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‘It’s devastating’: Kentucky community remembers medical helicopter crew killed in crash

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‘It’s devastating’: Kentucky community remembers medical helicopter crew killed in crash


GRANT COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) – The people of Grant County are dealing with the sudden loss of those three first responders.

Tuesday morning, Grant County Judge-Executive Chuck Dills ordered all county flags to be flown at half-staff in their honor.

Dills told WKYT that this tragedy is one of those losses you don’t plan for. He went on to say the accident is just devastating for the entire county.

He didn’t know the three first responders but saw them in passing. Dills says the Air Evac Lifeteam frequently flies out of the helipad in Williamstown, which is next to Saint Elizabeth Hospital Healthcare.

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“It’s devastating and heartbreaking and it was just the… Evac is such an asset first responders to our community and region and the response and helps the community our condolences goes out to the family and evacs team of their loss,” Dill said.

Dry Ridge Constable and Firefighter Michael Neidigh knew the three crew members Bethany Aicken, Gale Alleman and James Welsh. He met them on the scene of several 911 calls.

“Great and professional, down to earth and laid back and willing to help you out the best they can,” Neidigh said. “All they did was care about their job. They loved their job.”

Neidigh and other Dry Ridge citizens are still trying to process what happened.

“It was just a freak accident. It was just crazy to hear when I got the phone call about it… I didn’t know how to respond to it. I was a little shocked,” Neidigh said.

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A few miles away in downtown Williamstown, the county seat, you will notice there’s no shortage of honor.

“We can look back in our past and that blessing of the past reaches out to touch our future,” Neidigh said.

Inside the Kentucky Y’all Icebox, this ice cream shop puts an emphasis on honor. Monday through Friday, they express their appreciation for their community heroes, and on Fridays, they celebrate first responders.

“It keeps our community safe to appreciate them, and it sets an example for the younger generation about who to look up to,” said shop owner Rachel Morse.

Morse knows a scoop of ice cream won’t take away the pain the city is feeling right now, but she knows there’s something she can do to help the entire first responder community.

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“I think after tragedies, you think about who can I bless?” Morse said. “How can I move forward differently than yesterday?”

So now Morse will expand her love for community heroes. She will begin to offer discounts to the families of first responders.

She knows it’s not a big deal but it’s her way of showing honor.

“It’s one way. One small way,” Morse said.

We have a statement from the Saint Elizabeth Grant Hospital:

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We are heartbroken by the news of the tragic helicopter crash last night involving Air Evac Lifeteam 133. based adjacent to St. Elizabeth Grant Hospital, Air Evac Lifeteam 133 has been a critical extension of our emergency services since 2016. The flight crew members were well known to our Grant County team and others in our system, and their work has been invaluable to the entire community. Our deepest sympathies and condolences go out to the family and friends of the three heroic flight crew members who lost their lives last night in service to their community.



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Kentucky woman, 35, charged with homicide after using abortion pills then burying fetus in backyard

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Kentucky woman, 35, charged with homicide after using abortion pills then burying fetus in  backyard


A Kentucky woman was charged with fetal homicide after allegedly using abortion pills and burying the fetus in a Christmas-wrapped lightbulb box in her backyard — when she got pregnant following an affair.

Melinda Spencer, 35, was arrested Wednesday after going to a Campton health care clinic, where she told staff members she used medication purchased online to end her pregnancy, which is illegal in the state, according to Kentucky State Police, FOX 56 reported.

Police said Spencer allegedly admitted to taking the pills on Dec. 26 and burying the fetus — described as a “developed male infant” — two days later in a shallow grave at her Flat Mary Road home.

Melinda Spencer, 35, was charged with fetal homicide after taking abortion pills to end her pregnancy in Kentucky, where that is illegal. Kentucky State Police

After obtaining a search warrant, cops found the remains wrapped in a white rag and stuffed in the holiday-decorated box inside a plastic bag, court documents showed.

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Spencer later confessed that she allegedly ordered the pregnancy-ending drugs after conceiving with a man who was not her boyfriend, claiming she didn’t want him to find out, police said, per the outlet.

Authorities said she wanted to “abort the fetus on her own.”

Cops found the remains wrapped in a white rag and stuffed in the holiday-decorated box inside a plastic bag in her backyard. AP

It’s unclear how long she was pregnant before taking the pills.

An autopsy has reportedly been scheduled to establish how developed the fetus was.

In Kentucky, nearly all abortions are illegal, with a doctor only authorized to perform one to prevent death or serious injury to the mother.

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The deadly offense makes her eligible for the death penalty. Getty Images

There are no exceptions for rape or incest.

State law also bars the distribution of abortion medication.

Spencer was charged with first-degree fetal homicide, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and first-degree promoting contraband, the outlet reported.

The homicide offense makes her eligible for the death penalty. She also faces life behind bars if convicted.

Spencer is being held at Three Forks Regional Jail in Beattyville.

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Lancaster resident describes Kentucky earthquake experience

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Lancaster resident describes Kentucky earthquake experience


LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – A 3.1 magnitude earthquake hit Kentucky Sunday afternoon with an epicenter between Richmond and Lancaster, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The USGS “Did You Feel It” survey received reports from people in Richmond, Danville, Stanford, Lancaster and Lexington.

Caroline Boyd, a retired nurse from Lancaster, was reading at home when the earthquake began at 12:47 p.m.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say shaking but it felt like a rumbling in my basement or even outside,” Boyd said.

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Boyd said she felt and heard the ground beneath her rumble followed by a loud boom.

“I thought to myself what on earth is that? Because there is no trains or train station nearby, so I knew it was not a train. So, I just sat there and listened. I would say it lasted about 10 to 15 seconds,” Boyd said.

After the tremor, Boyd called her neighbors and then the sheriff’s office. Dispatchers told her there had been an earthquake.

Dustin Price, deputy director and public information officer for Garrad County Emergency Management Agency, said the agency first heard from Bluegrass 911 about reports of a loud boom and shaking.

“Approximately we were able to confirm through the state that there was a confirmed 3.1 magnitude earthquake that hit through Garrad County,” Price said.

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No injuries or property damage were reported, according to Price.

Boyd said she was thankful the earthquake did not cause more serious problems.

“Even if I would’ve had to relocate if there was a problem. I have two pets, so it could’ve been really bad,” Boyd said.

Garrad County EMA said they are thankful for all the agencies who helped respond to the incident.

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3.2 magnitude earthquake with no immediate reports of damage confirmed in Garrard County

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3.2 magnitude earthquake with no immediate reports of damage confirmed in Garrard County


GARRARD COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — Governor Andy Beshear reports that a 3.2 magnitude earthquake has been reported in Garrard County.

“This range does not typically produce sizable damage – just shaking – and thankfully, that is all that’s been reported so far,” Beshear said on social media Sunday.

According to the Lincoln County EMA, the earthquake happened around 12:47 p.m. with a shallow depth of 8 kilometers.

NWS Louisville reports the location of the quake to have been near the Garrard/Madison County line.

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Multiple agencies are also reporting no immediate reports of damage.





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