Society

Officials in a western Kentucky city are embracing the idea of creating a downtown Walk of Fame.  Owensboro Mayor Ron Payne has city staff working on the idea this week after it was brought up last week during a City Commission workshop.  The idea came from a downtown development group that proposed making NASCAR legend Darrell Waltrip the first inductee into the new Owensboro Walk of Fame next month.

In Trigg County the  debate over alcohol sales is nothing new. In 2009 residents there voted to allow alcohol sales both at restaurants and at package stores. Only 36 votes separated the pro-alcohol votes from opposition votes. Judge Executive Stan Humphries has watched Trigg County change from dry to wet. He says revenue for the county is up between $12,000 and $15,000 per month. He says money from licensing fees goes to law enforcement related purchases.

This July 17th, Murray residents will head to the polls to decide whether or not the city should go wet. That is, whether to allow the sale of alcohol within the city limits. Murray’s current alcohol status could be described as “moist”, as restaurants can sell alcoholic beverages, by-the-drink with some restrictions. Gary Pitts looked into the upcoming vote to find out about possible outcomes.

Floods in 2011 and this year’s tornadoes could complicate the tax returns filed by Kentucky farmers.  For example, when farmers receive an insurance check for damaged crops, IRS spokesman Luis Garcia says they must claim that money as income.  And, if bad weather forces the early sale of livestock, Garcia says that income can sometimes be claimed on next year’s tax return.

Kentucky may seem like an unlikely breeding ground for human traffickers, but the problem is growing nationally and one area college is hoping a conference will shine a light on the issue.

Jury selection began Thursday in the trial of Anthony and Kathy Hart, a Madison County couple accused of trafficking their young daughters in Richmond, KY. It’s cases like these that Regan Lookadoo, organizer of a conference on human trafficking at Georgetown College, hopes will show Kentuckians it’s not just a problem overseas.