Expanded gambling pushed as pension remedy

by Tom Loftus – FRANKFORT, Ky. – Two Louisville senators – one a Democrat, the other a Republican – are hoping to boost support for expanded gambling in Kentucky by dedicating profits from the games to Kentucky’s beleaguered pension funds. A proposed constitutional amendment legalizing casino gambling proposed Tuesday by Sen. Morgan McGarvey, the Democrat, and Sen. Julie Raque Adams, the Republican,…

Money keeps flowing from out of state for Kentucky House Republican candidates

by Jack Brammer, [email protected] – FRANKFORT — More Republican dollars are flowing into Kentucky to help GOP candidates in the four special House elections on March 8. GOPAC, which works to elect Republicans to state and local offices throughout the country, announced Tuesday that it is putting more than $100,000 into the Kentucky House special elections called by…

With new Brent Spence Bridge tolling ban, sponsors of public-private partnership bills optimistic about their chances

by Kevin Wheatley – FRANKFORT — Legislation that would authorize public-private partnerships for state, local and transportation projects came close to becoming law in 2014, but the estimated $2.6 billion Brent Spence Bridge reconstruction project in northern Kentucky has proven an insurmountable obstacle for the past two years. Rep. Leslie Combs, D-Pikeville, has sponsored so-called P3 bills in…

Bevin budget: No funds for abortion

by Tom Loftus – FRANKFORT, Ky. – Buried within Gov. Matt Bevin’s budget bill are provisions that would repeal Kentucky’s prevailing wage law and cut public funding to Kentucky’s Planned Parenthood clinics. Bevin outlined the major aspects of his proposed 2016-18 budget in an hourlong speech to the General Assembly Tuesday night, but he did not mention these two items,…

Pursuit of $50M transit grant stirs questions

by Phillip M. Bailey – Advocates worry that Louisville’s pursuit of $50 million Smart Cities award is ‘hijacking’ local efforts. A coalition of transportation advocates is pressuring the city to be more transparent about its application for a $50 million award to revolutionize roadways. Louisville Forward, the city’s economic development agency, is preparing to jump in a national competition…