Budget agreement reached just in time

by Tom Loftus, @TomLoftus_CJ – Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers and House Speaker Greg Stumbo say they have come to an agreement on the state budget. Sam Upshaw Jr., The C-J FRANKFORT, Ky. – House and Senate negotiators finally reached agreement Thursday morning on a 2016-18 state budget that will infuse the state’s troubled pension funds with more than a billion…

Has Frankfort adopted the dysfunction of Washington, D.C.?

by Nick Storm, @NickStorm_cn2 – Politicians in Kentucky’s Capitol have always been somewhat dysfunctional, but insiders and observers are taking note of a shift in rhetoric that has become reminiscent of partisan speak in another political town located on a river 550 miles away. Political rhetoric, posturing and the stop-and-start negotiations over a two-year budget now has first-year…

KY Dental Patients Seek Urgent Care

by NICOLE ERWIN –  Long lines at social service centers are being reported across the state due to transitions in the public benefits system. Individuals desperate for dental relief have resorted to emergency room care. Angel’s Community Clinic in Murray hasn’t experienced significant increases in health care  demands, yet. Executive Director Sherry Crittendon says it is still…

38th Dist. Democratic primary candidates debate why they’re best to take on Denny Butler in General Election

by Nick Storm, @NickStorm_cn2 – LOUISVILLE — Two very different Democratic candidates in South Louisville made their pitch to primary voters in the 38th District to earn the right to challenge former Democratic lawmaker Denny Butler in the General Election. The candidates squared off on Monday night for the one and only debate of the campaign between McKenzie Cantrell…

Blame Game Continues In Frankfort Over Benefind Rollout

by Ryland Barton – As Gov. Matt Bevin’s administration and a private consulting firm work to fix Benefind, the troubled one-stop portal for health and social services in Kentucky, the blame game over who’s responsible for its problematic rollout continues. At a hearing of the state Senate’s Health and Welfare Committee on Monday, a top Bevin administration official blamed the federal government and previous…