Economy
For families that need the most help, child care costs are about to drop
Originally published by The 19th. For more than a decade, Erin Farias has watched the low-income families who send children to the day cares she runs navigate America’s broken child care system. Many of those parents had government assistance for school tuition, but half the time, Farias couldn’t count on them to make their co-payments. […]
March jobs report shows strong labor market with job gains in health care and government
The sturdy labor market continued to chug along in March, with an unemployment rate of 3.8%, marking the 26th straight month of an unemployment rate under 4%. The economy added 303,00 jobs, according to the monthly report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday. Economists, researchers, and policy experts say that the strong […]
Trade watchdog: Big retailers used supply-chain problems to inflate grocery costs
Looking for someone to blame for increased costs in the grocery aisle? You might not need to look any further than three retail giants, the Federal Trade Commission said in a recent report. The agency looked at supply chain disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic and determined that the three largest food retailers — Kroger, […]
Group alleges ‘hidden-camera’ video reveals ‘cruelty’ in chicken production in Kentucky?
An animal protection advocacy group released footage from a “hidden-camera investigation” Monday of what it says is cruel treatment of chickens being transported from poultry operations in Kentucky — an investigation the group says would be criminalized under a bill recently approved by the Kentucky legislature. Mercy For Animals, a California-based nonprofit which describes its […]
Experts say the economy is getting better, but consumers don’t feel that way. Here’s why.
Americans are still worried about their financial stability even as their recession fears lessen. High prices at the grocery store and consumers’ memories of their pre-pandemic budgets may be playing a role. Here’s what financial and economic experts have to say about what economic indicators tell us about people’s perception of the economy. The Consumer […]
Kentucky legislature sends state budget bills to governor, including billions in one-time spending
FRANKFORT — Bills funding the state executive branch to the tune of more than $128 billion and allocating billions of dollars in one-time investments received final passage through the legislature Thursday in one of the final days of this year’s legislative session. Republicans in the GOP-dominated legislature hailed the spending plan as making strong, necessary […]
‘A shame:’ $300 million Horizons Act is ‘dead,’ sponsor says
FRANKFORT — The $300 million child care bill called the Horizons Act is “dead,” its sponsor said Wednesday.? The state budget approved by the Senate failed to allocate all the money the Horizons Act called for — and the final budget that will emerge from a House-Senate conference is also unlikely to do so. The […]
Fed declines to cut interest rates, saying it’s not clear inflation has slowed enough yet
The Federal Reserve declined Wednesday to cut interest rates, saying it remains uncertain inflation is slowing enough, but some economists warned the financial regulators risk waiting too long to make cuts. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said the Fed has a lack of sufficient data that inflation is slowing enough to justify taking the pressure off […]
Kentucky families face difficult decisions if child care funding doesn’t come through?
Courtney Rhoades Mullins faces a difficult predicament: the Eastern Kentucky woman is expecting twins in May but doesn’t know if she can find child care for them any time soon.? One location, she said, might have openings in April of 2025. Another could take the twins — when they are 3 years old.? That “leaves […]
Looser child labor standards revived by committee that had temporarily blocked bill
FRANKFORT — A bill that would allow some teenagers to work longer and later hours advanced out of a Senate committee Friday just a day after the same committee had blocked it. House Bill 255, sponsored by Rep. Phillip Pratt, R-Georgetown, was passed 7-4 out of the Senate Economic Development, Tourism, & Labor Committee in […]
Baptist Health, Humana restore ‘in network’ coverage for Medicare Advantage patients
Baptist Health and Humana have ended a months-long standoff over Kentuckians with health coverage through Medicare Advantage and commercial insurance plans, the two companies announced Thursday. Effective April 1, Baptist physicians again will accept those patients as “in network”— meaning they would not be subject to potentially higher costs or limits on services. The news, […]
$150 million plan unveiled for biomedical center in Covington, would include new home for NKU law school
A lofty economic development plan for Northern Kentucky was unveiled Wednesday that would create a biomedical center campus in downtown Covington with a new facility for Northern Kentucky University’s Salmon P. Chase College of Law and the University of Kentucky College of Medicine in it. Republican state Sen. Chris McDaniel of Ryland Heights, chairman of […]