by Morgan Watkins , @morganwatkins26 – On the second-to-last day of the legislative session, Kentucky lawmakers sent the state Senate’s No. 1 priority, a high-profile proposal for education reform, to Gov. Matt Bevin’s desk. Senate Bill 1 – which has been referred to by some people as the “Common Core killer” or the “teachers can teach” bill – is…
BY BILL ESTEP, [email protected] – The premature death rate improved in 12 Kentucky counties between 1997 and 2014 but got worse in 44 counties, in part because of increasing drug overdoses, according to a report released Wednesday. Abuse of prescription drugs such as OxyContin helped drive up the rate of overdose deaths in the state by 296…
(WYMT) – WYMT’s Steve Hensley interviewed Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY) Tuesday to get his reaction to the RECLAIM Act being reintroduced in Congress. The legislation aims to accelerate $1 billion in available funding in the Abandoned Mine Reclamation (AML) Fund over the next five years to revitalize coal communities hit hardest by the downturn of the coal…
by Kevin Wheatley – WARSAW — For Charles and Denny Warnick, Gallatin County provided a prime spot at the right price to get their start in the publishing world. The Gallatin County News has been in the Warnick family since the couple bought the weekly newspaper for $48,000 in 1978. “It’s written in blood on my heart,” Denny…
by Ben Kleppinger – For the fourth time in less than a year, the City of Burgin has violated open records law, according to a new ruling from the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office. In the ruling issued March 22, the AG found that Burgin “failed to issue a timely response to a request for records” and failed…
by RONNIE ELLIS CNHI News Service – FRANKFORT — When state coffers were flush in the 1990s, lawmakers were happy to sweeten the pie for state workers and retirees, adding cost of living adjustments and other enhancements to their retirement benefits. Now with the state pension funds collectively facing $38 billion (some say it could be…
by Deborah Yetter and Tom Loftus , The Courier-Journal – Stunning advocates who have fought for years for a law to get better help for severely mentally ill people, Gov. Matt Bevin on Monday vetoed a bill known as “Tim’s Law” aimed at ending the cycle of jail, hospitalization and homelessness experienced by some who don’t get proper…
by LISA AUTRY – The Logan County Justice Center is expected to reopen this afternoon following a suspected bomb threat. A bailiff who was opening up the building Monday morning noticed what appeared to be an explosive device strapped to the rear door of the justice center. The Kentucky State Police’s Hazardous Devices Unit determined the device…
By Taylor Frost | PIKE COUNTY, Ky. (WYMT) – The Scholar House of Central Appalachia (SHCA) offers single parents housing and the opportunity to get a college education. Currently, they are accepting applications. LaTasha Friend, SHCA client, said her life has been changed because of this organization. “Me and my two daughters really just wanted a new leaf…
(WYMT) – Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College (SKCTC) officials say 10 employees are affected by staffing adjustments, citing budget and enrollment woes. “It is not uncommon to notify a few people each year that their contracts will not be renewed. This year, 10 positions were affected. Two of those were at the Whitesburg campus,” officials said in…
