The Commonwealth

FRANKFORT - Kentucky continues to make progress in limiting retail sales of tobacco to minors, according to a recently released survey from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. The 2012 Annual Synar Buying Survey of Kentucky retail tobacco outlets showed that 94.4 percent of retailers complied with the law barring tobacco sales to anyone under the age of 18. The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control conducted the survey during the summer to measure the rate of illegal sales of tobacco to Kentucky youths.

Depending on where you were Wednesday in Hopkinsville, you probably saw some amount of the white stuff. Accumulations were higher north of the city, Christian County Weather Coordinator Dave Powell said, adding that there was close to 3 inches of snow near Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park. Within city limits, there was about an inch.

FRANKFORT – Kentucky Transportation Cabinet highway crews continue to plow and treat roads following the latest batch of winter weather. Crews are working over much of the state today, particularly in western Kentucky and in counties along the Ohio River. In these areas, crews are treating roadways or concentrating on reported problem spots. Snow plows are pushing through 3 to 4 inches of snow in western Kentucky counties.

A blizzard warning remains in effect until noon CST today for parts of Western Kentucky, according to the National Weather Service. Snowfall amounts of 6 to 12 inches are possible with windy conditions and gusts up to 40 mph. Some trees could fall and that could cause some power outages. Kentucky cities in the impacted area include Bardwell, Paducah, Mayfield, Benton, Murray, Marion, Eddyville, Prineceton, Morganfield, Madisonville, Henderson, Owensboro and Calhoun.

A nonprofit animal legal rights group has ranked Kentucky, for the sixth year in a row, as the best state to be an animal abuser. The reasons include the absence of numerous laws – such as one making cockfighting a felony – to a statute on the books that prevents veterinarians from reporting suspected cases of animal cruelty without permission from the animal’s owner, a court order or a subpoena. “No meaningful change in the status of the law in Kentucky precipitates the same result,” said Scott Heiser, an attorney with the California-based Animal Legal Defense Fund, which released the report last week.

The Campbellsville Police Department is launching a special Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over crackdown to stop impaired drivers and to save lives on roadways. Campbellsville Police officers will be aggressively looking for impaired drivers and arrest anyone caught driving impaired. Enforcement efforts will include traffic safety checkpoints and saturation patrols. The special enforcement crackdown will run through Jan. 1.

Gov. Steve Beshear’s Blue Ribbon Tax Commission recently released its recommendations to reform Kentucky’s tax code. A 453-page report includes 96 proposals, which are expected to come up in the 2013 legislative session. One of the commission’s recommendations is giving local governments the option of implementing a sales taxes. Doing so would require amending the state’s constitution, but it would give local governments another option for bringing in revenue. Currently, counties in Kentucky have a number of options for raising revenue. Counties can implement payroll taxes and library taxes, for example.

Gov. Steve Beshear on Tuesday emergency regulations to place newly identified synthetic marijuana under Schedule 1 of the Kentucky Controlled Substances Act. The action represents the first time synthetic substances have been banned by administrative regulation instead of by statute, a change allowed by the passage of House Bill 481 in the 2012 session.

The Blue Ribbon Commission on Tax Reform suggested its findings and recommendations to Gov. Steve Beshear Monday. The commission suggested changes to the state tax code that would generate roughly $659 million in new revenue annually once fully implemented, according to a news release from Frankfort. The proposals would also modernize the tax structure, making it fairer for families and businesses, as the governor was quoted in the release.

It’s been a roller coaster year, weather wise, for much of Kentucky.  This winter, we may see more consistency.  University of Kentucky Agricultural Meteorologist Matt Dixon says the first half of 20-12 saw way above normal temperatures.  He says Kentucky’s March was the warmest on record.  A major drought hit western Kentucky hard.  But, Dixon says a strange twist took place this fall.

An area of low pressure crossing the state from southwest to northeast is causing scattered thunderstorms, some of which could contain hail and high winds. The Storm Prediction Center has placed much of the state in the Slight Risk today. Winds could gust to around 30 mph.

Kentucky’s second sandhill crane hunting season is underway. When the Kentucky Division of Fish and Wildlife first proposed a sandhill crane hunting season, it met with opposition from groups that argued the birds weren’t overpopulated or causing an environmental burden. There was also a worry that hunters could mistakenly kill an endangered whooping crane.

A divided four lane road from the Kentucky River to Kentucky Highway 34 is officially open to travel.  The Governor today (Monday) joined local leaders in Lancaster to the “cut the ribbon” on an expanded stretch of US 27.  Lonnie Napier is Garrard County’s state representative.  “People that’s wanted to move from Lexington down into Garrad County, they can get back and forth much quicker and yeah it’s just a great asset to us, we’ve needed this for a long time,” said Napier.

COVINGTON – In a display of bipartisan leadership, Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear and Ohio Gov. John Kasich Wednesday signed an agreement that describes in broad terms how their two states will cooperatively build a new bridge over the Ohio River between Cincinnati and Covington. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood joined the governors for the landmark announcement.

Gov. Steve Beshear says negotiations on a lease deal to reopen the Kentucky Kingdom amusement park are close, and he’s “excited” about the progress being made. Beshear made his comments on WHAS-radio this week, saying, “I think it’s fair to say that we’re fairly close to negotiating a lease and if we get there and the fair board approves that, then the next step would be for the bidder to come up with the financing on it.”