by Jack Brammer, jbrammer@herald-leader.com – FRANKFORT — State lawmakers from across the South will be in Lexington July 9-13 for a conference that will include speeches by University of Kentucky men’s basketball coach John Calipari and the dynamic political duo of Mary Matalin and James Carville. Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers, who will preside over the conference in wrapping…
by Ryland Barton – The Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission has ruled that political candidates are allowed to use crowdfunding sites like GoFundMe and Kickstarter to raise money for their own political campaigns. Crowdfunding websites help people raise money for projects or causes in exchange for a cut of the proceeds. In its formal opinion, the commission warned against promoting crowdfunding webpages…
by BETH MUSGRAVE, bmusgrave@herald-leader.com – The board of the Bluegrass Area Development District voted Wednesday to pursue appealing the state’s decision to yank its designation as an area agency on aging. It also voted to pay 40 employees who work in its aging and independent living programs through July. The votes came after the Cabinet for Health…
by Joseph Gerth, @Joe_Gerth – One question asked by Open Range owner Barry Laws was why not allow licensed gun dealers access the government’s stolen gun database. Matt Stone, The Courier-Journal Stymied by Congress on the issue of gun control, the Obama administration plans to push states and local governments to enact expanded background checks and other…
by Tom Loftus, @TomLoftus_CJ – FRANKFORT, Ky. – The Republican Party of Kentucky reports it had $1.5 million in the bank at the end of May while the Kentucky Democratic Party had just $107,000. Reports filed this week by both parties with the Federal Election Commission for the month of May continue to show a shift of support…
by Chris Otts – LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Gov. Matt Bevin’s move to abolish the University of Louisville Board of Trustees has resulted in a partial shakeup of the board of the directors overseeing the university’s nonprofit foundation. Former foundation chairman Robert Hughes and three others are no longer on the board because, according to…
by Don Weber, @DonWeber_cn2 – WILLIAMSTOWN – It’s been three months since the inception of a needle exchange program operated by the Northern Kentucky Independent Health District in Williamstown was launched, and department officials are already proclaiming the operation a success. Under the program, addicts bring in their dirty needles to the Grant County office on Wednesday’s between the…
by ASSOCIATED PRESS – The 400,000 Kentuckians who have health insurance through the state’s expanded Medicaid program would have fewer benefits and would have to pay small premiums to keep their coverage under a proposal released Wednesday by Republican Gov. Matt Bevin. Premiums would range from $1 to $15 per month. Beneficiaries would lose vision and…
by Andrew Wolfson, @adwolfson – On Friday morning Governor Matt Bevin announces sweeping changes at the university including the resignation of U of L President James Ramsey and almost complete overhaul of the Board of Trustees. Citing the “immediate diminishment of the academic legitimacy and reputation of the University of Louisville,” a group of 47 faculty…
by BETH MUSGRAVE, bmusgrave@herald-leader.com – Lexington Mayor Jim Gray has resigned from the executive committee of the Bluegrass Area Development District. Gray gave no reason for his resignation in a one-sentence letter obtained Monday by the Lexington Herald-Leader. Gray’s resignation was submitted Friday and is effective immediately. Susan Straub, a spokeswoman for Gray, said Gray opted to…
