Nearly 600,000 Kentuckians got help buying food through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in June 2025, according to the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. But the program, better known as SNAP, faces an uncertain future after Congress passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a sweeping and controversial tax and spending package. The Trump administration insists that it’s not […]
Author Archives: Kentucky Lantern
Posted inNews
Kentucky Capitol is getting a $300 million makeover that will take years to complete
Lucas Deaton of Walton, a lawyer for the Kentucky Bar Association, brought his 5-year-old daughter, Audrey, to see Kentucky’s grandest building — the state Capitol — before it closes to the public for several years. A most lonely place greeted them on their Dads-Take-Daughters-to-Work outing on a hot day in early summer. The famous statues […]
Posted inBusiness
Independent pharmacies continue to struggle as drug industry relief stalls
Kentucky’s independent pharmacies, facing ongoing financial pressure, had hoped for relief from a new law meant to give them more clout against prescription drug industry middlemen known as pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs. “Most pharmacies were just hanging on for Senate Bill 188,” said independent pharmacist Rosemary Smith, referring to the 2024 legislation sponsored by […]
Posted inFrankfort
Domestic violence report: 9% of perpetrators are teens
If you or someone you know has experienced domestic violence, call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. You can also contact any of Kentucky’s 15 domestic violence programs. Most perpetrators and victims of domestic violence in Kentucky are between the ages of 25 and 39, the annual Domestic […]
Posted inEducation
Kentucky education department needs ‘widespread improvements,’ auditor finds
Kentucky Auditor Allison Ball announced that a special examination of the Kentucky Department of Education found “widespread improvements needed across the agency.” Ball’s office released the examination, which is more than 550 pages, late Monday evening. The General Assembly passed legislation in 2024 directing the auditor to review the state agency that oversees public K-12 schools in Kentucky. […]
Posted inElections
Musk enters Massie-Trump fray as two Kentucky Republicans buck president on his ‘beautiful’ bill
The plot thickened as billionaire Elon Musk waded into the drama between President Donald Trump and defiant Kentucky Republican U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie. Musk promised Monday evening to help Massie fend off any Republican primary challenger recruited by Trump, who is vowing to unseat Massie next year. Massie most recently drew Trump’s wrath by opposing […]
Posted inNews
Kentucky has four more cases of highly contagious measles
Four unvaccinated Kentuckians have contracted the highly contagious measles, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) announced Friday. Three of the four cases were from the same household in Woodford County and the fourth, unrelated to the others, is in a Todd County person who was exposed while traveling internationally, the cabinet said. Kentucky […]
Posted inFrankfort
Lexington businessman Nate Morris throws hat in ring for McConnell seat
The Republican primary for Kentucky’s open U.S. Senate seat just got more crowded. Nate Morris, a Lexington businessman who founded waste and recycling company Rubicon, announced his candidacy in a 20-minute interview on Donald Trump Jr.’s “Triggered” podcast Thursday evening. “After careful reflection and prayer talking to my wife, Jane, I’ve decided to run for the United States Senate […]
Posted inNews
Kentucky’s utility regulator launches effort to study nuclear power
Kentucky’s utility regulator is inviting Kentuckians to weigh in on the possibilities of developing nuclear power plants in the state. The Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC) in an order earlier this month opened a case to discuss “issues involving the construction, operation, and funding of potential nuclear electric generating facilities.” A PSC press release says […]
Posted inNews
Unclaimed bodies, hazardous duty benefits for code inspectors likely legislation next year
Two Kentucky lawmakers are hoping to revive bills in the next legislative session that did not pass through the General Assembly before. Sen. Greg Elkins, R-Winchester, and Rep. Rachel Roarx, D-Louisville, spoke about their bills in front of the Interim Joint Committee on Local Government Tuesday morning. Elkins’ proposal would allow cremation or burials of unclaimed […]
