Economy
Child poverty rates highest in states that haven’t raised minimum wage, including Kentucky
Of the 20 states, including Kentucky, that have failed to raise the minimum wage above the federal $7.25 an hour standard, 16 have more than 12% of their children living in poverty, according to a States Newsroom analysis of wage and poverty data. Anti-poverty advocates say that’s a sign that there’s an urgent need for […]
Kentuckians encouraged to challenge accuracy of new broadband map
Gov. Andy Beshear is encouraging Kentuckians to challenge the accuracy of a new federal broadband availability map that will help determine how billions of federal dollars for broadband deployment will be allocated among states.? The Federal Communications Commission in November released a proposed online interactive map that lists available internet providers and the maximum advertised […]
Kentucky groups urge lawmakers to reject another income tax cut
A coalition of 28 Kentucky organizations is urging lawmakers to reject additional cuts in the state income tax when the legislature convenes Jan. 3. “Record surpluses used to justify the cut are largely a mirage,” says a letter sent Friday to members of the General Assembly and released by the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy.? […]
Robust revenue growth forecast, setting stage for GOP to cut Kentucky income tax next month
FRANKFORT, Ky. – Kentucky can expect a big revenue surplus of $1.4 billion when the state’s current fiscal year ends on June 30. That was the prediction Wednesday of a group of experts — called the Consensus Forecasting Group — which is charged with making official forecasts of revenue for budgeting purposes. If the forecast […]
Here’s why food prices remain stubbornly high even as inflation cools
Shoppers hoping for a little relief at the grocery store for their holiday meals will be disappointed by the Consumer Price Index released Tuesday. The CPI shows inflation cooling but food prices — particularly for some holiday staples — remain high. The CPI increased 0.1% in November, which was lower than some economists expected. Over […]
Beshear: Sites for rebuilding flooded Eastern Kentucky communities being considered
FRANKFORT — The state is considering land in Knott, Letcher and Perry counties as sites for new housing for victims of last summer’s flooding in developments that could include schools, senior housing and medical clinics, Gov. Andy Beshear told media on Thursday. Beshear declined to go into specifics, saying he did not want to compromise […]
Kentucky plant top emitter of potent heat-trapping gases from aluminum production
This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, ?a nonprofit, independent news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment.? It was published in partnership with NBC News and is?republished with permission. Sign up for the Inside Climate News newsletter?here.? ROBARDS, Ky.—As Mary and Ed Cupp drove down a country lane toward the front gate […]
Kentucky Horse Park seeking to exclude new hires from merit system, share in local ‘bedroom’ tax
The Kentucky Horse Park wants state lawmakers to approve legislation that would exclude its new hires from the state merit system designed to protect employees from political influence. It also is seeking enabling legislation to allow the park to tap into the transient or “bedroom” tax collected by hotels, motels and other providers of overnight […]
Price shocks could hit consumers without more oversight of grid building boom
An aging electric grid, fossil fuel power plant retirements and a massive renewable electricity buildout are all contributing to a boom in transmission and distribution wire projects by electric utilities across the country. In 2020, investor-owned electric utilities spent $25 billion on transmission, up from $23.7 billion in 2019, figures that the Edison Electric Institute, […]
Lack of bidders increasing costs to plug abandoned oil and gas wells in Kentucky
Contractors? have started plugging some of the thousands of oil and gas wells abandoned by the fossil fuel industry across Kentucky, using new federal funding. But a lack of companies able or willing to bid on the work is increasing costs, a Kentucky official said recently.? Kentucky received an initial $25 million grant through the […]
Happy cows, good food, more profits for farmers
NEW CASTLE?— For more than a century Henry County relied on tobacco to keep its farmers and its economy going. For most of the second half of the 20th century a federal program?stabilized the price of tobacco, guaranteeing those farmers a steady, predictable income. That all changed in the new century after Congress ended tobacco […]
Jobs were hard to find in Dawson Springs. Then a tornado struck.
DAWSON SPRINGS — A long line of cars and trucks trails out of downtown, waiting to pick up bags carried by volunteers, cartons of eggs and more from a food pantry giveaway on a cold November morning.? The need is there, said Lisa Barnes, one of the volunteers loading food into each passing vehicle. As […]