Ryland Barton
Ryland is the state capitol reporter for the Kentucky Public Radio Network, a group of public radio stations including WKU Public Radio. A native of Lexington, Ryland has covered politics and state government for NPR member stations KWBU in Waco and KUT in Austin.
Always looking to put a face to big issues, Ryland's reporting has taken him to drought-weary towns in West Texas and relocated communities in rural China. He's covered breaking news like the 2014 shooting at Fort Hood Army Base and the aftermath of the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas.
Ryland has a bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago and a master's degree in journalism from the University of Texas. He grew up in Lexington.
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Primary Election Day is May 17. Democrats and Republicans will vote to nominate candidates for partisan elections that’ll be decided this November.
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Cameron, a Republican, is trying to unseat Gov. Andy Beshear in next year’s gubernatorial election. The party argues that Cameron isn’t allowed to run for governor after launching inquiries into Beshear’s administration.
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Cameron is the third Republican to launch a 2023 gubernatorial campaign, including Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles and State Auditor Mike Harmon. Former U.N. Ambassador Kelly Knight Craft has also strongly hinted at a run for governor.
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Gov. Beshear vetoed 22 parts of the budget bill, rejecting technical errors and parts to provide raises for statewide elected officials.
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Kentuckians who receive public benefits will have to do more to stay in the programs, under a bill that passed out of the legislature.
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The bill includes no exemptions for complicated pregnancies or cases or rape or incest. It passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee with a vote of 8-2 and will now be considered in the full Senate.
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Though they’re about 5,000 miles apart, Appalachia has a lot in common with Ukraine, especially the rugged Carpathian Mountains in the western side of the country. A group of scholars has been exploring the parallels between the two regions for years.
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House Bill 4 would reduce the maximum number of weeks someone can collect unemployment benefits from 26 weeks to 24 weeks, and when the state’s unemployment rate is low, the maximum time would be reduced even further. The proposal would also create new job search requirements.
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Devastating tornadoes briefly united Republican and Democratic politicians in Kentucky last month, but the feud between legislators and Gov. Andy Beshear has resumed as attention turns to writing a new state budget.
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The proposed map would leave Fayette County with only one whole Senate district, instead of the current two. Jefferson County’s already tortured-looking districts would contort into new shapes. And in northern Kentucky, the rural 20th Senate district would pick up territory in booming Boone and Kenton Counties.