By JOSH JAMES Kentucky’s attorney general is painting a dire picture of the effect Friday’s federal court ruling striking down the Affordable Care Act could have on the commonwealth, and the Democrat is vowing a tireless fight against the ruling. Beshear warns the ruling endangers healthcare coverage for more than 1.3 million Kentuckians, potentially rolling back…
BY BILL ESTEP A federal judge disregarded factors that called for a longer prison sentence for the man who “spear-tackled” U.S. Sen. Rand Paul and as a result the assailant’s time behind bars was unreasonably short, the government has argued. A government prosecutor filed a motion last week asking the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals…
by Alfred Miller, Louisville Courier Journal The Kentucky governor is slamming ProPublica and the Courier Journal, and he’s also added a Fox News appearance to defend his stance. Courier Journal, Louisville Courier Journal Kentuckians are none too pleased with their governor, according to a new Mason-Dixon poll. Statewide, 53 percent of Kentucky voters disapprove of Matt Bevin’s…
By COLIN JACKSON Kayden is an energetic five year old—though he’ll tell you he’s actually five-and-a-half. He lives in Russellville with his sister, Kaleigh, their grandmother, and her husband. Kayden and Kaleigh are just two of the estimated 96,000 Kentucky kids living with a non-parental relative or a close-family friend–known as “fictive kin”–in the last three…
By Becca Schimmel, Ohio Valley ReSourceSydney Boles, Ohio Valley ReSource On a cool but clear November day about a dozen residents from eastern Kentucky’s coal mining region crowded into the lobby of an office building in the small town of London, Kentucky. That’s where Kentucky’s powerful senior senator, Mitch McConnell, has his local field office. McConnell’s…
FRANKFORT, Ky. — A Kentucky task force Thursday discussed recommendations that encourage the Kentucky General Assembly to phase out hundreds of state tax exemptions and credits by mid-2020. Task Force on Tax Expenditures Co-Chair Rep. Ken Fleming, R-Louisville, said the recommended phase-out – which would have to be introduced and passed in a future session…
BY MICHON LINDSTROM KENTUCKY LEXINGTON- Rep. Derrick Graham, D-Frankfort, is making history as the first African-American to serve in Democratic leadership in the Kentucky House of Representatives. The House Democratic Caucus voted him in as Democratic Caucus Chair Wednesday. “I want to thank my fellow caucus members for their support and look forward to hitting the ground…
BY MICHON LINDSTROM | KENTUCKY – LOUISVILLE- The General Assembly will be back in session in January–with new leadership teams in place. Louisville Sen. Morgan McGarvey will be leading the Democrats in the Senate as Minority Floor Leader. While the upcoming session is a short one, there are plenty of issues to tackle. Sen. McGarvey says a…
by Tom Loftus, Louisville Courier Journal – STORY HIGHLIGHTS New teachers will continue to be placed in the state’s traditional pension system. Teachers will continue to be able to use accrued sick days when determining their pension benefits. Educators can retire with full benefits at 60. FRANKFORT – In a rebuke of the General Assembly and blow…
BY LESLEY CLARK AND EMMA DUMAIN lclark@mcclatchydc.com edumain@mcclatchydc.com WASHINGTON — Mitch McConnell had been defying the president and the president’s son-in-law — along with the Republican party in his own home state — as he refused to allow a vote on an overhaul of the nation’s criminal justice laws. The Senate Majority Leader relented Tuesday…