The big task of lawmakers this #kyga26 session is to pass a two-year state budget, which will be more challenging than recent years, as @sylviaruthg.lpm.org and I explain here. Beshear will present his budget proposal tomorrow, and GOP House supermajority will present theirs at some point this week.

Today, I'll be watching Senate while Joe camps out in the House. As you can see we're in these weird temporary chambers where the public doesn't get a seat. You can still watch the livestream on KET and of course follow along to KPR!

The Porch Light newsletter is your go-to spot for news, history and culture in the Appalachian region across Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia. Sign up today: forms.gle/38wjoWR41MMb... #appalachia #south #kentucky #tennessee #westvirginia

In November, I submitted an open records request for Gov. Andy Beshear's past schedule. Today, the H-L sued over their denial (citing an old appellate ruling classifying gov schedule as "preliminary") of that request. Read the full lawsuit & story here. www.kentucky.com/news/politic...

Who doesn't love a good open records lawsuit? Per @tessaduvall.bsky.social, the H-L is suing the governor's office for refusing to turn over Beshear's calendar, based on a 1995 court ruling. Is a calendar (including of past days) really a preliminary document? www.kentucky.com/news/politic...

Latest from me & @sylviaruthg.lpm.org ahead of the #kyga26 session of the Kentucky General Assembly that begins tomorrow afternoon.

Correction of previous bleat: Consensus Forecasting Group saying that FY25 estimated GF evenues are $149M better than what they estimated back in September, BUT this is still a $156M shortfall being projected for the current fiscal year. So the estimated shortfall has been cut in half. #kyga26

Immigrants who had received letters inviting them to a citizenship ceremony in downtown Louisville were turned away at the door Thursday. All are from countries deemed “high-risk” by President Donald Trump. From @lpm.org's Roberto Roldan

Latest from me: Kentucky Gov. Beshear talks pre-K for all, federal cuts and Democrat midterm strategy Check out the story to hear my full interview with the governor:

HIGHLY recommend following @porchlightnews.bsky.social (also @porchlightnews on Insta). We're launching this new, very cool newsletter as part of our collab with Tennessee and West Virginia stations!

I will never forget having to edit Jamal’s final, posthumous piece for the Washington Post, after he was murdered. He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here : www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...

If you didn't see, Paul's amendment got tabled, the CR is heading to the House WITH McConnell's anti-THC hemp attachment. Read more from @joesonka.lpm.org www.lpm.org/news/2025-11...

How did these men get away with abuse that a group of young women say stretches back almost two decades? The third season of KYCIR's Dig from @storiesbyjess.bsky.social is now live. It is distressing and upsetting, but an absolutely vital listen. www.lpm.org/podcast/dig

Paul v. McConnell, Kentucky's two senators ... and we are on a short timeline for this CR folks! The voting margins are real tight in the Senate

Latest from @justinhicks.lpm.org and @joesonka.lpm.org , a close witness to the UPS plane crash yesterday evening recounts what he saw www.lpm.org/news/2025-11...

Kentucky Congressman Brett Guthrie told an audience in his district that the GOP won't blink first in government shutdown stalemate over health insurance tax credits. From WKU:

FYI we have a court update but I'm not really sure what this will mean for folks in the short term. Judge is requesting a plan/timeline on Monday and we have no sense at what point benefits will actually go out to states to distribute from those emergency funds www.lpm.org/news/2025-10...

Kentucky food pantries call for community support ahead of SNAP cliff — latest from me www.lpm.org/news/2025-10...

Another killer report from @justinhicks.lpm.org. These are based on the actual estimates that Kentuckians in these circumstances are getting averaged across all 120 counties Looks real bad if you're 60+ I'll tell you that much

With federal subsidies set to expire unless Congress acts quickly, Kentucky Public Radio analyzed quotes from the state’s health insurance marketplace and found premium increases ranging from 60% to 600% compared to 2025. From @justinhicks.lpm.org

Student journalists in Appalachia! 🚨 PAID writing opportunity before end of the semester: 100 Days in Appalachia is assembling a series of dispatches on the biggest issues facing campuses. Pieces are short, not as heavy a lift reporting-wise. Email [email protected] & I'll share info.

Fascinating report from @joesonka.lpm.org. Petition filed to impeach Kentucky Justice Goodwine over alleged conflicts (and it cites some of Joe's previous reporting) www.lpm.org/news/2025-10...

I’ve been calling food banks around the state (and I’m not just talking Louisville or Lexington) to hear about the needs of different communities and, honestly, hear the fears of people who’ve dedicated years to feeding ether hungry as Nov 1 approaches Read below and know that there’s more TK

Great story from @sarahelizabethladd.bsky.social this morning ‘Every penny counts’ for Kentucky kinship care families about to see benefits cut kentuckylantern.com/2025/10/27/e...

Latest from me: The Jefferson County Republican party has selected a candidate for a special election in Louisville’s South End that railed against the women of his generation through online posts, using vulgar epithets. www.lpm.org/news/2025-10...

The proposed settlement between the Kentucky attorney general and the state’s largest electric utility company would cut their proposed electricity rate increases in half.

Believe me, if you’re on the marketplace odds are you’re seeing an increase, even if you didn’t qualify for the subsidy. DM me or Joe — we want to hear from you!

EXCLUSIVE: One Saturday afternoon in October, my phone lit up with a notification. I glanced down at the message. “Anna, Lindsey Halligan here,” it began. So began my text exchange with the woman who is prosecuting the president's perceived political enemies. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/anna...

New: a KY state rep from Louisville is serving 10 days of home incarceration this week for a 2024 DUI arrest (her 2nd offense). She was granted work release & has some committee meetings this week. www.kentucky.com/news/politic...

This has been quite the saga to follow. We’re still missing some details here but the budget memo shows the administration moving money around to fill the gap in the senior meals program

The first time I saw this image, I knew I had to write about this piece of Kentucky history. Sonya Lea’s new book is a bracing, deep look into a troubling case and an invitation to think deeply about the justice system in our country.

Democrat Amy McGrath, who has lost two high-profile races for Congress, announced another bid for Sen. Mitch McConnell’s open seat Monday. From @sylviaruthg.lpm.org #kysen

Good investigation here from @sylviaruthg.lpm.org on how Kentucky state gov., under Gov. Andy Beshear, has kicked people off SNAP food benefits b/c of their pattern of shopping transactions - even though judges & legal experts say that type of evidence is not enough to prove fraud.

After searching through court and state records, a pattern is clear. Kentucky swiftly stepped up SNAP disqualifications in 2016 and a review of several cases from 2020 onward shows a heavily reliance on suspicious shopping patterns to accuse people of selling benefits apnews.com/article/food...

Kentucky GOP Congressman Thomas Massie is facing attacks from President Donald Trump, but was lent a hand by Sen. Rand Paul in a six-stop tour through his district. www.lpm.org/news/2025-09...

Some may be shocked to know that I ask more than one question a week as a reporter

The senior meal delivery and congregate meal programs dramatically expanded during COVID This is essentially a return to pre-pandemic levels… which means a lot of seniors will go back on waiting lists

Out of Kentucky’s 120 counties, one in six has had a sheriff criminally charged or convicted since 2010. Some of those sheriffs remain in office. Read part one of my @courierjournal investigation: www.courier-journal.com/story/news/i...

The 2025 session of the Kentucky legislature may have ended in March, but businesses and advocacy groups still spent $10 million lobbying lawmakers in the subsequent five months, including hosting receptions for them at out-of-state conferences. From KPR: #kyga25 #kyga26

University of Kentucky terminates former head of racehorse drug-testing lab kentuckylantern.com/2025/09/11/u...

This is a fascinating case (lest you thought Kentucky was finished with its school choice debates!) Amendment 2 may have failed, but the AGs office is arguing these public charters should actually count as part of the common (read public) school system Read more ⬇️⬇️

Seems like the justices are split on this, based on oral arguments. Full disclosure: LPM is suing JCPS over their use of text messages to hide public communications. This case could have big repercussions for our ability to hold officials accountable

Update on this: since I wrote the story, nearly every Democrat has signed on (looks like we’re waiting for one more) It also has 4 Republican signatures — same as yesterday. Assuming that last Dem signs on, that means it’s on Massie to get those last two votes

“It is reprehensible to hear (@mayorgreenberg.bsky.social)'s press secretary speaking with such contempt toward a reporter and attempting to bully him simply for asking questions,” the SPJ’s board said. “Intimidation of this kind undermines democracy and the public trust.”

It’s my third year at the annual Country Ham breakfast. No I don’t eat ham but I’m certainly looking at a lot of it According to @mckennahorsley.bsky.social the ham at the front of the room is fake?? I sincerely cannot tell

U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell presents a lifetime achievement award to Cathy Bell, a longtime party volunteer who has served in multiple roles in the KYGOP. Morris campaign had called on RKP to rescind the award from McConnell, but the award was a surprise for Bell.

Trump's federal Mine Safety and Health Administration is proposing rule changes that would limit the authority of its own district safety managers to require tailored safety measures at individual mines. From @justinhicks.lpm.org

U of L Health is delaying its South End birthing center “indefinitely. They're blaming Medicaid cuts www.lpm.org/news/2025-08... When we reported on these federal cuts earlier this year, many advocates told us that labor & delivery and emergency care are often the first to go

ANNND here it is! All you need to know about this year's Fancy Farm and the latest on the GOP primary to replace McConnell (unless you're there for the bingo and barbecue) www.wkms.org/government-p...

If you ever wondered if Kentucky Supreme Court Justice Shea Nickell can sing, wonder no longer (From the West Ky GOP Rally)