NORTHERN KENTUCKY (FOX19) - The Northern Kentucky Area Development District will be conducting a 24-hour count of the homeless in the area.

The count will take place starting January 27, starting at midnight and lasting until 11:59 pm.

Various shelters, city streets, and places not meant for human habitation throughout Northern Kentucky will be inspected to count the homeless men, women and children. The count will also include precariously housed Northern Kentuckians, defined as people living in substandard housing conditions, doubled- or tripled-up with family or friends, or expecting eviction within seven days. 

The count will also count staffs of organizations and volunteers serving the homeless.

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KY (FOX19) - WNKU, the well-regarded but signal-challenged Adult Album Alternative radio station based at Northern Kentucky University, is greatly expanding its coverage area by buying three country radio stations and combining them into a network to carry WNKU's programming.

WNKU has an agreement to start running the stations February 1st while they wait for the FCC to approve the sale, which typically takes a few months.

“Year after year, the number one complaint we hear is in regards to signal strength and reach,” says Station Manager Chuck Miller. “It got to the point where we eventually had to post reception tips on our website just to be proactive about it.”

That problem will be greatly reduced.  Two of the stations WNKU is buying are WPFB-AM, 910 and WPFB-FM, 105.9, in Middletown.  The AM has a small signal area, but the FM station's signal reaches across most of the Cincinnati and Dayton areas. 

WILDER, KY (FOX19) - When you think of hippies, you may think of Woodstock, NY or the Haight-Ashbury district in San Francisco, but you probably don't think of Wilder, Kentucky.

That may change Thursday when the Mellow Mushroom holds its grand opening.

The Mellow Mushroom is a hippie-themed upscale pizza and beer franchise, founded in the 70's by three guys near a college in Georgia.  This latest of about 100 locations has been open for several weeks.