Lisa Autry

Union-backed coal miners in Kentucky and surrounding states are protesting a coal company’s bankruptcy proceedings they say jeopardizes pension and health care benefits for some 20-thousand retirees and dependents. Miners were picketing Wednesday outside Peabody Energy’s headquarters in St. Louis.

Two charter buses bound for St. Louis left early Wednesday morning from western Kentucky to join the protest led by the United Mine Workers of Amercia.

Peabody Energy is one of the nation’s largest coal companies and one of the companies the union accuses of orchestrating business deals that bankrupted Patriot Coal.

When President Obama delivers his State of the Union address Tuesday night, a former Kentucky student will be sitting in the audience. Breckinridge County native Brad Henning will be a guest of First Lady Michelle Obama.  

The State of the Union speech will  emphasize the importance of training workers with skills that lead directly to good jobs in industries such as advanced manufacturing, clean energy, and information technology. The president is expected to recognize Henning, who as a journeyman machinist. 

The 23-year-old’s career started as a student at Breckinridge County High School when a teacher got him interested in taking a machining class at the Breckinridge Area Technology Center. By his senior year, Henning worked as a co-op student with Atlas Manufacturing of Louisville, and by graduation, he was offered a full-time job.

Washington’s top-ranking Republican is urging President Obama to offer solutions to avoid automatic spending cuts during his State of the Union address tonight.  Unless Congress and the White House strike a deal by March first, more than a trillion dollars will be cut from both domestic and defense spending over ten years. 

In a floor speech, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky is also urged the president to address what he calls the real consequences of Obamacare.

"I could stand here and tell you that Republicans warned about most of these things until we were hoarse. That we saw it all coming and said so: the higher costs, the higher premiums, the tax hikes, the lost jobs, and the potential for millions to lose their plans. The President dismissed all that, and he got his legislative win," said McConnell in a Senate floor speech.

Aides to President Obama say the speech will be heavy on the economy, while also focusing on withdrawal from Afghanistan and the current debate over guns.  WKU Public Radio will air live coverage of the State of the Union address and the Republican response starting at 8pm central, 9pm eastern time.

Formerly referred to as directors, Dr. Sally Ray in Glasgow, Dr. Ron Stephens in Elizabethtown and Dr. Gene Tice in Owensboro are now Regional Chancellors. 

“These leaders play a critical role in their respective communities and are responsible for providing access to higher education and driving up the number of degree holders in their regions,” said President Gary Ransdell,  in a statement to WKU Public Affairs. 

“They are active in their communities, work closely with the presidents of the other postsecondary institutions and education leaders in the region and are engaged with academic leadership on the main campus in Bowling Green. I believe the title of Regional Chancellor demonstrates our recognition that our regional campuses are critical to our mission and that these leaders operate with a high level of independence and accountability," said Dr. Ransdell.

Actress Ashley Judd has made no decision about running for U.S. Senate, but the Kentucky native is already the subject of an attack ad. The online video was posted by the conservative super PAC American Crossroads.

The ad mocks Judd’s past comments about her commitment to President Obama, in which she calls him “brilliant” and says she “will go wherever the president wants me to go.” The ad also borrows a quote from Judd's grandmother who called her a “Hollywood liberal.” 

The ad posted on YouTube goes on to show a clip of a speech the actress made in which she called Tennessee home. Judd grew up in Kentucky and went to college at U-K, although she has lived in Tennessee for several years. She was a Tennessee delegate to the Democratic National Convention last year.