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Shock, investigations, reflection follow spate of deaths before Derby

ing Commission and Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority to investigate each death.

An examination of factors including necropsies, pre-existing health conditions, training sessions and inspection of track surfaces will take several weeks.

Lying ahead for many trainers and ownership is whether to run horses in the Preakness on May 20 in Baltimore.

Lawsuit: Ky. ban on care for trans youth unconstitutional

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – A raging thunderstorm that washed out activities at Churchill Downs the morning after the Kentucky Derby symbolized the dark clouds hanging over the Triple Crown after a troubling string of horse deaths.

Seven horses have died following injuries at the track since April 27, including Derby entrant Wild on Ice. Freezing Point and Chloe’s Dream were euthanized after injuries before the May 6 Kentucky Derby that was ultimately won by Mage. Four horses sustained catastrophic leg injuries, two succumbed suddenly from causes to be determined and another sustained a neck injury after flipping in the paddock.

This spate of incidents comes four years after more than 30 horses died at Santa Anita racetrack in California. Those deaths shook up the industry and resulted in safety reforms such as the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA), which established a similarly lettered organization that set uniform safety and doping rules for thoroughbreds. A set of regulations is set to take effect May 22.

The question for now is how the stunning occurrence of fatal injuries at the cathedral of horse racing affects the sport during its height of visibility with the Preakness and Belmont Stakes following over the next month. And, how horse racing responds.

Churchill Downs said in a statement that it is working with the Kentucky Horse Rac-

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Several families challenged Kentucky’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youths, claiming the prohibition interferes with parental rights to seek established medical treatment for their children.

They are asking that a judge block a portion of a sweeping measure passed this year by the state’s GOP-dominated Legislature. The federal lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky and the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Seven Kentucky families with transgender children are listed as plaintiffs.

“Under the Constitution, trans youth in Kentucky have the right to medically necessary care,” Corey Shapiro, legal director for the ACLU of Kentucky, said in a statement. “We are filing litigation today to protect against this imminent threat to their well-being and make certain they can thrive by continuing to receive medical care.”

Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s office said it was reviewing the lawsuit and determining next steps in defending the law.

The new lawsuit challenges sections of the Kentucky law that would ban puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender youths. It didn’t take aim at other sections dealing with school bathroom policies, guidance for teachers regarding student pronouns and rules on teaching about gender identity and sexual orientation.

Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear vetoed the measure, saying it allows “too much government interference in personal healthcare issues.” Republican lawmakers overrode the veto.

‘Soldier against democracy’ gets record-setting 14 years for Capitol attack

a “jaw-dropping” 38 prior convictions since 1991, “several of which involved assaulting or threatening officers or other authority figures,” prosecutor Jocelyn Bond wrote in a court filing.

Ohio lands more tech investments as Google announces data centers

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Google plans to build two more data centers in Ohio to help power its artificial intelligence technology and other tools.

With one data center already up and running near Columbus, the two new locations will bring Google’s total investment in Ohio to more than $2 billion, officials said on May 3.

WASHINGTON (AP) – A Kentucky man with a long criminal record was sentenced to a record-setting 14 years in prison for attacking police officers with pepper spray and a chair as he stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, with his wife.

Peter Schwartz’s prison sentence is the longest so far among hundreds of Capitol riot cases. Prosecutors had recommended a prison sentence of 24 years and 6 months for Schwartz, a welder.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta sentenced him to 14 years and two months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Mehta said Schwartz, who was convicted in December on assault charges and other felony offenses, was a “soldier against democracy” who participated in “the kind of mayhem, chaos that had never been seen in the country’s history.”

“You are not a political prisoner,” the judge told him. “You’re not somebody who is standing up against injustice or fighting against an autocratic regime.”

Schwartz was on probation when he joined the Jan. 6 riot. His criminal record includes

Ohio is seeing a wave of big investments by the technology industry. Intel is building a $20 billion chip factory just east of Columbus, and Honda and LG Energy Solution of South Korea are building a $3.5 billion battery plant between Columbus and Cincinnati that the automaker envisions as its North American electric vehicle hub.

The area around Columbus also is home to data centers operated by Facebook and Amazon.

The two new Google data centers will be built in Columbus and Lancaster.

“Ohio is a growing technology hub and data center market, and we welcome these two new Google projects in Columbus and Lancaster to complement the one already in New Albany,” Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said in a statement.

Mark Isakowitz, Google’s head of government affairs in the U.S. and Canada, would not say how many jobs would be created, adding that data centers typically employ about 50 people at opening and those numbers increase as they expand.