Latest news with #WDRBNews
Fox News
5 days ago
- Fox News
Kentucky whistleblower claims licensing center sold IDs to illegal immigrants 'under the table'
Former Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) clerk Melissa Moorman sued her old employers for allegedly firing her because she reported on co-workers selling driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. According to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital, Moorman discovered in 2024 that two co-workers from the Department of Vehicle Regulation were selling documents to "nonresidents" without proper immigration screenings or testing. Her lawyers argued that she knew of the crime after being invited to participate. "The employees were being paid under the table," Moorman told WDRB News on Monday. "I immediately let my supervisor know about it." She also informed WDRB News that these co-workers would sell licenses for $200 per person approximately four to five times a day, for over two years. Moorman said that every case she encountered involved an illegal immigrant. After she reported the crime, the co-workers were fired, and a federal investigation was launched into KYTC. Moorman allegedly met with federal investigators in January after learning those employees were using her credentials and log-in information without her knowledge at the time. She has said that she was instructed by her supervisor to provide the employees with this information as they waited for their own credentials when they first started. KYTC fired Moorman the day of her interview but, according to Moorman's lawyers, has kept her supervisor despite the "mismanagement, fraud, abuse of authority, and violations of law and statute in which he engaged that Moorman disclosed and reported." "I was angry, hurt and depressed," Moorman told WDRB News. "I did the right thing. I told the truth. I should not have been fired." Moorman filed the lawsuit in April, claiming that KYTC violated the Kentucky Whistleblower Act, which protects public whistleblowers who come forward with information about misconduct. She has asked for her job and benefits to be reinstated along with back pay. "It is tragic that the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet chose to terminate the person that uncovered the fact that hundreds, perhaps thousands of undocumented people were provided Kentucky driver's licenses that they were not qualified to receive," Moorman's attorney Garry Adams told Fox News Digital. "The scheme that Melissa Moorman uncovered was putting all Kentuckians that operate or ride in motor vehicles in danger, and she should have been rewarded for her disclosure rather than terminated for it." He continued, "This type of behavior where local, state and even federal governments seem to favor sweeping big problems under the rug, rather than disclosing it, addressing it and fixing it has got to stop." Fox News Digital reached out to KYTC for comment. Kentucky law allows non-U.S. citizens to obtain standard driver's licenses only if they provide proof of residency and valid immigration documentation. Presenting false documents regarding immigration status could be grounds for prosecution. In a comment to Fox News Digital, Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said the reports showed "troubling and unacceptable conduct," adding that they have been "aggressively investigating this potential fraud for some time now" with federal law enforcement.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Pet Food Made From 'Lab-Grown Meat' Is Now Available and People Have Opinions
Today, there are more options than ever for vegans (or people who want to eat less meat) to enjoy foods like burgers and chicken nuggets without actually eating real meat. There are so many different types of protein that can be used to reproduce similar textures and flavors, and it's making it a lot easier to avoid meat for those who choose to. On the heels of vegan meat like Impossible Burgers are developments in lab-grown meat, which basically is the real thing, only it's made with the help of science, not animals. It's not widely available quite yet — at least, not for humans. Because now, it's official: The first lab-grown pet food has hit the market. On Wednesday, February 12, news station WDRB News shared a report on YouTube that is raising a lot of questions. According to the outlet, the world's first lab-grown meat for pets is now for sale in the United Kingdom. The food in question is actually a new treat called Chick Bites, and it contains 4% chicken meat that was made in a lab by a company called Meatly. As the news anchors explained, it's made by sampling animal cells and culturing them "with water and nutrients." Judging by some responses to the news on social media, not everybody is on board with the idea. One person tweeted, "I'd not eat it, so I'd certainly never expect my dog to. What's wrong with natural food, you know, actual real chicken that we've eaten for thousands of years." Others are celebrating the development. One person wrote, "As long as the lab stuff is healthy I don't see a problem; it would cause less suffering for farm animals." Owen Ensor, the founder of Meatly, told CNN that pets are actually the highest consumers of meat, not humans. "Our intention was always to do cultivated meat for pet food," he said. "We recognized that there was a huge burning need in the pet world, with 20% of meat globally being eaten by our pets." It seems like dogs appear to be fans of the new meat. Ensor said that in product testing, many of the dogs "preferred it to their baseline diet," which is really saying something! So far, the new treats are only available in the UK, but if they're a success, it wouldn't be too surprising if they made their way to the United States soon. It will certainly be interesting to see what even more dogs think of it when they get their paws on these snacks!🐶🐾🐾
