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Kim Davis’ legal counsel moves to make her appeal a springboard for overturning marriage rights
A conservative legal group has filed a brief on behalf of a former Kentucky county clerk that it says could lead to the U.S. Supreme Court overturning the right of same-sex couples to marry. Kim Davis, then the Rowan County clerk, made national headlines in 2015 for refusing to issue marriage licenses to several same-sex […]
Whooping cough outbreak ‘a stark reminder’ of decline in vaccinations among Kentucky kids
Kentucky’s outbreak of whooping cough comes amid a decline in childhood vaccinations, which a health insurance industry group is looking to combat by funding a messaging campaign to address vaccine hesitancy and increase immunization rates.? “This outbreak is a stark reminder of what can happen when immunization rates fall,” Tom Stevens, the president of the […]
‘She’s ready to lead:’ Kentucky Democrats quickly line up behind Kamala Harris
In the hours after President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign, Brian Clardy, historian and Kentucky delegate to the 2020 Democratic National Convention, worried that a divisive fight for the nomination could spell electoral disaster for Democrats in November. “Democrats cannot afford to go into this thing split. They just cannot afford to do it. […]
Kentucky seeing higher rates of whooping cough than in previous years
Kentucky is seeing higher numbers of pertussis (better known as whooping cough) this year than the past few years, though no deaths have been reported by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services.? As of June 17, Kentucky had 130 cases, which the cabinet said “indicate that the state is experiencing an elevated rate of […]
‘Extremely frustrating:’ Kentucky crime victims still not getting automated court notifications?
A House Republican leader on Thursday criticized the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) for a three-year lapse in automatic notifications to Kentucky crime victims about their court cases.? Rep. Jason Nemes, R-Middletown, the House majority whip, said the AOC should have requested the hundreds of thousands of dollars needed to relaunch these notifications through […]
Seeking ‘healing justice’ for Black women who have substance use disorder
LOUISVILLE — The Volunteers of America chapter that includes Kentucky will spend $123,000 over the next nine months to make sure more Black women get access to treatment for substance use disorder.? Volunteers of America Mid-States is using this grant money, which came from the Kentucky Association of Health Plans, to fund a new initiative […]
Kentucky ranks low in women’s health and reproductive care
As the worst of COVID-19 subsided in 2022 and a trigger law banning most abortions went into effect upon the fall of Roe v. Wade, Kentucky was already among the worst-performing states for women’s health.? This insight comes from The Commonwealth Fund’s 2024 State Scorecard on Women’s Health and Reproductive Care, a first-of-its kind ranking […]
Beshear says federal government should reclassify marijuana to recognize its medical uses
In a Wednesday letter sent to the Drug Enforcement Administration, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said he supports reclassifying marijuana from a Schedule I controlled substance to Schedule III.? That would move marijuana from a DEA designation that says it has “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse” to having “a moderate […]
In a win for dogs like Ethan, first offense animal torture now a felony in Kentucky
Legislators and advocates who pushed for years to make dog and cat torture a felony on first offense gathered in the Capitol Rotunda Tuesday to celebrate a new Kentucky law that does just that.? House Bill 258, also called Ethan’s Law, allows a person to be charged with a Class D felony the first and […]
Kentucky panel that reviews child deaths has full board for first time in several years
If you suspect child abuse or neglect, call the Cabinet for Health and Family Services Child Abuse Reporting Hotline at 1-800-752-6200.? Kentucky’s Child Fatality and Near Fatality External Review Panel has a full complement of members for the first time in several years, analysts told members of the Legislative Oversight & Investigations Committee Thursday. For […]
Kentuckians give blood for chance to see Taylor Swift. Ticket giveaway credited with donor surge.
FRANKFORT — A Taylor Swift ticket giveaway worth thousands of dollars and aimed at incentivizing more people to donate blood worked, Kentucky Blood Center donor numbers show.?? From May 28 through June 29, anyone who donated at any Kentucky Blood Center location was entered to win two Eras Tour tickets for Nov. 3 in Indianapolis.? […]
Judge hears arguments on Kentucky law banning some vaping products
FRANKFORT — Franklin Circuit Judge Thomas Wingate heard arguments Monday in a case challenging the constitutionality of a 2024 law banning the sale of some vaping products.? This comes as the defendants — Allyson Taylor, commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, and Secretary of State Michael Adams — filed a motion to […]