The Empty Bowls Project in Paducah is annual charity event to benefit the area’s hungry. Participants get to hand-glaze ceramic bowls, local restaurants fill them, and people purchase them to raise funds for the Paducah Community Kitchen. But one woman who’s spent the past year glazing bowls says they do much more than meet a simple material need. Feeding the spirit from an empty bowl, today on Front Page Sunday from WKMS News.
(1.) COLSTON ON THE CAPITOL –- It’s been a busy week in the Kentucky General Assembly. An effort to legalize casino gambling died on the Senate floor, the sponsor of a measure to regulate the sale of products containing meth precursor pseudoephedrine withdrew it from consideration, and debate continues over the Commonwealth’s dropout age. Kentucky Public Radio Capitol Bureau Chief Kenny Colston speaks with Rick Howlett for some perspective on what’s happening in Frankfort.
(2.) JOURNEY STORIES LITTLETON -- A traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian Institution called “Journey Stories” is at Murray State’s Wrather West Kentucky Museum through March 10. We asked our listeners for their “Journey Stories.” We received this one from Mary Ann Littleton, who is a Murray native. Journey Story is about her spiritual pilgrimage to Tibet and Nepal in her 51st year.
(3.) MSU PROFESSOR STEVE JONES -- A year after the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education, Murray State University welcomed its first African-American students to class. But it wasn’t until 1977 that the school hired its first African-American faculty. Dr. Steve Jones is chair of M-S-U’s Department of Sociology and he was among those the school first hired 35 years ago. Dr. Jones is retiring at the end of this semester, and he sat down with Shelly Baskin to talk about what he experienced during his Murray State tenure.
(4.) JO DORTCH/EMPTY BOWLS PROJECT -- Last year, local residents glazed hundreds of bowls in preparation for the Empty Bowls Project, a charity event in Paducah organized by ceramic artist Michael Terra. When the handmade bowls are ready, patrons purchase a $15 ticket and fill them with food donated from local restaurants. All of the proceeds benefit the Paducah Community Kitchen. With Paducah’s second annual Empty Bowls approaching, Casey Northcutt takes a look at one woman who’s spent the past year glazing bowls for the project. She says in doing so, she’s nourished her own soul.
(5.) DR. DUNN 1 -- The University of Louisville, according to the U.S. Department of Education, earned a 16 million dollar profit for it’s basketball team in 2009-2010 season. That’s a significant difference for smaller mid-major schools like Murray State. But, MSU is in the middle of an historic Cinderella Story season. We hear more about potential revenue from this season from MSU President Dr. Randy Dunn.
(6.) DR. DUNN 2 – We’re back with more with MSU president Dr. Randy Dunn, now let’s focus on the legislative session, and whether not lawmakers intend on changing the Governor’s budget proposal, including a planned 6.4 percent cut to higher education.
Our correspondents are Drew Adams, Shelly Baskin, Seth Helton, Casey Northcutt, Gary Pitts, and Rose Kryztn-Presson. Kate Lochte is a contributing producer. Matt Markgraf provides website assistance.
If you have questions or comments about the stories you’ve heard today, you can email us at msu.wkmsnews@murray state dot edu.
