FRANKFORT — Advocates for Kentucky children on Thursday called for state leaders to provide funds and stave off recently announced cuts to programs that provide assistance for child care costs and to family members who take in young relatives.

The calls were made Thursday at the ninth annual Children Advocacy Day rally, which organizers estimated more than 1,000 people joined. Because of the crowd's size, the rally was moved from the Capitol Rotunda to outside.

Lower-calorie foods are driving growth and profits for chain restaurants, according to fresh research, suggesting that people are making smarter choices when it comes to burgers and fries.

We're still ordering the burger and fries, mind you. But we're going for smaller portions and shunning sugary drinks. French fry sales dropped about 2 percent from 2006 to 2011, while sales of lower-calorie beverages rose 10 percent, the study found.

Hoping to reduce gun violence in Kentucky, a group of Democratic lawmakers have filed a bill  that would allow Kentucky State Police to set regulations banning certain firearms or high-capacity magazines.

The bill, which state Sen. Kathy Stein plans to file in the Senate on Thursday, would also allow cities and colleges to regulate guns and would require private background checks  for every gun sale in Kentucky.

SULPHUR, Ind. —Authorities have released the names of three of the five people killed in an overnight mobile home fire in southern Indiana.

Crawford County Sheriff Tim Wilkerson says 32-year-old John Denton died in Thursday's fire along with his 8-year-old daughter, Kara Denton, and his 35-year-old half brother, Bill Turben.

John Denton's girlfriend and her 3-year-old son also died, but police have not released their names.

What do the Kansas City Royals, C. Everett Koop, Jack Nicholson and the United Methodist Church all have in common?

Turns out the Major League Baseball team, the former surgeon general, the actor and the denomination's general board and church society are all enemies of firearms, and as such have made it onto the National Rifle Association's list of "National Organizations With Anti-Gun Policies."

There were 366,000 first-time clams for unemployment insurance last week, down just 5,000 from the week before, the Employment and Training Administration reports.

Of note: that number from the previous week — 371,000 — is an upward revision. A week ago, the agency estimated there had been 368,000 claims over that period.

John Brennan, President Obama's choice to lead the CIA, can look forward to a grilling Thursday on Capitol Hill. As Obama's chief counterterrorism adviser, he has been associated with some controversial policies, including the use of armed drones. Brennan's nomination comes before the Senate Intelligence Committee, and members from both parties have their questions ready.

On our audio diary series The Big Break, our emerging performers learn and teach some unique history lessons.Louisville Ballet trainee Claire Horrocks gets fitted for costumes for the upcoming production of "Romeo and Juliet" and takes us on a tour of the costume shop. Actors Theatre of Louisville apprentice Samantha Beach uses Roman history to write a play in 24 hours, and Kentucky Opera studio artist Brad Raymond goes on tour to local schools, teaching American history through song.