Economy
Letcher prison opponents urge Congress to reject Rogers’ ‘fast-tracking’ provision
More than 185 organizations — from across Kentucky and the nation — are urging Congress to reject “fast-tracking” construction of a federal prison in Letcher County. A Sept. 19 letter to leaders and members of congressional appropriations committees urges them to remove language that Rep. Hal Rogers of Kentucky put into a House appropriations bill […]
Women workers could bear economic brunt as federal child care funding ends
A huge chunk of pandemic relief funding that kept child care programs afloat for the past few years is set to run out Saturday, and policy advocates say the economic impact will be profound, with the ripple effect hurting labor force participation and consumer spending at a time when the country is still trying to […]
As of noon, 25,000 UAW members will be striking against the Detroit Three automakers
Two more plants, employing 7,000 workers, are joining the United Auto Workers (UAW) strike at noon Friday, UAW President Shawn Fain announced Friday morning on Facebook Live. This brings the total number of workers who will have walked off the job to 25,000. The strike against Detroit Three auto manufacturers Ford, General Motors and Stellantis […]
Trump to UAW: Endorse me or you won’t have a union
Former President Donald Trump told United Auto Workers (UAW) leaders Wednesday that they would not have a union if they fail to endorse him in the 2024 presidential election. “They have to endorse Trump, because if they don’t, all they’re doing is committing suicide,” Trump said. UAW President Shawn Fain criticized Trump’s Wednesday night visit […]
Online sports betting begins in Kentucky
Kentucky sports fans began placing online bets with mobile phones Thursday morning.? As part of the state’s rollout for legalizing sports betting, mobile applications were approved by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission in recent weeks. Users could also pre-register for accounts before Thursday in preparation to make wagers.? Earlier this year, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear […]
How a looming government shutdown could hit national parks
National parks and nearby communities could forego millions of dollars per day during a partial government shutdown that could start this weekend. Would-be visitors will likely see restrictions on park access, though the extent of those restrictions was still unclear just days before a potential lapse in federal appropriations set to begin Sunday. Parks would […]
UAW president says Trump visit to non-union Michigan company is a ‘pathetic irony’
A day after President Joe Biden joined striking United Auto Workers on the picket line in Michigan alongside UAW President Shawn Fain, the labor leader says he has no intention of meeting with former President Donald Trump when he speaks Wednesday at a non-union automotive parts manufacturer and supplier in Macomb County. Fain, speaking Tuesday […]
Covington mayor tells lawmakers Kentucky cities need more revenue options
Covington Mayor Joe Meyer spoke to Kentucky legislators about the effect of work-from-home labor policies on city finances at a Kentucky House Budget Review Subcommittee meeting last week. He asked the committee members to consider changes to local tax policies that would allow cities to become less reliant on occupational license fees, often referred to […]
U.S. Senate moves on short-term spending bill in struggle to avoid shutdown days away
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate is on track to clear a short-term government funding bill in the days ahead, but it wasn’t clear Tuesday if that would happen before the Saturday midnight deadline to avert a shutdown, or if House GOP leaders would put the bill up for a vote in that chamber. U.S. House […]
Biden makes historic visit to metro Detroit picket line to rally with striking auto workers
In the midst of ongoing negotiations between striking auto workers and Detroit’s Big Three manufacturers, President Joe Biden on Tuesday made an appearance on the picket line in Belleville. Speaking to picketers from UAW Local 174 at Willow Run Redistribution Center in metro Detroit, Biden said that unions “saved the automobile industry” in times of […]
As child poverty doubles, states launch or expand their own tax credit
The federal pandemic-era child tax credit expansion lifted millions of children out of poverty in the second half of 2021. But Congress allowed it to expire at the end of that year, and new U.S. census data shows the child poverty rate more than doubled in 2022, erasing the record gains that were made. “It […]
Food benefits for low income families at risk in a government shutdown, White House says
WASHINGTON — As Congress barrels toward a partial government shutdown, the White House Monday warned that a program that helps millions of low income families afford healthy food could see substantial cuts. The White House released a?state-by-state breakdown, estimating that nearly 7 million people who rely on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, […]