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Search continues for man missing in collapsed coal plant in Eastern Kentucky
The search for a worker missing in the collapse of an idle coal-preparation plant is moving into a new phase as rescuers who have been combing through the wreckage now plan to use heavy equipment to remove debris, emergency officials said Thursday. One worker, pinned under a metal beam, died Wednesday after being found by […]
The ‘voice’ of Kentucky agriculture: Commissioner’s race takes a partisan turn
Any “red meat” in campaigns for commissioner of agriculture has usually pertained to Kentucky’s large beef herd — until now. Republican Jonathan Shell, a former state House floor leader, is dishing out political red meat in his quest for the office, vowing to fight “woke liberals,” serve as “guardian” to the “unborn” and “save” Kentucky […]
Mike Johnson defended Noah’s Ark attraction in Kentucky before becoming U.S. House speaker
New U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson successfully took Kentucky to court to regain tax incentives for the Ark Encounter, a 510-foot wooden replica of the biblical Noah’s Ark located off Interstate 75 in Grant County. The state tourism cabinet had awarded the project a sales-tax rebate worth up to $18 million, but Gov. Steve Beshear’s […]
COVID-19 is still testing Kentucky’s political leaders
At some point during the COVID-19 pandemic it dawned on me: We were living in a time of no good options.? The “reward” for doing the right thing was isolation and unemployment.? Opportunists in politics and media inflamed distrust between already hostile camps. And people suffered and died because of crazy stuff they believed from […]
GOP ag commissioner candidate Jonathan Shell will not appear on KET’s ‘Kentucky Tonight’
This story has been updated to show that the candidates for attorney general will not appear together on KET’s “Kentucky Tonight.” KET had invited them to debate Oct. 16. Kentucky secretary of state and one of the two candidates for agriculture commissioner will answer questions Monday night from Renee Shaw on KET’s “Kentucky Tonight.” KET […]
Will McConnell’s proudest accomplishment be his party’s political undoing?
A Louisville audience last month applauded U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell as he touted his historic success in remaking the federal courts. But McConnell’s proudest accomplishment could also prove to be his party’s electoral undoing as voters again showed the next day in Ohio where a measure sought by anti-abortion forces was defeated. The federal judiciary […]
One arts gathering flees, another cancels after confrontation in Harlan County
This story has been updated with a statement released Wednesday ?by Pine Mountain Settlement School. An Appalachian arts nonprofit’s gathering at Pine Mountain Settlement School in Harlan County ended abruptly last weekend after local residents objected to the group’s presence in the chapel, raising concerns among attendees about their safety. A statement issued by the […]
A Fancy Farm gallery: Stump speaking and heckling. A Kentucky tradition is renewed.
The 143rd Fancy Farm Picnic — a feast for connoisseurs of barbecue and Kentucky politics — is in the history books. After a day of colorful personal interactions with voters and each other, Gov. Andy Beshear and Attorney General Daniel Cameron must now return their attentions to raising vast sums of money to pay for […]
Calling all toadies: Kentucky needs a new education commissioner
Jason Glass became a target in the culture wars, but the real casualty is Kentucky’s public schools. Republicans ran off an education commissioner who openly challenged their anti-LGBTQ agenda. Under the circumstances, Glass’s announcement that he will step down in late September was not surprising. It does raise a troubling question:? What self-respecting educator will […]
Hal Rogers’ attempted glide path for federal prison in Letcher County draws flak
Opponents of a long-debated federal prison in Letcher County are criticizing U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers for using what they call a “strongman tactic” to “fast track” the project without public comment or an environmental review. Even the courts, opponents say, would be precluded from hearing legal challenges to the prison, under language that Rogers added […]
Sports betting will begin in Kentucky Sept. 7, mobile betting on Sept. 28
LEXINGTON — Gamblers can begin casting legal sports bets at racetrack-related locations across Kentucky on Sept. 7 and through mobile apps on Sept. 28, under emergency regulations signed yesterday by Gov. Andy Beshear at the Red Mile. The legislature earlier this year made Kentucky the 37th state to legalize sports betting. The U.S. Supreme Court […]
Berea College ‘will not waver’ on racial, social justice, says new president
BEREA — The day before Cheryl Nixon became Berea College’s 10th and first woman president, the U.S. Supreme Court renounced one of the principles on which the small but revered Christian, liberal arts college is built. “Our founder, the Rev. John Fee, was a staunch abolitionist and believed that there was a debt to be […]