Defund Planned Parenthood bill passes Kentucky House

by Morgan Watkins and Tom Loftus , The Courier-Journal – FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Kentucky House approved another abortion-related measure Tuesday night, passing the bill that would reduce Planned Parenthood’s access to federal family planning funds. Senate Bill 8, passed on a 75-13 vote, is likely the Republican-controlled Assembly’s final salvo targeting abortion rights during this year’s legislative session, which…

Bill would put $7.5 million a year in ‘trust fund’ to help Kentucky’s coal regions

BY JOHN CHEVES, [email protected] – FRANKFORT — The Kentucky Senate is getting a bill that would create a public corporation authorized to collect $7.5 million a year to diversify the struggling local economies of the state’s coal regions. The Senate budget committee on Tuesday unanimously approved Senate Bill 215, establishing the Kentucky Coal Fields Endowment Authority. Money for the…

Members of Congress to visit Fort Campbell

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) – Fort Campbell says it’s expecting three members of Congress to visit the post this week to learn about military readiness and budget effects. A news release from the post on the Kentucky-Tennessee border said Republican U.S. Reps. Mac Thornberry of Texas and Marsha Blackburn and Diane Black of Tennessee will…

Judicial redistricting bill passes Senate

by Don Weber – FRANKFORT – A bill which would implement a statewide judicial redistricting plan designed to reallocate judicial resources and relocate judges was passed by the full Senate on Wednesday by a vote of 23-13. Senate Bill 9, sponsored by Sen. John Schickel, R-Union, would also add 16 family court judges but remove 15 circuit and…

Louisville drug task force halted amid scandal

by Beth Warren , @BethWarrenCJ – An elite Louisville task force that intercepted shipments of heroin and other illegal drugs at UPS’ worldwide hub — considered a “primary” drug pipeline for the region — has been disbanded following a police scandal. Louisville Metro Police had led the multi-agency task force for more than a decade, until a probe by the…

New Authority Could Coordinate State Recreational Trails

by STU JOHNSON –  Proposed legislation to better coordinate recreational trail development, especially in eastern Kentucky coalfields, is moving through the General Assembly. A proposal to create the Kentucky Mountain Regional Recreation Authority passed the full House Monday. Debby Spencer is president of a Bowling Green-based development firm called We Make Things Happen. She said 20 county…