Kenny Colston

Congressman Ben Chandler is joining a handful of prominent Democrats who will skip their party's national convention this year. 

Chandler, who represents the Sixth Congressional District in Central Kentucky, is facing Republican Andy Barr in his re-election bid. The matchup is a repeat of the 2010 race in which Chandler beat Barr by fewer than 700 votes. Other Democrats skipping the convention have been criticized for distancing themselves from President Barack Obama, who will be formally nominated for re-election at the event. But Chandler's campaign insists the decision isn't political. 

A new law that goes into effect tomorrow will help patients with chronic health issues maintain their standard of living.  The law allows doctors to show that a long-prescribed medicine would be the best for a patient. Previously, insurance companies could deny payments for such medication until patients had first tried a cheaper alternative.

Former Republican state representative DeWayne Bunch has died from head injuries sustained last year.

Bunch was a first term lawmaker when he was injured breaking up a fight at Whitley County High School, where he was a teacher. He went through months of surgeries and recovery in Lexington and in Atlanta.

His wife, Regina Bunch, was elected in a special election to succeed him as state representative. She’s currently still serving in that capacity.

Leaders of both the Democratic and Republican caucus in the state House praised Bunch’s service as a lawmaker.

Despite dim outlooks, the Commonwealth of Kentucky has turned a budget surplus for the second year in a row.

The last fiscal year closed with  an additional $83 million  in  the General Fund. The road fund has a $31 million  surplus.

The extra revenue has two potential uses. First, the state can make emergency payments, like putting additional money to cleaning up tornado damage in Eastern Kentucky.

And it can send money to the rainy day fund to help build back  Surpluses that were spent during the recession.

For the fifth time, a Northern Kentucky lawmaker will attempt to undo a ban on alcohol sales on election days.

Currently, no alcohol can be served or sold while polls are open. Representative Arnold Simpson has filed legislation to scrap the ban four times in the past. And Friday, he will once again present the proposal to an interim legislative committee.

Many states originally passed such bans in order to crack down on voter fraud and vote buying. Now, South Carolina is the only other state that still bans alcohol sales on election days.

On Thursday, dozens of laws passed in this year’s legislative session will become active.

One of those laws limits the amount of pseudoephedrine a person can buy from a pharmacy. Pseudoephedrine, or PSE, is used in many cold and allergy medicines. It’s also a key part of meth production.

The new law limits adults to seven point two grams a month, which is roughly the equivalent of a box, before requiring a prescription.

A new conservative think tank in Kentucky is expanding its political influence outside of its usual lobbying efforts.

The Commonwealth Policy Center is a fiscally and socially conservative group. Now, the group has launched a sister political action committee, the Commonwealth Policy PAC (pack), to influence elections.

The center’s director is Richard Nelson, a former analyst of the Family Foundation in Kentucky. Henderson City Commissioner Robby Mills is the PAC’s director.

The highest-ranking Republican in the Kentucky state House is calling on Governor Steve Beshear to reject an expansion of Medicaid set forth in the Affordable Care Act.

The Supreme Court ruling on the healthcare law allows states to opt out of the expansion of the program. House Minority Floor Leader Jeff Hoover wants Beshear to follow other states that have opted out.

Hoover says expanding the program in Kentucky would put an even bigger burden on the state budget, even with managed care operators running the system.

A new political action committee is hoping to strengthen the political power of Catholics in Kentucky.

The Kentucky Catholic PAC was founded by Louisville attorney Vince Heuser after the May primary elections.

Heuser says the idea for the state-based PAC stems from two issues that are contentious in the Catholic community. One is a mandate from the federal government that health insurance plans must cover contraceptives. The second is a tussle with state House Democrats over bill that would require women seeking abortions to view an ultrasound of their fetus.

Kentucky isn’t considered a battleground state in this year’s presidential election, but that’s not stopping a few Republicans from trying to make a difference this fall.

The commonwealth is all but sure to deliver its electoral votes to former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. So several local Republican campaign operatives have moved to other battleground states, with many ending up in Ohio and New Mexico.