the morning cram [thorough chat-down edition]

TSA agents are getting chatty with travelers at airports across the country.

NPR reports TSA agents are using conversation as their newest weapon against terrorism. Are you ready for a chat-down?

Kentucky~ Todd P’Pool is on TV! Gov Beshear accepts an invitation to debate. The Gov steals some talent from the AP. Let’s bury those pesky carbon emissions.

Illinois~ Mayor Askew thinks twice about quitting.

Tennessee~ An Obion County sausage maker  pays up for racism.

morning cram [freezer cash edition]

The top Libyan opposition official is stopping by the White House today.

NPR reports Transitional National Council Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril’s goal is to persuade US officials to recognize the TNC as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people — and to give it some of Khadafi’s frozen cash.

KENTUCKY~ Harrah’s Casino-Metropolis parent company Caesar’s Entertainment donates $100k to local Red Cross efforts. Parts of US-60 are reopened. Police: a driver dragged a gas station owner after a pump ‘n run (see photo). Road work closes KY-83 in Graves Co. A mysterious house fire in Sharpe injures a resident. State tourism revenue$ had a 5% bump last year. Check out the difference between this year’s GOP Secretary of State candidates. The NAACP and a Confederate heritage group differ on a proposal to issue rebel flag license plates.

TENNESSEE~ Clarksville Police are now using stats to fight crime. GOP lawmakers want to wrap it up by next week. A bill progresses which would (again) allow Nashville businesses that discriminate against homosexuals to do work with the city.

SPORTS~ OVC Softball Tourney: MSU > UTM; MSU < JSU.

morning cram [fuel cell edition]

The Honda FCX Clarity can go about 240 miles on a tank of hydrogen fuel (about 60 mpg compared to gas). The only emission is water so pure you could drink it.

Honda tells NPR: US Secretary of Energy Steven Chu is wrong when he claimed it would take a miracle to make fuel cell cars viable in the marketplace.

WEATHER~ Possibly severe activity predicted tonight.

KENTUCKY~ State Police are matching a missing man’s dental records to found skeletal remains with hopes they match. You can see the Ohio River from where Paducah’s Executive Inn recently stood. 4 Fort Campbell soldiers die in an Afghan suicide blast. Transportation workers will setup an I-24 (west) workzone between Eddyville/Grand Rivers next week. Out of work? Have a mortgage? There’s help. Gov Beshear has almost $5mil banked for re-election. US Rep Ed Whitfield yesterday fielded telephone calls from constituents about gas prices, the economy and the federal budget. US Sen Rand Paul files for re-election (5 years early).

TENNESSEE~ Highway Patrol investigators say Henry’s Police Chief (allegedly) ran a red light that caused a wreck leaving him critically injured. A resolution to the state’s constitution that would  further restrict abortions gets one step closer to a statewide vote.

ILLINOIS~ SIU-Carbondale will likely hire its next Provost from within its ranks.

morning cram [still partying edition]

Tea Party activists continue to pressure congressional Republicans to make good on their promise to deliver deep federal spending cuts.

NPR reports (a few hundred) Tea Partiers yesterday came against the backdrop of negotiations on a fiscal year spending agreement.

KENTUCKY~ A Paducah DUI lawyer must serve his own full DUI sentence. A recent audit finds state government spent $100k of federal funds on questionable expenses. Report: public schools don’t spend much on health services. Kentucky’s Homeland Security… there’s an app for that. Six Fort Campbell heroes died in Afghanistan this week and Gov Beshear orders flags halfway down to honor a Fort Knox casualty. There’s a bomb disposal competition this week @ Fort Campbell. The Commonwealth’s First Lady today plans to read to rural students via Skype.

TENNESSEE~ The teacher tenure bill edges closer to passing. Young history buffs will compete in Nashville tomorrow. APSU Softballers lose to, then beat TSU.

ILLINOIS~ Senators approve combining the state’s comptroller and treasurer offices.

morning cram [transparent edition]

President Obama famously promised to run the most transparent administration in history.

NPR reports it’s Sunshine Week and security experts are evaluating how well the administration has lived up to that pledge.

KENTUCKY~ A shrink testifies the ’97 Heath High shooter was incompetent during his initial trial. A Calloway County chemical fire yesterday prompted some evacuations. WKU signs on to gladly take Hopkinsville Community College grads. People will comb the roadside (for free) next week. Senate Prez Williams challenges Gov Beshear to a TV word-duel and he also wants to work the special session for free, but House Dems won’t.

TENNESSEE~ Judge decides the Buchanan double murderer should die in prison (from old age). Unemployment in area counties remains well above the state average. Hundreds are expected to descend on Nashville’s Capitol building @ noon to rally for worker’s rights. UT officials up the school system’s minimum wage.

ILLINOIS~ Ohio River water levels are expected to crest Friday. Republicans don’t like Gov Quinn’s latest appointment.

morning cram [meltdown edition]

A second explosion today at Japan’s Fukushima Daichi plant nuclear power plant has officials warning three reactors are now having cooling problems.

Japanese officials tell NPR the blast didn’t harm the reactor or release radioactive contaminants (unlike Saturday’s).

KENTUCKY~ River levels continue to float upward. A Graves County motorcycle crash claims the life of a Wingo man. Heath High shooter Michael Carneal is back in court today. Calloway High’s girls team made it further than ever before in the state championship. MSU will play Missouri State Tuesday @ 7pm. Lawmakers bicker over how to pay for Medicaid for $64k a day and Gov Beshear says you should be outraged.

TENNESSEE~ Gov Haslam warns his budget proposal is about $1bil under last year’s. The state says 1,200 open records requests were made last year.

ILLINOIS~ Honeywell Corp will pay (almost) $12mil for storing hazardous waste without a permit. One lawmaker proposes Arizona-style immigration reforms.

morning cram [armed coeds edition]

Is the answer to mass shootings on college campuses to arm students and staff?

NPR reports eight states have proposed legislation that would allow people to carry concealed weapons on campus.

KENTUCKY~ It’s Tim Masthay Day in Murray. A defense attorney claims McCracken County Sheriff’s deputies used a misleading affidavit to obtain a search warrant. Ex-Mayfield Mayor Arthur Byrn’s nepotism allegations don’t pan out. Paducah’s Quilt Museum will soon need a new leader. The House passes a ban on bath salts. Education officials get ready to change how the state tests and evaluates schools.

TENNESSEE~ Lawmakers propose a bill to track cold-med (meth ingredients) sales. The AP alleges Governor Haslam dodged reporters after hiding his income.

ILLINOIS~ A pair of gay rights groups launch an online site to track the state’s civil unions.

OVC BASKETBALL~ (Men’s) MSU > TSU, UTM < APSU; (Women’s) MSU < TSU, UTM < APSU.

morning cram [free science edition]

President Obama last year ordered guidelines to protect the integrity of government research by preventing it from being altered or suppressed for political purposes.

~NPR reports the new precedent could be released today.

KENTUCKY~ Calloway County students have to make up for a snow day Monday. The AP names MSU’s school record-breaking wide receiver to the All-American 2nd Team. Police arrested the woman thought to have attacked the wife of Hopkinsville’s mayor earlier this week. Paducah cops bust 2 for mobile methlab. Ed Whitfield is now on the US House Energy subcommittee. There’s hope for the area’s financially illiterate. Will giving out playing cards plastered with missing persons and murder victims to inmates help solve cold cases?

TENNESSEE~ APSU Police arrest a Dickson woman for (allegedly) hording a huge child porn collection. Men’s Basketball: APSU < Memphis. Dunbar Cave park officials want to grind up your used Christmas tree for mulch. The state’s unemployment rate stays the (unchanged) course and officials aren’t sure when the newest tax revenue estimates will be released.

“Don’t Tread on Me” Altercation Irony

Supporters of Rand Paul wrestled a woman to the ground and stepped on her head as she tried to confront the Republican nominee before a KET (Kentucky Educational Television) debate Monday, October 25, 2010. Ironically, some of those involved were sporting “Don’t Tread on Me” pins, as seen here:

Here’s a link to more on the altercation, along with video from Associated Press, posted on YouTube.

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wkms/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1717509

morning cram [rethink edition]

“I may divide the old conservative coalition, but I’m not going to divide the new one.”

~ NPR talks to a prominent Southern Baptist leader about his stance on immigration.

KENTUCKY~ A Murray book company drops $10mil into a prominent textbook rental website. Dry weather = poor pollination. Officials intensify focus on mine safety. Rand and Jack plan to picnic @ Fancy Farm. KSP Checkpoint Stats: 176 DUIs, 715 seatbelt tickets, 68 drug arrests & 1 stolen vehicle. A Fort Campbell medic dies in an Afghanistan IED blast.

TENNESSEE~ Police investigate a string of thefts near Kentucky Lake in the Buchanan area. 9 people died in roadway accidents during the July 4th holiday weekend. Roy Herron has a nice (+$1.5mil) campaign bankroll.

ILLINOIS~ A Metropolis man regrets jumping 90 feet from the Brookport Bridge. Massac Sheriff’s deputies find 2 lost hikers in Shawnee National Forest. Governor Quinn defends raises he gave his staff. Federal stimulus money weatherized 17k homes and created 500 jobs.