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Third District Congressman John Yarmuth has help secure $375,000 in federal funds to fight youth substance abuse.

The $375,000 in federal funding will be divided up among three different community groups that work to prevent drug abuse among teenagers and young adults in Louisville. The funding is part of a larger $76.7 million investment in the Drug-Free Communities Program, which was established in 1997 to help mobilize local individuals and organizations to prevent youth substance abuse.

Tomy Baker Molloy is coordinator for the Seventh Street Corridor PAL Coalition, which will get $125,000 of the grant. She says the funding is a needed investment that will help turn young people away from harm.

"It’s vital for our organization. We work in the Park Hill, Algonquin and Old Louisville neighborhoods where youth are typically disenfranchised and not so engaged," she says.

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels says he didn’t authorize a major renovation of the Purdue University president’s office and has asked that any work not completed be stopped.

The Jefferson County Teachers Association is prepared to fund campaigns for three candidates it recently endorsed for open school board seats, but union officials have not yet determined how much they may invest.

In previous races JCTA has pumped thousands of independent contributions to candidates and last week a 12-member JCTA committee endorsed David Jones Jr. in District 2, Lloyd “Chip” White in District 4 and Chris Brady in District 7.

The candidates represent diverse backgrounds, said JCPT president Brent McKim. 

On August 21, 2017, Hopkinsville, Kentucky will be the place to be.

That's because on that date, the total solar eclipse of the sun will last longer in Hopkinsville than anywhere else in the world. Of course, it'll still only last about two minutes and 40 seconds. But as the Associated Press reports, the area is already seeing a boost in tourism from people who are planning five years in advance.

The confusing process of setting up Kentucky’s health insurance exchange should get clearer later this month.

The Affordable Care Act requires states to set up exchanges in which residents can compare and purchase health plans. Governor Steve Beshear choose to set up the state exchange earlier this year, rather than let the federal government operate the system.

So far, Beshear has created a new state office to house the exchange and he's named an executive director. 

And by the end of this month, the state must choose an existing health plan that will be the benchmark for the exchange. To be listed on the exchange, all other health plans will have to provide similar or better service than the benchmark.

Each plan must cover essential care items including:

Louisville's Solid Waste Management division will hold a public hearing tonight on its five-year plan for the city's garbage and recycling programs.

The plan includes a proposal to ban the use of plastic bags for yard waste and expand composting. As I reported last month, at least one member of the solid waste advisory committee is skeptical.

Acclaimed experimental artist Eve Sussman will give a free lecture on her work Thursday at 21C Museum Hotel. The event is produced in partnership with Kentucky School of Art visiting artist program. The talk starts at 7 p.m. with a reception for the artist to follow.

New rules governing the use of immobilizing boots on the cars of parking violators in Louisville have not led to the increase in fee collection that city officials had hoped.

Since May, a change in city law has allowed parking attendants to scan every vehicle parked at a metered space and place an immobilizing boot on any cars with three or more unpaid fines. The parking authority had hoped scofflaws would pay up before using meters again, but Assistant Director Tiffany Smith says the increase in fines paid was modest.

As Democrats head to Charlotte, North Carolina this week for the Democratic National Convention, many Kentucky delegates will be going for the first time.

Auditor Adam Edelen is one of those first-timers. Edelen says he thinks his party will show why they truly are the best representatives and supporters of the middle class.

Edelen says former President Bill Clinton will likely be the best messenger for that campaign at the convention.

A pilot project to capture and store carbon dioxide has begun at a power plant in Alabama. The effort at the Barry Electric Generating Station began in full at the end of last month.

The plant is big, and the carbon-capture apparatus is small, so only about one percent of the flue gas is actually being captured. But the fact that the carbon dioxide is also being transported about 12 miles through a pipeline and sequestered deep in the earth is an important step for the technology.