State of the News 3/30/12

We began the weekly news recap show today with signs of life in the Louisville Orchestra impasse between musicians and management; Devin Katayama explained what the binding arbitration with conditions proposed by musicians might mean.  Phillip Bailey described local reaction to the Sanford, Florida shooting of Trayvon Martin. The federal government has unveiled air quality standards that would limit carbon dioxide emissions from all new power plants, including coal-fired; Erica Peterson had the details.  Louisville Police Chief Steve Conrad is making public appearances, and Phillip Bailey explained his theme of  budget constraints meaning residents pitching in to make neighborhoods safer.  Jeffersonville, Indiana leaders will meet next week to discuss how they plan to save $3.5 million in the city’s 2012 budget, due to less revenue from property taxes than expected; Devin Katayama had the details.  Finally, Phillip Bailey explained why the Louisville Metro Council’s Budget Committee reluctantly approved a $10.8 million payment to the Kentucky Retirement System.KPR Capital Bureau Chief Kenny Colston brought us up to date on the activities of the week in Frankfort, including news on the state budget, the status of the prescription pill bill, the road plan, the dropout bill, and the chances of casino gaming legislation being revived next session.  We heard from Courier-Journal reporter Marcus Green on the disappointing profits for the KFC Yum Center and the latest on the Ohio River Bridges Project.We finished out the show with talk about the Kentucky/Louisville rivalry and the big Final Four game tomorrow.  Eric Crawford of the Courier-Journal joined us by phone in New Orleans, and we had sports writer Bill Doolittle in the studio, along with reporter Chris Otts who examined the economic impact of the game for local sports bars and restaurants.