A Kentucky author, farmer and environmental activist has been recognized by the federal government for his achievements in the humanities. Wendell Berry was named the 41st Jefferson Lecturer in the Humanities by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

As part of the award, Berry will deliver a lecture on April 23 in Washington, DC. The speech’s title is “It All Turns on Affection,” and in it Berry will discuss human beings’ interaction with nature.

In a press release, National Endowment for the Humanities chairman Jim Leach described Berry as a “21st century Henry David Thoreau.” Berry is known for his fiction and poetry, as well as for his writings and activism opposing mountaintop removal coal mining.

The Jefferson Lecture was established in 1972. Past winners have included poet Gwendolyn Brooks, playwright Arthur Miller, novelists Toni Morrison and John Updike and civil war historian Drew Gilpin Faust. The lecturer receives an honorarium of $10,000.

A Franklin Circuit Court judge has thrown out new legislative district maps, saying they violate the basic principles of the Kentucky Constitution.

Judge Phillip Shepherd’s ruling is based on the so-called “five percent rule.” It says new districts must be within five percent of their ideal size. Shepherd added that the maps of both the House and Senate districts divided too many counties.

Shepherd also extended the deadline for candidates to file to run for the General Assembly until Friday. Unless the ruling is overturned or new districts are drafted, candidates will run in the current districts.

House Republican Leader Jeff Hoover was one of the main parties challenging the maps. He says he’s happy with Shepherd’s ruling.

“Well we’re obviously very pleased with the judge’s decision,” Hoover said. “He agreed with the argument that we’ve made now from day one, that the House plan divided two many counties and it was above the population variance and he agreed with that. He found it was a violation of Section 33 of the Constitution, that’s the argument that we’ve made from day one.”

House Speaker Greg Stumbo declined immediate comment on the ruling, saying he had not seen it.

Shepherd did not rule on whether the Senate’s decision to move Senator Kathy Stein’s district was constitutional…leaving it open to further challenge. Stein says she’s resigned to not running this year.

“I have resigned myself to the fact that I’m probably not going to be able to run in November,” Stein says. “And you know that’s fine. But if we can get what we argued for the 113,000 people in Fayette County so that they will be able to vote for someone who lives in the district then we will have accomplished what need to be accomplished.”

Lawmakers are likely to appeal Shepherd’s ruling to the state Supreme Court.

The Louisville Fairness Campaign is joining a group of African-American LGBT residents in protesting a gay bar owner who compared President Obama to a chimpanzee.

Small businessman Michael Flatt owns Tryangles and Teddy Bears, two gay bars in the city. Last week, he posted a picture to his Facebook page that showed former President Ronald Reagan feeding a chimp. The caption said it was a photograph of Reagan babysitting Mr. Obama in the early 1960s.

Since then, several black LGBT residents and activists have voiced outrage at the incident and the group Kentuckiana Black-Gay Pride has organized a demonstration outside Tryangles for this Friday.

“For me and my community it’s deeper than a picture. Even if you take Obama out of the situation, what is funny about the picture? It was created for racial humor only because when you question them what’s funny they can’t answer,” says Tanya Couch, founder of Kentuckiana Black-Gay Pride. “It is a lot of outrage for me. You are depicting our whole community as chimps and that’s not funny.”

Flatt did not respond to a request for comment and several supporters have backed his posting, calling it a satire. However, a Flatt spokesperson says the bar owner has apologized for the incident and has spoken with leaders of the Fairness Campaign about reconciliation.

Fairness Campaign Director Chris Hartman says Flatt told him he wasn’t aware of the historical connotation between African-Americans and lower primates. But Hartman says his group still supports the protest and will join Kentuckiana Black-Gay Pride to hold him accountable.

In a statement sent to gay rights leaders, Flatt says he made a mistake and that he is not a racist despite how people may react to the picture.

“I believe in humanity. I believe in my community. I have devoted my entire life to trying to bring happiness and show kindness and the same respect that I would want to be shown,” he says. “But I do understand respect is earned. I want you all to know, I understand the picture was racist. I did not understand that at the time. I too grow, make mistakes and learn something every day.”

Black LGBT activists, however, have said they don’t believe Flatt’s explanation that he didn’t know about the history of comparing minorities to animals. And others have compared the controversy to a 2008 incident at Woody’s Tavern, when a gay bar owner used racial epithets against patrons.

During that situation, bar owner David Norton accosted a group of black customers out of the bar calling them “cunts,” “bitches,” “niggers” and other slurs. Almost a year after the incident Norton apologized, but later recanted and a boycott was called until the bar was closed down.

Fairness board member Jaison Gardner was one of the patrons involved. He says the two situations are different, but that it speaks to a climate of racism in the city’s LGBT community.

“We need to make it clear there are black LGBT people who are just as part of this community as a white gay club owner and a white lesbian who goes to nightclubs owner and it’s not okay to mock any segment of our community,” he says.

Hartman concurs there is a pattern of gay white club owners clashing with black LGBT customers and Fairness needs to call attention to those concerns.

“This has become a problem associated with white gay males sort of a certain financial affluence who are prominent members of the community. And it just elucidates how deep-rooted and systemic racism is in America and that white privilege is in every single community,” he says.

The activist who laid the groundwork for the federal law aimed at ending sexual discrimination will speak tomorrow at the University of Louisville.

Bernice Sandler was dubbed “The Godmother of Title IX” by the New York Times. The law, enacted in 1972, is best known for its impact on inequities in high school and collegiate athletics, but Sandler became involved in the issue while battling for her job at the University of Maryland.

Sandler is expected to reflect on her advocacy of Title IX and its impact on girls and women decades after its passage. Her talk begins at 9:30am tomorrow at the Bingham Humanities Building on the Belknap Campus. It’s free and open to the public.

A fatal bat disease has been discovered in three Kentucky caves. This isn’t the first time White Nose Syndrome has been found in Kentucky, but it’s a sign that the disease is spreading.

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife has confirmed that White Nose Syndrome has infected bats in three caves in Breckenridge County. The infection usually manifests itself in a white fungus growing on bats’ muzzles, and causes strange behavior. Nearly all infected bats die.

The disease has killed around 6 million bats in the United States, which has implications for the rest of the ecosystem, since bats pollinate plants and consume insects like mosquitoes.

The department had already documented White Nose Syndrome in western Kentucky. Wildlife Diversity Coordinator Sunni Carr says both that cave and the sites in Breckenridge County are within 30 miles of state lines, which is how the disease likely spread into Kentucky.

“That’s a very easy distance for bats to traverse,” Carr said. “Bats move all over the landscape during different times of the year, so we wish we could have kept it out longer but we’re at least grateful that it’s not all over the state yet, but it’s still early in the survey season.”

The disease isn’t dangerous to humans, but can be transmitted by them. The Department of Fish and Wildlife is asking everyone who spends time in caves to decontaminate their shoes and equipment with disinfectant.

Students from all eight of Kentucky’s public universities have once again descended onFrankfort with a familiar message… stop cutting higher education.

At the annual Rally for Higher Education today, the messages were familiar. Students called on lawmakers to restore or increase funding for higher education. In one of the toughest budget cycles yet, that call is once again likely to go unanswered. But that didn’t stop students like Eastern Kentucky University junior Tyler Goodridge from demonstrating.

“I’m trying to encourage our legislators to show that education really is important,” Goodridge said. “Education should be one of the last things that they cut funding from.”

Generally, education is one of the last areas of the budget to be cut. But this year’s budget includes another 6.4 percent cut for higher education. University presidents say that will likely lead to higher tuition. Many students rallying today said tuition is already too expensive.

“I do I feel like tuition should be free,” says Morehead State University freshman Evelyn Baskett says. “But that’s a little far-fetched so I feel like it is too high. They need to work with students more to help get more students in school.”

The students who came to the Capitol pledged to continue rallying until their wishes are granted.

Gov. Steve Beshear has announced the secretary for the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) has resigned her position, effective Feb. 29.

Secretary Janie Miller was appointed by Beshear during his first term. The Cabinet is responsible for overseeing Medicaid and social services. Miller’s resignation comes at a time when the department’s transparency is being challenged in court. But Miller’s decision is to seek other opportunities, according to a news release sent from Beshear’s office.

“Her efforts to provide health insurance for children, to implement wellness strategies, and move more than half a million Kentuckians to a managed care health system in less than a year were enormous tasks. Her work has paved the way for generations of healthier Kentuckians. I am grateful for her tireless service,” said Beshear.

Miller has more than 35 years of experience in various public administrative and regulatory roles, the release said.

“I have been blessed with a long and fulfilling career in public service,” said Sec. Miller. “During these last four years during one of the country’s worst economic recessions, we have continued to move forward by looking to the future, with creativity and focus on alignment, integration and partnership across many sectors to improve the lives of vulnerable populations. I have been privileged to serve with CHFS employees who are some of the most dedicated, committed individuals in state government. I am excited about the future.”

The Cabinet’s current deputy secretary Eric Friedlander will serve as interim Secretary of the agency. He has served in the Cabinet in a variety of roles since 1985, according to the release.

The Kentucky Court of Appeals is weighing in Tuesday on whether the Cabinet for Health and Family Services can transfer full jurisdiction from the Circuit Court in a case regarding the release of its child abuse records.

Circuit Court Judge Phillip Shepherd has previously said the agency has failed to comply with his orders, after it redacted certain information from records he ordered released. The Cabinet is asking the appeals court to uphold its decision to withhold this information, which includes identifying factors for individuals involved in the cases but who are still living.

“The issues that the Cabinet policy makers and the Governor feels strongly about is there are things in the files that are confidential, and for any other record you’re allowed to explain that confidentiality and not give out the record and these files shouldn’t be any different from that,” said Christina Heavrin, general counsel for the Cabinet.

The three papers that filed suit, including the Lexington Herald-Leader, the Courier-Journal, and the Todd County Standard, say the records did little to improve transparency in the child welfare system.

When Shepherd made his orders final, that allowed the Cabinet to appeal his ruling. The papers are now asking that Shepherd amend his order and make it non-final, therefore preventing the appeals court from taking charge of his orders, which demand the Cabinet to make more information in the records available.

“We filed a motion with Judge Shepherd to amend his order to make it non-final and non-appealable so that he retains jurisdiction and the Court of Appeals does not have jurisdiction and there would be no appeal,” said attorney Jon Fleischaker, who represents the C-J and the Todd County Standard.

Shepherd is also deciding whether he wants to amend his orders, a decision Fleischaker said he can still make this week.

But the Court of Appeals must weigh in first and it may decide to stay Shepherd’s motion and keep jurisdiction; or it may decide to give Shepherd a chance to amend his previous ruling. If Shepherd maintains jurisdiction, he would make a final order based on the complete review of all files and records, said Fleischaker.

That order could then be appealed by the Cabinet.

“The Cabinet announced, really for the first time, they weren’t going to abide by the judges orders. They felt that they had appealed, that the judge’s orders had been stayed by the Court of Appeals and that they had no legal obligations to produce any records,” said Fleishaker.

The case is likely to continue towards the state Supreme Court, said Heavrin.

This story was updated at 4:30pm after receiving a call from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

The argument over the collection of fines from Democrats who boycotted Indiana House business over labor legislation is likely headed to the state Supreme Court.

Yesterday, a Marion County judge ruled that the state improperly seized the fines last year through payroll deduction and ordered a halt to the collection of additional fines imposed this year.

The judge says that state can collect the fines by taking action through the court system.

Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller says he’ll appeal the ruling. Spokesman Bryan Corbin says the fines were collected legally and the court has no constitutional right to get involved in legislative business.

“In order to make that argument we do have to go to the higher court, to the Indiana Supreme Court, to make that case. But our contention is that the whole thing should be redirected back to the legislative branch, back to the legislature where it belongs,” he said.

More than 30 House Democrats boycotted the chamber over a controversial “right-to-work” bill for five weeks last year and several more days this year. They’re challenging thousands of dollars in fines imposed by the Republican majority.

Speaking on the Senate floor Tuesday, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., downplayed a potential GOP mutiny over the payroll tax cut and urged Senate Democrats to let conferees negotiating the extension to finish their work.

Last year, Democrats and Republican were engaged in a hot debate over extending a cut in Social Security payroll taxes for 160 million American workers. Both parties said they favored the middle-class tax cuts, but instead of a year-long deal lawmakers were only able to compromise on a short-term agreement that is set to expire February 29.

McConnell says Republicans strongly support extending the holiday for the rest of the year, but the GOP rejects a tax hike on wealthier Americans as a way to pay for the relief.

“When a tax hike that’s been rejected repeatedly by members of both parties over the past year is the opening bid in a negotiation, I think it’s safe to say that Democrats are more interested in scoring political points than in scoring a tax cut that millions of middle-class Americans are counting on,” he says. “When the Democratic Majority Leader (Harry Reid) of the Senate suddenly drops a proposal of his own to extend this tax cut even as a conference committee is in the midst of negotiating a bipartisan solution that everybody can support, I think it’s pretty obvious that the problem isn’t with Republicans.”

Last year, Republicans took a hit in the polls over the debate and reports of internal divisions amongst GOP lawmakers over what strategy to take this time are boiling over into the public.

From Politico:

Other Republicans are pining for a different approach. Many say reforming parts of the Tax Code would be a more palatable policy choice. Georgia Rep. Paul Broun said he’s had “partial” conversations with leadership about “better ways to go” than the payroll tax holiday.

“This payroll tax holiday is just a gimmick to try to get [Obama] reelected,” he said in an interview. “This is bad policy.”

But Congress, hoping to seize a rare instance of legislative achievement, needs to hitch a number of other pet ideas to the payroll tax extension. Conference committee members spent much of their time last week debating a host of provisions peripheral to the tax cut.

The 20-member conference is having ongoing discussions this week.