Rick Howlett

Monday will mark the 30th anniversary of the nation’s deadliest drunk driving crash.

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear has chosen former state Auditor Crit Luallen to serve as his lieutenant governor in his final year in office.

Luallen will replace Jerry Abramson, the former longtime Louisville mayor who is stepping down as lieutenant governor to accept a job in President Barack Obama's administration.

She worked for several governors dating back to the 1970s, and rose through the ranks to become secretary of the executive cabinet in then-Gov. Paul Patton's administration.

Luallen said she quickly accepted Beshear’s invitation to be Lt. Governor.

Indiana lawmakers in the Republican-led House Tuesday passed the gay marriage amendment after removing language that would ban recognition of anything “similar” to same-sex marriage.     That change would also lengthen the process of amending the state constitution, but the clause could be reinserted by Senate Republicans.

Measure sponsor Rep. Eric Turner disputes claims by opponents that the ban would hurt economic development. "In 2013, eight of the top nine states with the highest rate of private sector job growth had constitutional amendments on marriage."