House, Senate leaders continue meeting about budget shortfall

House and Senate leaders met yesterday to continue their discussion about the state’s $456 million budget shortfall. 
This is the latest in a series of meetings headed by Senate President David Williams, R-Burkesville, and House Speaker Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, and few details about what’s being discussed are being shared, though those involved say the meetings have [...]

A look at blocked streets in Owensboro

Owensboro City Manager Bill Parrish said this afternoon that street crews are moving off the city’s main thoroughfares to begin tackling more neighborhood streets. 
Click here for a look at Owensboro’s local streets still blocked following this week’s winter storms as of 1:30 p.m. today. 
According to Parrish, with most of these blockages are caused by limbs tangled [...]

President Obama approves KY request for federal disaster relief

President Barack Obama last night signed off on a request from Gov. Steve Beshear for an emergency Presidential Disaster Declaration that will help speed aid to Kentuckians, the governor’s office announced this morning. 
“President Obama called me last night to express his concern about the plight facing our state and many of our people. [...]

Calculating impact of insurance premium tax increase

The city of Owensboro has added a tax calculator to its Web site to help residents see the impact of a proposed increase in the insurance premium tax. 
The Owensboro City Commission and Daviess Fiscal Court are considering increasing the tax by 4 percentage points – effectively doubling the city’s rate and raising the county rate [...]

No indictments in Obama effigy case at UK

The Herald-Leader is reporting that a Fayette County grand jury has decided not to indict two men accused of hanging an effigy of President Barack Obama from a tree last year on the campus of the University of Kentucky. 
From the Herald-Leader - 
The grand jury dismissed charges of second-degree burglary, theft by unlawful taking and disorderly [...]

EDC to announce new loan program for downtown

The Greater Owensboro Economic Development Corp. will announce plans for a loan program to promote investment in downtown Owensboro this morning. 
EDC Chairman Darrell Higginbotham, who is Daviess County president of Independence Bank, will provide details about the new Downtown Owensboro Revitalization Loan Program at a 9 a.m. CST press conference at the EDC offices at [...]

“Trading cards” from last Bunning-Mongiardo matchup

The Rothenberg Political Report has a set of “trading cards” on display today from the 2004 U.S. Senate race between incumbent Republican Jim Bunning and Democrat Daniel Mongiardo produced by Mongiardo’s campaign. 
The set of nine “beanball cards” peg Mongiardo as  a “relief pitcher” while calling Bunning, a baseball Hall of Fame pitcher, a “special interest designated hitter” [...]

Report: States should look to economic stimulus plan to plug budget holes

A report issued Monday by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that the proposed federal economic stimulus package wouldn’t go very far in plugging a $350 billion gap in state budgets over the next 30 months. 
In an article today at Stateline.org, reporter Pamela Prah cites the report by the center as saying that [...]

Goebel documentary to air Thursday

Learn more about slain Kentucky Gov. William Goebel this week when the documentary ”Damn Bad Oyster: The Times of William Goebel” airs on KET on Thursday.
The documentary was created by Sean Anderson of Lexington and follows the career of Goebel, who was the only U.S. governor to be assassinated while in office. 
Goebel died after being shot [...]

Mongiardo announces run for U.S. Senate

Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo announced today that he will be running for the U.S. Senate seat next year, his second attempt at the office.
In a statement issued Monday, Mongiardo, a surgeon from Hazard, cites his “passion to improve health care for all Kentuckians” as a driving force in his decision to run for the Senate [...]