Being an election official isn’t easy these days.  In recent years, local election officials across the country, including poll workers, have faced an increase in threats and harassment.  According to a 2024 survey released by the Brennan Center for Justice, 38 percent of local election officials experienced threats, harassment or abuse for doing their job. […]

While the Kentucky Supreme Court isn’t reconsidering its decision in last spring’s impeachment of Fayette County Judge Julie Goodman, it does plan to weigh in on her decisions in a controversial hit-and-run case at the center of the legislative proceedings.  Two legal experts who spoke to the Kentucky Lantern said that while those cases are […]

HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. — As kin gathered at her home three days before Christmas, Nancy Tucker expected her son Adrian to drop by during his dinner break. She knew he was excited to see the family. But she wasn’t worried when he didn’t show; he must have been held up at work. A  few hours later […]

On the night of Sept. 30, Tennessee strapped Christa Pike to a gurney and tried to kill her. More than an hour and two doses of pentobarbital later, witnesses could still hear her breathing. She told the execution team her arm felt like it was about to burst. Her lawyers say she remains hospitalized in […]

Lexington extended its temporary ban on data center construction. Mercer County rejected regulations that would allow hyperscale data centers. And a Carroll County ethics board is looking into dealings surrounding a proposed hyperscale data center.  As local governments in Kentucky are weighing and making decisions on potential hyperscale data centers, some Kentuckians came to Frankfort […]

CORBIN, Ky. — While Republican U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers and Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear disagreed on how President Donald Trump’s policies are impacting Appalachian Kentucky, the two came together Friday to announce money going toward economic development in the region.  At the annual Shaping Our Appalachia Region Summit in Corbin, Rogers and Beshear announced $22 […]

Kentucky has now confirmed more than 100 cases of measles as the state grapples with its highest case load this century.  According to the state’s measles dashboard, Kentucky has confirmed 104 cases of the highly contagious disease, more than half of which were confirmed in September.  The Department for Public Health previously said this year […]

Rocky Adkins, who is seeking the Democratic nomination in Kentucky’s upcoming governor race, has raised more than $1.75 million in his first quarter.  A Kentucky Lantern review of the donors found backers to Adkins include former Democratic Gov. Paul Patton, former Kentucky men’s basketball coach John Calipari and members of the Lundergan family. Patriarch Jerry […]

It’s fall festival season in Kentucky, a time when each of our 120 counties has its time to shine, and small town streets are lined with tents, crafts, local food, and music. Each place has its own unique flair, like London’s World Chicken Festival or my hometown of West Liberty’s Sorghum Festival, but no matter […]

It’s amazing how quickly we forget.  In the not-too-distant past local residents and environmentalists were concerned about the damage done to local streams and rivers from strip mine run-off.  While much of this danger has abated as strip mines closed and sites were rehabilitated, it seems as if a new danger lurks, one that many […]

A Franklin County judge has told the ownership company of a Fleming County apartment complex to halt any efforts to evict members of a tenant union there over placing pro-union signage in apartment windows. Franklin Circuit Court Judge Phillip Shepherd issued a temporary restraining order on Sept. 21 against Ridgeway Park Owner LLC, the company […]

A Republican leader has raised concerns about whether political games are being played with budget forecasts that show new revenue amid a very uncertain economic forecast. At a legislative meeting Wednesday, Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee chair Chris McDaniel, R-Ryland Heights, said he was worried about a revised state revenue forecast last month that Democratic […]

 “Nobody else would put up with you.”   “You know exactly how to make me act this way.”   “You don’t want to see what happens if you leave me.”   Unfortunately, many people will recognize these words from personal experience. They may have heard them from a partner in years past or just this morning. A single […]

Gov. Andy Beshear has declared a state of emergency for Thursday, Oct. 8, that will allow Kentucky farmers and truckers to use untaxed or red-dyed diesel fuel on public roadways to help with high prices during the fall harvest. The move follows a request to Beshear by Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell, asking for that action […]

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has asked President Donald Trump to reconsider proposed changes to the Head Start program that he said would “destabilize early education systems that we have developed over decades.”  This summer, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced an intent to change policies governing the program, which provides free education […]

Help is available to Kentuckians living with addiction. For resources, visit https://findhelpnow.org/ky. In physical emergencies, call 911. For mental health crises, call or text 988. Locate free Naloxone (Narcan), which can reverse overdoses, near you here.  Van Ingram, the longtime head of Kentucky’s Office of Drug Control Policy, is retiring at the end of 2026, […]

Three years ago, we talked a lot about banning books in Kentucky.  Back then, the wacky war on woke was gaining ground in our legislature and in our libraries. I remember talking to librarians like Erin Waller of the Daviess County Public Library, who was going through a list of 248 books that had been […]

SHELBYVILLE, Ky. — On a rainy October afternoon, Janatta Evans sat in a chair next to other tenants and described the tumultuous several months she’s had with her Shelbyville apartment.  When she first tried to move into her subsidized rental in March, there was a strong smell of urine inside. She said management at Centrebrook […]