ABSENTEE VOTING TURNOUT HIGH
The line at the County Clerks Office was out the door Thursday, as people waited to cast their absentee ballots just days away from the general election. Election Officials say this could be the biggest turnout the county's ever seen. Clerks throughout the area encourage you to call their office before Election Day to see if your voting precinct has changed. There are four precinct location changes in Calloway County and two new precincts. To make polling faster you should have your photo ID with you and to allow an extra 15 minutes in case of a wait.

RUMOR CONTROL SITE AVAILABLE
Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson says local election offices are being inundated with questions about Tuesday's presidential election. Grayson told The Kentucky Enquirer some of the tide is propelled by rumors and he hopes a new Web site his office has put online will help knock them down. The site called "Get The Facts" is at vote.ky.gov/rumorcontrol. Among questions answered on the site are whether voters wearing campaign buttons will be turned away and if people who didn't vote in the primary election can still vote in the general election. For the record, voters can wear campaign buttons and people do not have to have voted in every election to cast ballots on Tuesday.

CALLOWAY FAIRGROUNDS GETS EXPANSION FUNDING
A $200,000 expansion project will includes construction of a new multi-purpose building at the Calloway County Fairgrounds as well as new animal pens and storage facility. Steve Mobley, director of Fairs and Shows for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, delivered a ceremonial $100,000 check during a visit to the Kentucky Farm Bureau office Wednesday afternoon. The funding will be matched equally with fair board contributions and used to renovate or convert existing buildings for expanded or additional uses as a multi-purpose facility for fair attractions.

MSU STUDENTS VISIT NASHVILLE
A group of students, faculty and administrators from Murray State University recently gained a broader perspective of the live performance industry when they attended the 2008 International Entertainment Buyers Association Conference. The three-day conference was held Oct. 15-17 in the heart of Music City, Nashville. Students enrolled in Murray State’s new music business program along with professor Chris Palmer were among those who attended from MSU. Palmer said the conference gave students a hands-on view of the world of live performance, concert booking and issues percolating within the industry. Scholarship and mentorship opportunities are also available through the IEBA. For more information on the association visit www.ieba.org.  To learn more about the Music Business Program at Murray State University contact Palmer at (270) 809-4289.

DEER SEASON BEGINS NOVEMBER 1
Kentucky’s modern gun deer season opens statewide Nov. 8. For the state’s estimated 254,000 deer hunters, it’s the most popular weekend of the year to hunt. Before going afield for modern gun deer season, hunters should be sure to pack their hunter orange hat and vest. Kentucky law requires all hunters and persons accompanying them, hunting any species during a firearms deer season, to wear solid, unbroken hunter orange clothing visible from all sides on the head, back and chest. Hunters should also review Kentucky’s hunter education requirement. Hunter education is required for all hunters born on or after Jan. 1, 1975, except kids under 12 and hunters who are license exempt. Adults who plan to take a youth hunter with them should be sure to stay close by. The law requires kids 15 and under who hunt deer with a firearm to be accompanied by an adult at all times. Finally, hunters should make sure they have the appropriate hunting license and permits. Employees of the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Information Center will be available to assist hunters during special opening weekend hours, from 8am-2pm November 8th and 9th.

FALL BACK!
Don't forget to fall back this weekend. Daylight Savings Time officially ends at 2am Sunday morning, so set your clocks and watches back 1 hour before turning in Saturday night.

ACROSS KENTUCKY
Gov. Steve Beshear says Kentucky's budget woes are getting worse along with the national economy, and is on pace to fall hundreds of millions short by the middle of this summer. State revenue for the current fiscal year is expected to fall short by nearly $300 million. The separate road fund is also expected to be shy by about $71 million.

The Courier-Journal has received one of the fake anthrax letters a California man is suspected of sending to media outlets across the United States. Kathy Harrison, spokeswoman for the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness, said police and the FBI responded to the newspaper Thursday morning after the newspaper's mailroom clerk opened a suspicious package. Harrison said the health department's hazardous material team tested the material inside the package, and it tested positive for sugar. FBI spokesperson David Beyer said the package has been sent to the state public health laboratory in Frankfort for further testing. Sixty-six-year-old Marc M. Keyser of Sacramento was arrested Wednesday and is being charged with sending three counts of sending hoax anthrax threats by mail. He is suspected of mailing more than 120 hoax anthrax letters to media outlets nationwide.

A First Lady and former First Lady are campaigning in Kentucky for their parties. Sunday, Senator Hillary Clinton is returning to Kentucky to campaign in Hazard and Louisville for Bruce Lunsford and other Democratic Candidates. On Monday First Lady Laura Bush is attending a rally in Shepherdsville for a congressional candidate. She will be at the Paroquet Springs Convention Center for the 11 a.m. rally for 2nd Congressional District candidate Brett Guthrie. Guthrie is running against Democratic State Senator David Boswell for the open seat.

Polls show Mitch McConnell keeps his lead over Bruce Lunsford. A "Courier Journal" Bluegrass Poll shows McConnell with a five point lead, a Rasmussen Report survey shows McConnell with a seven point lead. The Lunsford Campaign reports an inside tracking poll shows their candidate has cut McConnell's lead to two points.

The Secretary of State's Office is reporting the results of mock elections held across the state in dozens of schools. With Over 100-thousand Kentucky students voting John McCain defeated Barack Obama by almost two points, while in the Senate race, Republican Senator Mitch McConnell defeated Democratic challenger Bruce Lunsford 52-to-47 percent.

Governor Steve Beshear receiving some probably expected but unwelcome economic news. The Consensus Forecasting Group estimating an almost 300-million-dollar revenue shortfall in the General Fund. Governor Beshear says the state must act, but first he is going take input from various sectors. The governor says action is required but "that action must be neither rushed nor rash."

University of Kentucky police arrest a student and another man in connection with the hanging of Barack Obama in effigy on campus this week. Police say 22-year-old Joe Fischer a UK student and a friend, 21-year-old Hunter Bush, face disorderly conduct and other charges. Police say the pair say their action was only a prank.

A suspected bank robber is behind bars. Police have arrested 41-year-old James Fultz of Hazard. Police believe he's the man who donned a skeleton masked and held up the Community Trust Bank earlier this week.