The University of Tennessee at Martin rodeo program has received a $100,000 donation to fund scholarships for the state's only college rodeo. A charity founded by former Allegro Fine Foods chairman Dave Wilcox has pledged $20,000 a year in scholarships for the next five years. Wilcox was a fixture on the local rodeo scene until his death in 2011. The Betsy Ross Foundation, the charity he named in honor of his late wife, is donating the money.  The donation is the largest gift to rodeo in UT Martin's history.

Illinois is expected to receive more than $12 million in a settlement with a pharmaceutical company accused of selling diluted drugs. The state's Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced the settlement yesterday. The money is part of a $500 million federal and state settlement against India-based Ranbaxy. The federal lawsuit stated the company knowingly manufactured, distributed and sold 26 generic drugs whose strength, purity or quality fell below standards approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

U.S. farmers are making the most of a respite from what has been a wet spring to get their corn crops planted. However, the pace still keeps them well behind schedule. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported yesterday that 28% of the nation's cornfields have been planted, up from just 12% a week ago. But the latest numbers are well short of the 65% of the crop that already was in the ground by this date over the previous five years. At this time last year, 85% of the corn was planted.

Members of the Kentucky Congressional delegation are giving Department of Energy leaders until June 14th to develop a long-term plan for the future of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant.

Tracy Ross speaks with JD Wilkes whose band The Dirt Daubers are Friday night's headliners at the LowerTown Arts and Music Festival. Wilkes has a new CD in the works for The Dirt Daubers; he's writing a book on Kentucky Barn Dances; and he has a 7" vinyl record of 14 banjo tunes out now called "Kitchen Tapes." Click here to see more of our interviews ahead of the LowerTown Festival.

Click here to see the complete LowerTown event schedule.

See more about The Dirt Daubers.

Glass Door Solutions LLC, a newly-formed company, plans to lease a facility, create 110 new, full-time jobs and invest more than $3.5 million in Elkton, Ky.

 "The Wonder of Learning - The Hundred Languages of Children" is an exhibition of the infant-toddler Centers and Preschools of the Municipality of Reggio Emilia, Italy, at the Henderson Community College Fine Arts Center. This Thursday through Saturday there's a conference featuring speakers from the schools of Reggio Emilia, and it's still open for attendance. Kate Lochte asked Murray State College of Education's Dr. Jo Robertson, Chair of Early Childhood and Elementary Education to explain what the Reggio Emilia philosophy of Education is about. See more about The Wonder of Learning.

The May first edition of the Wall Street Journal included an article by Stephanie Banchero entitled "Learning Goals Spur Backlash." To find out about if there's been any backlash from adopting the Common Core standards in Kentucky schools, we sought an overview from The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, the state's private, non-profit advocacy group for all levels of public education. Kate Lochte speaks with its Executive Director Dr. Stu Silberman. 

Highway department officials have set dates for two public meetings this month to discuss options for improving or replacing the U.S. 51 Ohio River Bridge between Wickliffe, Ky. and Cairo, Ill.

The first meeting is Monday, May 20 from 4-7 p.m. at Cairo High School. The second meeting is Tuesday, May 21 from 4-7 p.m. at the Ballard Center Community Room in La Center.

One of the agencies contracted to clean up the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant is donating used computer equipment to a local technical school.

DUF6, a uranium cleanup project of Babcock and Wilcox Conversion Services, transferred 223 computers and printers to the Fulton County Area Technical Center in Hickman late last month.

Principal Tom Pyron said the center, which provides technology and trade education for area high school students, was under budget pressure that the donation relieves.