Government
House-approved bill asks voters to make clear: Noncitizens can’t vote in Kentucky
FRANKFORT — A Republican-backed bill passed Tuesday by the Kentucky House of Representatives would ask voters to approve a constitutional amendment barring people who aren’t U.S. citizens from voting in state and local elections, something that Kentucky’s chief elections official says doesn’t happen.? House Bill 341 sponsor, Rep. Michael Meredith, R-Oakland, described the bill as […]
Decrying ‘pick-a-side politics,’ Beshear responds to GOP calls for him to support Texas governor’s border stand
FRANKFORT — Responding to Republican calls for him to support Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s immigration crackdown, Gov. Andy Beshear on Tuesday praised the 850 Kentucky National Guard members who have served at the southern border, saying they?“answered the call of our country, not the clamor of the latest political outrage.”? Declaring Kentuckians “exhausted with this […]
Kentucky legislators introducing ‘sexually explicit’ ban bills again?
A Kentucky senator and representative will file mirror legislation Tuesday aimed at regulating “adult oriented businesses” and how close they can be to minors: no closer than a city block.? Sen. Lindsey Tichenor, R-Smithfield, and Rep. Nancy Tate, R-Brandenburg, want their respective bills to move simultaneously, they said at a Tuesday press conference.? Should the […]
Man convicted of rape and murder loses shot at parole made possible by former Gov. Matt Bevin
Gregory Wilson, who was sentenced to death after being convicted in 1988 of kidnapping, raping and killing Deborah Pooley of Covington but had his sentence reduced by former Gov. Matt Bevin to make him eligible for parole, has to spend the rest of his life in prison. The Kentucky Parole Board decided Monday that Wilson, […]
Before and after Dobbs, questions of ‘when and where’ affect abortion access
DakotaRei Frausto was 17 years old and 12 weeks pregnant when they had to travel 11 hours by car from San Antonio, Texas, to New Mexico to terminate a pregnancy after contraception failed them. The appointment was April 1, 2022, about six months after Senate Bill 8 initially took effect in Texas, banning abortions after […]
Kentucky has tens of millions of dollars of backlogged requests to repair local roads
Kentucky is?unable to fulfill nearly $40 million of requests from cities and counties to help repair local roads because of a lack of funding, a Kentucky Transportation Cabinet official told state lawmakers Monday.? Bobbi Jo Lewis, commissioner of the Department of Rural and Municipal Aid in the Transportation Cabinet, urged the House Budget Review Subcommittee […]
Kentucky Republicans lining up with Texas governor in border fight with Biden
FRANKFORT — The controversy over control of the U.S. border has invaded the Kentucky Capitol as Attorney General Russell Coleman and other Republicans voice solidarity with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in his showdown with the Biden administration.? Coleman joined 25 other Republican attorneys general on Monday in sending a letter to President Joe Biden similar […]
Kentucky Senate, again: Reopen Capital Avenue
FRANKFORT — A Republican senator is once again pushing to reopen Capital Avenue near the Kentucky Capitol to traffic. The stretch of road, which passes by the Governor’s Mansion, was closed to vehicles in 2021 for security reasons.? Senate Bill 75 from Sen. John Schickel, R-Union, easily passed the Senate Monday in a vote of […]
Bill to get home blood test kits covered by Medicaid passes Kentucky House?
FRANKORT — A bill that would require Kentucky Medicaid to cover at-home blood test kits passed the House 93-0 Monday. House Bill 31 can now advance to the Senate. HB31 would make life easier for Medicaid patients who take blood thinners for their mechanical heart valves. Some patients need the blood thinners after drug use […]
House budget falls short of providing competitive teacher salaries, say Kentucky school administrators
FRANKFORT — Kentucky school districts would be unable to offer competitive teacher salaries under the state budget proposed in the Kentucky House, according to a survey of Kentucky school administrators. The Kentucky Association of School Administrators (KASA) says 96% of respondents said the “proposed budget increase will not enable the district to attract and retain […]
Chemical plant pollution has ‘elevated’ cancer risk in a West Kentucky city, study says
“Toxic air pollution,” largely from a single chemical manufacturer, is elevating the risk of cancer for the approximately 2,500 residents of Calvert City in West Kentucky, state and federal environmental officials are warning.? A study, conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with three air monitors put in place by the Kentucky Division of Air […]
Overdraft fees, late fees could be slashed as White House continues attack on junk fees
The cost of overdrawing your bank account could ease considerably under a rule proposed recently by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The proposed regulation is in line with a larger effort that the Biden administration has championed the past few years to crack down on “junk fees,” which are tacked onto everything from ticket prices […]