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Need help paying for AC? Here’s how to apply for aid.
Community action agencies across Kentucky are now accepting applications to help residents pay their electric bills. The summer subsidies are available through?the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and Low-Income Home Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP). LIHEAP can provide a household with a one-time payment between $50 and $250, depending on income and household type, to […]
Kentucky’s largest utility wants to invest billions in new power plants. Here’s how to weigh in.
When Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities (LG&E and KU) filed an application in December to make significant changes to how it generates its electricity, the utility acknowledged the “unprecedented change” taking place with how the United States makes its power.? “Although there is room for disagreement concerning the precise timing and mechanisms by […]
$1 billion solar project planned on former Starfire coal mine in Eastern Kentucky
KNOTT COUNTY — It was a little over five years ago when Philip Marsh looked over the thousands of acres of reclaimed strip mine land he owned near the Knott County line and wouldn’t have a clue what would come of it. The Eastern Kentucky mountaintops that Marsh owned, now pastures after decades of coal […]
‘Forever chemicals’ contaminating Kentucky waters detailed for lawmakers
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS or “forever chemicals,” are in Kentucky’s rivers and lakes. The chemicals are in municipal water treatment plants. They’re accumulating inside Kentucky’s fish.? That is what the Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection has found the past few years? as it has investigated how widespread PFAS is in Kentucky’s […]
Kentucky’s annual crime report shows drop in serious offenses
Incidents of violent crime decreased across Kentucky in 2022 compared to the previous year, according to an annual state report released Wednesday.? The 2022 Crime in Kentucky Report showed about a 9.2% drop in the number of reported Group A offenses — which include the state’s most serious offenses including arson, homicide, bribery, burglary, and […]
Heavy rainfall inundates West Kentucky, spurring flood ’emergencies’ and water rescues
Several counties in West Kentucky are under flash flood emergencies after at least four to eight inches of rain — some areas seeing higher amounts — have fallen in the region in the past 24 hours.? The National Weather Service in Paducah said Wednesday morning water rescues were taking place in some areas due to […]
At UPS Worldport, union members rally — and worry — ahead of threatened strike
LOUISVILLE — It’s been more than 25 years since Gilbert Pendleton, 62, was on the picket line with his local Teamsters union in Louisville, a time before online commerce and deliveries had changed the world.? In 1997, when some 185,000 Teamsters went on strike in a fight to make more full-time jobs available and keep […]
New rule aims to limit miners’ silica dust exposure but still relies on coal company self-oversight
Correction: This story previously stated the Mine Safety and Health Administration was not holding a hearing on the new silica dust proposal close to Appalachian coal communities. MSHA announced Thursday it had added a hearing in Beckley, West Virginia on Aug. 10. We regret the error. Gary Harriston, 69, compares what it feels like to […]
EPA proposal could bring more scrutiny to toxic coal ash ponds, landfills in Kentucky
More ponds, landfills and impoundments in Kentucky containing the toxic byproducts of burning coal for electricity could come under federal oversight for water monitoring and cleanup under a proposal by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.? The EPA is seeking comment on the proposal from stakeholders and the public in an online hearing Wednesday and is […]
Kentucky reports another record surplus. Will it lead to a third income tax cut?
Kentucky brought in a record $15.1 billion in general fund tax revenue during the last fiscal year — the most ever — buoyed by a strong jobs market, increasing salaries and wages and continued industry profits, the state budget director’s office announced Monday. Revenue in fiscal year 2023 exceeded budgeted expectations by about $1.4 billion, […]
Louisville judge blocks state law barring some unions from collecting dues by payroll deduction
A judge has temporarily blocked a new Kentucky law barring some public-sector unions from being able to collect dues through payroll deductions.? Jefferson Circuit Court Judge Brian Edwards issued a temporary injunction July 3 against the implementation of Senate Bill 7 in a lawsuit brought by local unions in Louisville. SB 7, sponsored by Sen. […]
State regulator threatens Kentucky Power with fines for 2022 winter storm performance
Kentucky’s utility regulator is asking Kentucky Power why it shouldn’t face fines for failing to prepare for a power supply shortfall ahead of the December 2022 winter storm. The Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC) in a June 23 order alleged Kentucky Power had violated a state law that requires utilities to “furnish adequate, efficient and […]