Mountain View
Hoptown Chronicle
State lawmakers eye promise, pitfalls of AI ahead of November elections
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Inside a white-walled conference room, a speaker surveyed hundreds of state lawmakers and policy influencers, asking whether artificial intelligence poses a threat to the elections in their states. The results were unambiguous: 80% of those who answered a live poll said yes. In a follow-up question,...
Commentary: You call that conservative?
Picture this: You pull an item off a store shelf that has no price tag. If you said yes, you might have a future in the Kentucky General Assembly, where some members seem astonished — offended, even —that actual money is needed to pay for new programs they shepherded into law earlier this year.
Western Kentucky hears dueling narratives over ‘school choice’ amendment
Competing narratives over a proposed constitutional amendment took center stage at this year’s Fancy Farm Picnic in a preview of the electoral fight to come this November. Supporters call Amendment 2 a “school choice” measure. Opponents like Democratic Representative Cherlynn Stevenson call it “public enemy No. 1 for public schools.”
Curtailing screen time in these Hopkinsville places
I heard a radio interview this week with a young, healthy man who had learned through a CT scan that his neck was not at all healthy because he spends too much time gazing down at a smartphone screen in the palm of his hand. What followed was something about injured vertebrae and the need for physical therapy.
Collection of Helen LaFrance paintings now housed at Paducah School of Art & Design
More than a dozen works by the late Helen LaFrance – the Black artist whose “memory paintings” are widely celebrated beyond her native Western Kentucky – are now on display at the Paducah School of Art & Design. The works were brought together by the Paducah...
Shortage of Black doctors is rooted in racist history − a $600M gift will help historically Black medical schools address the gap
Fueled by the Supreme Court’s June 2023 ruling that bans affirmative action in higher education, conservative lawmakers across the country have advanced their own state bans on diversity initiatives, especially those that might make students feel shame or guilt for past harms against people of color. This effort encompasses...
EKU professor on how to view (and perhaps hear) Perseid meteor shower
The annual Perseid meteor shower is underway and, according to NASA, it will peak next week. Mark Pitts teaches astronomy at Eastern Kentucky University. He said like the vast majority of meteor showers, Perseid consists of debris from an active comet with an orbital path intersecting the Earth’s. He had this advice for folks who’d like to step outside after dark and see it.
Al Cross: Auditions on the national and Kentucky stage
Gov. Andy Beshear’s big audition didn’t get him a new role, but the continuing tryouts of people who might succeed him or seek other statewide office began a new round. Republican hopefuls were on stage before and during the political speaking at the annual Fancy Farm Picnic, which Beshear skipped — apparently because he was on call to Vice President Kamala Harris as she chose a running mate for the job she now holds.
Letter from the editor: We’re throwing a party for Hoptown Chronicle readers
Have you heard about the party we’re throwing in your honor?. It’s called “The Full Scoop! — Music, News & Memories,” and it’s happening from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 15, at the Pennyroyal Area Museum. Your interest in Hoptown Chronicle has been...
COVID-19 on the rise in Kentucky
LOUISVILLE — COVID-19 is “alive and well” in Kentucky, cautions infectious disease expert Dr. Mark Burns, as hospitalizations for the virus rise and students and teachers head back to school. Kentucky’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services data shows an uptick in emergency department visits and hospitalizations...
Beshear pledges support to Harris-Walz ticket, says it was an honor to have been considered
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear in a social media post Tuesday morning said it was an honor to have been considered as a possible vice presidential nominee and pledged his support to the Harris-Walz ticket. Vice President Kamala Harris’ choice of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate ended speculation...
FEMA opens mobile centers to assist residents of Christian and Trigg counties affected by May 26 tornado
Residents affected by the May 26 tornado in southern Trigg and Christian counties can meet with FEMA representatives at Disaster Recovery Centers opening this week in Hopkinsville and Cadiz. The Christian County mobile center will be open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Saturday, Aug. 10, at the Hopkinsville Public...
Kentucky nears ‘crisis point’ as early education funding lags
Kentucky ranks 48th in the nation in terms of resources and economic support for early childhood education, according to a recent study by the personal finance website WalletHub. That’s bad news for kids in the Commonwealth, who see significant gains both in school and throughout life the earlier they begin...
Amye Bensenhaver: Some state lawmakers don’t want you to know about the potential cost of laws they pass
Just how far a handful of prominent Kentucky legislators have retreated from the policies supporting the commonwealth’s 50-year-old open government laws, and the taxpayers’ right to know how laws affecting their wallets are made, is painfully obvious in Kentucky Public Radio statehouse reporter Joe Sonka’s Aug. 1 examination of “confidential” fiscal notes secreted away from the public (and from most other lawmakers) by this exalted few.
Investors launch effort to build dozens of houses in Hopkinsville’s inner-city
An aging residential street near Jennie Stuart Medical Center might not look like prime real estate but to a group of investors who grew up in the neighborhood, it represents a statement about what’s possible. The Lincoln Real Estate Development Group’s first new house in Hopkinsville was recently completed...
State, FamilySearch partnering with local officials to preserve important records
The Commonwealth of Kentucky has announced its partnership with FamilySearch to digitize and preserve tens of thousands of primary records, such as birth, death and marriage certificates that are currently on microfilm reels. The Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives and volunteers from the Kentucky Genealogical Society are now reaching...
Eighth of August celebrations kicked off at Hopkinsville museum
This afternoon outside the Pennyroyal Area Museum, Hopkinsville native Francene Gilmer read excerpts from a handful of personal stories from formerly enslaved residents of Christian County. These accounts, collected after the Civil War, were spoken aloud in the heart of Hopkinsville to celebrate emancipation. It was part of the Eighth...
At Marshall County Republican dinner, one speaker stood out for his message
CALVERT CITY, Ky. — Other speakers at Friday night’s Marshall County Republican dinner were clean-shaven and dressed up. Marty Barrett had a long beard and wore overalls. He stood out. And his message stood out more. Barrett, who moves dirt for a living and helps govern the county...
GOP bashes Beshear, Harris at Fancy Farm as crowd is energized by school funding amendment
FANCY FARM — The stage at this year’s Fancy Farm picnic in West Kentucky was dominated by Republicans who used their speaking time to tee off on an absent Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, sprinkling in attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris, who has locked up the Democratic nomination for president.
‘Confidential’: Hiding the cost of legislation from Kentuckians
Can a state analysis of how a bill moving through the Kentucky General Assembly would impact state finances be labeled “confidential” and hidden from the public?. While most state legislatures require bills affecting government finances to have such an analysis produced and be made public, the answer to that question in Kentucky is yes.
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