the morning cram [show me the money edition]

The unemployment rate in the US has fallen to its lowest level in three years.

NPR reports last month’s surge in hiring helped to drive unemployment to 8.5%. Here’s hoping those people will be allowed to keep their jobs and their extra cash.

Kentucky~  Paducah City Commissioner Watkins announces his run for the 3rd district seat. Former McCracken county humane society workers arraigned for inhumane euthanasia. The Dorena-Hickman ferry is nearly done with its retrofit. Life is about to get better for Goldfish in Owensboro. No state department is safe from upcoming budget cuts. Beshear has appointed a group to study tax reform. A Connecticut hedge fund linked to Kentucky Retirement accounts has failed.

 

morning cram [inquiry edition]

Keeping track of all the investigations into the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico can be confusing.

~Check out NPR‘s guide to oil spill inquiries.

Beware!: Freezing rain is expected to coat the afternoon.

KENTUCKY~ Paducah Commissioners swear to do their job and approve of a public student housing project. Still no charges or official cause in Paducah toddler death. A ruling on whether racetracks can offer wagering on past horse races is expected before the year’s end. A suicide bomb kills 6 Fort Campbell soldiers.

TENNESSEE~ 21/28 arrested in a federal wiretap Clarksville crack-ring bust and police arrested yesterday’s shooting suspect. An official today will recommend how much debt the state should take on.

ILLINOIS~ Gov. Quinn picks up a new Chief of Staff. The state (almost) fails a health preparedness test.

morning cram [cyber battle edition]

Professional militaries around the world train with the rules of war in mind, recognizing that abiding by them works to their benefit as much as to the enemy’s. So, it’s no surprise many legal experts, diplomats and military commanders are now debating how to extend the law of war to cyberspace.

~NPR reports it’s unclear how existing treaties and conventions would apply in this new domain of conflict.

KENTUCKY~ Paducah could have a new city manager early next month and will pay Greyhound Bus Lines $12k to stay for 5 more years. A h0meless man is under arrest after allegedly stealing frozen chicken from a McCracken County mission. A Calvert City plastics plant will pay $800k in pollution fines. State House Republicans claim if given control in November the legislature would be more responsive and accountable.

TENNESSEE~ Clarksville greenlights revamping 3rd Street to include a bike lane. A plane crashes on Kentucky Lake near Paris Landing leaving pilots unscathed.

ILLINOIS~ The Honeywell nuclear materials plant in Metropolis will require union workers to be re-trained if negotiations ever pan out next month.

morning cram (unearthing edition)

“The mystery ship: a wooden vessel found last month under the ruins of New York City’s World Trade Center has since been moved to a science lab in Maryland, where each day brings new discoveries.”

~NPR hears how the thrill of discovery doesn’t stop with the digging.

KENTUCKY~ Paducah dumps its top pick for city manager citing sensitive information and will fund indigent burials. Murray Parks may soon have a trespassing fine in place. A Cadiz man is in police custody for (allegedly) sexting with a minor. A Mayfield wife-killer gets 20 years. House Speaker Stumbo: Rand Paul will lose and Paul calls for more online donation$ (so is WKMS).

TENNESSEE~ Clarksville is building a new electricity substation in anticipation of the Hemlock Semiconductor. Storing gas underground? The state will help.

ILLINOIS~ Quinn applies for federal grants to fund teaching jobs.

morning cram [big difficult edition]

“The New Orleans Police Department has long battled a bad reputation. But after Hurricane Katrina, the dept’s flaws unraveled.”

~NPR hears how it’s not so easy to be the NOPD.

KENTUCKY~ A state audit criticizes McCracken’s Clerk policies. McCracken County and Paducah agree on paying for ‘pauper burials’. Paducah School students are eating more cafeteria food this year. MSU beats out most state schools on Forbes’ Top 500 list. Fort Campbell’s hospital is expanding in Clarksville’s. A 10-year-old Oak Grove child gets a felony for arson. UK may be forced to turn over participant’s names of a study on the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (due out this fall). A bill that would stop executing the mentally ill faces many challenges. A newly signed federal act may impact (but remains totally unclear) food stamp programs. Beshear’s top aide resigns.

TENNESSEE~ Clarksville’s Mayor asks his Chief of Staff to resign (then fires him.)

ILLINOIS~ The next (epic) Honeywell and USW sitdown remains unscheduled.

morning cram [scootin' edition]

“Dozens of fiddle players, guitar players and singers of all ages come to Goree, Texas (population 300) to learn how to play Western swing.”

~NPR do-si-dos, then swings you round and round.

KENTUCKY~ An I-24 wreck near Paducah injures 7. Paducah commissioners have ideas of where to plant extra trees. Engineers will be blowing up chunks of limestone near Lake City and Kentucky Lock. Disability advocates launch a series of meetings today, starting in Murray. A Hopkinsville man wants you to treasure his bid for.. State Treasurer. The mom of a woman claiming she was raped by a paramedic testifies her daughter is lying. Beshear hails instant racing. The Ohio River may soon have new pollution control standards.

TENNESSEE~ TVA bumps up electricity rates (again). State education leaders warn autumn TCAP scores may be lower because of higher classroom standards. Henry County officials warn of ongoing deed scam.

ILLINOIS~ An autopsy finds the man who died during a police shootout in Joppa did so by his own hand.

morning cram (denial edition)

KY~ MSU’s Billy Kennedy is expected to sign a contract extension today. Paducah officials deny being confused. Fort Campbell will tighten its (financial) belt while soldiers are away. A US-62 bridge near Lake City is down to one lane till noon. Murray’s Chamber of Commerce will release how its members feel about a payroll tax later this week. Two bills now sit on Beshear’s desk: one forces 2 organizations out into the public eye and another wants to reduce teen suicide. Most lawmakers get a day off as budget talks resume. No ‘Race to the Top’ $$$. More universities may establish nursing doctoral degree programs.

TN~ The state expects a $75m revenue shortfall. The Senate has passed a constitutional ban on an income tax.