A Northern Kentucky lawmaker has proposed a new version of a bill meant to protect a program that generates income for charity health care that some Kentucky hospitals say is essential for their survival. “This is a very critical program for our hospitals and access to care in rural communities,” Nancy Galvagni, president of the […]
Author Archives: Kentucky Lantern
Posted inNews
Bill barring use of public funds on transgender treatments for Kentucky inmates advances
Under a Republican bill advancing in the Kentucky legislature, a reported 67 incarcerated people would have to stop taking “cross sex hormones” if the treatments are paid for with public funds. Advocates who asked — in vain — members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to vote against Senate Bill 2 said it’s unfair to target such a […]
Posted inPolitics
Kentucky bill seeks to eliminate DEI programs in public universities
A Republican lawmaker filed a sweeping bill Wednesday aimed at eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at Kentucky’s public universities and colleges. Rep. Jennifer Decker’s House Bill 4 comes as DEI programs in higher education, the private sector and federal government are under siege by Republicans, including President Donald Trump. Decker’s bill would prevent colleges from […]
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Gun violence survivors tell their stories, rally at Kentucky Capitol for solutions
One after another, gun violence survivors and anti-violence advocates told their stories in the Kentucky Capitol rotunda Wednesday, calling on lawmakers to do more to protect them. Calvin Polachek, a graduate student at the University of Louisville, shared that when he was a high school student in Pennsylvania, he walked past his best friend lying […]
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Kentucky bill seeks tougher penalties for repeat protective order violations
This story discusses domestic violence. 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. In 2022, Mary Ann Pratt woke to an attack from her now-ex-husband. He […]
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Kentucky bill weakens water pollution protections, alarming experts
A bill that would limit regulation of water pollution in Kentucky to a weakened federal standard advanced Wednesday from a state legislative committee, lawmakers touting it as relief from bureaucracy for industry. Environmental advocates and a former state environmental attorney lambasted the measure, Senate Bill 89, saying it could degrade water quality across the state, particularly […]
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Ky bill for wrongfully convicted compensation advances unanimously
A Republican bill to financially compensate Kentuckians exonerated after wrongful convictions unanimously cleared its first legislative hurdle, the House Judiciary Committee. House Bill 206 could cost Kentucky an initial $3 million over the course of three years and between $650,000 to $900,000 each year after in payments and other benefits to innocent people who spent […]
Posted inPolitics
Paul goes looking for donors on Utah ski slopes
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul’s brimming reelection campaign fund paid $44,240 in December to Pendry Park City, a luxurious Utah ski resort. Pendry Park City describes itself on its website as a “ski-in/ski-out resort nestled in the center of Canyons Village” and says “our slopeside retreat’s modernist designs, luxury service and thoughtful amenities will help ensure […]
Posted inPolitics
Beshear’s super PAC raised almost $2.6 million in first year, won some, lost some
Tapping his broad base of Kentucky donors and landing three hefty contributions from out of state last summer, Gov. Andy Beshear’s super PAC raised $2.56 million in its first year of existence. The political action committee, called In This Together, had mixed results as it spent $2.24 million of that money trying to promote Beshear’s […]
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Beshear signs another income tax cut into Kentucky law
As expected, Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear signed into law another cut to the state’s individual income tax rate Thursday, saying that “things cost too much for our families” despite a “booming economy.” Beshear speaking in a video posted on X, formerly Twitter, said worries about increasing prices at the grocery store and gas pump are coinciding […]
