Former state House Rep. Adam Koenig isn’t sure what the future holds, but it’s not in politics for now. Koenig served as the 69th District House representative from 2006 until 2022. In the May primary, he lost to current Rep. Steve Doan (R-Erlanger). With his time in office complete — at least for now — […]
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 inEducation
Students present policy ideas to state about how to keep schools safe
Joud Dahleh, a student at the Ignite Institute in Boone County, told the media on Tuesday in Frankfort that even though she and her peers on the Commissioner’s Student Advisory Council are just students, they care about their education, and they want to stay safe inside their schools. Dahleh and 29 other students from around […]
Posted inFrankfort
Advocates pitch school choice at capitol: ‘An opportunity to celebrate’
School choice advocates celebrated school choice at the Kentucky Capitol Tuesday, despite a recent ruling from the Kentucky Supreme Court that advocates say took a hit to their hopes. “School choice week is an opportunity to celebrate all options — whether those are public, non-public, homeschool, or any other option that’s working for families,” said […]
Posted inEducation
NKU Faculty Senate president on Vaidya’s departure, budget woes: ‘They’re connected’
When Northern Kentucky University announced former President Ashish Vaidya’s sudden departure in November, representatives said it wasn’t due to the large budget deficit found in the last half of 2022. That’s not the case, according to Faculty Senate President Dr. John Farrar. He said Vaidya’s departure relates to NKU’s more than $24 million budget deficit. […]
Posted inFrankfort
The Frankfort LINK: Kentucky continues to fight opioid epidemic
Kentuckian David Royce lost his son to fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is killing Americans at an alarming rate. Speaking to the House and Senate’s Health Services Committee last week, Royce said that Kentuckians don’t have to keep dying and he challenged them to continue to fight the epidemic. As Kentucky continues to battle the fallout […]
Posted inNews
What’s next in NKY’s pilot charter school saga
This story originally appeared in the Jan. 13 edition of the weekly LINK Reader. To get these stories first, subscribe. Questions are looming after Northern Kentucky University in December declined to be the authorizer of the region’s pilot charter school, and the Kentucky Supreme Court ruled that a key charter school funding element was unconstitutional. In […]
Posted inFrankfort
Increases in starting pay, new facilities planned for juvenile justice system
On Thursday, Gov. Andy Beshear announced additional changes to the juvenile justice system after his administration came under heavy criticism for juvenile facilities in Kentucky that had issues with riots and understaffing. The new changes will raise the starting salary of Department of Juvenile Justice workers to $50,000 per year, raises for current staff, and […]
Posted inFrankfort
State GOP wants Beshear’s messages on COVID school closures
The Kentucky Republican Party wants to see messages between Gov. Andy Beshear and 13 individuals over school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Republican Party of Kentucky (RPK) alleges that Beshear has escaped scrutiny over his handling of school closures during the pandemic and filed Freedom of Information Act requests over the governor’s correspondence with […]
Posted inFrankfort
Health committee hears testimony on opioid abatement
Kentucky is set to get $842 million in settlement from the opioid abatement settlement program. While that settlement is substantial, it’s just a drop in the bucket of what is needed compared to the overall scope of the problem, according to Bryan Hubbard, chair and executive director of the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission. “When […]
Posted inFrankfort
Attorney General launches initiative to combat human trafficking
Attorney General Daniel Cameron said at a Wednesday press conference that he is launching the HOPE Initiative through his Office of Trafficking and Abuse Prevention and Prosecution. The initiative will work to shut down illicit massage businesses that might harbor human trafficking victims. “The hope initiative combines the resources of all our partners to help […]