Government
‘Something has to change’: Kentucky’s utility regulator faces more work with fewer staff
FRANKFORT — Kentucky’s utility regulator is responsible for managing a larger, more complex caseload despite having a diminished and less experienced staff than in the past, its chairman told lawmakers Wednesday.? The Kentucky Public Service Commission regulates the rates and services of more than 1,100 utilities, ranging from massive investor-owned electric providers like Kentucky Power […]
Small housing site planned near Whitesburg could be first new one fully occupied by flood victims
Letcher County has given the state a 3.5-acre tract near Whitesburg to be used for a small housing development for victims of the July 2022 flood. It seems likely to be the first fully occupied such development. The site, known as the Marlowe property, is on Sandlick Creek, less than a mile outside the Whitesburg […]
Mammoth Cave National Park expansion proposed by McConnell, Guthrie
A 980-acre expansion of Mammoth Cave National Park is in the works. U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell and Rep. Brett Guthrie on Tuesday unveiled legislation that would allow the park? to acquire “critical habitat” within the Green River watershed from The Nature Conservancy. “The property includes numerous cave passages, including Coach Cave and James Cave that […]
Kentucky lawmakers hear update on KERA and school assessment methods
Kentucky lawmakers on Tuesday heard an update on the state of Kentucky education assessments and what policy changes could impact their future.? Lu Young, the chairwoman of the Kentucky Board of Education, told members of the Interim Joint Committee on Education that it’s time to reconsider the backdrop of past accountability and assessment measures as […]
How a medical recoding may limit cancer patients’ options for breast reconstruction
The federal government is reconsidering a decision that breast cancer patients, plastic surgeons, and members of Congress have protested would limit women’s options for reconstructive surgery. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently heard from interested parties at a public meeting as part of reexamining how doctors are paid for a type of breast […]
GOP-led states plan new voter data systems to replace one they rejected. Good luck with that.
So far this year, seven states, all Republican-led, have left the Electronic Registration Information Center, an interstate compact for sharing voter registration data, and more could follow. Amid the exodus, some states, including Texas and Virginia, have said they plan to create their own data-sharing networks to replace ERIC. Pledging to build a new system […]
Remote work biting into Covington’s payroll tax revenue
The city of Covington has attributed its recent budget shortfalls to rising work-from-home policies.? Covington’s finance director Steve Webb disclosed during a presentation at a city commission meeting on May 23 that the city’s general fund’s expenditures had exceeded its revenue for the third quarter of the 2023 fiscal year, which ends on June 30. […]
Could an illegal psychedelic substance ease the opioid crisis? Daniel Cameron wants to find out.
The head of the commission that manages Kentucky’s opioid-settlement money said Wednesday that the panel will “explore the possibility” of committing “no less than $42 million” to developing a treatment of opioid-use disorder with the psychedelic drug ibogaine, which is not legal in the United States. Gov. Andy Beshear questioned the idea and said it […]
Lexington Democrat kicks off campaign to become Kentucky’s first transgender lawmaker
LEXINGTON — Democrat Emma Curtis on Thursday kicked off her campaign to succeed the late Rep. Lamin Swann as state representative from a south Lexington district. Curtis, who would be Kentucky’s first transgender legislator, said she wants to be a voice for transgender youth but is equally committed to working for the 93rd District to […]
Kentucky judge recuses himself from KEA case after Cameron questioned his impartiality
A Kentucky judge has recused himself from a court case after Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron questioned the judge’s impartiality based on ?political contributions supporting the judge’s recent reelection. Franklin Circuit Court Judge Phillip Shepherd in an order Tuesday directed a lawsuit filed by the Kentucky Education Association be transferred to the other circuit judge […]
A rural county’s choice: Use opioid funds to pay off debt, or pay them forward to curb crisis
Over the past two years, rural Greene County in northeastern Tennessee has collected more than $2.7 million from regional and national settlements with opioid manufacturers and distributors. But instead of helping people harmed by addiction, county officials are finding other ways to spend it. They have put $2.4 million toward paying off the county’s debt […]
Kentucky officially unveils COVID-19 memorial in Frankfort?
Kentucky officials unveiled a new memorial honoring those lost to COVID-19 at the Capitol Wednesday.? The installation, called “United We Stand. Divided We Fall,” is an Amanda Mathews design and sculpture.? Matthews is the CEO of Prometheus Art in Lexington. She sculpted the Nettie Depp statue, the first of a woman to be displayed in […]