Attorney General Jack Conway announced today that the state is expected to receive $6 million following a lawsuit settlement with Merck Sharp & Dohme Corporation.

The lawsuits filed by the Attorney General claim that Merck inflated the average wholesale prices for their drugs and as a result, the Kentucky Medicaid program paid millions of dollars more in drug reimbursements than it should have.

Attorney General Conway was quoted as saying he was pleased to recover this money for the Medicaid program and Kentucky taxpayers.

General Conway’s Office of Consumer Protection is also pursuing additional litigation against Merck for false and misleading statements regarding the safety of a pain reliever that was pulled from the market in 2004.

The case is scheduled for trial in Franklin Circuit Court in the fall of 2013.
Since January 2008, the Office of the Attorney General has recovered over $230 million on behalf of state and federal Medicaid programs.
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The keynote speaker for this year’s police memorial service will be State Senator Joey Pendleton.

Hopkinsville Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 12 Secretary, Quentin Stone says the service will include remarks from various local officials and recognition of the local officers who were killed in the line of the duty.

Stone is encouraging residents to attend at least one police memorial service to honor officers who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

The police memorial service is scheduled to take place Thursday at 5 p.m. at Police Memorial Park and in case of inclement weather, the service will be held at the justice center.
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The way the U.S. Census Bureau collects national demographic and economic data may soon change.

U.S. Senator Rand Paul is crafting a bill called Service Members Count Act to revise the way the census counts soldiers when they are deployed over seas.

Jason Hassert with Senator Paul’s Office says soldiers are counted in their home state even though many soldiers have not lived in their state for several years.

Hassert says the new bill will help local communities receive an accurate count in the census and funding for proposed economic projects.

Senator Paul is working with Congressman Ed Whitfield and Congressman Brett Guthrie to have the proposed Service Members Count Act passed by this summer.

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The contractor in charge of repairing the Eggner’s Ferry Bridge is still working to have it re-opened before the Memorial Day weekend.

Kentucky Highway Department spokesman Keith Todd says crews got as much work as possible done prior to the Monday afternoon arrival of the replacement span at the bridge site.

Todd says Hall Contracting has given no indication they believe the job will extend past their deadline and could even bring in special concrete to cure faster, if need be.

Traffic has not crossed Kentucky Lake in Aurora since January 26^th, when the Delta Mariner Cargo Vessel knocked out a 322-foot span of the bridge. Click here to see photos of the bridge span replacement from the air.

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05/15/2012/am

A single-vehicle wreck in Webster County last night injured two Hopkins County residents.

A news release from Kentucky State Police says 57-year old Patsy Morseman of Hanson was southbound on the Pennyrile Parkway around 10pm when she ran into the median and lost control of her vehicle.

The vehicle overturned and entered the northbound lanes before striking a guardrail and coming to rest upright.

Ms. Morseman and her passenger—18-year old Savannah Morseman of Dawson Springs, were taken to Regional Medical Center for treatment of their injuries. Both women were wearing their seat belt.

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05/15/2012/am