Tagged: Kentucky

After years of struggling to combat the abuse of Oxycontin Kentucky officials are getting a chance to pursue the drug's maker in a state court lawsuit.

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.

The Army Corps of Engineers is ahead of schedule with its construction of the Olmsted Locks and Dam project. The Corps placed five concrete shells for the dam so far in 2012, and expects to finish a sixth by the end of the year. Previously workers have only completed 4 shells per year.

A new study shows drug overdose deaths in Kentucky rose 282 percent between 2000 and 2010. The Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center analyzed information from emergency rooms, in-patient hospitalizations and mortality records.

Kentucky’s second annual sandhill crane hunting season is officially underway. 332 hunters were granted permits to bag two birds each.  The season will last until Jan. 13, or until 400 birds are killed. Rocky Pritchert is a migratory bird specialist for the Division of Fish and Wildlife. The initial plan is for sandhill crane hunting to last at least three years, and Pritchert says the state evaluates the results of the hunt every year.