Government
Beshear cries ‘politics’ as auditor launches examination of disaster relief funds
FRANKFORT — State Auditor Mike Harmon’s office will conduct a “special examination” of the Beshear administration’s handling of disaster relief funds at the request of a legislative committee. The focus of the audit will be the Public Protection Cabinet’s administration of the Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund and the Team Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief […]
Changes in state election laws have little impact on results, new study finds
In recent years, U.S. politics has been consumed by partisan fights over states’ election policies. But a new study by two political scientists is causing a stir by finding that state legislators’ changes to election laws — both those that tighten election rules in the name of integrity, and those that loosen rules to expand […]
More than 11,000 Kentuckians eligible for student debt relief
More than 11,000 student loan borrowers in Kentucky are eligible for automatic relief from almost a half-billion in debt under a plan announced last week by the Biden administration.? A news release from the U.S. Department of Education says the debt discharges are part of a “commitment to address historical failures in the administration” of […]
Kentucky’s annual crime report shows drop in serious offenses
Incidents of violent crime decreased across Kentucky in 2022 compared to the previous year, according to an annual state report released Wednesday.? The 2022 Crime in Kentucky Report showed about a 9.2% drop in the number of reported Group A offenses — which include the state’s most serious offenses including arson, homicide, bribery, burglary, and […]
Hal Rogers’ attempted glide path for federal prison in Letcher County draws flak
Opponents of a long-debated federal prison in Letcher County are criticizing U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers for using what they call a “strongman tactic” to “fast track” the project without public comment or an environmental review. Even the courts, opponents say, would be precluded from hearing legal challenges to the prison, under language that Rogers added […]
Legislative task force starts review of Kentucky school safety laws
FRANKFORT — Kentucky lawmakers on Tuesday launched a review of recent laws aimed at making schools safer as a special Task Force on School and Campus Security met for the first time.? In response to a 2018 school shooting at Marshall County High School, in which two students were killed and more than a dozen […]
Kentucky awards more than $1 million in matching grants to nine tech companies
Kentucky has awarded almost $1.1 million in grants to nine tech businesses. The state funding will match, in part, $7.45 million in federal grants the businesses will collectively receive, according to a release from Gov. Andy Beshear’s office. The funding comes through Kentucky’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Matching […]
Joe Wright, a leader in Kentucky legislative independence movement, dies at 82
Former state Sen. Joe Wright, a leader in the Kentucky General Assembly’s fight to become independent from the control of the governor more than four decades ago, died Saturday at Louisville’s Baptist East Hospital. He was 82. Joseph “Joe” Richard Wright of Breckinridge County served in the state Senate from 1976 to 1992. From 1981 […]
Kentucky health care providers defend certificate of need
FRANKFORT — Several of Kentucky’s major health care providers made the case that the state’s certificate of need process should remain, for the most part, as it is, before a task force charged with examining the issue on Monday.? The Kentucky Association of Health Care Facilities, Kentucky Home Care Association, hospice services and the Kentucky […]
New rule aims to limit miners’ silica dust exposure but still relies on coal company self-oversight
Correction: This story previously stated the Mine Safety and Health Administration was not holding a hearing on the new silica dust proposal close to Appalachian coal communities. MSHA announced Thursday it had added a hearing in Beckley, West Virginia on Aug. 10. We regret the error. Gary Harriston, 69, compares what it feels like to […]
Kochs’ ‘dark money’ group pushing to repeal Kentucky’s certificate of need health care law
A libertarian-leaning national conservative group known for its connections to the Koch brothers and its “dark money” network is weighing in on the certificate of need debate expected to heat up in Kentucky as some seek to repeal or reform the decades-long program.? The Koch brothers, David and Charles, controlled Koch Industries, an energy conglomerate […]
U.S. judge reinstates Kentucky’s ban on gender affirming medical care for transgender minors
A federal judge on Friday stayed a temporary block on part of a new Kentucky law that banned gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors.? That means Kentucky’s transgender children are now banned from receiving hormone treatments, a move celebrated by Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who requested the reversal.? “While we strongly disagree with this opinion, […]