Government
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 […]
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 […]
Residential foster care in Kentucky is physically, mentally unsafe, say some who have been there
One young adult remembers taking a daily allergy pill upon entering a Kentucky residential foster care facility and leaving “on 13 medications within six months.” Another lost the privilege of calling their mother after a riot at their location.? These were among the experiences 46 young adults shared with Kentucky Youth Advocates’ researchers, who examined […]
Look for more attacks on Kentucky’s open government laws
Kentucky lawmakers faced a dilemma in 1975. One year earlier, they enthusiastically enacted an open meetings and an open records law aimed at restoring the public’s trust in government. Years of deception associated with the Vietnam Conflict and clandestine and illegal activities by the Nixon administration — collectively referred to as the Watergate scandal — […]
Stivers says Senate GOP will decide soon whether to change abortion ban
This article is published with permission from the Northern?Kentucky?Tribune, a nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism. “It’s hard to tell” if Kentucky voters’ decision last month against a constitutional amendment to eliminate abortion rights from the state Constitution means the people want abortion allowed in cases involving rape and incest, the […]
Mitch McConnell diagnosed GOP problem with voters but didn’t follow his own prescription
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, after beating back a challenge to his leadership position, offered a reasonable analysis on why his party fell short of midterm election hopes. “We underperformed among indepen--dents and moderates because their impression of many of the people in our party, and leadership roles, is that they’re dogged in chaos, negativity, […]