The Commonwealth

Kentucky’s largest retirement fund for state employees, the Kentucky Employees Retirement System non-hazardous plan, has less than a quarter of the money needed to pay projected benefits, say actuaries with Cavanaugh Macdonald Consulting. Tom Cavanaugh, CEO of the actuarial firm, told the Kentucky Retirement Systems Board of Trustees Wednesday that the KERS non-hazardous plan is projected to dip below 10 percent funded in 2019 before improving.

Kentucky’s Blue Ribbon Tax Commission will solidify its final list of recommendations Thursday afternoon, which could include imposing higher income taxes for those making more money. Gov. Steve Beshear created the group to review the state’s tax code, which officials have determined needs significant changes to respond to slowing revenue.

The Ohio and Kentucky governors are scheduled to publicly sign an agreement next week intended to demonstrate their shared determination to replace the Brent Spence Bridge that connects the two states. Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear plan to officially agree during a joint appearance in Covington on Dec. 12 on a study that will map out how to pay for the $2.5 billion project, The Enquirer has learned exclusively.

You will definitely need an umbrella today with showers and thunderstorms in the forecast as a cold front approaches from the west, bringing cooler and more seasonal temperatures. Spotty showers will approach from the west this morning and stick around most of the day. There could even be a rumble of thunder this afternoon.

Almost 110,000 teens and young adults in Kentucky are not enrolled in school and are not employed, even part-time, according to a new Kids Count report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.  Nationwide, the number reaches nearly 6.5 million. In Kentucky between 2000 and 2011 the number of 16-19 year-olds not in school and not employed rose by 3 percent, but the number of idle young adults ages 20-24 climbed by a whopping 88 percent. Both rates exceed the national rate. (Getty Images)

FRANKFORT – Friday, Nov. 30, is the last day for delinquent taxpayers to take advantage of Kentucky’s tax amnesty program. Department of Revenue’s main Frankfort office and taxpayer centers throughout the state are open until 9 p.m. local time Friday and will close after the last person in line has been helped.

Governor Steve Beshear’s administration has settled with a former official in the state’s Energy and Environment cabinet over claims that he was wrongly fired in 2009. Ron Mills was the head of the cabinet’s Division of Mine Permits, which is a politically-appointed position. The lawsuit he filed against the state alleges he was fired in 2009 for refusing to issue illegal mining permits.

Joined by a coalition of Kentucky gay rights leaders, residents in Elizabethtown and Richmond are pressuring lawmakers to enact fairness laws in their cities. The effort is part of a larger grassroots movement across the state to get such legislation passed in other cities such as Shelbyville, Bowling Green and Berea. Both ordinances would prohibit discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations based on a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

A petition to dissolve the taxing district that funds Pulaski County's public library system threatens to shut down what many see as one of the community's best assets, supporters of the library say. Those pushing the petition say the goal is not to close the libraries, but rather to set up a new board that would have to answer to elected officials for tax increases.

FRANKFORT – Kentucky has received a $1.6 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide long-term recovery assistance to residents of the Kentucky counties hit hardest by the March tornadoes. “We are all aware of the destruction caused by the tornadoes that struck a number of Kentucky counties this year, particularly West Liberty and Morgan County,” Gov. Steve Beshear said in a statement.

Keith Burdette skates with ease — backwards, forwards, sideways, in circles. At the Unified Trust Co. Ice Rink at Triangle Park, that's something of an anomaly. The skating levels are far from expert, but along with the hot chocolate and Christmas music, the constant spills just add to the atmosphere in downtown Lexington.

A commission that has spent the better part of a year evaluating Kentucky's tax system recommended a 40-cent increase in the cigarette tax on Monday but no increase in the 6 percent sales tax. Gov. Steve Beshear's Blue Ribbon Commission on Tax Reform also recommended pursuing a constitutional amendment that would allow cities to seek a local-option sales tax for limited periods of time. The local-option sales tax has been requested by city officials for decades as a means to generate revenue for infrastructure improvements, such as new arenas.

The group likely to enter into a contract with Kentucky for its portion the Ohio River Bridges Project will be announced this afternoon. Kentucky is responsible for building a new I-65 Bridge and reworking Spaghetti Junction. The $2.6 billion project is being split with Indiana, which is responsible for building a new East End Bridge.

Saying it's received 25,000 phone calls and payments from more than 10,000 businesses and individuals since beginning on Oct. 1, the state's tax amnesty program will end on Nov. 30. Those who owe the state of Kentucky taxes have until the last day of November to apply for amnesty and pay their overdue taxes.

A strong cold front is blowing in from the west today, bringing storms, high winds and plunging temperatures. It was 61 degrees early this morning at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, but the mercury will shift into a free fall by lunchtime as we slip into the mid-40s. By 5 p.m., it will only be 38 degrees – a good 30 degrees colder than the high temperature of 68 on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington, Ohio.