by DANIEL DESROCHERS, ddesrochers@herald-leader.com – Just like Chicago Cubs fans, Republicans in Frankfort are saying this will be the year. For more than 90 years, Democrats have controlled the Kentucky House of Representatives, but Republicans are on the offensive in several House races this fall as Kentucky’s electorate continues its slow march to the political right. Democrats have…
by WILL PERKINS, wperkins@glasgowdailytimes.com – GLASGOW – When Ann Ferrell chose to write her doctorate dissertation on Kentucky’s burley tobacco, she thought she was going to be writing about the end of the tobacco industry. “Honestly, I got into it thinking, ‘Oh, I’m gonna’ be documenting the end of tobacco in Kentucky,’” Ferrell said on Wednesday…
by Terry DeMio, tdemio@enquirer.com – Overdoses continue to plague Northern Kentucky and the rest of the commonwealth, health officials say. St. Elizabeth Healthcare’s hospital emergency departments reversed 94 overdoses from Aug. 28 through Saturday. The numbers are “still extremely high,” said spokesman Guy Karrick. The Kentucky Public Health department released its own count, which numbered 15…
by Morgan Watkins, @morganwatkins26 – The ex-chairman of the Kentucky Retirement Systems Board of Trustees said in court Wednesday that he skipped a recent meeting because he was concerned state troopers would try to remove him. Thomas Elliott, who served as chairman of the pension board until Gov. Matt Bevin replaced him earlier this year, said…
by JACK BRAMMER, jbrammer@herald-leader.com – FRANKFORT — Billy Joe Miles, a prominent farm businessman in Owensboro and a former chairman of the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees, was charged Tuesday with rape, sodomy and bribing a witness. He is 76. A grand jury indicted Miles in Daviess Circuit Court on one count of first-degree rape, one count of…
by Ryland Barton – Kentucky’s U.S. Senate race continues its sleepy pace past Labor Day as Democratic candidate Jim Gray fights to be competitive and the incumbent lays low, enjoying a Republican surge in the state. Gray and Republican incumbent Rand Paul have — mostly through their spokespeople — squared off on issues such as revitalizing the coal industry, gun…
by Ryland Barton – As Kentuckians continue to enjoy low gas prices, the state’s road fund continues to suffer because of lost revenue from the motor fuels tax. Officials say the fund, which finances state highway maintenance and construction projects, dipped to dangerously low levels last month ahead of scheduled debt payments the state was required to…
by Justin L. Mack, Chelsea Schneider and Stephanie Wang, stephanie.wang@indystar.com – ITT Educational Services is asking federal education officials for leniency as the for-profit college chain based in Carmel, Ind., tries to stave off creditors. (Dwight Adams/IndyStar) Wochit In the wake of devastating federal sanctions, officials from Carmel-based ITT Educational Services Inc. announced Tuesday that all ITT Technical Institute campuses will be…
By John Gregory, KET – With everything on his plate during his first year as Kentucky’s commissioner of education, Stephen Pruitt didn’t expect to be testifying before Congress. But there he was, giving his thoughts on the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to House and Senate committees earlier this summer. Pruitt praised lawmakers for passing…
by The Associated Press – FRANKFORT, KY. — Republicans in Kentucky’s 1st Congressional district are expected to nominate James Comer for a special election to replace U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield. Whitfield is resigning from Congress at 6 p.m. Tuesday. He announced his resignation last week, about one year after announcing he would not seek re-election this…