Tom Loftus, @TomLoftus_CJ – FRANKFORT, Ky. – As university presidents and advocates for other state programs protest Gov. Matt Bevin’s proposed 9 percent funding cuts, deadlines are fast approaching for lawmakers to start shaping a final state budget. But the uncertainty over the balance of power in the Kentucky House and the nature of Bevin’s budget…
by STU JOHNSON WEKU NEWS – Legislation to expand penalties for heroin trafficking is on its way to the Kentucky House. The measure got overwhelming support in the state senate Wednesday. Northern Kentucky Senator John Schickel says passage of this measure would make trafficking in any amount of heroin a class C felony. He says lower…
by Don Weber, @DonWeber_cn2 – GEORGETOWN – The 62nd District House race features Democrat Chuck Tackett, a former Scott County magistrate and farmer and businessman, against political newcomer Phillip Pratt, owner and operator of Pratt’s Lawn and Landscape in Georgetown. Tackett, who lost to current Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles in 2014, feels that the experience of that campaign…
by Joseph Gerth, @Joe_Gerth – On Monday at a National Governors Association meeting with President Barack Obama, Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin asked about the federal debt. Obama turned the tables on him and launched into a defense of the Affordable Care Act, which Bevin opposes and has worked to dismantle Kentucky’s health insurance exchange that was created under…
by STU JOHNSON (KPR) – While no formal votes have been taken on a state budget in Frankfort, that’s not to say budget talk isn’t prevalent. Senate President Robert Stivers took to the floor Wednesday to express some concerns. The republican senate leader told members of his chamber he’s hearing discussion in the House about borrowing as…
BY LINDA BLACKFORD AND JOHN CHEVES – [email protected] [email protected] FRANKFORT — A Lexington lawmaker said Tuesday she plans to file a bill that would stop land developers and owners of large suburban estates from receiving a tax break meant for saving productive farmland. A Herald-Leader investigation published in recent days found scores of examples of the tax…
by Deborah Yetter, @d_yetter – FRANKFORT, Ky. – Supporters of abortion rights and better public education on sexual health held an upbeat rally Tuesday, seeking to rekindle enthusiasm for a cause that has erupted in controversy in recent weeks. Scores of boisterous backers, many in hot-pink Planned Parenthood T-shirts, were among those filling the Capitol Rotunda to cheer on speakers who…
by Don Weber – FRANKFORT – Community-based people trained to be “Kynectors” – to help people get healthcare through insurance plans on kynect or through expanded Medicaid, are fearful of what will happen to Kentucky’s most vulnerable citizens if the portal to health insurance is disbanded. Emily Beauregard, executive director of Kentucky voices for Health said that Kynect…
by Associated Press – State officials are recommending more restrictions on fish consumption. The Courier-Journal reports the recommendations come after state officials found mercury in more fish from more waterways across the state. Officials now say everyone should limit how much locally caught fish they eat, not just pregnant woman and children under 6. Lanny Brannock, spokesman for the…
by Karyn Czar – More Kentuckians will have access to preventative health screenings thanks to the Kentucky One Health mobile screening unit. It’s much smaller, but this mobile screening unit has everything your doctor’s office would have; a front desk, waiting area and a private exam room. That’s where, Ultrasound Technician Michelle Teachey scanned my neck. “We’re…
