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UAW President Shawn Fain touts solidarity as Kentucky AFL-CIO prepares to choose a new leader
LEXINGTON —? United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain told Kentucky union members Monday night that the working class is fed up with “being left behind” and called on labor to challenge massive income disparity and “the billionaire class.” “The one equalizer in all this is organized labor, and we have an obligation to humanity to […]
Remember learning ‘how a bill becomes law’? Well, forget it in the Kentucky legislature.
A million thanks to the League of Women Voters of Kentucky for running the numbers on the opaque and, oh, so arrogant way the General Assembly conducts what we still quaintly call the “people’s business.” “None of the people’s business” is more like it, considering how frequently the legislature chooses to shut out the public. […]
Kentucky appeals court upholds governor’s ability to take legislature to court
Kentucky’s legislature acted unconstitutionally in 2022 by prohibiting Gov. Andy Beshear from spending public funds to challenge its actions, the state Court of Appeals ruled Friday in a unanimous decision. The appeals judges upheld an earlier ruling by Franklin Circuit Judge Thomas Wingate that had struck down the legislature’s attempt to block the governor from […]
Beshear chides ‘shouting’ in Congress. Was he talking about Comer?
Without naming names, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear on Thursday appeared to criticize Republican U.S. Rep. James Comer of Kentucky for getting into a shouting match earlier this week with a Democratic congressman from Florida. Beshear was responding to a reporter’s question about whether he had met with state legislators since his reelection last week. The […]
AG-elect Coleman plans to target public corruption, drugs, violent crime, child exploitation
FRANKFORT — Kentucky’s next attorney general, Republican Russell Coleman, said Tuesday that combating public corruption will be one of his priorities but declined to speak specifically about London Mayor Randall Weddle’s use of “straw donors” to make excessive contributions to Gov. Andy Beshear’s campaign and the Kentucky Democratic Party. Flanked by his transition team and […]
Search continues for man missing in collapsed coal plant in Eastern Kentucky
The search for a worker missing in the collapse of an idle coal-preparation plant is moving into a new phase as rescuers who have been combing through the wreckage now plan to use heavy equipment to remove debris, emergency officials said Thursday. One worker, pinned under a metal beam, died Wednesday after being found by […]
The ‘voice’ of Kentucky agriculture: Commissioner’s race takes a partisan turn
Any “red meat” in campaigns for commissioner of agriculture has usually pertained to Kentucky’s large beef herd — until now. Republican Jonathan Shell, a former state House floor leader, is dishing out political red meat in his quest for the office, vowing to fight “woke liberals,” serve as “guardian” to the “unborn” and “save” Kentucky […]
Mike Johnson defended Noah’s Ark attraction in Kentucky before becoming U.S. House speaker
New U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson successfully took Kentucky to court to regain tax incentives for the Ark Encounter, a 510-foot wooden replica of the biblical Noah’s Ark located off Interstate 75 in Grant County. The state tourism cabinet had awarded the project a sales-tax rebate worth up to $18 million, but Gov. Steve Beshear’s […]
COVID-19 is still testing Kentucky’s political leaders
At some point during the COVID-19 pandemic it dawned on me: We were living in a time of no good options.? The “reward” for doing the right thing was isolation and unemployment.? Opportunists in politics and media inflamed distrust between already hostile camps. And people suffered and died because of crazy stuff they believed from […]
GOP ag commissioner candidate Jonathan Shell will not appear on KET’s ‘Kentucky Tonight’
This story has been updated to show that the candidates for attorney general will not appear together on KET’s “Kentucky Tonight.” KET had invited them to debate Oct. 16. Kentucky secretary of state and one of the two candidates for agriculture commissioner will answer questions Monday night from Renee Shaw on KET’s “Kentucky Tonight.” KET […]
Will McConnell’s proudest accomplishment be his party’s political undoing?
A Louisville audience last month applauded U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell as he touted his historic success in remaking the federal courts. But McConnell’s proudest accomplishment could also prove to be his party’s electoral undoing as voters again showed the next day in Ohio where a measure sought by anti-abortion forces was defeated. The federal judiciary […]
One arts gathering flees, another cancels after confrontation in Harlan County
This story has been updated with a statement released Wednesday by Pine Mountain Settlement School. An Appalachian arts nonprofit’s gathering at Pine Mountain Settlement School in Harlan County ended abruptly last weekend after local residents objected to the group’s presence in the chapel, raising concerns among attendees about their safety. A statement issued by the […]