Boyle County has a new way to dispose of wood waste from both industries and individuals that should save the county money while helping power a Campbellsville company. Boyle Fiscal Court approved an agreement Tuesday with Cox Interiors Inc., a business that mills interior doors and windows, under which the company will chip and haul untreated wood to be used as fuel.

The state Wednesday announced the awarding of $773,447 in On-Farm Energy Efficiency & Production Incentives grants. The program is a partnership between the Governor’s Office of Agricultural Policy and Kentucky’s Department for Energy Development & Independence with funding from the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act through the U.S. Department of Energy.

The famine in Somalia is the first official famine declared by the United Nations since 1984, when nearly a million people died in Ethiopia and neighboring Sudan. Now, more than 10 million people in the Horn of Africa are desperately short on food, and the international community has pledged to respond.

A mountain lion hit and killed by a car in Milford, Conn., last month was a long way from home, most likely the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Biologists used DNA sampling and other physical evidence to link the 140-pound male cat to a journey of nearly 2,000 miles. The AP reports:

Most people would never know the Town Branch of Elkhorn Creek runs under downtown Lexington if they were not told. There has long been no visual or audible evidence of the rushing water that runs just below the high-rise buildings and busy streets of the city — until this week.

Over the past few weeks, there's been lots of talks about how a default would affect the United States economy. But over the past few days, the talk has shifted a bit to include talk of a growing possibility that even if Washington averts default, the country could still face a credit downgrade from its golden triple-A rating.

With the clock ticking down, Congress appeared no closer to a deal to raise the debt ceiling Wednesday as Republican and Democratic leaders worked to sell lawmakers on their competing plans.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) said he would rewrite his proposal to include more cuts after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said late Tuesday that the measure would reduce spending less than advertised. GOP leaders postponed a House vote on the plan but expected to reschedule it for Thursday.

Dr. Cornell West isn't one to mince words.

In an interview with Tell Me More's Michele Martin, the Class of 1943 Professor at Princeton University took some heavy shots at the budget plans presented this week by Democrats and Republicans, who he believes are in the pocket of "Wall Street oligarchs and corporate plutocrats":

After more than four months, NFL players and owners have reached an agreement to end the lockout. NFL Players Union Head DeMaurice Smith tells host Michel Martin what he's most grateful about under the new deal and what was the toughest to give up. They also discuss what players were doing during the lockout, and what fans can expect this fall.

Teru Kuwayama is a photographer based in New York. A selection of his Basetrack photos are now featured in a digital book. Basetrack is supported by a 2010 News Challenge grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.