Written by McKenna Horsley for the Kentucky Lantern Kentucky’s new School Report Card shows the lingering effects of the coronavirus pandemic on student learning. Interim Education Commissioner Robin Fields Kinney told reporters Tuesday that “a multi-year recovery period” will likely be needed “before school performance really gets back” to pre-pandemic levels. Kinney and other state education officials […]
Author Archives: Kentucky Lantern
Posted inNews
Kentucky’s ban on transgender medical care for minors headed to U.S. Supreme Court, ACLU says
Written by Sarah Ladd for the Kentucky Lantern Kentucky’s chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union says it will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on the 2023 law banning certain gender affirming medical care for transgender minors. This comes more than a month after the Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 to […]
Posted inElections
Coleman and Mills defend their running mates’ positions in KET debate
Written by McKenna Horsley for the Kentucky Lantern Democratic Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman and Republican state Sen. Robby Mills, who are the running mates of Kentucky’s gubernatorial candidates, faced each other Monday night in a debate on KET. The debate is the only joint appearance between Coleman and Mills in which they can speak for […]
Posted inNews
Kelly and Joe Craft give the max to Trump’s rivals in GOP field for president
Written by Tom Loftus for the Kentucky Lantern Kelly Craft, who failed to secure Donald Trump’s endorsement in last May’s Republican primary for Kentucky governor, has donated to six Republican candidates for president in recent months. None of the six is Donald Trump. Reports filed with the Federal Election Commission show that since June 26 […]
Posted inNews
Mike Johnson defended Noah’s Ark attraction in Kentucky before becoming U.S. House speaker
Written by Jamie Lucke for the Kentucky Lantern New U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson successfully took Kentucky to court to regain tax incentives for the Ark Encounter, a 510-foot wooden replica of the biblical Noah’s Ark located off Interstate 75 in Grant County. The state tourism cabinet had awarded the project a sales-tax rebate worth up […]
Posted inElections
Beshear, Cameron continue to show their differences in KET debate
Written by the Kentucky Lantern staff Kentucky’s gubernatorial candidates — Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear and Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron — further differentiated themselves on topics like education, abortion and the coronavirus pandemic in their fourth debate at KET’s Lexington studios Monday evening. During the debate, both candidates pressed the other on their campaign talking […]
Posted inElections
‘Will you look at the camera?’ Beshear and Cameron clash in third debate
Written by McKenna Horsley for the Kentucky Lantern Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear and his Republican challenger Attorney General Daniel Cameron clashed on abortion, education and the coronavirus in their third debate, continuing themes from their previous meetings. In his opening statement, Cameron again said that the governor’s race is about “crazy versus normal” and tied […]
Posted inInfrastructure, News, Politics, Top 3
More than 600 ‘orphan’ oil and gas wells plugged in Kentucky with federal funds
Written by Liam Niemeyer for the Kentucky Lantern The director of the Kentucky Division of Oil and Gas told state lawmakers Thursday that 627 so-called “orphan” oil and gas wells have been plugged throughout the state through recent federal funding, though thousands of such abandoned wells remain throughout the state. Dennis Hatfield, the Kentucky Division […]
Posted inFeatured Story, Health, News, Politics
‘Flying blind:’ A Kentucky COVID-19 pandemic retrospective
Written by Sarah Ladd for the Kentucky Lantern On March 6, 2020, a Kentuckian in Lexington tested positive for the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, and Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency. The United States had been under a public health emergency for more than a month by then. Five days after Kentucky’s first confirmed case, the World […]
Posted inNews
Birth is ‘normal until it’s not:’ Freestanding birth centers debate continues in Kentucky
Written by Sarah Ladd for the Kentucky Lantern Two Kentucky lawmakers who have championed freestanding birth centers said Monday that they have agreed to concessions in their latest proposal, but the head of the state’s hospital association and two OB-GYNs testified that the changes are not enough to protect patients. Advocates for each side of […]
