State officials are remembering Mike Haydon, Governor Steve Beshear's chief of staff, who died suddenly Sunday.

A memorial service for Haydon will be held tomorrow at the state Capitol.

Beshear said in a statement he and his wife are devastated by Haydon’s passing.    The 62 year old Haydon had served in state and local government for over three decades in various capacities and earned the respect of colleagues on both sides of the aisle.

The AFL-CIO has launched a new direct mail campaign aimed at attacking Mitt Romney’s record on coal mine safety.

The ad features union president Richard Trumka, a third generation coal miner from Pennsylvania.

Republican Kentucky state Senator Dan Seum of Louisville expressed some support for the idea of non-violent convicted felons receiving their voting rights back along with legalizing medical marijuana.

Under the state constitution, former felons must petition the governor to regain their right to vote.

Kentucky is one of three states that do not restore the right to vote for ex-convicts automatically, which has left seven percent of residents disenfranchised. A study conducted by The Sentencing Project found the law also leaves one in five African Americans without voting rights.

Seum says it is important to get former felons back into society and he will lobby fellow Republicans in the GOP-controlled Senate while acknowledging the political barriers.

"The fear here is that you would be perceived to be easy on criminals, that’s the political fear," Seum told Pure Politics's Ryan Alessi. "And that's something of course, any opponent would use that against you."

Indiana Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Gregg unveiled his first campaign television ad Tuesday that highlights his small town roots.

The 30-second spot features the former state House speaker criticizing political advertisements and instead talks about his longtime friends from his hometown of Sandborn, Indiana.

Gregg tells the story of a friend who caught cancer and moved in with others, adding he wants to keep Indiana "a place where people look out for each other.

Watch below:

U.S. Senator Rand Paul has endorsed Republican Andy Barr in the Sixth District congressional race.

Paul announced the endorsement Monday after a chamber of commerce luncheon in Winchester. Barr is challenging Democratic U.S. Rep Ben Chandler in the Nov. 6 general election. It is the Lexington attorney's second time running against Chandler. Barr lost to Chandler in a squeaker two years ago.

Paul says he supports Barr because he is willing to cut spending.

A new government survey once again ranks Kentucky among several states with very high obesity rates.

Overall, more than a third of American adults are obese, but rates vary by location. The latest figures are based on a 2011 telephone survey that asked adults their height and weight. For the first time, households with only cell phones were included.

Gilbert and Sullivan’s “H.M.S. Pinafore” opens Friday at Iroquois Amphitheater. The comic operetta is part of the new “Iroquois Amphitheater Presents” series produced by Metro Parks.

This year's vice presidential debate at Centre College is shaping up to be a policy wonk's dream. 

Both Vice President Joe Biden and newly-minted Republican VP candidate Paul Ryan are longtime lawmakers who are steeped in policy. 

“I think it will be a substantive debate, meaning that these are both serious policymakers and they both have substantial voting records and careers to discuss, even though Congressman Ryan is relatively young at 42, he’s been in Congressman since January 1999,” says University of Louisville professor Jasmine Farrier.

Lieutenant Governor Jerry Abramson's assertion that the Fancy Farm picnic is no longer a relevant political event has inspired a growing backlash.

In remarks reported by CN2, Abramson dismissed the picnic, saying it's too rowdy. But Agriculture Commissioner James Comer, who emceed this year's event, says when statewide officials skip the picnic, as Abramson did this year, it hurts the church and community that put the event on.

"Fancy Farm just isn’t about politics, it’s a church charity event and it’s a huge economic draw for people in Western Kentucky,” Comer says.

Ten candidates are now running for three open seats on the Jefferson County School Board. 

The most recent to file is 29-year-old Elizabeth Berfield who moved from Illinois four years ago after working as a librarian at the University of Illinois at Urbana. Berfield is now a stay at home mother of two.

To be on the JCPS board you have to be at least 24 years old and have lived in Kentucky for the last three years prior to filing.

Berfield said she has anticipated running for the school board and said she'd like to see JCPS administrators adopt a frugal mindset.