By Todd Hatton
Murray, KY – Kentucky House Speaker Greg Stumbo is promoting a plan to use coal severance tax revenue to cover costs of making the private University of Pikeville a part of the state's system of public universities. The move to add the university comes amid severe budget woes that have forced cuts in government services and programs. If approved by the legislature, it would be the Commonwealth's only public university in Kentucky's eastern coalfields. Proponents of the measure say Kentucky's mountain residents need a four-year state school closer to their homes. Currently, the nearest ones, Eastern Kentucky University and Morehead State University, are more than two hours away from Pikeville. Governor Steve Beshear has ordered a study to look at the pros and cons of the proposal.