- "Gov. Steve Beshear is asking the Kentucky Personnel Board to exempt 81 political appointees from a new budget-cutting law that would abolish their jobs Dec. 31. The appointees are midlevel officials across state government. Beshear did not submit their names to the board, just job titles and agencies. They include “policy advisers,” who start with a $75,729 salary on average under Beshear, and “special assistants,” who on average start at $61,980. The request rankles a group representing rank-and-file state workers. 'Many of these jobs don’t actually do anything that serves the public,” said Melissa Jan Williamson, vice president of the Kentucky Association of State Employees. “Most of the public service is performed by the merit workers, who are paid less and who are being furloughed.'" [Bluegrass Politics]
- "Operators of the popular Creation Museum in Northern Kentucky are seeking state tax incentives to build a creationism theme park at a nearby site — a project that Gov. Steve Beshear officially will announce Wednesday." [Courier-Journal]
- "Four years ago, Republican Sen. Richard Lugar was considered so unbeatable that Democrats didn't bother to field a candidate against him. Now, he's facing the likelihood of a challenge from within his own party." [Courier-Journal]
- "The Kentucky State Police released the monthly report on meth lab busts for October this week. 'KSP reports that there were 111 meth labs found during the month of October, exceeding all previous monthly totals, bringing the 2010 statewide total to 919. The last record was set in 2009, when 741 labs were discovered during the course of a year. The state is on track to exceed 1,000 meth labs this year.'" [WFPL]
Photo: Couresy The Governor of the Commonwealth
