Lead Stories

Election 2012
10:07 am
Fri August 24, 2012

Pre-Election Legal Battles Target Voting Rules

Credit Stephen Flood / Express-Times /Landov
Protesters hold signs in Allentown, Pa., om July 25 as the Commonwealth Court holds hearings on voter ID laws.

Originally published on Fri August 24, 2012 11:56 am

If you vote, you might very well be confused about what the rules will be when you go to cast your ballot this fall. There's been a flood of new laws on things such as voter identification and early voting, and many of them are now being challenged in court.

Some cases could drag on until Nov. 6, Election Day, and beyond. The outcomes will affect voters, and maybe even the results.

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The Two-Way
12:45 am
Fri August 24, 2012

Lance Armstrong Says He Won't Fight Doping Charges

Credit Christophe Ena / AP
Lance Armstrong grimaces prior to the start of the third stage of the Tour de France cycling race in Wanze, Belgium, on July 6, 2010. Armstrong said Thursday he is finished fighting charges from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency that he used performance-enhancing drugs during his unprecedented cycling career.

Originally published on Fri August 24, 2012 7:35 am

Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong says he won't fight accusations of doping from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency any longer, putting at risk his string of titles and his reputation as one of the world's great cyclists.

Here's part of Armstrong's statement:

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Environment
5:47 pm
Thu August 23, 2012

LG&E Trespasses in Cane Run Neighborhood

Credit Erica Peterson / WFPL
The smokestacks at LG&E's coal-fired Cane Run power plant.

Several residents near the Cane Run Power Station are angry after Louisville Gas & Electric employees walked onto their property without permission to collect dust samples off their homes.

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Politics
5:05 pm
Thu August 23, 2012

Despite Akin Controversy, McConnell Says GOP Chances at Senate Majority Are "50-50"

Credit Kenny Colston / Kentucky Public Radio
McConnell

A recent controversy over a Missouri Senate candidate’s comments on rape has not diminished U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell’s outlook for November.

McConnell is hoping to become majority leader next year. Depending on who wins the presidency, he needs either three of four GOP Senate victories this fall to do so. He recently asked Republican Congressman Todd Akin to drop out of his race to give Republicans a better chance in Missouri, but Akin declined.

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Environment
3:45 pm
Thu August 23, 2012

Despite Rains, Indiana Still Gripped By Drought

Photo from National Drought Mitigation Center

An updated federal report shows that more than one-third of Indiana is still in at least extreme drought even though recent rainfall has improved conditions for much of the state.

The new U.S. Drought Monitor report released today says about 11 percent of Indiana is in the worst category with exceptional drought. That designation covers much of the state's southwestern corner from around Terre Haute to north of Evansville.

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Environment
3:10 pm
Thu August 23, 2012

Judge Rules TVA is Responsible for 2008 Coal Ash Spill

Credit Tennessee Valley Authority
An aerial view of the coal ash spill on December 23, 2008.

A federal judge has ruled that the Tennessee Valley Authority is responsible for a massive coal ash spill near Knoxville in 2008.

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Local News
1:36 pm
Thu August 23, 2012

Champion Country Ham Fetches $300,000

The grand champion country ham, displayed by Miss Kentucky Jessica Casebolt, was produced by Scott Hams of Greenville, Kentucky.

The Kentucky State Fair grand champion country ham fetched $300,000 at a charity auction today.

Since 1964, the top ham has been auctioned at the close of the Kentucky Farm Bureau country ham breakfast.

This year’s top bidder was Louisville optometrist Dr. Mark Lynn.

"Louisville has been very, very good to us, we’ve been very lucky in life. We feel very fortunate. I’ve got four great kids, seven great-grandkids and a wonderful wife and it’s time to give back," Lynn said.

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Local News
1:16 pm
Thu August 23, 2012

Seven Organizations Unable to Document Spending of City Grants

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer’s review of Neighborhood Development Fund grants is complete and seven organizations have been called out for not being able to document how they spent taxpayer dollars. 

Fischer made a point to review nearly 200 local organizations last year after it was determined the city was not keeping track of how they were spending the NDF grants. Those organizations stand to loose any future grants including any written into the 2012 fiscal year budget.

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Politics
1:05 pm
Thu August 23, 2012

More Data Coming Soon to City Data Website

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer has unveiled his office's long-planned data tracking system, LouieStat.

LouieStat is meant to be the source for significant data on Metro Government. It's supposed to track everything from pothole locations to release rates at Metro Animal Services to overtime hours of public employees.

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Politics
1:01 pm
Thu August 23, 2012

Beshear Will Name New Chief of Staff Soon

Former Chief of Staff Mike Haydon

Governor Steve Beshear says he will appoint a new chief of staff soon, despite still being saddened by the sudden loss of his former chief of staff, Mike Haydon.

Haydon died suddenly of a heart attack earlier this month. Haydon worked in government for more than three decades, and had been Beshear's chief of staff since 2010.

Beshear called Haydon his “right arm,” but says the position needs to be filled.

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