Health and Welfare

Lexington police arrested five people Tuesday after busting up a large-scale prostitution ring that rotated prostitutes through cities in several states, according to uniform citations filed in Fayette District Court.
Mario Antonio Flores, Roberto Salinas-Rivera, Adrian Lezama-Ruiz and Roxana Olea Serna all pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of engaging in organized crime and promoting prostitution. Danella Santos-Evangelista, accused of being one of the organization's prostitutes, pleaded not guilty to one count of engaging in organized crime.

Two key lawmakers say they hope to hold a hearing in December about the state's handling of records regarding deaths and near deaths of kids in Kentucky's child-welfare system. State Rep. Tom Burch and Sen. Julie Denton on Wednesday said they want to hold hearings on whether the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, which oversees child welfare, is being transparent in the way it reports deaths and near deaths of children under its supervision.