News
Biden rule on transgender athletes would set conditions on school sports bans
The Biden administration will advance a rule to make it more difficult for schools to exclude transgender youth athletes from competition based on their gender identity, a senior U.S. Education Department official told reporters Thursday. The proposed rule would prohibit blanket bans of transgender athletes competing in sports consistent with their gender identity. But it […]
Biden vetoes attempt to repeal WOTUS rule on wetlands
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Thursday vetoed a measure that would repeal a rule expanding which types of wetlands can be regulated under the Clean Water Act. Biden promised to veto the legislation that saw Democrats crossing party lines in both chambers to join Republicans in rolling back a rule that is unpopular with […]
Kentucky Black Legislative Caucus joins call condemning potential expulsion of Tennessee lawmakers?
Kentucky’s Black Legislative Caucus joined the National Black Caucus of State Legislators in? condemning the potential expulsion of? three Tennessee state lawmakers after days of turmoil at the Capitol in Nashville.? Last week, three Tennessee Democrats?—?Rep. Gloria Johnson, Justin J. Pearson and Justin Jones — led an impromptu protest on the House floor against gun […]
Sex, gender, parents’ rights: A roundup of Kentucky education legislation
FRANKFORT — The recently-ended legislative session brought education to the forefront of Kentucky politics in an election year for statewide offices.? Lawmakers approved legislation aimed at tackling a shortage of teachers, though the Republican-controlled General Assembly never considered Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s proposal to provide school employees with 5% pay raises. The education debates that […]
Inside the battle over who gets to build the grid of the future
The U.S. Department of Energy issued a draft report in February that found a “pressing need” for new electric transmission infrastructure across the country to improve reliability, connect a rapidly growing number of solar, wind and battery storage projects, supply increasing electric demand and alleviate scattered pockets of consistently high prices across the country. To […]
As future of abortion pill is weighed, Democrats in Congress see little they can do
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democrats appear lukewarm about pursuing reproductive rights legislation in a divided Congress, even as a federal judge in Texas considers overturning access to abortion pills nationwide. Interviews by States Newsroom with Democrats who control the Senate by a narrow margin found little optimism they could counter a ruling that could potentially […]
Cameron joins attorneys general in opposing federal regulations on gas stoves
Kentucky’s Daniel Cameron joined a coalition of 22 state attorneys general in opposing a proposed federal regulation on the sale of gas stoves currently on the market.? The move from the group of state officials is in response to a Department of Energy proposal to require efficiency standards for cooktop appliances. Growing evidence shows gas […]
How Janis Ian’s ‘life’ came to Berea College
BEREA — On one of their visits, Janis Ian took Berea College President Lyle Roelofs to her studio. There he saw a photo of “a very young” Ian sitting at a grand piano. “Looking over her shoulder at the music she had written and was playing from,” he realized, was Leonard Bernstein, the legendary songwriter […]
Mortgage rates are stabilizing but that may not be enough to help house hunters
Home prices are cooling off and mortgage rates fell last week, but the fallout from recent bank closures could continue to make it hard for some Americans to buy homes, economists say.? Mortgage rates fell to 6.32% for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage, Freddie Mac data released on Thursday shows. Last fall, the 30-year fixed […]
Trump hit with 34 felony counts of falsifying New York state business records
Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty Tuesday to 34 New York state felony offenses related to what prosecutors say were hush money payments to an adult film star. In a brief but historic appearance in a Manhattan trial court, Trump, the first former president to face criminal prosecution, learned he was charged with falsifying […]
Hazardous dams in Kentucky will now be required to have emergency plans, thanks to new law
FRANKFORT — Kentucky dam safety officials faced a potentially dire situation last year: A sinkhole was rapidly growing in the slope of a dam in Crittenden County. A failure could have sent 180 million gallons of water cascading toward private developments and the local hospital.? And there was no emergency plan. That’s because until last […]
Manufacturer of material for electric vehicle batteries bringing 562 jobs to Hopkinsville
Two new manufacturing plants, one making material for electric vehicle batteries, will be constructed in Hopkinsville, creating more than 700 jobs over the next couple of years, Gov. Andy Beshear announced on March 30. Microvast Advanced Membrane Inc. will invest $504 million in a 350,000-square-foot facility and employ 562 workers at Commerce Park II on […]