Government
IT glitch causing delays in flights, business operations globally
Air travel, banking, media and hospital systems are just some of the industries affected by a bug in a software update that has scrambled business operations for many globally Friday morning. Many of those who use Microsoft Windows are likely experiencing a “blue screen of death” or an error page. The issue is due to […]
Kentucky lawmakers hear climate-science skepticism from attorney general’s office
FRANKFORT — A litigator for the Kentucky attorney general disputed the role of carbon dioxide emissions in warming the world’s climate, despite near-total agreement among scientists that the clear gas is a major contributor to warming. Speaking Thursday to state lawmakers, Vic Maddox, counsel on special litigation for Republican Attorney General Russell Coleman, cited the […]
University of Kentucky will not build hospital in southeast Lexington, state lawmakers hear
FRANKFORT — The University of Kentucky will not build a hospital in southeast Lexington because it wants to do what its network of rural hospital partners want: focus on its mission as a top-level care facility for the sickest patients, a UK vice president told a legislative subcommittee Wednesday. The proposed Hamburg-area hospital “was perceived […]
Kentuckian Hadley Duvall in Biden abortion ad says Trump and Vance ‘don’t care about women’
A Kentucky woman who talked about abortion in a pivotal campaign ad for Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear last year is now up on airwaves supporting President Joe Biden on the same issue. Hadley Duvall, an Owensboro native who is now in her early 20s, told the Kentucky Lantern last year that she began sharing her […]
U.S. appeals court agrees to block central part of new Title IX gender rules for schools
A federal appellate court has upheld blocking central parts of new Title IX rules from the Biden administration and granted an expedited hearing in October. A three-judge panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed Wednesday to block the rules from taking effect Aug. 1, shortly before most schools begin their academic year. […]
Kentucky ranks low in women’s health and reproductive care
As the worst of COVID-19 subsided in 2022 and a trigger law banning most abortions went into effect upon the fall of Roe v. Wade, Kentucky was already among the worst-performing states for women’s health. This insight comes from The Commonwealth Fund’s 2024 State Scorecard on Women’s Health and Reproductive Care, a first-of-its kind ranking […]
Beshear says federal government should reclassify marijuana to recognize its medical uses
In a Wednesday letter sent to the Drug Enforcement Administration, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said he supports reclassifying marijuana from a Schedule I controlled substance to Schedule III. That would move marijuana from a DEA designation that says it has “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse” to having “a moderate […]
University president defends multicultural religious, social, and academic groups on campus
FRANKFORT — For almost 90 minutes on Tuesday, Kentucky lawmakers who tried to ban diversity, equity and inclusion in Kentucky’s colleges were told why such programs were needed in higher education. Yet, one legislator said DEI programs “segregate” students. Among presenters were two university presidents — Northern Kentucky University President Cady Short-Thompson and Morehead State […]
Gun rights advocates at convention spell out plans if GOP gains control in November
MILWAUKEE — Republicans speaking at a concealed carry event on Tuesday, just days after a gunman attempted to kill their presidential nominee, insisted the party won’t change its stance on Second Amendment rights. Attendees at the one-hour session, hosted by the U.S. Concealed Carry Association near the Republican National Convention, weren’t actually able to conceal […]
Healthy coincidence? Kentucky’s adult smoking rate, cigarette tax collections decline
Increasing state cigarette taxes has proven to be an effective policy to decrease smoking rates, and it appears that is also true in Kentucky. Nearly 30 percent of Kentucky adults smoked in 2011, two years after the legislature had doubled the cigarette tax to 60 cents a pack. Following a 50-cent increase to $1.10 in […]
Jefferson County schools officials present district information to Kentucky legislative task force
Jefferson County Public Schools officials appeared Monday before a new legislative task force that will examine the governance of Kentucky’s largest school district. Led by Marty Pollio, the district’s superintendent, the officials laid out information about the district’s enrollment, financial records, governance structure and more to the Efficient & Effective School District Governance Task Force. […]
Public school funding at risk if Kentuckians approve Amendment 2, new study says
Kentucky’s public schools could take a big hit to their state funding if voters approve a constitutional amendment this fall allowing the General Assembly to begin funding private schools, a progressive think tank and several school leaders warned Monday. The new report from the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy (KyPolicy) estimates that if Kentucky were […]