Kentucky Supreme Court Justice Pamela Goodwine — the first Black woman elected to the high court — was officially sworn into office on April 18 to cheering and clapping in the packed Frankfort chamber and the two overflow rooms. Goodwine reflected on her life of overcoming obstacles when speaking on April 18, and promised to […]
Author Archives: Kentucky Lantern
Posted inNews
Kentucky public universities are reviewing how to implement anti-DEI law
Following the passage of a Kentucky law that eliminates diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in higher education, the state’s public universities say they are reviewing how they are required to implement the law. The Republican-controlled Kentucky General Assembly overturned Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto of House Bill 4 last month. The bill’s primary sponsor, Rep. Jennifer Decker, R-Waddy, said during […]
Posted inNews
Six Kentuckians have died in storms, 70 counties declare emergencies, governor says
UPDATE: Since this article was initially published, the Kentucky Department for Public Health announced that they had misreported the sixth death as a man from Campbell County; the man was from Carroll County. The death toll from the floods that hit Kentucky over the last week has risen to six, Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday. […]
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Beshear sues to block new state law pushed by Americans for Prosperity
Written by the Kentucky Lantern’s Liam Niemeyer Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has gone to court to block what the lawsuit calls the “latest power grab” by the GOP-controlled legislature. At issue is a new law that curbs the executive branch’s authority to make regulations. The bill was a priority for the conservative group Americans for Prosperity which […]
Posted inEducation
KY education commissioner sounds alarm about sudden halt in federal COVID payments to schools
Written by the Kentucky Lantern’s McKenna Horsley Kentucky Education Commissioner Robbie Fletcher on Tuesday urged school superintendents to contact their lawmakers in Congress about a sudden halt in payments from federal pandemic relief funds. His call to action comes after U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon notified state education departments on March 28 that they no longer […]
Posted inPolitics
Beshear vetoes Medicaid changes as health advocates urge lawmakers to hold off on restrictions
Health advocates are urging the Kentucky General Assembly to reconsider Republican changes to the Medicaid program passed in the final hours before lawmakers broke for the 10-day veto period. Meanwhile, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear on Wednesday vetoed the changes — contained in House Bill 695 — saying they would “put up barriers to and delay health care […]
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KY spends $300k to send organoids to space in search of cures for Alzheimer’s
Kentucky is investing $300,000 into space research that Senate President Robert Stivers said sets the state up as “a leader in all areas.” The money — which was allocated in the 2024 legislative session’s Senate Bill 1 — is a 10% match for a $3.1 million NASA grant announced Wednesday. The money will allow the […]
Posted inPolitics
Beshear vetoes bill Ky professors say erodes academic tenure at public universities
Saying it “threatens academic freedom,” Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear has issued a veto to a Republican-backed bill that some Kentucky professors warned would erode academic tenure at the state’s public universities and colleges. Rep. James Tipton, R-Taylorsville, argued House Bill 424, was not about tenure in higher education but instead “employment contracts” between universities and academic employees. If […]
Posted inPolitics
Beshear vetoes bills he says would make KY workplaces less safe, violate state Constitution
Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear on Monday vetoed Republican legislation that he said would make workplaces in Kentucky more dangerous and several bills that he said were unconstitutional. The General Assembly’s Republican supermajority is expected to easily override the vetoes when lawmakers return Thursday and Friday to wrap up the 2025 regular session. Beshear in his veto […]
Posted inPolitics
Beshear signs licensing of nicotine retailers, other bills that ‘put our Kentucky families first’
Kentucky will begin licensing retailers who sell nicotine, which advocates have said will help regulate an industry and protect minors from addictive chemicals. Gov. Andy Beshear signed Senate Bill 100 into law on Monday, which is aimed at curbing minors’ access to tobacco and e-cigarettes. Smoking is a leading cause of preventable death. Beshear also signed into law SB 120, which would […]
