Education

A school district in south-central Kentucky has canceled classes for the remainder of the week citing low attendance due to illnesses. Monroe County school Superintendent Lewis Carter told the Glasgow Daily Times that officials made the decision after attendance on Monday dropped to just 81 percent. He says just a week previous to that, the district had 96 percent attendance.

However, the number had dropped to 91 percent within four days.

Donald Smith, who has served as Associate Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations at WKU, has been named the President of the College Heights Foundation at Western Kentucky University. He will replace Alex Downing, who is leaving the post to accept a position at Franklin Bank and Trust.

A state lawmaker would like to see Kentucky's regional universities "fast track" their degree programs to save students money and get them into the labor force more quickly. Republican Senator Jared Carpenter of Berea says students are piling up debt and taking some courses that really aren't necessary.