From Kentucky Public Radio's Tony McVeigh:Starting Wednesday, Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement will be a division of Kentucky State Police.Governor Steve Beshear ordered the merger, which he says will cut costs, eliminate a layer of bureaucracy, generate more revenue for the state and make it more secure.KSP Commissioner Rodney Brewer sees a positive effect for both agencies. "Tweaking a little bit and refocusing the mission of that agency, to allow us, as an entire agency now to be able to do some things that we were unable to do before and do it jointly," Brewer said.Beshear says the move will save taxpayers as much as $1 million per year. Vehicle Enforcement will be a division of KSP, but will keep its separate identity. Its cars and uniforms will remain the same.Any personnel changes will occur through attrition.
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.