News

‘Larger than life’ sociologist who broke down racial barriers at University of Kentucky dies at 88

BY: - June 26, 2024

Doris Y. Wilkinson, a University of Kentucky sociologist and part of its first class of Black undergraduates, died June 23. She was 88.? Wilkinson entered UK in 1954, the year a U.S. Supreme Court decision outlawed racial segregation in public education and the first year that Kentucky’s flagship public university accepted Black undergraduates. She had […]

‘Flabbergasted:’ Help for kinship care families passed unanimously. $20M price tag could derail it.

BY: - June 26, 2024

A funding dispute between Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear and Republican lawmakers threatens to delay long-awaited financial relief for grandparents and other kinship caregivers who are raising children in Kentucky.? Beshear signed and says he supports a new law that allows relatives who take temporary custody of a child, when abuse or neglect is suspected, to […]

Undecided voters are the prize for both Biden and Trump in Thursday presidential debate

BY: - June 26, 2024

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will get a crucial opportunity to reach undecided voters and set the terms for the 2024 presidential campaign at Thursday night’s debate in Atlanta. Partisans on either side have already made up their minds about which candidate they’ll support. And with this year’s race serving as a […]

Biden to pardon vets discharged for same-sex relationships

BY: - June 26, 2024

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will pardon U.S. military veterans who were discharged or convicted under military law for consensual same-sex relations, the administration announced Wednesday. The White House could not provide an exact number of veterans who will be pardoned, but the administration estimates thousands were convicted over several decades and may be eligible. […]

Four states to begin voluntary testing for bird flu in dairy farm milk tanks

BY: - June 25, 2024

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday that four states will launch voluntary pilot programs in the days ahead to test bulk milk tanks on dairy farms for bird flu — a move that’s aimed at making it easier for farmers to ship herds across state lines and for public health officials to […]

Louisville police chief resigns under scrutiny for handling of sexual harassment allegations

BY: - June 25, 2024

Louisville Metro Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel has resigned after being placed on administrative leave amid an investigation of her handling of sexual harassment allegations within the department.? Mayor Craig Greenberg announced Tuesday that the chief’s resignation was effective immediately. He appointed Acting Chief of Police Paul Humphrey, who had been leading the department while Gwinn-Villaroel […]

‘Not my favorite issue,’ age will be on voters’ minds as they pick a president, says McConnell

BY: - June 25, 2024

LOUISVILLE — U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell told a group of Louisville business leaders that no matter who wins the 2024 presidential election, the country’s allies must “know that America is strong.”? McConnell, Kentucky’s senior senator, spoke about domestic and international politics, including his thoughts on the U.S. election and his continued support for […]

Calm, conservative, confident: What GOP senators want in Trump’s vice presidential pick

BY: and - June 25, 2024

WASHINGTON — Republican members of the U.S. Senate striving for a takeover of their chamber in the November elections have a wish list for what they’d like to see in Donald Trump’s running mate. A “little calmer” than Trump. Confident. Conservative. Military experience. Good relationships with senators. Ready to take over as chief executive if […]

Don’t give up on the FAFSA, advocates for student financial aid urge

BY: - June 25, 2024

WASHINGTON — Though the new version of the form to apply for federal financial student aid has had its fair share of highly publicized hiccups, U.S. Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal says the department has made a lot of progress in the past couple of months. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid — […]

For both sides, abortion policy two years after Dobbs decision hinges on November

BY: - June 24, 2024

WASHINGTON — Exactly two years after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion, the battles rage among both advocates and lawmakers over the future of reproductive rights at the state and federal levels. Anti-abortion groups that have achieved considerable success in deep-red parts of the country are working to sway voters […]

abortion

Kentuckians decry ‘terrifying’ choices, two years after Dobbs ended abortion access in the state

BY: - June 24, 2024

LOUISVILLE — Two years to the day after the United States Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion, advocates and physicians in Louisville and Lexington slammed the fallout from Kentucky’s almost total ban on the procedure. Kentucky’s U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey was in Louisville Monday morning alongside Planned Parenthood and others to say “the […]

The Dobbs effect today: Abortion ballot initiatives, expected higher mortality, more litigation

BY: - June 24, 2024

In Arizona, the state’s highest court upheld a Civil War-era abortion ban. Florida and South Carolina moved to restrict abortion to six weeks — before many people know they are pregnant. The Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are “children,” temporarily throwing fertility treatments, such as IVF, into uncertainty and igniting a national debate. […]