Whitney Jones

Kentucky lawmakers are at odds on whether to postpone redistricting for a year to avoid gumming up an upcoming legislative session that's already chock-full of hefty issues. Incoming Republican Senate President Robert Stivers says there’s no rushed to redraw legislative boundaries because the next round of elections isn't until 2014. Democratic House Speaker Greg Stumbo wants the process over as quickly as possible after the session convenes Jan. 8.

Tennessee House Speaker Beth Harwell’s announcement that she wants to impose a cap on how many bills are filed each year has lobbyists scrambling. Under Harwell’s proposal each lawmaker would be limited to 10 bills each session. That’s an average of about two bills a piece for the more than 500 lobbyists registered at the state Capitol.

About 30,000 Tennesseans and 24,000 Kentuckians are set to lose extended federal unemployment benefits this Wednesday. Congress created the Emergency Unemployment Compensation program in 2008 to help workers who had exhausted what they were receiving from the states.

In Racer basketball, the men’s team fell to the Valparaiso Crusaders 64 to 66 Saturday and will face the U-T Martin Skyhawks this Thursday.

Three counties in our region are under a winter weather advisory from noon today until 6 tomorrow morning. Kentucky Transportation Cabinet officials say Union, Henderson and Daviess counties could face ice and up to 2 inches of snow followed by sleet and freezing rain. Sleet has been reported sleet on I-24 between Calvert City and Grand Rivers.

Murray city officials say they won't extend the time for serving or consuming alcohol past midnight for tonight's New Year’s Eve celebrations. The last time that was allowed was New Year's Eve in 2008 when a now-closed restaurant asked for a brief extension.

A 2011 settlement between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Tennessee Valley Authority means 13 Kentucky organizations will receive a total of $11.2 million dollars in grants over five years. The settlement covers allegations that TVA violated the Clean Air Act.

From NPR: A language specialist speculates about 2012’s word of the year. Will it be malarkey? Or Frankenstorm? Or – gasp – YOLO?

An Illinois Department of Children and Family Services report shows a 6 percent increase of child sex abuse across the state, but most of the southern counties have a much higher rate. The report compared sex abuse allegations from July 1 to Nov. 30 of this year to the same time period last year. Massac, Hardin, Johnson and Saline counties all had more than twice the state average of reported child sex abuse.

Tennessee law enforcement will be using the new "no refusal" law over the weekend before New Year's Eve that allows police to get blood samples of suspected drunken drivers. Previously drivers in Tennessee could refuse a blood alcohol content test but they would face losing their licenses for violating the "implied consent" law. The law passed this year allows police to seek search warrants for blood samples. Police have held "no refusal" enforcement periods during several holidays this year.