[1] - "Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush will appear at a fund-raiser for the Republican gubernatorial slate of David Williams and Richie Farmer and the state Republican Party on Aug. 25 in Louisville, the campaign said Wednesday. U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Louisville also will headline the event, which will be held at 6 p.m. at a private home in Louisville. Ticket prices range from $250 to $1,000 a person." [Bluegrass Politics [3]]
- "The Louisville Tea Party held a town hall last night featuring Sen. Rand Paul, GOP statewide candidates, and independent gubernatorial candidate Gatewood Galbraith. As David Williams was speaking, he off-offhandedly mentioned — while criticizing Kentucky’s tax structure — that he did not think Ark Encounter would ever be built. The project — featuring a “replica” of Noah’s Ark that depicts a 600-year old Noah herding dinosaurs onto it a few thousand years ago — is receiving a $43 million dollar tax break from the Beshear administration, which is a big cheerleader behind the project." [LEO Weekly [4]]
- "Todd P’Pool, Republican nominee for state attorney general, will be getting an assist in his campaign by Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. P’Pool’s campaign said Wednesday that Cuccinelli, who was the first attorney general in the nation to litigate the new federal health care law in federal court, will participate in a Sept. 29 fund-raiser for P’Pool in Elizabethtown." [Bluegrass Politics [5]]
- "Kentucky continues to rank low in children’s well-being, according to the 2011 Kids Count Data Book. The annual report measures various indicators like socioeconomic status and health. For the past seven years, it’s ranked near the bottom ten states for the overall well-being of children. This year, more than a quarter of Kentucky children live in poverty. The poverty rate in both the commonwealth and the nation rose 18 percent. Now, Kentucky ranks 48th out of 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico." [WFPL [6]]
- "There are more than nine million tons of coal ash generated in Kentucky every year. The ash, left over after coal is burned, is stored in ash ponds and dry landfills. The report says the combination of lots of ash and little regulation earns Kentucky the rank of the fifth worst in the United States." [WFPL [7]]
- "All JCPS students have been safely delivered home. The last student was cleared at 7:13 pm on Wednesday night, according to the Courier-Journal. WDRB reports that fewer than 20 children had not yet been dropped off as of 7:20." [WFPL [8]]
Photo: Courtesy Williams Farmer 2010