News

Governor Steve Beshear says he won’t back down on efforts to bring casino gambling to Kentucky, despite another defeat on the issue last week. Since his first term as governor in 2007, Beshear has made expanding gambling a top priority. 

Several healthcare groups have come together in a public-private partnership to fight cancer in Kentucky. The newly-formed Kentucky Cancer Foundation is part of a two-million-dollar initiative to help uninsured Kentuckians get cancer screenings.

A group of about two hundred Kentucky Farm Bureau volunteers are in Washington D.C. to talk with lawmakers about key issues that relate to agriculture. Jeff Harper, the Director of Public Affairs for Kentucky Farm Bureau, says the group is talking with Congressional leaders about several areas of concern, including recent EPA  proposals to regulate dust on the farm and a Department of Labor proposal regarding children working around the farm. Dan Modlin has this report.

The Indiana Senate is expected to take up a proposed statewide smoking ban this week. For the first time in six years, a House-passed smoking ban has advanced past the Senate committee level.

The Public Policy Committee voted 8-2 last week for the measure after hearing some four hours of public testimony.

Indianapolis-area tavern owner Wanda Goodpastor told the panel a ban would harm her business, as 80-percent of her customers are smokers.

The Leitchfield-based Twin Lakes Regional Medical Center and Norton Healthcare held a news conference to announce a formal affiliation agreement. Officials say the agreement will provide the staff at Twin Lakes access to on-line courses and training available through Norton University, and will lead to better coordination and continuity of care for patients who require specialized or tertiary care.