The Associated Press

Senators from Kentucky and Tennessee have introduced legislation to preserve tailwater fishing in the dams of the Cumberland River. The legislation, called the Freedom to Fish Act, would prevent the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from installing barriers along portions of the river that would block fishing access to tailwaters.

Dams are popular fishing spots because small fish get trapped and attract larger ones like catfish and bass. Corp officials say boating too close to the spillways at the dams is a safety risk and that barriers will go up this year. Anglers in both states have been voicing outrage over the plan.

A spokesman says Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam is "likely" to sign into law a bill to allow the state's nearly 400,000 handgun carry permit holders to store firearms in their cars no matter where they are parked. The House on passed the bill sponsored by Republican Rep. Jeremy Faison on a 72 - 22 vote Thursday.

Before the vote, Speaker Beth Harwell assured Republican colleagues that the measure is endorsed by the National Rifle Association and that members of the business community are "holding their noses" about its passage despite concerns about security and property rights.

Illinois Senate President John Cullerton is on board with the newest Illinois House pension solution plan.    Spokeswoman Rikeesha Phelon says the Chicago Democrat plans to amend his proposed pension fix with language from a bipartisan House plan announced yesterday. But Cullerton would retain other provisions he says would ensure the plan's constitutionality.

Mississippi River shippers say they're returning to handling full loads because the drought-ravaged waterway has benefited from winter storms and aggressive rock-clearing.

The Army Corps of Engineers and the Coast Guard say the crisis is over with water levels rising and rocks cleared to deepen the channel. The corps recently removed riverbed rocks from a treacherous stretch south of St. Louis, and it says recent snow and rain have helped raise the Mississippi. 

The Black Caucus of the American Library Association has given its 2013 Best Poetry Award to Hopkinsville native and author bell hooks for her book "Appalachian Elegy."

Legislation that would institute a statewide smoking ban in restaurants and other public places has been sent to the House Judiciary Committee for further review, making it unlikely to pass this legislative session. 

House Speaker Greg Stumbo says he doesn't expect the measure to make it back to the full House for consideration.  The bill has proven divisive in Kentucky, one of the nation's top tobacco-producing states.

The presidents of Kentucky's public universities have signed a letter urging the state's U.S. senators to help overhaul the immigration system.

The letter, sent to Republicans Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul, says American universities educate some of the world's top international students only to see some of them leave under current U.S. immigration policies and work for competing companies abroad.

A Kentucky House committee chairman says he’ll scale back an industrial hemp bill to allow the University of Kentucky to seek permission to study the crop that is currently banned by the federal government. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom McKee says his amendment would have UK test hemp if it received a federal permit.

McKee said he plans to offer the amendment when the Agriculture Committee takes up the hemp bill today in Frankfort. 

An Illinois House committee has endorsed allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry. The House Executive Committee voted last night to move a measure lifting the state's ban on same-sex marriage to the floor.

Democratic Rep. Greg Harris says his bill is a matter of treating gay and heterosexual couples equally under the law.  Advocates say the measure would also help eliminate discrimination against children of homosexual couples. But opponents say the bill steps on religious freedom. They argue lawmakers don't have the right to redefine marriage.

U.S. Representative Ed Whitfield has introduced a bill to keep the Army Corps of Engineers from blocking fishing near dams on the Cumberland River, a plan that’s drawn outrage from anglers in Kentucky and Tennessee.

Whitfield met earlier with corps officials and said he was prepared to file legislation if necessary.  Whitfield says his Freedom to Fish Act allows continued boating access to river tailwaters for sportsmen and recreational fishermen.