News

A group of WKU political science students will see history made before their eyes Monday. The group is in Washington, DC for the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

Since 1989, political science department chair Dr. Saundra Ardrey has been leading trips to the Capitol every four years for the students to witness a presidential inauguration for themselves. While they're there, Ardrey says they also attend Senate hearings and confirmation hearings, meet with members of Kentucky's Congressional delegation and students have the opportunity to interview for jobs or internships.

The students will return from Washington Wednesday.

WKU Public Radio is carrying live coverage from NPR throughout the morning and afternoon Monday of President Obama's inauguration. Click here to see a schedule of our coverage.

The Senate this week will take up relief payments for areas hit by Superstorm Sandy, and Senator Rand Paul says he will oppose the measure.  Paul says the Northeast does need help after the storm, but he would like to offset the costs with spending cuts elsewhere in government.

A measure authorizing $9 billion in relief already passed Congress. The Republican-controlled House recently approved an additional $51 billion package, which Paul says is laden with pork spending.

“I would have given them 9 billion and I would’ve taken the 9 billion from somewhere else. I would have taken it from foreign aid and said you know what, we don’t have money for Egypt or Pakistan this year because we have to help the Northeast.”

Kentucky Congressmen Brett Guthrie, Andy Barr and Thomas Massie all opposed the legislation in the House.

Former WKU football coach Jack Harbaugh and his wife, Jackie, find themselves in an amazing position.

They don't have one son coaching a team in the next Super Bowl. They have two sons coaching teams in the next Super Bowl.

The Harbaugh's son, Jim, is the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, who beat the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC title game Sunday afternoon. The Harbaugh's other son, John, is the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, who beat the New England Patriots in the AFC title game Sunday night.

Last September, Jack and Jackie Harbaugh returned to WKU to be honored at halftime of the Hilltoppers' win against Southern Miss. Jack coached WKU from 1989-2002, winning the 1-AA NCAA championship in his last season.

In an interview with WKU Public Radio the day before they were honored, both parents rolled their eyes when asked what it was like to watch their sons coach in the NFL. They said it filled them with stress and admitted they hated it when the 49'ers and Ravens play each other.

That's exactly what is going to happen now, with the Super Bowl championship going to the winner.

This story is an entry in the category of Best Enterprise/Investigative report for the 2013 Kentucky Associated Press Broadcasters competition for radio.

This report by Dan Modlin, which aired on November 30, 2012, highlights a disturbing trend in prescription abuse in Kentucky: the theft of medications from senior citizens.

This report includes interview comments from a Kentucky man who says he was has been beaten by a relative so that a doctor will prescribe pain medication. Once that happens, the man's relative steals it from him.

This is an entry in the category of Continuing Coverage for the 2013 PRNDI awards.