The House Education Committee passed a bill on Tuesday that will ban mask mandates at the local level. But Oldham County parent Kristin Worthen is worried that children who have medical issues will be at risk. “I am here today to represent the perspective of a vulnerable family living through this pandemic and an opposition […]
Category: Frankfort
Posted inFrankfort
Whitney Austin, shot at Fifth Third Center, working on Kentucky legislation to ‘help gun owners’
Just north across the Ohio River in Cincinnati, on the morning of Sept. 6, 2018, Whitney Austin walked into the Fifth Third Bank Building on Fountain Square. She was listening to music as she entered the building, so she didn’t hear the pleas from standers-by alerting her to an active shooter. Going through the revolving […]
Posted inTop Stories
As COVID cases fall, Ky. could move out of ‘red zone’
COVID-19 cases are falling in Kentucky and Governor Andy Beshear said Monday that if that trajectory continues, the state could move out of the red zone and into the orange or yellow by mid-March. The red zone is the state’s most severe category for community spread of the virus. On the state’s current incidence rate […]
Posted inFrankfort
Frankfort week in review: Even John Calipari showed up at the Statehouse
Let’s start in the senate education committee The Senate Education Committee had quite the busy week, with a special meeting called on Wednesday to vote on Senate Bill 6. The Name, Image, Likeness bill will allow college athletes in the state of Kentucky to make money off of their likeness. It may have gone unnoticed […]
Posted inNews
House bill aims to slash unemployment benefits
A bill that would drastically cut unemployment passed the House floor yesterday. It now heads to the Senate and is one step closer to becoming law. House Bill 4 would reduce the length of unemployment insurance benefits. Currently, unemployment benefits can last up to 26 weeks, but under HB4, benefits would be based on the […]
Posted inNews
‘Anti-trans’ bill ‘disgusting,’ says 12-year-old who can’t play field hockey
Twelve-year-old transgender girl Fischer Wells wanted to play field hockey desperately, but Westport Middle School didn’t sport a girl’s field hockey team. So, she set out to make it happen. She recruited players, and her school was able to create a team. But the day before the first game, her parents got a call that […]
Posted inFrankfort, Sports
New House Bill aims to make intimidation of a sports official a misdemeanor
A Kentucky House bill advanced on Wednesday would make it a misdemeanor to intimidate officials from youth levels all the way up to college. The legislation is House Bill 220. If the legislation becomes law, offenders could face up to a year in jail for threatening to injure a sports official or damage a referee’s […]
Posted inFrankfort, Sports
UK’s Calipari, Barnhart Testify in Frankfort about Name, Image, and Likeness Bill
Written by Mark Payne, LINK nky politics and government reporter Senate Bill 6 — the name, image, and likeness (NIL) bill — passed a special meeting of the Senate Education committee Feb. 9. But it wasn’t without fanfare: University of Kentucky Basketball coach John Calipari and Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart testified to the committee. Kentucky college […]
Posted inFrankfort, Top Stories
Legislators Talk Importance of Pandemic Childcare Funding
Written by Mark Payne, LINK nky politics and government reporter The importance of access to child care was a frequent topic of discussion – and legislation – throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s a large, unprecedented amount of money going into the childcare system in Kentucky,” said Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services Secretary Eric […]
Posted inEducation, Frankfort, Politics
Bill Seeks to Create Due Process for College Students
Written by Mark Payne, LINK nky politics and government reporter Two Northern Kentucky Representatives have teamed up on a bill that will protect students’ rights at universities in Kentucky. Sponsored by Rep. Kim Banta (R-Ft. Mitchell) and co-sponsored by Kim Moser (R-Taylor Mill), House Bill 290 is known as the Kentucky Campus Due Process Protection […]