CHARLESTON, W.Va. — As surface mining has grown in Appalachia's two largest coal-producing states, Kentucky and West Virginia, it has become heavily concentrated in small areas of the two, according to a new government report. Full Story »
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Former Transportation Secretary Bill Nighbert asked Friday to be tried separately from road contractor Leonard Lawson on bribery charges. Full Story »
Bob King, who most recently led the UAW's Ford department, will be nominated to succeed Ron Gettelfinger as the union's next president pending a vote by the UAW administrative caucus next Wednesday in Dearborn, Mich., several union sources told the Free Press. Full Story »
FRANKFORT, Ky. — The top U.S. mine safety official said Friday that the nation must put a stop to black lung disease, a work-related illness that has killed roughly 10,000 coal miners this decade. Full Story »
With H1N1 flu cases on the decline nationally, experts are warning about a new danger: Complacency. Full Story »
Two Democrats, Tom Owen and Marianne Butler, say they plan to seek the presidency of Louisville Metro Council for a one-year term in 2010. Full Story »
Louisville woke up to some of its coldest temperatures of the season, when the thermometer hit 21 Friday morning. Full Story »
South Carolina's first lady, a former Wall Street vice president who helped launch her husband's political career, filed for divorce Friday more than five months after his tearful public confession of an affair with an Argentine woman. Full Story »
Humana said Friday its board has renewed for two more years a share repurchase authorization set to expire this month. Full Story »
Dr. Elinor Ostrom will deliver the keynote address Feb. 10 at the Indiana Urban Forest Council's winter meeting at Columbus' Donner Park. She will discuss urban forests as social-ecological systems. Full Story »
West Tennessee has experienced at least six minor quakes within the last week or so. Full Story »
Low-interest loans were approved Thursday for a restaurant and a hair salon planned near the downtown arena under construction. The loans were approved at a meeting of the board of the Louisville Metro Business Development Corp. Full Story »
The new six-speed automatic transmission in 2011-model F-Series Super Duty trucks will channel more power from the engine for better fuel efficiency, Ford Motor Co. officials said in a preview of the new truck's features this week. Full Story »
Five Louisville employers are planning to add at least 191 jobs over the next three years and eight more companies are considering hiring another 467. Full Story »
At least one Jefferson County school board member broached the subject of reprimanding or terminating Superintendent Sheldon Berman during his closed-door evaluation last summer, but Larry Hujo said he was later talked out of pursuing any action by other board members. Full Story »
Kentuckians and Hoosiers replacing their appliances with energy-efficient models next year will be able to claim hundreds of dollars in federal rebates under plans recently approved by the U.S. Department of Energy. Full Story »
State tax revenues grew by 2.4 percent in November compared to November 2008, the State Budget Office reported Thursday. It was the first time in 11 months that revenues have shown any growth. Full Story »
Kevin Churchill could feel the life draining out of his body, one heartbeat at a time. Churchill, a security guard at the Family Dollar store on West Jefferson Street who was shot in a robbery attempt Dec. 7, gave his first public comments about the incident. Full Story »
Velma Childers, considered the "grande dame" of Kentucky's Republican Party, died Wednesday in her hometown of Pikeville after a car accident. She was 79. Full Story »
Agreeing to serve as a confidential informant for the Kentucky State Police after being charged with a crime in high school, 17-year-old Lebron Gaither of Lebanon, Ky., relied on detectives to protect him. Full Story »
Two school buses collided Thursday afternoon outside the Kentucky Center, causing minor injuries to about a dozen Chancey Elementary third-graders. Full Story »
Police arrested three men and one juvenile female Thursday for the Dec. 3 shooting death of an unidentified Hispanic man. Full Story »
Danielle White said she was still in bed when she smelled smoke. Full Story »
Power had been restored to all Louisville Gas & Electric Co. customers as of 8 a.m. Thursday, according to utility officials. Full Story »
Light snow should continue to fall throughout Thursday morning possibly causing some visibility problems and accumulations on some roadways, according to a special weather statement issued by the National Weather Service. Full Story »
Jackass Penguins take a walk at Hakkeijima Sea Paradise in Japan. AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye
More Photos and Slideshow »
All Comics »
