The Republican state senator who is likely to become the next president of the Kentucky Senate says he will be a more inclusive leader should his colleagues make him the successor to David Williams.

State Sen. Robert Stivers, of Manchester, is seeking the post, and the GOP is meeting Thursday to select a new leader.

Many Democrats have been critical of Williams, calling him mean-spirited and vindictive. Stivers declined to comment on that, but says he'll always be willing to talk to lawmakers who disagree with him.

Will the United States ever elect a woman president?

When President Obama — or Mitt Romney — leaves the Oval Office, there will be a handful of highly touted female candidates for consideration as top-of-the-ticket nominees for both major parties.

On the Republican side, the list includes Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and Govs. Susana Martinez of New Mexico, Nikki Haley of South Carolina and maybe even Sarah Palin of Alaska.

Right now, workers on the scene of the train derailment in southwestern Jefferson County are worried about extinguishing the fire that’s been burning since yesterday, likely caused by residual butadiene. But once that’s under control, they’ll turn their attention to two train cars full of a chemical called hydrogen fluoride. And as they’re working to stabilize and drain those cars, it’s likely there will be another shelter-in-place in effect for the surrounding areas. Why?

If David Jones Jr. wins a seat next week on the Jefferson County Public Schools board, attorney Ted Gordon will file a lawsuit seeking to prevent the former Humana chairman from taking office, a spokeswoman for Gordon announced on Thursday.

The suit would claim that Jones has conflicts of interest that make his ineligible to serve on the school board. 

Public health officials are warning that people in areas devastated by Superstorm Sandy face many risks in the aftermath and are urging people to protect themselves from health threats in the water, air and even their refrigerators.

As millions of people try to put their lives back together, the most obvious threat is the floodwaters themselves. In many places, the water could be a toxic stew.

DETROIT (AP) — Ford CEO Alan Mulally will lead the company at least through 2014, but it's now clear who will succeed him.

The company on Thursday said that Americas President Mark Fields has been named chief operating officer effective Dec. 1, with all of the company's business units reporting to him.

Fields will report to Mulally, 67, who will stay on to lead the company's long-term strategy.

This week on our audio diary series "The Big Break," Actors Theatre apprentice Samantha Beach prepares for mock auditions while learning how to embrace being cast as a certain type. Louisville Ballet trainee Claire Horrocks goes through the process of developing her character for her very first public performance with the company, while Kentucky Opera studio artist Brad Raymond switches from villain to comic relief in "Cinderella."

There are competitive races this year for the U.S. House, but five of Kentucky's six races have heavy favorites the week before the election. 

The Sixth

This rematch between Democratic Rep. Ben Chandler and Republican attorney Andy Barr was suppose to be easier for Chandler than the 2010 campaign, which he won by less than 700 votes.

But the campaign has turned nasty over coal issues and independent polling has been non-existent. Both campaign claim they are ahead and will win on Nov. 6.