Senate Candidate Jim Gray On Rural Kentucky, Rand Paul’s Record

By Ryland Barton – Kentucky’s U.S. Senate race has moved at a sluggish pace compared with the heated matchup between Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell and Kentucky’s Democratic Secretary of State, Alison Lundergan Grimes, two years ago. Lexington Democratic mayor, Jim Gray, is trying to unseat first-term Republican Sen. Rand Paul, who also made a run for president before suspending his campaign…

Social workers told to limit remarks to media

by Deborah Yetter, @d_yetter – State officials have warned social service workers they could face disciplinary action “up to and including dismissal” for talking to the news media without permission. The warning, in an email Friday from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to all employees, follows several news stories in which social workers who investigate child abuse and…

Labor Sec. Ramsey says the time is now for state to bolster apprenticeship program

by Nick Storm, @NickStorm_cn2 – FRANKFORT — Labor Cabinet Secretary Derrick Ramsey is pushing hard to match more potential employees utilizing a long developed but often forgotten program of apprenticeships. To pair more work-ready employees with employers, Ramsey and his team are traveling the state and challenging the culture against vocational programs. As the former UK quarterback…

High court rules against Bevin university cuts

by Tom Loftus, @TomLoftus_CJ – FRANKFORT, Ky. – The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Gov. Matt Bevin exceeded his authority last spring in unilaterally ordering funding cuts to state universities. “The Governor’s reduction of the allotments of the universities in this case exceeded his statutory authority to revise allotments…” wrote Justice Mary C. Noble in…

Paul highlights efforts to block arms sales, foreign aid to Middle East countries for domestic projects in new TV ad

by Kevin Wheatley, @KWheatley_cn2 – On the heels of a failed vote to block a proposed arms sale worth some $1.15 billion to Saudi Arabia, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul’s campaign released a new television ad on Thursday highlighting his push to curtail deals between the U.S. and Middle Eastern countries. The 30-second spot, which is scheduled to…

Koch Bros. mailing state House ads in Kentucky

by Joseph Gerth, @Joe_Gerth – An organization affiliated with the conservative billionaire Koch Brothers has begun mailing out campaign literature attacking Democrats who are running for the state House of Representatives. Voters in the state’s 39th District, which includes most of Jessamine County and a small piece of Fayette, received mailers early in the week attacking Democratic Rep. Russ…

Kentucky social workers say system is in crisis, placing children in danger

by VALARIE HONEYCUTT SPEARS, [email protected] – On a Facebook page called “Kentucky Kids Matter,” state child protection workers say Kentucky’s system is in crisis and children are in danger. “We have a crisis going on that should be concerning to all people as our children are in serious danger due to the current conditions of child protective services,”…