Washed away dreams. This Floyd County man fears the effects of surface mining. And he should. [Ronnie Ellis]

Kentucky’s commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources says the state is serious about investigating water problems at Rick Handshoe’s home in Floyd County, problems Handshoe believes result from mining. [More Ronnie Ellis]

Haha, aww, Papaw Beshear over stepped his bounds with the state school board and trying to appoint a chairman. At least officially, as we all know what happens behind closed doors. [BGDN]

Ruh ro, Mitch McConnell got his rear end handed to him by this editorial in the New York Times over the disclose act. He is apparently nervous. [NYT]

Jonathan Miller played poker in Las Vegas this weekend. One has to wonder if he shared his hotel room with Brooke Parker again. [Joe Gerth]

A 20 year educational lesson? Evidence from America and Britain shows that independence for schools works. [The Economist]

As hundreds of thousands swelter without power a week after a violent storm pummeled the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic, energy experts say the future will look even worse if the nation’s aging, congested electrical grid isn’t upgraded. [NPR]

U.S. employers hired at a dismal pace in June, raising pressure on the Federal Reserve to do more to boost the economy and dealing another setback to President Barack Obama’s reelection bid. [Reuters]

This story reads like it’s straight out of Frankfort. Or Louisville Metro Government. They’re public agencies but many try not to act like it. [Click the Clicky]

Here’s an interesting look at a government agency trying like hell to spin investigative journalists. It’s a typical situation that occurs every single day. [ProPublica]

Capturing carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plants and pumping it deep underground for permanent storage has been billed for several years as one way to curtail global warming and keep Kentucky and Indiana in the coal business. But some scientists are raising new concerns that storing carbon dioxide hundreds to thousands of feet below the ground could cause earthquakes — some severe enough to allow the greenhouse gas to escape into the atmosphere. [CJ/AKN]

This story isn’t just for paranoid teabaggers. The drone makers and their friends in Warshington. [KPBS]