News

The Associated Press is reporting that Kentucky lawmakers have passed a measure that's intended to curb prescription drug abuse in the state.  A compromise passed by the Senate and House would require all physicians in the state to use a prescription drug monitoring system so addicts seeking painkillers can be more easily identified.

The Council on Post Secondary Education has approved a tuition increase of up to six percent for students attending the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville this fall. Board members also approved a tuition hike of up to five percent for students attending WKU and other comprehensive universities in the bluegrass state.

Kentucky and Indiana are announcing that federal approval has been obtained for a new environmental impact statement on the Ohio River Bridges Project. The supplemental FEIS was required after state leadership in both Kentucky and Indiana agreed to modifications that helped reduce the cost of the project by $1.5 billion.

River Pilot Michael Collins says he tried to steer the Delta Mariner through an alternate span of the western Kentucky Eggners Ferry Bridge with confidence he would clear the road deck prior to the accident. The Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board have conducted a hearing this week, investigating the January crash that collapsed a portion of the bridge.

Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear this morning announced that Vermont Thread Gage is investing  $1.7 million in a growth project that will add to its workforce in Simpson County, Kentucky. The 35,000 square foot expansion will lead to fifteen additional jobs at a facility that already employs about one hundred people.