Author

Tom Loftus

Tom Loftus

Tom Loftus is a native of Cincinnati and a graduate of The Ohio State University. His long career in Kentucky journalism includes four years as Frankfort bureau chief for The Kentucky Post and 32 years as Frankfort bureau chief for The Courier Journal. He is a member of the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame and a freelance reporter for the Kentucky Lantern.

Lawmakers join KY’s largest addiction treatment provider to oppose Medicaid payment cuts

By: and - July 30, 2024

FRANKFORT — The state’s largest provider of drug and alcohol treatment is warning that looming cuts in Medicaid reimbursement to some providers could damage efforts to curb addiction that has engulfed Kentucky — just as the state is showing improvements. “Kentucky has made significant strides in access to treatment,” Matt Brown, chief administrative officer for […]

Beshear’s PAC has raised $493,000, but given little so far to help other candidates

By: - July 26, 2024

FRANKFORT — Gov. Andy Beshear’s political action committee raised $493,000 in its first six months, but so far it has made few contributions to fulfill its purpose of helping “good people” win closely-contested elections across the country. Through June 30 the Beshear PAC, named In This Together, has donated only $24,800 to candidates it has […]

KY Republican HQ building fund tops $3.2 million, most from corporations with lobbying interests

By: - July 5, 2024

FRANKFORT? – The Republican Party of Kentucky Building Fund raised another $314,750 in the past three months for its project to expand its state headquarters known as the “Mitch McConnell Building.” This brings the total raised for the project to more than $3.2 million, with the vast majority of that coming in large contributions from […]

Recovery CEO gives big to support Democrat Beshear and a host of Republicans

By: and - July 2, 2024

FRANKFORT — In his State of the Commonwealth speech in January, Gov. Andy Beshear took a moment to address the scourge of addiction in Kentucky, singling out for praise the state’s largest provider of treatment services. Addiction Recovery Care, or ARC, the Eastern Kentucky-based company — with about 75% of the state’s treatment beds — […]

Plans advance for corporate-funded expansion of Kentucky Republican Party headquarters

By: - May 23, 2024

FRANKFORT — The Republican Party of Kentucky plans to expand its headquarters in Frankfort by adding a 6,800 square foot building designed to look like a “separate residential structure.” The new building will be built on a vacant lot adjacent to the current headquarters at Third Street and Capital Avenue. In addition to new office […]

Power plant debate helps push lobby spending to new high for Kentucky legislature

By: - May 20, 2024

FRANKFORT — Legislation affecting power plant retirements helped drive spending to lobby the Kentucky legislature to a new high of $12.4 million during the 2024 session. A bill that created new hurdles for utilities that want to retire power plants fired by fossil fuels spurred investor-owned utilities and power cooperatives to spend much more than […]

Unopposed, Stivers dips into stuffed war chest to boost Republicans, entertain supporters

By: - May 10, 2024

FRANKFORT — Since no one challenged him for reelection this year, Senate President Robert Stivers has used his overstuffed campaign fund as a sort of personal political action committee that makes political contributions of its own and has paid other expenses including nearly $10,000 for a dinner party to thank his donors and supporters at […]

Governor’s Derby guests?

By: - May 2, 2024

FRANKFORT —? Unlike his predecessors, Gov. Andy Beshear has declined to identify friends and political supporters who buy prime tickets to the Kentucky Derby made available by Churchill Downs each year for the governor’s guests. The Louisville racetrack sets aside large numbers of Derby tickets for sale at face value to Kentucky elected officials, including […]

Billionaire TikTok investor, charter school advocate puts $8 million into Paul affiliated PAC

By: - April 11, 2024

Jeff Yass, the Pennsylvania billionaire and major investor in the parent company of TikTok, contributed $8 million last month to a super PAC affiliated with U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. The super PAC is called Protect Freedom PAC, and a report it filed with the FEC on Wednesday says Yass gave the $8 million […]

Mitch McConnell Building

Republican Party of Kentucky building fund hits $2.9 million with horse racing interests’ help

By: - April 5, 2024

FRANKFORT — Churchill Downs contributed $100,000 and The Jockey Club gave $50,000 earlier this year to the Republican Party of Kentucky’s fund drive to renovate and expand its party headquarters in Frankfort. The two recent contributions are listed in a report that the RPK’s Building Fund filed this week with the Kentucky Registry of Election […]

Beshear’s In This Together PAC brings in almost $100,000 in latest report

By: - March 21, 2024

FRANKFORT — Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s parents and several longtime donors to his political committees gave to his new political action committee in February. The new Beshear PAC is called In This Together, and it raised nearly $100,000 in contributions last month, according to a report it filed Wednesday with the Federal Election Commission. Beshear […]

AG Russell Coleman’s biggest donor is a California pharmaceutical exec

By: - March 20, 2024

The largest donor to the various political committees supporting Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman last year is a newcomer to Kentucky’s world of political giving and lobbying: FFF Enterprises Inc., of Temecula, California. FFF Enterprises describes itself on its website as a “leading supplier of critical-care biopharmaceuticals, plasma products and vaccines.” It first registered to […]