News

A newly-formed coalition of businesses, unions and education groups have teamed up to get a constitutional amendment for gambling on the ballot in Kentucky.

The group is called the Kentucky Alliance for Jobs. It's a 501(c)(4), meaning it can raise money and advertise to support casino gaming.

The alliance is led by the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. Chamber President Dave Adkisson says the coalition is large and diverse, and the members don't always get along.

The Superintendent of Hardin County Schools says the No Child Left Behind waiver given to Kentucky will allow the state to better judge how students are progressing academically. Nannette Johnston told WKU Public Radio that the federal law was an overly simplistic “pass or fail” model. She believes the state’s new system will give schools credit for the success they have in helping individual students.

Health officials in Lexington say a stomach ailment has spread from last weekend's basketball tournament at the Kentucky Basketball Academy. The Fayette County Health Department has received dozens of complaints about nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting from people who attended the event.

Former State Senator Georgia Powers, who was a pivotal figure in the Civil Rights Movement in Kentucky, is scheduled to appear tonight at a "Kentucky Live" event hosted by WKU Libraries. Senator Powers, who was the first African American to serve in the Kentucky Senate, will attend a discussion about her career.

Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee have been granted a waiver from federal No Child Left Behind education standards. NCLB has been criticized for setting unreachable goals for education. Kentucky was one of 11 states that applied for the waiver last fall and promised to make other commitments to school reform.