WASHINGTON — Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson says she's stepping down after nearly four years on the job.

Jackson announced her departure in a statement Thursday. She gave no particular reason for leaving but said she was ready for new challenges, time with her family and new opportunities to make a difference.

Jackson's tenure was marked by high-profile brawls with industry and congressional Republicans over such issues a global warming pollution, the Keystone XL oil pipeline and new controls on coal-fired plants.

Some airlines — especially the smaller ones — worry they won't have enough pilots. They're a number of factors in play, but they point to new federal safety rules as a big part of the problem.

In February 2009, a Colgan Air commuter jet crashed, killing 50 people. Investigators cited inadequate pilot training; Congress responded with new legislation. Beginning next summer, those who want to pilot commercial jets will need dramatically more hours of flight training before they can be hired.

Though he is reportedly alert and enjoying a "running banter" with his nurses, former President George H.W. Bush is in the intensive care unit at Houston's Methodist Hospital.

The Houston Chronicle writes that "Jim McGrath, Bush's spokesman in Houston, said the 88-year-old's fever rose on Wednesday, but doctors at Methodist Hospital report he is doing better than the day before. He was admitted to the ICU on Sunday."

In college football, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers fell to Central Michigan 24-21 in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl Wednesday night in Detroit.

With less than a minute left in the fourth quarter, WKU passed up an opportunity for a game-tying field goal on fourth down, instead attempting a pass play deep in Central Michigan territory. But the Chippewas broke up the play to secure the victory.

Western Kentucky finishes the season with a 7-6 record. The Hilltoppers were led by interim coach Lance Guidry , who took over when Willie Taggart left for South Florida.

The huge winter storm system that dumped as much as a foot of snow on parts of Indiana is moving eastward and out of the region.

The heaviest snowfall has been recorded in central and western Indiana, but there have been significant accumulations in counties closer to the Ohio River and in far western Kentucky.

Much of Indiana was under a blizzard warning today as the blowing, drifting snow came at a pace of three inches per hour in some places. The winter weather snarled traffic and left hundreds of travelers stranded at the Indianapolis International Airport.

When Will Russell and his partners staged the first party in honor of their favorite movie, The Coen Bros.'  “The Big Lebowski,” they didn’t realize how many people shared their enthusiasm for what was then an overlooked slacker comedy. Ten years later, Lebowski Fest tours internationally with cast member guest appearances and buzz bands, and their two-day flagship event brings fans (code name: Achievers) from all over the country to Louisville every summer for bowling, White Russians, costume contests and what-have-you.

Russell's banking on tapping into a similar community of cult film fans with his new venture, Pee Wee Over Louisville. The day-long celebration of Russell’s second-favorite movie, “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,”  is planned for September and will feature a family-friendly themed activities like a bicycle rodeo and a screening of the film.

Kentucky’s economic growth in 2013 could mirror the advances made this year.

That’s according to Ken Troske, who directs the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Kentucky.

Troske predicts another two to three percent in economic growth. He says this year’s economic improvement came at a slower than anticipated pace.

“It’s certainly not the growth that you would expect coming out of a recession," Troske said.

Several companies that operate barges on the drought-stricken Mississippi River have asked Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear to intervene by calling for a presidential disaster declaration.

The companies, including three based in Paducah, say such a request could be a first step in getting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to release water from the Missouri River to improve the flow of theMississippi.

The companies made the appeal in a Dec. 20 letter.

Natural gas may have reshaped the domestic energy market in 2012, lowering energy prices and marginalizing the coal industry, but America's shale boom hasn't undermined renewables.

In fact, while analysts were paying attention to fracking this year, a record number of solar panels were being slapped on roofs — enough to produce 3.2 gigawatts of electricity.

One food truck couldn’t contain the plans Matt Davis had for Lil Cheezers Gourmet Grilled Cheesemobile.

Davis took to the Louisville streets in a Velveeta-yellow truck in 2011, selling creative takes on the classic grilled cheese sandwich to office workers, club kids and curious passers-by. In less then 18 months, Davis has established a brick-and-mortar restaurant, too.

“The idea was not to put all the eggs in the Lil Cheezers (truck) basket,” Davis said.