The Commonwealth

Kentucky lawmakers who advocate abolishing the office of constable are emboldened by a new report from the state justice cabinet calling for just that. Constables have the same law enforcement powers as county sheriffs, but without the specific duties. Like sheriffs, the position is outlined in the constitution.

Ed Schwab of Woodburn always acknowledges members of the military he comes across. “No matter where I am, no matter what I’m doing, when I see someone in uniform, I say thank you,” said Schwab, a veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard who served from 1968 through 1972. He feels strongly about thanking those in service because when he returned from Vietnam, no one said thank you to him, and in fact, some people spit in his face, he said.

  A 4.3-magnitude earthquake struck outside Whitesburg shortly after noon Saturday, with reverberations felt through Eastern and Central Kentucky and at least seven other states. The epicenter was eight miles west of Whitesburg and was centered about .7 miles deep, according to the National Weather Service in Jackson. The U.S. Geological Service confirmed the quake's time as 12:08 p.m.

Manalapan Mining Company--which operates in Harlan County--and two of the company's top officials are pleading guilty to charges they willfully violated mine safety rules. I've reported on Manalapan Mining's troubles before...the company was cited by the Mine Safety and Health Administration for numerous violations during a surprise impact inspection, then indicted by a grand jury for violating mine safety laws.

A new report by Kentucky's Justice Cabinet advocates for the elimination of the Office of Constable. The office is established  in the Kentucky Constitution, but the report said constables no longer help law enforcement -- performing but .02 percent of all recorded law enforcement in the state --  and are often liabilities to counties.

Lexington — The Big Blue Nation Cares – Rebounding from Sandy telethon hosted by University of Kentucky men’s basketball Coach John Calipari and WKYT-TV raised $500,000 for Superstorm Sandy Relief.

Talks between defense attorneys and the prosecution could keep Jerry Wayne Walker Jr. from facing trial on evidence tampering charges. Walker was originally accused of setting a fatal dorm fire at Murray State University in 1998. Three years later, a trial ended in a mistrial. But a Marshall County jury acquitted Walker in July in a retrial in the case. That's when prosecutors charged Walker with evidence tampering. Last month, a judge refused to dismiss those charges.

LEXINGTON – Humbled by the devastation of Superstorm Sandy, the University of Kentucky men’s basketball team, in conjunction with WKYT, will host a telethon Wednesday from 7–8 p.m. EST. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to the American Red Cross to benefit the victims of the catastrophic storm.

The American Red Cross is seeking help in its response to Sandy, the superstorm that has left millions without power and flooded states like New York and New Jersey. Thousands have spent evenings in hundreds of Red Cross shelters since the storm hit earlier this week, and the organization has mobilized 2,300 disaster networks and 200 emergency vehicles so far, according to a Red Cross press release.

Citizens in the eastern Kentucky town hit hard by last spring’s tornado will see some major highway improvements.  Governor Beshear announced Wednesday initial funding for a seven million dollar project to widen Main Street through West Liberty.  Some of the money will also go to repair storm damaged streets and roads.  The widening project involves a T shaped area of downtown.  State Officials say some ten thousand vehicles per day travel the route, including large freight trucks.

Five contractors were hurt this afternoon, three of them seriously, when an explosion and fire occurred at the site of Monday morning's trail derailment in southwest Jefferson County. As a result, a mandatory evacuation within 1.2 miles of the derailment has been declared. And Louisville MetroSafe has asked all residents within a 5 mile radius of the derailment site to remain indoors as a precaution. They have been asked to close doors and windows and to turn off their residential heating and cooling systems. Also, residents are asked to bring their pets inside, according to an announcement from MetroSafe.

UPDATED: As expected, Eastern Kentucky felt the most severe effects in the state from the remnants of Hurricane Sandy. Those effects included power outages, hazardous driving conditions, closed schools, and trees felled by heavy snow. But some areas were hit worse than others.

Attorney General Jack Conway Friday announced that Kentucky has joined with other states and the federal government to settle allegations that Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. paid kickbacks and engaged in off-label marketing campaigns to promote some of its drugs.

Indian summer is over. At least for now. A cold front will move through Kentucky today and cause temperatures to plunge into the 50s by noon and even lower tonight. And it will start raining this afternoon and could continue through about midday on Saturday. Upwards of three-fourths of an inch could fall in some places, according to the National Weather Service. Highs on Saturday will hit the mid-50s.

FRANKFORT – Gov. Steve Beshear Thursday announced $2.2 million in State Homeland Security Grants for 97 projects across the state that will be used for first-responder, communications and critical infrastructure equipment and training programs.