Kevin Willis

A county-by-county analysis shows Kentuckians depend on federal government initiatives at a rate higher than the national average. The analysis by the New York Times looked at each county in the country, and the percentage of income its residents received from 50 federal benefits programs, such as Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, unemployment insurance, and food stamps.

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.

Efforts to redraw Kentucky's U.S. House districts are dead in the General Assembly. State House Speaker Greg Stumbo made that declaration after the state Senate could not agree to the latest compromise on district maps.

Americans have grown used to hearing about U-S jobs being shipped overseas. Now, one of the biggest names in global auto manufacturing is moving jobs from Japan to Indiana.

Toyota Motor Corporation is shifting producing of its Highlander sport-utility vehicle from Japan to its plant in Princeton, Indiana. Toyota plans to invest 400-million dollars to expand the Gibson County factory, and add 400 new jobs.

A Franklin Circuit Court judge has thrown out new legislative district maps, saying they violate the basic principles of the Kentucky Constitution.

Judge Phillip Shepherd's ruling is based on the so-called five percent rule. It says new districts must be within five percent of their ideal size. Shepherd added that the maps of both the House and Senate districts divided too many counties.