Sen. McConnell names new chief of staff

WASHINGTON (AP) – Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell has named a new chief of staff in his Senate office. Phil Maxson, his current legislative director, will be the new chief of staff, replacing Brian McGuire. McGuire has worked for McConnell for 10 years. McConnell says in a release that Maxson has worked “tirelessly over the years” on Kentucky’s interests.…

Bristol-Myers Squibb Wants More Kentuckians To Participate In Clinical Trials

by Lisa Gillespie – Pharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb is looking to Kentucky to reach more oncologists and cancer patients to participate in clinical trials. The commonwealth ranks in the top 10 states for rates of breast, colorectal, cervical and lung cancers. And in Kentucky, deaths related to smoking are three times higher than deaths from drug overdoses. Clinical trials usually…

Support grows for smoke-free law in Kentucky

by Deborah Yetter , @d_yetter – Dr. Salvatore Bertolone, pediatric oncologist, talks about a smoking ban, e-cigarettes and a cigarette tax. Jessica Ebelhar, The C-J Encouraged by a poll that shows a growing number of Kentuckians support a statewide smoke-free law, a major state health policy group said it is ready to join the battle for such a law in a…

New 911 technology will reduce response times

By Taylor Frost | MARTIN COUNTY, Ky. (WYMT) – Martin County’s new 911 service went live on Wednesday at 10 a.m. When disaster strikes, Martin County’s 911 service wants to respond quickly. “I think it’s a good thing, I’m really tickled myself,” Gina Patrick, Martin County resident, said. According to Martin County 911 coordinator Eric Jude, before this new advancement…

Major education reform bill heads to Bevin

by Morgan Watkins , @morganwatkins26 – On the second-to-last day of the legislative session, Kentucky lawmakers sent the state Senate’s No. 1 priority, a high-profile proposal for education reform, to Gov. Matt Bevin’s desk. Senate Bill 1 – which has been referred to by some people as the “Common Core killer” or the “teachers can teach” bill – is…