Shelly Baskin

The Paducah/McCracken County Riverport is getting about $150 thousand in state grants this year to perform facility repairs.

For several years military veteran Mike Lewis has been a farmer in Kentucky. But his experience with his younger brother, a fellow veteran, has turned him into an advocate for both. Lewis’s brother returned to civilian life after he was injured in Afghanistan and went to work on Mike’s farm. Lewis says his brother seemed to benefit from the work he was doing.

For several years military veteran Mike Lewis has been a farmer in Kentucky. But his experience with his younger brother, a fellow veteran, has turned him into an advocate for both. Lewis’s brother returned to civilian life after he was injured in Afghanistan and went to work on Mike’s farm. Lewis says his brother seemed to benefit from the work he was doing.

Lyon County is one of 26 Kentucky counties getting money to clean up illegal dump sites around the Commonwealth. The state’s Division of Waste Management is providing more than $2.1 million to the counties to clean up 172 illegal dumps. Lyon County Judge Executive Wade White says they’re using the money to clean up two sites.

The riverside lot in Paducah next to the Julian Carroll Convention Center is the site of a proposed $18 million hotel project. Mayor Bill Paxton says Nashville based Senate Hospitality and two Louisville developers plan to break ground on the project next year.

A storm heading into the region from the west is bringing with it a chance for damaging winds and winter weather tomorrow.

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam says he plans no major changes to the state's public higher education system next legislative session. Haslam also says he has yet to decide if he will push for a bill to create a school vouchers program in Tennessee.

A new 364 area code is coming to western Kentucky. The new area code will occupy the same geographic region as the current 270 code.

In a Graves County courtroom, Chief District Judge Deborah Crooks is swearing in about 20 of the newest members of the county’s Teen Court program. Graves County is one of only 25 Kentucky counties to offer the program. Teen Court allows first time juvenile offenders who admit to low level crimes to plead their case and receive a sentence from a jury made up of other teens.

Marshall County High School Girls' Basketball Coach Joseph Simmons and his team are raising money for a trip to the Merv Lopez Holiday Hoops Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Lady Marshals raised $40,000 over the past year to pay for the trip. Of the 8 teams in the tournament next week, the Lady Marshals are the only ones from the mainland.