Briefs
Senate confirms Robbie Fletcher as next Kentucky education commissioner
FRANKFORT —?The Kentucky Senate has confirmed the next commissioner of education after giving him a warm reception in the Senate Education Committee last week.? Robbie Fletcher, who is now the superintendent of Lawrence County Schools in Eastern Kentucky, was confirmed to become Kentucky’s top education official in a vote of 36-1 on Monday. He is […]
April 22 deadline to register to vote in Kentucky primary election
To vote in Kentucky’s primary election next month you must be registered by 4 p.m. Monday, April 22. In the May 21 primary, Kentuckians will be nominating candidates for U.S. Congress, state legislature and many local offices, as well as casting ballots in primaries for U.S. president. You can register online by clicking here. Read […]
Poll shows GOP voters in Kentucky support gun removal measure, Westerfield assures Senate
FRANKFORT — In what he said could be his last speech on the Senate floor, Sen. Whitney Westerfield assured his colleagues that “the politics … are safe” to support a law that would temporarily remove firearms from Kentuckians at risk of harming themselves or others.? Speaking on Friday night, Westerfield cited polling that found 76% […]
Perry County prosecutor faces federal charges for allegedly trading favors for sex, drugs
A Kentucky prosecutor, who allegedly helped criminal defendants in exchange for sexual favors and methamphetamine, is facing federal wire fraud charges. Perry County commonwealth’s attorney Scott Blair, 51, of Hazard, was charged with committing honest services wire fraud in a federal criminal complaint Friday, according to a release from the U.S. attorney for the Eastern […]
Covington breaks ground on mixed-use development at former IRS site
Nearly two years ago, O’Rourke Wrecking crews busted a hole into the wall of the derelict Internal Revenue Service processing center, which had sat vacant since 2020. Today, the building’s demolition is complete. The former IRS site is now a barren 23-acre plot awaiting development. The city’s plan is to transform the site into a […]
‘He should consider dropping out’: Kentucky House candidate arrested for alleged strangulation at Walmart
Kentucky House District 67 candidate Brian Ormes admitted to an altercation with a group of juveniles before his arrest inside a Fort Wright Walmart on Monday, according to a police report on the incident. Ormes, 53, of Southgate has been charged with strangulation first degree, menacing and assault fourth degree stemming from the incident involving […]
Beshear vetoes sweeping anti-crime bill along with parts of state budget
Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear issued a number of vetoes Tuesday including rejecting a sweeping anti-crime bill pushed by Jefferson County Republicans and strongly opposed by Democrats, arguing House Bill 5 is a costly and “unwieldy” bill.? HB 5, primarily sponsored by Rep. Jared Bauman, had received opposition across a broad political spectrum with conservative […]
Senate resolution filed to confirm Robbie Fletcher as Kentucky education commissioner?
FRANKFORT?—?When Kentucky senators return to Frankfort next month for the two final days of the legislative session, they will have to decide whether to confirm the Kentucky Board of Education’s selection for education commissioner.? The board announced its choice of Lawrence County Schools Superintendent Robbie Fletcher in a meeting last week. If approved by the […]
Kentucky Senate joins House to OK new process to fill US Senate vacancies?
FRANKFORT —?Kentucky senators approved a House bill that would end the governor’s power to fill U.S. Senate vacancies. This year’s change comes on the heels of a 2021 law that was sponsored by Republican Senate President Robert Stivers, of Manchester. While speaking on House Bill 622, Stivers called the new legislation “a better way to […]
Kentucky Senate approves two-year state budget 36-1
A nearly unanimous Senate on Wednesday night approved a state budget for the next two years before the document was publicly available on the legislature’s web site. The compromise budget, which by Thursday morning was posted on the legislature’s site, emerged from a House-Senate free conference committee on Tuesday. It increases funding for the basic […]
Senate approves bill aimed at helping schools avoid hiring teachers with a history of abuse
FRANKFORT — A House bill aimed at helping Kentucky schools avoid hiring sexual abusers gained passage in the Senate Wednesday.? Sponsored by House Education Committee Chairman Rep. James Tipton, House Bill 275 would require those seeking employment in schools to disclose if they were the subject of an allegation, investigation or disciplinary action within the […]
Plan for a mental health juvenile detention facility advances in Kentucky legislature
FRANKFORT — A Kentucky House committee unanimously moved forward a bill that would establish a special mental health juvenile detention facility for housing “high acuity” youth, a move the sponsor called “critical.” Sponsored by Sen. Danny Carroll, a West Kentucky Republican, Senate Bill 252 can now go to the full House for consideration, having already […]