The Two-Way
11:47 am
Tue October 2, 2012

Judge Puts Pennsylvania Voter ID Law On Hold Through Election

Originally published on Tue October 2, 2012 2:06 pm

A judge is basically "postponing Pennsylvania's tough new voter identification requirement, ordering that it not be enforced in the presidential election," The Associated Press writes.

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Environment
11:25 am
Tue October 2, 2012

Genius Grant Winners Include Ecologist Who Studies Gulf of Mexico's Dead Zone

Credit Environmental Protection Agency
This map shows the rivers that drain into the Gulf of Mexico, and the Gulf's hypoxic--or dead--zone.

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced the recipients of their 'Genius Grants' yesterday, and one of them is a scientist dedicated to studying the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. Nancy Rabalais is a marine ecologist and the executive director of the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium.

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Politics
10:30 am
Tue October 2, 2012

Democratic Super PACs Launch $1 Million Ad Campaign Against Mourdock

Big money is being spent this week by the political parties and outside groups in the Indiana Senate contest between Democrat Joe Donnelly and Republican Richard Mourdock.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has reportedly bought another $439,000 in advertisements for this week and the National Republican Senatorial Committee is following suit. 

For the past week, the conservative super PAC American Crossroads bas been running a nearly $1 million ad buy against Donnelly for his votes in support of President Obama's agenda. But a gang of liberal organizations led by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's Majority PAC, announced Tuesday that they are launching a $1 million campaign against Mourdock this week to highlight his opposition to the auto bailout.

Check it out:

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Education
9:42 am
Tue October 2, 2012

JCPS District 7 Debate Tonight at WFPL Studios

The last of WFPL's Jefferson County Board of Education election debates is tonight at 6:30 pm.

WFPL has held District 2 and District 4 debates in previous weeks and all five candidates vying for southeastern Louisville's District 7 seat have confirmed their attendance tonight.

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U.S.
8:25 am
Tue October 2, 2012

Both Candidates Leave God Off The Campaign Trail

Originally published on Tue October 2, 2012 1:33 pm

Religion used to be everywhere in the presidential elections. George W. Bush courted conservative believers in 2004. In 2008, Sarah Palin excited evangelicals and — unexpectedly — so did Barack Obama.

What a difference a few years make. In 2007, then-candidate Obama used evangelical language to describe his Christian conversion: He was a young, secular community organizer who occasionally visited the local Chicago church, when one day he walked to the front of the sanctuary and knelt before the cross.

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Barbara Bradley Hagerty is the religion correspondent for NPR, reporting on the intersection of faith and politics, law, science and culture. Her New York Times best-selling book, "Fingerprints of God: The Search for the Science of Spirituality," was published by Riverhead/Penguin Group in May 2009. Among others, Barb has received the American Women in Radio and Television Award, the Headliners Award and the Religion Newswriters Association Award for radio reporting.

Before covering the religion beat, Barb was NPR's Justice Department correspondent between 1998 and 2003. Her billet included the impeachment proceedings against President Clinton, Florida's disputed 2000 election, terrorism, crime, espionage, wrongful convictions and the occasional serial killer. Barbara was the lead correspondent covering the investigation into the September 11 attacks. Her reporting was part of NPR's coverage that earned the network the 2001 George Foster Peabody and Overseas Press Club awards. She has appeared on the PBS programs Washington Week and The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.

Barb came to NPR in 1995, after attending Yale Law School on a one-year Knight Fellowship. From 1982-1993, she worked at The Christian Science Monitor as a newspaper reporter in Washington, as the Asia correspondent based in Tokyo for World Monitor (the Monitor's nightly television program on the Discovery Cable Channel) and finally as senior Washington correspondent for Monitor Radio.

Barb was graduated magna cum laude from Williams College in 1981 with a degree in economics, and has a masters in legal studies from Yale Law School.

Education
6:32 pm
Mon October 1, 2012

Last Student Released Following JCPS Bus Accident

The last of 48 Jefferson County Public Schools students involved in a bus accident last week was released from Kosair Children’s Hospital Monday.

The district will continue offering counseling services throughout the week as needed.

On Friday, a bus heading toward Frost Middle School was hit by a car carrying three students from Butler High.

District officials say none of the injuries were life threatening and most of the students were released either last Friday or over the weekend.

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Environment
5:24 pm
Mon October 1, 2012

Public Service Commission to Study Smart Grid Technology

Credit Dwight Burdette / Wikimedia Commons
A smart meter installed in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan.

The Kentucky Public Service Commission will begin a study of smart grid technology, and whether the devices will help electric consumers.

The term “smart grid” is used to refer to technology like smart meters, and other equipment that helps utilities monitor electricity and detect outages. PSC spokesman Andrew Melnykovych says the tools can be useful for consumers, too.

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Politics
5:19 pm
Mon October 1, 2012

Senator Rand Paul Says Entitlements, Not Taxes, Are Key to Balancing Budget

Credit U.S. Senate

Since taking office, Senator Rand Paul has constantly talked about reducing the national debt. 

It's also an issue that Congress seemingly discusses for every spending bill, large or small. The economy hasn't escaped this year's presidential race either, with President Barack Obama continuing to champion a plan that includes increased taxes on the wealthy to help pay down some debt. 

But in a speech to the Horse Cave Rotary Club, Paul pushed back on that idea. Paul argued doing so would hurt private enterprise, which he said helps fund public works the government does.

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Arts and Humanities
4:30 pm
Mon October 1, 2012

Doomed Love Affair Opens Ballet Season

Credit David Toczko / Louisville Ballet
Natalia Ashikhmina in "Lady of the Camellias."

The Louisville Ballet opens its 2012-13 season this week with Val Caniparoli’s “Lady of the Camellias.” The ballet, with music by Frédéric Chopin, runs for three performances on Friday and Saturday in the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts’ Whitney Hall.

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