• "An employee of Alliance Coal said an aide to Gov. Steve Beshear called him in 2009 to tell him that a state regulator unpopular with the coal industry was about to get fired, according to court records filed Friday. The revelation solves a 19-month-old mystery about how key members of the coal industry learned about the firing of Ron Mills, the state’s mine permits director, around the same time Mills was informed of his dismissal." [Bluegrass Politics]
• "Less than a week before the annual Fancy Farm picnic, a new poll shows Democratic Governor Steve Beshear with a crushing 24-point lead over Republican challenger David Williams in the Kentucky 2011 gubernatorial race." [WFPL]
• "The new superintendent of Jefferson County Public Schools will begin work on Monday. Donna Hargens will replace interim superintendent Dr. Freda Merriweather. Hargens will visit Ballard High School where she will meet the districts 300 new teachers and participate in the yearly induction. The rest of the day will be spent with JCPS staff to prepare for the first day of school on Aug. 15, said officials." [WFPL]
• "Louisville-based gambling and racing company Churchill Downs Inc. announced Wednesday that its profit from the second three months of the year grew 45 percent from a year ago to $40.1 million. Revenues rose 16 percent, driven chiefly by gains in its casino businesses and online horse wagering operations, both of which expanded significantly in 2010 through acquisitions." [Courier-Journal]
• "A Louisville man who pleaded guilty to driving under the influence following a wreck in which his passenger died has been sentenced to four days in jail, and the judge and prosecutor say they weren't aware of the death." [WLKY via Gawker]

Photo: Courtesy Commonwealth of Kentucky