State of the News 2/10/12

We began the program today with updates on the Kentucky Opera and the Louisville Orchestra.  Gabe Bullard explained how and why the Kentucky Opera is hiring community musicians for their production next weekend, and the Orchestra's offer of binding arbitration to their musicians in the midst of their protracted dispute.In education news, Devin Katayama explained how Kentucky and Indiana have been granted a waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind standards and what it means.Political Editor Phillip Bailey described an unusual situation where Louisville Metro Councilman Jon Ackerson, R-18, is lashing out at his Republican colleagues for endorsing a Tea Party challenger in the upcoming GOP primary. Forty-two Courier-Journal employees are being offered buyouts in exchange for early retirement as part of another round of cost-cutting at the paper’s parent company Gannett; Gabe Bullard offered details.Finally, Devin Katayama had the story on GE electing to manufacture a hybrid water heater at Louisville's Appliance Park.In segment two, Kenny Colston joined us from Frankfort with a conversation about what happened this week in the legislature, including redistricting, potential tax code revisions, and the barrel tax on bourbon. We also heard Phillip M. Bailey‘s interview with two African-American LGBTQ activists about underlying tensions involving race and sexual orientation in Louisville.We caught up with the Courier-Journal’s James Carroll in segment three to hear the latest on the GOP primaries and this week’s Conservative Political Action Conference.  We capped the show with Devin Katayama‘s profile of former State Senator Georgia Powers.