Government
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 […]
Marriage equality bill heads to Biden’s desk following bipartisan U.S. House vote
WASHINGTON —?President Joe Biden is expected to sign the marriage equality bill on Tuesday.? Last week the U.S. House overwhelmingly approved the measure which?ensures same-sex and interracial couples would continue to hold many of the rights they have now, should the U.S. Supreme Court overturn the cases that established those constitutional protections. The 258-169-1 vote […]
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 […]
Beshear looks to ‘higher ground’ for rebuilding after devastating floods in Eastern Kentucky
FRANKFORT — Gov. Andy Beshear says homes being built to replace those lost to devastating floods in Eastern Kentucky cannot go back into ?flood plains. “Right now, we’re in active negotiations to acquire land on higher ground where we are going to rebuild towns that coal companies may have built a hundred years ago,” the […]
Awaiting Kentucky Supreme Court’s abortion ruling with ‘anxiousness’ and uncertainty
A Kentuckian seeking an abortion now must travel to another state for it, with Illinois being the nearest where the procedure is accessible with few or no restrictions.? Virginia has some access as well, though less than Illinois.? This is true despite the defeat of the anti-abortion Amendment 2, which would have specified there’s no […]
Fewer than a third of low-income Kentuckians eligible for home energy assistance get it
Hundreds of thousands of low-income Kentuckians are eligible for a federal program to help with their heating bills as energy prices are expected to be higher this winter. Yet those on the frontlines of signing up Kentuckians for the program say there are barriers to reaching all who need such assistance.? The Low-Income Home Energy […]
Immediate action is needed to aid Afghans who put their lives on the line for Americans
More than a year ago, as Afghanistan fell to the Taliban, I concluded 27 years of uniformed service. I spent more than a year of my life in Afghanistan, serving in special operations, a fact only relevant because it brought me into close contact with members of the Afghan National Security Forces and Afghan civilian […]
Too many pregnant Kentuckians and their babies lack access to care. Midwives say they could help.
During three of her four pregnancies, Laura Browning drove three hours round-trip past hospitals to get prenatal care from midwives in Lexington, the only place that offered what she needed.? She even made the trip while in labor with her first baby, feeling that “the care that I was receiving” from the midwives “was worth […]
Move to close some death investigation records seen as response to Judd family concerns
Legislation sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson would close public records in death investigations such as those surrounding the suicide of country music legend Naomi Judd, a move drawing opposition from open records advocates. Johnson, a Franklin Republican, filed Senate Bill 9 in advance of the 113th General Assembly, a measure that would conceal […]
Drug prices will soon start to decrease for Medicare recipients
Starting next month, a $35 cap on insulin prices will go into effect for millions of Medicare recipients. The lower pricing is one of the first of several policy measures Americans will see in the coming months and years under the Inflation Reduction Act signed into law in August. The bill also requires pharmaceutical companies […]
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 […]
Citizens group demands new medical provider, end of overcrowding at Louisville jail where 12 died
For the past year, Louisville has been in the throes of one of the most devastating humanitarian?crises in the city’s history. Twelve people died in the nightmarish conditions at Louisville Metro?Department of Corrections (LMDC): Last December, as Mayor Greg Fischer and community leaders shrugged their shoulders and?remained silent when three people died at the jail […]