Jun 28 Local News Audit Recommends Retirement Agency Make Changes State Auditor Crit Luallen found no evidence of wrongdoing in an audit of the Kentucky Retirement Systems, but the report raises several areas of concern. The audit primarily focused on the use of placement agents, who act as middlemen to secure investments from entities like the KRS. Placement agents have been at the center of “pay-to-play” […] By Tony McVeigh Jun 28 Local News Audit Recommends Retirement Agency Make Changes Tony McVeigh
Jun 24 Environment Sandhill Crane Hunting Season Continues Forward Movement The legal hunting of sandhill cranes in Kentucky has moved another step closer to becoming a reality, but final approval is still pending. Earlier this month, the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission unanimously approved a sandhill crane hunting season in Kentucky. The season, with a mid-December start, would last for 30 days, or until 400 […] By Tony McVeigh Jun 24 Environment Sandhill Crane Hunting Season Continues Forward Movement Tony McVeigh
Jun 17 Local News University Officials Start Lobbying for Capital Projects Early Kentucky public colleges and universities are already compiling their capital project wish lists to get ready for next year’s legislative session. A $33 million Engineering-Physics building tops the projects list at Murray State University, but President Randy Dunn says the school also badly needs a new $62 million library. And with online technology rapidly replacing books, […] By Tony McVeigh Jun 17 Local News University Officials Start Lobbying for Capital Projects Early Tony McVeigh
Jun 16 Local News Beshear Again Selling Surplus Property Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear is selling surplus state property again. This time it’s a vacant lot in Frankfort. Since taking office in 2007, Gov. Beshear says his administration has generated nearly $7.5 million through surplus real estate sales. Included in that figure is nearly $79,000 Beshear says the state got for a vacant, two-acre industrial […] By Tony McVeigh Jun 16 Local News Beshear Again Selling Surplus Property Tony McVeigh
Jun 14 Local News Kentucky Lawmakers Above Average in Education The Chronicle of Higher Education has been evaluating the education levels of state lawmakers in the United States. The state with the most college-educated lawmakers is California, with 90 percent. New Hampshire, with 53 percent, has the least. The national average is around 75 percent, slightly lower than Kentucky’s 77 percent. Sixty-eight percent of Kentucky […] By Tony McVeigh Jun 14 Local News Kentucky Lawmakers Above Average in Education Tony McVeigh
Jun 14 Local News Hospital Partnership Formally Announced Three major hospitals are joining forces to provide a statewide healthcare delivery system for Kentuckians. The partnership involves University of Louisville Hospital, Jewish Hospital in Louisville and Saint Joseph Health System in Lexington. They’re still working on a name for the joint effort, but James Taylor of U-of-L Hospital says the partnership means better healthcare […] By Tony McVeigh Jun 14 Local News Hospital Partnership Formally Announced Tony McVeigh
Jun 13 Local News Statewide End-of-Course Exams Begin Next Year End-of-course assessments were authorized in education reforms approved by Kentucky lawmakers in 2009. The statewide tests measure student achievement in graduation-required courses of English, Algebra, Biology and U.S. History. Rhonda Sims of the Education Department says districts are also being encouraged to base up to 20 percent of a student’s final course grade on assessment […] By Tony McVeigh Jun 13 Local News Statewide End-of-Course Exams Begin Next Year Tony McVeigh
Jun 13 Local News In-Depth: Despite Investigations and Complaints, For-Profit Colleges Have Supporters in Frankfort Complaints about for-profit colleges in Kentucky continue to raise eyebrows in Frankfort. But the schools also have many legislative defenders. Currently there are 141 for-profit colleges in Kentucky, which are seeing significant growth. National enrollment in proprietary colleges is nearing two million students, compared to a half-million in 1998. The schools cater mostly to students […] By Tony McVeigh Jun 13 Local News In-Depth: Despite Investigations and Complaints, For-Profit Colleges Have Supporters in Frankfort Tony McVeigh
Jun 10 Local News In Light of Higher Reciepts, Beshear Says No Furloughs for Next Fiscal Year It’s been another stellar month for state revenue receipts in Kentucky. And that means no furlough days for state workers next fiscal year. General Fund receipts in May were $750 million, a whopping 18 percent increase over May 2010 receipts. Tax collections in the first 11 months of the current fiscal year have grown 6.7 […] By Tony McVeigh Jun 10 Local News In Light of Higher Reciepts, Beshear Says No Furloughs for Next Fiscal Year Tony McVeigh
Jun 9 Local News Lawmakers Debate Medicaid Management in Kentucky Statewide Medicaid managed care is coming to Kentucky, but maybe not as fast as some lawmakers thought. Governor Steve Beshear says the state can save millions of dollars by letting private health care organizations—rather than the Cabinet for Health and Family Services—manage services for the state’s 820,000 Medicaid recipients. The state has sent out a […] By Tony McVeigh Jun 9 Local News Lawmakers Debate Medicaid Management in Kentucky Tony McVeigh
Jun 7 Local News Kentucky Lawmakers Discuss Aviation Needs With a budget session coming up in January, Kentucky lawmakers are taking an early look at state aviation needs. A legislative hearing on the topic was held this afternoon in Frankfort. The Department of Aviation has 35 employees and an annual budget of around $10 million. The department oversees three fixed-wing aircraft and one helicopter. […] By Tony McVeigh Jun 7 Local News Kentucky Lawmakers Discuss Aviation Needs Tony McVeigh
Jun 7 Local News Noble Will Be First Female Justice to Preside Over KY Supreme Court Arguments History will be made Wednesday morning at 11:00 am in the courtroom of the Kentucky Supreme Court in Frankfort. Kentucky Chief Justice John Minton has recused himself from a criminal case coming before the Supreme Court. So, that means Deputy Chief Justice Mary Noble will preside over oral arguments in the case. It’s a first […] By Tony McVeigh Jun 7 Local News Noble Will Be First Female Justice to Preside Over KY Supreme Court Arguments Tony McVeigh
Jun 6 Local News Board of Elections Certifies Primary Results The vote tallies from Kentucky’s May 17th primary election are now official. The results were certified by the State Board of Elections, meeting in Frankfort. The board’s focus now turns to the November 8th general election. “One of the things that we do in all of our meetings is that we approve reimbursement for the various […] By Tony McVeigh Jun 6 Local News Board of Elections Certifies Primary Results Tony McVeigh
Jun 6 Local News AG’s Office Rules Form Letters Cannot Delay Open Records Form letters are not the proper way to delay a response to an Open Records request in Kentucky. That’s the legal opinion of the attorney general’s office. On April 4th, Thomas Clifford sought medical records relating to himself from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services in Frankfort. The cabinet had three days to respond, but […] By Tony McVeigh Jun 6 Local News AG’s Office Rules Form Letters Cannot Delay Open Records Tony McVeigh
Jun 1 Local News Primary Results Audited In Six Kentucky Counties Six Kentucky counties have been chosen at random for mandatory, post-primary election audits. Attorney General Jack Conway conducted the drawing, and the counties are Wolfe, Boyd, Muhlenberg, Nelson, Estill and Clark. Pendleton County was drawn before Clark, but disqualified, because it was audited in the previous election. Conway says investigators will now be dispatched to […] By Tony McVeigh Jun 1 Local News Primary Results Audited In Six Kentucky Counties Tony McVeigh