News

The Mayfield City Council has passed the first reading of a city-wide smoking ban ordinance with a 6-4 vote. Mayor Teresa Cantrell says yesterday’s vote is the first step to ban smoking in public places like restaurants and other businesses.

“We’ve been working on this for a little over a year and we did a community poll and it was overwhelmingly in support,” she says.

Clarksville City councilman David Allen has leveled charges against fellow councilman James Lewis following a heated dispute at a budget meeting last week. The charges include simple assault and a restraining order. 

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has scheduled a public meeting for discussion of a study of the U.S. 60 Cumberland River Bridge at Smithland in Livingston County.

The meeting is Thursday, June 20 at the UK Agriculture Extension Office in Smithland.

KYTC District 1 Chief Engineer Jim LeFevre said the purpose of the meeting is to introduce a planning study concerning the feasibility of repairing or replacing the Smithland bridge and to solicit thoughts, concerns and opinions from the public on the future of the bridge.

He never had a losing season as head coach in the NFL... Vince Lombardi was best known as coach of he Green Bay Packers in the 60s, where he led the team to five league championships and two Super Bowl wins. He died in 1970 and was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in '71.

It’s Tuesday, June 11

The first-ever Barking Lot Blues Jam is scheduled for Thursday evening from 6 to 9 in the parking lot of First Christian Church in Mayfield. The event features a dog contest with proceeds benefiting the Mayfield-Graves County Animal Shelter, plus blues music from the Pearl House Band, Reggie LaFaye, Clint Fisher, and others. For more information, call 247-2204.

From NPR: The Senate passed legislation yesterday that would do away with direct payments to farmers and instead create an expanded crop insurance program. It's designed to protect farmers from losses, but some say it amounts to a highly subsidized gift to agribusiness.

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn is asking lawmakers to approve both rival plans on how to solve the state's nearly $100 billion pension crisis. But it's unclear if legislative leaders will agree. Quinn made the request yesterday in a meeting in Chicago with House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton.

An independent political group that backed David Williams' failed bid to become Kentucky governor has paid a $4,500 fine.  The fine imposed against the group Restoring America is part of an agreement to settle allegations it improperly shielded the identity of its major contributor leading up to the 2011 election.

Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear is praising Kentucky educators and others for their part in improving the state's graduation rate, which rose from 63.7% in 2000 to 77.2% in 2010. That moves Kentucky well ahead of the national graduation rate of 74.7%.

Kentucky State Police say the statewide highway death toll is down from a year ago. Through last Sunday, preliminary statistics show 251 people have lost their lives on Kentucky roads in 2013. That's 79 fewer than during the same period a year ago. State police say that of the 201 motor vehicle fatalities this year, 99 victims were not wearing seat belts.

A coalition of western Kentucky utility consumers has launched a radio ad campaign to oppose a proposed rate increase sought by Big Rivers Electric Corp. The ads also encourage consumers to attend public hearings this week on the proposed increase. If the proposal is approved, electric customers could see their bills increase by nearly 20%.