WKMS: Pennyrile to Benefit from Grant (2008-08-21)

WKMS In-Depth Reports

Pennyrile to Benefit from Grant

Carrie Pond (2008-08-21)

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Director Sheila Clark

MURRAY, KY (wkms) - A western Kentucky agency has received a 250 thousand dollar Regional Innovation Grant from the US Department of Labor. Carrie Pond has more on what's on the horizon for the region. Governor Steve Beshear and First Lady Jane Beshear took questions from Calloway County residents for over an hour at last night's "Beshear About Kentucky" Town Hall Meeting. Healthcare and the economy were the two biggest issues on voters' minds. Beshear told the group a solution to both problems would be an increase in cigarette taxes, a piece of legislation he says is not dead. Beshear told the crowd Kentucky is near the top of the list in its cases of heart disease, lung disease, and stroke. "We all end up paying for it. That's where our Medicaid dollars go, that's where our healthcare dollars go, right now. So much of it is spent on the catastrophic kinds of care we have to have as a result of us not taking care of ourselves." Both Beshears spoke at length about making Kentucky a greener state, touching on electric cars, greener schools, and bio-technology industries to create "green collar" jobs. After the town hall meeting, many people stuck around to speak with Kentucky Cabinet members who were on hand for the event. Tonight, Beshear moves on to his last town hall meeting at Paducah Tilghman High School. © Copyright 2009, wkms