radioNOVO News KY News Roundup for July 30, 2026

           A massive data center and power project is being developed in western Kentucky.  The U.S. Department of Energy announced the 100-billion-dollar investment for the former gaseous diffusion plant site in Paducah yesterday.  Brookfield, NextEra Energy, Big Rivers Electric Power Corporation, Jackson Purchase Energy Cooperative and Paducah Power System are all partnering on the build.  The data center will include its own natural gas electricity generation system and is expected to be operational by 2031.         A Hopkinsville man is facing charges in connection with the death of a victim whose body was pulled from the Little River this week.  Local police report 44-year-old Terrance Christian was arrested yesterday on counts including murder.  Investigators believe Christian shot and killed 34-year-old Clifford Barber before his remains were left in the water.  Barber's body was recovered early Tuesday morning.                     Officials are identifying a woman who was struck and killed by a train in Whitley County.  The local coroner's office reports 41-year-old Loretta West died following the incident around noon on Monday.  Her body was found near U.S. Highway 25 in the Emlyn community, according to authorities.  Officials have said she was wearing some kind of hearing device when she was killed.  No other details are available so far.           A former Kentucky State Police trooper is likely spending time behind bars for using excessive force against citizens.  Thirty-six-year-old Thomas Czartorski pleaded guilty to deprivation of civil rights in federal court yesterday.  Officials say he stomped and kicked a handcuffed man in Hardin County and hit another handcuffed man with a flashlight, both in 2020.  Czartorski's plea agreement lists a possible 30-month prison term.  A sentencing hearing is scheduled for November.           Governor Andy Beshear is planning to hit the road to promote his upcoming book this fall.  Yesterday, the governor announced a 13-stop tour that will launch in Lexington on September 20th and wrap up in Louisville on October 6th.  The governor will be pushing his book, "Go and Do Likewise," which is set to hit shelves on September 22nd.  Other tour stops include Nashville, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Washington, DC.