Former Bardstown mayor takes over after predecessor driven out of office

by RANDY PATRICK, The Kentucky Standard –  Dick Heaton is Bardstown’s new mayor, taking over after former Lexington police officer John Royalty was booted from the job. All five of Heaton’s fellow City Council members voted Tuesday afternoon to affirm the former mayor to serve once again as the city government’s chief executive for the remainder of the current term,…

7 sobering facts about child abuse every Kentuckian should know

by JOHN CHEVES, [email protected] – April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Unfortunately for Kentucky children, reports of abuse and neglect have increased dramatically in recent years, in part because of rampant drug abuse. These numbers illustrate the problem. 55% The number of substantiated child abuse and neglect findings in Kentucky has steadily risen from 9,934 in fiscal 2012 to…

Bevin signs shared parenting law

by Rachel Adkins, The Daily Independent – FRANKFORT — Gov. Matt Bevin signed a family court reform bill into law last week, bringing Kentucky a step closer to making shared parenting in instances of divorce the norm in the state. House Bill 492 received unanimous support in both the House (voted 97-0) and Senate (38-0)…