Good morning from Lexington. A slew of KY state lawmakers will be speaking throughout the morning and afternoon for the Kentucky Chamber’s annual legislative preview conference — starting with lawmakers talking about education. I’ll be tweeting out updates as they come. #kyinterim #KYGA26

Advocates call on Beshear to stop utility disconnections during the government shutdown kentuckylantern.com/2025/11/07/a... @liamniemeyer.bsky.social

Baseball agony, summed up: “The sharp pain may age to a dull ache, but it will never go away. You will go hours, then days, then weeks without thinking about how close you came—and then something will remind you, and it will hurt all over again.” defector.com/toronto-will... @defector.com

Martha Layne Collins, Kentucky’s only woman governor, dies at 88. She landed a Toyota plant that has become a mainstay of the state's economy. kentuckylantern.com/2025/11/01/m...

PSC gives permission to LG&E and KU to build gas-fired power for prospective data centers kentuckylantern.com/2025/10/30/p... @liamniemeyer.bsky.social

A growing crowd of hundreds is gathering in downtown Louisville, KY for today’s planned No Kings protest this afternoon. LeRoy Smith of Louisville, holding the sign below, said he feels like rights have been “chipped away” since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term.

Colon cancer screening program seeks more funding from Kentucky legislature. @sarahelizabethladd.bsky.social kentuckylantern.com/2025/10/15/c...

Doctor. Teacher. Mamaw. Meet some ‘No Kings’ protesters organizing in ‘deep-red’ Kentucky. @jamielucke.bsky.social @liamniemeyer.bsky.social kentuckylantern.com/2025/10/16/d...

Oldham County board unanimously rejects off-campus Bible classes during school day @liamniemeyer.bsky.social kentuckylantern.com/2025/10/08/o...

Kentucky legislature created EPIC last year to review utilities' proposals for retiring coal- and gas-fired power generation. The commission recently named Eric King its first executive director. @liamniemeyer.bsky.social kentuckylantern.com/2025/10/08/u...

Pop-up pet vaccine clinics could be out of business in some stores in Kentucky under a proposed change in regulation. @liamniemeyer.bsky.social kentuckylantern.com/2025/09/30/s...

Dam! Congrats to @liamniemeyer.bsky.social.

An outbreak of a prion disease similar to mad cow on a Kentucky deer farm is renewing questions about whether stronger rules are needed for the more than 100 “captive cervid facilities” the state has permitted. @liamniemeyer.bsky.social kentuckylantern.com/2025/09/08/d...

Over 100 deer were killed in July on a KY farm that raised deer as livestock to stem the spread of a "zombie" deer disease. It's renewing questions over how to curb the spread of chronic wasting disease in KY and the role of these deer farms: kentuckylantern.com/2025/09/08/d... @kentuckylantern.com

Kentucky advocates for people with Alzheimer’s are excited by new research showing that lifestyle interventions like exercising and keeping the brain active can slow cognitive decline and improve brain health. @sarahelizabethladd.bsky.social kentuckylantern.com/2025/08/20/f...

Kentucky could be on the brink of a data center boom. But in Mason County details are sketchy. Local officials sign non-disclosure agreements with the developer. Residents have concerns about the potential impacts and the secrecy. @liamniemeyer.bsky.social kentuckylantern.com/2025/08/21/k...

In Mason County, locals are organizing to demand more answers about a potential $1 billion data center “campus” that could land in a rural part of the county. Local officials have signed NDAs and won’t say who the data center developer is. kentuckylantern.com/2025/08/21/k... @kentuckylantern.com

Kentuckians tell state utility regulator to oppose new gas-fired power for prospective data centers kentuckylantern.com/2025/08/05/k... @kentuckylantern.com

GOP Rep. John Blanton says he feels the drinking water utility serving his area is "driving into a brick wall." The Salyersville utility has grappled with water leaks, staffing shortages and a recent lawsuit over sewage backing up into homes. kentuckylantern.com/2025/07/30/s... @kentuckylantern.com

“I think Eastern Kentucky has spent a lot of time waiting for other people to show up with resources. And that’s — quite honestly — that’s the dynamic I’m actually interested to change." kentuckylantern.com/2025/07/28/e... @kentuckylantern.com

As homelessness rises in Kentucky, especially outside the two largest cities, the Trump administration wants to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in federal support for state housing programs. @liamniemeyer.bsky.social kentuckylantern.com/2025/07/11/n...

Pesky PFAS present in Louisville water, data show www.lpm.org/investigate/... @morganwatkins.lpm.org @lpm.org

Dr. Steven Stack says Kentucky, which already struggles with poor health, is “on the cusp of having a significant backslide” if the federal government cuts programs like Medicaid and SNAP. MORE: kentuckylantern.com/2025/06/23/a...

Bill is a fantastic reporter, but he's an even better human. He knows everything about everything, he's got a phone number for whoever you need, and he's a nonstop good idea machine. I'm happy he gets to step back and relax — though I'm not sure he actually knows how.

It’s the Illuminator’s 5th anniversary! Please consider sending us some birthday cash to help support our work, which is always free of ads and paywalls and free for any news outlet to run

@agomezfcc.bsky.social, the lone Dem at the FCC, is on a national tour speaking out against what she sees as efforts by Trump to undermine the 1st Amendment. Her first two stops included LA and Washington D.C. Her latest stop? Letcher County. kentuckylantern.com/2025/06/18/p... @kentuckylantern.com

From LA to Letcher County, Anna Gomez takes her anti-censorship crusade on the road. Lone Democrat on Federal Communications Commission talks in Fleming-Neon about the First Amendment. @liamniemeyer.bsky.social kentuckylantern.com/2025/06/18/p...

Portraits of protest: A Kentucky photo gallery @austinanthony.com @photoprofdavid.bsky.social @liamniemeyer.bsky.social kentuckylantern.com/2025/06/14/p...

Thousands of Kentuckians turn out in cities large and small to warn that democracy is under threat from what they say is an autocratic president. Protesters assail Trump's purge of law-abiding immigrants. @liamniemeyer.bsky.social @jamielucke.bsky.social kentuckylantern.com/2025/06/14/n...

The planned “No Kings” protest is well underway in Louisville, KY, where hundreds have gathered at city hall. Democratic Congressman Morgan McGarvey mentions the news of a Democratic Minnesota state lawmaker being shot and killed. “When you normalize political violence, this is what happens.”

"...the efforts to drive change and build resilience can’t happen overnight. It takes consistent investment to help build that resilience so that we can eventually save people and help people survive some of these extreme heat events.” www.eenews.net/articles/ins... @eenews.bsky.social

The @kentuckylantern.com's @mckennahorsley.bsky.social is featured in Your First Byline! yourfirstbyline.substack.com/p/my-first-b...

The Union County seat of Morganfield in Western KY is home to one of the largest Job Corps centers in the country. Locals are dismayed at the thought of the vocational training center closing, especially for at-risk youth the center served: kentuckylantern.com/2025/06/05/t... @kentuckylantern.com

A tribute to Bruce Mitchell of the Athens NEWS, who founded the weekly paper in my college town that had a big impact on my view of what journalism can be. “A newspaper’s duty is to print the news and raise hell.” ohiocapitaljournal.com/2025/05/30/a... @daviddewitt.bsky.social

"Though there are currently no plans to build nuclear power plants in the state, Carroll said the Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority has 'identified some sites' for potential development." www.wkms.org/energy/2025-... @wkmsfm.bsky.social @doperle.bsky.social

A relatively new clinic in Lexington is a model for treating child abuse, featuring therapy rooms and a therapy dog named Darcy: “There’s kids that won’t talk to anybody, but will tell a dog something.” kentuckylantern.com/2025/05/28/k... @sarahelizabethladd.bsky.social @kentuckylantern.com

'No Kentucky Home' “I’m probably one of the only people you’ll see that can just sit there and lay on a piece of concrete with a pillow or nothing and go to bed. That hardens you up.” - John Paul Shanks @liamniemeyer.bsky.social @austinanthony.com kentuckylantern.com/2025/05/23/a...

The third part in the @kentuckylantern.com's series this week on rural homelessness: a Western KY church had a vision for housing by turning a local motel into apartments. But the mayor in the town had concerns: "We’re not willing to destroy our community.” kentuckylantern.com/2025/05/22/a...

No Kentucky Home: Episode 3 Pastor Jennifer Banks and others in Abundant Life Church were not sure what to expect when the mayor called a meeting to talk about their plans for helping people who are experiencing homelessness. @liamniemeyer.bsky.social kentuckylantern.com/2025/05/22/a...

The second part of the @kentuckylantern.com series on rural homelessness: a young woman slept outside for weeks in Muhlenberg County, curled up next to her dog. She then got shelter in a church and a shower, that stability soon leading her to a job within days. kentuckylantern.com/2025/05/21/a...

No Kentucky Home: Part 2 "They try to sweep us under the rug like we don’t exist." - Courtney Phillips @liamniemeyer.bsky.social @austinanthony.com kentuckylantern.com/2025/05/21/a...

No Kentucky Home: Part 1 Mallie Luken, wheelchair bound & without her dog Blaze, was "dumped" by police in a church parking lot one night. "I didn’t have anywhere for her to go,' says pastor Jennifer Banks. @liamniemeyer.bsky.social @austinanthony.com kentuckylantern.com/2025/05/20/h...

This week, @kentuckylantern.com is running a series about rural homelessness and how a coalition of people in one KY county has grappled with the issue. Mallie Luken spent a night outside a Western KY church, sleeping under a stainless steel table in a storm. kentuckylantern.com/2025/05/20/h...

Climate change intensified April flooding in Kentucky, according to scientific modeling. As temperatures rise so will likelihood of extreme rainfall, report predicts. @liamniemeyer.bsky.social kentuckylantern.com/2025/05/08/c...

Climate change made widespread April flooding across KY more intense, according to @wwattribution.bsky.social. One meteorologist noted a small increase in flooding can be the difference between whether a river crests a bank or barrier. kentuckylantern.com/2025/05/08/c... @kentuckylantern.com

Louisville’s air pollution regulator will contest the Trump admin’s termination of a grant for an air toxics monitoring study near Rubbertown. An EPA spox didn’t say what specific issues it had w/ grant, instead blaming Biden admin for “wasteful DEI programs.” kentuckylantern.com/2025/05/01/l...

"When it comes to a data center," said David Spenard, a KY attorney w/ @southernrenewable.bsky.social, "it is about making sure that they are paying their fair share associated with what requirements they are placing on the system." www.courier-journal.com/story/news/l... @connorgiffin.bsky.social

Incredible open records find from @storiesbyjess.bsky.social In direct contradiction to claims UofL board members made last week, internal comms show they gave the former president an ultimatum -- either she quit or the board would vote to terminate without cause www.lpm.org/investigate/...

“I would not be surprised if a cooperative or a utility in a deep red state takes this on and announces a project,” said coal analyst Andy Blumenfeld. “[W]ould it actually get to actual construction and operation? I think the odds of that are very slim.” www.eenews.net/articles/tru...

One of Trump's orders resembles a 2023 KY law making it harder to retire coal-fired power plants. In the East Room for the signing ceremony were Kentuckians Joe Craft, coal exec & GOP megadonor, and Senate President Robert Stivers. @liamniemeyer.bsky.social kentuckylantern.com/2025/04/10/h...