers more than $26 million in potential penalties.

Employers may request a free survey or learn more by visiting kysafe.ky.gov or by calling 502-564-3070.

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife hosting ‘Mentor to Win’ contest

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife has a special incentive available for fishers looking to get new anglers hooked on the hobby. 

The KFW is hosting their “Mentor to Win” contest to encourage experienced anglers to introduce more people to the fun of summer fishing in Kentucky. The contest is free to enter and open to anyone 16 and older who is licensed to fish in the state.

The experienced angler will mentor a new angler, also age 16 or older, at least one time now through August 31. Both mentor and mentee must possess a valid Kentucky fishing license, and the new angler must not have purchased a fishing license in the last three years.

The winner will receive a new kayak, paddle, personal floatation device, and two spinning rod and reel combos. To enter, the mentor will use the KFW’s MyProfile portal to enter the name and identification number of the person they took fishing. Mentors can enter as many times as they like by taking multiple people.

The KFW says the state offers many excellent fishing opportunities year-round. Visit the Fishing page at fw.ky.gov for more information.

Houck found guilty of Murder in Crystal Rogers investigation

Crystal Rogers was last seen on July 3, 2015.

10 years and five days later, the last person known to have seen her alive has been found guilty of her murder.

A jury of six men and six women at the Warren County Justice Center on Tuesday found Brooks Houck guilty of Murder – Principal or Accomplice and Tampering with Physical Evidence. That same jury found Joseph Lawson guilty of Conspiracy to Commit Murder and Tampering with Physical Evidence.

When court returned Tuesday morning, the three alternate jurors were selected, and the jury was sent to deliberate at 8:36 a.m. CDT. The jurors requested a whiteboard and something to watch videos on, and they briefly returned to the courtroom in order to watch part of prosecution witness Charlie Girdley’s testimony. The jury returned to the courtroom at 2:39 p.m. and the verdicts were announced. 

During the sentencing phase that followed, Lawson’s attorney Kevin Coleman asked the jury to consider mitigating factors concerning Lawson including the negative influence Steven Lawson had on his life and his substance abuse problems. Houck’s attorney Steve Schroering noted that Houck does not have any prior criminal history, and he asked the jury to consider that there was no evidence in the case that gives a “comfort level” when considering the punishment.

Special Prosecutor Shane Young said the case was an example of pre-meditated murder, with Houck planning a murder that would make it look like Rogers disappeared, then misled investigators for 10 years. Young asked the jury to consider the Ballard family, in particular Rogers’s children, with Young saying “Their kids won’t have a grandma, all because this man decided their mom needed to disappear.” He said Lawson showed no regard for Rogers and participated in the crime in pursuit of a payday.

The jury only needed to deliberate on their recommendations for about five minutes. They recommended Houck serve a sentence of life in prison on the Murder charge, along with a five year sentence on the Tampering charge, with those sentences to be served consecutively. They also recommended a maximum sentence for Lawson: 20 years on the Conspiracy charge, and five years on the Tampering charge, to be served consecutively.

Houck and Lawson were remanded to the custody of the Warren County Sheriff’s Office. They will be formally sentenced at the Nelson County Justice Center on August 21.

Steven Lawson, who was convicted on the same charges as his son in a separate trial on May 30, is due to be sentenced on August 6.