9:47am

Mon July 18, 2011
All Politics are Local

Benham Eyes Sale of Power Board

Voters in Benham will in November, more than likely, face the ballot question of whether the city should sell its power board to Kentucky Utilities. At a Benham city council meeting Thursday, city officials discussed the dire situation that the board and the distribution system are in. “We buy our power from KU and then resell it. Our computer system being down meant that we went for four to five months without any bills going out or revenue coming in. It also meant that we went for months without making payments to KU,” Power Board Chairman Danny Quillen said.

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9:45am

Mon July 18, 2011
Kentucky Arts and Culture

Retired Newsman Publishes 1st Novel

Credit David Perry / Lexington Herald-Leader

Scott Smith, 87, is a retired newspaperman. He's also had a lifelong fascination with the Old West. Now, the Danville resident has combined his two long held interests and published his first novel - The Bronco Man. Naturally, it's a western.

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9:40am

Mon July 18, 2011
Education

UK Spends $285,000 to Set Goals

Credit David Perry / Lexington Herald-Leader

With a new president at the helm, the University of Kentucky will pay a Chicago-based consulting firm $285,000 to re-examine the school's long-term goals — set during rosier financial times — and suggest efficiencies. Results from the study conducted by Huron Consulting Group will be considered during a UK Board of Trustees retreat with new president Eli Capilouto in October.

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9:29am

Mon July 18, 2011
The Commonwealth

Pension Costs Blamed for Layoffs

When cities and counties around Kentucky passed budgets just before July 1, many blamed the cost of the state pension system for cuts to services and personnel. Legislators anticipate reform of the Kentucky Retirement System will emerge as the top issue once the legislative redistricting is completed in the next session of the General Assembly.

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9:20am

Mon July 18, 2011
Business and the Economy

NASCAR Week Mixed for Kentucky Business

The inaugural Quaker State 400 brought mixed results for businesses near the Kentucky Speedway, with some saying their business was up while others were left wondering why the expected windfall fell short.

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9:05am

Mon July 18, 2011
The Two-Way

Iowa Congressman, Family Fend Off Intruder

Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-IA) "scuffled with an armed intruder at his southern Iowa farmhouse late Saturday night before his grandson pointed a gun at the intruder, who then fled," The Des Moines Register writes, citing aides to the congressman and the local sheriff's office.

The newspaper adds that "no arrests had been reported by Sunday evening."

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8:27am

Mon July 18, 2011
The Two-Way

U.K. Tabloid Scandal: 'Lapping At The Door Of No. 10 Downing St.'

Credit Matthew Lloyd / Getty Images

Catching up on the scandal that doesn't stop in the U.K.:

"An intensifying voicemail hacking and police bribery scandal cut closer than ever to Rupert Murdoch and Scotland Yard on Sunday with the arrest of the media magnate's former British newspaper chief and the resignation of London's police commissioner.

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8:18am

Mon July 18, 2011
The Two-Way

New Syrian Deaths And Looming Military Crackdown

As many as 30 people may have died in Homs, Syria over the weekend. The AP cites one Syrian dissident group that says initially three victims died in apparent sectarian violence - a troubling new development in the mostly secular uprising against the rule of Syrian leader Bashir al-Assad.

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8:06am

Mon July 18, 2011
Media

Parliament Should Delay Break Over Hacking, Cameron Says

British Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday called for an emergency session of parliament to brief lawmakers on a spreading phone hacking scandal, trying to gain control of a crisis that is threatening Rupert Murdoch's media empire, the upper echelons of London's police force and the country's leader himself.

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7:47am

Mon July 18, 2011
The Two-Way

Carmageddon, Schmarmaggedon: LA Survives The 405's Closing

Credit Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images

Much like The Rapture that didn't happen on May 21, the much-publicized "carmageddon" in Los Angeles over this past weekend seems to been much ado about nothing.

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