Government
Beshear makes Juneteenth a Kentucky holiday, protects natural hair in state workplaces
Gov. Andy Beshear on Thursday signed executive orders making Juneteenth an executive branch holiday and protecting natural hairstyles like braids, locs and twists from discrimination.? Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have tried and failed to pass bills on both of these issues.? CROWN Act stalls in legislature Sen. Whitney Westerfield, R-Fruit Hill, is among those […]
Hazard event kicks off campaign against what foes call the ‘voucher amendment’
Fresh off Kentucky’s primary election, opponents are launching a campaign against a constitutional amendment that will go before voters in November and would allow the General Assembly to fund nonpublic schools.? In the first of a series of “kickoffs” scheduled across the state, opponents of Amendment 2 gathered Thursday at East Perry Elementary School in […]
Rail yard is $5 million closer to again serving as an economic engine
For Chris Campbell, Estill County is where almost everyone has a connection to the rail lines that run by the “twin cities” of Irvine and Ravenna, the latter founded by a railroad in the early 20th century.? Campbell, while not an Estill County native, is a train enthusiast and president of the Irvine-based nonprofit Kentucky […]
Field is set for open seats in the Kentucky General Assembly
The race is on for nine open seats in the Kentucky General Assembly, while some legislative races were decided in Tuesday’s primary, though not by many voters. Statewide, turnout was 12.71%, according to unofficial numbers. The turnout in the 2023 primary was only about 14.5%, despite including a highly contested Republican gubernatorial race. Eight House […]
Biden issues major disaster declaration for 11 Kentucky counties after April storms
President Joe Biden issued a major disaster declaration for 11 Kentucky counties affected by recent severe storms in April.? Federal assistance will supplement state and local recovery efforts in areas “ affected by severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes, landslides, and mudslides on April 2, 2024,” a White House press release said.? Federal funding will be […]
Few upsets as Kentuckians nominate candidates for November election
Kentucky legislators largely staved off primary challengers, although a few will be out of office, as voters on Tuesday picked candidates for the November election. Republican Reps. Killian Timoney, of Nicholasville, and Richard Heath, of Mayfield, lost to GOP opponents. Republican Sen. Adrienne Southworth, of Lawrenceburg, was defeated as well, according to unofficial results Tuesday […]
Hotline logs one report of Election Day vote buying or selling. More Kentuckians voted early.
Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said his office’s Election Integrity Command Center received one possible report of vote buying or selling among calls it took Tuesday morning.? What you need to know about voting in Kentucky’s primary election today Coleman reported that in the first few hours of voting in Tuesday’s primary, the center received […]
Power plant debate helps push lobby spending to new high for Kentucky legislature
FRANKFORT — Legislation affecting power plant retirements helped drive spending to lobby the Kentucky legislature to a new high of $12.4 million during the 2024 session. A bill that created new hurdles for utilities that want to retire power plants fired by fossil fuels spurred investor-owned utilities and power cooperatives to spend much more than […]
Kentucky Supreme Court allows Kulkarni to stand in Tuesday primary, despite challenge
LOUISVILLE —?The Kentucky Supreme Court will allow Louisville Democratic Rep. Nima Kulkarni to stand as a candidate in Tuesday’s primary election after she has faced legal challenges to her candidacy paperwork.? The Supreme Court granted the representative’s motion to remain in the 40th House District Democratic primary, reversing a decision from the Kentucky Court of […]
Conservative groups stand in way of Tennessee governor’s private-school vouchers
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Republican leaders — predicting passage of a private-school voucher bill in 2025 — will have to outflank conservative groups as well as opponents such as the Tennessee Education Association. Tennessee Stands, a far right advocacy group run by Gary Humble of Franklin, balked at the governor’s voucher plan during this […]
As early voting begins, use it or risk losing it, says Kentucky’s chief elections officer
As early voting began Thursday, one of the first to cast a ballot — and to show his support for the process — was Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams. In a recent interview with the Lantern, Adams applauded the defeat of a recent legislative proposal to repeal early voting. “I do encourage voters to […]
Please, don’t shoot the wild pigs. It only makes them more elusive.
FRANKFORT — Because an “educated” pig is harder to track or trap, Kentucky is taking steps to prevent the hunting of feral hogs known to damage crops, woodlands and potentially spread disease.? Kentucky wildlife management officials are finalizing a ban on the hunting of wild pigs in an effort to more easily capture them. Under […]