Free, AI-powered local news for Lexington, Kentucky
This is the machine-readable AI-summary surface. The human-edited edition lives at lexingtonky.news. How we make these.
A federal judge has dismissed a case from the U.S. Department of Justice against Kentucky election officials that sought to gain access to voter registration data, including sensitive information such as driver’s license and Social Security numbers. In an opinion released Thursday, District Judge Claria Horn Boom cited a recent ruling regarding Michigan voter data […]
Like two sides of a coin imprinted with the nation’s motto, “e pluribus unum” — out of many, one — America’s political factions are cast in opposition, but they are intrinsically bound together as parts of a larger whole. From the beginning, the United States has aspired to build a more perfect union. When our founders […]
The Trump administration has a new plan for teenagers learning about pregnancy: Beginning this summer, it will steer millions of dollars toward organizations that focus on anatomy, fertility tracking, hormonal production and “reproductive goals counseling.” The plan will also emphasize abstinence from sex and the importance of marriage. In doing so, it will pivot away […]
In the 1930s, as Harlan County, Kentucky, erupted into one of the most violent labor conflicts in American history, a quiet reality was unfolding two hundred miles to the west. In Crittenden County, men went into the ground every morning to dig fluorspar—a mineral essential to building the steel for Allied ships, the aluminum for […]
A federal judge denied a motion to temporarily prevent a federal judge from starting as the next dean of the University of Kentucky College of Law. Last week, professor Ramsi Woodcock filed a lawsuit against the incoming dean, Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove, as well as UK President Eli Capilouto, Provost Robert DiPaola and the university. […]
“Today is not a magic wand. It’s not a magic bullet."
U.S. Representative Andy Barr, R-KY, is sponsoring a bipartisan effort, backed by Kentucky’s hemp industry, to regulate intoxicating hemp-derived products ahead of an effective ban of such products spearheaded by Kentucky’s senior U.S. Senator, Mitch McConnell. The Lawful Hemp Protection Act would create a regulatory framework for consumable hemp products that have tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, […]
More than 200 American mayors are calling on the federal government to reverse changes that will cost states billions and push millions of people off the food stamp program. This week, the United States Conference of Mayors asked the U.S. Senate’s agriculture committee to reconsider the deep cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or […]
A lot of people are asking Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear to “do something” about U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell’s absence from the Senate. Former Illinois Republican congressman turned political commentator Adam Kinzinger said on Threads Tuesday: “I think the Governor of Kentucky has every right and responsibility to either see Mitch or declare the seat vacant.” […]
An international company wants to build a hyperscale data center — consuming the equivalent of more than 10% of the electricity produced in the state of Kentucky during the summer — at the site of the former site of the AK Steel mill in Eastern Kentucky. The data center developer Rubix Data Centers is a […]
Immigration arrests reached 1,593 per day in early July in a new push to detain and deport immigrants that has led to deaths in traffic stops. There were more than 43,000 arrests in June, the highest recorded by the Trump administration, according to statistics released Monday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reflecting new bookings […]
Courtney Hamby and her husband spend close to $6,000 per year for their daughter Ellie’s cheer and tumbling classes, competition fees and uniforms. That doesn’t include their travel expenses for multiple out-of-town competitions, including hotel rooms, gas, meals, and sometimes even flights. “This should be something that everyone gets to play, and it shouldn’t be […]
A 4% cut may sound small. In a state budget, it may look like fiscal discipline. But Kentucky’s Medicaid reimbursement cut is the kind of decision that can save money on paper while costing taxpayers more in real life. The Kentucky Department for Medicaid Services notified providers in June that it would implement a 4% […]
Rocky Adkins, a former Democratic leader in the Kentucky House and senior advisor to Gov. Andy Beshear from Eastern Kentucky, is officially running for governor. His campaign issued a press release Tuesday morning and released a video on social media. It opens with boxers fighting in a ring and then moves to Adkins speaking over […]
Kentuckians are feeling the strain as residential energy bills sky-rocket and historic heat waves grip the region. Families need solutions that will lower energy burdens and monthly costs. For that reason, Sierra Club Kentucky – alongside six other community advocacy organizations – submitted a letter to the state’s Public Service Commission (PSC) asking that the […]
WASHINGTON — A top U.S. Food and Drug Administration official said Monday that a false positive report for the parasite cyclospora from a Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce sample does not change the basis for an ongoing agency investigation. FDA had announced Sunday the false positive on a Taylor Farms lettuce sample, amid an outbreak of cyclosporiasis […]
The Trump administration is removing protections from the key places where endangered species live, saying states can keep the areas safe. But experts say states aren’t equipped for the task. Earlier this month, the Trump administration finalized a major change to the Endangered Species Act, rolling back protections for the forests, wetlands, deserts and other […]
Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear appointed his former senior adviser, Rocky Adkins, to the Kentucky State Fair Board, which is embroiled in controversy after the governor gained control of the board following a recent Kentucky Supreme Court opinion. Adkins, who left Beshear’s administration earlier this month amid speculation that he will run for governor in 2027, […]
Renee Shaw, a notable Kentucky journalist who has worked at KET for 29 years, will retire from the state’s public television network at the end of July. Shaw, the director of Public Affairs and moderator at KET, hosts Kentucky Edition weekly and Kentucky Tonight, the network’s public policy discussion series. Ahead of elections, she moderates […]
In 1996, the Cigarette Papers was published, revealing how Kentucky’s Tobacco and Health Research Institute at the University of Kentucky presented itself as an independent arm of a publicly funded university, but in fact it was run by tobacco manufacturers and their highly paid lawyers. Although the purported goals of the institute were to conduct […]
A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision makes it easier for political parties to put their stamp on the most important campaigns, just as the struggle heats up for control of Congress in the midterm elections. Simply put, the ruling “gives the parties more money to spend,” said David Kolker, senior counsel at the nonpartisan Campaign […]
An effort by the Mercer County city of Burgin to annex land into its city limits for a potential data center has embroiled the small community in a contentious debate over the impacts of such a project, something that’s also raising strong concerns from local leaders of the county seat. People packed inside the Burgin […]
Families asked that leaders find a way to work together and reverse the cut.
WASHINGTON — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday that public health officials have linked the ongoing outbreak of cyclosporiasis in five states to shredded iceberg lettuce from Taco Bell restaurants. The fast food chain wrote in a statement that it plans to remove the “potentially impacted lettuce” from its “supply chain nationwide […]
The feckless response of American elites to President Donald Trump’s authoritarian attempt the past decade has often been a failure of imagination: Oh, surely he’ll leave office after he loses. Oh, his immigration officers surely won’t roam our streets racially profiling people and killing our neighbors. Brazenness is a key tool of tyrants, both personal […]
The nation’s election infrastructure is vulnerable to cyberattacks by foreign actors, President Donald Trump said during a primetime address Thursday night, citing a batch of documents he declassified — but providing no proof broad interference actually occurred or affected an election outcome. Democrats and advocates quickly criticized the remarks as another attempt by Trump to give […]
Addiction Recovery Care, once Kentucky’s largest provider of addiction services, has reached a settlement with the federal government over “billing issues,” the Louisa, KY-based company said in a July 16 news release. It also announced it has reached a separate settlement with a finance company that had accused ARC of fraud. “The resolution of these […]
The tiniest menace of summer doesn’t care if you’re hiking through the woods, walking the dog or pulling weeds in your backyard. It just wants a ride and a meal. As ticks spread into new parts of the country and emergency room visits for tick bites climb higher than usual, states are scrambling to monitor […]
Gov. Andy Beshear criticized the $3.2 million payout to retiring University of Kentucky Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart on Thursday, stating his disapproval despite the fact the funds were privately raised. “Yes, $3 million that could otherwise go to helping students, to better paying faculty, to doing research that could cure this disease that’s afflicting one […]
FRANKFORT – Two big Andy Beshear supporters from outside Kentucky provided the lion’s share of the money donated to Beshear’s super PAC between April 1 and June 30. Beshear’s super PAC is called In This Together PAC Inc., and a report it filed Wednesday with the Internal Revenue Service shows: Ashish Patel, an investor from […]
Democratic socialism is on the rise in some blue states, but socialists are still rare in ruby red Republican Kentucky. That wasn’t always so. Six-score years ago, Louisville hosted the Christian Socialist Fellowship movement’s first national convention. The movement even spread to the Jackson Purchase, arguably Kentucky’s Trumpiest territory today. The CSF aimed “to perfect […]
The judge will need to rule on Kentucky’s motion to dismiss the case.
Commentary author Al Cross writes, Sen. Mitch McConnell's taciturn approach caused turmoil for him and the country when he went four weeks without explaining why he was hospitalized. And it gave Gov. Andy Beshear an opening to burnish his potential-president profile.
The 2026 state fair is August 20-30.
As federal officials consider whether to reclassify marijuana under federal drug law, a new study has found that more American teenagers seeking treatment for cannabis use disorder, known as CUD, are facing longer wait times before receiving care. The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, analyzed national data from more than 124,000 […]
The attorney for former London Mayor Randall Weddle says that in the spring of 2023 the chief fundraiser for Gov. Andy Beshear's reelection campaign "destroyed vital evidence" in a pending criminal case against Weddle for making excess campaign contributions to Beshear.
The full-day programs are set to begin in the 2026-2027 school year.
A University of Kentucky law professor has filed a federal lawsuit to prevent a federal judge from becoming the next dean of the UK College of Law.
As state and federal officials work to identify the source of the recent outbreak of the intestinal illness cyclosporiasis, Michigan health officials have identified lettuces or salad greens as one potential culprit. “Early information has shown lettuce as a common product that regularly comes up during the investigation,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive […]
A teenager charged with the same crime can face dramatically different consequences depending on where they live. In one state, a young person accused of a serious offense may be sent to a juvenile facility focused on treatment and rehabilitation. In another, they could face adult criminal proceedings, a permanent record and the possibility of […]
Consumers are unlikely to see any relief in gas and electric bills as utilities proposed more than $18 billion in rate hikes across the country over the first half of the year. The consumer advocacy group PowerLines reported that utilities asked regulators for a record $9.2 billion in cumulative rate increases during the second quarter […]
Shopping for a farm in Scott County, Dr. William “Chip” Richardson, a Georgetown ophthalmologist, found one with a feature that grabbed his attention. “There was this really old building,” said Richardson, who discovered that the stone structure was all that remained of a Native American school established for members of the Choctaw Nation in Kentucky […]
Rocky Adkins, a former Kentucky Democratic House floor leader, has left his post with Gov. Andy Beshear’s administration.
Rocky Adkins, a former Kentucky Democratic House floor leader, has left his post with Gov. Andy Beshear’s administration.
A few Kentucky politicians — mostly Republicans — have confirmed they will be speaking at this year’s Fancy Farm Picnic next month.
A coalition of 23 state governors and the governor of Guam, all Democrats, submitted a joint comment to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget on Monday objecting to a proposed rule that would drastically change the federal grantmaking process, saying it threatens programs related to maternal health and reproductive care. The public comment period […]
"You don't get to just say that we don't have the right to exist here."
For Ohio County Judge-Executive David Johnston, passing a resolution last year urging an increase in black lung disability benefits was a matter of principle. The last major coal mine in Ohio County, a part of the Western Kentucky Coal Field region, closed years ago. But he said the former miners who have coal workers’ pneumoconiosis, […]
Kentucky U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell said in a Sunday statement he fell before he was hospitalized last month and he has moved from being a hospital patient to “a rehabilitation center where I’ll keep regaining my strength.” “My doctors have confirmed that I didn’t break any bones or suffer a concussion. I didn’t have a […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham died on Saturday night of a “brief and sudden illness,” the South Carolina Republican’s office announced early Sunday. “Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period,” the statement added. Graham, who turned 71 on Thursday, was a close ally of President […]
The Trump administration is continuing its pushback against state artificial intelligence laws that it views as ideologically biased, proposing a new Federal Trade Commission policy. The proposed policy statement, which is open for public comment through July 31, would affect how the FTC regulates AI companies. The agency said it’s meant to address concerns that […]
Embattled London Mayor Randall Weddle is resigning from office after an appeals court reaffirmed the city council’s 2025 decision to remove him from his post.
Today "ideology is put before kids' issues.”
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s guidelines to states on how to request funding under counterterrorism grant programs include potentially illegal demands related to election administration, Democrats on the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee said Thursday. The Department of Homeland Security, which includes FEMA, sent states last month notices of available federal funding for non-disaster grants […]
Former University of Kentucky Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart is set to move to a part-time role with the university that includes a schedule for $3.06 million in severance payments.
Upcoming funding shifts in the federal food stamp program are poised to cost states billions of dollars, heightening fears that more Americans will lose access to the nation’s largest food assistance program. Last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act made major changes to the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, or SNAP, including new eligibility and work […]
Democratic U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey of Louisville is urging the city’s investor-owned electric utility to ensure that electricity ratepayers don’t bear the costs of hyperscale data centers, saying he’s opposed to data center construction in the city. McGarvey in a Thursday letter to John Crockett, the president of Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities, […]
As U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell’s hospitalization nears one month, people in his home state of Kentucky are raising questions about the seven-term senator’s condition and his fitness to serve.
“We are helping to make Kentuckians whole."
Republicans on a legislative committee on Wednesday deferred review of a contract with the interim president and CEO of the Kentucky State Fair who was installed by Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s latest appointees to the fair board last week.
Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear is asking Republican U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell to provide an update on his health.
A quarter millennia after its founding, the United States faces a stark choice that will define its future. In the years ahead, the country can continue to follow the path blazed by President Donald Trump, who is attempting to bring states under the authority of a more powerful federal government led by him. Or it […]
A new analysis of state road paving contracts by a free market think tank shows that some asphalt companies receive a large share of single-bid contracts from the state, a practice the think tank argues raises costs for taxpayers because of the lack of competition for road projects. The analysis released Tuesday by the Kentucky […]
Gov. Andy Beshear has announced two more people died from severe flooding that swept through Kentucky last week.
Ever since Kentucky lawmakers approved statewide sales tax breaks for hyperscale data centers, developers are eyeing the state as a place to build these potentially massive, electricity-intensive operations. The state has long been home to smaller data centers that power various online services such as digital cloud storage. But with the surge of billions of […]
Almost 20 years ago, Kentucky native Bill Bishop wrote “The Big Sort,” a very prescient book that provided an analysis of how Americans were organizing their lives according to their political identities. They were choosing where to live, work, and play based on their desire to be among people who shared their political philosophy. As […]
“Especially during points of isolation, kids were able to use social media as a means to stay connected to their friends and their peers, which is really important. We want that connectivity."
As usual, political shenanigans around education are a bipartisan game, fun for everyone except those most affected, our kids, be they little tykes or college students. The past couple of weeks in Kentucky are nothing new. Consider the following: -Auditor Allison Ball announced her completed audit of the Jefferson County Public Schools, and I could […]
FRANKFORT – Gov. Andy Beshear has filled two vacancies on the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees with longtime supporters as he works to exercise more control over the direction of the state’s flagship university. In an executive order filed June 26 – and effective July 1 – Beshear appointed Ruth Cecelia Day as an […]
The 250th anniversary of our nation’s independence is a time to consider what it means to be patriotic. Immigration has always been part of our country’s history, and that history is filled with moving stories about why immigrants chose to move to this country. Like many Kentuckians living in an increasingly diverse state these days, […]
Kentucky’s utility regulator has launched an investigation into concerns it has about “troubling” managerial and planning practices at investor-owned electric utility Kentucky Power. The Kentucky Public Service Commission wrote in a Thursday morning order that it was opening an investigation into the Eastern Kentucky utility following years of concerns the regulator and the Kentucky attorney […]
The Kentucky Democrat who is hoping to succeed Republican U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell says that Kentuckians “deserve a clear and honest answer about their senator’s condition.”
At least 25 Kentuckians were killed by an intimate partner in 2025.
After the Kentucky Supreme Court ruled that Gov. Andy Beshear should have appointment power over the State Fair Board, the board removed the leader of the organization that oversees the fair.
While Republicans have been gaining more members through Kentucky voter registration in the last few years, Democrats still hold the registration edge in some Kentucky counties.
SEVENTY SIX, Ky. – If the increasing turmoil in Washington makes you worry about our country’s future as we prepare to mark the 250th anniversary of its independence, come with me to Seventy Six. The derivation of this place’s name has been lost to history, but it seems safe to conclude that it was inspired […]
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a bill this week that, if made law, would increase black lung disability payments for coal miners and their families and tie the stipends to inflation rates moving forward. Despite the outsized impact black lung has had on miners in West Virginia, neither of the state’s U.S. […]
Democrats are seizing the mantle of states’ rights to oppose the agenda of President Donald Trump, who has sought to reset Washington’s relationship with the states. While the party out of federal power has always pushed its agenda in statehouses, Democrats across the country have recently demanded more autonomy for governors and state lawmakers. Liberals, […]
Bob Rouse, 68, of Midway is a loyal reader of The Woodford Sun. The Versailles-based newspaper means a lot to him: With it, he has been able to keep up with hometown events like school board and other governmental actions, community activities, scores from games of the high school’s Yellowjackets, church milestones and obituaries. “I […]
Gov. Andy Beshear has a clear message on data centers: Not one penny of Kentuckians’ electric bills should rise because of them. Any data center that wants to locate in Kentucky must pay for 100% of its own energy, including any new generation it requires. Companies that can’t meet that standard, he says, aren’t welcome. […]
It's also expanding its shelter, advocacy and other services.
The nation’s largest electricity grid — which includes Maryland, Washington D.C, and a dozen other states — received a green light from the Trump administration on Tuesday to require data centers and other large customers to turn on back-up generators during this week’s heatwave. The order, signed by U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, allows […]
State Medicaid agencies are concerned that many sick and disabled enrollees will lose their coverage because the Trump administration is narrowing the definition of who is “medically frail” enough to get an exemption from new work requirements. Under the tax and spending law President Donald Trump signed a year ago, states that have expanded Medicaid […]
LOUISVILLE — Jefferson County Clerk David Yates says “a clerical error by a former employee” prevented eight voters from casting a ballot in the 44th House District during Kentucky’s May primary. In that race, incumbent Rep. Beverly Chester-Burton, D-Shively, lost by five votes to Democratic challenger Kenya Wade. No recanvass was requested. Yates wrote in […]
When the Kentucky General Assembly could not reconcile the House and Senate versions of Senate Bill 4 — a measure best known for restructuring the Jefferson and Fayette county school boards — its free conference committee added something neither chamber had debated: a Center for American Civics at the University of Kentucky. UK never asked […]
Republican Kentucky Auditor Allison Ball’s office has released findings from its special examination of Jefferson County Public Schools, including the district “lacks a current and cohesive plan that outlines district priorities and goals.”
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday kept in place state laws banning transgender athletes from participating on women’s and girls’ sports teams. The decision stems from challenges to bans in Idaho and West Virginia and marks a major setback for transgender rights across the country. The opinion also came as President Donald Trump’s administration has pursued a broad anti-trans agenda that […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday struck down President Donald Trump’s attempt to redefine the constitutional right to birthright citizenship. In the decision, a majority of the justices upheld the country’s long understanding of automatic citizenship by birth on American soil, regardless of the immigration status of a newborn’s parents. The majority opinion, written by […]
Following a round of severe thunderstorms across the state, Kentuckians are now being warned to watch out for high temperatures.
A century ago, in 1926, Kentucky lawmakers adopted “the native redbird, commonly known as the Kentucky cardinal… [as] the official state bird of Kentucky (KRS 2.080).” In doing so, Kentucky pioneered environmental stewardship, becoming the first US state to formally adopt a state bird. While I write today to celebrate a century of the native […]
A coalition of consumer advocacy, environmental and renewable energy groups is calling on Kentucky’s utility regulator to study various aspects of utility affordability for ratepayers, including the potential costs of data centers and fossil fuels. In a letter dated Sunday, the groups are asking the Kentucky Public Service Commission to investigate “the drivers of rising […]
A Kentucky judicial watchdog group says it is concerned about Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s involvement in the upcoming Court of Appeals election. The Kentucky Judicial Campaign Conduct Committee said in a Saturday statement that Beshear has been fundraising for Court of Appeals Judge Will Moynahan, who is currently facing Fayette Circuit Court Judge Lucy VanMeter. […]
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that states can count mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day, a blow to the Trump administration and some Republican states that had urged the justices to require all ballots to arrive by the close of polls. In a 5-4 decision, the court found that federal law does not prevent […]
Two of the three people who died in weekend floods in Madison County have been identified. According to the Madison County Coroner, John Powell, 57, drowned after his basement apartment flooded. Garnett Isbell, 73, died after his car was swept off the highway on Page Creek Road in Richmond in a presumed drowning. The third […]
The Federal Communications Commission has approved new rules designed to improve the reliability of Next Generation 911 systems as states continue replacing decades-old emergency call infrastructure with internet-based networks. The rules require companies that operate critical parts of Next Generation 911 systems, known as NG911, to adopt reliability and redundancy measures intended to reduce service […]
Homicides decreased from 582 in 2024 to 491 in 2025.
In 1947, Wendell and Edith Foster were determined to support their daughter, Louise, and seven other children in Owensboro, all of whom had disabilities. This was not the norm, nor was it popular, but it was their mission. Seventy-nine years later, Wendell Foster remains a nonprofit with that same mission: empower people with disabilities. It […]
Farmer LeTicia Marshall grew up helping her grandparents grow tobacco on 40 acres in Metcalf County. She has fond memories of riding the setter. After becoming a mother, Marshall began gardening as a way to ground herself. That practice grew into a small urban farm in Jefferson County and her life’s work of advocating for […]
Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency due to widespread flooding on Saturday with more rain expected Saturday night. In social media posts, Beshear said at least one person had died in the floods and he expected more casualties. He asked that motorists stay off roadways after dark because of dangerous road conditions. Five […]
The Kentucky Supreme Court declared recent laws passed by the Republican-controlled General Assembly that moved powers away from Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear as unconstitutional. In a Thursday majority opinion written by Justice Michelle Keller, the high court found a 2021 law shifting control of the State Fair Board from the governor to the agriculture commissioner […]
State courts cannot find liability for labeling shortcomings in pesticides and similar products because such products are covered by federal law, the U.S. Supreme Court said Thursday in a decision backing agricultural giant Monsanto. The justices, in a 7-2 decision, threw out a $1.25 million verdict a Missouri court awarded to a man who said long-term […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court Thursday allowed the Trump administration to move forward with its plans to strip temporary legal status from 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians, a move that opens them up to deportation. The 6-3 conservative court ruled that the Haitian and Syrian immigrants are not “entitled” to orders postponing an end […]
PEWEE VALLEY — Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman hopes to do something no other Republican has done as attorney general — get a second term in office. Coleman, 50, formally announced his reelection bid for the 2027 election in Oldham County Thursday afternoon surrounded by his family, friends and a crowd of supporters, including fellow Republicans Agriculture […]
A center for civics courses is coming to the University of Kentucky after state Republican lawmakers approved an eleventh-hour addition to an education bill earlier this year, but it’s unclear who spearheaded the idea.
“Get in there, send the seasoned diplomats, and get it done."
“I've never used people as political pawns and I never will.”
When people hear the words Medicaid cuts, they often picture numbers on a spreadsheet. On Wednesday in Frankfort, those numbers were projected on a PowerPoint presentation. Yet several basic questions remained unanswered. Kentucky Medicaid Commissioner Lisa Lee and her team were asked about provider recoupments, Medicaid expenditures, and other financial data that could help explain how we […]
The majority of U.S. states will soon have to pay 5% to 15% of federal nutrition assistance benefits in their state, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s release Wednesday of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payment error rates. House Resolution 1, commonly known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that was enacted in 2025, […]
The University of Kentucky is one of several schools nationwide that abolished its university senate.
Kate Dineen assumed she would always have access to reproductive healthcare because of where she lived. It came as a shock when she was denied an abortion in 2021 because of gestational limits to the procedure in Massachusetts law. Dineen was 33 weeks into her pregnancy, the third trimester, when a routine ultrasound detected a […]
On June 26, 1876, U.S. Seventh Cavalry trooper Michael P. Madden of Louisville gulped brandy before a surgeon amputated his right leg under fire during the Battle of the Little Bighorn. The sawbones gave the Irish-born Kentucky enlistee another snort afterwards. Supposedly, Madden was so appreciative of the second drink that he invited the surgeon […]
FRANKFORT — For more than an hour on Wednesday, parents and community advocates pleaded with Kentucky leaders to reverse budget cuts that threaten to shutter Lee Specialty Clinic in Louisville. In three-minute testimony increments, more than a dozen said their loved ones with disabilities have nowhere else to turn, begging the members of the the […]
A Trump administration organization that oversees regulation of derivatives markets has sued Kentucky to block efforts by the state’s attorney general to prevent two prediction market companies from operating what he says are unlicensed and illegal sports gambling operations.
President Donald Trump derailed a housing overhaul that he was set to sign into law Wednesday, canceling a signing ceremony for the broadly popular bipartisan bill until Congress passes an election security measure. Trump had been scheduled to sign the bill, which passed the Senate Monday and House Tuesday with wide margins, during a Capitol ceremony. But […]
WASHINGTON — Parties, protests, displays of historic documents, odes to the Founding Fathers — and a massive political rally by the president — will mark a deeply polarized nation’s 250th anniversary on this Fourth of July. Pomp and circumstance will abound for the semiquincentennial as the similarly named America250 and Freedom 250 offer different slates […]
A Laurel County judge has ruled that embattled London Mayor Randall Weddle is ineligible to be a candidate in the town’s upcoming mayoral election.
Kentucky is in a housing crisis. We know this. Our state suffers a shortage of more than 200,000 homes and the vast majority of that gap is a lack of housing for low-income households or those who can only afford to pay $500 a month in rent. We know that people’s wages aren’t keeping up […]
Mylissa McNeill never expected to be a mother. But when she learned she was pregnant in the spring of 2022, at age 41, she and her partner were happy and excited at the prospect of parenting a little girl they planned to name Maeve. On June 24, 2022, about one month after McNeill discovered she was pregnant, the U.S. […]
FRANKFORT – The latest finance report filed by Gov. Andy Beshear’s super PAC shows all of the signs of a campaign committee of a presidential candidate. It also discloses a big contribution from a first-time Beshear donor. The political action committee is called In This Together PAC Inc., and the report it filed with the […]
Kentucky Republican U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell will not be voting this week following a recent hospitalization.
The Trump administration illegally overhauled a U.S. Department of Homeland Security computer program in its hunt for noncitizen voters, a judge ruled Monday in a stinging decision that laid into federal officials for violating the privacy of millions of Americans. The ruling struck at the core of President Donald Trump’s project to assert authority over […]
States and cities are loosening building code requirements in an effort to lower construction costs and boost affordable housing. Some of these changes include allowing low-rise apartment buildings to have just one stairway, reducing how often building codes are updated and rolling back specific electrical or fire safety standards. But critics have raised safety concerns, […]
Lexington works to heal pain of racial violence history.
Kentucky lawmakers directed more than $1.7 billion from the state’s “rainy day fund,” to one-time spending projects across the state.
The message from the Kentucky GOP in the upcoming election cycle will focus around three tenets – faith, family and freedom. That’s the message nearly 1,000 GOP faithful heard at the Republican Party of Kentucky’s Statewide Lincoln Dinner Saturday night at the Central Bank Center. Party leaders, office holders, donors and members gathered to listen […]
The National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association and a family planning organization in Pennsylvania filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Health and Human Services agency on Thursday alleging that it is politicizing the Title X grant funding program and violating the intent of the law. Attorneys from the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Civil […]
Purdue Pharma introduced the painkiller OxyContin in late 1995 – and we are still learning of the harm it has caused. Purdue marketed Oxy in communities with high percentages of people with chronic pain from cancer. The company particularly targeted Appalachian communities. Oxy proved especially addictive and easy to both obtain and abuse. When restrictions […]
Tim Robinson, the former CEO of what was once Kentucky’s largest and fast-growing addiction treatment company, has entered a not guilty plea in federal court to fraud charges related to finances at the Louisa-based company. Robinson, who founded what became Addiction Recovery Care, or ARC, as a single halfway house in 2008 in Eastern Kentucky, […]
James Bruggers, a longtime Kentucky environmental and energy journalist whose groundbreaking coverage spanned from the hazards of coal mines to scrutinizing polluters, died Tuesday. He was 68. Bruggers spent nearly two decades reporting at the Louisville Courier Journal, first arriving in 1999 after reporting stints in Washington and California and after graduating from the University […]
A federal poverty-fighting program focused on reducing unintended pregnancies is about to undergo a major overhaul. Reproductive health clinics use Title X federal grant money to provide birth control, cancer screenings and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections to people with little or no health insurance. Title X money cannot be used for abortions. The […]
Are data centers the new coal? Or are they the new landfills? Or the new prisons? The comparisons aren’t perfect, but they are easy to make: a brand new shiny industry owned by out-of-state corporations comes to a beleaguered region with the promise of (some) jobs, part of an ephemeral promise to buttress the failing […]
Clients will be able to access services through other partner programs.
A coalition of prediction market companies including Polymarket and Kalshi is suing to block Kentucky’s recently enacted tax on prediction markets. The lawsuit filed in Franklin Circuit Court by the Coalition for Fair Markets — which represents prediction market companies where people can wager on the outcomes of events, including sports games — calls the […]
Editor’s note: Shortly after the Lantern posted its story on the tax lawsuit by prediction market companies, AG Coleman announced his lawsuit against them. Republican Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman is suing two prominent prediction market companies over allegations that they operate unlicensed and illegal sports gambling operations. The lawsuits announced filed Wednesday come less […]
The days of ground beef and chicken legs are long gone at the Ritenour Co-Care Food Pantry just outside of St. Louis. The nonprofit has swapped out those staple proteins for cheaper ground chicken and hot dogs as it faces higher food costs and surging demand. “We have to adapt just like everybody else,” Executive […]
May housing starts fell to the lowest level since the pandemic disrupted construction six years ago, the U.S. Census Bureau announced Tuesday. Builder confidence has dropped recently because of higher material and financing costs. The change threatens to exacerbate housing shortages and disrupt recent progress in most states toward building enough new housing for new […]
Kentuckians deserve better than this.
When SpaceX, Elon Musk’s rocket and artificial intelligence company, began trading on the stock market last week, he became the world’s first trillionaire. The SpaceX IPO made the world’s richest man even richer, grabbing headlines worldwide. But it is merely the most vivid illustration of a U.S. trend that has been accelerating since 2022. The […]
A spokesperson for U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell said the Kentucky Republican is keeping up with government business during his recent hospitalization.
Judy and I just reviewed our youngest grandchildren’s report cards (Their older siblings mysteriously can’t find theirs!) and those Brooks kids seemingly are doing well. The documents were filled with “Os” and “Ss,” which I guess are now the new “A” and “B.” In-depth narratives – generated by either AI or hard-working teachers – densely […]
A Democratic state lawmaker is working on a bill to file next year in Frankfort that would try to regulate the impacts of hyperscale data centers and the transparency concerns swirling around those pending developments in the state. Rep. Adam Moore, D-Lexington, proposed a bill during this year’s legislative session that sought to ensure electricity […]
An email Friday from former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin’s personal account to various media outlets, blasts lawyers for his estranged son, Jonah Bevin, for making “FALSE STATEMENTS” to the media and accuses Jonah of trying “TO SHAKE HIS PARENTS DOWN FOR MONEY.” The two-page email, mostly in capital letters, repeats attacks on Jefferson Family Court […]
Hospitals are required to publish basic information about pricing for their services.
At a press conference earlier this month, a reporter told Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear that people in Boyd and Greenup counties had been “caught off guard” by a deal local officials unveiled to bring a very large data center to the area. A number of Boyd County residents had packed a town hall the day […]
Commentary: Just say no to data centers.
Longtime Kentucky Republican U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell has been hospitalized. “Senator McConnell was admitted to the hospital this morning. He is receiving excellent care,” said Stephanie Penn, a spokesperson for McConnell, in a Sunday afternoon statement. The statement did not say why he was hospitalized, nor if he is in Kentucky or Washington, D.C. McConnell, […]
Scientists say there is no evidence that medication is harmful to waterways.
California often takes days or even weeks to tally votes after its elections, a product of measures to protect voters and a deluge of mail ballots dropped off on Election Day. Incomplete vote totals reported in the hours after polls close don’t always reflect final results. None of this is evidence of fraud. But President […]
LOUISVILLE — Kentucky Lantern staff took home six awards at the regional Society of Professional Journalists awards dinner, held Thursday in downtown Louisville. The awards honored reporting from 2025. McKenna Horsley, the Lantern’s political reporter, won a second place award in politics and government reporting. Horsley’s award winning coverage included her reporting on the lack […]
Beshear to restore some funding cuts he announced last week.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said 37 local governments have requested the state continue reducing the gasoline sales tax in their areas by 10 cents after a Wednesday night deadline through June 30.
Beshear, GOP lawmaker spar over medical cannabis expansion.
The Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission has dismissed a complaint filed against Sen. Julie Raque Adams regarding compensation she received from a nonprofit that was funded exclusively by lobbying interests in recent years.
As the U.S. Supreme Court pulls back from the landmark federal law designed to safeguard the voting rights of minorities, more states are stepping in to prohibit discrimination in state and local elections. State versions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act include some of the federal law’s approaches to fighting discrimination, including prohibitions against voter […]
Consumer price inflation reached 4.2% in May, the highest mark in three years, boosted largely by higher energy prices that have spiked because of the Iran war, according to federal numbers released on Wednesday. The higher year-over-year inflation rate was expected. But at more than double the Federal Reserve’s target rate of 2%, the new numbers dimmed […]
Whip-poor-wills in the state and across the eastern half of the country are experiencing a severe “rapid and sustained” decline that scientists say has been happening for decades.
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan pair of U.S. senators promoted their legislation Wednesday to set national standards for college athletes’ compensation, calling the compromise bill the best available option. GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington state — the top members of the Senate committee with jurisdiction over the matter […]
New rules would change how federal research dollars are awarded.
Graham Platner will face U.S. Sen. Susan Collins in the fall.
Lexington and Louisville have begun the process to control or ban hyperscale data centers.
Zach Dembo is the guy to flip Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District, the state’s top Democrats say. However, Republicans believe Central Kentucky is solid red territory.
"You are jeopardizing the program in its entirety."
Kentucky lawmakers voted Tuesday to approve a $125 million consulting contract for University of Kentucky HealthCare amid scrutiny the state’s flagship university has faced over spending by its executives, including for a healthcare subsidiary. Craig Collins, the chief financial officer for UK HealthCare, told lawmakers in Frankfort its $125 million contract through 2028 with the […]
Private equity's role in nursing home abuses is under more scrutiny.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will allow states to access federal citizenship data by June 30 and plans to monitor the flow of mail ballots for signs of voter fraud, according to a court document. Amid a series of lawsuits, President Donald Trump’s administration is now moving to carry out a March 31 executive order […]
Not all jurisdictions requested an extension
The Pentagon changed course Monday after its removal of dozens of religious denominations from a list of recognized faiths
Former Kentucky Democratic Senate Whip Dennis Parrett died Sunday. He was 66.
States have spent the past several decades debating whether to legalize cannabis. Now, they are debating how intoxicating legal products should be.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Sunday in Des Moines his two gubernatorial victories in a state redder than Iowa shows that Rob Sand, the state’s Democratic candidate for governor, can turn the tide in Iowa in 2026. Beshear, president of the Democratic Governors’ Association, told a crowd of more than 300 gathered at The River […]
Daviess County Judge-Executive Charlie Castlen said he hadn’t heard of the term “hyperscale” before. That is until news broke that an enormous, hyperscale data center was being planned at the site of an idled aluminum mill in Hancock County next door. “There’s much to learn,” Castlen told the Lantern in a recent phone interview. “People […]
Kentucky's open records laws are under increasing attack by the legislature and courts.
Fewer Kentucky children were living in poverty in 2024 than 2019, right before the COVID-19 pandemic, but nearly one in five kids still lack the resources they need to thrive. That’s according to the latest Kids Count Data Book, released Monday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The annual report looks at indicators of wellbeing […]
The U.S. Senate rejected the SAVE America Act on Thursday, dealing a blow to President Donald Trump’s efforts to impose voting restrictions ahead of the November midterm elections. Senators voted 48-50 against advancing an amendment that would have incorporated Trump’s top legislative priority into an immigration-focused spending bill. The vote offered the clearest sign yet that despite […]
Experts say telehealth access to medication abortions is vital for those in violent relationships.
Former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin has been ordered to serve 60 days in jail after he failed to meet Friday’s noon deadline for producing complete financial information in a court battle involving his estranged son, Jonah Bevin. Bevin previously avoided two jail sentences for contempt of court in the case — once by trying to […]
The fight over hyperscale data centers in Kentucky reminds me of a similar fight decades ago over mega-landfills. Then, as now, Kentucky had cheap land and lots of it, with very little zoning. Then, as now, Kentuckians found themselves on the receiving end of huge decisions over which they had no say. What Kentucky did […]
After four years of reuniting children being raised by relatives with their parents, Kindred Roots will close at the end of June after the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services canceled its contract. The Lexington-based program, which works exclusively with children in kinship care placements, launched in 2022 and has served more than 1,000 […]
To locate recovery services in Kentucky, visit https://findhelpnow.org/ky. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 988. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has a 24/7 helpline for people in need of mental health or substance use support: 1-800-662-4357. Tim Robinson, former chief executive officer of Addiction Recovery Care, was indicted in federal court on Thursday […]
The federal government will spend $700 million on building or refurbishing coal power infrastructure across the country in a boost to “clean, beautiful coal,” President Donald Trump said Thursday in the Oval Office. Trump said he was invoking the Cold War-era Defense Production Act, which gives the president authority over domestic industry, to save 13 […]
Several social service programs in Kentucky are about to see cuts and reductions, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Thursday. Beshear, a Democrat, blamed the cuts on the two-year state budget passed by the Republican-controlled General Assembly this year. “I repeatedly warned the General Assembly about the painful impacts that would be felt from their budget cuts […]
FRANKFORT — As communities around Kentucky protest planned data centers, a new state energy group says data centers can be part of the state’s future, thanks to its cheap power and available land. The state can bring in hyperscale data centers while also ensuring electricity ratepayers are protected, the executive director of the Energy Planning […]
The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine published new clinical guidance this week affirming that acetaminophen, better known by its brand Tylenol, should be the “first-line” defense against pain and fever during pregnancy. The directive contradicts the Trump administration’s notice to physicians last year cautioning against the use of the primary pain reliever recommended for pregnant women, […]
When I published “Annihilating the Hillbilly” in 1971, the manifesto argued that the stereotyping of Appalachian people was not folklore but a tool. Coal operators, federal agencies, national media, and political elites used the hillbilly caricature to blame mountain people for conditions created by absentee ownership and extractive industries. The image was a weapon. The […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House passed a resolution Wednesday to force President Donald Trump to withdraw from the war with Iran and require congressional approval for further military action in the country. The 215-208 vote, in which four Republicans voted with all Democrats to adopt the resolution, is the strongest rebuke to date against Trump’s […]
The chairman of the Fayette County Board of Education is suing to block a new Kentucky law that would remove him from office. Tyler Murphy, who has been on the school board since 2019, filed a lawsuit against Senate Bill 4 in Franklin County Circuit Court on Tuesday. Before the General Assembly passed the legislation […]
Congress is looking to roll back state animal welfare laws as it wrangles over reauthorization of the federal farm bill. The farm bill, which Congress generally reworks every five years, includes money and federal rules for food assistance programs, farm subsidies, and other ag-related programs. A pending version of the legislation includes the Save Our […]
The federal government released new guidance this week on how states should roll out the Medicaid work requirements that will affect healthcare coverage for millions of Americans. The new interim rule, issued by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, is intended to give states more details on how they’re supposed to verify the […]
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has scrapped plans to use nearly $1.8 billion in taxpayer dollars to pay people who believe they were wrongly prosecuted by the Justice Department — a proposal that halted work on legislation to fund immigration and deportation activities. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche testified Tuesday before a House committee the […]
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear signed an executive order Tuesday directing the Office of Medical Cannabis to issue an emergency regulation clarifying qualifying conditions for medical cannabis. In 2023, the legislature legalized medical marijuana for Kentuckians suffering from chronic illnesses including any type or form of cancer, chronic or severe pain, epilepsy or other intractable seizure […]
Boyd County residents packed a raucous public meeting about a proposed data center on Monday night, sometimes yelling and booing over non-disclosure agreements signed by local elected officials and whether the environment and ratepayers would be protected. Attendees packed the Boyd County Convention and Arts Center just days after the data center developer TeraWulf announced […]
The University of Kentucky has hired Compass Group to manage dining, maintenance, grounds and other services at the university and at UK Healthcare. This cuts short the time that Aramark (another multinational corporation), was hired to provide dining services. This change has raised questions about whether 400 or so Aramark dining workers will keep their […]
President Donald Trump has nominated former Republican U.S. Senate candidate Nate Morris to become ambassador to Colombia. Morris’ nomination was among dozens sent to the U.S. Senate Monday evening. The chamber has confirmation power over the president’s appointees. Morris had been one of several Republicans vying to succeed Kentucky U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, but he […]
The state board that oversees Kentucky’s optometrists is standing by its decision to allow optometry graduates who haven’t passed all parts of a required national licensure exam to provide eye care – even as the number of people it improperly granted licenses to has increased from 21 to 30. Despite mounting criticism, the state board […]
May was Mental Health Awareness Month, but in Appalachia, mental health isn’t a monthly conversation. Mental health challenges are a present reality shaped by the conditions of everyday life. At Christian Appalachian Project (CAP), we see mental health needs firsthand in the families and communities we serve. Depression, anxiety, and trauma are often compounded by […]
Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear has again gone to court to challenge Republican-backed efforts to shift powers within Kentucky’s executive branch. Beshear’s latest lawsuit, filed in Franklin Circuit Court after the 2026 legislative session ended, is aimed at blocking House Bill 10. The legislation, which the GOP-controlled General Assembly approved over the governor’s veto, would give […]
FRANKFORT, Ky. – In April Gov. Andy Beshear delivered a strong warning about partisan donors exerting “undue outside influence” on the direction of the University of Kentucky. Yet, a different kind of partisan donor – insiders – officially oversee Kentucky’s flagship state university. They are the governors’ appointees to the UK Board of Trustees, and […]
We won. I keep typing that and staring at it. On May 1, 2026, Jefferson Circuit Judge Brian C. Edwards ruled in Sobel v. Cameron that Kentucky’s statutory definition of “human being” as beginning at fertilization was unconstitutionally vague. With this ruling, the Court recognized that Kentucky’s laws created real fear and real confusion. The […]
Like many Kentuckians, state Sen. Chris McDaniel was horrified when he found out that Gov. Matt Bevin had pardoned a group of hardened criminals just as he was leaving Frankfort. The Ryland Heights Republican was so horrified that he embarked on a seven-year journey to make sure it couldn’t happen again. “There were lots of […]
COLUMBIA — After record-smashing early voter numbers helped defeat a GOP redistricting proposal, South Carolina should at least remain the first state in the South to decide Democrats’ presidential nominee, the state’s leading Democrat and potential 2028 contenders said Friday night. The pronouncements from U.S. Reps. Jim Clyburn, whose district Republicans sought to flip, U.S. […]