Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Today's Political Headlines

Legislators review corrections contract with medical firm in search of answers into Eddyville death

05/13/2014 06:06 PM
A legislative panel reviewed but ultimately gave the go-ahead to continue a nearly $66 million contract with a Lexington company to provide medical and dental care to prisoners in the wake of a death of an inmate last month. The legislature’s Contract Review Committee approved a $4.9 million change to the contract between the Department of Corrections and Correct Care Inc. but not before legislators requested more information on the death of an inmate under the company’s care. The company,... Read more 

It's time for businesses tax breaks and credits to prove their worth, Rep. Wayne says

05/13/2014 12:54 PM
Democratic Rep. Jim Wayne, D-Louisville, said Kentucky lawmakers must get more aggressive in making companies prove that billions of dollars Kentucky gives them in tax incentives and credits are doing what they are supposed to. Wayne, one of the more progressive lawmakers, said many of the tax incentives serve their purpose to spur expansions or attract companies. Others, he said, probably don’t because many have been on the books for decades — unchecked. Kentucky gives about $7.9 billion a... Read more 
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Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Today's Political Headlines

Before they can replace Katie Stine, GOP Senate candidates must convince voters she's not running

05/12/2014 06:14 PM
ALEXANDRIA – For the third time in the last four election cycles a longtime Republican senator from Northern Kentucky is retiring, creating an open seat and a free-for-all GOP primary. This spring in Northern Kentucky’s 24th State Senate district, which encompasses Campbell, Pendleton and Bracken counties, three first-time candidates with familiar political names are vying for the Republican nomination to succeed Senate President Pro Tem Katie Stine of Southgate. Wil Schroder, 31, is an assistant commonwealth attorney who has volunteered for... Read more 

How natural gas plays into Ky.'s energy portfolio and why that troubles the energy secretary

05/12/2014 11:01 AM
With cutbacks in the coal industry, Kentucky’s energy portfolio could soon put more stock in natural gas to supply the energy needs of a transitioning state. But that could lead to “troubling” increased energy costs, said Len Peters, Kentucky’s energy and environment cabinet secretary. The unusually cold winter in Kentucky provided some “ anxious moments” for utilities across Kentucky and highlighted “how close they are” to running out of energy once coal plants start shutting down, Peters said in an... Read more 

The primary five: The races to watch for when results come in on May 20

05/12/2014 12:03 AM
Kentucky’s primary elections that are just eight days away feature only a handful of truly captivating races with statewide interest. Here’s an update on those five races — the same five from the list in January just with a different order and a new number one. (Previous ranking in parenthesis). 1. (2) 93rd House District, Democrats: Rep. W. Keith Hall vs. Chris Harris The race, quite simply, has been even more brutal than first advertised. Both have been buying commercial time... Read more 
Political Paddock: On the issue of creating jobs, Grimes is an incumbent, too
It's a given that Alison Lundergan Grimes has an opening to hammer Mitch McConnell on the lackluster state of Kentucky's economy. But the effectiveness of her argument may hinge on…Click to Continue » [...]
Mon, May 12, 2014 11:28:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
April receipts for General Fund show slight gain, Road Fund dips
from Jack Brammer
ERALD-LEADER FRANKFORT BUREAU FRANKFORT – The state’s General Fund showed a slight gain in revenue receipts last month compared to April 2013, the state budget director’s office said Monday. Meanwhile, receipts for the Road Fund decreased 7.7 percent. State receipts in April for the General Fund, which pays for most state programs, grew 1.1 percent compared to April of last year. That was a nominal increase of $8.8 million. [...]
Mon, May 12, 2014 7:36:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
Outside group hits Grimes on coal, Obama
A new ad from an independent political group is giving voters a peek of the unrelenting barrage of negative ads linking likely Democratic Senate nominee Alison Lundergan Grimes with the…Click to Continue » [...]
Mon, May 12, 2014 4:09:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
Chart: Money Gap Creates Two Tiers of Candidates in Louisville Council's District 9 Race
from Phillip M. Bailey
How much does money matter in a Louisville Metro Council race?In the crowded Democratic primary for the District 9 seat, three candidates have a huge fundraising edge in the 13-person primary election over their opponents.University of Louisville fundraiser J.P. Davis and attorney Bill Hollander, who are vying for the seat, have reportedly raised approximately $50,000 each, according to the campaign finance reports filed 32 days ahead of Election Day.Former assistant county attorney Chris Hartley has raised just over $37,000 in this contest. [...]
Mon, May 12, 2014 4:03:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
Mayoral candidates discuss Rupp funding, minimum wage and crime in forum
from kward1@herald-leader.com (Karla Ward)
Mayor Jim Gray and two challengers for his office, Anthany Beatty and Danny Mayer, answered several questions Monday night, touching on issues that ranged from funding for the renovation of…Click to Continue » [...]
Mon, May 12, 2014 3:05:00 PM, Continue reading at the source
Beshear's counsel cites procreation for gay marriage ban
The attorney’s Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear hired said the Commonwealth’s ban on the recognition of same-sex marriages from other states and countries should stand because procreation is vital to the state [...]
Tue, May 13, 2014 1:22:50 PM, Continue reading at the source
Powers That Be 5-10-14
Joe Arnold looks closer at the political news of the week. [...]
Tue, May 13, 2014 1:22:50 PM, Continue reading at the source
Sen. Rand Paul meets with Coalition of African American Pastors
Senator Rand Paul met with the Coalition of African American Pastors in Memphis, Tenn. [...]
Tue, May 13, 2014 1:22:50 PM, Continue reading at the source
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Monday, May 12, 2014

Today's Political Headlines

The primary five: The races to watch for when results come in on May 20

05/12/2014 12:03 AM
Kentucky’s primary elections that are just eight days away feature only a handful of truly captivating races with statewide interest. Here’s an update on those five races — the same five from the list in January just with a different order and a new number one. (Previous ranking in parenthesis). 1. (2) 93rd House District, Democrats: Rep. W. Keith Hall vs. Chris Harris The race, quite simply, has been even more brutal than first advertised. Both have been buying commercial time... Read more 

Sunday Chatter: Senate candidates hit familiar trails, perception change with Paul and more

05/11/2014 10:04 PM
The frontrunners to meet in November in the U.S. Senate race spent their second to last weekend before their respective primaries talking about the same theme this weekend. Republican U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell canvassed five Republican stronghold counties in southern Kentucky on Saturday and focused his remarks on jobs, as WBKO reported . McConnell, still taking hits from his comments to an Eastern Kentucky newspaper that job creation is more of Frankfort’s job than his, blamed President Barack Obama’s policies... Read more 

A sure thing? How expanded gaming plays in the 2015 gubenatorial debate

05/09/2014 03:43 PM
After the last two campaigns for governor made casino gambling a central theme, the major candidates who have announced for 2015 — or are close to announcing — essentially hold the same basic position: put it forward as a constitutional amendment and get the vote over with. Attorney General and Democratic candidate for governor Jack Conway, who officially announced for the office on Tuesday, said “it’s a vote that we need to have.” Conway is making education a major tenant of... Read more 
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Friday, May 9, 2014

Today's Political Headlines


New school to give Eastern Ky. students option similar to Gatton just closer to home

05/08/2014 07:11 PM
MOREHEAD—Seeking to give the state’s best and brightest another educational option, a new school is looking to use the model of a successful statewide magnet school to attract students from other regions of the state — particularly the east. The Gatton Academy, located on the campus of Western Kentucky University, serves as a magnet school for 126 of the best students in the state, especially in that key area of STEM — which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. For... Read more 

Bill to bolster Legislative Ethics Commission will be back in 2015, Wayne says

05/08/2014 03:38 PM
Legislation that resulted as a product of questions about the processes and jurisdiction of the Legislative Ethics Commission failed to pass in the 2014 session but will be filed again for 2015, according to Rep. Jim Wayne. House Democrats introduced the legislation to strengthen the governance of the Legislative Ethics Commission in the wake of a vote by the commission that resulted in no charges against former Democratic Rep. John Arnold. The Senate did not take up the legislation that... Read more 

U.S. Senate race Chatter: The buzz on Grimes' 1st ad, McConnell pulls in $1 mil. in April

05/08/2014 01:44 PM
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes is seeking to boost her name recognition just before the May 20 primary as the Republicans in the race continue to duke it out over the airwaves. Grimes’ commercial, part of a “six-figure” statewide ad buy, touts accomplishments during her two-plus years as secretary of state. Chief among them is a bill that passed last year that was aimed at making it easier to for military personnel stationed overseas to cast their ballots.... Read more 
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Thursday, May 8, 2014

Today's Political Headlines

Juvenile justice reforms a 'good first step' to cut costs and counterproductive decisions, former official says

05/07/2014 07:20 PM
Hasan Davis, the former juvenile justice commissioner who left the department last month, said he expects the juvenile justice system reforms passed earlier this year to start cutting the costs and the unintended consequences of locking up non-violent youth offenders. “The structure is in place for us to slow the process. It should be very rare for kids to come deep into the justice system because those front end systems will slow that possibility,” Davis said at 1:55 of the... Read more 

Commission fines former Rep. John Arnold $3,000 for ethics violations in harassment case

05/07/2014 04:13 PM
UPDATED WITH VIDEO: The Legislative Ethics Commission on Wednesday voted 5-1 to charge former Democratic Rep. John Arnold for three counts of ethics violations and to fine him $3,000 for Arnold’s comments to and inappropriate touching of three legislative staffers. Each count of the three counts represented a staff member who brought complaints against Arnold. The commission re-heard testimony from those three staff members, Yolanda Costner, Cassaundra Cooper and Gloria Morgan, as well as Arnold’s attorney on Wednesday. Five members of the... Read more 

PREVIEW: Former troubled teen turned juvenile justice commissioner explains reforms

05/07/2014 12:57 PM
One of the more sweeping bills to make it through the 2014 General Assembly was the juvenile justice system reforms, championed by key lawmakers and officials like Hasan Davis, the Juvenile Justice Commissioner. Davis announced his resignation in early April and hoped to see his efforts fully come to pass in the form of more guidance and less punishment in detention centers for status offenses. Status offenders are minors who get in trouble for doing things that are only illegal... Read more 

Legislative Ethics Commission will take up Arnold case again

05/07/2014 12:01 PM
(UPDATED 12:38 p.m.) — The Legislative Ethics Commission is taking a mulligan and is re-hearing the sexual harassment case against former Democratic Rep. John Arnold on Wednesday. Commissioners on Wednesday morning decided that the statutes governing the panel allow the panel to take up the case again after last month’s decision ended without charging Arnold. With several members absent at the April 8 meeting, the commission had voted 4-1 vote in favor of charging Arnold with ethics violations. But five votes... Read more 

Getting hemp seeds to Kentucky proving to be as challenging as getting crop legalized

05/07/2014 09:27 AM
While it took an act of Congress this year to allow Kentucky to start hemp growing pilot projects, not everyone has gotten the memo. Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner James Comer said over the weekend that only about 10 percent of the hemp seeds are in Kentucky at this point. Comer said officials in his department have been reaching out to border patrol and customs agents in port cities like Chicago where the seeds are supposed to enter the United States. Many... Read more 
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Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Today's Political Headlines

Conway and Overly explain timing of announcement and how they'll fund top priorities

05/06/2014 07:10 PM
Democratic Attorney General Jack Conway and Rep. Sannie Overly of Paris offered a familiar list of priorities — education, jobs and infrastructure — and pledged to pay for it with efficiencies, strategic cuts and a push for casino gambling. The two officially announced their slate, the first Democratic ticket to form, for the 2015 open governors’ seat Tuesday morning after word of the impending announcement was confirmed on Monday. Conway and Overly are entering the race more than 380 days... Read more 

Conway highlights early education as top priority in video announcing 2015 run for governor

05/06/2014 11:33 AM
The brand new 2015 Democratic gubernatorial ticket of Jack Conway and Sannie Overly sent out a video Tuesday morning pledging to make early childhood education a top priority. Conway, the two-term attorney general, and Overly, a state representative and the Democratic House caucus chairman, formed the first Democratic ticket to enter next year’s race. “It’s a job I’m prepared to do. I offer you a plan for the future. It starts with improving education from top to bottom,” Conway said... Read more 

Environmental advocates breathing easier as energy secretary plans to fund quality commission

05/06/2014 11:02 AM
Kentucky Energy and Environment Secretary Len Peters says he’s “pretty confident” he will be able to find the funds within the cabinet’s budget to fund a citizen based environmental commission. When Gov. Steve Beshear signed the $20 billion two-year spending plan, he effectively signed over the future of the 42-year old Environmental Quality Commission to Energy Secretary Len Peters. The General Assembly didn’t include a line item for the commission and, instead, lumped it into the overall budget for the... Read more 

New McConnell ad serves to counter recent jobs comment, touts record on saving jobs

05/06/2014 10:38 AM
A new ad from Kentucky U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell released Tuesday seeks to show the five term senator’s record of job creation in the wake of his comments published in an Eastern Kentucky newspaper that has given his opponents fodder. The thirty second ad, titled “Hero”, comes shortly after McConnell made comments to a Beattyville Enterprise reporter that creating jobs in Kentucky was the job of Frankfort, not his responsibility when he was asked what he is doing to bring jobs... Read more 

Jack Conway set to announce 2015 ticket for governor with Rep. Sannie Overly

05/05/2014 05:12 PM
Democratic Attorney General Jack Conway will announce as early as Tuesday that he’s officially in the 2015 governor’s race and has selected state Rep. Sannie Overly of Paris as his running mate. In Overly, Conway will be joining forces with a Central Kentucky legislator who in 2013 became the first woman to serve as a member of the state House majority leadership team. “I think that’s a really strong ticket,” said Rep. Joni Jenkins, D-Shively, whose nephew Drew Jenkins... Read more 

Andy Beshear doesn't favor death penalty moratorium, plans to focus on child abuse and drugs

05/05/2014 02:45 PM
The first candidate in the 2015 attorney general’s race says he wants to focus on cracking down on child abuse and drug abuse, and while he believes Kentucky needs to tighten its capital punishment policies, he doesn’t support a moratorium. Andy Beshear, the Democrat and first candidate to announce his candidacy to replace outgoing Attorney General Jack Conway, spoke to Pure Politics with his wife Britainy by his side at Saturday’s Kentucky Derby. The couple has two young kids together,... Read more 
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Monday, May 5, 2014

Today's Political Headlines

Rep. Tilley leaves open running in 2015 or for House leadership, all but eliminates party switch

05/04/2014 02:56 PM
Earlier this year, Democrats looking at running for governor began circulating poll results that showed a conservative Democrat from western Kentucky selected as a running mate would most help a gubernatorial ticket. That region was once a stronghold for Democrats, but Republicans have been making inroads in both state legislative and local offices, slowly whittling down the list of possibilities. Democratic Rep. John Tilley, the House Judiciary Committee chairman from Hopkinsville, is among the most prominent among those Democratic elected... Read more 

Edelen says short list for potential running mates is stocked with 'private sector' experience

05/04/2014 02:56 PM
State Auditor Adam Edelen confirmed he has a short list for potential running mates in next year’s governor’s races and indicated that it’s mostly stocked with names from the private sector. Edelen so far hasn’t been linked to any specific name for a lieutenant govenror candidate if Edelen, indeed, gets into the race. Edelen, a Democrat who lives in Lexington and grew up in Meade County, said he’s not focused in picking someone to bring geographic or gender balance to... Read more 

Comer says Derby pick -- Dance With Fate -- reflects gubernatorial ambitions

05/03/2014 05:33 PM
Agriculture Commissioner James Comer’s reason for picking Dance With Fate in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby sounded suspiciously like a campaign theme. “I believe he’s got a pretty good past record. And I think it’s important to bet on someone who has proven success,” Comer said of the horse. He said he’s not ready to officially announce whether that will be his theme in a 2015 run for the Republican nomination for governor. Republican Hal Heiner, who was out of town Saturday, already... Read more 

Alison Grimes talks Ky. Derby, not much else

05/03/2014 05:30 PM
Aside from talking about her Kentucky Derby pick, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Alison Lundergan Grimes wasn’t eager to weigh in on much on Saturday. “Today is a day we set politics aside and we focus on the greatest two-minutes of sports,” Grimes said. She did partially answer a question about campaign finance reform, saying she would push for some reforms on the federal level. She didn’t say what kind of reforms she would prefer. “We’ll leave that for another... Read more 

Ky. Energy Sec. Len Peters says he's 'pretty confident' EPA will give a little on greenhouse gas rates

05/02/2014 10:15 AM
After meetings and telephone conversations with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy and her staff over the past year, Kentucky’s energy and environment secretary said he believes the agency will give “flexibility” in new regulations due out this summer. Len Peters, the state energy secretary, said he and Gov. Steve Beshear have explained to McCarthy — who has been leading the EPA for the last year — the effect the agency’s regulations have had on Kentucky’s coal industry and... Read more 
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