The hair of the dog. Does a bit more debt keep the economic recovery on track? [The Economist]

The Indianapolis stadium deal is souring and you can bet it’s only a matter of time until Louisville faces a similar, though smaller, problem with its arena. [Bloomberg]

This failing museum in Lexington – the Explorium – owes money to the city and its director is stepping down. Would you expect less from a joint that bills itself as Kentucky’s only children’s museum? Since, you know, that’s not remotely accurate? [H-L]

The economic impact of the stimulus is unclear and highly debated. But one thing is for sure: it’s done more to promote government transparency than any piece of legislation in recent memory. But that’s still just scratching the surface. [Governing]

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer today announced his top five finalists to be the new Metro Police chief. [The 'Ville Voice]

Now that Roseanne Barr is running for the presidency as a Green Party candidate, that’s someone you can finally get behind, right? [Politico]

Work on the collapsed bridge at Kentucky Lake is on hold while the Coast Guard awaits a plan of action. [WKYT]

Testimony describes the differences in how states report and review child fatalities as a result of abuse. [H-L]

Jamie Comer finally fired the friend of Richie Farmer’s girlfriend. We’re still waiting on someone to stage a Richie Farmer Intervention, amen. [C-J/AKN]

Donald Trump isn’t just endorsing Mittens Romney for being rich, he’s also starting a cemetery at his fancy golf course or something. [Wonkette]

Don’t miss Comment on Kentucky tonight at 8:00 P.M. Eastern on KET. Scheduled guests: Ronnie Ellis, Roger Alford, Janet Patton. When Ronnie’s on, you know it’s good. [KET]

The Supreme Court is beginning to drop hints about its looming health care reform decision. [HuffPo]

Here are two more stories about the major drug indictment operation in Franklin County. [State-Journal & More State-Journal]

Come on. What is he snorting? What the hell is wrong with this man? [WKYT]

Steve Beshear says shutting down pill mills is a top legislative priority. But it most certainly wasn’t in 2008, 2009, 2010 or 2011. Even Jack Conway was talking about how bad the pill problem was and complaining about how the governor wouldn’t have anything to do with alleviating the problem. [H-L]

Whaaaaaat? A frozen lake that is more than 20 million-years-old? We thought the Earth was only 5,000-years-old! [WaPo]

Brave Patriot Marilyn Parker got endorsed by Metro Council Republicans. Here’s your proof that Louisville’s Metro Council Republicans are dumber than Kentucky Democrats by a mile. DUMB AS HELL. [C-J/AKN]

Rick Santorum says government shouldn’t try to limit prescription drug costs. And, wait, nope, still not relevant. [MSNBC]

What’s wrong with a little human trafficking? Goodness gracious. Can’t even sell a kid or two these days. [H-L]

Now, hopefully you hateful ass liberal women have gotten the message about why we refuse to promote the Komen bunch on this site every time you send us crap. [RawStory & NY Times]

Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd not only put on hold the filing deadline for candidates for state House and Senate districts — he effectively shut down the business of the General Assembly. [Ronnie Ellis]

Southern Republican / Kentucky Democratic thinking: pay raises for teachers are bad because it’s against the bible or something – pay raises for legislators are good because of the bible or something. [Wonkette]

This explanation of possibly why beehives sometimes just up and vanish is a nice reminder that Jamie Comer is playing pat-a-cake on the apiarist front. But at least he’s not playing pat-a-cake with hookers in his office. [The Economist]

Washington’s state senate has decided that it doesn’t hate the gays. Sometime in the next 35-40 years, Kentucky will decide the same. [WaPo]

Guess Republicans aren’t fans of automatic U.S. spending cuts after all. Since they’re moving to stop them. [Reuters]

You can’t throw your garbage away in Lexington these days without finding a mummified human body in the trash can. [WLEX18]

Wow, we’re still pretending that Frankfort isn’t bought and paid for by king coal, payday loan sharks and associated pals? And Kerri Richardson still feels comfortable officially lying? Hope she’s able to stay on long enough to get a good retirement – at least enough to make up for what’s sure to eat her conscience. [C-J/AKN]

Here’s the smart politician’s guide to avoiding scandal. Start with don’t being stupid. [NPR]

This is why the mortgage industry is a flipping disaster. It’s why America can’t have nice things. [Pro Publica]

Just cold caught in the net? Alabama’s immigration law is proving too strict and too costly. [The Economist]

Teabagger Phil Moffett officially filed to run for the State House in the 32nd District. [SoS]

Why groups like the ASPCA and Humane Society take what they can and give nothing in return. [Nathan Winograd]

Morehead State University’s president is skeptical of the University of Pikeville shenanigans. [Ryan Alessi]

This is the wet dream of Steve Beshear and Greg Fischer. The absolute tops for them. You know they’re aching to pull this stunt. [Mother Jones]

While Jack Conway has spent the past few weeks proclaiming Kentucky’s prescription pill mill problem water the the bridge, the war rages on in, you know, the real world. [HuffPo]

Will Kathy Stein joining the redistricting lawsuit matter at the end of the day? Who believes this will change anything in Kentucky? How fitting that Greg Stumbo and Larry Clark – two of the people who have worked since 2008 to remove Kathy Stein from office – would join the suit in support of all their shenanigans. [H-L]

Proposed anti-bullying legislation in Kentucky is horribly flawed and will likely die on the vine. Again. Bullying shouldn’t be illegal just for protected classes – it should be illegal AND IMMORAL to bully any child. This isn’t a gay-only thing. Or a race-only thing. This story about Rutgers student Tyler Clementi’s suicide illustrates it perfectly. [New Yorker]

A burning issue. Tighter regulation, bountiful natural gas and declining installation costs for renewable energy herald the end of America’s coal era. [The Economist]

HAHAHA PEE ALERT. The Muppets finally attacked Faux News. Miss Piggy lookin hongry. [Wonkette]

Here’s your reminder that this silly welfare drug testing legislation was withdrawn in Indiana after it was amended to include testing for legislators. This should happen in Frankfort ASAP. [HuffPo]

Ark Parkers and Steve Beshear will lose their shiz in 3, 2… because human evolution is still happening. [Big Think]

UPS is eliminating 542 jobs in Northern Kentucky. Don’t worry, everything is puppies and rainbows in Kentucky! [Enquirer]

That Audubon book? It sold for $7.9 million. [Reuters]

The prescription drug epidemic is out of control like woah. Meanwhile, a handful of paid-for-by-Hal Rogers folks are fighting to make it worse. [Investigate West]

This explains why President Barack Obama detoured to thank Defense Secretary Leon Panetta last night. [NPR]

A corrupt Paintsville pain clinic was raided by law enforcement for the second time in a year. [C-J/AKN]

We were wondering what happened to gay orange person Charlie Crist. Turns out Newt Gingrich ate him! [Politico]

How is it, exactly, that reflective safety tape is any different than a reflective triangle on an Amish buggy? [Bluegrass Politics]

Steve Beshear loves to pretend that Kentucky is great on the business tax front. Unfortunately? It ranks 22nd in the nation. [Business First]

An overwhelming majority of people believe that Mittens Romney – like most politicians – will say anything to get elected. [Daily Kos]

Four individuals want to replace Joe Peek as the faculty trustee on the University of Kentucky board of trustees. Which yes man will win? [H-L]

If you aren’t stalking Jake on Twitter, you may have missed news that Newt Gingrich is officially filed as a candidate in Kentucky. [Twitter]

Here’s the first clip of Richie Farmer’s feller on that Amazing Race show. Lawwwd. [CBS]

Who would win in a slap fight? Kathy Stein or Damon Thayer? [Deep Slap Fight Thoughts]

Jack Conway says he’s got legislation that will save the Commonwealth of Kentucky from prescription drug abuse. [C-J/AKN]

Indiananner Governator Mitch Daniels will deliver the State of the Union response this year. That should be a failure of entertainment. [Politico]

Why is everyone afraid to talk about the judgeship Steve Beshear promised Kathy Stein if she agreed to run for State Senate? He still hasn’t delivered. Now he and his folks are ignoring the plan pushed forward by Damon Thayer to nix her seat. [Deep Senate Thoughts]

If you’re thinking about gay sex long enough to come up with this sort of… Santorum… it’s probably safe to say you’ve got a little bit of twinkle itching to get out. [HuffPo]

Can you imagine Mike Harmon carrying a concealed weapon with or without a permit? That sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. [WFPL]

This could be an interesting look at how the University of Louisville Board of Trustees operates. [The 'Ville Voice]

Berea has decided to completely fall apart after deciding it’s okay to hate the gays hardcore. Now the entirety of Madison County has turned into a drug den. [WKYT]

So let’s get this straight… Newt Gingrich wanted to have sister wives or something back in the 1990s? [Wonkette]

Great news for taxpayers! You’re now footing the bill for the Cabinet for Health and Family Failures’ shenanigans. $16,000 in fines and $57,000 in legal bills. [H-L]

Jeff Hoover is still upset that he was duped by Greg Stumbo after ignorantly believing his promises to protect him in the redistricting process. [WLEX18]

All of this Kentucky Retirement Systems corruption continues to go down while Frankfort turns a blind eye. [Page One]

Now that it’s convenient and safe to do so, Democrats are starting to complain about Citizens United and are begging for your support. [HuffPo]

You’ll pee a little bit when you see this ‘Mitt Romney is a serial killer’ ad from Stephen Colbert’s Super PAC. It’s narrated by John Lithgow. Truly pee-worthy. [Wonkette]

Wondering why Greg Fischer gets away with nearly everything he bungles? Because 90% of people are likely as out-of-touch with reality as this individual who doesn’t think it’s a big deal to charge $20 to hear a mayor’s annual State of the City Address. [The 'Ville Voice]

Interesting to watch the Republican presidential candidates foam at the mouth about how wrong extended unemployment benefits are. [HuffPo]

How you gonna write a story about Justified and not mention that Kentuckian William Mapother is appearing in the show? And a pro-tip: the show isn’t filmed in California for financial reasons – because Kentucky has a tax credit program that more than makes up for any savings. It’s filmed in California because these folks are afraid to work in Eastern Kentucky. [H-L]

This isn’t just specific to the gays. Society doesn’t care as much about its seniors as it does its youth. [David Mixner]

The United States Department of Agriculture is considering closing 131 Farm Service Agency offices around the country, and five Kentucky counties could be affected. They are: Bullitt, Green, Jackson, Lee, Whitley. [WFPL]

Papaw Beshear’s budget address tonight and you can bet he’ll have to backtrack on everything he said during the campaign about Kentucky’s economy being puppies and rainbows. [WTVQ]

Folks in Bowling Green are paying close attention. Because you can also bet a lot’s going to have to be done in that part of the state over redistricting to make the budgetary changes feel like less of an eff you. [BGDN]

Any predictions on how many times casino gambling will be mentioned tonight? Because Tom Loftus paints a pretty bleak picture. [C-J/AKN]

Economists are right. Casinos are not a cure-all for state budget nightmares. They’re just a bit of a needed boost. [Bluegrass Politics]

The Ernie Fletcher pardoning that so rocked this Commonwealth just a few years ago has reared its ugly head again in this Haley Barbour story. [TIME]

It’s only a matter of time until sponsors of Kentucky’s welfare drug testing bill get arrested for DUI or for snorting coke off a prostitute’s butt. Right? Because we’re back in the good ole boy days again. Right? [HuffPo]

Told ya Richie Farmer was dumber than a rock and more corrupt than Keith Hall, Ruth Ann Palumbo and Jim Gooch combined. Nearly $500,000 worth of equipment is MISSING from the Department of Agriculture. You won’t believe the list of equipment. Take a look. [H-L]

Wait for it, wait for it. Now Jim Ramsey is calling for a review of the Quality and Charity Care Trust (indigent care board) at the University of Louisville. This is precisely why it would have been a bad idea for Adam Edelen to take a seat on the UofL Foundation board while a candidate. [FOX41]

Ron Paul is apparently the most dangerous man in the Republican Party. [WaPo]

Wait, maybe he’s just a dilemma for Republicans? Most can’t stomach his desire to kill all kinds of federal agencies. [Reuters]

Greg Stumbo and pals are now getting into personal squabbles over redistricting. That’s what a hot mess it is. Flustercuck, truly. [Ronnie Ellis]

Rand Paul gave $500,000 of his U.S. Senate budget back to the gubmint. [WAVE3]

Hold on to your panties, everyone, because Republicans are mad about a debt ceiling increase that they already agreed to. [Wonkette]

Laughter, tears and fond recollections filled Gatewood Galbraith’s memorial service. [H-L, WTVQ, C-J/AKN]

Patrick Leahy, author of the controversial PROTECT IP anti-piracy bill now says “more study” is needed. Which says to us that he didn’t actually write it. Maybe he’s bought and paid for like everyone else. [WSJ]

President Barack Obama is seeking greater power to shrink the federal government. Somehow, though, the teabaggers will find a way to freak out about this. [HuffPo]

Urgent breaking news: sometimes when it snows in the winter? It gets slick. But 99% of the population forgets. Every year. [WKYT]

Stephen Colbert is now toying with a run for the presidency in South Carolina. Not only would it wreak havoc on politics? It’d help point out how corrupt campaign finance has become. [Politico]

It’s irresponsible of Sara Beth Gregory to use this child’s death in a push for requiring prescriptions for pseudoephedrine when she admits it was the Cabinet for Health and Family Services’ fault for not taking warnings seriously or bothering to investigate. [Ryan Alessi]

Misinformation is the name of the game in Frankfort when it comes to proposed prescription-only legislation. Misinformation driven by lobbyists and those paid to shill, no less. [Page One]

Jimbo Ramsey is on a mission to castrate Jack Conway for making one of the only decisions that isn’t suspect in a long time. So here’s Jack explaining his hospital merger position. [FOX41]

The Justice Department says that President Barack Obama’s recess appointments are constitutional. [HuffPo]

You can’t even walk around Richmond these days without getting robbed by two men on the street. [WKYT]

Greg Fischer delivered his State of the City Address from a members-only club in Louisville today. Check out the highlights and keep track of his promises. [The 'Ville Voice]

Kentucky’s bourbon trail netted a record number of tourists in 2011. But Frankfort still fails the industry and allows it to hobble along like a mish-mash of random clubs. [H-L]

Today Steve Hohmann was appointed commissioner of the Department for Natural Resources by the Energy and Environment Cabinet. He’s a former abandoned mine inspector. [Press Release]

Are you as excited as A Kentucky Newspaper that Jerry Abramson will keynote at the St. Matthews Chamber of Commerce gala? Because it’s been running non-stop like it’s the most important news in Kentucky. [C-J/AKN]

Rocky Adkins says he wants to make state schools greener – a good thing. Yes, that’s irony you’re feeling as your eyes roll back in your head. [Bluegrass Politics]

Here comes Judge Irv Maze, running for Court of Appeals. [SoS]

Frankfort is having all kinds of fun speculating about what Adam Edelen’s audit of Richie Farmer’s office will bring to the surface. So far, all of that speculation includes missing automobiles, hookers, more wasted money than you can imagine, sexscapades in the office and all-around stupidity. [Ronnie Ellis]

A new report shows that Kentuckians are frequent binge drinkers. That may have something to do with their quality of life. [Business First]

Republican Bart Rowland of Tompkinsville and Democrat Barry Dean Steele of Knob Lick will face each other in the 53rd House District Special Election on February 7. [Press Release]

The 20 biggest donors of the 2012 election cycle so far. This should make your eyes roll back in your head. [Mother Jones]

Mitch McConnell was in Jeffersontown today where he played pat-a-cake for some folks. Half way through, his tape had to be flipped and his batteries changed. [Teddy Ruxpin Came To Town]

Willie Horton, Willie Horton, Willie Horton. You know the Republican Presidential Primary has completely fallen apart. [NPR]

Late last year, ProPublica and the Washington Post published a series of stories that exposed racial disparities in the awarding of presidential pardons. You should read this. [ProPublica]

The Supreme Court says judges cannot get involved in church-employee discrimination dispute. [WaPo]

Has Ron Paul turned into those little fish in the foot bath tank at fancy spas? You know, those things you see on the teevee that eat the dead skin off your heels? [Politico]

Will this summit help stop child abuse deaths in Kentucky? Will things eventually start looking up for the Commonwealth? [H-L]

This story about evolution and an extinct tortoise could send the Ark Parkers into a complete meltdown. [BBC]

On the FLOTUS Seething Hostility Scale – with Laura “Xanax Smile” Bush a 1 and Barbara “Side Eye” Bush a 10, Michelle Obama is maybe a 3. [Wonkette]

Louisville can’t afford trash pick-up but it can afford all of this new mess. You’re so surprised. [The 'Ville Voice]

Ron Paul says he wants to get rid of everything that’s unconstitutional. So why doesn’t he want to get rid of Head Start? It’s all or nothing, kids. [HuffPo]

Agriculture Commissioner Jamie Comer fired his predecessor’s girlfriend from her $60,000-a-year job during his first workday after being sworn in Monday, a state holiday.

Stephanie Sandmann, who former Commissioner Richie Farmer hired as a special assistant a week before the November election, was told she was being let go after arriving for work at the Agriculture Department on Tuesday, said Holly VonLuehrte, Comer’s general counsel.

Sandmann, who was a nonmerit political appointee, was not given a reason for her termination, said VonLuehrte, who noted that political appointees can be fired without cause.

Translation: Don’t let the door hit you on the ass.

Also, you know there’s a mountain of corruption in Richie’s wake if Comer has to bring in a high-profile attorney to get rid of it all.

Dirt will pour out of that office in 3, 2…