With new Brent Spence Bridge tolling ban, sponsors of public-private partnership bills optimistic about their chances
01/31/2016 07:08 PM
FRANKFORT — Legislation that would authorize public-private partnerships for state, local and transportation projects came close to becoming law in 2014, but the estimated $2.6 billion Brent Spence Bridge reconstruction project in northern Kentucky has proven an insurmountable obstacle for the past two years. Rep. Leslie Combs, D-Pikeville, has sponsored so-called P3 bills in previous sessions, one vetoed by Gov. Steve Beshear in 2014 because it prohibited tolling to pay for the Brent Spence Bridge’s replacement and a second in... Read more 
Rand Paul makes last-minute push in Iowa, files for West Virginia primary
01/31/2016 03:12 PM
Kentucky U.S. Sen. Rand Paul is trying to keep his dreams of reaching the White House alive with an event in Iowa City the day before Iowans make their way to the caucuses. Paul will be joined by his father, former U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, for the “Revolution Continues Rally” at the University of Iowa Sunday night. The Pauls are focusing on energizing college-aged supporters by discussing the importance of protecting the Bill of Rights and being boldly for... Read more
Former state senator and civil rights leader Georgia Powers dies at 92
01/30/2016 07:01 PM
Georgia Powers, a civil rights leader and the first African American and female member of the Kentucky state Senate, died on Saturday at the age of 92. Powers died early Saturday morning in Louisville after battling congestive heart failure. As a state lawmaker and activist, Powers worked for fair housing, equal rights and became a close ally of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Powers brought King and Jackie Robinson to Frankfort in 1964 as part of a rally to make... Read more
Sannie Overly named new Kentucky Democratic Party chair
01/30/2016 01:46 PM
UPDATED FRANKFORT — The Kentucky Democratic Party’s State Central Executive Committee unanimously voted state Rep. Sannie Overly as the Democrats’ new chairwoman in a meeting Saturday. Overly, a Paris Democrat who chairs the House of Representatives’ majority caucus and ran as the running mate of former Attorney General Jack Conway in an unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign last year, replaces Patrick Hughes as chair of the KDP. Overly, an attorney and Emerge Kentucky board member, has served in the House since 2008 and ascended... Read more
Health cabinet orders Planned Parenthood abortion clinic to cease and desist after operating without license
01/29/2016 06:08 PM
The Cabinet for Health and Family Services’s acting inspector general is ordering Planned Parenthood to cease operations at a newly opened abortion clinic in Louisville for offering the procedure without the proper licensing. In a letter to Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky dated Thursday, acting CHFS Inspector General Stephanie Hold said the cabinet found multiple deficiencies in the group’s application to run an abortion facility. Planned Parenthood submitted the application on Nov. 19, according to the letter, and began offering... Read more
Rape kit testing legislation gets boost from Gov. Bevin's budget
01/29/2016 03:28 PM
It may not be a huge amount, but several lawmakers and advocates say the $4.5 million identified in Gov. Matt Bevin’s two-year spending plan could make a world of difference to victims. Sen. Denise Harper Angel, D-Louisville, had already filed a bill this session seeking $5 million to assist the Kentucky State Police and changes to ensure that the backlog of untested rape kits never returns to the state. Harper Angel’s bill calls for the dollars to be transferred from... Read more
The first of a dozen informational meetings explaining the tolling system that will be used to help pay for the massive, $2 billion-plus Ohio River Bridges Project will be held this week in Oldham County. The bridges will collect tolls using the all-electronic RiverLink system. The new Abraham Lincoln Bridge, the Kennedy Bridge and the new East End Bridge will all be tolled. Neither the Sherman Minton Bridge nor the Clark Memorial Bridge will be tolled. Bridges project spokeswoman Mindy Peterson said tolling isn’t expected to begin until late this year, but officials want to start getting the word out now about how [...]
Mon, Feb 01, 2016 1:55:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
After a federal Court of Appeals rejected an industry-led challenge last month, a new federal rule to reduce coal miners’ exposure to dangerous dust goes into effect Monday. In 2009, the Mine Safety and Health Administration began a campaign to end black lung disease, which is caused by breathing in large amounts of coal dust. The disease was in decline for decades but has experienced a recent resurgence. “This disease is far from over,” MSHA Secretary Joe Main said. “Miners have suffered, families have suffered from this disease, and the time has come to fix this problem. And implementation of this rule [...]
Mon, Feb 01, 2016 12:55:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
A former Metro Council member is questioning whether Louisville’s efforts are adequately addressing an increase in heroin use in recent years. To that end, current council members say they’re working on one option: increased funding for heroin treatment in Louisville. Former Metro Councilman Steve Magre said he supports the syringe exchange program implemented last year. But he said it’s not enough. “I think we have a heroin epidemic in our community, and I really don’t see the council and the mayor dealing with it in that light,” Magre said in an interview with WFPL News. The Louisville syringe exchange program provides clean needles to people who [...]
Mon, Feb 01, 2016 12:04:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
No comments:
Post a Comment