Joshua Gregory, of Wayne County, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in London on drug and firearm charges. The indictment was handed down on Thursday, May 23.

In one count, the grand jury alleges that on or about November 28, 2018, Gregory did knowingly “possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture of substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance.”

Count two alleges that Gregory did knowingly possess a firearm “in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime for which he may be prosecuted in a court of the United States, that is, the drug trafficking crime charged in count one of this indictment.

County three says that he allegedly “possessed in and affecting commerce firearms, to wit, a Kel-Tec, Model P3AT, .380 caliber pistol, a Kel-Tec, Model PF-9, 9mm caliber pistol, a Springfield Armory Rifle, a CZ, Model CZ27, .32 caliber pistol, a Rossi, Model S41, .410 bore shotgun, a Glock, 9mm caliber pistol, a Ruger Model SR9C, 9mm caliber pistol, and a Mossberg, Model 520, 20 gauge shotgun, having been convicted in a court of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, and did so knowingly.”

Count four alleges that Gregory did knowingly possess a firearm,” a shotgun having a barrel of less than 18 inches of length, not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.

Approximately 8,475 rounds of assorted ammunition was also seized from the residence of Gregory, according to the indictment.

Gregory was arraigned on Wednesday, May 29 and Willis G. Coffey was appointed as attorney. Gregory entered a not guilty plea and a jury trial has been set for July 9 at 9 a.m. in London before Judge Claira Horn Boom.

The charges stem from an incident involving the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department and DEA in November of 2018. A detention hearing has been set for June 6 in London before Judge Hanly A. Ingram and Gregory was remanded to custody.

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The Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH) is working to make the general public and business community aware of new changes to the state’s food code which will improve safety and health standards for food storage, preparation and serving.

To prepare for upcoming changes, which will take effect in July, DPH conducted regional trainings for local health departments to educate food inspectors.

Additionally, DPH has worked closely with businesses, organizations and associations, such as the Kentucky Restaurant Association, the Kentucky Retail Federation, Kentucky Association of Milk, Food and Environmental Sanitarians, and others to make sure industry officials and employees are prepared to implement changes.

Educating the food industry and local health department staff about these upcoming changes has been a top priority for our public health food safety staff, said Dr. Jeff Howard, DPH Commissioner. “We are extremely pleased these new regulations will take effect this summer, but know that public education and awareness are important as we continue our work to ensure the safety of the public’s food supply.”

The new code requires businesses and facilities employ at least one certified food protection manager. This individual will have supervisory responsibility and must obtain food protection manager certification.

The new code also adds nontyphoidal salmonella to the existing list of reportable illnesses.

Other changes include updates to the definition of hazardous foods. The term “potentially hazardous food” was changed to “Time/Temperature Control for Safety Foods” or “TCS” to better reflect the nature of the food. In addition, cut melons and cut leafy greens have been added to the list of foods requiring TCS.

The state food code is a model for safeguarding public health and ensuring food is sanitary and honestly presented when offered to the consumer. It represents DPH’s guidelines for best practices in delivering a uniform system of provisions that address the safety and protection of food offered at retail and in food service.

Kentucky’s amended code follows national standards designed by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“As environmental health professionals, our top priority is ensuring the health and safety of the citizens of Kentucky,” said Rebecca Gillis, director of the division of public health protection and safety. “An important piece of our work is making sure that industry leaders fully understand and implement policies that adhere to our health and safety standards.”

The DPH Food Safety Branch provides training and information to industry and consumers and issues permits to establishments that meet minimum compliance standards.

Local health departments are authorized to carry out the food safety program in the counties and districts they serve. Every county or district has a certified retail food specialist and all food inspectors are registered sanitarians.

Business owners are advised to familiarize themselves with the code to assure they will be in compliance.

For more information, the amended Kentucky food code can be found at apps.legislature.ky.gov/;aw/kar/902/045/005.pdf (PDF).

The 2013 FDA Retail Food Code can be found at www.fda.fov/food/fda-food-code-/food-code-2013.

Additional information is available at http://chfs.ky.gov.

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Wayne County’s unemployment rate dropped more than one percent from March to April, according to the latest figures released by the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet.

The local jobless rate was 5.5 percent in April, down from 6.7 percent in March. In April 2018, Wayne County’s jobless rate was 7.3 percent.

In the Lake Cumberland area, the unemployment rate in April was 4.5 percent, down from 5.5 percent in March. In April 2018, the unemployment rate for the 10-county area was five percent.

The lowest rate in the area in April was 3.7 percent, which was recorded in Casey County. The highest rate was 5.5 percent, which was recorded in Clinton and Wayne counties.

Other area rates included: Cumberland County, 4.3 percent; Green County, 3.8 percent; McCreary County, 5.3 percent; Pulaski County, 4.3 percent; Russell County, 5.3 percent; and Taylor County, 3.9 percent.

Woodford County recorded the lowest jobless rate in the state at 2.7 percent. It was followed by: Fayette County, 2.9 percent; Boone, Campbell and Oldham counties, three percent each; Kenton, Scott and Shelby counties, 3.1 percent each; and Anderson County, 3.2 percent.

Magoffin County recorded the state’s highest unemployment at 10.5 percent. It was followed by Lewis County, 8.6 percent; Carter County, seven percent; Menifee County, 6.7 percent; Harlan County, 6.6 percent; and Lawrence County, 6.5 percent.

Unemployment statistics are based on estimates and are compiled to measure trends rather than actually to count people working.

Civilian labor force statistics include non-military workers and unemployed Kentuckians who are actively seeking work. They do not include unemployed Kentuckians who have not looked for employment within the past four weeks.