The Commonwealth

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.

A national group that has pushed expanding broadband access in other southern states is now focusing on Kentucky. Citizens for a Digital Future is opening up a Kentucky chapter to help advocate for these issues with lawmakers and private businesses. The group’s Kentucky director, Gary Gerdemann, says a lack of wireless options is affecting businesses and education.

An unidentified flying object was reportedly seen in several areas of Pike County on Tuesday, but officials have no information as to what the object may have been. Kentucky State Police Trooper Shaun Little told the News-Express that KSP Post 9 in Pikeville received five calls on Tuesday reporting the object in the sky. The object was visible from several areas, including the South Williamson area and Elkhorn City in Pike County, as well as Jenkins in Letcher County. It was also spotted and photographed in Virgie. The cylindrical object hovered in the sky for two hours and disappeared, an amateur astronomer said.

The deadline to file to be a write-in candidate in the Nov. 6 general election is Oct. 26. Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes is reminding interested individuals to turn in their paperwork and filing fee to the appropriate filing officer.

Indiana and Kentucky are overhauling the body governing for the Ohio River Bridges Project and expect to approve new agreements Tuesday afternoon that will transfer power from the bi-state Bridges Authority in charge of overseeing the project, to a four-member Joint Board. The bi-state authority was put in charge of creating a financial plan for the now $2.6 billion Ohio River Bridges Project, which includes a tolling agreement that has yet to be worked out.

Even if Centre College spent the millions it cost to put on last week’s vice-presidential debate on advertising instead, officials say the school could never come close to the kind of attention it got from the world’s media. Michael Strysick, communications director at Centre, said initial data indicates the publicity value of the attention was at least four times greater than the initial cost. The school, the smallest ever to host a vice-presidential or presidential debate, reportedly spent about $3.3 million to put on the event.

Kentucky and Indiana officials have finalized agreements that will govern the construction, financing and long-term management of the Ohio River Bridges Project, which will add two new river crossings in Louisville and rebuild downtown interchanges on both sides.