News

An Owingsville man is held in the Montgomery County Regional Detention Center following his arrest for the murder of a four-year-old girl in Florida in 1999. The Kentucky Farm Bureau says retail food prices dropped more than three-percent in the Commonwealth in the second quarter compared to the same period last year…and leaders in both parties call on Governor Beshear to get out front on tax reform in Kentucky. 

  Republicans and Democrats in Kentucky appear to agree that the state needs to overhaul its tax system but getting the job done will be complex and difficult. Senators and state representatives from both parties discussed the issue this week on KET’s Kentucky Tonight.

Republican Jeff Hoover is minority leader in the Kentucky House. He says he’s no stranger to tax reform efforts…

US Senator Rand Paul has joined a bipartisan effort in support of a bill that would take sexual assault complaints in the military outside the chain of command. The Kentucky Republican spoke at a press conference in Washington Tuesday…

Gas prices in Kentucky are more than 20-cents higher than they were a week ago. A Morehead man is held on charges of attempting to set fire to the mobile home where his mother lives…and Congressman Brett Guthrie says he will not run for Governor in 2015. 

State Representative Mike Denham says he’s confident that Fleming County Hospital’s board of directors will be able to restore the facility to financial health. The publicly-owned medical center has been losing money for several years and is projected to run a deficit this fiscal year of around a million dollars.

Denham admits he lacks firsthand knowledge of the hospital’s operations but says its leadership and its staff have been first-rate. 

  State Senator Walter Blevins says the General Assembly has a strong incentive to come up with a better redistricting plan when it convenes next month for that very purpose. The Rowan County Democrat says lawmakers prefer to design their own map and not have one imposed on them…

In the redistricting plan approved by the General Assembly in 2012, Blevins was moved into a district that would have forced him to run against Senate President Robert Stivers.  However, a court declared the map unconstitutional because it split too many counties.

Boyd County School Superintendent Brock Walter says things won’t change much in his district as a result of a new state law that phases in a higher compulsory school attendance age. Now that a majority of Kentucky school districts have agreed to increase the age from 16 to 18, it’ll be effective statewide within four years.

Boyd County was among the districts that acted early to adopt the higher age. Walter says it really doesn’t require a big investment for alternative programs to help more students graduate…

Funeral arrangements are pending for long-time Morehead city councilman and former military science professor Al Baldwin. State Senator Walter Blevins says he can’t support the expansion of nuclear power in Kentucky as long as there are problems with waste disposal…and Congressman Hal Rogers is hoping federal student loan rates can be reduced soon. Those stories and more on Mountain Edition. 

#499 Show Summary (Hoosier Sugar Data Show):

This show has it all – dietetic interns, binge eating, beef jerky, Mediterranean diet, and zombie vegetables. Cohost Jean Jones brings students Sarah Dietrich and Andrea Corkran.

Tip: Diabetes can be diagnosed with a morning glucose over 126 mg/dL, a random glucose over 200 mg/dL, or a hemoglobin A1 C (blood test) greater than 6.5%.

Links:

A textile plant in the John Will Stacy Industrial Park is set to close. Officials in Kentucky’s coal counties want a larger share of the state’s coal severance tax revenues…and State Senator Robin Webb says Kentucky should consider adopting rules for the disposal of wastes from fracking. 

It's as American as hot dogs, apple pie and baseball, and a traditional part of our Fourth of July celebrations. MSPR's Paul Hitchcock has more.

A fire in Adams County, Ohio has taken the lives of a father and his daughter. Kentucky State Police search for the robbers of a convenience store in West Liberty…and Senator Rand Paul says he has concerns about federal grants being used to purchase drones. Those stories and more on Mountain Edition. 

#496 Show Summary (How Do You Spell Pescosolido? Show):

The Good: we have invited two Rural Physician Leadership Program first year medical students, Stacey Bowlds and Kristina Pescosolido to sit in on our program.

The Bad: Kentucky loses 3317 people every year to lung cancer. 90% of these cancers are preventable if we stop smoking, and 20% of these cancers are curable if we find them early with CT lung screening.

The Ugly: Rick Phillips

Kentucky Republicans are hoping to narrow their deficit in the state house in a special election tomorrow (Tuesday) in the 56th district. Two people have been killed in a Sunday crash in Mason County…and an Ashland official is refuting claims that the city needs more firefighters. Those stories and more on Mountain Edition. 

#495 Show Summary (Eleftherios Xenos Patient Safety Show):

Dr. Xenos is an Associate Professor of Surgery at UK, and recently has been chosen to help lead UK Chandler Medical Center’s efforts to improve safety at the hospital. Hospital safety includes protection against acquiring new infections in the hospital, avoiding falls and injuries, and making sure the proper medicines are given to the proper patient at the same time. We will discuss how to visit a loved one in the hospital, and talk about Dr. Xenos’ clinical work in endovascular surgery.