Studio 619 for January 27, 2008

Tax ReliefA Louisville state representative is once again trying to get legislation approved that he says will grant tax relief to the working poor. Representative Jim Wayne hopes the Commonwealth’s so-called dire financial situation will create a more receptive environment for his bill. Kentucky Public Radio’s Tony McVeigh reports.Diversity in KentuckyIt was two years ago when a report was ordered looking at the diversity of Kentucky’s elected officials. Now the Secretary of State has released an update to the paper, ""United We Stand: Encouraging Diversity in Kentucky’s Leaders."The 2008 publication shows Kentucky has less diversity in elected personnel than it did in 2006 – with most of the drop occurring at the local school board level. Secretary Trey Greyson talked with WFPL’s Heidi Caravan about the report and what we can do to increase the numbers of diverse people who run for office.Social Work Pilot ProjectLast week the University of Louisville released the results of a pilot program that put social workers to task rehabilitating criminals. They say it was success, both socially and financially. WFPL’s Gabe Bullard talks to the program’s co-chair.Independent BooksellersIndependent booksellers nationwide faced a slew of setbacks last year. They included an early 2006 slump in book sales and the news that Americans are reading less for pleasure, as the National Endowment for the Arts spelled out in a report released in November.Rather than ceding to these challenges, many independents are capitalizing on the technologies offered by the World Wide Web to reach their communities. WFPL’s Elizabeth Kramer reports.Walt PavloWalt Pavlo spent more than two years in a federal prison for embezzling some $6 million from MCI Communications, where he was an executive in the collections department, and where he says he took part in a scheme to artificially inflate the company's stock price.Since his release from prison, Walt Pavlo has been telling his cautionary tale to corporate employees and business students across the country. He'll speak January 28 and 29 at the University of Louisville College of Business.He's also co-authored a book, Stolen Without a Gun. Pavlo spoke to Rick Howlett from his home in Tampa, Florida.Sweet Potato QueenDo you have trouble getting your child to eat spinach, or anything that’s not pizza? Or does your son have a bad habit of picking up your bad language? And what about those alpha moms who are the room mothers in your daughter’s kindergarten class?If this sounds like your life, then join WFPL’s Robin Fisher for parenting advice and a laugh when she talks to Sweet Potato Queen Jill Conner Browne about her latest book The Sweet Potato Queens’ Guide to Raising Children for Fun and Profit. Listen to the show.