Delta Mariner with portions of Eggner's Ferry Bridge on its bow.

UPDATE: Impact from ramming by cargo vessel may have caused pier to shift

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Jan. 28, 2012) – A dive team from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) plans to place sensors on a pier of the U.S. 68/KY 80 bridge over Kentucky Lake to help determine how badly it was damaged when a cargo vessel rammed the bridge Thursday night.

(Aurora, KY, Jan. 27, 2012) -Thursday evening at 8:10 p.m., the Delta Mariner, a ship belonging to Foss Corporation of Seattle Washington, carrying NASA rocket parts, slammed into Eggner's Ferry Bridge. The ship carried two lengths of bridge steel and blacktop on its bow before coming to a stop.

By some miracle, no one was injured ...

GO RACERS!

Murray State University got a serious two page shout out from that venerable home of journalism, the New York Times.

The MSU Racers are undefeated, so a reporter made his way to "wistfully named" Big Apple Cafe. He passed hunting shacks and white picket fences with horses grazing in the fields on his way. (He must have come in through Lexington.)

Other than that, it's a good read. Oh, and that's River Countian Gina Winchester in the foreground of the photo.

UPDATE: MSU won again Saturday night. They are 21-0 now.

Super-couple Carville and Matalin to be at MSU day before Valentine's

MURRAY, Ky. — The 2012 Murray State University Presidential Lecture Series will feature a duo for the first time this year with political super-couple James Carville and Mary Matalin. Their lecture is aptly named All’s Fair in Love, War and Politics.

Their visit to Murray is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 13, at 7:30 p.m., in Murray State’s Lovett Auditorium. The lecture is free and MSU students, faculty and staff, as well the general public are encouraged to attend.

Second graders stage the story of Johnny Appleseed.

(Clinton, KY) - Debbie Watson’s fifth grade class presented a play to the second graders revolving around the historical period of the 1960’s and the Civil Rights Movement.

Second graders in Ms. Fussell's class performed the story of Johnny Appleseed.

Hickman County seniors got help from former HCHS Falcon Trent Johnson on filling out financial aid forms and scholarship applications. Johnson now works for West Kentucky Community & Technical College.

Paducah Tilghman student Victoria Potter was one of the winners in a recent American Legion speech contest.

Photo above: left to right seated  - Nicole Peters, Lyon County HS; Nick Betts, Calloway County HS; First District Champion Bryant Powell of Mayfield HS; First District Runner-up Victoria Potter of Paducah Tilghman HS; and David Leipzig of Marshall County HS.  Standing behind the contestants are members of Post 73 and the contest judges.

Ag Commish Jamie Comer and Rep. Rudy.

New Ag Commish James Comer welcomed his former team mates from the Kentucky Legislature to a put on the feedbag at the annual Kentucky Proud Legislative Breakfast on Thursday morning.

And now for the photo op...

Fresh fruits and vegetables can be reserved before planting season.

...One Kentucky CSA is unique in that it is not a farm but a retail store that operates as a cooperative of sorts, minimizing the risk to consumers by utilizing multiple farms.

Healing Harvests CSA is an outgrowth of a family’s health foods store in the western Kentucky city of Paducah. It purchases fruits and vegetables, grass-fed beef, poultry, lamb, eggs, baked goods and flowers from about 10 local farms...

First District Rep. Steven Rudy - $62,655.24 in 2010

Editor's Note: A reader reminded me that we ran this story back on January 13, 2010. We think it's worth repeating.  

The General Assembly has posted compensation and expenses for legislators, personal service contracts  and legislative employees.  The database can be accessed by selecting Legislative Branch Expenditures on the left panel of the  Legislative Research Commission  homepage...West Kentucky House members averaged $67,484.28 in 2010. West Kentucky Senators averaged $68,785.82 for their service. (These numbers do not include retirement benefits.) 

We looked at those numbers for members of West Kentucky’s legislative delegation for 2010.

For a breakdown of House members serving Districts 1-6 and Senators from Districts 1-3, follow the link:

The new KY Senate map

...Redistricting in the House was all about keeping the balance of power.

Redistricting in the Senate was a night of long knives.

What we have to wonder is – why haven’t the Democrats filed suit?

The USS Essex - most powerful gunboat on the Mississippi River

In January 1862, Capt. “Dirty Bill” Porter of the Yankee navy was itching to blast Rebel skipper Marsh J. Miller to the bottom of the Mississippi River.

Editor's Note: It's a pleasure to publish another installment of the hidden history of West Kentucky from historian Berry Craig.

The 20th Kentucky received its baptism of fire at Shiloh TN.

(Mayfield, KY, Jan. 27, 2012) - On this date in 1862, the Wallers were maybe the most hated family in Marshall County.

Like the rest of the Jackson Purchase, dubbed "The South Carolina of Kentucky," Marshall County was staunchly Confederate. No matter, the Wallers were devout Unionists; four Waller men donned Yankee blue.

Pfc. Dustin Napier

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Jan. 10, 2012) – Gov. Steve Beshear today recognized the sacrifice of a Kentucky soldier who died while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. 

According to the Department of Defense, Pfc. Dustin P. Napier, 20, of London, KY, died Jan. 8 in Zabul province, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained from enemy small-arms fire.  He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Dec. 27, 2011) – Gov. Steve Beshear today recognized the sacrifice of a Fort Knox soldier who died while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. 

According to the Department of Defense, Spc. Mikayla A. Bragg, 21, of Longview, Washington, died Dec. 21 in Khowst province, Afghanistan.  She was assigned to the 201st Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Knox, Ky.