Government
Still awaiting noise relief, some rural Kentuckians point to Arkansas’ new crypto mining law
Nine months after a suspected cryptocurrency mine moved into her previously quiet part of Wolfe County, Brenda Campbell says noise canceling blankets installed by the operator are not helping and she still doesn’t know where to turn for relief from the constant, intrusive whirring. Wolfe County Judge-Executive Raymond Banks agrees the noise blankets haven’t been […]
One year after FDA approves over-the-counter birth control pill, advocates push for more access
Sriha Srinivasan remembers how surprised her mom was two years ago when she learned that birth control pills weren’t sold in stores without a prescription in the United States. “My parents are immigrants from India, and it’s been over the counter there since my mom can remember,” said Srinivasan, a recent graduate of University of […]
Leitchfield water main washed out in recent Kentucky storms
After Gov. Andy Beshear initially reported a Leitchfield hospital needed to relocate its patients after recent Kentucky storms caused a water main to wash out in a flash flood, the administration says that wasn’t necessary.? Around 7,000 people use the same water main in Leitchfield, Beshear said, including two assisted living facilities and two nursing […]
More addiction patients can take methadone at home, but some states lag behind
Matt Haney’s home in San Francisco isn’t far from a methadone clinic. The 42-year-old state lawmaker has watched people line up early each morning outside the clinic in the Tenderloin, a community long considered the epicenter of the city’s substance use epidemic. His neighbors wait for the daily dose of methadone that relieves their cravings […]
Though noncitizens can vote in few local elections, GOP goes big to make it illegal
Preventing people who are not United States citizens from casting a ballot has reemerged as a focal point in the ongoing Republican drive to safeguard “election integrity,” even though noncitizens are rarely involved in voter fraud. Ahead of November’s presidential election, congressional and state Republican lawmakers are aiming to keep noncitizens away from the polls. […]
Kentucky nursing-home industry says Biden staffing mandate ‘impossible’ to meet
The nursing-home industry is pushing back against a new Biden administration rule that sets minimum staffing requirements for federally funded long-term care facilities and will require many of them to hire more nurses and nurse aides. Morgan Jemtrud, director of communications for the Kentucky Association of Health Care Facilities and the Kentucky Center for Assisted […]
More Kentucky children have kept Medicaid coverage compared with other states
Kentucky is among a handful of states that lost only a small percentage of children from its Medicaid program in 2023 even as the number of kids cut from coverage soared elsewhere under annual renewal requirements that had been suspended during COVID-19. Overall, 4.16 million children were dropped from the government health plan that covers […]
Kentucky falls to 41st in average teacher pay
New reports highlighted by the Kentucky Education Association show that Kentucky educators’ salaries are losing ground to those in other states.? According to the annual reports released by the National Education Association looking at 2022-23 numbers, Kentucky dropped from 40th to 41st nationally in average teacher salary at $56,296 compared with the national average of […]
Governor’s Derby guests?
FRANKFORT —? Unlike his predecessors, Gov. Andy Beshear has declined to identify friends and political supporters who buy prime tickets to the Kentucky Derby made available by Churchill Downs each year for the governor’s guests. The Louisville racetrack sets aside large numbers of Derby tickets for sale at face value to Kentucky elected officials, including […]
Documentary about Ohio River’s history and current challenges to debut on KET
A Louisville filmmaker is debuting a new documentary showcasing the rich history of the Ohio River and the future challenges it faces on Kentucky’s public television broadcaster.? The one-hour documentary called “This Is The Ohio” features the travels of filmmaker Morgan Atkinson and his 981-mile journey along the river from the confluence of the Mississippi […]
Kentucky attorney general leading GOP effort against new Title IX rules over gender
Kentucky Republican Attorney General Russell Coleman is leading a new multi-state lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education over recent rules aimed at protecting LGBTQ+ students from discrimination in K-12 schools.? The department released the regulations last week, which include updates to Title IX protections for discrimination “based on sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, gender identity, […]
Bourbon County recycling center is ‘righting a wrong’ for a predominantly Black neighborhood
PARIS — When David Downey retired from the Navy in 1968 after serving in three wars, he came back to where he grew up, a home on the west side of Paris, Kentucky. But three years before he returned, a trash incinerator had been placed in his neighborhood, too.? “The stench from it was ridiculous,” […]