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Raising The Minimum Wage Rep. Kathy Hinkle (D-Louisa) is leading Democratic lawmakers in Frankfort by sponsoring a bill that would raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2027, with incremental increases until then.The legislation, in part, is one of the main goals of Governor Andy Beshear, who made wages one of his…
Appeals Court Rules for Breathitt Co Fiscal Court in Nomination Flap A three-judge panel of the Kentucky Court of Appeals on Friday ruled that the Breathitt County Fiscal Court cannot be forced to approve the judge/executive’s nominee for county road supervisor. The panel denied Judge/Executive Jeffrey Noble’s petition to require the Fiscal Court to…
Beshear Continues Push for Criminal Justice Overhaul Gov. Andy Beshear intensified his push for a criminal-justice overhaul, saying rising inmate populations and crumbling prisons are sapping the state of money needed for education and health care. Calling it the “fiscally responsible thing to do,” Beshear said Friday that the state needs to reduce incarceration…
Miners Back to Work in Blackburn Bottom After Paychecks Clear The protest at the railroad tracks in Blackburn Bottom has ended, but hard feelings remain for the miners returning to work. The dozen or so workers left their camp Wednesday when they finally received their paychecks. But as of now, it’s not 100% sure…
Studying Elk In Kentucky Researchers are launching a three-year study of elk in Kentucky.The University of Kentucky and the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources are teaming up on the study, which begins this month and will focus on elk reproduction and survival.The animals were native to Kentucky before being wiped out before…
Schools Close Due To Illnesses More than one dozen schools across the region are closed due to several illnesses making the rounds.Here is the list as of Friday morning:Christ Central School-Pike County, Clay County, Harlan County, Harlan Independent, Jackson County, Lawrence County, Leslie County, Letcher County, Pike County, Owsley County, Red Bird Christian School,…
Kentucky Supreme Court Clerk Retiring A fixture of Kentucky’s Supreme Court for 25 years is retiring.Susan Stokley Clary, the clerk of the Supreme Court, will retire Feb. 1.Clary has been clerk for three chief justices and is responsible for the custody, control and storage of all Supreme Court records. The clerk is also court…
Buildings Burn In Leslie County Several buildings were destroyed or damaged in a fire in Leslie County Thursday afternoon.Firefighters battled flames on Hickory Street in Hyden.Two homes were destroyed. A third home was damaged, and the flames damaged the Leslie County Health Department, too.The home where the fire initially happened went up in flame…
Discussion About the Pardon Process After a much-criticized flurry of last-minute pardons by ex-Gov. Matt Bevin, Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers predicted Wednesday that lawmakers will try to modify the pardon process.The process has drawn intense scrutiny since Bevin, a Republican, issued hundreds of pardons between his electoral defeat last November and his final…
Kentucky’s Fight Against Hunger Kentucky leaders are encouraging people to join the fight against hunger.Gov. Andy Beshear joined lawmakers, advocates and others Wednesday at a Capitol rally to bring awareness to the problem and to gain support for solutions, according to a statement from Feeding Kentucky. The organization hosted the rally as part of…