COVID-19’s spread, which doesn’t stop for anyone or anything — including for legislators’ constitutional duty to pass a budget determining how state revenues will be spent — is forcing a very different spending plan than the one envisioned by many when this General Assembly session began.
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, families, businesses and healthcare providers are facing unprecedented tough times. However, during these trying times I’m encouraged to see the strength exemplified by communities across the nation to support each other and heed warnings.
To the editor,
Last week, Kentucky farm families celebrated “National Agriculture Week,” but as you can imagine, our annual celebration was quieter than usual, given our on-going fight against the global COVID-19 pandemic. As I talked to members of the media and neighbors to promote the celebration, they b…
We’re reminded during COVID-19 that the beauty of this un-commonwealth isn’t limited to its majestic mountains, picturesque horse farms and flowing rivers.
The forgotten farmer has moved to the forefront of the American economy.
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When Kentucky’s first cluster of COVID-19 cases emerged in rural Harrison County, The Cynthiana Democrat newspaper took immediate action to help keep its community informed. The weekly paper, which has two reporters, published a special section with essential information on the novel coronav…
There were greeters. There were ushers to show you to your place. There was music. There was prayer. And there was preaching.
Following news of Kentucky’s first confirmed coronavirus-related death earlier this week — a 66-year-old Bourbon County man with underlying health issues — Gov. Andy Beshear closed dine-in services at restaurants and bars across the state. The order took effect 5 p.m. Monday.
As the scope and threat of the coronavirus pandemic becomes clear, people all over the world hunger for two things: an effective vaccine and truthful information about the disease.
Kentuckians could be doing a lot better when it comes to gun safety.
The infamous “sewer bill” that brought scorn to Kentucky legislators a couple of years ago apparently taught no lessons on transparency.
Our commonwealth's founders wisely set a high bar for changing Kentucky's Constitution.
When I was elected Attorney General, I committed to putting every resource I have behind our core mission to protect Kentuckians and defend the Commonwealth. In my estimation, there is no greater purpose or requirement of government than the protection of its citizens.
To the Editor,
In the months of February and March, Kentuckians across the Commonwealth will make their annual trek down to their county clerk's office to renew farm license plates, or as members of Kentucky's agricultural community call them "ag tags." When farm families visit with their county clerk this…
Marijuana as medicine is moving in the Kentucky legislature but before we jump on the bandwagon, we should make sure we are using the same definitions so that we don't talk past each other.
It's not often that you see an ACLU attorney, a Republican Senator, a Commonwealth Attorney and members of the Tea Party agreeing on something. This may be a first in Kentucky history, but we all agree that Marsy's Law is bad for victims and wrong for Kentucky.
To the Editor,
Hard-working people in middle and rural America are under attack from all corners of our country these days. No matter where you turn, actors and politicians are consistently misinforming people about the basics of agriculture and belittling working families across the nation.
Every February, we celebrate Black History Month because of the efforts of a Berea College graduate, Carter G. Woodson. Woodson was a prominent African American scholar and historian who started his higher education career as a part-time student at Berea. From there, he went on to receive de…
In communities across Kentucky, substance use disorders have taken a tremendous toll. Every day we are confronted with new data, reports and headlines that remind us of addiction's staggering ripple effect.
I struggle with Lent, the period of spiritual reflection between today - Ash Wednesday - and the Thursday before Easter. I didn't observe Lent growing up as a Baptist churchgoer in my hometown. I was likely exposed to it in college when my friends who were of other faiths would come to class…
With spring training just around the corner, I've got baseball and boards on my mind. Expectations are high along the river in Cincinnati Redsland at Great American Ball Park - visible from Northern Kentucky - where owner Bob Castellini has dug deep into his pocket to shell out $166 million …
I was walking out of my house the other day, and I spotted a dime lying on the sidewalk. It was in clear sight. The walkway runs right next to where the cars are parked, and it is used all of the time. I started to reach down to pick the dime up, but I abruptly stopped. I was getting a diffe…
It's been a decade since the tanks left Fort Knox.
Roses are red
WASHINGTON -- After the Parkland school shooting in Florida two years ago, President Donald Trump chided Republican lawmakers for being too "scared" of the National Rifle Association to tighten gun laws -- then backed away from the idea.
Small towns may not get a lot of credit compared to big cities or maybe bigger neighbors, but they sure show a lot of heart. And perhaps it was fitting for this Valentine's Day weekend that Mayfield and Graves County really showed how much heart it has.
Question: When is a broom able to stand on its bristles?
On Monday, two important criminal justice reform measures passed the Kentucky House with flying colors. House Bill 284 and House Bill 327 were both given 91-0 unanimous stamps of approval by Kentucky representatives. They now head to the Senate for consideration.
No one asks to be a crime victim. For many, the experience is the worst situation they will ever face. And for some, it is also their last.
To those who oppose legalized sports betting in Kentucky on moral grounds, we say with utmost respect: That horse left the barn more than a century ago.
Republican legislators representing rural districts across Kentucky who want to support school choice but fear possible backlash from bureaucrats who run school districts back home received some stout political cover from President Trump in his State of the Union speech.
If you've been considering taking steps to improve your health, February is a great time to get started.
The impeachment proceedings in Congress came to a close when the Senate voted Wednesday to acquit the president of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress charges brought by the Democratically-controlled House of Representatives.
Schools are asked to do a lot. Transportation, nutrition, counseling and recreation are all part of the tasks which contribute to the educational experience before even considering the central function of learning.
A proposed bill in Kentucky would allow local governments to replace parking fines with donations, and could be an integral tool to helping some of the state's most vulnerable citizens.
The Tariff Man has done it again. President Donald Trump recently announced that he will expand import taxes on American consumers of auto parts, nails and other goods made in the United States with steel and aluminum. Apparently, untaxed imports of these metals put our national security at risk.
Considering Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear's newly released big-spending budget proposal for the upcoming biennium, perhaps Hodgenville Republican Rep. Brandon Reed, who recently filed a resolution designating October as "National Pork Month in Kentucky," should include a companion declaration…
Today, we celebrate French majors and dance performance students and teachers and our small regional universities.
As 2020 came, many of us counted down with hopes that the New Year would new experiences and new ways forward. Despite the calendar telling us it was 2020, Frankfort's calendar still said 1990.
It's almost February and, usually, by this time it seems like we are winding down on the annual flu season, although the season officially goes until mid-May.
The pace really picked up during week three of the 2019 General Assembly, with legislation on its way to the Senate for consideration after clearing both House committees and the full House. Already almost 600 bills and resolutions have been filed for consideration in both the House and Sena…
This whole impeachment process by Democrats in the House that we've had to witness for the past few months has been nothing but a partisan political process, as illustrated by the vote being almost entirely on partisan lines.
This General Assembly edition of Liberty Boosters and Busters begins with Kentuckians who, while neither bureaucrats nor politicians, care enough about the future of our commonwealth to take a principled stand against an unfair and destructive policy.
For my first stop on the food express, I strolled through the doors of Carr's Steakhouse. To give you a bit of background, this is a family owned and operated business which began across the street in the barn. You'll recognize the original location as it generally is swarmed with people fir…
With rising inmate populations and crumbling prison infrastructure depleting the state of much-needed funding, it is time to stop treating drug addiction as a crime and start regarding it as the public health issue that it is.
Kentuckians are rightfully known for being hard workers. I'm glad more of them, from Paducah to Pikeville, are benefitting from our country's strong economy, which has been bolstered by Republican policies. The Republican-led Senate just gave Kentucky workers another boost in an overwhelming…
Right before former Gov. Matt Bevin left office in early December, he issued a number of controversial pardons that rightfully caused a lot of concern.
We have reached that time in every presidential nominating year when distinguished, national opinion leaders beat up on Iowa and that admirable state's influential role in determining the two major parties' eventual presidential nominees and, therefore, the next president.
Year after year, our members of Congress are requested to support many issues. While Alzheimer's disease is just one of the many causes they hear about, it's personal to me. As someone who was involved as a caregiver to my great aunt, I am one of the millions of Americans who has experienced…
Monday night's Graves County Fiscal Court meeting drew a large crowd, which, in my opinion, got a look at government at work: good, bad or ugly, depending on one's perspective.
Senate Bill 2, a proposed new voter ID law for Kentucky, has gotten a good amount of attention as this year's legislative session has begun.
During his political campaign, Daniel Cameron pledged to be a different kind of attorney general. In recent memory, the position has been a tool of opportunism following a path of personal political preference when interpreting its role in regulation and enforcement.
When we think about the war on drugs, we tend to think about - and rightly so - law enforcement and the courts. One organization that can be overlooked is the health department and the work it does to combat drugs and substance abuse.
