News
States that limit business with banks that ‘boycott’ fossil fuels could pay high cost, study says
Republican state policymakers’ efforts to boost fossil fuels by prohibiting their governments from doing business with companies that take sustainability into consideration has the potential to cost states millions, according to a study released Thursday. Researchers looked specifically at the possible effects on Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma and West Virginia if they passed Texas-like […]
Jan. 15 deadline to sign up for health, dental insurance through state marketplace
Jan. 15 is the deadline to enroll for health and dental insurance through the state-based marketplace created under the Affordable Care Act. To see plan options, visit kynect.ky.gov or call 1-855-459-6328. Kentuckians who don’t have coverage through another source, such as an employer, Medicaid, the Kentucky Children’s Health Insurance Program, Medicare or TRICARE, can shop […]
U.S. House Republicans push through two anti-abortion measures in first work week
?WASHINGTON — The U.S. House on Wednesday approved its first abortion-related measures under a new Republican majority, eliciting strong support from GOP members and opposition from Democrats, who rejected the legislation as misleading and incomplete.? Republicans, who secured a four-seat majority during the November midterm elections, said the bill setting medical standards on a national […]
Their family home is flood-prone. Flood insurance is too expensive.
JACKSON — Last time she checked, flood insurance would cost Carolyn Combs and husband Lou about $1,100 per month. That was before the 2021 and 2022 floods swept through her family’s home in Jackson, destroying everything inside. “I couldn’t imagine what it is now,” Combs told the Kentucky Lantern in mid-December. “But I already work […]
Months after flooding, many still lack basic household supplies, building materials
JACKSON —About five months after deadly flooding and heavy rains displaced thousands of Eastern Kentuckians and killed at least 44, many still need help to replace basic household supplies.? The plea from many in Breathitt County going into hard winter is, they told the Kentucky Lantern: Don’t forget about us. And: there are still many […]
Months after Eastern Kentucky floods, survivors weigh the future
JACKSON — When the 2021 Eastern Kentucky floods came, Nancy Herald’s basement filled to the rafters.? She lost roughly 50 years of cherished Christmas decorations stored along the concrete wall, along with the washer, dryer and refrigerator.? Because of that experience, the family thought they’d be ready when the 2022 floods came more than a […]
Some fear a region’s future hangs on legislature’s support for emergency affordable housing
FRANKFORT — Without significant state funding for new housing, “we’re going to experience the largest out-migration in Appalachian history,” Sen. Brandon Smith of Hazard told the Kentucky Lantern in a telephone interview just before 2023 began. Yet, despite the thousands of homes lost to last summer’s flooding, no significant housing proposal emerged during the legislature’s […]
New federal student loan repayment plan aimed at low-income borrowers
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Education unveiled a proposal Tuesday that would overhaul a federal student loan income-driven repayment plan, and, if implemented, could help millions of low-income borrowers. However, it’s unclear how the agency would be able to finance the program. Many student debt relief advocates also criticized the proposal for leaving out […]
U.S. House GOP plan calls for federal spending cuts, conditions on debt limit increase
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republican leaders during a closed-door meeting Tuesday shared more details of the secret agreements Speaker Kevin McCarthy made with conservative lawmakers last week to secure the votes he needed to hold the gavel.? The so-called handshake deal, displayed on slides during the GOP weekly conference meeting, if adhered to could have […]
Kentucky’s James Comer will chair Oversight and Accountability Committee
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans filled their top committee seats this week, choosing the leaders who will set the course for bills and issues for the new majority in the 118th Congress. Veteran GOP lawmakers from Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio, Arkansas, Kentucky and Missouri were among those who won the right to head up […]
Kentucky Democrats raise $50,000 from Charter for building fund, pales against GOP’s haul
FRANKFORT, Ky. – Charter Communications, the St. Louis-based telecommunications company, contributed $50,000 in late 2022 to the building fund of the Kentucky Democratic Party. The contribution was disclosed in a report filed by the party Tuesday morning with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance. It was the only contribution listed in the Democratic Party’s building […]
Stivers, leading foe of medical cannabis, suggests he could support it in end-of life cases
This article is republished from?Kentucky Health News, a publication of the?Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues?at the?University of Kentucky. State Senate President Robert Stivers suggested Monday night that he might be willing to approve medical marijuana in Kentucky on a very limited basis, to relieve patients’ pain at the end of their lives. But […]