Tight budget times are leading Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear to do something never done before – charge for Derby Day Breakfast at the State Capitol.Governor Beshear says the state can save thousand of dollars by not offering the usual free, buffet-style Derby Day Breakfast. Instead, breakfast menu items will cost one dollar apiece. Also gone are the invitations, large tents and the Derby Train.“(It) has been used to transport guests of the Economic Development Cabinet and the Tourism Cabinet from Frankfort to Churchill Downs and back. That will save us about six thousand dollars in insurance, plus about 20-thousand dollars from the economic development budget alone.”Beshear says the cutbacks will save the state around $200,000.However, he and First Lady Jane Beshear are hoping the downsizing won’t spoil the event, which annually draws thousands to the Capitol lawn. The breakfast will still feature hot air balloon rides, arts and crafts, a farmer’s market and a food drive for the needy.
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.