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An Indiana law that bans registered sex offenders from using Facebook and other social networking sites that can be accessed by children is unconstitutional, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.

The 7th U.S. Circuit of Appeals in Chicago overturned a federal judge’s decision upholding the law, saying the state was justified in trying to protect children but that the “blanket ban” went too far by restricting free speech.

The 2008 law “broadly prohibits substantial protected speech rather than specifically targeting the evil of improper communications to minors,” the judges wrote.

A survey of Kentucky's equine industry harnessed big numbers to back up the state's bragging rights as the world's horse capital. Kentucky is home to around 242,400 horses, according to new data released Wednesday.

From June to October of last year, researchers with the National Agricultural Statistics Service counted equines across the state, ranging from thoroughbreds at large farms to ponies in people’s backyards.

Dr. Jill Stowe, a professor of Agricultural Economics at the University of Kentucky, says the project marks the first comprehensive survey of Kentucky’s horses since 1977.

“The data that we have right now even is useful for our elected officials in policy decisions. It’s useful for business owner or entrepreneurs who are trying to write business plans and they need to know what demand is like in their area," said Dr. Stowe. "And with this information we have that.”

Lexington native and former Louisville Cardinal kicker David Akers could hold the key to Super Bowl victory for the San Francisco 49ers. Both the Niners and the team they'll face in Super Bowl XLVII, the Baltimore Ravens, have extremely good defenses. It's very possible the game could come down to a last-second field goal.

Normally, you'd love to have a six-time Pro Bowler like Akers taking that kick for your team.

But as the New York Times profiles in this piece, Akers has been erratic this season. He tied the NFL record for longest field goal early in the season, then went on to miss more attempts than any other kicker in the league.

During Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's Congressional testimony Wednesday about the attack on an American consulate in Benghazi last year, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul questioned what he described as Clinton's negligence in the months preceding the attack.

The web site Mediaite quotes Paul as thanking Clinton for taking culpability for "the worst tragedy since 9/11" but noted that, if he had been President at the time and had learned that Clinton failed to read some key diplomatic cables before the attack, he would have "relieved her of her post."

Paul's opening statement prior to his questioning laid out his argument.

"One of the things that disappointed me most about the original 9/11 is that no one was fired. We spent trillions of dollars, but there were a lot of human errors. These are judgment errors and the people who make judgment errors need to be replaced, fired, and no longer in the position of making these judgment calls," said Paul, a first term Senator from Bowling Green, Ky.

During her testimony, Clinton pointed out that Congress has failed to act on several State Department requests for increased funding for consulate and embassy security.

Nearly two years before he faces re-election in 2014, U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell has been under regular attack for his policy stances — from both conservative and progressive groups in Kentucky.

The most recent criticism  is coming from McConnell’s right,  as more than a dozen tea party groups have signed a letter protesting the Senate Republican leader's stances. On the other side, a group called Progress Kentucky has protested the senator a handful of times already in 2013.

Jasmine Farrier, a political science professor at the University of Louisville, says it’s natural for different groups to rally against an incumbent before an election — but it may not mean much in terms of McConnell's ability to win a sixth term.

“It would not be surprising for there to be protests, criticism and press releases daily between now and the election in 2014," Farrier said. "But that does not mean there is an actual contender who is threatening the senator’s seat either from the Republican side or from the Democratic side."