Former Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer has been indicted by a federal grand jury on four counts of misusing and misappropriating funds from the Department of Agriculture. Farmer also faces a charge of soliciting property in exchange for influencing department actions.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Lexington made the announcement this morning. The charges against Farmer include allegations that he took guns, watches, and knives bought as gifts from a convention in 2008.

Each of the five counts against the former UK basketball star carries a penalty of 10 years and a fine of up to $250,000. Any sentence following a conviction would be imposed by a judge under federal court sentencing guidelines.

U.S. Attorney Kerry Harvey says Farmer will be arraigned on April 30.

Allegations of spending and hiring abuses during Farmer’s tenure as Agriculture Commissioner prompted his successor, James Comer, to ask for an audit of Farmer’s time at the department. The report released by state auditor Adam Edelen found what he called “a toxic culture of entitlement and self-dealing at the Kentucky taxpayers’ expense.”

Even though they managed to pass pension and tax reforms in this year's regular legislative session, Kentucky lawmakers haven't necessarily dodged a special session.

A few big issues remain for lawmakers, mainly the redrawing of legislative districts and further tax reform.

Governor Steve Beshear has continued to discuss the need for more tax reform, largely to pay for education. And he says he's not ruling out calling a special session sometime this year.

"I'm going to have continuing conversations through the summer with House and Senate leadership on that too. We're just taking it one step at a time and see where we go,” the Governor said.

Beshear is also considering whether redistricting should be tackled in a special session. Legally, lawmakers have until next year, but Beshear says he wants candidates to know their districts well before campaigning begins.

Bob Edwards has a voice familiar to many public radio fans. The Louisville native was for many years NPR's Morning Edition anchor. Edwards is also an author, and he'll appear Saturday, April 20, in Bowling Green to sign copies of his new book A Voice In The Box: My Life in Radio at the 2013 Southern Kentucky Book Festival.

Joe Corcoran recently spoke to Edwards about his new book.

A Lexus luxury brand vehicle will soon be built in the Bluegrass State. Toyota officials made the formal announcement Friday morning at the auto maker’s Georgetown, Kentucky, plant, where production of the Lexus ES 350 will begin in 2015.

Governor Beshear told Toyota leaders in attendance that he appreciates their decision to invest further in Kentucky.

“We realize the care and the pride that you take in that vehicle and that it requires the utmost in a skilled workforce, not to mention top quality components,” said Beshear. “Your confidence in the quality of Kentucky’s workers, especially our team here in Georgetown is appreciated and well placed.”

Kentucky Toyota workers will produce about 50,000 of the new Lexus vehicles annually once production begins in two years. The expansion will add an estimated 750 new jobs to a facility that already employs 6,600 workers.

WKU Public Radio is here thanks to listeners who become members.

Show your support for WKU Public Radio during our Spring Membership Drive and you'll be entered into a drawing for one of several prizes, including a $500 Amazon gift card, a vacation getway at Barren River State Park, one of five signed copies of The Kentucky Barbecue Book by WKU Professor Wes Berry, and a pair of 3-day passes to the ROMP music festival in Owensboro.

You can see contest rules and details here. The deadline is April 27th. And thanks for everything you do to make our programs possible!