Rep. Harry Moberly keeps promise, researching damage by mountaintop removal, only Democrat standing up. Puts Jim Gooch to shame. Moberly, according to Stephenie Steitzer, will study the impact of coal mining on December 3 by traveling to Hazard. How long will it take the rest of the legislature to do something like this? Ten years? 15? [The Arena]

Ready to ride? Kentucky Equine Education Project/KEEP needs volunteer riders for Steve Beshear’s inaugural parade. Frankfort – 10:00 A.M. – December 11. If you’re interested in walking or riding, get in touch with KEEP’s field director Cara Stewart. KEEP is headed by Patrick Neely, a guy Republicans and Democrats alike appreciate and one of the brightest political minds in the state. Good opportunity to get involved. [KEEP]

Freedom calls? Is this what the GOP has to look forward to? If so, we’re sorry, GOP. Really sorry. This is quite possibly the most ignorant and racist tripe ever published as an op-ed in any Kentucky newspaper. W. Bryan Hubbard writes not to his fellow Republicans to but his fellow wingnuts. [H-L]

Beshear for the win. Seems governor-elect Steve Beshear is stepping up to finish what Ernie Fletcher stopped. Beshear promises to help finish construction of Kentucky’s Center for African American Heritage. Fletcher and his cronies at the Transportation Cabinet have ignorantly withheld funding to complete the project the past two years. You’d never see this sort of roadblock for something like the Creation Museum. [C-J]

New commissioner. As Mark Hebert reported, Jon Draud is the new Education Commissioner. He’s a Republican selected by a board of Republicans appointed by Ernie Fletcher. Both sides of the aisle have been distraught for weeks over the Board of Education’s apparent lack of common sense. Can we expect success with this continued corruption? Fat chance. [Mark Hebert]

Public corruption in Clay County. You think it’s interesting living in the golden triangle? Think again. The mayor of Manchester along with other public officials dealt drugs, profited from the illegal gun trade, bought votes and when a citizen didn’t want to sell their house to the city? They hired a hit man to torch the place. And people wonder why Eastern Kentucky is falling apart. It might just be because the Roger Benton legacy continues. Those involved were finally sentenced. [H-L here & here]

The Enquirer will never provide real journalism. In Pat Crowley’s latest piece he tells Democrats to be afraid because they’re essentially screwed up in Northern Kentucky. Primarily because Northern Kentucky Democrats have made fools of themselves the past several weeks. He turned what could have been a great 730-word column about the November 6 election into a weird warning for Democrats. Are his editors writing for him? We know Pat is a real journalist and is capable of much better. [The Enquirer]