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Inpatient mental health treatment now available to more Kentucky boys in state care
Eligible boys in the care of the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services or Juvenile Justice system who need “complex mental and behavioral health care” can now access inpatient treatment in Owensboro, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services announced Tuesday. Called The BIRCH, the 10-bed inpatient program operates out of RiverValley Behavioral Health’s adolescent […]
Democratic state lawmaker arrested for driving under the influence
Kentucky state Rep. Beverly Chester-Burton was arrested for driving under the influence in Jefferson County early Tuesday morning. Chester-Burton, a 62-year-old Democratic lawmaker from Shivley, was arrested around 1 a.m. on Garrs Lane in Shivley, a spokesperson for the Shively Police Department told the Kentucky Lantern. She was charged with reckless driving and a second […]
After suspending his campaign, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. filed to run for president in Kentucky
Despite suspending his presidential campaign last week, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will appear on Kentucky ballots, according to Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams. Adams said in a Monday night post on X, formerly Twitter, that Kennedy, a third-party candidate, filed to run for president in Kentucky around 3:30 p.m. Monday. “Having just completed review […]
Judge’s logic-defying order brands Breonna Taylor’s protector her killer
It is disappointing that a Kentucky federal judge dismissed felony charges against two former police officers charged in the death of Breonna Taylor during a 2020 raid. But the decision by U.S. District Judge Charles R. Simpson III to place blame for the 26-year-old emergency-room technician’s death squarely on boyfriend Kenneth Walker III defies logic. […]
Market problems, poor planning causing price hikes in nation’s largest electric market, critics say
After years of climbing electric prices nationwide, customers in the United States’ largest power market are about to get squeezed harder. Last month, PJM, which coordinates the flow of electricity for an area that includes all or parts of 13 states, including part of Kentucky, stretching from the Midwest to New Jersey plus the District […]
Kentucky Attorney General Coleman moves to block Hazard’s restaurant tax, calls it ‘unlawful’
The Eastern Kentucky city of Hazard is facing another legal obstacle in its effort to begin collecting a restaurant tax. Attorney General Russell Coleman is appealing a Franklin Circuit Court order that said Hazard was eligible to pursue the tax. He called it “an unlawful tax” for the city of about 5,200. The restaurant tax, […]
Kentucky Auditor Ball sues Beshear for access to computerized records of abuse, neglect
Kentucky Auditor Allison Ball has filed a lawsuit against the Beshear administration in Franklin Circuit Court in her ongoing effort to ensure the office of the ombudsman has access to information about abuse and neglect cases. This move comes after Ball and the administration have gone back and forth on access for the past two […]
Vance to attend fundraisers in Kentucky, Tennessee as Trump travels to swing states
As former Republican President Donald Trump makes his case to swing state voters, his running mate, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, is heading to the red state of Kentucky to raise money. Trump was scheduled to be in Michigan Monday to address the National Guard Association of the United States conference. Trump held rallies […]
Where exactly are all the AI jobs?
The desire for artificial intelligence skills in new hires has exploded over the last five years, and continues to be a priority for hiring managers across nearly every industry, data from Stanford University’s annual AI Index Report found. In 2023, 1.6% of all United States-based jobs required AI skills, a slight dip from the 2% […]
$500M from EPA will help nonprofit lenders power energy transition in rural Appalachia
Entrepreneurs in Appalachia have ideas for renewable energy projects, but finding funding in rural and low-income areas can be challenging. A new initiative, the Green Bank for Rural America, could help channel funds to small, rural, nonprofit lenders to support projects like community solar arrays, apprenticeships in renewable energy fields and electrified public transit, just […]
Amendment 2 would send tax dollars to church schools
Many Kentucky churches are losing members and money, but they’re hoping taxpayers will vote to bail them out of their financial problems. Church lobbyists pushed Amendment 2 onto the November ballot, and if their scheme passes, hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars will flow into questionable religious schools operated in church basements across the commonwealth. […]
Former UK swimming coach formally denies sexual abuse allegations, asks judge to dismiss case
Former University of Kentucky swimming coach Lars Jorgensen has formally denied allegations of sexual abuse contained in a lawsuit brought by two former UK swimmers and assistant coaches. Nineteen weeks after a lawsuit was filed in federal court accusing Jorgensen of repeated rapes of Bridgette Alexander, a female swimmer who has since transitioned as Briggs […]
‘It’s on us:’ KY Republican slams fellow lawmakers for not funding juvenile justice improvements
Sen. Danny Carroll slammed the Kentucky legislature on Friday for not funding his proposal to spend $22 million on a special mental health juvenile detention facility. The West Kentucky Republican filed Senate Bill 242 during the 2024 session, which would have also created a process to test and treat minors with serious mental health issues […]
Nuclear industry eyes Kentucky but don’t expect nuclear power plants anytime soon
FRANKFORT — The director of an energy research center at the University of Kentucky told state lawmakers Friday it’s not likely a nuclear power plant will be built in Kentucky over the next 10 years, though some nuclear energy companies are interested in moving to the state. A new state law passed by the GOP-dominated […]
Kentucky Republican seeks to add coercive control to protective order statute
If you or someone you know has experienced domestic violence, call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. You can also contact any of Kentucky’s 15 domestic violence programs. A Northern Kentucky Republican intends to file a bill that would add coercive control to Kentucky’s protective […]
Kentucky State University, state public health department partner to bolster workforce
Kentucky’s Department of Public Health will now offer an internship program to Kentucky State University students who wish to get hands-on experience in the field while studying. Employees of the Department of Public Health (KDPH) will also get tuition assistance for continuing their education at Kentucky State University (KSU). Such employees can take five or […]
Kentucky legislature could have a wellness caucus
Sen. Shelley Funke Frommeyer filed paperwork Wednesday to start a new legislative caucus focused on holistic wellness. The Alexandria Republican, who has often touted Kentucky’s need for what she calls a “wellness revolution,” said she is hoping for approval by Senate President Robert Stivers and House Speaker David Osborne within a week. Funke Frommeyer wants […]
Kentucky lawmakers visit Indiana freestanding birth center
JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. — A group of Kentucky lawmakers visited a freestanding birth center in Indiana Thursday to learn about an issue that promises to come up again during the 2025 legislative session. Tree of Life, a freestanding birthing center in Jeffersonville — right across the Ohio River from Louisville — accepts only clients with low-risk […]
What’s IUI? What’s IVF? A look at the fertility treatments the Walz family is talking about
The broader scope of fertility treatments entered the spotlight this week after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and his wife Gwen shared that they had children through a less commonly known procedure. Since Vice President Kamala Harris selected Gov. Walz as her running mate, he has discussed his family’s fertility journey during speeches in Pennsylvania, Nebraska […]
Kamala Harris takes up Oprah’s torch
Democrats have their opponents on the run now that Kamala Harris has become their party’s standard bearer. And they’re making no secret of it. How can you tell? Not because of the dollars pouring into the Harris campaign. Supporters will open their wallets for a lost cause if they get caught up in the moment. […]
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The Kentucky Lantern is an independent, nonpartisan, free news service. We’re based in Frankfort a short walk from the Capitol, but all of Kentucky is our beat. We focus on how decisions made in the marble halls of power ripple through the lives of Kentuckians. We bring attention to injustices and hold institutions and officials accountable. We tell the stories of Kentuckians who are making a difference and shine a light on what’s working. Our journalism is aimed at building a fairer, healthier Kentucky for all. The Lantern is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit, coast-to-coast network of journalists that works to fill gaps in state government reporting caused by the declining numbers of state and local journalists.
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