FRANKFORT, Ky. — Gov. Andy Beshear denounced domestic terror groups after the FBI arrested six people in an alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday.
“These groups are not freedom fighters, they are terrorists. They are not security forces, they are threats to our nation,” Beshear said at his regular COVID-19 press conference Thursday.
Beshear recalled an incident Kentucky when members of a Second Amendment group protesting his COVID-19 response hung him in effigy outside the governor’s mansion in May, as well as the arrest of a Paducah man allegedly producing grenades in his home and making threats against Kentucky State Police.
“Those that want to try to use fear to get me or others in this government to do the wrong thing, that is not going to work. I ran for this job to do the right thing, and I’m not going to let people bully me. If I did, they would try to bully everybody else in this state,” he said.
COVID-19 in Kentucky
Beshear reported 884 new cases of COVID-19 and 11 new virus-related deaths Thursday.
"With a high number of cases, we're going to have high numbers of deaths. Even with the mortality rate decreasing, it's still at a significant level compared to anything we normally deal with, the governor said.
Kentucky has seen at least 77,455 total cases of COVID-19 and 1,234 total deaths, and Kentucky's coronavirus positivity rate dipped slightly 4.1%. So far, more than 13,113 people who had the virus have reportedly recovered from COVID-19, and the state has now administered nearly 1.6 million coronavirus tests since the pandemic began.
NKY Health reported that 4,898 people across Boone, Kenton, Campbell and Grant counties have tested positive for COVID-19, and 96 people have reportedly died of the virus. The health department reports 886 active cases and 3,916 people who have recovered from coronavirus as of Thursday.
Absentee ballot requests due Friday
Sec. of State Michael Adams reminded Kentucky voters that absentee ballot requests must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on Friday. Already, the state has received more than 623,000 requests for absentee ballots, and more than 538,000 have been issued. Now, 144,749 completed ballots have been submitted to state election officials ahead of the Nov. 3 general election.
Adams said fewer absentee ballots have been requested for the general election than in this year’s primary, and he anticipates that the number of general election absentee ballots won’t “overwhelm” the election system.
Kentuckians will also be able to cast a ballot early and in person at their county clerk’s offices starting Oct. 13, six days a week including Saturdays.
“This year, there’s not an ‘Election Day’ -- there’s 19 election days,” Adams said.
To track your absentee ballot request, visit govoteky.com. Find more information on voting and the 2020 elections here.
Virginia Moore, Team KY ASL interpreter, reveals cancer diagnosis
Virginia Moore, who gained statewide fame as Beshear’s sign language interpreter throughout his daily COVID-19 press conferences, announced Thursday she has been diagnosed with stage one uterine cancer.
Moore said she is grateful to have caught her illness early, and she expects to be back after surgery.
With the pandemic still affecting Kentucky and during Breast Cancer Awareness month, she called on Kentuckians to get screened for cancer and to mask up to protect those especially vulnerable to complications from COVID-19.
“This also means I am one of the vulnerable ones,” she said. “I’ve always worn a mask for you, and I’m going to ask that you wear a mask for me. My heart is with Team Kentucky and I will be back.”
Team Kentucky Fund hits $1M milestone
Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman announced that more than $1 million in aid has now been distributed through the Team Kentucky Fund.
Launched soon after the pandemic started, the Team Kentucky Fund offers aid to those economically affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund partnered with the Community Action Partnership to help disperse aid in May.
After partnering with Community Action Partnership, Coleman said that for every $1 donated to the Team Kentucky Fund, $1.92 makes it to families affected by COVID-19.
To make a donation or apply for the fund, click here.
Find free COVID-19 testing in NKY
In Northern Kentucky, St. Elizabeth Healthcare and Covington's Gravity Diagnostics offers free, appointment-only drive-thru testing at 25 Atlantic Ave in Erlanger, the former Toyota HQ building off Mineola Pike.
The site is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. You will be able to collect your own sample without leaving your vehicle and receive results within three to five days.
Additionally, appointment-only drive-up testing is available through St. E at 7200 Alexandria Pike, Alexandria. The free testing site is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Schedule an appointment at those sites online atwww.stelizabeth.com/covid-testing. To find all coronavirus testing locations near you,click here.
Watch the briefing live in the player below:
