Al Cross: As primary voters move GOP farther right, will others follow?
Tuesday’s primary elections in Kentucky reflected increasing polarization of the two political parties. The Republican Party kept moving right, with the victories of several candidates who campaigned primarily on cultural issues and against government overreach. The Democratic Party kept moving left, with the U.S. Senate primary victory of former state Rep. Charles Booker of Louisville,...
Editorial: How Does the Draft SCOTUS Opinion Change Abortion Access in KY?
Op-Ed from J. Brandon Thompson Short answer? It doesn’t…yet. In predictable fashion, the pro-life and pro-choice camps came clamoring to social and traditional media alike to express their respective adulation and furor for the recently leaked first draft of Justice Samuel Alito’s majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization the ruling that, if...
Al Cross: As Trump comes to Kentucky, who will welcome him?
As Churchill Downs opens its spring meet this weekend and horses prepare for the Kentucky Derby, our interest is compelled by another sort of stable: Kentucky Republican politicians and their odds of showing up at former president Donald Trump’s fund-raiser at the Derby. The $75,000 ticket price is a convenient excuse not to attend, but...
OP-ED: Lt. Gov. Coleman: Make a Difference by Volunteering at Your Local School
Our public schools are shaping the lives of our kids and the future of our commonwealth, and the teachers and school administrators in these schools step-up for Kentuckians daily. Yet, over the last several years, the education community has shouldered the blame for many of society’s ills and have even become political punching bags. These...
Nine Days Left of KY Session; Here’s What Happened This Week
Article by Mike Wynn, Legislative Research Commission Public Information Officer FRANKFORT — The final days of the 2022 legislative session are well in sight, and lawmakers are redoubling efforts to count votes and move bills, including some high-profile measures this week on gambling and medical cannabis. The Kentucky General Assembly has nine days left in...
Guest Editorial: Yes, It’s Time to Reform Kentucky’s School-Based Decision-Making Councils
By Gary W. Houchens, PhD In a year where education has dominated headlines and figures prominently in state legislative proposals, Kentucky’s School-Based Decision-Making (SBDM) Councils are also under scrutiny, and rightly so. SBDM Councils are essentially unaccountable to the public but do vitally important work that is largely unseen by parents and ordinary citizens. It’s...
Republicans Win 2022 KY Elections on Filing Day, Democrats Did Not Show Up
Nearly 700 candidates filed for the 2022 primary elections in Kentucky, but the story behind the numbers is not the increased trend in candidates filing for office, but the failure of Democrats to recruit candidates up and down the ballot. The entire state House of Representatives and half of the state Senate is up for...
Sen. Neal: Reflecting on Rep. Darryl Owens
Submitted by Sen. Gerald Neal It has been a whirlwind of emotions since learning about the passing of my former colleague and longtime friend, former State Representative Darryl Owens. We worked alongside one another in the Kentucky General Assembly for 14 years and before that worked in the communities in his service as the C District...
Guest Editorial: A Dueling Challenge for the Legislature
J. Brandon Thompson, Opinion Contributor “I do further solemnly swear (or affirm) that since the adoption of the present Constitution, I, being a citizen of this State, have not fought a duel with deadly weapons within this State nor out of it, nor have I sent or accepted a challenge to fight a duel with...