Author
Kelly Craft vows to ‘dismantle’ Kentucky Department of Education and ‘start over’
Republican gubernatorial candidate Kelly Craft on Monday issued two statements, hours apart, in which she first appeared to tone down and later to double down on her vow, made at a campaign stop last week, to dismantle the Kentucky Department of Education.? A Democratic opposition research group had recorded and on Monday released Craft’s remarks […]
Republican lawmakers call for leadership change in Kentucky juvenile justice
FRANKFORT — Republican lawmakers on Thursday called for a “change in leadership” in response to violence and inadequate care in Kentucky’s juvenile detention facilities.? House Majority Whip Jason Nemes, R-Louisville, called for “an outside trustee” to manage the department and said a legislative work group has asked state Auditor Mike Harmon for a full performance […]
Cameron takes his fentanyl fighting message to Northern Kentucky, other stops planned
COVINGTON — Those who have lost loved ones to substance use disorders say Kentucky needs changes to address the opioid crisis.? A roundtable Wednesday, led by Attorney General and Republican gubernatorial candidate Daniel Cameron with law enforcement officials, lawmakers and Northern Kentucky residents, heard calls for changes to laws, training and education.? Panelist George Thurmond, […]
Improve retention and recruitment to address teacher shortage, Kentucky school leaders say
Kentucky school officials say more study of the state’s public education system is needed to address the teacher shortage.? The Coalition to Sustain the Education Profession, a group established last year by the Kentucky Association of School Administrators, on Monday unveiled its recommendations, including gathering data and information, during a news conference with administrators, students, […]
Kentucky students recommend ways to prevent, respond to school shootings
FRANKFORT — After a gunman killed 21 people and wounded 17 others at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, last spring, high school students on a Kentucky advisory committee “realized we needed to use our voices to change,” said Malley Taylor, a junior at the Craft Academy in Morehead. On Tuesday, the students presented their […]
Second ‘higher ground’ site for rebuilding flooded Eastern Kentucky communities is near Hazard
Gov. Andy Beshear on Tuesday announced a second site on higher ground in flood-ravaged Eastern Kentucky —? this time near Hazard — where plans call for initially building about 150 houses.? The project would be partially funded by the Team Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief Fund in partnership with local nonprofit builders, says a release from […]
AG’s office: Beshear’s office violated open records act when partially denying GOP request
Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s office ruled Gov. Andy Beshear’s administration violated the Kentucky Open Records Act when denying part of a request from the Republican Party of Kentucky.? Both the RPK and the Kentucky Democratic Party have weighed in on the opinion. According to documents provided by the RPK to news outlets, the part of […]
Beshear’s juvenile detention plans include bump in starting salary, building new facilities
Gov. Andy Beshear has announced an increase in starting pay for staff in youth detention centers and unveiled a proposal to build two new facilities to house juveniles. Those and other changes outlined by Beshear on Thursday come amid criticism from Republican lawmakers about the administration’s handling of unsafe and sometimes violent conditions in the […]
Quarles to reschedule political event after being billed alongside officer in Breonna Taylor raid
Following criticism that he would have been speaking alongside one of the police officers who participated in the deadly raid on Breonna Taylor’s apartment, Kentucky gubernatorial candidate Ryan Quarles has opted to reschedule an event in Bowling Green with a local Republican women’s group.? Over the weekend, the Republican Women’s Club of South Central KY […]
Charles Booker, former Kentucky Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, to lead governor’s faith-based initiatives office
Charles Booker, a Louisvillian and former state representative, has been appointed to lead the Governor’s Office of Faith-Based Initiatives and Community Involvement.? In a press release from his office, Gov. Andy Beshear announced several leadership appointments within his administration. The office Booker will helm was created by former Gov. Ernie Fletcher.? “I am honored to […]
Kentucky executive branch employees barred from using TikTok on state devices
Time’s up for TikTok on the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s technology devices.? All of Kentucky’s executive branch employees are barred from using TikTok, a social media app and website for short videos, on state-issued devices. The new rule comes as bills for a similar ban move through the state legislature.? TikTok, a platform where content creators […]
Some fear a region’s future hangs on legislature’s support for emergency affordable housing
FRANKFORT — Without significant state funding for new housing, “we’re going to experience the largest out-migration in Appalachian history,” Sen. Brandon Smith of Hazard told the Kentucky Lantern in a telephone interview just before 2023 began. Yet, despite the thousands of homes lost to last summer’s flooding, no significant housing proposal emerged during the legislature’s […]