Economy
Kentucky receiving an additional $182 million in federal funds for broadband
Gov. Andy Beshear joined U.S. Department of the Treasury officials to announce more than $182 million in federal funding Thursday for broadband deployment throughout Kentucky, padding onto hundreds of millions of dollars the state has already invested in expanding internet access. The federal funding, made available through the American Rescue Plan Act, is one of […]
U.S. Education Secretary Cardona visiting Hazard Thursday
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona will travel to Hazard Thursday to spotlight new federal funding for Partners for Rural Impact, a “place-based partnership” founded by Dreama Gentry that works to create student opportunity and success in Appalachia. Accompanying him will be Geoffrey Canada, president of Harlem Children’s Zone and founder of the William Julius Wilson […]
Kentucky House GOP plans to pass income tax cut this week
FRANKFORT — Republican House Speaker David Osborne says his GOP supermajority in the House of Representatives plans to pass a bill this week that would continue to cut the state’s income tax, a big priority that GOP leadership telegraphed well ahead of this year’s legislative session. Osborne on the first day of the legislative session […]
Child poverty rates highest in states that haven’t raised minimum wage, including Kentucky
Of the 20 states, including Kentucky, that have failed to raise the minimum wage above the federal $7.25 an hour standard, 16 have more than 12% of their children living in poverty, according to a States Newsroom analysis of wage and poverty data. Anti-poverty advocates say that’s a sign that there’s an urgent need for […]
Kentuckians encouraged to challenge accuracy of new broadband map
Gov. Andy Beshear is encouraging Kentuckians to challenge the accuracy of a new federal broadband availability map that will help determine how billions of federal dollars for broadband deployment will be allocated among states. The Federal Communications Commission in November released a proposed online interactive map that lists available internet providers and the maximum advertised […]
Kentucky groups urge lawmakers to reject another income tax cut
A coalition of 28 Kentucky organizations is urging lawmakers to reject additional cuts in the state income tax when the legislature convenes Jan. 3. “Record surpluses used to justify the cut are largely a mirage,” says a letter sent Friday to members of the General Assembly and released by the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy. […]
Robust revenue growth forecast, setting stage for GOP to cut Kentucky income tax next month
FRANKFORT, Ky. – Kentucky can expect a big revenue surplus of $1.4 billion when the state’s current fiscal year ends on June 30. That was the prediction Wednesday of a group of experts — called the Consensus Forecasting Group — which is charged with making official forecasts of revenue for budgeting purposes. If the forecast […]
Here’s why food prices remain stubbornly high even as inflation cools
Shoppers hoping for a little relief at the grocery store for their holiday meals will be disappointed by the Consumer Price Index released Tuesday. The CPI shows inflation cooling but food prices — particularly for some holiday staples — remain high. The CPI increased 0.1% in November, which was lower than some economists expected. Over […]
Beshear: Sites for rebuilding flooded Eastern Kentucky communities being considered
FRANKFORT — The state is considering land in Knott, Letcher and Perry counties as sites for new housing for victims of last summer’s flooding in developments that could include schools, senior housing and medical clinics, Gov. Andy Beshear told media on Thursday. Beshear declined to go into specifics, saying he did not want to compromise […]
Kentucky plant top emitter of potent heat-trapping gases from aluminum production
This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, independent news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. It was published in partnership with NBC News and is republished with permission. Sign up for the Inside Climate News newsletter here. ROBARDS, Ky.—As Mary and Ed Cupp drove down a country lane toward the front gate […]
Kentucky Horse Park seeking to exclude new hires from merit system, share in local ‘bedroom’ tax
The Kentucky Horse Park wants state lawmakers to approve legislation that would exclude its new hires from the state merit system designed to protect employees from political influence. It also is seeking enabling legislation to allow the park to tap into the transient or “bedroom” tax collected by hotels, motels and other providers of overnight […]
Price shocks could hit consumers without more oversight of grid building boom
An aging electric grid, fossil fuel power plant retirements and a massive renewable electricity buildout are all contributing to a boom in transmission and distribution wire projects by electric utilities across the country. In 2020, investor-owned electric utilities spent $25 billion on transmission, up from $23.7 billion in 2019, figures that the Edison Electric Institute, […]