News

Daniel Becker, who served as Morehead State's graduate assistant for athletic video operations the past two years and produced more than 100 events for the Ohio Valley Conference Digital Network, has been named the school's director of volleyball operations.

"I really enjoyed my position as video coordinator, but I'm excited about this new role because of the respect I have for our volleyball student-athletes and coaches," Becker said. "I want to thank the people who originally brought me to Morehead State and those who continue to believe in me."

Officials with Federal Mogul say the scheduled closure of its Maysville plant is part of an overall corporate strategy to reduce costs and improve efficiencies. The Michigan-based auto parts company discussed its plans during its quarterly conference call today.

Dan Ninivaggi is chief executive officer of the Motorparts Division. He says mothballing the Mason County facility is in keeping with a process the firm began during the last quarter…

More Family Dollar stores will begin selling beer and wine this year and next…That’s according to Company Chairman Howard Levine who says the idea has already been tried in selected markets across the country…

Levine says the dollar amount of a purchase that includes beer and wine in Family Dollar’s test markets has been about two to three times higher than other buys. He says liquor sales over the July 4th holiday were encouraging. Family Dollar has a distribution center in Morehead that supplies 750 stores in seven states.

Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, will visit the Morehead Conference Center from 10 AM-2 PM on Wednesday, August 6. Health Matters celebrates his visit with a show about beer bellies, Alzheimer’s dementia, mosquitoes, and narcotic drugs.

Tip: Mosquitoes are attracted to heat, exhaled breath, and smell. Candles, dark clothing, and noisemakers that clip to your belt are not a reliable way to prevent mosquito bites.

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The Morehead Tourism Commission welcomed special guests and friends to the Morehead Trail Town Designation Ceremony on Tuesday, July 22 at the Rowan County Arts Center.

Guest speakers include:

Bob Stewart, Secretary of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet

Elaine Wilson, Executive Director, Office for Adventure Tourism

Jane Beshear, Kentucky's First Lady

Rep. Rocky Adkins, Majority Floor Leader

David Perkins, Morehead Mayor  

Kentucky’s economy is recovering from the recession but progress has been slow and lower and middle-income families have seen little improvement. That much both liberal and conservative analysts seem to agree on, though they differ on solutions to make things better for everyone.

Anna Baumann is a researcher with the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy. She and Tom Dupree of the Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions debated the issue Monday on KET’s Kentucky Tonight. Baumann says the Commonwealth is still a long way from a robust economy…

The Kentucky-based global nutrition company Alltech announced on Monday (July 21) it will build a distillery, fish farm and poultry-layer facility near Pikeville.

Deirdre Lyons is co-founder of the firm.

“We expect to spend ten to twelve million on the distillery, three to five million on the egg production and agriculture eight to ten to begin with.” –Deirdre Lyons

The development will happen on a new 380-acre industrial park known as Marion Branch. The city of Pikeville is extending water and sewer service to the site. 

Morehead State's Drew Kelly, Chad Posthumus, Kareem Storey, Jordan Percell and Karam Mashour have been named to the 2013-14 National Association of Basketball Coaches Honors Court for academic achievement.

The Honors Court recognizes juniors or seniors who own a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.2 and have been enrolled at their current school at least one year. The 2013-14 list includes a record number 895 student-athletes from 335 institutions.

Six distinguished Kentucky artists have been awarded Al Smith Individual Artist Fellowships from the Kentucky Arts Council for demonstrating a high level of excellence and creativity in their literary arts careers.

The prestigious award, named in honor of Kentucky journalist Al Smith, recognizes professional artists who have reached a high level of achievement in their career. Since its beginning in 1983, the program has provided more than $2.5 million in funding to artists in the visual arts, literary arts, media arts, composing and choreography.

In order to replace a drainage pipe, the Kentucky Department of Highways plans to close KY 2016 (Big Andy Ridge Road) in Lee County on Saturday July 26.

The road will be closed at mile-point 3.3, just north of Cliffs Run Road. The project will begin around 8 a.m. and will continue until approximately 3 p.m. During this time, the road will be closed to all through traffic.

No marked detour will be posted, but drivers can use KY 715 and KY 11 through Wolfe County as a detour route. Motorists should plan their trips accordingly.

Alan Joseph, who coached 18 All-Americans and two Olympians during a 20+ year career leading the Xavier rifle program, has been named head rifle coach at Morehead State.

"I am very excited to be joining the MSU Athletics family," Joseph said. "A great foundation is already in place. I plan to use my expertise and enthusiasm to continue the development of the program. We have a lot to look forward to."

Season tickets for Morehead State football, volleyball and soccer are now on sale through the MSU ticket office and online through MSUEagles.com.

Single-game tickets for football will be on sale online on Monday. Single-event tickets for volleyball and soccer are available on game-day only. Fans may also purchase single-game tickets for football on game-day but are encouraged to secure the best seats by completing their purchases online in advance.

Group tickets are also available for football. Groups can secure seats for only $5 per adult.

A dark comedic novel about a fictional and highly successful social media company called The Circle, where Mae Holland is hired as a Customer Experience representative. Mae slowly becomes "encircled" by the corporation, whose sole mission is to have all experiences, images and thought by everyone available to all people.

Sunday Night Jazz Showcase

Program #28 (July 20 at 11pm)

Michael Franks occupied a uniquely popular niche in the world of soft jazz and pop music in the 1970’s. He was one of those crossover artists who defied easy category on the radio and found an audience mostly among college students.

As part of the Saving Our Appalachian Region initiative, 5th District Congressman Hal Rogers will be joined by the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for a listening session in Morehead on Wednesday, August 6th.

The Republican says Dr. Thomas Frieden will be in Morehead to learn more about eastern Kentucky’s health problems.

The region ranks among the worst in the United States when it comes to incidents of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, obesity and drug overdose mortality rates.

The head of the Kentucky Center for Traditional Music admits he’s excited about partnering with the Gateway Area Development District on a local project.

The Gateway ADD recently received a 75-hundred dollar Arts Access Assistance Grant from the Kentucky Arts Council. The agency will be working with the KCTM, along with some local governments to provide music programs for selected area senior centers.

KCTM Director Raymond McClain says the effort plugs right into his facility’s overall mission.

After a successful petition drive, voters in the city of Russell’s three precincts will get the opportunity to decide if their town should go completely “wet.”

Greenup County Clerk Pat Heineman says the petition, which contained the required 451 names to get the issue placed on the ballot, was recently submitted to Judge-Executive Bobby Carpenter.

Heineman says the vote will be held on September 23rd and it will mark the second time in eight years that the city of 3,300 citizens has dealt with the issue of alcohol sales.

July 18th -- Chuck Mraz speaks with Morehead Mayor David Perkins about the recent city council meeting. 

Morehead State University and Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) Education and Retraining Working Group will host a public listening session Thursday, July 24, in the Crager Room of the Adron Doran University Center.

The event will be held from 6-7:30 p.m.

Dr. John Ernst, executive assistant to the president, will facilitate the session.

Morehead State Public Radio (WMKY 90.3 FM) has announced the addition of a book discussion program to its lineup.

“Between the Covers” is a community oriented talk show focusing on a new book every season with guests to include readers, experts and authors. The next program will air Sunday, July 20, at 3 p.m. 

Susan Thomas, owner of CoffeeTree Books and The Fuzzy Duck Coffee Shop in Morehead, and Jennifer Reis, faculty/coordinator of MSU's arts entrepreneurship program and gallery director, are the co-hosts of the program.

Maysville is losing 157 jobs.

Federal Mogul has announced it will be close its automotive parts’ distribution center in the city at the end of next June. The company reports its making the move in conjunction with an effort to reduce costs and realign its motorparts division.

Maysville Mayor David Cartmell says he first learned of Federal Mogul’s decision at 1pm Tuesday. He calls the news disappointing…

A federal judge’s ruling that Kentucky’s ban on same sex marriage is unconstitutional will be overturned….That prediction is from the general counsel for the politically-conservative Family Foundation.

Stan Cave analyzed Judge John Heyburn’s decision Monday on KET’s Kentucky Tonight. He appeared with Louisville lawyer Dan Canon, who supports same sex marriage. Canon thinks the ruling is legally sound. Cave believes the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals will reverse Heyburn’s decision, just as it did in January when the last equal protection case came before that court…

Health Matters salutes Dr. Mehmet Oz this week with a look at several examples of unethical doctors, and some very unusual medical research news. We cover Dr. Oz’s recent appearance in front of the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance; as well as vaccinations to prevent diabetes and the effect of sleep on your GPA.

Tip: There are now two powerful acid blocking medicines available over-the-counter, Nexium 24 HR, and Prilosec. They work best if you take them on an empty stomach, but immediately before a meal.

Kentucky Auditor Adam Edelin will be in Morehead next week as he conducts one of ten statewide hearings on the fiscal health of the state’s rural hospitals, and the president and CEO of St. Claire Regional Medical Center admits he is looking forward to Edelin’s visit.

Mark Neff says some of the federal Affordable Care Act’s new requirements are hitting facilities, like his very hard.

Kentucky is facing a severe shortage of professionals to treat substance abuse and the problem is likely to get worse without action from the state legislature.

That’s what Kentucky lawmakers were told by people who work in the field during a hearing in Frankfort last week.

Democratic State Representative Joni Jenkins is the sponsor of a bill to create an independent license for the treatment of individuals with alcohol or drug addictions.

A Kentucky Congressman says he hopes federal health officials can devote as much time and energy to the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease as they have to cancer.

Warren County Republican Brett Guthrie says advancements in oncology have made a big difference and breakthroughs in research on memory loss could yield similar results. 

Guthrie says the focus on cancer has resulted in considerable progress and he believes that’s possible in other areas as well. He says Alzheimer’s is likely to cost the U-S a trillion dollars by 2058.

Making the perfect bubble is an art.

Children at the East Kentucky Science Center and Planetarium (EKSC) learned a lot about the science of bubbles on July 9 during a Bubble-ology camp.

The one-day event was open to children kindergarten through third grade and is part of an extensive outreach of programs offered by the EKSC this summer.

“I love making big bubbles,” said six-year-old Barrett Lemaster. “I want to do this when I get home.”

Morehead State officials are still analyzing the success of the university’s spring voluntary employee buyout program.

Vice President Beth Patrick is MSU’s Chief Financial Officer. Patrick says of the jobs vacated, the school is attempting to determine which of them need to be refilled, the salary level required and if some of those duties can be divided among other employees.

Stories and songs about driving from Donald Davis, Teresa Clark, Carolyn Franzini, Kate Campbell and John McCutcheon on "A Time For Tales," Sunday at 3pm on WMKY (90.3FM).

  Hosted by Carolyn Franzini, "A Time For Tales" offers stories each week from nationally-known storytellers. Tune-in at the new time of 3pm (Sundays) on Morehead State Public Radio, following "Bluegrass Sunday" with Michelle Wallace beginning at noon.

Fiscal 2014 was a record year for the Kentucky Lottery, but the corporation still failed to meet revenue projections.

The KLC’s Chief Financial Officer Howard Kline testified on Friday (July 11) before the Kentucky Legislature’s Interim Joint Committee on Licensing and Occupations.

Kline says Kentucky Lottery posted sales of nearly 858-million dollars through June 30th and its net income topped 227 million. He says revenues were up two percent from the previous year.