News

After years of lawmakers attempting to find solutions to the state’s underfunded pension problems, a group of Republican legislative candidates are hoping to institute a plan of their own.

At a news conference today at the Capitol, the majority of Republican challengers in House and Senate races endorsed a plan to put new lawmakers into a 401k style pension system.

The challengers say if elected their plan would be the first bill they jointly introduce. And they would include themselves in the new 401k plan.

According to a list released this morning, retail giant Walmart leads U.S. companies in solar power installations. Walmart has 144 solar systems installed in seven states; as the report notes, the combined capacity of Walmart and Costco (number two on the list) is greater than all the solar capacity deployed in the state of Florida.

Speaking on the Senate floor Wednesday, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., condemned the attacks against the U.S. Consulate in Libya that resulted in the murder of four American diplomats, including Ambassador Chris Stevens.

The consulate in Benghazi was bombarded by a group of protestors who were furious over an amateur film released via YouTube that mocked Muhammad, Islam's founding prophet. According to reports, Stevens was leaving the building for a safer location when gunmen launched an attack.

From McConnell's office:

"These attacks remind us of the sacrifices made on a daily basis by foreign service officers, diplomatic security personnel, and our Marine Security Guards.

I join my colleagues in strongly condemning the murder of these innocent Americans. And I support employing every available tool at our disposal to ensure the safety of Americans overseas and to hunt down those responsible for these attacks.

University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto has received a mostly positive review after a year on the job but won't receive a performance bonus. That word was made official by UK Board of Trustees Chair Britt Brockman.

"We decided that he deserved a bonus for extraordinary performance. However, based upon the economy and discussions with the president, we both decided, mutually, that we wouldn’t award the bonus. And I think that speaks volumes to his personality and his character as well,"  Brockman said today.

After two decades in Louisville, the National Quartet Convention will move south in two years.

What’s billed as the world’s largest gathering of Southern gospel musicians and fans will relocate to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee in 2014.

The convention’s executive director says in a release that economic realities are forcing the event to seek a smaller venue and a different setting to adjust to a shift in demographics.

Louisville’s air pollution regulators say a company that stores whiskey in the city has violated its air permits. The Air Pollution Control District sent the notices of violation to Diageo late last week.

The University of Louisville will hold a conference on green infrastructure later this week. It’s meant to explore innovative ways to manage stormwater.  

Stormwater experts are usually quick to point out there are two ways to manage water runoff and prevent floods—with concrete infrastructure like collecting basins and pipes, or with green infrastructure like rain gardens and green roofs.

The childhood home of boxing legend Muhammad Ali has been purchased by a Las Vegas real estate investor.

Last month, the single-story home in west Louisville’s Parkland neighborhood where Ali grew up was put up for sale. State lawmakers and Metro Council members had recently held a ceremony placing a historical marker in front of the house.

Jared Weiss is president and CEO of Motion Properties, and bought the home earlier this week for $70,000.

In a telephone interview with WFPL News, Weiss says he is a lifelong fan of Ali and wants to restore the home to honor the former heavyweight-boxing champion.

"Right now my options are open. I’d probably speak with the city and see what they think I could do with the property possibly. I’d like to refurbish it maybe back to the original look it had in the 1950s when he was growing up in it," he says. "Possibly a museum, but right now the options are open. But it’s definitely going to be part of the legacy for Muhammad Ali."

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels is spending two days on the Purdue University campus this week meeting with faculty members ahead of becoming the school's president in January.

Daniels is taking part in forums through Wednesday on the West Lafayette campus with professors and others from eight of Purdue's colleges. Meetings with other colleges are planned for October, according to the West Lafayette Journal and Courier.

Several area leaders are marking the eleventh anniversary of the terror attacks of September 11, but overall the commemorations are taking a less political tone than in year's past.

In Washington, D.C., congressional Democrats and Republicans plan to stand outside the Capitol for a moment of silence in an act of bipartisanship. At ground zero in New York City, the family members of the victims are reading their loved ones names, but no elected officials were included in the ceremony.

In a statement, Congressman John Yarmuth says Americans should seek to learn that facing the country's problems requires a transcendence of politics.

From Yarmuth's office:

"Eleven years ago, terrorists attacked our nation and killed thousands of our fellow Americans. Today, we remember their lives. We grieve with their families and loved ones. And we reflect on the national unity that arose from the ruin of that calamitous day, reminded of our shared purpose: to keep our country safe and to preserve the values that shape our national character.