Kevin Willis

One in five Kentuckians and Tennesseans currently receives food stamps through a federal assistance program. Nationally, the number of food stamp recipients has increased 70% since 2008.

Twenty-percent of Kentucky residents receive help through the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program—or SNAP--which provides food stamp benefits for the needy. In Tennessee, 21% of residents are on the program, along with 14% of Indiana residents.

Analysts agree that the biggest reason for the increasing numbers on assistance is the poor job market and national increase in poverty.

But a report in The Wall Street Journal also points out that states are able to ease income tests for would-be participants, allowing those with relatively higher incomes and savings to take part in the program. As of December of 2012, a record 47.8 million Americans received benefits through SNAP.

A Warren County grand jury has returned no indictments in the shooting death of 27-year-old Brandon Bradshaw of Bowling Green.

In a news conference Wednesday evening, Warren County Commonwealth's Attorney Chris Cohron announced that grand jury members earlier in the day decided Tommy Brown acted within the law when he shot Bradshaw three times on Feb. 26.

The investigation into the shooting was carried out by the Kentucky State Police.

Bradshaw died from his wounds Mar. 2 at a hospital in Nashville.

Brown is a Warren County court security officer. He was not on duty or in uniform at the time of the shooting.

The Glasgow City Council has unanimously passed a resolution pledging the city's support for an expansion of the WKU-Glasgow campus.

Glasgow mayor Rhonda Riherd Trautman says the resolution passed at Monday night's meeting offers the city's bonding authority to help fund a building expansion at the school's regional campus in Barren County.

WKU President Gary Ransdell has talked repeatedly in recent weeks about the need for the school to find alternative revenue streams in order to pay for major projects, in light of declining state aid for higher education.

WKU-Glasgow administrators say they need more classrooms, office space, and food services.

The WKU Hilltoppers gave the #1 seed Kansas Jayhawks all they could handle Friday night, leading at the half and remaining within four points with 25 seconds left in the game.

But WKU went ice cold offensively in the second half, and Kansas held on to win 64-57.

WKU shot only 31% from the field for the game, and the Hilltoppers went 3-20 from three-point range.

Senior point guard Jamal Crook ended his WKU career with 13 points, 9 rebounds, and four assists.

WKU fans now have the 2013-14 season to think about, with forward George Fant and guard T.J. Price returning to form a nice nucleus for the two-time defending Sun Belt Conference champions.

It’s a BIG weekend for WKU basketball. The men’s team will try to make history Friday night in the NCAA tournament, and the Lady Hilltoppers are looking to win their second game in the women’s NIT.

No #16 seed has ever beaten a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Yet we keep being told by college basketball analysts that some day that very thing is going to happen. Will it be Friday, when the WKU Hilltoppers take on the top-seed Kansas Jayhawks?

Kansas is one of the deepest, most experienced teams in the country, with four senior starters. And they’re playing only 30 minutes away from their campus in Lawrence, Kansas. The Jayhawks are well-known in Kansas City, having just won the Big 12 tournament there.

The Hilltoppers? Not so much.