Congressional Democrats spell "distraction" a lot differently than most everyone else these days. They spell it w-e-i-n-e-r.

Rep. Anthony Weiner may want to tough it out through the current scandal. But his crisis is taking a predictable trajectory in the wake of his Monday admission that he sent lewd photos and engaged in explicit online conversations with several women.

"Economic activity generally continued to expand" in most parts of the country over the past six to seven weeks, "though a few districts indicated some deceleration," the Federal Reserve just reported in its latest Beige Book review of conditions around the nation.

According to the central bank:

Western Kentucky University is hosting an international conference dedicated to the study of a familiar local landscape. Southcentral Kentucky, home to plentiful caves and sinkholes, is a part of a karst landscape, making it an appropriate spot for this conference. Karst landscapes - landscapes created by water in a carbonate rock setting, such as limestone or gypsum - include features such as sinkholes, springs and caves. Eighty conference participants represent 16 nations.

About 50 people attended a Whitley County UNITE Coalition forum Monday evening to discuss the impact of Kentucky's new 150-page penal code reform act, and whether the pros of the new law outweigh the cons of it. Proponents say the reform is Kentucky getting "smart" on crime, while critics say it is the state getting "softer" on crime sacrificing public safety to save money. The consensus of the group, if there was one, is that eventually the new law will probably help Kentucky's recidivism rate among criminals namely drug offenders, but that the crime rate might get worse under the new reforms before it gets better.

We've been holding off on reporting about the mystery surrounding the blogger known as "Gay Girl in Damascus" and the reports that she was arrested by Syrian authorities.

There are a growing number of questions about who she may or may not be and even whether such a person is actually in the hands of the authorities.

We've reported before on how health insurance company Blue Shield of California was met with opposition over its rate increases. So, it's only fair we report that, yesterday, the company said it would cap its income and return $180 million to its customers.

CNN reports:

After cool temperatures and near-record rainfall in April, Kentuckians must now deal with scant rainfall and near-record heat. Health officials across the Commonwealth are warning of the potential risks of heat stroke and exhaustion. Madison County Health Department spokeswoman Christie Green says the elderly, especially those seniors with chronic diseases, are vulnerable.

It will be a double dose of Breathitt County native Chad Warrix Saturday night at Renfro Valley Entertainment Center, which is located near Mount Vernon off I-75 in Rockcastle County. One of the founding members of the duo “Halfway to Hazard” will not only be on hand for the unveiling of the new exhibit bearing his name at the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame at 5:30 p.m. - Warrix will also be at the museum's site to meet with his fans from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Then he'll join the country group “Lonestar” to perform during the “Concerts 4 A Cause” event, which begins at Renfro Valley at 7 p.m.

"Chilean flagship carrier LAN Airlines SA has resumed all of its international flights to and from Argentina," Dow Jones Newswires reports, "although several domestic Argentine flights are still canceled because of the presence of volcanic ash, the company said Wednesday."

Five months after Lexington Mayor Jim Gray called for a review of the Fayette County Detention Center it appears there will be not one, but two groups looking for ways to make improvements. Sheriff Kathy Witt recently presented her findings on conditions at the jail, and Lexington Deputy Police Chief David Boggs delivered his report Tuesday. Boggs says the jail needs less micro-managing and more leadership. "Really the resounding theme came back that that needed to be an increased emphasis on communication so the employees in the organization felt heard."