Rick has been a member of the WFPL News team since 2001 and has covered numerous beats and events over the years. Most recently he’s been tracking the Indiana General Assembly and the region’s passion for sports, especially college basketball.
The Louisville Cards will face Middle Tennessee State Sunday in opening round play at the KFC Yum Center. U of L is seeded fifth in its region. If the Cards win they’ll take on either Dayton or St. Johns in the second round.
The Kentucky Wildcats are a number two seed and will take on Navy Sunday in Queens, New York. If UK advances, the Wildcats will face either Purdue or Liberty in second round play.
The ban on alcohol sales during the 6 a.m. to 6p.m. polling hours was a Prohibition-era response to what was already a well-established tradition in Kentucky—buying votes with liquor.
The problem goes back to the Antebellum period. Back then, it wasn’t unusual for saloons to double as polling places at the time. Corrupt politicians did whatever they could to make voters happy.
The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission will hold a public field hearing tonight in Jeffersonville on a plan to add a new area code to the current 812 region.
Officials say the 812 region covering southern and south-central Indiana is running out of numbers.
People who attend the hearing will learn about the options available for introducing a new area code and be able to comment on the plans.
The overlay method would allow current 812 customers to continue using the code, but they would have to have to dial ten digits instead of seven for local calls.
The top Democrat in the Indiana House of Representatives is giving his Republican colleagues a good grade for avoiding divisive social issues during the first half of the legislative session, as he requested.
But Minority Leader Scott Pelath said that could change if the GOP majority takes up some controversial abortion legislation that has cleared the Senate.
Republicans hold a supermajority in both chambers, and in a floor speech Thursday, Pelath said so far House Republicans have earned a B-plus for steering clear of volatile social issues.
A bill moving through the Indiana General Assembly would make it illegal to photograph or videotape a farm or industrial operation with the intent to defame, embarrass or otherwise harm the business.
The measure’s sponsor, Republican Sen. Travis Holdman, says it’s intended to prevent what he calls vigilante groups from disrupting the operation of a private business.
"We don’t know what’s going to be next, folks, if we don’t protect our private property, to hold sacred what goes on on our private property," Holdman said in a floor speech last week.
Friday night, The Healing Place will hold its 9th annual Celebrate Freedom Dinner, marking the success of those who have been helped by the Louisville addiction recovery facility and homeless shelter.
The guest speaker for the dinner is Pat O’Brien of Fox Sports Radio.
