News from the South - Kentucky News Feed
Plans scaled back for producing EV battery materials in Hopkinsville as federal grant is canceled
Plans scaled back for producing EV battery materials in Hopkinsville as federal grant is canceled
by Jennifer P. Brown, Hoptown Chronicle, Kentucky Lantern
March 3, 2025
Ascend Elements, the electric vehicle battery materials manufacturer that is constructing a plant in Hopkinsville’s Commerce Park II, is scaling back some of its plans for production at the local facility.
Ascend and the U.S. Department of Energy mutually agreed to cancel a $164 million federal grant for part of the manufacturing infrastructure at the company’s Apex 1 facility, the company announced.
Because of “changing market conditions,” Ascend is canceling plans at the Hopkinsville facility for production of cathode active material, or CAM, a main component in lithium-ion batteries. However, it will produce precursor cathode active material, or pCAM, and lithium carbonate in Hopkinsville.
A separate $316 million Department of Energy grant for the pCAM infrastructure at Ascend remains active, according to the company’s statement. According to federal spending records, Ascend has received $205 million of that grant.
Initially, company representatives and local and state economic development officials said the plant would employ 250 workers, based on a $310 million investment.
However, days before a ground-breaking ceremony in October 2022, federal officials announced additional investments with $480 million in Department of Energy grant funds — $164 million for CAM manufacturing infrastructure and $316 million for pCAM manufacturing infrastructure. The grant came from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed during President Joe Biden’s administration.
“It’s the largest economic development project in Christian County,” Gov. Andy Beshear said at the ground-breaking ceremony. “And now … the largest investment in Western Kentucky.”
Officials projected that future expansion could push the project to a $1 billion investment employing 400 or more people.
It was not immediately clear how eliminating the CAM infrastructure line will affect the size of Ascend’s workforce.
“We are grateful to the U.S. DOE for selecting Ascend Elements to receive this funding, but current market conditions do not support advancement of the CAM project at Apex 1,” said Roger Lin, vice president of government affairs at Ascend Elements. “We are 100% committed to completing construction of the Apex 1 campus in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, but the facility will only produce pCAM and lithium carbonate, a critical mineral. We’re just not seeing significant market demand for CAM right now, but we have buyers lined up to purchase sustainable, domestically produced pCAM and lithium carbonate.”
Ascend’s Apex 1 facility is projected to be operational in the third quarter of 2026.
This story is republished from Hoptown Chronicle.
Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com.
The post Plans scaled back for producing EV battery materials in Hopkinsville as federal grant is canceled appeared first on kentuckylantern.com
News from the South - Kentucky News Feed
A few storms and warm early august temperatures persist
SUMMARY: Central and Eastern Kentucky experienced pleasant early August weather with scattered clouds keeping highs in the low to mid-80s, cooler than usual. Tuesday saw isolated afternoon storms, causing localized heavy rain and minor flooding in areas like Lexington. Wednesday repeats this pattern with mild temperatures, scattered storms, and a mix of clouds and sun. Late in the week, warming occurs as an upper-level ridge builds, raising temperatures to the upper 80s with decreased storm chances. The weekend promises mostly dry, warm weather with highs near the upper 80s, though scattered rain may appear late Sunday due to a low-pressure system and a cold front.
The post A few storms and warm early august temperatures persist appeared first on www.wtvq.com
News from the South - Kentucky News Feed
Police arrest suspect in killings of 4 Tennessee family members
SUMMARY: Austin Robert Drummond, 28, was arrested in connection with the murders of an infant’s parents, grandmother, and uncle in western Tennessee. The infant was found abandoned in a front yard in Tigrett, about 40 miles from where the victims were discovered in nearby woods. Drummond, believed to have targeted the family, faces four counts of first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, and weapons charges. Authorities say the victims—James M. Wilson, Adrianna Williams, Cortney Rose, and Braydon Williams—were relatives of the infant, who is now safe with other family members. Two others have been charged with assisting Drummond.
The post Police arrest suspect in killings of 4 Tennessee family members appeared first on www.wnky.com
News from the South - Kentucky News Feed
Former police officer involved in Breonna Taylor raid appeals sentence
by Sarah Ladd, Kentucky Lantern
August 5, 2025
Former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison has appealed the nearly three-year sentence he received for his role in the 2020 police raid that killed Breonna Taylor, an unarmed Black woman.
The notice of appeal, filed Tuesday, comes after U.S. District Court Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings last month sentenced Hankison to 33 months in prison for violating Taylor’s civil rights during the raid.
Former police officer involved in Breonna Taylor raid gets 33 months sentence
Hankison “appeals both the conviction and the sentence imposed in this case,” the notice says. He was sentenced to 33 months in prison and three years of supervised release in July.
In handing down that sentence, Jennings, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, rejected the U.S. Department of Justice’s recommendation that Hankison be sentenced to a single day of time served.
On the night Hankison and others came to Taylor’s apartment in March 2020 with a “no-knock” search warrant, police were investigating a former boyfriend of Taylor’s who lived at a different address. Taylor and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, were in bed when police broke into the apartment. Walker fired at what he thought were intruders breaking into the residence, striking Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly in his thigh. Mattingly initially sued Walker but dropped the case voluntarily in 2023.
Hankison and two other officers fired their guns a total of 32 times. Hankison fired from outside the apartment through a covered sliding glass door and window, hitting a neighbor’s apartment. It was later determined that officer Myles Cosgrove fired the shot that killed Taylor, whose death led to massive protests in Louisville and beyond. He was not charged and was later hired by a police force in Carroll County.
https:ecf.kywd.uscourts.gov:cgi-bin:show_temp.pl?file=4868762-0–88181.pdf&type=application:pdf
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Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com.
The post Former police officer involved in Breonna Taylor raid appeals sentence appeared first on kentuckylantern.com
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Left
This content presents a detailed and factual account of the legal case involving former officer Brett Hankison and the Breonna Taylor incident. It highlights civil rights violations, the sentencing, and the surrounding controversy, including the community protests and the DOJ’s differing sentencing recommendation. The tone is predominantly factual but includes elements that emphasize accountability for police misconduct and systemic issues in law enforcement, which tends to align with a center-left perspective emphasizing social justice and reform within the justice system.
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