Farmers are reeling from tariffs, rising fuel and fertilizer costs, soaring insurance premiums, and the increasing cost of debt. Now, more than ever, America’s agricultural community needs diversification. Agricultural hemp is part of that solution. “We farm 25,000 acres of soybeans, wheat and corn, and to be an enduring enterprise we, like most farmers, need […]

Some 80,000 Kentuckians have lost access to the food benefits known as SNAP because of federal changes to the program, Gov. Andy Beshear said in a letter sent to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and Kentucky’s congressional delegation on Wednesday. Beshear said that number includes 24,655 children and 6,572 seniors. He asked that federal […]

The technology company Meta will invest billions of dollars for a proposed Mason County hyperscale data center and will pay millions of dollars to local schools and the county but will also receive a 40-year tax break on local property taxes, according to a tentative agreement.  During a regular Mason County Fiscal Court meeting Tuesday, […]

Kentucky’s largest electric utility has saved tens of millions of dollars in recent years by installing more than 1 million digital “smart” utility meters at homes and businesses in large part by being able to check the meters remotely for energy usage, disconnections and reconnections.  But a national nonprofit argues that while the utility reaps […]

I thought the University of Louisville had listened. Two years ago, the university hosted public meetings about the prospect of developing Stansbury Park, a historic Olmsted-designed park at the edge of campus. The community pushed back and the idea seemed to disappear. Then, in August, UofL President Gerry Bradley listed Stansbury Park development among his […]

Sen. Chris McDaniel is on the road this week, crossing Kentucky to urge voters to support a constitutional amendment aimed at curbing governors’ pardon powers around elections.  The Ryland Heights Republican repeatedly proposed the amendment in the Kentucky General Assembly for seven years following a flurry of controversial pardons issued by former Republican Gov. Matt […]

President Donald Trump has asked Kimberly Guilfoyle, the U.S. ambassador to Greece, to resign after texts between her and former Kentucky governor candidate and suspended attorney Eric Deters became public, according to published reports.  The Wall Street Journal reported last week on text messages between Guilfoyle, Donald Trump Jr.’s former fiancée, and Deters, where she […]

President Donald Trump will be in Northern Kentucky on Saturday, Oct. 17.  Trump will be in Highland Heights, but the specific location was not included in an event sign up. Doors open at 10:30 a.m., a rally starts at 12:30 p.m. Trump will speak at 2 p.m. The event is free, but registration is required. […]

A recent column said nonpartisan judicial elections present a problem for voters, namely, “How can voters know how judges may rule on the cases that come before them?” The key word in that sentence is “may.” Judges should not commit to ruling one way or the other, but to decide cases based on the law […]

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 […]