An initial state assessment finds it could cost more than $59 million to clean up more than 1.5 million cubic yards of debris from buildings and vegetation damaged by a tornado that tore through Somerset and London last week. That’s according to a letter that Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear sent to President Donald Trump on Tuesday, requesting […]
Author Archives: Kentucky Lantern
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KY renters, homeowners affected by February storms have just days to apply for FEMA assistance
Kentuckians who own homes or rent in 16 counties damaged by severe February storms and floods have less than a week to apply for federal disaster assistance. The deadline to apply is Sunday, May 25, according to a news release from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Meanwhile, Kentuckians affected by severe April storms have until June […]
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Report shows effects of Alzheimer’s in KY, the disease ‘you can’t see’
Before Reda Harrison was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, she worked 10-hour days as a surgery coordinator in Lexington. Always “an organized person,” Harrison “knew something was wrong” when, in 2018, she started feeling confused and lost at work. Waking at 5 a.m. for work, the 65-year-old Nicholasville woman said she eventually “made an index card […]
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Kentucky school officials ask to extend federal COVID relief payouts for planned projects
The Kentucky Department of Education has requested a funding extension for projects in 13 public school districts that are in jeopardy if the federal government continues to halt future payments of pandemic relief funds. In a Friday press release, Kentucky Education Commissioner Robbie Fletcher said KDE hopes the U.S. Department of Education approves a deadline […]
Posted inPolitics
Three U.S. Senate Republicans break with Trump on tariffs but rebuke fails
Senate Republicans defended President Donald Trump’s emergency tariffs Wednesday, blocking a largely symbolic measure to terminate the president’s import taxes that have shocked the economy. The resolution failed in a tied 49-49 vote Wednesday evening. Vice President J.D. Vance broke the tie on a subsequent procedural vote to stop the measure from receiving another chance on the floor. Republicans […]
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Nearly all Kentucky public schools sign compliance form with Trump’s view on civil rights
Nearly all of Kentucky’s 171 public school districts have signed an agreement to adhere to the Trump administration’s new restrictions on diversity, equity and inclusion programs in public schools. Only two school districts — Fayette and Jefferson counties — did not sign a form from the U.S. Department of Education to certify their compliance with the […]
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Kentucky fatal overdoses decreased again in 2024
For the third year in a row, Kentucky saw a decrease in fatal drug overdoses, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Thursday. Still, 1,410 Kentuckians died from an overdose last year, according to the 2024 Drug Overdose Fatality Report, which was released Thursday. “That’s 1,410 too many people that we lost,” Beshear said. “These are people’s friends and […]
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Former Kentucky secretary of state wins ethics case
After years of legal wrangling, former Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes is free of any state ethics violation charges. The Executive Branch Ethics Commission, which brought charges against her in 2021, has decided not to try to appeal to the Kentucky Supreme Court last month’s unanimous decision by the Kentucky Court of Appeals […]
Posted inPolitics
Barr raises big money from PACs for Senate bid
A big reason why Congressman Andy Barr swamped former Attorney General Daniel Cameron in the first phase of fundraising as each seek the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate is that Barr got a windfall of contributions from traditional political action committees — particularly from bank PACs. The numbers can be found on Line 11(c) […]
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U.S. Rep. Andy Barr makes it official. Lexington Republican seeks McConell’s Senate seat.
Railing against the “woke left” and embracing President Donald Trump, Kentucky Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Barr confirmed his run for U.S. Senate by unveiling a video Tuesday. Barr’s announcement comes as no surprise after weeks of speculation following Sen. Mitch McConnell’s announcement in February that he would not seek reelection. McConnell has held the seat since 1984. In […]
