Kevin Willis

Update at 10:15 a.m.:

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has given the all-clear following Thursday morning's accident on I-65 in Hart County.

All lanes and the exit ramp of Northbound I-65 are open at Exit 71 in Hart County following a multi-commercial vehicle and personal vehicle crash that occurred around 4 a.m. central.

Original post:

An early morning wreck on I-65 north in Hart County has reduced the interstate to one lane. The accident involving a multi-commercial vehicle and personal vehicle took place around 4 a.m. local time.

Kentucky’s Agriculture Commissioner is speaking out against efforts to amend his number one legislative priority—a much talked-about industrial hemp measure. James Comer says an amendment allowing five years of hemp growing demonstration projects in the state is just an effort to kill the bill.

The measure has enjoyed a good deal of bipartisan support in Frankfort, and passed the full Senate and the House Agriculture Committee. But the bill is now hanging by a thread after House Speaker Greg Stumbo refused to allow the bill an up-or-down vote. And the Courier-Journal reports Comer isn’t pleased with an amendment offered this week that would have the Kentucky State Police—instead of the Agriculture Department—issue licenses for hemp-growing demonstration projects.

Still, the bill’s sponsor—Senator Paul Hornback of Shelbyville—says he plans to meet with House leaders next week to allow some kind of action on the measure when lawmakers return for the final two days of the session on March 25th and 26th.

Kentucky's top-ranked girl’s basketball team is off to an impressive start in the Sweet 16 basketball tournament. The Marion County Lady Knights beat Bowling Green 64-to-43 Wednesday afternoon in the opening game of the tournament at WKU’s E.A. Diddle Arena.

The Lady Knights will next take on Montgomery County Friday afternoon in the tournament quarterfinals.

Marion County is now 36-0 on the year and is trying to become just the third Kentucky girl’s team ever to go an entire season undefeated.

Another team from the WKU Public Radio listening area, the Henderson County Lady Colonels, lost their first-round game Wednesday. Anderson County beat the Lady Colonels 65-54.

The Owensboro Catholic Lady Aces face off against Lincoln County Thursday afternoon.

The WKU men's basketball team received a hero's welcome Tuesday afternoon after their trip home from the Sun Belt Conference championship. Monday night's win in the title game means WKU will play in the NCAA tournament for the second straight year.

After being congratulated by fans outside E.A. Diddle Arena, sophomore forward and Bowling Green native George Fant said he wasn't thinking about what tournament seed the Hilltoppers will receive this Sunday.

"I don't know what we deserve. I don't really want to get into that. I'm just happy with the fact that we're there. For a team that was supposed to be the seventh-best team in our conference, to do this two years in a row is unbelievable," said Fant, who scored 17 points and had 13 rebounds in Monday night's win over Florida International.

Sophomore guard T.J. Price also refused to predict what seed he thought WKU would receive. The Louisiana native says he can't wait to experience the excitement of the NCAA tournament again.

"Just the feeling...when you step out on that court there's no better feeling ever. I remember last year how I felt, and I've always said I wanted the same feeling again, and now I get that chance," Price told WKU Public Radio.

Gov. Steve Beshear will lead an international business trade mission to Canada this summer. The trip will be the first-ever trade mission of the Kentucky Export Initiative, and will be aimed at boosting commerce between the Bluegrass State and America’s northern neighbor.

Canada already serves as Kentucky’s number one export destination, with the commonwealth exporting $7.3 billion in products and services there in 2012. That’s more than four times the total goods and services exported to Kentucky’s number two trading partner, Mexico.

The Kentucky trade mission will take place June 4-7 in Toronto.