Kentucky

Kentucky City Enjoys Booming Economy Amid Pandemic As Rest Of Country Reels

By Scott Horsley • Sep 8, 2020

Much of the country is facing a long, painful recovery from the coronavirus recession. But some communities are getting a head start.

Owensboro, Ky., has already recovered most of the jobs it lost this spring, even as the rest of the country is experiencing a painfully slow improvement in employment.

Covington Shares Current Plans For Former IRS Site

By Ann Thompson • Sep 8, 2020

The city of Covington has owned the old IRS site for about a month now and is moving toward demolition and redevelopment.

The 2020 Kentucky Derby 'Unlike Any Other'

By Stephanie Wolf • Sep 5, 2020

Updated 5:03 p.m. ET

The Kentucky Derby, usually the first weekend in May, was postponed this year until Saturday due to the coronavirus pandemic. There aren't any spectators in the stands for this year's race, which is taking place just after Louisville marks 100 consecutive days of protests against racism and police violence.

Louisville Prepares For Kentucky Derby Day Protests

By Ryan Van Velzer (KPR) • Sep 3, 2020

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer says it feels odd to announce the Kentucky Derby in September, but it's the reality of 2020 — a year when the "most exciting two minutes in sports" will go forward without spectators in the stands due the coronavirus pandemic, but crowds will gather outside the track to amplify calls to arrest and charge the officers who shot and killed Breonna Taylor.

Kentucky's Rupp Arena: A College Basketball Mecca With A Complicated Racial Past

By Becky Sullivan • Sep 2, 2020

Rupp Arena is named for Adoph Rupp, the famous University of Kentucky basketball coach whose sustained success in the mid-20th century turned the program into the powerhouse it remains today. The arena has borne Rupp's name since it opened in 1976, just a few years after his retirement.

But now at U.K., a list of demands from the school's African-American and Africana Studies faculty has brought new life to an old debate about the name of the school's basketball arena.

Kenton Co. Judge Gentry Removed From Family Court Bench

By Michael Monks • Aug 31, 2020

Kenton County Family Court Judge Dawn Gentry was removed from the bench following a unanimous vote by the Kentucky Judicial Conduct Commission.

At RNC, McConnell Paints Gloomy Future Of Democratic Rule

By Ryland Barton • Aug 28, 2020

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell addressed the Republican National Convention on Thursday, urging voters to reelect Republicans to the Senate and send President Donald Trump back to the White House.

Kentucky Man Accused Of Breaking Canada's COVID-19 Rules Faces $569,000 Fine

By Samantha Raphelson • Aug 26, 2020

A Kentucky man accused of breaking Canada's coronavirus rules — twice — could be forced to pay a $569,000 fine ($750,000 Canadian), spend up to six months in prison, or both.

John Pennington of Walton, Ky., was initially fined $910 ($1,200 Canadian) on June 25 after an employee at a Banff hotel where he was staying suspected he was violating Alberta's coronavirus regulations, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Cpl. Tammy Keibel told NPR.

Sen. Mitch McConnell Touts CARES Act During Visit To Covington

By Tana Weingartner • Aug 24, 2020

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell used a brief appearance in Covington Monday to talk about the federal CARES Act passed earlier this year to provide economic assistance during the pandemic.

Inappropriate Or Empowering? 'BreonnaCon' Divides Activists

By Eleanor Klibanoff • Aug 24, 2020

Saturday marked the first day of "BreonnaCon," a series of events intended to raise awareness about the police killing of Breonna Taylor in Louisville.

Over the course of four days, there will be barbecues, food drives and empowerment events, culminating in a march on Louisville Metro Police Department's training academy on Tuesday.

KHSAA Votes To Continue On Current Schedule For Fall Sports

By Jess Clark • Aug 20, 2020

Kentucky high school fall sports will move forward with the Aug. 24 start date decided on in July.

McConnell, McGrath Call For ‘Lincoln-Douglas’ Debates

By Ryland Barton • Aug 20, 2020

Amy McGrath has accepted Mitch McConnell’s challenge to hold “Lincoln-Douglas style” debates ahead of Kentucky’s election for U.S. Senate this year.

Kentucky Violated Federal Rules In Rush To Pay Some Unemployment Benefits

By Jared Bennett • Aug 20, 2020

By late April, Kentucky’s unemployment insurance office was handling more than a hundred thousand claims a week, and Gov. Andy Beshear was urging anyone who was out of work to apply during his daily briefings.

Kentucky Budget Director Says State Needs More Federal Assistance

By Ryland Barton • Aug 20, 2020

Kentucky’s top budget official says the state’s financial future is uncertain as federal programs like the $600 supplement to unemployment benefits and the Paycheck Protection Program expire during the pandemic.

Part of why Kentucky has been able to weather the financial storm is federal assistance, according to John Hicks, the state budget director in Gov. Andy Beshear’s administration.

“We’ve got many strong signals that fiscal [year] 21 will be a significant budget challenge and will have lower revenues than in fiscal 20,” Hicks said during a legislative hearing on Wednesday.

Kentucky Surpasses 40,000 Coronavirus Cases, 830 Deaths

By Ryland Barton • Aug 19, 2020

Originally published on August 18, 2020 6:41 pm

Gov. Andy Beshear announced 627 new cases of coronavirus in Kentucky on Tuesday, bringing the state’s total to 40,299.

Though the state’s positivity rate for the virus has hovered around 5 or 6% (on Tuesday it was 5.48%) Beshear said over 20 counties had positivity rates exceeding 10% — what the White House has dubbed the “red zone.”

McConnell Urges Beshear To Apply For Trump Unemployment Benefit

By Ryland Barton • Aug 18, 2020

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says that if Kentucky doesn’t want to pay for a portion of a new unemployment benefit ordered by President Donald Trump, out-of-work Kentuckians can receive a smaller benefit.

Kentucky Police Union Criticizes Bill Banning No-Knock Warrants

By Ryland Barton • Aug 17, 2020

Kentucky’s statewide police union is speaking out against a proposal to ban no-knock search warrants and penalize officers who don’t activate body cameras while executing search warrants.

'Breonna's Law' Would Ban No-Knock Warrants Statewide

By Stephanie Wolf • Aug 17, 2020

Kentucky State Rep. Attica Scott unveiled proposed legislation Sunday morning that would ban no-knock warrants statewide.

Covington's Innovation Alley About To Get Re-Energized

By Ann Thompson • Aug 17, 2020

Emersion Design, hired by Covington to rejuvenate Innovation Way, says it should become both a "place and a path." And it appears big changes are in the works with a new NKU partnership, a federally funded small business coach, and hundreds of thousands of dollars for aesthetic improvements.

Beshear, Adams Say They Are Close To Election Agreement

By Ryland Barton • Aug 13, 2020

Gov. Andy Beshear and Secretary of State Michael Adams say they are close to a bipartisan agreement on how Kentucky’s elections will be run during the November general election.

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