Republican candidates for Kentucky’s open U.S. Senate seat set the tone for their campaigns ahead of next year’s primary during the state party’s Lincoln Day Dinner Saturday night. While the thorny primary was at the center of the evening, the influence of outgoing U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell on the party was clear. Speakers throughout the […]
Author Archives: Kentucky Lantern
Posted inPolitics
Beshear joins lawsuit to unfreeze federal funds for electric vehicle chargers
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has joined other Democratic governors and attorneys general in an ongoing lawsuit seeking to unfreeze billions in federal funds allocated to building a nationwide network of chargers for electric vehicles. The Trump administration targeted $5 billion for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program on Inauguration Day this year and froze […]
Posted inNews
Coleman vs. Comer? 2 politicos fuel speculation for 2027 governor’s race in West Kentucky
Most spectators had their eyes on candidates in Kentucky’s upcoming GOP U.S. Senate primary during events surrounding the Fancy Farm Picnic this weekend. However, a Republican and Democrat encouraged speculation about themselves as candidates in the state’s 2027 governor’s race. While addressing party faithful — Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman at a Democratic dinner and U.S. Rep. […]
Posted inElections
Candidates vie for spotlight with well-placed zingers at Fancy Farm
The top three Republican candidates hoping to represent Kentucky in the U.S. Senate — former Attorney General Daniel Cameron, U.S. Rep. Andy Barr and Lexington businessman Nate Morris — have been taking snipes at each other on the campaign trail this summer as they barrel toward the May 2026 primary, but they pulled out the […]
Posted inNews
Federal food assistance changes could hit Kentucky hard
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 […]
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 […]
