U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has introduced a bill aimed at addressing the impact the opioid epidemic is having on the nation’s workforce.

The Comprehensive Addiction Recovery through Effective Employment and Reentry, or CAREER Act, creates a pilot program focused on the states most devastated by substance abuse. The legislation encourages local businesses and treatment groups to form partnerships. McConnell said having stable employment is about more than a paycheck and supporting a family.

A new report paints a sobering picture when it comes to child abuse and fatalities in Kentucky. 

In 2016, the most recent year for which data was available, the bluegrass state had the second-highest rate of child abuse in the nation.  The report is from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Children’s Bureau.

Kentucky reported 20,000 cases of abuse in 2016, or about 20 out of every 1,000 children. That's a six percent increase from the year before.  The state experienced a 34 percent increase in child abuse cases from 2012-2016.

After a shakeup of Kentucky’s Board of Education last week, conservative groups are pushing for the state to intervene in the management of Jefferson County Public Schools, the state’s largest school district.

Wayne Lewis, the interim commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Education, is expected to release an extensive 14-month audit of the district soon. The audit could include recommendations the state assume control of the district’s operations.

The president of the Student Government Association at Western Kentucky University says she’s lost confidence in the school’s administrators. 

After months of distress, Andi Dahmer is going public with allegations that some fellow SGA members have harassed and threatened her safety, and claims the university has done little to remedy the threats. 

The College Heights Herald first reported that Dahmer has been the target of harassment since the fall semester.  Dahmer says she’s done nothing to warrant the treatment, but thinks her political views may have contributed to the tensions.

Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky is suing Indiana officials over a new law that will require medical providers who treat women for complications arising from abortions to report detailed patient information to the state.

The federal lawsuit filed Monday by the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana on Planned Parenthood’s behalf contends the reporting rules and a provision requiring annual inspections of abortion clinics are unconstitutional.

A motorcycle ride this week in Hardin County is putting the spotlight on sexual assault awareness and prevention.

The U.S. Army Human Resources Command at Fort Knox is holding its annual Raise the Bars Motorcycle Ride Thursday.

Participants will start at Fort Knox and ride to Silverleaf Sexual Trauma Recovery Services in Elizabethtown.

A former Simpson County physician has been convicted in federal court of illegally prescribing prescription pain killers and anti-anxiety medicine. 

Dr. Roy Reynolds was found guilty on Monday following a nine-day trial in U.S. District Court in Bowling Green.  He was convicted on 15 counts of illegally distributing controlled substances. 

Reynolds was the treating physician to one patient who overdosed and died.  According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Kentucky, the patient had a documented history of illicit drug use and psychiatric issues. 

A six-year-old boy from Hardin County is in the hospital after being struck by a vehicle while preparing to board his school bus. 

The accident happened Monday morning in the 500 block of Balmoral Road.  According to the Elizabethtown Police Department, the child was hit by a bus owned and operated by Communicare, which is a regional provider of mental health services. 

The police department’s public information officer, John Thomas, says it’s too early in the investigation to say if any charges will be filed.