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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. […]
Former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin on Friday was sentenced to jail for contempt of court — again — after he ignored a judge’s order to appear in person at a hearing involving his estranged son, Jonah Bevin, who is seeking support. Bevin attended the Jefferson Family Court hearing by Zoom, telling Judge Angela Johnson he […]
WASHINGTON — Former Attorney General Pam Bondi was on Capitol Hill Friday for a closed door interview with lawmakers about her role in the release of the federal investigation files of Jeffrey Epstein — the now deceased wealthy sex offender who surrounded himself with influential entrepreneurs, academics and celebrities, including President Donald Trump. But Democrats […]
A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from moving forward with a fund that opponents fear will be used to pay off the president’s political allies. Judge Leonie Brinkema in the Eastern District of Virginia issued a brief order halting the Department of Justice, the Treasury Department and other high-ranking administration officials from […]
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration’s nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund has attracted scrutiny for its corruption potential, even splitting congressional Republicans who rarely confront President Donald Trump’s decisions and policies. Among the top concerns: Could pardoned Jan. 6, 2021, riot defendants who assaulted police officers claim a slice of the pie and essentially be rewarded […]
WASHINGTON — A pair of U.S. senators reached a bipartisan agreement on a sweeping bill aimed at tackling many of the biggest issues surrounding how to compensate players in college sports. GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington state — the top members of the Senate committee with jurisdiction […]
Dozens of drinking water utilities in Kentucky disconnected ratepayers who owed less than $50 among other “unreasonably punitive” practices and policies by utilities, a new report analyzing drinking water utility disconnections found. Staff at the Letcher County-based Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center who authored the 16-page report wrote that 114 drinking water utilities — from small, […]
Kentucky communities are grappling with the prospect of hyperscale data center projects — massive, sprawling warehouses of power-intensive computer clusters — potentially moving in. A lot more of them could be on the way. Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities, the state’s largest utility, told the Kentucky Public Service Commission in March that 11 […]
Hearing backlash from residents, cities and counties across the country in recent weeks have blocked planned data centers amid concerns over rising electricity prices and environmental harms. The local actions come as state lawmakers also are looking to limit or repeal the incentives for the centers, which are sprawling campuses of computer servers that store […]
The Trump administration wants the U.S. Supreme Court to empower states to review their voter rolls for noncitizens just days before elections, a change that voting rights advocates say would risk disenfranchising Americans. The U.S. Department of Justice asked the Supreme Court on Tuesday to wade into a legal fight between the Republican National Committee and […]
Vermont became the first state to ban the use of the highly toxic herbicide paraquat after Republican Gov. Phil Scott signed Democratic-sponsored legislation this week. Vermont’s new law bans the sale or use of paraquat without explicit approval from the secretary of agriculture. Widely used to control weeds in major crops across the country, that […]
Earlier this month, Ebola touched the Commonwealth of Kentucky, if only indirectly. Dr. Peter Stafford, who completed his residency at the University of Kentucky School of Medicine in 2018, was diagnosed with Ebola and flown to Germany for treatment. Dr. Stafford had been working as a physician and missionary in the Democratic Republic of Congo, […]
ALBANY, Ky. – The rap on rural Kentucky is that it’s a swath of largely backward places that don’t value education and where the main export is human – young people who don’t come back to raise families after completing school, which for most is high school or trade school. Like all stereotypes, there is […]
By Rebecka Pieder/Medill News Service WASHINGTON – In a deal that could provide a major trade boost for American farmers, the White House said that during the recent summit, China committed to buying at least $17 billion in additional U.S. agricultural products annually for three years. But Beijing has not confirmed the figure and farm […]
A surge in voluntary departure agreements in immigration courts is raising concerns that Trump administration tactics are unfairly pressuring immigrants into leaving the United States, even if they have a legal right to stay. Voluntary departures during the second Trump administration reached 89,494 cases as of May 1, according to a Stateline analysis of immigration […]
In the heart of the Bible Belt, a small Methodist college graduated its final class in May 2024, shutting its doors after 168 years. Birmingham-Southern College in Birmingham, Alabama, was a Christian private liberal arts school that counted among its graduates members of Congress, famous musicians, Pulitzer Prize winners and the former executive editor of […]
The University of Kentucky wants to build a physical rehabilitation hospital in Lexington — and while its application for a certificate of need was initially approved by the state, the matter is now under appeal. After more than two years of back and forth in the courts, the project’s future is unclear. According to court […]
Kentucky officials are facing a second lawsuit over a new law to make Kentucky State University a polytechnic institution. Filing the case in Franklin County Circuit Court last week, a group of anonymously identified students allege that Senate Bill 185 violates the Kentucky Constitution. The students argued that if the law is implemented, it could […]
In 1860, Dr. William Sneed, who had been the chief surgeon at Kentucky’s penitentiary, warned of any “effort to make the inmates a source of revenue for the State.” Flash forward 166 years to a story in the Louisville Courier-Journal reporting that eight Kentucky county jails were holding 1,100 immigrants on behalf of the federal […]
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will be the keynote speaker at the Kentucky Democratic Party’s Forward Together Dinner in August. KDP announced Whitmer’s appearance Tuesday. She is the vice chair of the Democratic Governors Association and serves with DGA Chair Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. Beshear praised Whitmer in a press release, saying she “expanded access to […]
As of April 2026, Kentucky county jails are holding 1,079 prisoners for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Who are these ICE detainees? What conditions are they living under in our state? At least nine Kentucky jails have contracts to house federal ICE detainees. As of April 2026, ICE classified only 26% of these […]
U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie has filed to run for his current House seat in 2028 after losing to a Republican challenger endorsed by President Donald Trump last week. However, the congressman says he still hasn’t made a decision to seek another office yet. In a Monday post on X, Massie posted a copy of paperwork […]
Immigrants seeking green cards will have to return first to their home countries and wait despite years of potential backlogs, the Trump administration announced Friday. “An alien who is in the U.S. temporarily and wants a Green Card must return to their home country to apply,” Zach Kahler, a spokesperson for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration […]
Child maltreatment was common when Jill Seyfred first became executive director of Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky in 1988, but many thought of it as a far away problem, not one that could affect anyone they knew. Seyfred, who is retiring this year after more than 40 years leading Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky, said the herculean […]
Over the past several decades, rural Kentucky has faced significant changes. In Eastern Kentucky, a shrinking tax base, population loss, and the decline of long-standing industries has made resilience an ever-changing challenge. Through it all, our communities have adapted and searched for new ways to build a stronger, more diverse economy. Increasingly, a new crisis […]
Several Kentucky hospitals will get millions in disaster reimbursement funds for COVID-19 pandemic expenses, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Friday. Six hospitals and Kentucky Emergency Management (KYEM) will get more than $105 million through Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster relief. The money will reimburse facilities for personal protective equipment, medical support, contract labor, emergency protective measures, […]
WASHINGTON — Higher electric rates? Massive data centers looming over neighborhoods? Ugly political fights over what to do about them? The future of data centers and their huge appetite for electricity is quickly escalating as a political flashpoint from coast to coast, moving from cities and states now to the nation’s capital. Bills are under […]
While there is no known cause of Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, a rare and incurable brain cancer mainly found in children, officials are investigating after an increase in cases in Eastern Kentucky raised concern. The Lantern first reported the DIPG investigation in early May and is following developments. Here’s what to know about it: In […]
Two police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, sued the Trump administration Wednesday to block the creation of a nearly $1.8 billion fund to pay people said to be victims of judicial weaponization, saying the fund would aid and encourage the pro-Trump rioters who attacked that Capitol that day and still […]
WASHINGTON — A multibillion-dollar package to fund immigration enforcement for the rest of President Donald Trump’s term faced new delays Thursday as Senate Republicans showed a rare split with the president over his new “anti-weaponization” fund. The administration dispatched Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to Capitol Hill to meet with Senate Republicans as many fought to […]
A proposed rollback of wastewater emissions limits from coal-fired power plants could have a larger impact in a coal-dominant state like Kentucky, the latest move by the Trump administration to weaken environmental rules in an effort to boost coal-fired power. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed earlier this month to weaken wastewater regulations limits known […]
President Donald Trump is again demanding Congress pass a sweeping set of voting restrictions and refuses to rule out sending troops to the polls, as Democrats and voting rights groups assemble a sprawling effort to guard against federal election interference. The fight over election security is intensifying in Washington, D.C., as the White House and […]
KANSAS CITY, Missouri — When Vice President JD Vance pitched voters on electing Republicans to Congress this November during a trip to a Kansas City manufacturing plant on Monday, he delivered the message while standing in a newly gerrymandered U.S. House district. “If you want congressional leadership that fights to lower your taxes, that fights […]
Philadelphia is poised to launch the nation’s first city-sponsored retirement plan for workers whose employers don’t offer them. Voters on Tuesday sanctioned the city council’s PhillySaves program by adopting a change to the city charter. The move will require employers without retirement benefits to enroll their workers in the new plan. Unless workers opt out, […]
Kentucky’s primary whirl is over, and with it, the careers of some politicians, at least for a little while. (We’re already hearing banter about Congressman Thomas Massie running for governor, or even president.) But elections have more than winning and losing candidates; they also reflect winning and losing ideas. Here are some of mine from […]
BIRMINGHAM — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear Wednesday gave his backing to Doug Jones a day after the former U.S. senator won the Democratic primary for governor. Speaking to a small group of around 20 people, Beshear, who chairs the Democratic Governors’ Association, said having a Democratic governor in Alabama is possible. “The way we can […]
Even though he lost his reelection bid to Congress Tuesday night, U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie’s supporters signaled they’re ready for his next campaign. Shortly after the Associated Press called the race for Massie’s opponent, President Donald Trump’s candidate Ed Gallrein, Massie took to the stage in a packed ballroom at the Marriott Hotel near the […]
A swath of incumbent county judge-executives lost their primary elections, some by wide margins, failing to secure their political party’s nomination Tuesday in counties both large and small stretching across Kentucky. In all, 18 incumbent judge-executives lost in primary elections in both Democratic and Republican primaries: Adair, Bell, Boone, Breathitt, Breckinridge, Calloway, Campbell, Estill, Fulton, […]
Incumbent mayors of the two largest cities in the Bluegrass State are heading to the general election this November. But in a small Kentucky town, a mayor who was impeached from office narrowly took the lead in his primary. In Louisville, Mayor Craig Greenberg won 52.5% of the vote. The second place winner, Councilwoman Shameka […]
Ed Gallrein, Republican nominee for Congress in the Fourth District, began his victory speech Tuesday night by thanking President Trump. That was certainly appropriate, and arguably required, since Trump picked Gallrein to defeat seven-term Rep. Thomas Massie in what became the most expensive primary election ever held for a seat in the U.S. House of […]
Results for primaries in the Kentucky General Assembly were varied Tuesday night — with some incumbents getting booted by a handful of votes, while others stayed the course with large vote majorities. In Northern Kentucky, State Rep. Kim Banta, R-Ft. Mitchell, lost to a GOP challenger by 13 votes. Meanwhile, state Sen. Brandon Smith, R-Hazard, […]
WASHINGTON — After voting no seven times, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., flipped and cast the deciding vote to advance a War Powers Resolution to rein in President Donald Trump’s war in Iran without authorization from Congress. In a 50-47 vote, Cassidy joined fellow Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Rand Paul, R-Ky., […]
Louisville Democratic Rep. Daniel Grossberg, who faced calls from within his party to resign from office following allegations of inappropriate behavior towards women, lost his primary Tuesday evening to challenger Mitra Subedi. Subedi, a high school teacher in Jefferson County Public Schools, narrowly lost the 2024 primary to Grossberg by 50 votes before the allegations […]
Voters have decided: Republican former state Sen. Ralph Alvarado and former federal prosecutor Zach Dembo will face off in the general election for Kentucky’s 6th District Congressional seat. Alvarado, with an endorsement from President Donald Trump, beat out State Rep. Ryan Dotson, retired pharmaceutical executive Greg Plucinski, Adam Perez Arquette and Steve Shannon in Tuesday’s […]
President Donald Trump’s Election Day wish came true — U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie has been ousted from Congress. Ed Gallrein, the Shelby County Republican and former Navy SEAL Trump recruited last year to take on the seven-term congressman, won the GOP primary in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District Tuesday night. Gallrein, 68, will face a Democratic opponent […]
Republican Congressman Andy Barr swept to victory in the GOP Senate primary election on Tuesday, buoyed by an endorsement from President Donald Trump. The Associated Press called the race at 7 p.m. just as the polls in Western Kentucky closed. The seat, which has been held by Sen. Mitch McConnell since his 1984 election, is […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday a new “anti-weaponization” settlement fund as a condition of President Donald Trump voluntarily dropping his multi-billion-dollar lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service for the leak of his tax returns several years ago. Trump, his sons Don Jr. and Eric, and the Trump Organization moved to drop […]
Pregnant patients experiencing miscarriage who live in states with abortion bans have fewer options for healthcare management, according to a new study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study, published May 18, found a shift away from managing miscarriages with a two-drug approach that includes mifepristone — which has been the […]
Kentucky’s primary election day is here, and polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Earlier this month, Secretary of State Michael Adams predicted a 20% turnout due to the number of races. “With hundreds of federal, state and local races on the primary ballot this May, we are expecting a turnout of […]
HEBRON —In what’s become the most expensive U.S House primary in history, the two Republican candidates for the 4th Congressional District made their final stump speeches ahead of Tuesday’s voting, hoping to convince voters to pick sides between U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, the incumbent maverick and President Donald Trump’s hand-picked nominee, Ed Gallrein. Challenger Gallrein […]
When the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Texas’ gerrymandered congressional map to take effect in December, its conservative majority wrote that a lower court had “improperly inserted itself into an active primary campaign” when it blocked the map more than three months before the election. Now, the Supreme Court is the one upending elections. For the […]
U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy’s feeble showing in Louisiana’s Republican primary cued up a chorus of allegiance to President Donald Trump from GOP figures on the Sunday morning talk show circuit, save for another incumbent who has dared to defy the party leader. Cassidy finished third in behind Trump’s choice to replace him, U.S. Rep. Julia […]
“There are obvious echoes between Louisiana v. Callais, in which Justice Samuel Alito’s majority opinion finished off the [1965 Voting Rights Act]…and the notorious Plessy v. Ferguson decision, in which the court blessed Jim Crow,” Pema Levy wrote in Mother Jones magazine on May 7. “The Roberts court is in many respects a neoconfederate court, […]
Shannon Ritchie doesn’t remember the exact day she heard her son, Colton, speak for the last time. The brain tumor took everything: His ability to walk, to swallow, to talk. Eventually, it took his life. Colton Ritchie was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) in 2016 at age five and lived 16 months before […]
SHELBYVILLE — U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, whose tight race against a Trump-endorsed candidate has become one of the most closely watched in the country, made his final pitches to voters this weekend, stopping in Shelbyville on Friday afternoon with ally U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Colorado Republican. The primary election is Tuesday. Boebert, was one of […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon took heat Thursday over forthcoming changes to the federal student loan system that will impose new borrowing limits for professional and graduate students. Lawmakers took specific aim at stricter loan caps set to be established for students pursuing advanced programs that do not fall under the department’s “professional” classification, such […]
Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice Debra Hembree Lambert is cutting 170 staff positions — and adding 108 — in the court system to operate within the boundaries of the budget passed by the General Assembly. Drug, mental health and veteran courts, which were at risk of closure under an initial version of the budget, will […]
It’s true that there’s a huge castle on a hill halfway between Lexington and Versailles, where you can hold a wedding. It’s not true that “Game of Thrones” was filmed there, and Peter Dinklage liked it so much he bought a house on the property. It’s true that U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie has rebelled against […]
The senseless Iran War has already claimed the lives of two young Kentuckians. The promise of their lives ended when President Trump gave up negotiations with Iran over nuclear weapons in favor of military destruction and death. How tragic. Their deaths are part of a much older and recurring human tragedy: the tendency of nations […]
WASHINGTON — Democrats and advocacy groups urged a quick rejection of President Donald Trump’s latest executive order on compiling citizenship lists and creating traceable mail-in ballots in a federal court hearing Thursday. Lawyers for the Democratic National Committee, Democratic minority leaders Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, and interest groups argued […]
The U.S. Supreme Court decided Thursday to preserve telehealth access to the abortion drug mifepristone until after the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled on the merits of the high-stakes federal lawsuit Louisiana v. Food and Drug Administration. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas issued dissenting opinions. In his dissent, Thomas said the […]
The University of Kentucky is finalizing an enterprise services partnership with Compass Group after signaling it plans to end its contract with Aramark Campus. A UK press release said Compass will begin its operations for dining and concessions with the university on July 1. The partnership will also include services like maintenance, grounds, custodial, in-patient […]
An increasing number of conservative states are mandating that state and local social service providers verify and report the immigration status of the people they serve — in some cases threatening stiff penalties for public employees who fail to comply. Under federal law, immigrants who are in the United States illegally are generally barred from […]
What’s really going on at the University of Kentucky? It’s a fair question — one we’ve heard in media coverage, online and directly from our campus community during a period of real and visible changes. As Kentucky’s university and the state’s largest employer with more than 35,000 employees, we owe clear answers grounded in facts […]
FRANKFORT — State Sen. Danny Carroll peppered a panel of nuclear energy experts with questions on Tuesday during a conference at the Kentucky Historical Society. He said he could ask questions “all day long.” “Every day there’s something new that’s coming down the pipeline,” Carroll told the audience on Tuesday. “We’re in the middle — […]
WASHINGTON — Kevin Warsh will officially take the lead at the Federal Reserve after U.S. senators voted Wednesday to confirm the economist and former central bank governor to replace Chair Jerome Powell. Senators approved Warsh 54-45 nearly along party lines. Democratic Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., broke ranks with his party to join Republicans in support of […]
A Louisville Democrat has ended his campaign after a door camera video showing him taking a flyer out of a mailbox surfaced. Max Morley, one of the three candidates hoping to primary embattled state Rep. Daniel Grossberg next week, said on social media he was ending his campaign and wanted to “apologize to those I […]
LEXINGTON — Thomas Massie is not Dalton Henry’s congressman. But the Floridian still stood outside KET on May 4 to show his support at Massie’s appearance. Henry, who traveled hundreds of miles, has followed the race closely, and understands that because Trump has taken aim at Massie by endorsing his opponent, he could be in trouble. […]
Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman is appealing a Louisville judge’s ruling that the state’s definition of human life is void because it’s too vague. Lawyers who sued on behalf of three Jewish women (only one, Jessica Kalb, was allowed to proceed) who said the abortion ban restricted their ability to pursue in vitro fertilization also […]
U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie is taking to social media after a former girlfriend publicly accused the congressman of offering her hush money to drop a complaint against a Massie ally. A video interview with the woman, Cynthia West, conducted by Northern Kentucky attorney Marcus Carey was widely circulated Tuesday on X, formerly known as Twitter. […]
An Iowa-licensed surgeon accused of “perverted” and unprofessional conduct while practicing in Kentucky is now facing sanctions from Iowa regulators. The Iowa Board of Medicine has charged Dr. Thomas F. Satterly, an orthopedic surgeon who practiced in western Iowa during 2023 and 2024, with unprofessional conduct, violating the laws or rules governing the practice of […]
WASHINGTON — Several Republican U.S. senators left a closed-door lunch with Secret Service Director Sean Curran on Tuesday saying they still have questions about how the agency would spend an additional $1 billion. “I’ve asked for a lot more data,” said Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine. “If there are needs for new training […]
“President Trump has spoken,” said a booming announcer in a TV ad about his endorsement of Rep. Andy Barr in Tuesday’s Republican primary, as if his is the last word about the race for U.S. senator. So much for government of the people, by the people, and for the people, as the first Republican president […]
Kentucky voters can start voting early Thursday morning across the state. Formally called “no-excuse in-person absentee voting,” registered voters have Thursday, Friday and Saturday to vote ahead of the primary Election Day, which is Tuesday. It differs from absentee voting, where voters can cast ballots in-person or by mail if they have an excuse recognized […]
GLASGOW — When President Donald Trump endorsed U.S. Rep. Andy Barr to become the next senator from Kentucky the day before the Kentucky Derby, some believed the Republican primary to be over. But Barr says his campaign is “working harder than ever” ahead of the May 19 election. “I run every race that I’ve ever had, […]
A Democrat hasn’t come close to winning a U.S. Senate seat in Kentucky in more than 20 years, having been blown out by Republicans by large margins in past general elections. National organizations tracking and predicting elections also don’t give Democrats much of a shot this time around But with a rare open seat with […]
Editor’s note: This is the second article in The 50 vs. The One, an occasional series examining the current fraught moment and what evolving — and often deteriorating — state-federal ties mean for the country. Read the first article here. President Donald Trump is wielding power in unprecedented ways to bring states to heel, marking […]
In March 1775, Daniel Boone left the Yadkin River valley of North Carolina, crossed the Blue Ridge, threaded the Cumberland Gap, and blazed the Wilderness Road into what would become Kentucky. He had spent years in the Yadkin country — the same foothills now thick with golf-course retirement communities and second homes selling for seven […]
Following renewed calls from within his party to resign from office after a recent newspaper report on sexual assault allegations against him, Louisville Democratic Rep. Daniel Grossberg says he’s remaining in the race. In a Monday statement to the Kentucky Lantern, Grossberg said voters in the 30th House District are wary of the timing of […]
WASHINGTON — The man who allegedly attacked the White House Correspondents’ Dinner last month pleaded not guilty Monday in federal court to four criminal charges, including attempting to assassinate the president of the United States. Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of California, appeared before U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden in Washington, D.C., to be arraigned on […]
As President Donald Trump tries to assert power over U.S. elections, he has raged on social media, cajoled Republican lawmakers and unleashed the Department of Justice on his political enemies. What has he accomplished with all that effort? Not a lot. Six months before the November midterm elections, the Trump administration’s quest to exercise authority […]
Kentuckians in the 6th Congressional District will soon choose the candidates they want to face off in the general election this November and primary candidates are making their final pitches ahead of the May 19 primary. A few boosts to the Republican base in the form of endorsements from President Donald Trump could motivate voters […]
Last week, the University of Kentucky ended its first big public-private partnership by severing its contract with Aramark for food services, thus ending employment for about 900 people, who’ve worked there for the past decade. The story, first broken by TV stations, came from WARN notices, federally required state notices that detail when large layoffs […]
Cody Stinnett, 32, has been a registered Republican since he was eligible to vote, but he plans to change it to become an Independent after the May primary elections in Kentucky. A significant reason why: his strong concerns about the proliferation of power-intensive data centers across the country, and the fact that some Republicans — […]
WASHINGTON — The federal student loan system is set to see a dramatic overhaul beginning this summer, and critics warn it likely will make loans more expensive and difficult to obtain for borrowers — driving them to private lenders or altering their plans for higher education. Among the major changes are new loan limits for […]
Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman, along with attorneys general from 21 other states, is asking the United States Supreme Court to require mifepristone not be sent through the mail. This comes after several flip-flops in mifepristone access, a medication that is used in conjunction with misoprostol to end a pregnancy before the 70-day mark, according […]
In April 2006, an Apache helicopter was shot down over Iraq. My cousin was the pilot. He had already completed his tour and was “stop-loss,” which is the military’s practice of extending a soldier’s service involuntarily past the commitment signed up for. He eventually came back home, but in a flag-covered casket instead of to […]
The nation’s largest electricity grid operator has called on power plant operators, investors, utilities and consumers to consider reforms to ensure the region’s wholesale electricity market can supply enough power as it faces unprecedented demand from data centers. PJM Interconnection, based in the Philadelphia suburbs near Valley Forge, has been under scrutiny as record electricity […]
The Tennessee Legislature passed a new U.S. congressional map that will favor Republicans in all nine of the state’s districts ahead of this year’s midterm election. The bill passed Thursday and is expected to be quickly signed by Gov. Bill Lee, as state lawmakers faced a tight deadline to get the maps approved ahead of […]
The state’s top court has refused to replace the judge in the contentious divorce of former Gov. Matt Bevin and his ex-wife Glenna, in which their estranged, adopted son, Jonah, is seeking support. The Bevins, whose divorce became final last year, had asked the high court to remove Jefferson Family Court Judge Johnson Angela Johnson, […]
Gov. Andy Beshear has signed an executive order to launch pre-K for all pilot programs in Robertson and Rockcastle Counties. He has long pushed for universal pre-K in Kentucky, but could not get buy-in from the General Assembly. During his weekly press conference he criticized Kentucky lawmakers for not agreeing to his budget request for […]
A Kentucky bourbon is at the center of a national political scandal. The Atlantic, who has drawn the ire of FBI Director Kash Patel, released a Wednesday evening report saying Patel often gifts engraved bottles of Woodford Reserve while on official business. Patel has filed a defamation lawsuit the media outlet for a previous report […]
Jane Stephenson, founder of the New Opportunity School for Women and the longtime First Lady of Berea College, died on May 2, 2026 after a brief illness, according to her family. She was 88. Stephenson was born in North Carolina in 1938. She attended Lees McCrae College and Appalachian State University for a degree in […]
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said he’s “comfortable” with being among the names of potential Democratic candidates for the 2028 presidential election. In a recent interview with MS NOW’s Ali Vitali, Beshear said his focus will remain on elections while he is the chair of the Democratic Governors Association. “Again, I haven’t made any final decision, […]
Advocates and opponents of abortion access say they’re wondering what happens next in a critical telehealth medication case that created chaos and confusion over the past week after an appeals court blocked nationwide access to the drug and, days later, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito issued a temporary stay. Alito’s stay preserves telehealth access […]
The day after the U.S. Supreme Court crippled the federal Voting Rights Act, NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson addressed a virtual gathering for the group’s members and supporters where he ranked the landmark decision alongside the court’s most infamous cases. Dred Scott excluded Black people from American citizenship ahead of the Civil War. Plessy […]
Employees at the University of Kentucky, including 926 food service workers, are facing layoffs, according to federally-required notices filed with the state government. Aramark Campus learned earlier this year that its contract with the university for food and concession services would end on June 30, according to an April letter sent to the Kentucky Career […]
WASHINGTON — Voters, including those within the Make America Healthy Again movement, say the rising cost of healthcare is a significant concern that will have an impact on whom they support in November’s midterm elections, according to a poll released Wednesday by KFF. Sixty-one percent of respondents to the survey, which asked how important several health-related […]
In conversation the other day, a political operative wondered why President Trump bothered to endorse Sixth District U.S. Rep. Andy Barr in the May 19 Republican primary for the U.S. Senate, since Barr was headed for victory anyway. The question answered itself. Barr was on target to win, so now Trump gets to claim credit […]
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is signing emergency measures to freeze the state’s sales tax on gasoline starting in July and declare a state of emergency that could lower the tax by 10 cents a gallon starting next week. In a Tuesday press conference, Beshear, said he doesn’t see an end to the ongoing war between […]
Over the past month, we have witnessed many heartbreaking and senseless acts of violence in both our community and our neighbors’ communities. We are grieving the recent shooting in Adair County that claimed the lives of three individuals, the intimate partner stabbing in Tennessee that claimed the life of Samarah Smith from Murray, Kentucky, the […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Republicans released a roughly $70 billion spending package Monday night that will keep Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol operating for the rest of President Donald Trump’s term without any of the new constraints Democrats have demanded. The legislation also includes $1 billion “to support enhancements by the United States […]
LOUISVILLE — For Daniel Cameron, it’s full steam ahead — even without President Donald Trump’s blessing for his U.S. Senate campaign. Cameron, surrounded by his family and supporters at the Jefferson County Republican Headquarters on Tuesday, said he doesn’t plan on dropping out of the Republican primary in Kentucky’s U.S. Senate race. He is also launching […]
The U.S. Supreme Court issued a temporary stay on an appeals court ruling from Friday that was blocking remote access to an abortion drug, restoring access until at least May 11. The administrative stay, issued by Justice Samuel Alito, pauses Friday’s decision by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. That ruling blocked a 2023 rule […]
LEXINGTON — Republican U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie — who has become a target of President Donald Trump this election cycle — took to KET’s debate stage alone Monday night to pitch himself to voters ahead of the state’s primary two weeks away. Massie, who represents Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District, was interviewed on air by KET’s Renee Shaw […]
Columnist Chris Clayton noticed something odd in the Trump Administration’s budget for the Department of Agriculture. Since the USDA is the federal government’s primary contact with rural America, Clayton expected to see the word “rural” in the document. And it was there – 12 times in 92 pages. But there were other words that seemed […]
WASHINGTON — The State Department must spend the $600 million Congress approved for an international vaccine program, according to a letter sent Monday by a bipartisan group of U.S. senators. The six senior members of the Appropriations Committee, three Republicans and three Democrats, called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to fulfill the government’s “pledge” […]
The U.S. Supreme Court’s new decision gutting a key provision of the federal Voting Rights Act clears the way for state officials to drastically reshape not only Congress but also state legislatures, county commissions, city councils and even local school boards. The ruling, released last week in a case called Louisiana v. Callais, dismantled some […]
OWENSBORO — On a September evening, students gathered on the lawn of Burns Elementary School in Daviess County for a family movie night. “It’s an inflatable screen. … It’s like going to the drive-in,” said Emmy Woosley, executive director of the Foundation for Daviess County Public Schools. “The kids are all out there playing. They’re […]
It all came down to scrambled eggs. In the early 1990s, affordable housing advocate Michelle Budzek was told that if she wanted to get something done at the legislature – like a statewide trust fund for more low-income housing – she had to talk to First Lady Libby Jones. Jones knew exactly what to do: […]
The night before the Kentucky Derby, Republican President Donald Trump placed his bets on two Republicans facing crowded primaries — U.S. Rep. Andy Barr for U.S. Senate and Ralph Alvarado for a U.S. House seat in central Kentucky. Trump said he was backing “Proven Political Winner” U.S. Rep. Andy Barr in a race for Kentucky’s […]
A Jefferson County judge has struck down part of Kentucky law that defined human life as beginning at conception, clarifying women who sued the state over the issue can pursue in vitro fertilization without fear of prosecution. Five months after he heard arguments in a more than three-year old court case seeking to strike down […]