News
Years after CONSOL ended retiree benefits, judge finds merit in case claiming miners were defrauded
Several retired coal miners are feeling validated this month as a federal judge found merit in their case alleging that CONSOL Energy engaged in a decades-long scheme to rob them of lifetime health benefits for them and their spouses that were promised as a condition of employment. The coal miners who brought the case all […]
Overdose deaths are down nationally, but up in many Western states
Despite an encouraging national dip in the past year, overdose deaths are still on the rise in many Western states as the epicenter of the nation’s continuing crisis shifts toward the Pacific Coast, where deadly fentanyl and also methamphetamine are finding more victims. Overdose deaths remain sharply higher since 2019. Many states are working on […]
‘You pick the next president’: Pivotal Erie County, Pennsylvania, rallies for Harris
ERIE, Pa. — Vice President Kamala Harris packed an arena Monday night in Erie, Pennsylvania, a swing corner of the key swing state in the 2024 presidential election. Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, told thousands of spectators, “You are a pivot county.” “How you all vote in presidential elections often ends up predicting the […]
Kentucky, West Virginia universities studying how to predict, prepare for flash flooding
Researchers at public universities in Kentucky and West Virginia are planning to collaborate alongside local residents on a four-year project to better understand, predict and prepare for flash flooding in Appalachia and climate change’s impacts on it.? Surface coal mining worsened deadly Eastern Kentucky floods in July 2022, study shows A nearly $1.1 million award […]
A new Kentucky area code? 502 expected to run short of numbers in about three years
A national organization overseeing the supply of phone numbers on behalf of phone carriers is asking a Kentucky regulator to establish a new area code in response to a dwindling supply of available 502 area code numbers covering Louisville, Frankfort and nearby counties. The application filed with the Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC) on Monday […]
KY Secretary of State Adams is mulling a run for governor, according to law school interview
Kentucky Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams is mulling a run for governor, according to a recent interview with his law school’s publication.? An alumni profile of Adams entitled “Election Defender” in the Harvard Law Bulletin says he is considering a run for governor as he is term-limited as the state’s top election official. Adams […]
More Kentucky Republicans ‘decline’ to answer Right to Life’s endorsement survey
LOUISVILLE — Kentucky Right to Life is endorsing in fewer legislative races this year — 45 candidates for the General Assembly received an endorsement from the anti-abortion group, down from 86 in 2022 and 88 in 2020. Planned Parenthood’s Tamarra Wieder said the decrease in endorsements is a sign that Kentucky politicians no longer want […]
Immigration: Where do Trump and Harris stand?
This is one in a series of States Newsroom reports on the major policy issues in the presidential race. WASHINGTON — Immigration remains at the forefront of the 2024 presidential election, with both candidates taking a tougher stance than in the past on the flow of migrants into the United States. GOP presidential candidate Donald […]
As AI takes the helm of decision making, signs of perpetuating historic biases emerge
In a recent study evaluating how chatbots make loan suggestions for mortgage applications, researchers at Pennsylvania’s Lehigh University found something stark: there was clear racial bias at play. With 6,000 sample loan applications based on data from the 2022 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, the chatbots recommended denials for more Black applicants than identical white counterparts. […]
Vance in Pennsylvania says there was a ‘peaceful transfer of power’ in January 2021?
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance campaigned Saturday in the key battleground of Pennsylvania, where early mail-in voting is already underway as just 25 days remain in the heated 2024 race that will be decided by a handful of states. Former President Donald Trump’s running mate rallied a crowd of a few […]
Harris pursues undecided Latino voters in wide-ranging Univision town hall
Vice President Kamala Harris fielded a series of questions from undecided Latino voters on Thursday during an emotional town hall in Las Vegas hosted by Univision. Harris continues to court this key voting bloc as Election Day rapidly approaches and she and former President Donald Trump vie for the Oval Office in an extremely close […]
‘School choice’ on the ballot in 3 states, including Kentucky, faces pushback in others
Supporters of school choice in Kentucky are hoping voters will do what the state courts wouldn’t — allow a new path for state-supported payments to private schools. Kentucky is one of three states, along with Colorado and Nebraska, with school choice questions on the ballot this fall. Voters will be asked to decide whether public […]