This story originally appeared in the March 24 edition of the weekly LINK Reader. To see these stories first, subscribe here. Northern Kentucky resident and sports bettor Collin Barnes admitted he’s grown used to traveling across state lines to place his bets. He told LINK nky there were times he drove across the Ohio River and […]
Author Archives: Mark Payne
Mark Payne is the government and politics reporter for LINK nky. Email him at mpayne@linknky.com.
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Posted inFrankfort
Moser’s biomarker testing bill now law after governor’s signature
Gov. Andy Beshear signed a bill requiring insurance companies to cover biomarker testing, which advocates say will improve the state’s dismal cancer statistics. Sponsored by Rep. Kim Moser (R-Taylor Mill), House Bill 180 will cover biomarker testing, which healthcare professionals say is a way to determine the best treatment for each individual. “Biomarker testing is […]
Posted inFrankfort
Beshear expresses concern over ‘shell’ bills in Kentucky legislature
Standing outside his office in the Kentucky statehouse Wednesday, Gov. Andy Beshear expressed concern over what he sees as the legislature passing “shell” bills without much oversight or time for review. A shell bill is when a legislator presents a bill with minimal language, but when presenting to a committee, they will present a committee […]
Posted inFrankfort
Kenton County Commonwealth Attorney weighs in on impeachment proceedings
The Kentucky Senate’s first impeachment committee held its first hearing Tuesday over a former state prosecutor who allegedly traded legal favors for nude photos and videos. Former Commonwealth Attorney Ronnie Goldy Jr. — representing Rowan, Menifee, Bath, and Montgomery counties — was impeached by the House in February over allegations of requesting nude photos in […]
Posted inFrankfort
The Frankfort LINK: Legislature passes ‘South Dakota’ style ban on gender affirming care
The Kentucky legislature passed a bill last week that will place a sweeping ban on gender-affirming care for kids in Kentucky after the legislature snuck in language to another bill and then quickly passed it in an unannounced meeting before moving it through both chambers. The legislation — which has switched to multiple bill numbers […]
Posted inFrankfort
NKY lawmaker named to first Senate impeachment committee since 1800s
The Kentucky Senate selected a Northern Kentucky senator as one of seven named to a committee set to consider the impeachment of a former state prosecutor whose trial started Monday. The Senate committee is the first since 1885, when the upper chamber convicted state Treasurer James “Honest Dick” Tate for stealing around $200,000 from the […]
Posted inFrankfort
NKY senator on cannabis bill passage: ‘It’s the right thing’
The Kentucky Senate passed a bare-bones medical marijuana bill Thursday night — a momentous occasion, considering a similar bill died in the upper chambers of the Kentucky legislature the past two sessions. Northern Kentucky’s Shelley Funke Frommeyer (R-Alexandria), one of the bill’s co-sponsors, said that voting in favor of Senate Bill 247 is the “right […]
Posted inFrankfort
NKY legislator on ‘anti-trans’ bill: ‘I’m sorry for the actions of this body’
The Kentucky legislature passed a bill that will place a sweeping ban on gender-affirming care for kids in Kentucky after the legislature snuck in language to another bill and then quickly passed it in an unannounced meeting before moving it through both chambers. The legislation — which has switched to multiple bill numbers and took […]
Posted inFrankfort
NKY senator is center stage in push to pass ‘anti-trans’ bill in Senate
A NKY senator is at the center of the strategy to push House Bill 470 — an evolving bill that at its core seeks to ban gender-affirming care for children in Kentucky — through the Kentucky Senate. Standing on the Senate steps late Wednesday night, Sen. Gex Williams (R-Verona) strategized with David Walls, the executive […]
Posted inFrankfort
Sports betting takes major step in Senate
The new sports betting bill cleared the Senate Licensing and Occupations committee Wednesday — marking a significant moment for legislation that died in the Senate last session. When presenting the bill to the Senate L&O committee, the bill’s sponsor Rep. Michael Meredith (R-Oakland), said in 2022 that a poll showed 65% of Kentuckians support sports […]