Author Archives: admin

Different portraits of Tim Longmeyer emerge in letters of support from family and friends, Personnel Cabinet statement ahead of sentencing

by Kevin Wheatley, @KWheatley_cn2 – Dozens of friends and family members have implored U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell for leniency in letters of support for former Personnel Cabinet Secretary Tim Longmeyer ahead of his sentencing on federal bribery charges Thursday. The letters were unsealed Wednesday and include his wife, Lyn Longmeyer; parents, John and Janice Longmeyer; siblings…

Problems found in Kentucky’s police training and pay programs

by JACK BRAMMER, [email protected] – FRANKFORT – A special examination found several policy and financial problems with Kentucky’s criminal justice training program and an associated fund to provide training and incentive pay for officers. The exam of the state Department of Criminal Justice Training and the Kentucky Law Enforcement Foundation Program Fund, both of which are housed at Eastern…

Senate Race Debates Still TBD

by JOSH JAMES –  With less than six weeks remaining before Kentucky voters make their way to the polls, Senate candidates Rand Paul and Jim Gray have yet to debate. And the Democratic challenger has been working to make the incumbent’s still-unconfirmed schedule into a campaign issue. “I’ve agreed to do the debates and it’s regrettable…

Who are Frankfort’s highest-paid lobbyists?

by Tom Loftus, @TomLoftus_CJ – Here are the highest-paid lobbyists working the Kentucky General Assembly through the first eight months of 2016. The nearly 700 corporations and associations that lobby the General Assembly are required to report exactly how much they pay each lobbyist they retain. These reports are filed regularly with the Legislative Ethics Commission.…

Bevin still weighing options over Supreme Court ruling on university budget cuts

by Don Weber, @DonWeber_cn2 – FRANKFORT — Gov. Matt Bevin is looking at his options after the Kentucky Supreme Court ruled 5-2 last week that Bevin overstepped his authority in making 4.5 percent unilateral cuts to most public universities. Bevin says that, by law, he and his staff have some time before deciding whether to try to…

Beshear Calls on Bevin to Release Funds to Kentucky Universities

by LISA AUTRY (KPR) – Kentucky’s Attorney General is accusing Governor Matt Bevin of “dragging his feet” on returning millions of dollars to the state’s colleges and universities. Western Kentucky University is waiting on about $1.5 million that the school is owed following last week’s state Supreme Court ruling. (Murray State will receive approximately $960,500) During…

U.S. Senator Rand Paul visits SKYCTC, gives debate advice to Trump

by Catharine Gardner | BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) — Rand Paul toured the different programs at SKYCTC Monday and learned how they turn students in to highly needed skilled workers once they graduate. “We need great workers and skilled technicians, and I was impressed with the setup here,” Rand Paul mentioned. “As I traveled around Kentucky,…

Senate Candidate Jim Gray On Rural Kentucky, Rand Paul’s Record

By Ryland Barton – Kentucky’s U.S. Senate race has moved at a sluggish pace compared with the heated matchup between Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell and Kentucky’s Democratic Secretary of State, Alison Lundergan Grimes, two years ago. Lexington Democratic mayor, Jim Gray, is trying to unseat first-term Republican Sen. Rand Paul, who also made a run for president before suspending his campaign…

Social workers told to limit remarks to media

by Deborah Yetter, @d_yetter – State officials have warned social service workers they could face disciplinary action “up to and including dismissal” for talking to the news media without permission. The warning, in an email Friday from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to all employees, follows several news stories in which social workers who investigate child abuse and…

Labor Sec. Ramsey says the time is now for state to bolster apprenticeship program

by Nick Storm, @NickStorm_cn2 – FRANKFORT — Labor Cabinet Secretary Derrick Ramsey is pushing hard to match more potential employees utilizing a long developed but often forgotten program of apprenticeships. To pair more work-ready employees with employers, Ramsey and his team are traveling the state and challenging the culture against vocational programs. As the former UK quarterback…