Government
$1.3 billion investment to turn Eastern Kentucky coal mine into hydropower ‘battery’
FRANKFORT — An Eastern Kentucky coal mining site set to become a giant hydropower battery is getting a significant boost from the federal government.? Florida-based Rye Development is in line for an $81 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy for its Lewis Ridge Pumped Storage Project.? The funding is provided through the Bipartisan […]
Kentucky’s ‘Momnibus’ bill advances in legislature?
FRANKFORT — Members of the Senate Health Services Committee voted unanimously Thursday to advance the maternal health bill which supporters call “Momnibus.”? Momnibus — or House Bill 10 — came out of a bipartisan summer working group of female lawmakers who looked into Kentucky’s dismal maternal mortality and how to address it. Male lawmakers have […]
Bill seeking a change in certificate of need law fails in House committee
FRANKFORT — A bill that opponents said would effectively repeal Kentucky’s certificate of need law failed in a bipartisan vote of the House Health Services Committee Thursday. House Bill 204 would have blocked the ability of a dominant provider to sue a certificate of need (CON) applicant during the process. It failed as 13 committee […]
Beshear’s In This Together PAC brings in almost $100,000 in latest report
FRANKFORT — Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s parents and several longtime donors to his political committees gave to his new political action committee in February. The new Beshear PAC is called In This Together, and it raised nearly $100,000 in contributions last month, according to a report it filed Wednesday with the Federal Election Commission. Beshear […]
Lawrence superintendent chosen as Kentucky education commissioner. Next stop state Senate.
FRANKFORT — The Kentucky Board of Education has named Lawrence County Schools Superintendent Robbie Fletcher as the next state commissioner of education.? The announcement was made during a special meeting of the board Thursday afternoon.? However, Fletcher still must be confirmed by the Senate, according to a new law passed last year. Pending his confirmation, […]
Cursive writing would become a ‘course of study’ in Kentucky public schools under Tichenor’s bill
FRANKFORT — A Republican senator wants to ensure that students become proficient in cursive handwriting in Kentucky’s public elementary schools.? Sen. Lindsey Tichenor, of Smithfield, presented Senate Bill 167, which would require cursive writing to be taught “as a course of study” in elementary schools, to the House Education Committee Tuesday. The Senate has already […]
As legislature heads into home stretch, here’s some of what remains to be done
FRANKFORT — With eight days left in this session and a slew of decisions pending, the Kentucky House and Senate reconvene Thursday afternoon after a three-day break. High on lawmakers’ to-do list will be finalizing the next two-year state budget. The Senate also must consider changes to the tax code approved with little public notice […]
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 […]
Senate committee OKs bill to change Kentucky’s process for filling US Senate vacancies
A House bill that would change how Kentucky fills vacancies in U.S. Senate seats is moving in the Senate.? The Senate State and Local Government committee forwarded House Bill 622 in a vote of 10-1 Wednesday. Sponsored by House Republican Floor Leader Steven Rudy, of Paducah, the bill would end the governor’s power to fill […]
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 […]
AG Russell Coleman’s biggest donor is a California pharmaceutical exec
The largest donor to the various political committees supporting Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman last year is a newcomer to Kentucky’s world of political giving and lobbying: FFF Enterprises Inc., of Temecula, California. FFF Enterprises describes itself on its website as a “leading supplier of critical-care biopharmaceuticals, plasma products and vaccines.” It first registered to […]
Medication abortion rates grew 10% over the last few years, report shows
Researchers found that 63% of all abortions provided in the U.S. last year were medication abortions. There were an estimated 1,026,690 abortions — the most in over a decade — performed in the formal health care system in 2023, according to a report released Tuesday by the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health research organization. The […]