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KY Supreme Court denies challenge to Kulkanri’s candidacy for legislature
The Kentucky Supreme Court denied a challenge that sought to disqualify Louisville Rep. Nima Kulkarni from seeking reelection this fall. In an unpublished opinion released Thursday, the state’s highest court unanimously denied a motion from Kulkarni’s primary challenger, William Zeitz, and previous opponent, former Rep. Dennis Horlander. Zeitz and Horlander sought an appeal of a […]
Harris says Trump is a fascist and ‘unfit to serve’ during Pennsylvania town hall
ASTON, Pa. — With less than two weeks to go before the general election, Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, said Wednesday during a town hall in Delaware County she believes her GOP opponent, former President Donald Trump, is a fascist who is “increasingly unstable and unfit to serve” another term as […]
‘The Price of Power:’ A long, objective look at Mitch McConnell by a veteran D.C. journalist
Mitch McConnell has been the subject of four biographies: one by himself, one by a critic, one by a friend who became a critic, and now, at last, one by a top-rank Washington journalist with an objective account of “one of the most consequential senators in American history,” as the dust jacket accurately puts it. […]
McConnell’s fundraising total the lowest in years
FRANKFORT — U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell’s reelection committee raised just $76,000 between July 1 and Sept. 30 — the lowest quarterly contribution total it has reported in the four years since his 2020 reelection, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. The $76,000 compares to $1.7 million that Sen. Rand Paul’s reelection committee […]
Walz makes fundraising stop in Louisville with days left in presidential race
LOUISVILLE — Democratic vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota made a brief fundraising stop in Louisville Wednesday evening ahead of the upcoming presidential election. Walz and his daughter, Hope, were greeted at the airport by top Kentucky Democrats, including Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey, former U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth, Kentucky […]
Kentucky auditor looking into kinship care help currently in limbo
Kentucky Auditor Allison Ball has launched an inquiry into whether the Beshear administration can implement a law aimed at helping kinship care families. Ball’s office will look at what money, if any, the cabinet has available and if federal dollars could help with implementation, she said, and is the result of an official complaint filed […]
Lawmakers urged to ease criminal expungement process for a half-million eligible Kentuckians
LOUISVILLE — When James Sweasy was 19 years old, he was convicted of a felony related to marijuana and spent the next 20 years of his life held back by his record. He got a lawyer and started the “multi-months” process of expungement when he was in his early 40s, he said. “No taxation without […]
Kentucky Sen. Johnnie Turner of Harlan dies
Kentucky Sen. Johnnie Turner of Harlan has died as a result of injuries received in an accident last month. Turner, 76, was an attorney and had served in the U.S. Army as a medic. A Republican, he had served in the state Senate since 2021, representing Bell, Floyd, Harlan, Knott and Letcher counties. He served […]
Kentucky Sen. Johnnie Turner of Harlan dies
Kentucky Sen. Johnnie Turner of Harlan has died as a result of injuries received in an accident last month. Turner, 76, was an attorney and had served in the U.S. Army as a medic. A Republican, he had served in the state Senate since 2021, representing Bell, Floyd, Harlan, Knott and Letcher counties. He served […]
Kentucky GOP lawmakers want more credit. Here’s an idea.
In an op-ed released by Kentucky’s Senate Majority Caucus touting its achievements, Senate President Robert Stivers and state Sen. Chris McDaniel criticized Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear for attempting “to take credit for these improvements” when the legislature has done the work. This is a consistent drumbeat. They are perturbed that the governor shows up in […]
KY approves surveillance zone after another chronic wasting disease case found in deer
FRANKFORT — The board overseeing Kentucky’s fish and wildlife agency voted Tuesday to establish a three-county surveillance zone after chronic wasting disease (CWD) was found earlier this month on a deer farm in Breckinridge County. The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission also for the second time approved a four-year contract for Commissioner Rich Storm following […]
Republican lawmaker will renew efforts to make water fluoridation optional in Kentucky
A Republican lawmaker will once again push to end Kentucky’s requirement for certain utilities to add or adjust fluoride levels in drinking water. Rep. Mark Hart, R-Falmouth, filed House Bill 141 in 2024, but it died without clearing either chamber. Speaking before the Interim Joint Committee on State Government Tuesday, Hart said he wants to […]
Education a priority for both candidates seeking to succeed Damon Thayer in Kentucky Senate
With Senate Republican Floor Leader Damon Thayer planning to step down from office, two candidates are seeking to replace him in the 17th Senate District. Matt Nunn, a veteran and executive at Toyota Tsusho America, is running to continue the district’s Republican control while Kiana Fields, who works in higher education, hopes to flip the […]
Appalshop honored with National Humanities Medal at White House ceremony
Appalshop, the 55-year-old media arts nonprofit based in the coalfields of Southeastern Kentucky, was among 19 recipients of National Humanities Medals at a White House ceremony Monday. Recipients included Robin Wall Kimmerer, scientist and author; Jon Meacham, historian and author; Aaron Sorkin, playwright, screenwriter and director; Lavar Burton, actor and literacy advocate. Chef and author […]
Democratic VP nominee Tim Walz coming to Louisville to raise money for Harris campaign
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will make a stop in Louisville Wednesday for Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign fund. According to an advisory from the Harris-Walz campaign, Walz will deliver remarks at a campaign reception for the Harris Victory Fund, the campaign’s PAC. In recent years, Walz has been a political ally of Kentucky Democratic […]
Some people love to scare themselves in an already scary world − here’s the psychology of why
Fall for me as a teenager meant football games, homecoming dresses – and haunted houses. My friends organized group trips to the local fairground, where barn sheds were turned into halls of horror, and masked men nipped at our ankles with (chainless) chain saws as we waited in line, anticipating deeper frights to come once […]
1 million+ patients lose coverage as insurers, hospitals drop Medicare Advantage
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Libby and Andrew Potter usually ignore the avalanche of Medicare Advantage ads that land in the mailbox at their home in Huntsville, Alabama, each fall as Medicare’s open enrollment period begins. Libby, a retired middle school librarian, has what she considers good health insurance through the state employee health plan. Andrew has […]
‘Troublesome Rising:’ Story doesn’t end when the water crashes into the house
This article first appeared on The Daily Yonder and is republished here under a Creative Commons license. Melissa Helton is the literary arts director at the Hindman Settlement School in Knott County in Southeastern Kentucky. She is the editor of “Troublesome Rising: A Thousand-Year Flood in Eastern Kentucky,” published this September by the University Press […]
Where Harris, Trump campaigns stand on tech policy
Though technology policy isn’t one of the main drivers getting voters out to the polls in the upcoming presidential election, the speed in which technology develops will undoubtedly impact the way everyday Americans communicate, work and interact with the world in the next four years. Concern about artificial intelligence’s role in the election plague the […]
It’s no wonder Sundance didn’t choose Kentucky
The recent decision by Sundance to eliminate Louisville from consideration as a potential festival location is not surprising, and a good call. It was astounding that Louisville even made the short list of potential host cities given Kentucky’s numerous human rights violations, which contradict the ethos and equity values Sundance says it holds. Sundance’s decision […]
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The Kentucky Lantern is an independent, nonpartisan, free news service. We’re based in Frankfort a short walk from the Capitol, but all of Kentucky is our beat. We focus on how decisions made in the marble halls of power ripple through the lives of Kentuckians. We bring attention to injustices and hold institutions and officials accountable. We tell the stories of Kentuckians who are making a difference and shine a light on what’s working. Our journalism is aimed at building a fairer, healthier Kentucky for all. The Lantern is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit, coast-to-coast network of journalists that works to fill gaps in state government reporting caused by the declining numbers of state and local journalists.
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