LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Uninsured Kentuckians swarmed to the state's online health insurance marketplace Tuesday, but technical snafus temporarily delayed signing up people for coverage on the opening day of enrollment as the centerpiece of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul got off to a sputtering start.

Despite the glitches, state officials said they were pleased with the response from consumers. On Tuesday alone, nearly 78,000 people had browsed the website, more than 70,000 had made initial inquiries and nearly 3,000 signed up for coverage that begins Jan. 1, said Gwenda Bond, a spokeswoman for the state Health and Family Services Cabinet in Frankfort.

Also, nearly 6,000 calls were received from Kentuckians inquiring about the coverage, Bond said.

"The response has been swift and enormous," said Gov. Steve Beshear, an unabashed supporter of the federal health care overhaul.

The technical glitches halted the online application process for several hours until computer specialists fixed the problems, officials said.

The system was "thoroughly tested," Bond said, prior to Tuesday's initial startup of the Kentucky Health Benefit Exchange — the online guide to a variety of insurance policies. The glitches that caused the disruptions could not be replicated during testing, Bond said.

___

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky's Attorney General is defending the state's same-sex marriage ban, saying it should stand even though his office acknowledges overturning it would grant gay couples the same legal protections as straight couples.

In an 18-page filing in federal court in Louisville, Assistant Attorney General Clay Barkley asked U.S. District Judge John G. Heyburn II to dismiss a lawsuit brought by Gregory Bourke and Michael De Leon. Barkley wrote that the men lack standing to challenge the law.

Bourke and De Leon, who were married in Canada nine years ago, sued in July to force the state to recognize valid unions from other states and countries. The men are seeking an injunction to stop state and local officials from enforcing the ban written into the Kentucky constitution in 2004. The suit is the first such challenge in Kentucky since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. The act had blocked married same-sex couples from receiving the same benefits as heterosexual spouses.

Kentucky changed its state constitution in 2004 to include the prohibition on same-sex marriage. The amendment reads: "Only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Kentucky" and "A marriage between members of the same sex which occurs in another jurisdiction shall be void in Kentucky."

Much of the state's filing is boilerplate legal language. But, Barkley said same-sex couples seeking to marry "are just as willing as opposite-sex couples to assume the obligations of marriage" and, if allowed to marry, would "benefit equally from the legal protections and social recognition afforded to married couples."

While Kentucky judges have granted adoptions to same-sex couples, the state treats them differently than opposite-sex couples by not allowing both partners to be listed as parents, Barkley said. According to the 2010 Census, about 2,800 same-sex couples are raising children in Kentucky. De Leon is the father of an adopted 15-year-old boy and 14-year-old girl. Bourke has been designated a legal guardian for the children.

___

FORT KNOX, Ky. (AP) — Officials at Kentucky's two major Army posts say basic services such as utilities, public safety and hospital emergency services were still functioning despite a partial government shutdown.

Fort Knox Garrison Commander Col. T.J. Edwards says some civilian employees have received furlough notices, but soldiers and other essential personnel were still on duty.

Col. David "Buck" Dellinger — the Garrison Commander at Fort Campbell — says soldier training and operation in preparation for deployments were taking place as scheduled Tuesday. The post is preparing to send two brigades — the 2nd Brigade Combat Team with about 2,000 soldiers and the 159th Combat Aviation Brigade with 1,800 personnel — to Afghanistan in the coming months.

Fort Campbell spokesman Bob Jenkins says the nine schools operating at Fort Campbell will remain in session.

___

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Two legislative workers have filed a lawsuit accusing former state Rep. John Arnold of sexual harassment.

In a lawsuit filed Tuesday by attorney Thomas Clay, Yolanda Costner and Cassaundra Cooper say Arnold touched them inappropriately and made vulgar comments. Clay had said previously that he intended to file the suit on behalf of the women.

Arnold, who resigned as a lawmaker last month, has denied the allegations. He said in the resignation letter that he had been "destroyed politically" and could no longer be an effective voice for his constituents.

The Courier-Journal (http://cjky.it/19T6anq) reports the lawsuit seeks compensatory damages, but doesn't list an exact amount.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Greg Stumbo has appointed a committee to investigate the allegations against Arnold.

___