What a Week, 3/26

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A House committee killed Senate Bill 112, which would have “protected” straight-on-straight marriage by prohibiting universities and public agencies from providing health insurance for employees’ domestic partners. In killing the bill, Representative David Watkins put the verbal smackdown on knuckle-dragging sponsor Vernie McGaha and Family Foundation Neanderthal David Edmunds for wasting the state’s time on nonsense instead of focusing on true problems facing Kentucky families.

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The commission tasked with modernizing Louisville’s library system said it will likely focus on three Wal-Marty jumbo libraries instead of smaller, groovy neighborhood libraries. The as-yet-unapproved plan calls for regional libraries in Okolona, Valley Station and Hurstbourne, and will cost the city $80 million it doesn’t have, plus $20 million in private donations it hasn’t raised.

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Kentucky politics and ethics (which go together like M&Ms and Spicy V8) took center stage last week when the Senate expanded House Bill 250 to make it a felony for a legislator to vote on an issue that relates to his or her employer. The provision, a thinly veiled jab by Republican David Williams at Democratic Rep. Harry Moberly (a muckety-muck at Eastern Kentucky University), set off an entertaining pissing contest between Moberly and Williams that lasted the rest of the week. The rule presumably won’t be much of an issue once everyone is unemployed.

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And speaking of unemployment, the economy keeps on kickin’ like it’s ’99… 1899, that is. Last week, Ford said it would lay off up to 10,000 employees - including 800 in Louisville - and banking giant Bear Stearns collapsed. Yum! CEO! David Novak!’s arse! was a bit more gilded: The company gave Novak a wee raise to $15.5 million in salary and stock.

World-classness
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