by RYLAND BARTON – Kentucky lawmakers are deadlocked on a state budget with no resolution in sight. If a compromise isn’t reached by April 15th, Gov. Matt Bevin will likely have to have to call a special legislative session—which costs taxpayers about $70,000 per day. If lawmakers don’t come up with a state budget by June 30th,…
by Scott Wartman, swartman@nky.com – Every time residents in Grant County see their area in the news, they brace themselves for the worst. “Grant Countians don’t like the stigma from this,” said Dave Cahoon, pastor at Mt. Olivet Christian Church in Williamstown, the county seat. “When Grant County makes the news, we’re like, ‘Oh boy, this…
by BETH MUSGRAVE AND JACK BRAMMER, bmusgrave@herald-leader.com, jbrammer@herald-leader.com FRANKFORT — Negotiations over a two-year, $21 billion state spending plan broke off Thursday after House and Senate leaders couldn’t come to an agreement over cuts to higher education and how much money should go into a fund for pension payments. The impasse put in jeopardy a compromise on the budget…
by Deborah Yetter, @d_yetter – Governor Matt Bevin addressed concerns about the embattled Benefind system during a press conference on Thursday FRANKFORT, Ky. – Gov. Matt Bevin and his top human service officials on Thursday acknowledged widespread problems in the state’s new public benefit system but said they are working furiously to correct the errors that have disrupted lives of…
by The Associated Press – FRANKFORT, KY. — Kentucky lawmakers have finished work to close a legal loophole blamed for shielding sexual predators whose young victims can’t say exactly when and where they were abused. The bill won final passage Tuesday in the Senate and goes to Gov. Matt Bevin. The measure stems from a court ruling…
by Scott Wartman, swartman@nky.com – A rift in the GOP appears to have grown wider as Kentucky Republicans choose delegates who will pick their presidential nominee. Nowhere is that more apparent than in Northern Kentucky. Last week, in meetings described by many as tense, Republicans in Kenton and Campbell counties voted down two delegate slates proposed by the party…
BY JACK BRAMMER, jbrammer@herald-leader.com – FRANKFORT — The state Senate was minutes away from adjourning Tuesday night when Senate Majority Leader Damon Thayer announced that a special visitor wanted to address the chamber — Gov. Matt Bevin. In a move old-timers said was unprecedented and surprising, the Republican governor in his first year of office entered the…
by The Associated Press – FRANKFORT, KY. — Kentucky lawmakers have completed work on a bill aimed at requiring that public school students receive basic CPR training. The measure was passed by the House without debate on Monday, two months after passing the Senate. The bill now moves on to Gov. Matt Bevin’s desk. Republican Sen.…
by STU JOHNSON, WEKU NEWS – Republican Governor Matt Bevin and GOP legislative leaders held a news conference Tuesday morning to address the state budget standoff. Bevin said House democrats are unwilling to compromise on the spending plan. He maintained that all parts of the budget are up for negotiating. “We are here, we are in…
by JOHN CHEVES AND JACK BRAMMER, jcheves@herald-leader.com – FRANKFORT — House and Senate budget negotiators tossed new state government spending proposals on the table Tuesday, but neither side seemed ready to yield to the other. In a nutshell, the Democratic House wants to shield higher education from Gov. Matt Bevin’s proposed budget cuts, which means several hundred million…