News
U.S. Supreme Court overturns ban on bump stocks used in Las Vegas mass shooting
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday struck down a rule enacted following a 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas that defined a semiautomatic rifle equipped with a bump stock attachment as a machine gun, which is generally prohibited under federal law. The opinion, written by Justice Clarence Thomas, reduces the executive branch’s already-limited […]
Industry, clean power groups breathe a sigh of relief as Senate approves energy regulators?
Three nominees by President Joe Biden to serve on the nation’s top energy regulatory panel, which had risked losing a quorum, were approved this week by the U.S. Senate. The vote to approve the new members — two Democrats and a Republican — for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission was cheered by industry, renewable power […]
Trump claims ‘great unity’ after talks with congressional GOP
WASHINGTON — In his first visit to Capitol Hill since leaving office in January 2021, former President Donald J. Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee,?mapped campaign strategy with GOP lawmakers and projected party unity?ahead of the November elections. Trump said the meetings brought “great unity.” Surrounded by Republican senators who were smiling and applauding him […]
Controversial new rules for decision-making win final OK from University of Kentucky trustees
LEXINGTON —?University of Kentucky trustees gave final approval Friday to a new internal governance structure that faculty say strips them of power over academic decisions.? The Board of Trustees reviewed the new shared governance proposal, backed by President Eli Capilouto, during its Friday meeting, voting 19-1 in favor of the changes.? The lone nay vote […]
Stuck in idle: Kentucky Speedway falls short of once high hopes 4 years after last NASCAR race
SPARTA — By the end of the year, the owners of Kentucky Speedway will have paid Gallatin County more than $900,000 for tickets never sold to races never run. NASCAR abandoned the racetrack following the 2020 Quaker State 400, but a 20-year PILOT agreement (Payments In Lieu Of Taxes) obligates Speedway Motorsports Inc. to two […]
U.S. Senate Republicans reject Democrats’ bill on IVF protections
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democrats’ attempts to bolster reproductive rights failed again Thursday when Republicans blocked a bill guaranteeing access to in vitro fertilization from moving forward. The 48-47 procedural vote came just one day after Republicans tried unsuccessfully to pass their own IVF access bill and one week after GOP senators prevented legislation from […]
Colorectal cancer deaths in Appalachian Kentucky have declined, study finds
Deaths from colorectal cancer in Appalachian Kentucky declined from 1999 to 2020, but far less than the rate of decline in the rest of the nation.? That’s the upshot of a University of Kentucky study analyzing death data. It found that in the 54 Kentucky counties served by the Appalachian Regional Commission, the mortality rate […]
Memorial Day storms death total updated
The storms that swept through Kentucky over Memorial Day weekend killed at least 6 people, Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday.? The previous known death total was 5. The sixth death was a 99-year-old woman in Laurel County, Beshear said.? Previous deaths were reported in Hopkins, Caldwell, Hardin, Mercer and Jefferson Counties.? The late May storms […]
U.S. Supreme Court rejects attempt to limit access to abortion pill
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a much-anticipated decision Thursday that mifepristone, one of two pharmaceuticals used in medication abortion, can remain available under current prescribing guidelines. The high court unanimously rejected attempts by anti-abortion groups to roll back access to what was in place more than eight years ago, writing that they […]
UK faculty’s role in decision-making expected to shrink when trustees vote Friday
Changes that faculty warn would end their decision-making power in academic matters are set to come before the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees Friday for a final vote. UK President Eli Capilouto, who says the changes are needed to streamline governance processes, has revised his controversial original proposal in response to feedback from students, […]
State abortion bans forcing interstate travel, U.S. Senate panel hears
WASHINGTON — When Lauren Miller flew from her home state of Texas to Colorado two years ago she felt a moment of relief when the plane took off — not because she had been delayed for hours or because she needed a vacation, but because she was about to meet with doctors who would be […]
Republican IVF bill fails in U.S. Senate
WASHINGTON — Alabama Republican Sen. Katie Britt’s efforts to pass legislation that would block Medicaid funding from going to states that ban in vitro fertilization were unsuccessful Wednesday when Democrats blocked the bill from advancing. Britt, who introduced the legislation earlier this year alongside Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, said during brief debate the bill […]