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A CEO of a large in employer in Murray is stepping aside and that leaves some uncertainty for hundreds of workers in our region. We also learn about decisions people over the age of 65 are making that impacts an area healthcare provider. Also, we’ll also get an overview of the ongoing debate over the benefits and risks of raw milk, and find out just how significant minor league baseball once was in our region.  Then, we resume our monthly conversations with Murray State President Dr. Randy Dunn and preview this week’s offering at Paducah’s Maiden Alley Cinema.

A lack of patients is bringing changes to the Henry County Medical Center’s hospital-run nursing home, the Henry County Healthcare Center.  The facility has capacity for 150 residents, but around 30 beds are consistently empty and it’s spent the past few weeks in restructuring mode.  Hospital officials have shut down one hall and cut two full-time jobs.  They also expect to limit the number of new hires in the coming years. 

Todd Hatton sits down with WKMS Program Director Tracy Ross to get an overview of coming changes to WKMS programming.

Click on the program grid to enlarge:

Earlier this year, the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame inducted three west Kentuckians to the ranks of other great Kentucky Journalists: D.J. Everett of WKDZ/WHVO radio in Cadiz, Chip Hutcheson, publisher of The Times Leader and Murray State University professor emeritus Dr. Robert McGaughey. Today we begin a series of conversations with these gentlemen, today we hear from Dr. Robert Mcgaughey better known as “Doc.” Doc retired in 1997 after 30 years with the Journalism and Mass Communications department, 23 years of which he spent as department chair. He taught part time at Murray State until 2010.

This past week, hundreds gathered at Wickliffe Mounds State Historic Site to close a chapter in the Native American history of our region.  They witnessed a ceremony honoring the reburial of the remains of Mississippian-era mound builders who lived in our area almost a thousand years ago.  For over 50 years, the owners of the land that now makes up the historic site displayed them as part of a tourist attraction called Ancient Buried City. 

Not too many years ago, when a child went to a dietician, it was because he or she was too thin. Now, dieticians say they are seeing more overweight, and even obese children. The Centers for Disease Control found in 2010 that 1 in 7 preschool age children is obese. With extra weight comes increased health risks, and to treat a problem, it’s better to catch it early. The Purchase Area Health Education Center is working with several counties in the region to find children who may be at risk for cardiovascular problems.

Growing up in Metropolis, Illinois, all Buddy Hall ever wanted to do was play pool. Hall was a pool professional for more than 50 years. He’s winner of 67 majors, 13 world titles, a five-time player of the years, and member of three halls of fame, including the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame. These days, he’s retired … or, at least semi-retired. He’s slowed down, but says he can’t keep away. Angela Hatton caught up with Hall at a tournament in Murray.

When was the last time you hand wrote a letter? For most people, not recently. In the 19th century, letters were vital links to family and friends. And for historians today, they are a snapshot of daily life. The Kentucky Historical Society recently added 27 letters to its collection. Called the Watson and Robinson letters, they contain information about the lives of free and enslaved families in Hopkinsville and Lexington. Louise Jones is the director of Special Collections and the Martin F. Schmidt Research Library. Jones spoke with Angela Hatton about the significance of the Watson and Robinson collection.

Every year, Murray’s Playhouse in the Park invites children to a week-long Summer Theatre Camp that engages them in the production of a full-length show. 90 kids signed up for the musical this year. WKMS Youth Reporters Anna-Cate Brown, Brynn Jones, and Wendy Waltrip got a behind-the-scenes scoop on the show, Disney’s Cinderella Kids.

Headlines and soundbytes from world leaders is sometimes the only impressions we get of a country, but how often does a politician or president accurately reflect your voice? Commentator Darlene Mazzone shares a page from her diary, about a trip to Nepal, where she discovered that the key to understanding foreign people and places it to seek the poetry in the details of their cultures.