State of the News 4/27/12

Our weekly news round up began today with Devin Katayama's report on the latest on Bluegrass Boardwalk, which is one step closer to opening.  Phillip Bailey discussed the fundraising disparity between John Yarmuth and challenger Brooks Wicker.  Erica Peterson outlined the major honor bestowed on Kentuckian Wendell Berry this week.  Appalachian Regional Healthcare is suing the state and two major managed care operators for failing to manage the new privatized Medicaid system; Devin Katayama had the details.  Erica Peterson discussed the screening device that LG&E is implementing to combat the airborne dispersal of coal ash at the Cane Run facility.  Finally, Phillip Bailey explained John Yarmuth's pledge to vote against Republican-sponsored legislation to freeze interest rates on federal student loans.Kenny Colston, Capital Bureau Chief, joined us in segment two to discuss the week in Frankfort, including instant racing, a super PAC that’s involved in Kentucky’s Fourth Congressional District race, and Thomas Massie's campaign in that race, along with the audit of Ritchie Farmer, among other stories.  Then we were joined by Jason Riley of the Courier-Journal, who discussed recent stories about James Mallory, accused of murdering a 15-year-old just weeks after winning an early prison release; and a story about banned cell phones making their way to prison inmates, and the potential dire consequences.In the final segment, the Courier-Journal's Chris Otts stopped by to discuss the ongoing discussions about the site for a new VA Hospital in Louisville, and WFPL's Erin Keane talked about the end to the protracted labor dispute with the Louisville Orchestra management and musicians.