News
Judge inks ceasefire in state government battle over new ombudsman’s access to information
Kentucky’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services must give the office of the ombudsman read-only access to a computer system, iTWIST, that stores information about abuse and neglect cases, according to an agreement approved by Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd. The access must be granted by the end of day Thursday, Sept. 19, Shepherd said […]
Beshear signs order banning conversion therapy on Kentucky minors
This story mentions suicide. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.? Calling it a “dangerous practice,” Gov. Andy Beshear signed an executive order Wednesday that bans conversion therapy on minors in Kentucky.? Speaking in Frankfort, Beshear said such attempts to alter a […]
New Harris campaign ad features Kentucky rape survivor who became pregnant at 12
A new campaign ad from Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign features sexual abuse survivor Hadley Duvall, a Kentucky woman who was raped by her stepfather and became pregnant when she was 12 years old. Duvall says in the 30-second spot, titled “Monster” that at the time she discovered she was pregnant, she “had options” […]
Tennessee tries to rein in Ballad Health’s hospital monopoly after years of problems
Ballad Health, an Appalachian company with the nation’s largest state-sanctioned hospital monopoly, may soon be required to improve its quality of care or face the possibility of being broken up. Government documents obtained by KFF Health News reveal that Tennessee officials, in closed-door negotiations, are attempting to hold the monopoly more accountable after years of […]
Concerns over private student loans brought to U.S. Senate panel
WASHINGTON — As private student loan companies take heat over accusations of predatory behavior and deception, members of a U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs panel and student advocates voiced concerns over the industry at a hearing Tuesday. The Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection hearing came as the broader student […]
Health and farmworker advocates urge ban of herbicide linked to Parkinson’s
WASHINGTON — Public health advocates and farmworkers called for a federal ban on a toxic herbicide they say led to their Parkinson’s disease during a Tuesday briefing for congressional staffers. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will determine next year if the herbicide, paraquat dichloride, should have its license renewed for another 15 years. The herbicide […]
In vitro fertilization bills from both Democrats and GOP blocked in U.S. Senate
WASHINGTON — The closely divided U.S. Senate gridlocked Tuesday over the best way to provide nationwide protections for in vitro fertilization, despite lawmakers from both political parties maintaining they want to do so. Republicans voted against advancing a Democratic bill that could have prevented states from enacting “harmful or unwarranted limitations” on the procedure and […]
Kentucky university presidents say they welcome everyone, GOP lawmakers renew criticism of DEI
FRANKFORT — Five of Kentucky’s university presidents told state lawmakers that their campuses are focused on inclusivity for all students as an interim committee sought information about diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in higher education. The discussion, which lasted a couple of hours, in front of the Interim Joint Committee on Education on Tuesday […]
Focus shifts in I-75 shooter search from manhunt in forest to more police presence in communities
Kentucky officials on Tuesday announced a shift in the search for the suspect in the Sept. 7 shootings on Interstate 75 to focus on increasing police presence and patrols in nearby communities. Gov. Andy Behsear said that on the manhunt’s 11th day there remains only a low probability of finding Joseph Couch, 32, in the […]
As abortion bans delay emergency medical care, this Georgia mother’s death was preventable
In her final hours, Amber Nicole Thurman suffered from a grave infection that her suburban Atlanta hospital was well-equipped to treat. She’d taken abortion pills and encountered a rare complication; she had not expelled all of the fetal tissue from her body. She showed up at Piedmont Henry Hospital in need of a routine procedure […]
Growth in clean energy jobs spurred by incentives congressional GOP opposes, says advocacy group
Kentucky for the second straight year had the nation’s second fastest growth in clean energy jobs, though the state still lags in the actual number of such jobs, according to an annual report that focuses on economic development and energy. The report from E2, which describes itself as a nonpartisan business group that advocates “for […]
How immigrants navigate their digital footprints in a charged political climate
For more than a decade, San-Francisco-based Miguel has been successfully filing renewals for his Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status every two years, at least until 2024. For some reason, this year, it took more than five months to get approval, during which his enrollment in the program lapsed, leaving him in a legal […]