Kentucky Public Radio

EKU Board of Regents Adopts Plan with No Pay Raises, WKU Preparing for Budget Cuts

Kentucky Public Radio — Wed, 01 May 2013 16:25:58 +0000

As WKU prepares for budget cuts ahead of the next fiscal year, another Kentucky university is making plans ahead of its next budget.

The Eastern Kentucky University board of regents has approved a spending plan that includes a three-percent in-state undergraduate tuition increase and no raises for employees. The three-percent tuition hike is the maximum allowed by the Council on Postsecondary Education.

WKU President Gary Ransdell had asked the CPE for a five-percent undergraduate tuition increase, saying it was needed to help the school move forward without budget cuts.

Dr. Ransdell says WKU will now have to look at cuts that will include personnel reductions. WKU vice-presidents have given Ransdell preliminary plans for cuts in their departments.

The issue will be taken up by the school’s board of regents at their meeting in late June.

University of Kentucky Research Seeks Bedbug Remedy

Kentucky Public Radio — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:08:24 +0000

Researchers at the University of Kentucky are working on a new kind of project to combat the spread of bedbugs without the use of potentially harmful chemicals.

Entomology professor Mike Potter says the team will attempt to replicate a highly successful remedy used centuries ago in Eastern Europe that involves using kidney bean leaves.

“They found that they could sprinkle bean leaves on the floors of their dwellings and capture bedbugs. The mechanism by which that occurs is through these little plant hairs called trichomes which is a natural defense that plants have to deter attacks by certain types of plant feeding insects," Potter explains.

Scientists at the University of Kentucky and the University of California, Irvine are now developing materials that mimic the trichomes on the bean leaves.

The group’s research findings have been published online in the Journal of the Royal Science interface.

Kentucky Anti-Gambling Group: Cost Outweights Benefits

Kentucky Public Radio — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 20:38:58 +0000

Gambling brings social ills that will offset any tax revenue to Kentucky, argued a new group that rallied Wednesday in the Capitol Rotunda.

About 30 people joined the group Stop Predatory Gambling Kentucky for the rally, where speakers dismissed efforts in the General Assembly to expand gambling through casinos or Instant Racing.

Karen Hendersen, executive director of Stop Predatory Gambling Kentucky, warned that casinos create a burden to state funds in the form of gambling addiction treatment and family assistance programs.

"We have great promises that casinos or the lottery or instant racing will end up helping us out but the cost or the personal cost far outweighs any financial benefit," Hendersen said.

Deadly Bat Disease Reaches Mammoth Cave National Park

Kentucky Public Radio — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 19:57:13 +0000

The first confirmed case of a fatal bat disease has been found in Mammoth Cave National Park.

White Nose Syndrome is a fungal disease that has killed millions of bats across North America. Nearly all infected bats die, and so far scientists haven’t been able to stop the spread of the fungus.

Now, an infected bat has been found in Long Cave. The cave is within the boundaries of Mammoth Cave National Park, about five miles from the famous Mammoth Cave.

School Safety Legislation Expected in 2013 Kentucky Legislature

Kentucky Public Radio — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 11:00:00 +0000

Despite a short legislative session that’s expected to focus on pension reforms, Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday says lawmakers may consider some key education measures, too.

“I think you’re going to see a number of possible bills coming out following up from the Newtown incident.”

Holliday says lawmakers may also be interested in increasing funding for Kentucky’s Center for School Safety, which saw dramatic cuts to its budget in 2009.

He also expects the General Assembly to take up legislation that would allow the education department to move forward with reforming its teacher evaluation system. The new system would likely measure teacher performance based partly on student test scores, which has been controversial among some in education.