The "soft opening" of the Big Four Bridge, which is being converted to a pedestrian and bicycle pathway, will be delayed until late January or early February, according to a news release sent by the Louisville Waterfront Development  Corporation.

The issue, said the release, is "due to a holdup in the fabrication of the railings for the bridge. The balance of the railings for the bridge will not be received until mid-January, and installation could take several weeks. As safety is of utmost importance, the bridge cannot be opened until all railings are installed."

Strong winds are expected early Thursday afternoon into the evening, ahead of "much cooler" temperatures, the National Weather Service said.

Wind gusts could reach as strong as 55 miles per hour; sustained winds will be as strong as 30 miles per hour, said a wind advisory from the weather service.

A federal judge has delayed the expected guilty plea of the founder of USA Harvest because of questions about his competency to understand the proceedings.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Dave Whalin today rescheduled a change of plea hearing for 63-year-old Stan Curtis until Jan. 31.

Louisville attorney Scott Cox, who represents Curtis, said his client's health has declined in recent days and he appears unable to grasp the legal proceedings. Prosecutors did not object to the delay.

The latest stories about how the nation is reacting to last Friday's school shooting in Newtown, Conn., which left 20 first-graders and six adults dead at Sandy Hook Elementary School, include:

The campaign to re-elect Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell leaked an internal poll showing him with a far better approval rating than the Public Policy Polling survey released earlier this month.

Earlier this month, PPP showed Kentucky's senior Senator is the most unpopular Senator in the country with a dismal 37 percent approval rating and a 55 percent disapproval.

But McConnell's re-election campaign has him at 51 percent approval and only 40 percent disapproving.

What's interesting is that both the PPP and McConnell numbers show the GOP leader ahead of Democratic activist and actress Ashley Judd—the most popular choice for Kentucky Democrats—by just a four-point margin.

Mayor Greg Fischer's office has announced six new retailers for the South Fourth Street corridor in downtown Louisville -- citing a study that says downtown has thus far reached only 52 percent of its retail sales potential.

The announcement Thursday was touted as a successful public-private partnership between the city, business owners and the Louisville Downtown Development Corporation, which commissioned a market study that showed "you can double your retail potential downtown if its done right," said Alan DeLisle, executive director of LDDC. 

Former McMahan Fire Chief Paul Barth, who pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $200,000 from the Crusade for Children, has been ordered to prison weeks earlier than originally expected.

Barth's attorney, Thomas Clay, tells the Courier-Journal that Barth was notified about 10 days ago that he should report to the federal prison in Manchester, Ky., today. The prison assignment, which usually takes 45 to 60 days, took less than a month.